1930s

12/18/25 "People On Sunday" 1930
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "What's all the fuss? That Greta Garbo film is showing until Tuesday!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
My love of Billy Wilder is what kept me through this movie. This was his first film, but that's all that's remarkable about this film. The writing is pretty sluggish, because the film is just comprised of everyday footage. This is a silent film with a story through the title cards, but the film only has the footage to go off of. It's a slice-of-life type picture, but it barely has a plot and seems to have less character. This is far from what Billy Wilder will accomplish in the future.

1/2/24 "The Divorcee" 1930
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Can't scream." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's interesting how progressive this film was for the 1930s. It's about a woman (Norma Shearer) realizing that her husband has cheated on her, so she cheats on him. Norma Shearer does a fantastic job in this film and earns her best actress win for this film. My gripe comes with the plot. It examines the gender bias of infidelity (when a man does it it's okay but when a woman does it it's the worst thing you can do) but that's just it. They finish the conflict and get divorced (which isn't a spoiler because it's the movie's title). The ending also isn't great and undoes the whole film. I really enjoyed the conflict brought up and the acting but I feel as though it needs that extra plot point to really make the film.

1/15/25 "The Big House" 1930
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I shouldn't have slipped her that ant poison. I should have just battered her in the jaw a few times." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is the original jailbreak movie, but it's not a great one. One of the most important parts of a jail movie is the likability of the characters, and honestly, they all seemed very uninteresting. I think it has something to do with this being the novelty of being the first Jailbreak movie, they didn't really need to have great characters, and the plot itself was new enough. The shots in this movie are really well-done though, but the writing is a bit all over the place. This film won Best Adapted Screenplay, despite it being original.

1/25/25 "Murder!" 1930
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I need not remind you that in the eyes of the law, men and women are equal." Do they say title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is a really weak Hitchcock film, being one of his earliest sound films. It follows a member of a jury who convicted a woman of murder trying to solve the case himself after feeling as if she's innocent. The film sort of drags on and is overall a bit of a clumsy attempt. This pales in comparison to his later films.

8/28/22 "Animal Crackers" 1930
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Well, all the jokes can't be good. You've got to expect that once in a while."
The second Marx Brothers movie to ever be made. This one wasn't as good as "The Cocoanuts" in my opinion, it didn't really have the same amount of great gags. There were some good gags in this movie but the plot was kind of all over the place. So there's this big expensive painting that a hotel and there are two parties that want to steal it, one wants to sell it so they made a copy of the painting to replace it, and another one wants to prove that he's a good artist since he made a copy of it in his college so he wants to steal it, have people think it's the original, and then give the original back so he can fuel his ego. This had good jokes and had the Marx sing which is good, but overall this isn't their best

6/16/25 "Morocco" 1930
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You'd better go now. I'm... beginning to like you." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Marlene Dietrich gives one of her most iconic performances in this film, and yet I still can't say that I liked it. It's a shame, because I've been meaning to see this film because the image of her in that suit and top hat is one of the most defining images in cinema, but the plot was pretty weak. It's just a love story between a soldier (Gary Cooper) and a showgirl (Dietrich) in, you guessed it, Morocco. The film shows it's age with it being a very early sound film.

8/12/22 "Little Caesar" 1931
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You can dish it out, but you got so you can't take it no more."
This is the first gangster movie ever made, and I've got to say, it really holds up. This is a pretty average gangster story but it's the characters I love, like little Caesar being a prideful gangster whose main downfall comes from his hubris. This is way better than "The Public Enemy" in many ways. I feel like the growth of Little Caesar is way better than Tom Powers because even at Caesar's worse he still cares for the people around him. Overall, this is a movie worth checking out to see the birth of what used to be one of the biggest genres in Hollywood

4/20/25 "Le Million" 1931
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Sure, he's a nice fella. He's my friend. I can't bad-mouth him. But, still - he's short, not good-looking, and he has a big nose." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I was surprised at how well this movie aged! This is a German musical from 1931, but what's interesting about it is how the songs actually sync up with the story. This wasn't common in American musicals at all at the time. We follow a young artist who recently won the lottery for a million dollars! The problem is that he lost his ticket in a jacket, which he just gave away. So he, his wife, and his rival artist are running through Germany to try to get that million. It's really quite funny and well-shot as well!

