April movies

One quasi-sentence reviews for my April films!

You're Gonna Miss Me...2004...usa **** (good music doc on roky erikson & his lost mind)

Run Fatboy Run...2008...usa **1/2 (should have been better with a title like that)

The Eagle...1925...usa *****! (5/5 due seeing it in restored movie palace w/ wurlitzer organ!)

Black Book...2007...germany ***1/2 (surprisingly suspenseful ww2 film about a young jewish woman trying to survive)

Lila Says...2005...france *** (bleak, erotic coming of age film)

Note By Note...2006...usa **** (one year in the life of making a steinway piano, will be in running for top doc in '08 for me)

Tears of the Black Tiger...2005...thailand **1/2 (saturated images + over the top thai spaghetti western melodrama)

Boarding Gate...2008...france ** (first half beyond horrible, second half better, asia argenta acts like an wild animal)

Leatherheads...2007...usa *** (romance angle muddies this '20s set screwball throwback, more football, less sourface)

La Captive...2000...france ** (i felt like i was held captive this was so slow--and i love slow!)

Roman Holiday...1953...usa *****! (one of my all-time favorites...watched again, romantic, funny and just flat out good)

Art School Confidintial...2006...usa **1/2 (how come this wasn't better? art school, satire, zwigoff--disappointment)

Blood and Black Lace...1964...italy *** (mario bava, early slasher film, lighting gone amok)

Photograph

Unmasked. Last week I was milling around the Circle Cinema projection booth and this photo was taken. Photo by Chuck Foxen.

Full frontal nudity on jets

I’ve been doing more travelling recently and I’ve taken my portable DVD player along for the domestic flights to help pass the time (I’m a white knuckler so it helps me forget the fear too). I usually watch a foreign film because it has subtitles and sometimes the jet is too noisy to pick out dialogue; the subtitles provide a back up for what’s being said.

I tend to watch things not usually seen on jets—‘60s Milos Forman (Black Peter + The Fireman’s Ball) or obscure Spanish films like Soccer Days have been screened in the past. One thing that has worried me when I’ve watched some of them (you never know with foreign movies as their actors are a lot less concerned about taking their clothes off than in American films) is the worry over nudity or other “offensive” material out of nowhere that might send someone more conservative over the edge or expose an underage person to an image their parents don’t want them to see.

This past week I went Tulsa—Dallas—Albuquerque for a mini vacation to New Mexico. My two films: Tears of the Black Tiger from Thailand and La Captive from France. Tears of the Black Tiger had nothing objectionable (although it was a bit weird for airplane fare) but then I started watching La Captive, and, it being from France, started to lean toward some nudity and fortunately I was on the perfect flight for that.

Evidently, Albuquerque is near some military bases because half the jet was full of a variety of soldiers. I almost wanted terrorists to try to take this jet to witness the unholy beat-down that would have commenced. Back to La Captive: Sylvie Testud stops taking a bath, stands and begins to dry off, beginning a few minutes of full frontal nudity.

I cautiously look around to make sure some 11 year old isn’t behind me—I was safe, it was just another soldier. I look quickly over to the soldier to my left who is in his early 20s to see if he was even paying attention—he was. He seemed to be looking at Testud’s bare skin and looked up and caught my eye and gave me a quick nod and a thumb’s up in approval of what I was watching. This guy might not have been interested in a French film on a flight to Albuquerque but he was into this portion of the French film!

Coming home I sat next to a woman in her 60s but lucky for her and my own embarrassment, I was re-watching the 1953 film Roman Holiday and it offers no full frontal nudity. I’ll save another one of those for a later flight.

I Heart Sanaa Lathan

A few months back I watched a surprisingly smart romantic drama/comedy called Something New. I vaguely remember the trailer from its release—black woman, white man, they meet, resist the sparks between them, give in, resist some more and ultimately give in. It could have been complete formula but thanks to a strong performance from the female lead and an intelligent script, the movie rose out of the mire to become a winning little film that I don’t think many people saw.

