50 Years Too Late

Sunset Blvd. in the Park

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:17:00 +0000

Tuesday was our first movie in Grant Park: Sunset Blvd. It was amazing!! They should show that movie on the big screen more often. It's so much more dramatic and awesome.

This year, TCM is a sponsor of the film fest which was kind of fun because one of their hosts, Ben Mankiewicz, introduced the film. I took this picture of him but he's tiny:

Yeah, that's him at the front at the podium.

We also got some free goodies, including a TCM Now Playing guide, which I was very excited about since I constantly see the commercials for it and always want to subscribe:

TCM was also giving away prizes which I unfortunately did not win. Maybe next week!

MJ Being Judy

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Awhile back I wrote about how everyone's pretending to be Judy Garland lately, and now it seems Michael Jackson has jumped on the bandwagon. Actually, he may be driving the bandwagon since this video is from like 15 years ago.

Anyway, amidst all the hubbub going on with MJ's unfortunate passing, I came across this video that just screams Judy! Ok, it may only scream Judy for about 2 seconds at the 6.25 mark, but that's enough for me!

I bet all the stupid teenie boppers in that audience have no idea he's rippin' off Judy!

2009 Classic Films in Grant Park

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Yep, it's that time again ... time for the Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park. They're showing some good films this year, but I'm a little disappointed there are no musicals! Nevertheless, I am very excited to see Sunset Blvd. and Psycho, outside on the big screen! Here's the full schedule:

• Sunset Boulevard (July 14)
• Duck Soup (July 21)
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (July 28)
• Born Yesterday (Aug. 4)
• Psycho (Aug. 11)
• Young Mr. Lincoln (Aug. 18)
• Tootsie (Aug. 25)

Record Coasters

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:07:00 +0000

My awesome boyfriend and I (but mostly my awesome boyfriend) made pretty much the most greatest set of coasters ever:

We saw some at Target, 4 for $12 which seemed outrageous, and decided that we could make them ourselves. I have a large collection of albums that we went through and picked ones that had cool stickers and I felt I could live without.

After all the work and supplies bought, $12 doesn't seem as outrageous as it once did, but it's way cooler to use my own, handpicked albums that I love!

Being Judy Garland

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:02:00 +0000

It seems that everyone is pretending to be Judy lately! First we have Anne Hathaway getting ready to play Judy in a new movie, and now apparently Katie Holmes is going to recreate Judy's Get Happy number on the finale of this So You Think You Can Dance show. Now, I haven't seen much of this show, but my roommate watches it and I think she cried at it once, so I'm not sure what to expect. And isn't Kate Holmes married to that Tom Cruise fella? That concerns me a bit. But whatever, give it a try.

Meanwhile, here's the original Get Happy number from my favorite Judy movie, Summer Stock.

P.S. It's been exactly 40 years today since Judy's death.

Judy, Judy, Judy

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:58:00 +0000

Yes, today would be Judy Garland's 87th birthday! In honor of her birthday, I'm listening to Judy all day. I highly recommend it. And here a great moment from the first Judy movie I was ever obsessed with. It's a classic. Enjoy!

Microsoft's Bing (Crosby??)

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:41:00 +0000

Did you hear that Microsoft invented a new search engine named after the legendary Bing Crosby?? It may not say anywhere on the page that it's named after him, but I know it is. I mean, if it's not then where in the world did they get that name?

I decided to do a search for Bing Crosby on Bing. I think they want "Bing" to be used as a verb, like Google, in which case, I Binged Bing Crosby. Unfortunately, it didn't cause the internet to explode as I'd hoped.

Beatles Rockband!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:20:00 +0000

So I say that I was born too late, having missed experiencing the debut of all my favorite movies, music etc ... But I know that actually I was born at just the right time, where I could enjoy all those things in an obsessive way thanks to DVDs and my iPod.

And now another great reason that I am living at exactly the right time: Beatles Rockband. One of my favorite old things (The Beatles) meets one of the favorite new things (video games where you pretend to play musical instruments)! Ok, yes, I love Guitar Hero and the like. Maybe I'm a dork, but I'm telling you, it's fun. It's not like I'm ever going to be able to play the guitar, so pretending to play guitar solos for my favorite songs is quite a thrill. And nothing could be more thrilling than pretending to play Beatles songs!

Unfortunately I have to wait like 3 whole months before the game comes out. It's going to be rough, but I'm fairly certain it'll be worth the wait.

