Movies I Watched Last Week

Before I even begin writing about the films that I saw last week, I just wanted to remind you all that today IS the last day for my contest, so please be sure to get your entries in before 11:59pm tonight.


A typical week I usually see about 2-4 movies but last week I saw more than usual. So in this post, I'm including what films I saw and mini review on them, just to give you my point of view on the film and what I liked and disliked about the film. I'm also including in here, some actors and actresses that I've newly discovered and I'm very eager to see more of their films.



WARNING: Some Spoilers May Be Revealed About The Films!!!


Cinderella Jones(1946) Starring Joan Leslie, Robert Alda, and William Prince
Directed By Busby Berkeley




The film is about a young woman finding out that she will inherit a ton of money only though if she marries a man with a high I.Q. Unfortunately for Joan Leslie's character, she isn't all that bright and often doesn't realize what is right in front of her. It's hard to believe that this was directed by Berkeley because the style of it, is completely different from his other films. I know that a lot of people will disagree with me, but I actually liked the movie. It was a light-hearted film that you didn't need to overly think about. It was a generally cute movie and I would probably end up watching it again. The ending is kind of all over the place but overall I enjoyed it.



Margie(1946) starring Jeanne Crain, Glenn Langan, and Alan Young
Directed by Henry King



The film is about a young girl who in the film is seen as an awkward and shy girl. Her awkwardness often makes her the butt of the joke and some of her supposed friends are only pretending to be nice to her face, only to say something rude behind her back. Throughout the film though, Margie looses the awkwardness that held her back and she soon becomes a mature teen with a few minor steps in between. The film was pretty good but I had quite a problem with how the french teacher behaved in some of the scenes. If I had seen a teacher acting like that, I would certainly be worried. I adored the scenery, costumes, and music that were included in the film. It certainly gave you the feeling you were in the 1920's.



High Sierra(1941)starring Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, and Joan Leslie
Directed by Raoul Walsh



The film is about an convict who was just released from prison and is planning on one more heist at a hotel. Two men that are going to be involved in the heist, have a woman tagging along and that it seems that the convict isn't too happy about her but as the film progresses, he grows to like her and eventually he does love her. When things go wrong with the heist, Roy Earle(the convict) is forced to run away, in hopes of not getting caught. I was genuinely surprised but I really loved this movie. As much as I loved Humphrey in this film, it was really Ida Lupino who did it for me. She was absolutely excellent and she played the character of Marie so well.


In This Our Life(1942)starring Bette Davis, Olivia De Havilland, George Brent, and Dennis Morgan

Directed by John Huston



The film is about two sisters, Stanley and Roy Timberlake and the drama that seems to follow them around. Not far from getting married, Stanley dumps her fiancee and runs off with her sister's husband. After picking herself up after loosing her husband, Roy begins a relationship with her sister's ex-fiancee Craig and they gradually fall for one another. On the other hand, no such happiness seems to be happening for Stanley and her new husband and Roy's ex-husband Peter. They constantly fight and one day, Peter can't handle the relationship any longer and he ends up killing himself. A lot more chaos and drama ensues within the film, which makes it even more interesting to see each actor in that type of intensity. The only thing I wish I had seen more of was of Peter(Dennis Morgan), I really wish his character would have taken a different route but I thought he did an excellent job in playing a drunkard.


Angels With Dirty Faces(1938)starring James Cagney, Pat O' Brien, Humphrey Bogart, and Ann Sheridan

Directed by Michael Curtiz





The film is about a man who is constantly in trouble ever since he was a teen. As he gets older, his troublesome ways become worse than before. A former childhood friend and pastor tries to help his former friend but when a rift comes between the two, it becomes difficult for the two to try again until the end of the movie. Out of all the gangster films, that I've seen with Cagney I think that this was alright. I much more prefer him in The Roaring Twenties or Public Enemy. Even though his role in the movie was rather small, I liked Humphrey's portrayal of the character.



A Letter To Three Wives(1949) starring Jeanne Crain, Ann Southern, Linda Darnell, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas(no relation), and Jeffrey Lynn

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz




The film is about three women who receive a letter from a friend saying that she has left town with one of their husbands. The film shows each woman questioning whether or not, it's their husband through flashbacks. I was quite disappointed to find out that Jeffrey Lynn didn't have much screen time because I certainly would have loved to have figured out what type of person he was. I did enjoy Kirk Douglas' character the most. Overall though, I felt I gave the film too much hype, when it was an alright film.


The Petrified Forest(1936) starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, and Dick Foran

Directed by Archie Mayo




The film is about a traveller who stops at a diner in the middle of a desert. There he meets a waitress, who has dreams of leaving, and going to France in hopes of finding her true dreams. As the traveller is in the midst of leaving, gangsters stop the car, he's in and tells him and the passengers to get out. The traveller then walks all the way back to the diner, to warn the waitress but it's too late and he finds out that the gangsters are already there. Seriously the best part of the film was Leslie Howard's character Allan Squier, he portrayed a character that was filled with intellect and sarcasm. I've never seen a character quite like him before. Of course I very much enjoyed watching Bette, Humphrey, and Dick.



Now onto to the actors!



Joan Leslie

I had seen movies of hers before but I never really paid all that much attention to her until I saw "Cinderella Jones" and "High Sierra". I love that she can play two completely different roles and do them so greatly. I can't wait to see more of her movies.



Ida Lupino

Just the same with Joan, I had seen other movies with Ida but my attention was usually on someone else. Last week though, I was completely entranced with her performance in "High Sierra". The minute she arrives on the screen, you know you are in for a treat with how she plays the character. Absolutely wonderful to watch.



Humphrey Bogart

I've seen several movies of Humphrey's but I never really appreciated him before until now, he was an absolute genius in the films that I'd seen last week. When I first saw him in "Casablanca'', I couldn't stand him. I immediately wrote him off as this actor who expresses himself the same exact way, in each of his films. I can gladly say, that this has changed since. From playing a gangster, you are able to see this grittiness and horror that he portrays so well within his characters. You can see it in his eyes and his movements and he does it so good. I've just become a die-hard Humphrey Bogart and really am excited to see more of his movies.


I know that I've seen these actors before in other movies, but it's like I'm reintroduced to them again. I'm getting a chance to see them again with a different perspective and that's what makes it so interesting.