That female lead was Sanaa Lathan. I’ve spent the last couple of months going through some of her films via Netflix and have discovered someone who delivers a lot of sharp performances. Lathan seems drawn to strong willed, independent and lively characters and for women these days—particularly African American actresses—those kinds of roles are difficult to find. Although, to be honest, I didn’t watch Lathan in Alien vs. Predator in 2004 so I don’t know if that role had those same characteristics.

I did watch her in Out of Time (okay), Disappearing Acts (not so good) and Love & Basketball (pretty good actually, Lathan dons a variety of basketball sweats and has to play a little hoop). In the latter two movies Lathan is the heart of the movie, the anchor that the story revolves around and she provides that backbone quite nicely. I’d love to see her in lighter material or something outside the romantic drama genre (again, I did NOT see Alien vs. Predator so maybe Lathan delivered the performance of a lifetime and that was definitely not a romantic drama unless the film takes a surprising turn between one of these killing machines. Do you get the notion I loathe the idea of putting these two horror/action villains in the same movie trying to kill one another?).

Okay, I was distracted from doling out compliments for Lathan there by a tangent about a silly idea by a greedy Hollywood. Back to Lathan—she’s quite easy on the eyes (I dig the tiny scar on her cheek) as well as being a good actress. I’ve got more films in my queue and look forward to seeing Lathan in what she does in the future.

The battle over texting continues

A few months ago I wrote a long diatribe on one of the most annoying things that occurs while watching a movie—teenagers texting one another over and over during the film. I’m blaming teens as I seem to notice they are the main guilty party when it comes to people flipping open their cell phones and reading texts and then quickly writing in some silly shortened, bastardized “text English”.

A few nights ago I went to see Run Fatboy Run and noticed when I entered the theatre a large group of “teens” at the back. I took a seat as far from them as possible as I knew phones were going to be going off and talking was going to happen. Good plan, right? Unfortunately, four of them decided they needed to sit in the second row as soon as the credits started.

Two teenage couples, maybe the worst sight and most annoying thing on earth, who promptly began to gibber, giggle, read their texts, reply to their texts, hold hands, get into an argument, storm out of the theatre after argument, make up, change seats, read some new texts and reply to those life or death important texts. You get the picture?

These teens would hold their phones up in the air slightly, never having done that I’m guessing to see them better with the light of the image on the screen. This is just a guess from a texting novice. They would show the people next to them the text, push a few buttons in response and then flip it noisily closed. Over and over.

When the film ended and I was strolling out, I noticed they were exiting at the same time. “Enough is enough,” I thought as I stepped up to a female and male and without warning launched into a little rant along the lines of: “Do you know that every time that you open your cell phone to check a text, you are annoying the ENTIRE theatre? Could you please lower the phone or better yet, not read those important texts until AFTER the movie?”

The problem: I quickly noticed these two were about 14 years old after I started my first sentence. It was too late to stop so I just went on with my etiquette lecture as I figured I was doing my civic duty. As I walked off after delivering my blast I heard the boy, barely into puberty, ask the girl, “What did he just say?” “Something about not checking texts during the movie!” I heard a lot of muffled conversation after that.

Maybe I was being a tad over zealous? I don’t think so though. This ceaseless talking, answering your cell phone and taking texts has got to stop! If it takes me having one confrontation at a time until either we are rid of this scourge of rudeness or I’m beaten/shot/stabbed/arrested, I will not give up!

See Heston in the classic Planet of the Apes trailer

Heston gets to deliver his "It's a madhouse!" line multiple times! It does not get any better than this.

Charlton Heston 1924-2008

Charlton Heston passed away a few days ago—I was a fan of Heston’s for five films he made that I loved: The Ten Commandments, Touch of Evil, Planet of the Apes, The Omega Man and Soylent Green. Heston’s acting style was a bit on the macho side. He was often cast as a survivor or “last man alive” and he’s blessed with that voice. He was known for being the NRA spokesman, or president or whatever it was he did for them, in his later years but it is those five films that etched Heston into my film memory.