11/12/22 "Cimarron" 1931
1/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "*Intense cow noises*"
Another best picture win (the first of the three Westerns) and this one is an awful one! This film has to be one of the dullest and slowest I've seen. Let's start off with the audio mixing. I saw one review that said that this movie feels like a party where you can never quite hear one another. The story also seems all over the place, going from western to melodrama to courtroom drama. It's a shame because this movie has a good idea, the movie is about the change from the wild west to the modern 1920s. They don't really focus on this, rather they jump from tired storyline to tired storyline. Some people might write off this movie for being an older movie, but 1931 gave us City Lights, Frankenstein, Dracula, Little Caesar, and Monkey Business, so this movie has no excuse

9/4/22 "Dracula" 1931
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You???"
This movie seems pretty anti-climatic. Not a lot happens in this film which is a crime because you're dealing with a vampire. There are so many stories you can make out of vampires. It's also weird that they don't mention garlic in this movie once since that's one of the most famous weaknesses of Dracula, instead, they do this rare herb that seems a little plot convenient. Other than that it's all here, the wooden stake, the reflection, the mind control, although I'm not sure the "being invited in" part was in this film. Bela Lugosi is great in this role, it's clear why his voice pops in your head whenever someone says Dracula. Another underrated actor was Dwight Frye who has a great performance as a crazy man, sometimes he even outshines Lugosi. This is definitely an iconic movie, but there's just not all that much to this one

1/31/24 "Skippy" 1931
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Would a bathroom cost more than three cents?" "Way more" "So three cents isn't a lot of money" "I guess not" "Can I have three cents" "That's too much for a boy to have" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I wasn't expecting how much I would like this movie. This won Best Director in 1931 and never got talked about much, but besides that, it's just a really solid movie. It's about a young boy named Skippy (Jackie Cooper) who loves to hang out in Shantytown (the poor neighborhood in town). He makes friends with a kid named Sooky (Robert Coogan, Jackie Coogan's brother) whose dog gets captured by the dog-catcher. They spend the movie trying to raise the three dollars needed to set his dog free. There's a lot of strong comedy and heart in this film, with incredible child acting and a pretty strong story.

11/23/23 "M" 1931
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "A man who must murder needs to be exterminated" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This movie seems decades ahead of its time. The cinematography, plot, and acting seem to be way too good for the 30s. Directed by Fritz Lang, this film is about Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre), a man who goes around killing kids in Berlin. The police are trying their hardest to find out who the murderer is, while in the meantime the criminal underworld is working together to try to find him. It's interesting to see the fellow criminals of Berlin trying to find him, they've done some horrible things in their life but they all agree that this guy is horrible. This is the film that made Peter Lorre a star, he is incredible in this film! I would highly suggest this film, especially for film buffs

4/30/25 "A Free Soul" 1931
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: 'It wouldn't be a lot for a camel or one of them things." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
For a pre-code movie, this really felt quite modern. We follow an alcoholic lawyer (Lionel Barrymore) who's defending a gambler who's charged with murder (Clark Gable). The free-willed daughter of the lawyer (Norma Shearer) starts to fall in love with the gambler, even though she's engaged to an upper-class polo player (Leslie Howard). There are some incredible performances, but I feel like the wrong one won for this movie. Lionel Barrymore won best actor for his performance in this film, and while he gives a great performance, I think this is easily Norma Shearer's film, but she lost to Marie Dresser in "Min and Bill". With great performances and a great script, this film is quite underrated when it comes to the precode era.

2/1/24 "Bad Girl" 1931
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Sure there are a lot of things in life besides money, but you gotta have money to find them." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This seems like a pretty forgettable movie. It's about a girl who doesn't want to get married, and she meets a man who doesn't want to get married. They start to form a relationship based on their love of hating marriage. They eventually get married and things get complicated when she gets pregnant. Oddly, this film won best director and it just doesn't seem like an Oscar-winning movie. As a whole, it's a pretty alright film that just doesn't have a lot to it.

8/30/22 "Monkey Business" 1931
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Afraid? Me? A man who's licked his weight in wild caterpillars? Afraid? You bet I'm afraid!"
This wasn't the best. I can't tell if I'm going through Marx Brothers fatigue or if I didn't like this one as much. I liked how it starts with all 4 together since normally in the films it takes 5 minutes to introduce Groucho and Zeppo and then another 15 minutes to introduce Chico and Harpo. There were some solid gags as there always are and an alright story, it's just some of the jokes didn't land the same way as they do in other films

7/24/24 "Platinum Blonde" 1931
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "That's the twentieth blow." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie
This film feels like the start of something great more than a great thing itself. This is a precursor to the "screwball comedy" which would take over Hollywood later in the thirties. This was also one of the first major movies by Frank Capra who would go on to do better things. It stars Jean Harlow who would go on to become a huge star. These three changed the culture of the '30s and in a sense our culture today, but here it's just not that impressive. It's about a middle-class journalist starting to fall in love with the rich daughter of a famous family that he's supposed to be reporting on. There are some funny gags, and I want to shout out the performance of Robert Williams who died three days after the film came out. This was such a shame because I could see him going on to become a big star.

