Thursday, June 5, 2025

Movies I Watched in May

This month ended up being Charlton Heston and Jack Hawkins month. I also started reading several movie star autobiographies including Ronald Colman: A Very Private Person by his daughter Juliet Benita Colman, Anything for a Quiet Life by Jack Hawkins, and Pieces of My Heart by Robert Wagner (with Scott Eyman). I picked up the Wagner book at a thrift store for a dollar but it's very tmi. I will probably donate it back. I really liked the book by him I read last month though. 

* indicates a rewatch

  1. The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926) - Vilma Banksy, Ronald Colman, Gary Cooper
  2. Personal Maid's Secret (1935) - Ruth Donnaly, Margaret Lindsey, Anita Louise
  3. Fires Were Started (1943) - real civilian firefighters
  4. *Force of Arms (1951) - William Holden & Nancy Olson
  5. *When in Rome (1952) - Van Johnson, Paul Douglas
  6. The Planter's Wife/Outpost in Malaya (1952) - Jack Hawkins & Claudette Colbert
  7. The Cruel Sea (1953) - Jack Hawkins
  8. The President's Lady (1953) - Charlton Heston & Susan Hayward
  9. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins
  10. *Ben-Hur (1959) - Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Steven Boyd, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Finlay Currie
  11. 55 Days at Peking (1963) - Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, David Niven, Flora Robson, Leo Genn
  12. Planet of the Apes (1968) - Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowell, Kim Hunter, James Whitmore
  13. *Moonstruck (1987) - Cher, Nicholas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Vincent Gardenia
  14. *Tequila Sunrise (1988) - Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell
  15. The Man Without a Face (1993) - Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl
  16. *Persuasion (1995) - Amanda Root & Ciaran Hinds
  17. *Soldier (1998) - Kurt Russell, Connie Nielson
  18. The Majestic (2001) - Jim Carrey, Martin Landau, James Whitmore, David Ogden Stiers
  19. Sky High (2005) - Kurt Russell, Lynda Carter
  20. *Austenland (2013) - Kerri Russell, JJ Feild, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Seymour
*Pride and Prejudice (1995) - Colin Firth & Jennifer Ehle

Least Favorite Film: I watched about an hour of Duel in the Sun (1946) but didn't care for it. I didn't like seeing Gregory Peck play a creep. I was in a Charlton Heston mood after revising Ben-Hur for the first time since I was in high school and so ended up watching Planet of the Apes. It was ok - the score was a little unsettling. 

Favorite Movie: If you're a Ronald Colman fan you HAVE to watch The Winning of Barbara Worth. Swoon! And I definitely recommend The Majestic. It's set during the McCarthy Witch Hunt.