The Ten Commandments was a yearly family tradition in my house. ABC would air the epic, usually on a Sunday night starting about 6pm and running until after 10pm. Heston plays Moses in the Cecil B. DeMille extravaganza. As a kid I was was always completely blown away by the huge scale of the film. 1956 was the year. No CGI, just thousands of extras and huge sets as DeMille attempted to bring something to the movies that the emerging television could not replicate (vivid colors you couldn’t get at home either). Heston was the anchor of the film.

Two years later in 1958 Heston takes on one of the leading roles in Orson Welles second best film (uhm, a little film called Citizen Kane would probably have to rank at the top) Touch of Evil. From the mesmerizing first shot it is clear that this was going to be a different, more artistic and intense rendering of the “noir” genre. Heston actually plays a Mexican official in Touch of Evil.

Over a five-year period Heston was cast in three sci-fi cult classics: The Planet of the Apes (1968, one of my favorite films ever), The Omega Man (1971) and Soylent Green (1973). I absolutely loved these three films, as they were dark, strange, futuristic, kind of racy, full of violence, a tad cheesy, full of political statements burning in that era and just so much fun! These are full on genre pictures and I loved them when I saw them as a kid and still am quite fond of them all.

Charlton Heston R.I.P.

March movies

I saw a lot of okay types of films in March--eleven rated 3* out of the twenty films I saw. Either I need to be more harsh or need to watch more polarizing movies. I saw a lot of pleasing, entertaining films--flawed but still entertaining. Except for the Rear Window for teens rip off that was Disturbia. Maybe I'll hate more stuff in April? I did hand out a 5 and a 4.5 in March.

My Favorite Wife...1940...usa ***1/2
Bob Le Flambeur...1956...france *****!
Great Expectations...1998...usa ***
The Ten...2007...usa ***
Offside...2006...iran ***1/2
Disturbia...2007...usa **
Quinceanera...2006...usa ***
The Hoax...2006...usa ***
Night at the Museum...2007...usa ***
In Bruges...2008...ireland ***
The Bank Job...2008...england ****
Girls Rock!...2008...usa ***
Pete Seeger: The Power of Song...2007...usa ***1/2
Caramel...2007...lebanon ***
There Will Be Blood...2007...usa ****1/2
Amarcord...1974...italy ****
Wyatt Earp...1994...usa ***
Control...2007...england ****
Mrs. Pettigrew Lives for a Day...2008...usa ***
A Guide for the Married Man...1967...usa ***

My favorite film from 2007

Add me to the list singing the praises of the Coen Brother’s latest. It is a perfect film. Perfect. The acting, the cast, the pacing is flawless, the locations, the ending (yes, the ending). No Country for Old Men won a bunch of awards this year because sometimes the film that deserves it wins. Sometimes.

There are so many things I loved about this a short review like this can’t cover—check out the long review in the November 2007 archives. The Coen Brothers last couple of films didn’t feel right to me but No Country for Old Men stacks up with anything they’ve ever done—which is mighty high territory to climb to.

2nd favorite film from 2007

I won’t claim Once is anywhere near the best made or crafted film I saw this year, because it’s not. What Once has is a magical, thrilling, yearning, romantic quality that made me FEEL right down to the marrow. If a movie makes my heart skip, beat faster or ache, well, that usually means one special movie.

Made on the cheap, the very cheap, Once (check out the July 2007 archives for the long review) is full of lots of earnest songs as it tells the story of a Dublin street musician and his new found relationship with a Czech woman is sweet + somber. The ending will knock you back in your seat and leaving you thinking about it for a long time. Great ending and great little movie.

3rd favorite film from 2007

There Will Be Blood is epic, difficult, not pleasant to watch at time—yet terrific, captivating, ruthlessly crafted and starring the wondrous Daniel Day-Lewis. I’ve spouted off recently now and then about DDL but since he won’t be in a film in at least four years (maintaining his current pace), we should soak it up.