9/4/22 "Frankenstein" 1931
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "It's ALIVE!!! IT'S ALIVEEEEE"
This one was way better than Dracula. There's such a human aspect to Frankenstein's monster that makes him probably my favorite universal monster. That scene near the lake was so sad because he was just trying to fit in. It's weird because this is both a departure from the classic Mary Shelley novel all of us had to read in high school and from basic facts we know about Frankenstein. For instance, it's not Victor Frankenstein, it's Henry Frankenstein for some reason. Also, they gave Frankenstein an assistant who wasn't in Mary Shelley's novel, Fritz (not Igor... Fritz). Fritz also happens to be the worst character in this entire movie (although it's another excellent performance by Dwight Frye from Dracula). This feels like it aged a lot better than Dracula, iconic.

10/17/24 "Girls in Uniform" 1931
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "What you call sins, I call the great spirit of love, in all its forms." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I really wished I liked this. This was very ahead of its time, but I just wasn't that much of a fan of the movie. We follow a girl's school in Germany where the headmasters are very strict with the kids. One of the girls in the school grows a crush on the headmaster, but she knows that it can't happen because it's seen as a sin. That's really it. It is important to have a lesbian main character, especially in the 30s, which is very progressive, but I just wasn't a fan. The film was very slow and I just couldn't really get into the characters.

9/14/23 "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" 1931
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I have no soul. I'm beyond the pale. I'm one of the living dead!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
The second major motion picture adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and this is easily the best one. Fredric March does a fantastic job as both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He plays Dr. Jekyll very calmly and charismatically but adds a little trace of Hyde in his lust and desire. Hyde is so creepy in this film, you never know what he's going to do. The effects hold up really well too! The transformation scenes are done insanely well! It was such a shock to see those types of effects in a film that's 92 years old. The cinematography is also great, it utilizes a lot of POV shots and interesting angles. This is a horror film that really holds up!

9/6/22 "The Mummy" 1932
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You will not remember what I show you now, and yet I shall awaken memories of love... and crime... and death..."
Watching this film, I realized how underpowered the Mummy really is. Frankenstein is really strong and durable, Dracula can fly, turn into a bat, have mind control, and more, the Invisible Man is invisible, etc. The Mummy can only do mind control and that's about it. He can also choke people from afar, but these powers seem either a little useless or just straight-up Dracula's power. Boris Karloff does an incredible job as the mummy as he always does. I thought he would be in his mummy suit the whole movie, but he changed out of that which was good because he can act with his face without considering what it'll look like wrapped in paper. Not the best Universal Monster movie, but not the worst

9/25/22 "Freaks" 1932
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "To me, you're a man. But to her, you're only something to laugh at."
Movie 5 of the binge and this is one that I was pretty nervous to see. Not because of how scary the movie was, but because of the story behind the film. This film uses actual circus performers who have real disabilities (some of them don't have arms or legs and some have neither). I was nervous that they'll exploit them and make this movie age horribly. I couldn't have been more wrong. This film humanizes all of the circus performers and has us genuinely care about them. This film is about a trapeze artist named Cleopatra finding out that Hans, a man with achondroplasia (dwarfism), has a lot of inheritance, so she plans on marrying him to get the money even though she constantly makes fun of him behind his back. This film doesn't have us fearing the circus performers, but rather ourselves and how cruel people can be. Some people have critiqued this film for using spectacle when it comes to these performers like having the limbless man light a cigarette by himself, but personally, I found that very inspiring. I found it so incredible seeing how these people adapt to their disabilities so well that they can do tasks that everyone can do. They don't let their disabilities get in the way (like that kid who was born without a lower body so he runs around on his hands and still manages, I find that extremely incredible ). The ending is incredible, but a little Deus ex Machina. Overall this was a very humanistic film that's very depressing at some points. This is more than your average horror film

1/3/24 "Scarface" 1932
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "The world is yours" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is my favorite of the three early gangster films (Public Enemy, Little Caesar, and this film). It really is a trailblazer for films like Godfather, Goodfellas, and (of course) Brian De Palma's Scarface. We see a young Tony (Paul Muni) climb the ladder of success as a gangster. The violence in this movie is really shocking, because of how gratuitous it felt. This was before the Hays Code, so they could get away with a lot more violence than they would if the movie was made in the latter half of the 1930s. What's interesting about this film is how we don't get a backstory for Tony. We don't see his tragic past or his upbringing, we just see the monster he's become. It shows how some people just want to take the world and make it theirs. As a whole, this film has great drama with a fantastic ending Topic name

