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Movie Monday: Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
It is rare to that a film is so memorable that it causes Hollywood to recreate it years later. However, there are a few unicorn movies like that out there and one of them is Witness for the Prosecution. Recently, I watched the 1957 version of this film starring Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, and Tyrone Power. That is where the inspiration behind reviewing this film for this week’s Movie Monday came from! If Charles Laughton is in a film, you can pretty much guarantee it will be worth your time. I have reviewed the Hunchback of Notre Dame which also starred Charles Laughton, but other than that I have not…
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Movie Monday: Come Live with Me (1941)
In preparation of the Valentine’s Day holiday, today’s Movie Monday is a review of one highly underrated romantic comedy. This film stars the iconic James Stewart alongside a new Old Hollywood actress that I have never reviewed on here before — Hedy Lamarr. If you Google the name Hedy Lamarr a lot will come up and it might feel overwhelming at first, but Lamarr was a multilayered woman who had a very exciting life. My advice would be to read up on her before you watch Come Live with Me, it will mean more to you. Every James Stewart film is amazing. That is definitely an oversimplification of a career…
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Movie Monday: Without Love (1945)
If there is one thing I know for sure, it is that Old Hollywood couples made for a great match both on-screen and off-screen! Today’s Movie Monday film review is all about the movie Without Love starring a covert couple that created a lot of classic films together! Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn made for an iconic couple in the movies, but in real life they had to keep their romance a secret. This didn’t stop them from letting a little bit of the real world love they had for one another creep onto the big screen for audiences to appreciate everywhere! Of all of the Katherine Hepburn and Spence…
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Movie Monday: Strangers on a Train (1951)
Movie Mondays have covered several different genres of film, actors, and directors in the time this series has ran. However, there is one director who Movie Monday has not highlighted quick enough. That legendary director is Alfred Hitchcock. This week’s Movie Monday is all about the classic film Stranger on a Train. The most important part of this movie is the plot. There are no superstar, celebrity actors starring in this Hitchcock classic and that really helps to keep the focus on the storyline in this movie. Another reason it was crucial to the plot of Strangers on a Train to not have any well known actors is because there…
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Movie Monday: Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
Today’s Movie Monday film review is about the movie that got my love for all classic films started. Gentleman’s Agreement was a movie I just happen to stumble up one Saturday about four years ago. Since initially watching this movie I have become a huge advocate of all things Old Hollywood! I could not be more grateful for this film and getting the opportunity to see it. A ton of thanks goes to the Turner Classic Movies television network for simply existing because that is how I have explored almost all of the classic films I have watched. Now that I have got that off my chest, let’s get this…
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Movie Monday: My Reputation (1946)
Today I want to put a spotlight on a classic film that is often times over looked. This week’s Movie Monday is all about the 1946 film My Reputation starring Barbara Stanwyck. Not only does this movie have a lot to say about the social stigma that comes along with remarrying after the loss of a spouse, but it also says a lot about handling criticism from the public. Barbara Stanwyck is possibly the perfect actress in all of film history to fit the role as a leading lady in My Reputation. No one else could have the same steely determination that Stanwyck displays in this film. This character must…
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Movie Monday: The Young Philadelphians (1959)
For today’s Movie Monday I am reviewing a film with a movie star that I have yet to review here on Faintly Familiar — Paul Newman! The Young Philadelphians was a film I just happen to stumble into watching and I am so glad that I did because I have been wanting to review a Paul Newman film for quite some time. So without further ado, here is my review! The Young Philadelphians is one of the rare films that appeared in a difficult time era for the movie scene, in my opinion. I have found that films took a bit of a break in being high quality from the…
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Movie Monday: Notorious (1946)
I have noticed that on Movie Mondays I do not feature the talented Alfred Hitchcock enough. Well, today I am going to change that! Today’s film review is all about the Hitchcock classic called Notorious. As with all Hitchcock films, Notorious is full of amazing camera angles and interesting audience perspectives. One of my favorite scenes is where the amazingly talented Ingrid Bergman looks through binoculars and you can see the race she is watching reflected in the lenses. There is something very mysterious as well as creative in that scene that makes you wonder if Bergman’s character is in fact on the good side or bad side of this…
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Movie Monday: Dark Passage (1947)
A drama that has stood the test of time is Dark Passage! This one of the iconic Bogie and Bacall films, and an intense one at that. All of these elements are the reason why Dark Passage is such a perfect fit for Movie Monday! One of the best aspects of Dark Passage is the cinematography choices they made. A large portion of this film is viewed from Humphrey Bogart’s point of view. Everything is seen through his eyes and from his perspective. This was what initially drew me into this movie. The artistic choice to not show the leading man’s face was a bold move. Eventually Bogart does show…
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Movie Monday: My Man Godfrey (1936)
Recently, I watched My Man Godfrey for the first time. I knew immediately that I wanted to write a review on this film! The way that Carole Lombard and William Powell were able to portray their characters so perfectly that even to this day we still consider their performances amazing proves how talent they both were. After watching The Thin Man (another William Powell classic), I must say that I prefer Powell’s performance in My Man Godfrey. As controversial as this may seem, the way he was able to play the hard luck, bum the way he did really shows me his talents as an actor. Creating a wealthy, humorous…