Just this week they finally released some limited information about it that made me even more impatient. They also put up a trailer for the game (I didn't realize video games have trailers, but they do), and this kind of cool ... thing ... not sure what one would call it, but the second half made me feel like I was on drugs.

Needless to say, you may not see much of me come September 9.

Don't Do It, Shirley!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:50:00 +0000

No. Just no.

http://www.theweek.com/article/index/96418/Shirley_Jones_Playboy_flirtation

Lovers and Lollipops

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:47:00 +0000

Yes, there's actually a movie called Lovers and Lollipops. I happened to catch it on TCM this weekend and I was intrigued.

The cover for the DVD sort of makes it looks like it's a horror film, and honestly, there were times I thought it was going to turn into one. Mostly because nothing actually happens in the movie and Hollywood has trained me to expect a shocking horror scene after scenes of nothingness. But this one surprised me in a non-shock/horror way.

I came in a few minutes after it started to find the two main characters, Ann and Larry, on what was obviously (given the level of awkwardness) a first date. Then I went to blow dry my hair. When I came back, they were making out in the living room and a little girl was peeking out and watching them from another room. I knew at that moment I wouldn't be able to stop watching.

Next thing we know, Ann and Larry begin a "romantic" relationship. There was, however, almost no romance involved expect for the occasional kissing. Definitely not the typical movie romance. They just went out and did stuff. Then came home. Basically nothing happened. At one point, I thought something was going to happen when Ann and Larry took her daughter, Peggy, to the beach and Larry lost her in the parking lot. But then they found her. Nothing. Happened. He didn't even get nervous that he lost her. He just stood there waiting for her to come back.

Then something sort of happened when Larry and Ann decide to get married and Peggy is not too keen on the idea. Larry tries to buy her love, but she's not interested. But then she changes her mind and everything's fine. The End.

It's filmed like a documentary in some parts—giving a feeling that you're spying on these people's boring lives. But really, it's just projecting how mundane and boring our actual lives are, especially compared to the usual big Hollywood films. It's by far the most realistic film I've ever seen. So if you're looking for a really strange black & white, painfully mundane and true to life, unromantic romantic film, I highly recommend it.

The Rat Pack on American Idol: The Results

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:36:00 +0000

No, not the actual results, just my results.

I was pleased that most of the contestants did not ruin these classic songs. I thought Kris fit the part the most in terms of voice and look. I liked Matt and his fedora, but I really hate that "My Funny Valentine" song. Adam sang like a girl and was slightly disturbing, as usual. Yes, he's a good entertainer, but it's a little too over the top for me, especially last night. And he sings like a girl. Watching him last night, he actually reminded me a little of Judy Garland, and the last thing I want is for some dude on American Idol to remind me of Judy. Shudder!

I wish Frank Sinatra could have been a guest judge. He'd set those kids straight!

The Rat Pack on American Idol

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:01:00 +0000

So the American Idol kids are singing Rat Pack songs tonight. It could either be great or a huge disaster. Either way, I'm excited that they're doing some songs that I'll actually know well! I'm hoping they'll be respectful of the old standards. I'm guessing that Adam kid is going to butcher an old classic by singing it like a woman. He better be careful!

Facebook Says I'm Bette Davis

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Yep, I took this quiz on Facebook and it says I'm Bette Davis. I'm not sure if I should be insulted by this, but honestly my first reaction was: Awesome! Who doesn't want to be Bette Davis?? But really, I think it's only about 50% right. Though I'm sure there are people who think I'm a bitch, in which case it's maybe 75% right.

The Ten (hour) Commandments

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:11:00 +0000

We watched The Ten Commandments at old movie night last night which was a bit risky given its ridiculously long run time. But we did it, and most of us made it through. A couple people left before it ended which is really unfortunate for them since they'll never have the sense of accomplishment the rest of us do.

Anyway, what can I saw about this movie? It goes on forever. The special effects are ... interesting. Charleton Heston is surprisingly handsome as the young, shirtless Moses. Yul Brenner just kept making me want to watch The King and I. Vincent Price is in it and is creepy as usual, but not in his usual way. Overall, a great experience if you have the time to sit through it.

It follows the Bible story pretty well, but there are quite a few liberties taken. Luckily, the overall focus of the film remains on God and his purpose for Moses. I guess they were still allowed to talk about God in movies in the 50's.