8/3/22 "Grand Hotel" 1932
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I never thought something so beautiful can happen to me"
If you can believe it, ANOTHER Oscar winning movie. This is a pretty notable film for being the first film to have several A-listers. Back in the day, you would only see one or two A-listers together, but MGM was one of the first ones to think "What if we put all of our top stars in one film together!". I'm going to come forward and say that I don't get the hype for Greta Garbo. She wasn't that good in this movie and this is considered her best movie. This is the one where she says the famous "I want to be alone." I just feel like she overacts way too much. She tries to treat every line like it's a Shakespearean monologue, but that's just not natural. I also don't like how she's listed at the very top despite barely being in it. Joan Crawford did great in this movie along with John and Lionel Barrymore. I appreciate how they do the ensemble cast but actually have them interact with each and have each one progress the story (Still looking at you Love Actually). This was just okay, it deserved the Oscar for that year, but that year was kind of slow when it came to the Oscars

3/29/22 "The Music Box" 1932
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Walk around? Me? Professor Theodore Von Schwarzenhoffen? M.D., A.D, D.D.S, F.L.D, F.F.F und F should walk around? Get that thing out of my way! Go on, out of the way!"
I always wondered what the name of this movie is, since it's a very iconic scene. This is the film where they carry up the piano. It feels like a missing link between Chaplin and The Marx Brothers. It has the slapstick and simplicity of Chaplin but the quips of Marx. It's a very entertaining short filled with good gags. Very simple but toa the point

9/26/22 "Vampyr" 1932
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Why does the doctor always come at night?"
This was kind of a mess, this film is in three separate languages at once since this was almost a lost film. They had to use the English, French, and German version of the film. The tone in this movie is pretty sinister and it's shot pretty well, I just didn't get the story. It felt all over the place and got confusing with all the different languages.

8/23/25 "White Zombie" 1932
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "They are not men, madame. They are dead bodies!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was such an interesting horror movie, especially for the time. We follow a man who calls on a sorcerer (Bela Lugosi) in Haiti to make an engaged woman fall in love him. After it's all said and done, the sorcerer decides that the woman is his, but he wants her as a Zombie to obey his every will. The director uses a lot of really interesting cuts and effects to really make this film stand out for the time.

7/26/22 "Horse Feathers" 1932
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I'd horsewhip you if I had a horse."
It's weird how primitive this one seems. When watching this I was just thinking how this was one of their earlier ones and I shouldn't be judging it so harshly, but this was the movie that came right before their best film "Duck Soup". They just throw out random gags to try to see which ones stick. Some of them land, but most of them kind of fall flat. This whole movie felt far too silly, which is a lot coming from me since I love silly movies (like the other Marx Brothers films) but this one just felt like it crossed the line. Definitely not their best

4/4/25 "Movie Crazy" 1932
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "She's quite right. There are a lot of other girls - much prettier than she is! You're right!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's always so odd to see a silent comedian in a sound picture, but Harold Lloyd really made that jump successfully. This has all the charm of a silent Harold Lloyd movie, but with dialogue that really carries the story. We follow a young aspiring actor as he gets a screen test in Hollywood, the only problem is, that he sent the wrong picture and everyone thinks he's this leading-man type when he's really a meek everyman. The film mirrors Harold Lloyd's own troubles making it into the movie industry and really shows off his charm. He really has a knack for playing underdog characters that the audience can't help but root for. While his silent pictures were obviously more groundbreaking, there's a charm to this film that keeps it entertaining throughout.

6/6/23 "Love Me Tonight" 1932
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Let me attack him - alone! I'll be a one-man French Revolution!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Oh boy yeah!
It's crazy how modern this musical feels. This is one of the first true musicals, coming out all the way back in 1932. Richard Roger, of Rogers and Hammerstein, writes the music for this musical, and it shows. It has such a Rogers vibe to it. Though the music is great, the lyrics by Lorenz Hart are even better. This is one of the first musicals where the songs actually tell a story. The lyrics are so witty and have so much charm, like the first song where we get insight into the people of pairs. Maurice Chevalier is great in this film, he's such a great singer and has great comedic timing. This is a part of the 1001 movies everyone should see in their life, and I have to agree. If you like musicals, this is a great early example

