My Movie Shelf Tag

I was honored this week to have been “tagged” by blogger Christina Wehner.   I enjoy reading Christina’s blogs  because  she writes interesting pieces  about classic movies, musicals, old books, and the great American Songbook; all topics that I enjoy learning more about!

How does a Movie Shelf Tag work exactly?  Here are the rules:  Answer each question and then tag 5 other people to participate in the Movie  Shelf Tag.  Previous blogs have mentioned that it is a good idea to tell the person who tagged you when you put up your post so they can find it and read  your answers.  If you want to turn it back into a Book Shelf Tag, feel free to do so.  Just substitute the words book for movie and watch or see  for read.

1.  Is there a movie that you really want to see but haven’t because you know it will make you cry?   The Joy Luck Club.  I’m a mom of twin daughters and any movie that has a flashback of a mother having to abandon her twin baby daughters in order to flee the invading Japanese in Kweilin-Oh I’m just tearing up writing this answer!!!!!!!!

Heart-breaking scene from The Joy Luck Club

2. Pick one movie that helped introduce you to a new genre.    Film Noir was a term created by the French to describe stylish films coming out of Hollywood that were about the criminal underworld.   Stylishly filmed stories, with anti-heroes and femme fatales(dangerous women), and many started being produced during and especially after World War II.   Murder, My Sweet is the film that introduced me to this genre.   A Raymond Chandler novel,  this excellent  movie was made in 1944 starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, and Anne Shirley.  Excellent direction by Edward Dmytryk.  Powell was wanting to shed his clean, All-American boy image and this role did the trick.  Clair Trevor is great as the sizzling femme fatale and Anne Shirley is the cynical, yet more wholesome of the two women in this movie.   The plot is simple, then gets twisted up: Private detective Philip Marlowe(Powell) has been hired to find ex-con Moose Malloy’s missing girlfriend, Velma.

3.  A movie that you want to re-watch.  Since I love classic movies and like to convince my kids  to watch them with me, one is currently waiting on our dvr: D.O.A.  Made in 1950, starring Edmund O’Brien.  He’s Frank Bigelow, an insurance agent.  He’s been mysteriously poisoned, only has 3 days to live, and is determined to find out who’s poisoned him and why!!!  It’s a tense film,well-acted, well-paced.  If you’ve only seen the remake from 1988 that starred Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, you really should see the 1950 original.    

4.  Is there a movie series(or tv series) that you saw and now wish you hadn’t?  When our oldest(who will be 23 soon!!) was a newborn baby and needed those 2 am feedings, TVLand became my friend.  I liked watching Dobie Gillis, but there was another sitcom that was aired that I suffered through, The Patty Duke Show.  Identical cousins???? Really?????????? American and British????????  Ridiculous fluff and how could ABC have foisted that on the American public????  My apologies to Ms. Duke(an otherwise fine actress.)

Avoid this one!

5.  If your house were on fire and all of your family and pets were outside and safe, which movie would you run back into the house and save?     The Searchers-John Wayne gives one of his best performances in this film.  His character is a tormented man.   Tormented by the unspoken love he has for his sister-in-law.  Tormented by the anger and revenge seething inside of him towards the Comanches who have  killed this sister-in-law and the rest of her family and kidnapped her two daughters, later killing the older one and keeping the younger one.  Tormented by the search he has undertaken  to find that child.   Tormented by  racism.  If he finds the child, should he let her live? She’ll have been fully assimilated into the Commanches by now, or is there  a small chance that she can revert back to civilized life?  A very nuanced performance by Wayne, and great support from Ward Bond, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood, and many others who usually acted in director John Ford’s movies.  Bonus: the  beautiful outdoor scenes of the West, their vistas  shot in glorious technicolor.

6.  Is there one movie on your movie  shelf that brings back fond memories?  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.  A fun musical romp that our  entire family loves.  My 3 daughters have watched it and rewatched it and each has their “favorite” brother.  My sons have all enjoyed Russ Tamblyn’s scene as baby brother Gideon, meowing like a cat in order to lure his girl out of her family home but only succeeding in luring out her town boyfriend!  It’s fun to hear my kids rewatch it and share which song is their favorite and they’ve now learned about and watched  other films that Tamblyn, Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Jacques d’Amboise, and Jeff Richards have been in.  In fact, when they watched West Side Story for the first time, they kept calling Russ Tamblyn, “Gideon” instead of “Riff”!

7.  Find a movie that has inspired you the most.  I was a teacher before I started my stay at home mom career with my 7 kids.  So, it’s not surprising to say that teacher films inspire me.  It’s hard to pick just one, so here’s a list of some I enjoy: Good-Bye, Mr. Chips, To Sir, with Love, The Blackboard Jungle, Up the Down Staircase, Stand and Deliver.

 

 

 

8.  Do you have any autographed movies?  No.

9.  Find the movie you have owned the longest.  A VHS of Aladdin.  My husband and I saw it when our oldest was a mere baby.  I bought it for his future viewings.  Now it seems especially poignant as it contains the wonderful voicework of the late Robin Williams as the Genie of the lamp.    

10.  Is there a movie with an actor( or by a director) that you never imagined you would watch or enjoy?  Our oldest is a Will Ferrell fan and he kept telling his Dad and I to watch the comedy film, Stepbrothers.  Hubby and I kept putting it off and finally, when our oldest was home on leave from the Marines, we gave in and watched Stepbrothers.  I had to overlook the foul language and some other antics, but did find it funny.  My two favorite scenes: when the two adult stepbrothers are whining about missing shark week because  Dad has taken away the tv as a punishment, and when Dad, finally exasperated with these two grown men’s lack of maturity, spanks them!       

Here is my list of blogs that I have tagged for either the Movie Shelf or Book Shelf  Tag.

Nerd in the Brain-excellent blog written by an extraordinary homeschooling mom who’s philosophy is that Life is about Learning.

Classic Movie Night-a nice blog that gives great information daily about classic movies not to miss and lists of entertainment industry folks who would be or are, celebrating a birthday; great pictures with this blog, too.

TitusLive-Titus Benton is a really cool guy.  A former youth minister to our oldest when we lived in Florissant, MO.  When we moved to Rolla, he also moved to a new ministering job near Houston, TX.  An excellent writer (he’s published 2 books!), a great speaker, and a heart to helping Missions overseas and in this country reach their goals, check out a great blog where you’ll be inspired and challenged how to give back to your world, your community, and often get great tips on raising teens.

Vienna’s Classic Hollywood-a sweet blog about classic movies that I enjoy.

Lancelot Schaubert-a gifted young man, married to a sweetheart of a girl, who’s family we’ve known since she was a mere 7 year old!  Recently transplanted to Brooklyn from Joplin, MO.  A servant’s heart with a flair for writing, editing, and a ton of other literary doings.  Author of an innovative photonovel, Cold Brewed, a film noirish story, shot in and around the Joplin, MO area.

 

 

 

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