Paul Thomas Anderson solidifies his grasp as contender for “best American director” with this film about greed, religion and hypocrisy in the California oil fields circa 1900. Anderson, bolted to the anchor of DDL’s mesmerizing performance, has made a peculiar, bleak stunning American film not to be missed.

4th favorite film from 2007

I had a phase when I was very into the Irish nationalist movement and at the heart of that was the I.R.A. The Wind That Shakes the Barley concerns the formation of that group circa 1920 and I found it riveting from start to finish (check out May 2007 archives for long review). I never thought I’d witness something that was so honest, intelligent and sympathetic to the I.R.A. but this film is all of those things.

Ken Loach, a bit of a rabble-rouser as a filmmaker, is the perfect person to tell this story of two brothers who get caught up in the struggles against the English. The film is not only gripping, it is lush as all get out—it is set in Ireland after all. Green everywhere. The Wind That Shakes the Barley is like watching a dream come true for me--damn English!

5th favorite film from 2007

What a surprise this was (go check out the longer review in February archives). I had a feeling I’d like it based on the premise—couple traipsing around Paris, her French, he American, both highly neurotic and in various states of agitation.

2 Days in Paris is kind of like Woody Allen with French bits that is an odd mix of romance/anti-romance while being an ode to Paris and a satire of Paris at the same time. 2 Days in Paris makes me dream of having a Parisian girlfriend so I can go to Paris and argue with her for 2 days!

Written/directed by Julie Delphy, this is a real charmer for bitter romantics.

Flu attack

Long lay off. Blame it on the flu. A particularly nasty strain that knocked me down, put me in bed for a week and sapped all my android strength.

Best of 2007 numbers 10-6

10/ Control (England). Music video director Anton Corbijn’s first feature is a lovingly crafted look at the band Joy Division and their lead singer Ian Curtis. Joy Division created bleak, stark, drowning in gloom music in the late 1970s and early 1980s. What I liked about this is it isn’t just a paint by numbers biopic—it’s arty (shot is some of the most beautiful black and white photography you will see in a modern movie) and looks at things you wouldn’t expect—Curtis stifling home life for example. I love this post-punk era in English rock and felt this was pretty faithful and an interesting document to that era.




9/ Hotel Chevalier/The Darjeeling Limited (USA). This was a pleasant surprise as I haven’t been a member of the Wes Anderson “cult” the last few films of his. Always superbly crafted, Anderson’s films never hit me on an emotional level—lots of style, no substance. This is still a very stylish, obsessed with design movie but I really enjoyed the story about three brothers who meet up to ride a train in India together to connect in some way. Watch the short Hotel Chevalier first if you can—it’s a related piece that will add to your enjoyment of The Darjeeling Limited.




8/ Rescue Dawn (USA). German eccentric (and completely engrossing) Werner Herzog remakes his documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly as a Hollywood P.O.W. film. Well, it’s as Hollywood as you could expect from a director like Herzog. Rescue Dawn is a raw, intense, thrilling, beautiful war film about American prisoners in a Vietnam prison camp with Christian Bale and Steve Zahn undergoing various deprivations to make the film more authentic. Great stuff from Herzog.





7/ Knocked Up (USA). Judd Apatow had a banner year in American comedy between this and his production/mentoring on Superbad. I preferred Knocked Up of the two because there was a little more character development instead of just a flurry of crude jokes. Sure, Knocked Up has its share of that but it’s also got that sweet, romantic element that Apatow has tapped into.






6/ Eastern Promises (Canada). David Cronenberg’s latest is a dark, gripping drama set around the Russian mafia as Viggo Mortenson plays a street tough with a tender spot for a mid wife despite his dealings with ruthless men around him. This film has one of the all-time fight scenes in movie history as Viggo takes on a couple of guys in the nude in a bathhouse. Brutal. Cronenberg makes these lean, spare, no nonsense films where he’s completely in control of everything on screen and Eastern Promises is another in a long line of good movies from him.