10/5/23 "The Most Dangerous Game" 1932
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "This world's divided into two kinds of people: the hunter and the hunted. Luckily, I'm the hunter. Nothing can change that." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was one of my favorite short stories I've read. The story is about a famed hunter (Joel McCrea) getting shipwrecked on an island run by Zartoff (Leslie Banks), another famous hunter. Zartoff got bored hunting the same animals and decided to hunt the most dangerous game... humans. He lets Joel McCrea get a head start. If Joel McCrea wins, he gets to leave the island safe, but if he loses, he dies. It's a simple story but done really well. The original story had better pacing and a better ending, but this film does a pretty good job. This film thrives on its suspense and the perfect sets (a lot of which were being used to film "King Kong"). I feel like the act structure of the film is a little off. In this film, the boat scene is all of Act One, meeting Zartoff is all of Act 2, and the chase is Act 3. Personally, I believe the shipwreck as well as the meeting with Zartoff should be act 1. The chase should be act 2 and the last battle should be Act 3. Since the meeting with Zartoff is the second act, we sort of drag in there while the chase seems to go way too fast. This is still a great movie that has a lot of thrills to it. It's also a very easy watch since it's only an hour

10/5/23 "The Old Dark House" 1932
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Have a potato." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This horror/comedy isn't really funny or scary. This is a Universal horror film, meaning in some alternate universe this could've been one of the big ones like "Dracula" or "Frankenstein", but it isn't. It is sort of Frankenstein however, because Boris Karloff is in this movie. I was excited to really see his acting on full display since the last film he did was just grunt and flail his arms, except in this film all he did was grunt and flail his arms. He was basically just a less interesting Frankenstein. This film is about five people stumbling into a weird house during a storm... and that's it. One of these people though is Charles Laughton who's great in this film. He's just great in everything. Overall, this is very forgettable and deserves to be not very well known.

3/9/23 "Trouble In Paradise" 1932
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "His phooey is worse than his bite." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie; no
This was one of the first screwball comedies ever. Ernst Lubitsch directed this film (who also did Ninotchka, The Shop Around the Corner, and To Be or Not To Be) and I really enjoy the innovative ways he transitions scenes. For instance, he shows a still shot of a clock as it cuts several times to show how time has passed. The story is pretty funny, about a couple meeting by finding out that they're both pickpocketers and they're trying to steal from a wealthy woman who runs a perfume company, problems arise when the man is in a love triangle between the two women. There's another love triangle going on with the perfume girl, a sergeant, and Edward Everett Horton who steals the show. Edward Everett Horton could take any line and make it hilarious. It feels like it aged pretty well for being 90 years old

2/27/23 "I Am A Fugitive From a Chain Gang" 1932
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Well, I would shake Mr. Hamburger's hand and say I haven't seen you in a LOOOONNGG time!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I didn't expect this film to be so good! The way it was shot was so innovative and it tells a very modern story. A man returns from the first world war and gets a burger with one of his friends. The problem is that the friend robs the store and gets away while stuck there. He gets framed for the crime and thrown in jail. This film does such a good job of portraying how horribly the prisoners are treated. This film also does a great job with the suspense. It feels a lot more modern than most of the other films made in 1932. It was brilliant to sync up the hammers hitting the rocks with a calendar changing its months. Paul Muni (who played Emile Zola in the horrible "Life of Emile Zola") does incredible in this film. He's so natural and shows reals emotion during several scenes. He also has some of the most realistic tears in this film. The end was a little bit underwhelming but still got the point across. Should've won the Oscar

4/24/23 "Me and My Gal" 1932
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Fix your hat!", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No.
A pretty alright Pre-code comedy. It's about a policeman (Spencer Tracy) falling in love with a waitress at a diner, but her sister falls in love with a mafia member. The whole film is about Spencer Tracy getting close to finding out the connection. It has some pretty inventive gags, like how we can hear the main two's thought for a scene. Also, the drunkard was a funny character with some great scenes. Not a lot to say about this film, it's just alright. It's clear that this was made in the infancy of film comedy writing since it still relies on some silent film standards

