Thursday, February 1, 2024

Movies I Watched in January

Kenneth More & Glynis Johns, No Highway in the Sky (1951)

I watched a lot of British films this month. Glynis Johns led to more Kenneth More and also Jack Hawkins. I discovered a "new" TV show, The Four Just Men starring Hawkins, Dan Dailey, Richard Conte, and Vittorio De Sica (they alternate episodes). There are several episodes on YouTube. 

* indicates a rewatch

    1. Beauty and the Barge (1937) - Jack Hawkins, Margaret Rutherford
    2. He Couldn't Say No (1938) - Frank McHugh, Jane Wyman, Diana Lewis
    3. Hold That Kiss (1938) - Maureen O'Sullivan & Dennis O'Keefe, Micky Rooney
    4. *Rebecca (1940) - Joan Fontaine & Laurence Olivier, Judith Anderson, Reginald Denny, George Sanders, C. Aubrey Smith, Gladys Cooper
    5. *I Know Where I'm Going (1945) - Wendy Hiller & Roger Livesey
    6. Black Narcissus (1947) - Deborah Kerr, David Farrar, Sabu, Jean Simmons
    7. *Miranda (1948) - Glynis Johns, Googie Withers, Griffith Jones, David Tomlinson, Margaret Rutherford
    8. No Highway in the Sky (1951) - James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Jack Hawkins, Glynis Johns, Kenneth More
    9.  Appointment with Venus (1951) - David Niven, Glynis Johns, Kenneth More
    10. One Minute to Zero (1952) - Robert Mitchum & Ann Blyth, William Talman, Charles McGraw, Richard Egan
    11. Second Chance (1953) - Robert Mitchum & Linda Darnell, Jack Palance
    12. Genevieve (1953) - John Gregson & Dinah Sheridan, Kenneth More, Kay Kendall
    13. *Mad About Men (1954) - Glynis Johns, Margaret Rutherford
    14. Front Page Story (1954) - Jack Hawkins, Elizabeth Allan
    15. *The Enemy Below (1957) - Robert Mitchum, Curt Jergens
    16. The Two-Headed Spy (1958) - Jack Hawkins & Gia Scala
    17. *The Defiant Ones (1958) - Tony Curtis & Sidney Poitier, Lon Chaney Jr.
    18. The 39 Steps (1959) - Kenneth Moore & Taina Elg
    19. The Angry Hills (1959) - Robert Mitchum, Gia Scala, Sebastian Cabot
    20. How to Frame a Figg (1971) - Don Knotts, Yvonne Craig
    21. The Lady Vanishes (1979) - Cybill Shepherd, Elliott Gould, Angela Lansbury
    22. Dominick and Eugene (1988) - Tom Hulce, Ray Liotta, Jamie Lee Curtis
    23. Miss Austen Regrets (2007) - Olivia Williams, Hugh Bonneville
    Emma (2009-TV Mini Series) - Ramola Garai & Jonny Lee Miller
    Sidney (2022) - a must watch!
    The Power of Film (2024) - TCM Documentary series

    Least Favorite Film: I did not like Black Narcissus. If I could un-watch it I would. I don't like creepy eye close-ups. Also, if you watch The Two-Headed Spy, skip the torture scene. 

    Favorite Movie: I finally watched No Highway in the Sky after having on my watchlist for a long time. It was really good. I've always considered Emma my least favorite Austen heroine, but I really liked the 2009 mini series! I'm rereading the book to see if I like it better now than when I first read if probably 10+ years ago (I did not like the Paltrow movie either). 

    The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) is one of my favorite movies from recent years so I'm excited for another collaboration between Henry Cavill and director Guy Ritchie. I wish Alicia Vikander was in it!