Some Like It Hot (1959, U.S.)

Watching My Week with Marilyn made me realize that I have hardly seen any of Marilyn Monroe's movies. I've seen Monkey Business (an absolutely wonderful Cary Grant/Ginger Rogers flick by Howard Hawks in which she has a very small role) and I've seen The Misfits (Clark Gable's final film based on a story by Monroe's husband Arthur Miller), but neither of those are her best remembered roles at all.

So what can I say about this? What a strange movie for the '50s! We think of that decade as super up-tight, and yet here we have a gender-bending, cross-dressing comedy about musicians and gangsters. I quite enjoyed it, really. I can see the Monroe appeal. That breathy voice when she says, "It's me, Sugar!" Pulling a flask out of her garter. She's just sexy and innocent and completely enthralling. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis are both hilarious, but they are totally eclipsed by her sun. This movie had all the things you could ask for in a comedy. There were so many funny lines and physical situation comedy, particularly having to do with gender identity issues. My biggest complaint is that I didn't like which man she picked. Still, you can't have everything and it was funny funny!

Rating: 4.0

The Tourist (2010, U.S.)

I mostly avoided all descriptions, reviews, and previews of this movie, except for the very first teaser trailer. Basically, I didn't care what it was about and I didn't want to have my opinion influenced beforehand. I love Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, and I couldn't wait to see them in action together.

This was a cute movie. Not exactly the adjective one would expect for a spy film, but there you have it. It's also quite slowly paced for the genre, so if you don't go in expecting a nail-biter, you shouldn't be disappointed. Basically anything can happen when you mix romantic comedy with espionage. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, this is not. (Then again, Depp and Jolie don't have the chemistry Jolie and Pitt had—but who could?)

The story? Elise sits next to Frank, an American tourist, on a train going to Venice. Her intent is to trick the police into believing Frank is her elusive lover, who is a mysterious fugitive. Frank (who is a nerdy, socially awkward math teacher) finds himself pursued by both the police and the mobster who Elise's lover owes money to. Elise finds herself falling for Frank (which is helped along by the fact that her lover has continually let her down) and vice versa (though it causes him nothing but trouble). There are several plot twists that should probably feel sudden but instead feel almost like a mild surprise. Somehow, it works well.

The cast is fantastic. Depp and Jolie are great actors, especially in the roles of nerd and seductress, respectively. Paul Bettany plays the lead inspector, and I wish he had a more prominent role. There's just something about him. Toss in Rufus Sewell as the stranger, and it was a solid cast.

I also thought the score was fabulous. Even if the film was a bit slow for the genre, the music said, "This is a spy flick!" I do love James Newton Howard.

I'm looking forward to re-watching this, knowing where all the twists and turns go.

Rating: 4.0

Easy Living (1937, U.S.)

This is precisely what you'd expect of a mistaken identity comedy of the 1930s. In other words, very sweet and very enjoyable.

When J.P. Ball, a wealthy financier, gets sick of his wife's spending habits and throws her sable coat out the window, it lands on struggling single gal Mary Smith. This sets off a chain of events that causes her to get fired from her job, convinces hotel manager Louis Louis to think she's Ball's mistress, and leads her to meet Ball's son, who's also out looking for work to get out from under his father's control.

If this was one of those screwball comedies starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, it would be a lot different. I don't know if "sexier" is the word, considering we're talking about the 1930s. "Smarter" may be the word, both in the sense of "hipper" and "cleverer." One should avoid comparisons though, because as I said, this one was very sweet. I do love the sassy ones, but I liked this one too—it's nice to have a little variety.

Rating: 3.5

The Lost Samaritan (2008, Germany)

Terrible. Terrible! I was feeling the need to watch something with Ian Somerholder in it, and this was a definite mistake. An accountant has a long night at the office, and on the way home helps an injured motorist, which leads to him becoming the target of two dangerous assassins. I can't even remember how. Then he gets home to find his wife cheating on him, and the assassins follow him there, so he goes to a cafe and the waitress ends up tagging along on his adventures. How does any of this make sense? There's no clear plot, and that's the least of the problems with this travesty.

The music was way over the top music. I gather that this movie was made in Germany, and all the German actors who were supposed to be Hispanic or white Americans still had German accents. The script was ridiculous, writing beyond terrible. The one major "why" of the plot was never answered. The accountant's relationship with the waitress makes no sense. And to top it off, the girl's not even sexy and she tries too hard.

What was Ian Somerhalder thinking? He's a pretty talented actor. This was just sad.

Rating: 1.5

Wake (2008, U.S.)