10/4/23 "Island Of Lost Souls" 1932
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Mr. Parker, do you know what it means to feel like God?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a pre-code horror film that I think semi-holds up. The film is about a man named Edward Parker (Richard Arlen) who is shipwrecked on the island of the mysterious Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton). While there, he notices the weird locals and the odd relationship they have with Dr. Moreau. He soon finds out that the locals are all Dr. Moreau's creations and are half-animal/half-human hybrids who believe that Dr. Moreau is their god. Bela Lugosi plays one of the hybrids and he does a fantastic job, I think that might've been one of his best performances (maybe even better than Dracula). The film feels like it drags in some place despite being 70 minutes, it's an odd feeling. I personally believe that this film needed a little more plot or further exploration of Dr. Moreau's character to make the film feel more complete. H.G. Wells (the original author) hated this film because it focused more on the horror than the morals of Dr. Moreau. I can see this as an underrated horror movie, but it just needs something more to truly be legendary Topic name

6/2/22 "Cavalcade" 1933
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "*British laughter*"
This film doesn't exactly know what it wants to be. Cavalcade is the 1933 oscar winning movie about a family experiencing the years 1899-1933 and all of the crazy things people went through. I feel like one part of it wants to document all of the atrocities that have occurred through the turn of the century while another part wants it to be a big family drama. Some of the events seem very shoehorned in. In one scene, two characters are talking about how they're finally ready to relax and take a vacation after all of the crazy years they lived through, when they move out of the way however the lifesaver says "Titanic", meaning that they are going to crash soon. I feel like this should not have won the Oscar, especially against some big names in cinema-like "42nd Street" and "Little Women". I would only watch this film if you're like me and are trying to watch every best picture.

1/4/24 "She Done Him Wrong" 1933
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No!
I feel like a lot of people forget how progressive Mae West was. When they see this film they might only see a 1930s sex symbol but she's much more. She started out as a playwright creating many hits (including this film). When the jump to film happened, she was one of the frontrunners in sound comedy and wrote all of her scripts. This film was one of the highest-grossing films of the 1930s and I can understand why. This film was considered very risque at the time, it's about a nightclub singer who has many guy friends realizing that her convict ex-boyfriend still thinks they're together. She hasn't exactly been the most faithful to him, but he doesn't know that and tells her if she's unfaithful he'll kill her. Mae West has very funny lines and comedic timing, but this film wasn't as funny as I thought it was going to be. It was Cary Grant's breakout role, which is always cool to see, but as a whole, it's more of a landmark than a great comedy.

10/26/22 "Mystery Of The Wax Museum" 1933
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Nice story! Turn it into a comic strip and I'm sure it'll get syndicated!"
This one often gets forgotten. It's a shame how many people don't know about this movie because it's actually really ahead of its time. It's a movie from 1933 but it's in full color (making it one of the first color movies) and it's directed by Michael Curtiz (the same man who directed Casablanca). This film is about a Wax figure artist who loses feeling in his hands after a fire happens in his museum, so he tries to remake all of his old artwork. At the same time, there's a journalist named Florence Dempsey who's noticing that people are starting to randomly disappear. When she goes to the Museum she notices how familiar all the faces are of the new wax figures. Florence Dempsey, who's played by Glenda Farrell, is such a fun character. She seems like a mix of Hildy Johnson from His Girl Friday and Donald Kimball from American Psycho. This was a pre-code movie meaning that it didn't have the same censoring as later films, so this was ahead of its time in that regard. I didn't like the last minute of the movie though, but the rest of it was a pretty cool concept brought to life with some great actors.

9/17/22 "42nd Street" 1933
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Now go out there and be so swell that you'll make me hate you!"
It's funny, I think I love everything except the actual content of the movie. I'm gonna start off positively since this is one of the most important movie musicals ever. The choreography and camera movement made this a huge step up from the previous attempts at a movie musical (cough, cough BROADWAY MELODY). This was one of the first movie musicals to actually think "Wait, should we follow the action with our cameras instead of having it be one still shot?". The actual show they put on has some great sets and choreography with great shots, but that's the last 15 minutes. The rest of the movie isn't that good. Unlikeable and unmemorable characters are all over this film with mostly unmemorable songs (except for the title song). Plus there are only 4 songs in this entire film. An important film, but more of a fossil than an entertaining film

9/27/22 "King Kong" 1933
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "It was beauty who killed the beast"
This is one that I'm shocked it took me this long to see. I mean, everybody knows about this movie, it's the big MONKEY movie after all. I just feel like too much of this movie took place on Skull Island. The last 15 minutes are the most interesting part of the film (and the most iconic). The special effects are astounding, especially for the time. This movie has a better green screen than most modern movies. I can definitely see why this is iconic with the great effects and imagery (I mean, Kong on the Empire state building is one of the most defining images in cinema)

7/30/25 "Zero For Conduct" 1933
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "War is declared!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I don't understand why so many people swear by this short film. We follow a group of French students who overthrow their teachers after they feel like they've been mistreated. I can see what this film was going for, but I just don't think they did it too well. The film doesn't even really start until halfway through, and it was slow when it got started. As a whole, I feel like this film is so well regarded more because of the tragic death of it's director than the film itself.