Judy Miracle

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:40:00 +0000

A couple weeks ago, my friend Emily went on a trip to California and knowing she was visiting Hollywood, I told her to be sure to take pictures of some Judy Garland stuff for me. Being the good friend that she is, she took a couple with Judy's feet and hand prints at Grauman's Chinese Theater. While looking through the pictures, she noticed something a little weird going on:

That's right, what's with all the red shoes?? These are the only 2 pictures she took of Judy's space and they both happen to contain red shoes. Coincidence??

Classic Films in Grant Park!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:28:00 +0000

If you're in the Chicago area, don't miss the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park. Yes, watching movies inside is ok, but watching them outside, on a big screen with thousands of other people is amazing.

This year's lineup is pretty good. I'm very excited that they're showing Sunset Blvd., especially since this is the year I realized how truly amazing it is! I'm also looking forward to Psycho, of course.

Here's the entire 2009 lineup:

Sunset Boulevard (1950)
8:58 p.m. July 14

Duck Soup (1933)
8:52 p.m. July 21

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
8:45 p.m. July 28

Born Yesterday (1950)
8:37 p.m. Aug. 4

Psycho (1960)
8:27 p.m. Aug. 11

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
8:27 p.m. Aug. 18

Tootsie (1982)
8:05 p.m. Aug. 25

Anne Hathaway as Judy Garland?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:27:00 +0000

So word on the street is Anne Hathaway will be playing Judy in an upcoming film based on Gerald Clarke's biography, Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland. I don't think I've read the book ... you can only read/watch so many things about Judy before it gets old and kind of depressing! Nevertheless, I suppose I'll have to see this movie. It could be interesting, and I do like Anne Hathaway. Even though she's no Judy!

Old Movies at Work

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:35:00 +0000

I found an exciting new lunchtime activity: old movies on Hulu! My wonderful boyfriend alerted me to the fact that Hulu recently put up some oldies, so I watched part of His Girl Friday today at lunch. It was heavenly. I'll have to finish it later in the week. Too bad the weather's nice enough now that I no longer feel the need to hibernate in my office for my entire lunch hour.

Anyway, be sure to check it out. There are abou 13 or 14 new (recently added) black and white films—a few with John Wayne, an Orson Welles picture, and of course, His Girl Friday, one of my personal favorites. This one also looks very interesting.

Elvis Happy

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:34:00 +0000

I have to admit that I haven't seen many Elvis movies. Last year I decided to watch Viva Las Vegas and it was pretty great, mostly due to Ann Margaret's amazing dancing. I'm not sure I could tell you what the film itself was actually about.

So I was pretty excited when we decided to show an Elvis movie for Old Movie Night this month. We decided on a slightly obscure one called Girl Happy, in which Elvis is sent down to Ft. Lauderdale during Spring Break to keep an eye on his boss's daughter, while performing there with his "combo" made up of three other young, much nerdier men. The premise is pretty predictable, about a gazillion young, bathing suit-clad girls, Elvis falling in love with multiple women, lots of gyrating, a beach party, a jail breakout—the usual. Basically all the makings of a great time.

I think it was a hit with the Old Movie Night crowd and it was a great way to usher in the spring. Especially since the weather here has been quite spring-like lately. Everyone got pretty into the picture, showing off some nice 60's dance moves:

And the proportion of Elvises to girls in this photo is about the same as the movie!

Tony Curtis in Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:18:00 +0000

If you're in the Chicagoland area, be sure to go see Tony Curtis and a screening of Some Like it Hot at the Hollywood Blvd. Theater on March 20. I went last year and it was an amazing time. Tony answered some questions before the film that were quite entertaining, and of course Some Like it Hot is a classic.

Who Is Shiloh?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:14:00 +0000

I have a confession to make: I like Neil Diamond. I realize that's way dorky, but I can't help it. And did you see him sing at the Grammys? People seemed to enjoy it; they weren't laughing or anything.

So lately I've been listening to this Shiloh song of his, and I came to realize I have no idea what in the world this song is about. Now I realize this blog post isn't going to be very far-reaching in terms of audience—there are probably only about 5 people in the world who know this song and only 2 of those 5 probably care what it's about. Nevertheless, this is how I entertain myself so bear with me.

At first I thought it was maybe about a childhood friend, Shiloh, who's a really pathetic character and bows to Neil's every whim only to get dumped when Neil finds a woman, but some of the lyrics just seemed a little creepy if that was the case. I also thought perhaps it's about a pet or something more abstract like a place, but that doesn't really seem to make sense.