February movies

The Savages...2007...usa ****
The Valley of Decision...1945...usa ****
Cafe Lumiere...2003...japan ***1/2
Starting Out In the Evening...2007...usa ***1/2
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly...2007...france ****
2 Days In Paris...2007...france ****
King Corn...2007...usa ***
Bruce Goff In the Desert...2003...germany ***1/2
The Walker...2007...usa ***
Definately, Maybe...2008...usa ***
The Beach...2000...england **
This is England...2007...england ****
The Awful Truth...1937...usa *****!
Brown Sugar...2002...usa ***
Be Kind Rewind...2007...usa or france... ***
The Valet...2006...france ***
House Calls...1978...usa ***
Heathers...1989...usa ****

Thoughts on the Oscar telecast

6ish—Gary Busey scares Jennifer Garner on red carpet with a powerful bear hug/neck kiss. She then refers to the 75% loony Busey as “this man”—obviously not recognizing who he is.

7:05—John Travolta interviewed on ABC—HD reveals face lifts and a horrible chia pet styled toupee. My God man—get rid of the toupee!

7:47—Host Jon Stewart’s monologue ends. I like Stewart so I enjoyed it. Without trying too hard he’s pithy with his barbs of loving mockery. I’m just glad it wasn’t Whoopi Goldberg up there.

8:02—I’m a big fan of Amy Adams (she did make the recent Top5 after all) but that song from Enchanted is quite annoying.

8:20—Fifty minutes into the telecast and we finally get to the first important award for supporting actor. This was a no-brainer: Javier Bardem for No Country For Old Men. Although I’m a Phillip Seymour Hoffman fan, I can’t really argue with Bardem winning, as he was mesmerizing in that role.

8:32—The irritating Jerry Seinfeld in animated bee guise shows up and the bee’s haircut is nearly identical to that rug Travolta was wearing. I am baffled, he makes millions and millions of dollars and he wears a toupee that looks like an animated bee head?

8:40—Best supporting actress was a bit of a surprise. I thought Cate Blanchett had it easy for I’m Not There but Tilda Swinton won it for her Michael Clayton role. I was relieved Ruby Dee didn’t win for her whopping 90 seconds of screen time. Swinton gave a funny little speech but unfortunately was wearing something that resembled a hefty bag made out of velvet. What an ugly dress!

8:50—Quasi-hermit writer Cormac McCarthy is shown in the audience. What’s next—Thomas Pynchon coming out to sing a song?

9:15—Marion Cotillard wins best actress and I’m kind of sad. I’ve had a crush on her in little movies for years and before tonight she was a French secret—known only to male film geeks. Now that’s ruined.

9:19—Colin Farrell is an idiot.

9:24—Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova performing their song “Falling Slowly” is my favorite moment of the night so far—it might only be topped by the pair actually winning. The other nominated songs are more Broadway show-tunes—which makes this one even better.

9:49—Yes! Hansard and Irglova do win for best song. Afterward, Stewart got off one of his best quips of the night regarding Hansard’s surprised and awestruck speech—“that guy is so arrogant.” Funny. Thanks to Stewart for bringing out Marketa and letting her give her speech after the show’s director cut her off. Seeing them win and their joy makes the entire night worth it.

10:26—Diablo Cody wins best screenplay and is wearing a get up that looks like she’s Betty Page channeling Jane—as in Tarzan. Wow, we have a battle for worst outfit: Cody and her animal print vs. Swinton and her hefty bag.

10:35—Daniel Day-Lewis wins best actor and uses a bunch of words that might go over the heads of some viewers—it’s nice to be literate and speak like a poet. I bow down to the guy so it’s kind of rough for me to think about not seeing him in another movie for years and years.

1998-2007 career stats

I just updated that "stats" from last year and since it was the 10th year of keeping track of every film I see, where I see them, who I was with and where the film is from--I thought I'd post the entire massive list.

10 years. I love looking at some of these places I've watched a film and some of the people I saw a movie with I don't even remember who they are! Friend of friends for the most part. I am the CineRobot, ha. Okay, here goes...