4/23/25 "Gold Diggers of 1933" 1933
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Fay had an attack of chiseling, it's chronic with her." Do they say the title of the movie within the film: No
Out of all the pre code musicals with the Keebler and Powell team up, this has to be the best one. The defining feature of this one... it had a plot! It wasn't all focused purely on the musical numbers (there are only three, and they're all pretty good), this focuses the Great Depression. The show aspect of the plot comes from a wealthy songwriter, Brad Roberts (Dick Powell) who falls in love with the showgirl, Polly Parker (Ruby Keeler). The problem is, his family doesn't approve of the relationship and threatens to take away his inheritance if he marries this girl. There a ton of different mishaps and mix-ups that makes this a pre-cursor to the Screwball comedy, in my opinion. If I were to suggest a thirties musical, I'd do this one.

6/16/25 "The Private Life of Henry VIII" 1933

5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "There's no delicacy nowadays. No consideration for others. Refinement's a thing of the past! Manners are dead!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a pretty forgotten film, and I can see why. Charles Laughton won for best actor, and I'm glad he won an Oscar, but this was not the performance. We see King Henry VIII as he goes through his infamous 6 wives. This was sort of a slow movie that kept dragging on. I believe Paul Muni deserved the award more for "I Am A Fugitive From a Chain Gang".

11/2/24 "Dinner At Eight" 1933
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Why, my dear, that's something you never need to worry about" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This feels like a retread of Grand Hotel, but a "comedy". What weirder is, it's not all too funny. We follow various guests who are about to go to an upscale dinner party, but each guest has their own problems going on which leads to complications. This film is mostly known for the absolutely stacked cast of John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler (in her last film appearance), and Wallace Beery. This is a part of the AFI 100 Laughs, but I don't really find this to be a comedy much.

6/8/23 "Footlight Parade" 1933
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Take a running jump and I think you can make it." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No!
A very early musical and it really shows. It feels a lot like 42nd Street since both had Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell are in it. This is also yet another "We have to put on a musical!" film where the musical numbers are just unattached to the plot. The first hour and ten minutes are dedicated to pure plot which gets a little repetitive. They had some good jokes in there, it just drags a lot at some points. Then the last 30 minutes are pure music numbers. Here's my ranking of all the musical numbers! The worst one is the one they ended with, "Shanghai Lil". The song wasn't catchy at all and it really dragged. Next up is the "Honeymoon Hotel" which had some clever lyrics but went on too long and was kind of creepy when the family showed up. The best segment of this film has to be "By The Waterfall" which contains one of the most iconic images in movie musicals. I should mention that Busby Berkeley is back to directing these musical sequences and he does a great job. The iconic image I was talking about was, of course, the human waterfall (which could've been seen on the now defunct ride "The Great Movie Ride"). While these segments are great, it doesn't really make sense in the plot since they're supposed to be prologues (little musical numbers right before a movie) but they use large sets and multiangle choreography that just wouldn't work on a small stage. James Cagney is the lead in this film and he's strangely really good in a musical. Up to this point he was known as a hard-boiled gangster character. He took this role just to try to shed that image of him. I can see how this is an important musical, but it just doesn't really age well

1/9/22 "Duck Soup" 1933
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I wonder whatever became Of me? I should have been back here a long time ago"
This movie is so brilliantly stupid. It's one of the pioneers in the spoof movie genre, so the whole plot of the movie takes a back burner to the jokes. Groucho's timing is just absolutely impeccable. It's just joke on top of joke on top of joke. Harpo's physical humor was great as well, the use of props and his ongoing feud with the lemonade salesman. I would suggest this film, but with a warning that the humor's a little outdated, but it's pretty good for being almost 90 years old

1/12/25 "Little Women" 1933
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "If wearing hair up means becoming a lady, I'll wear it down until I'm 100 years old." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was the first sound adaptation of Louisa Mary Alcott's "Little Women", it was pretty alright! It's the classic story of the four March sisters, Jo (Katharine Hepburn), Amy (Joan Bennett), Meg (Frances Dee), and Beth (Jean Parker), as we see them all try to live their dreams, especially Jo's dream of being a writer. The four girls are really well cast, especially Katharine Hepburn as Jo. The film is a little slow in some places and doesn't really go too deep into the feminist themes of the original story, but the cast really makes this movie stand out.