It seems like I've been saying this a lot lately, but this film was truly one of a kind. It's about a girl whose sister died young. Carys can't feel anything, and she wants to be able to cry. So she uses a connection with a friend who works for a mortuary and starts going to the funerals of strangers. At one funeral, she meets Tyler, the fiancé of the young deceased. His eulogy touches her, and she finds herself lying to him about being a friend of the family. They start a friendship, they both help each other grieve, and eventually they become more than friends.

I've rarely seen such a successful genre-blend. There was the obvious drama (revolving around death and family) and romance angles. Then there was a mystery, because there's a question about how the fiancée died (and Tyler might have done it). Then there's some extreme suspense when Carys and Tyler are alone in a cabin in the woods and Carys fears for her life. There's some pretty funny black comedy. And they all blend together so well that you can never quite settle into watching; your mind has to be actively engaged in the film to keep your mental footing.

I thought that the last shot was just too easy, but otherwise, wow. It was quite a roller coaster—funny, sad, suspenseful, romantic. A great indie film that definitely deserves a wide audience. Prepare to be surprised.

Rating: 4.5

Salt (2010, U.S.)

I never thought I would see the day that I agreed with Roger Ebert, but I think it has come. He gave it four out of four stars, saying that "It's gloriously absurd. This movie has holes in it big enough to drive the whole movie through." Amen. It's like a super cheesy and preposterous 1950s spy film but with the realism that comes from modern day film techniques, and this is a very disconcerting combination. You could almost say it was so ridiculous it was good.

A lot of the plot devices lacked clarity, but I can't go into without giving away the ending. I did figure out one plot twist thanks to an episode of Lost, which was kind of fun for me.

Of course, I love Angelina Jolie more than anyone else I know. She makes an excellent action hero (see Tomb Raider). Apparently she's been wanting to do a spy franchise, and I wish this had a better script so they could make a franchise out of it. I do have to say thank goodness Tom Cruise dropped out, because this movie would have been ten kinds of awful with him instead of her.

Besides Jolie, the three best parts were the action, the setting, and the music. A lot of the action was based on Salt running and running and running from her pursuers, rather than explosions and shooting (though there was a good share of that too). The filming took place primarily in D.C. and was really well done. And the score (by one of my favorite composers) was perfect. If I had listened to it without the movie, I would have said to myself, "This would make good spy music!"

Don't expect much, and you'll be entertained. Especially if you like Angelina Jolie.

Rating: 3.5

Penelope (2006, UK)

This was one of the stranger movies I've seen recently. Christina Ricci is Penelope, a girl whose family is cursed. Consequently, she has a pig snout. She needs to find someone of her own class (rich, of course) who loves her in order to break the curse, but every man who sees her runs screaming from the house. That is until she meets Max, who's lost his family inheritance and goes to meet her because a crooked newspaperman wants a story. Somehow he manages to never see her, and they form a bond. Things go sour, and Penelope runs away from home.

This is a really cute movie about falling in love for what's on the inside and finding yourself despite the interference of everyone in your life. Ricci is adorable—as is McAvoy. And I always, always love Catheine O'Hara as the neurotic mother. Reese Witherspoon, who produced this movie, also makes a brief appearance as a tough girl who befriends Penelope.

Really fun, really sweet. I think it would be a good movie for tweens.

Rating: 3.5

Priceless / Hors de prix (2006, France)

This movie could not be more French. A professional mistress mistakes a hotel boy/bartender for a rich man, and all hell breaks loose. Before you know it. he's a professional "kept boy" (for lack of a better term). It is an absolutely charming combination of funny, sexy, and awkward. It was très fun.

Of course, I adore Audrey Tautou. This film gave her the opportunity to look downright sexy, as opposed to her usual adorable. Actually, the adorableness peeked through occasionally, and it worked perfectly for the film. The chemistry between her and Gad Elmaleh, who I really liked.

This is a great movie. If it was an American movie, it would be silly and trashy. As a French movie, it was frothy and fun. Great stuff.

Rating: 4.0

Pillow Talk (1959, U.S.)

This movie reminded me a lot of Down with Love, which I adore. And when I looked it up after I watched this, I found out that Down with Love was a giant nod to sex comedies of this era, but especially to Pillow Talk.

I liked this film quite a bit. It didn't blow me away or anything, but it was an enjoyable way to spend an evening at home. There were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments, and some sappy parts too.

This might be complete sacrilege or what have you, but I really wasn't too thrilled with Doris Day. I think this is the first film I've seen with her, and I just thought she was so-so. I think her character could have been just as easily played by countless other actresses. And her singing... yeah. I just don't see the allure. Rock Hudson, on the other hand, is dreamy, charismatic, and suave. Kind of Clark Gable meets Cary Grant, but mostly in a mold of his own. Very sexy.

If you like cases of mistaken identity, sex comedies, battles of the sexes, old movies, or a good laugh, you should definitely see this one.

Rating: 3.5