1998-2007 total films seen: 2,271

Films by year

1998: 262
1999: 285
2000: 263
2001: 151
2002: 200
2003: 195
2004: 265
2005: 228
2006: 216
2007: 208

Films by month

January: 190
February: 158
March: 171
April: 159
May: 264
June: 271
July: 200
August: 147
September: 156
October: 149
November: 161
December: 238

Films by decade

1910-19: 5
1920-29: 15
1930-39: 37
1940-49: 51
1950-59: 57
1960-69: 84
1970-79: 133
1980-89: 188
1990-99: 639
2000+++: 1,041

Where I saw 'em

619: Tulsa, Okla.
550: Seattle, Wash.
438: Pryor Creek, Okla.
361: Norman, Okla.
85: Manhattan, NY
64: Astoria, NY
31: Oklahoma City, Okla.
28: Dallas, tex.
11: On a jet airplane
9: Budapest, Hungary
8: Helsinki, Finland
7: Broken Arrow, Okla.; Siloam Springs, Ark.
4: Rogers, Ark.; Santa Fe, NM
3: Jenks, Okla.; Springdale, Ark.
2: Rapid City, SD; Saint Louis, MO; Tallinn, Estonia; Washington, DC; West Palm Beach, Flor.
1: Bozeman, Mont.; Branson, MO; Claremore, Okla.; Fort Worth, tex.; Guyman, Okla.; Hollywood, Cali.; Krakow, Poland; Los Feliz, Cali.; Madison, Wisc.; McCook, Neb.; Miami, Flor.; Missoula, Mont.; Montreal, Canada; Muskogee, Okla.; Treasure Cay, Bahamas; Trinidad, Colo.; Turku, Finland; Warsaw, Poland; Weir's Beach, NH

Who I saw 'em with

1,458: Alone
164: Lillian
102: Nancy
70: In class
51: Laura B.
46: Otis
42: Shane
36: Robert
33: Brandi
17: Michael N.; Sherrill
16: Trevor K.; Kelly
14: Phillip
13: Scott; Sara Y.
12: Sveta
11: Bobby
9: Cameron; Gunter; Donnie
8: Fitzhume
6: Seth; Leah
5: Joshua; Emily; Lilly; Molly; Betty; Rosemary
4: Nicole
3: Victoria; Michael A.; Paige; Kylie; Greg
2: Angie; Amy C.; Larry; Beth; Dave; Jack; Sheri; Sacha; Tim
1: Siophan; John; Brent; Gertrude; Migee; Steven; Billy; Martha; Norma; Shelly; Sandy; Katrina; Clay; Sara B.; Chuck W.; Missy; Denny; Bruce; Trevor P.; Pedro; Jory; Shawn; Chuck I.; Barbara; Laura W.; Linda; Ellen; Ashley; Amy V.; Polly; Jeff; Rig; Shirl; Ingrid; Katherine; Momeko;

Country of origin

1,486: US and A!
117: France
106: England
75: Japan
41: Italy
33: Hong Kong; Spain
27: South Korea
23: Germany
22: Canada
20: Australia
18: China
16: Ireland
12: Taiwan
11: Iran
9: Denmark; Mexico
8: Sweden; Czech Republic
7: Russia; Scotland
6: Israel; Poland
5: Hungary; Thailand; New Zealand
4: Austria; India
3: Norway; Belgium; Yugoslavia
2: Serbia; Cuba; Iceland; Finland; Brazil; Algeria
1: Romania; Argentina; Greece; Bosnia; Slovenia; Kyrqizstan; Holland; Ethiopia; Turkey; Venezuela; Mongolia; South Africa; Chile; Latvia

Worst films I saw in 2007

Since I’m not writing reviews for anyone—I wasn’t asked to see new releases that might be awful…so, this is the worst I saw in 2007. These are the unedited reviews taken directly from my Kinetoscope film journal I’ve kept since ’98. These reviews, written the day I’ve seen the film, tend to be short, to the point, comical, full of fragmented sentences and mean-spirited. Maybe I should go over them and choose some interesting old ones to post?