Then it hit me: multiple personality disorder! That's clearly what's going on here. It's really the only explanation that makes sense and isn't really creepy. Young Neil is obviously severely neglected as a child by his parents and friends, so he "turns on the only friend [he] can find/there in [his] mind." Then he meets a hot girl and no longer has a need for his multiple personality, but when she dumps him, he wants Shiloh back! The End.

I can't believe I didn't think of this before, it's so clear now.

Interview with Jane Russell

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:44:00 +0000

ChristianityTodayMovies.com (part of Christianity Today International, my place of employment) posted this interesting interview with Jane Russell about her Christian faith and old-timey Hollywood stuff. It's quite good, take a look!

Are Musicals Back?

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:30:00 +0000

Well, probably not anymore than they were like 7 years ago when Chicago came out, but still, I enjoyed the musicals tribute on the Oscars last night mostly because it involved more than one Judy Garland clip!

I also enjoyed Queen Latifa's performance for the In Memoriam segment. It was painful to think that I may be responsible for at least three of these deaths.

Sunset Blvd.

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:47:00 +0000

If you haven't seen Sunset Blvd., I strongly recommend that you do. Yes, it's really weird. Yes, that Gloria Swanson is a total nut-job. Yes, it's awesome. I watched it for the second time ever last weekend for Old Movie Night, and it was better than I remembered. And it was especially fun to watch with a group of 20-somethings who were completely disturbed by most of it.

If you don't know the story, which you should, it opens with a dead man in a pool. That's how you know it's going to be great. We then go back some time to find out how this fellow ended up in the pool. Joe Gillis (William Holden), a handsome, young Hollywood hopeful narrates the story of his accidental meeting with the insane, washed up movie star, Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). For whatever reason, he gets sucked into her weirdness and things spiral out of control from there. It slowly builds as Norma gets more and more crazy and poor Joe tries harder and harder to get away from the madness.

(Sidenote: Is it just me, or are there a lot of crazy movie characters with a variation of the name Norman? Norma Desmond, Norman Bates ... Hollywood has doomed the name!)

Also adding to the insanity is Norma's creepy butler Max (Erich von Stroheim). He's always lurking in the shadows and seems to have some weird, unhealthy obsession with Norma.

Clearly, it has the makings of a great film: A big old mansion, an insane old actress with crazy eyes, a dashing young man trapped by the old lady, and a creepy butler who plays the organ.

The group at old movie night seemed to enjoy it. Despite some mocking laughs at Norma's weird facial expressions and some plain old corny dialogue, it seemed to go over really well. It's definitely a film that holds up. As my insightful (and cute!) boyfriend said, it's kind of like a really long episode of The Twilight Zone. It's plenty creepy, but not really a scary movie.

We were so inspired by Norma's crazy eyes that we took a Norma-inspired group photo:

To make things even more interesting, check out the imdb.com trivia for the movie. Good stuff. And take a look at their trivia for Gloria Swanson. Turns out her on screen persona isn't that far off from real life. And Carol Burnett's parodies of the movie is always entertaining.

Judy + Mickey

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:17:00 +0000

I stayed home sick from work today and finally got the chance to look through the Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney boxed set I got for Christmas. It includes 4 movies—Babes in Arms, Strike Up the Band, Babes on Broadway, and Girl Crazy— plus a while disc of bonus material, PLUS these fancy little behind-the-scenes photos. I'm not sure what one would ever do with them, but they're still great!

Today I watched Babes on Broadway which is my favorite Judy/Mickey movie. Then I moved onto the bonus disc, which turned out to be awesome for one reason: The Judy Garland Songbook, "A Chronological Cavalcade of Musical Numbers." Yeah, it's basically like Judy Garland music videos which is kind of a dream come true for me considering I generally just fast forward straight to the songs in most Judy movies. I'd say the entire set is worth it for this feature alone, especially when it's only like $30 on Amazon.com.

The curious thing about this Judy Garland Songbook is that they failed to include "Over the Rainbow," the most famous Judy song EVER, but chose to include "Friendly Star" which I believe to be one of the worst songs in the history of the world. I mean really, if they're going to include a lame song from Summer Stock, there's no doubt it should be "Howdy Neighbor, Happy Harvest." But apart from that one strange oversight, all the other songs are quality and they range her very first short film at MGM to "Born in a Trunk" from A Star Is Born which opens and closes the entire set of songs.

The bonus disc also includes the TCM's Private Screening interviews with Mickey Rooney which I have yet to watch, but I'm sure are everything one would expect from a crazy old Mickey Rooney. I'm looking forward to checking that out!