28 Weeks Later—2007—England—watched in Tallinn, Estonia on June 7; Had to get in a second film here in Tallinn. I didn’t like this at all. A vile filled, waste of an opportunity to tell an interesting story about what happens post zombie holocaust. Instead, we get an absurd film about a father (the annoying as usual Robert Carlyle) who lies, then becomes a “zombie,” then follows and hunts down his kids to eat them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Carlyle in anything I liked—he is terrible! This was repugnant & a miserable & unenjoyable movie…Highly implausible.

10 Items or Less—2006—Usa—watched in Tulsa, Okla. on September 9; Terrible. Absolute dreck! Probably the worst film I’ll see all year. The film is just so unbelievably inauthentic and phony from start to finish. Morgan Freeman is a big time movie star who wears $100 t-shirts & claims to be blown away by Target yet is wearing friggin’ Wranglers! Enough said. Even the gorgeous sexpot Paz Vega can’t save this train wreck. Plus, it’s only 70 minutes long. Considering how shite this is—that is a favor.

RV—2006—Usa—watched in Tulsa, Okla. on Novermber 16; This was terrible. Really really bad. Not funny. Painfully unfunny. Embarrassingly unfunny. I only watched this because Jeff Daniels with a big mustache was in the cast. That wasn’t enough. Even with a good ‘stache. Robin Williams is hard to watch. When he’s bad—it’s train wreck bad. Dreck!

The Awful Truth

Now, this is how it’s done. The reason I love romantic comedies so much is due to a film like The Awful Truth. Unfortunately, the majority of them today are not so great but in the 1930s? This was the golden age for my absolute favorite kind of romantic comedy—the screwball.

The Awful Truth combines the screwball elements in such wonderful ways that it reaches near the top of the genre. Why is it so good? It’s got two terrific leads—Irene Dunne and Cary Grant—who have perfect comic timing AND real onscreen chemistry that can not be faked. The Awful Truth has lots of smart dialogue spoken quickly between Dunne/Grant with the rest of the cast just a beat slower in tempo—a common screwball tactic. Toss in some great bits of business (aka physical comedy) and I’m happy.. Combine all those things and you get a classic Hollywood romantic comedy.

Dunne plays Lucy, married to Grant’s character of Jerry. After he gets home from a trip he believes his wife has betrayed him with another man. Divorce proceedings start. The couple has to wait 90 days for the divorce to be final—just enough time to get up to all kinds of shenanigans.

Lucy begins to date a slow talking oaf from Oklahoma City (a few subtle digs toward Oklahoma that had me chuckling); Jerry starts to date a stuffy Wasp—both Lucy and Jerry relish their various antics to cause turmoil in those new relationships. There’s one hilarious scene (of many) with Lucy (faking a drunk) pretending to be Jerry’s sister at his new girlfriend’s house that is the pinnacle of what a screwball scene can be (see the 6 minute scene below).

To say that Grant is terrific is a no-brainer—it’s Cary Grant! The real revelation is Irene Dunne. While Dunne was a star in 1937 and into the 1940s, she doesn’t have the timeless legacy her male co-star has because his career lasted so long and he was in so many great films. Lucy, thanks to Dunne’s performance, is a smart, independent and sexy woman who takes no guff from anyone. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise as the women in ‘30s Hollywood films were full of feistiness that the same qualities are lacking in movies now. Dunne exemplifies how much I love the glamour and the sass of actresses from this era. I just added a bunch of Dunne films in my Netflix queue that I’m eager to see.

The Awful Truth is as good as it can possibly get. It has movie stars at their best, it’s romantic, it’s intelligent and it’s as funny as all get out. This is the third time I’ve watched The Awful Truth and like movies this good—it gets better each time I see it. I’m not sure I like it as much as two of my favorite films (which are also screwball pictures) The Lady Eve or It Happened One Night but it’s a nearly flawless movie and I can hardly wait to watch it again in a few years.