11/15/23 "Design For Living" 1933
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "It's true we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No!
Another film by comedy director Ernst Lubitsch and I found this film to be quite shocking. This film came out in one of the last years of the pre-code era (where films could get away with a lot of raunchier jokes and ideas). So it was a shock hearing the word "sex" in a film as old as this one. The story is about cartoonist Gilda Farrell (Miriam Hopkins) meeting two fellow Americans on a train, George Curtis (Gary Cooper), a painter, and Tom Chambers (Fredric March), a playwright. George and Tom have been friends for a long time and live together, but problems arise when both of them fall in love with Gilda, it gets worse when Gilda loves both of them. She figures that if a man can date multiple women at once to find the one for him, she can do the same thing with these two. There are a lot of witty jokes in this film and great chemistry, also extra points to Edward Everett Horton being in this, he's great in every film he's in. It could've used a few more jokes, but as a whole, it was a very enjoyable experience that had great characters and a fun plot.

11/3/25 "Flying Down To Rio" 1933
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "What have these South Americans got below the equator that we haven't?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This movie was only accidentally trailblazing. The film was made to make the stars, Dolores del Río and Gene Raymond, popular, but it just didn't work at all. These two have so little chemistry and charm, it's almost impressive. These two just didn't wow me at all. There was a total of one great scene in the movie, and that's the reason this film is remembered. This film accidentally brought Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers together to create one of the greatest film pairings in cinematic history. They dance the "Carioca" in a sequence that really wows the audience. In what little time they had on screen, they spark. Everything else about this film is so dull and uninspired that you just wish these two would come back.

5/12/22 "Sons Of The Desert" 1933
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Betty said honesty is the best politics"
This movie is hilarious. Now there are 1930s funny movies but this movie is a very modern funny movie. It's about Laurel and Hardy being a part of an organization that asks them to go to a convention in Chicago but their wives tell them no, so they go through with an elaborate plan to go without the wives knowing. I love how the wives are written, they aren't afraid to speak their minds and they clearly let their husbands know how dumb they are but in a very loving way. If you like comedy you need to see this film. Hilarious

7/24/25 "Hips, Hips, Hooray" 1934
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "That's not bad news." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I feel bad that Wheeler and Woolsey are a mostly forgotten comedy duo, because I think there's a lot here that they do well. We follow the two as they try to scam people with their flavored lipsticks. They both meet very lovely saleswomen who are having trouble selling their stock as well, so the two lie and say that they're millionaires and able to help. They manage to sneak into the office of a banker to keep the lie alive. It has a bit of that Marx Brothers zaniness, although it doesn't have the same level of wit. As a whole, while the plot was a little lacking, I feel like this duo should be better remembered.

10/6/23 "The Black Cat" 1934
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Did you ever see an animal skinned? That's what I'm going to do to you now - fare the skin from your body... slowly... bit by bit!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff in one picture? Yes, please! Unfortunately, the plot isn't very good, but those two actors are great! They actually give Boris Karloff lines and he excels at them. It's not that scary, but the actors do a great job. They even play Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for the first time in a film (it was used in Jekyll and Hyde in 1931, although not the famous part). Overall, though it had some good performances, the movie needs a better plot to truly be great.

9/5/25 "Manhattan Melodrama" 1934
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "If I can't live the way I want, then at least let me die the way I want." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Honestly, this was a pretty interesting drama from the thirties. The film follows two orphan friends who get separated after a boating accident, and the two go their own way. One of them (William Powell) became a district attorney, while the other (Clark Gable) owns an illegal casino. What brings these two together is the fact that they both fall in love with the same woman (Myrna Loy). This film is also interesting, because they play a prototype version of the song "Blue Moon" by Rodgers and Hart. I feel like they should've played "Manhattan" by the duo, but c'est la vie. This film had some really interesting lighting, which really heightened the emotions. This won Best Story at the Oscars, and I have to agree.

3/12/23 "Twentieth Century? 1934
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling!", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes sir!
Another Howard Hawks-directed comedy (His Girl Friday, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Bringing up Baby), and this one is fantastic. This whole movie is basically a competition between John Barrymore and Carole Lombard on who can outperform the other. They're both so hilarious in playing such egotistical people. This feels like a precursor to "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" because of how mean they are and how they're willing to screw each other over at any turn. The film is about John Barrymore, who's a Broadway director, who meets Carole Lombard, a bad actress when directing a play and he makes her a big star and a love interest for him. She leaves him both professionally and romantically, so he tries to get her back when he realizes they're both on the same train by accident. Everyone does such a great job with their characters, I loved each and every performance and was excited whenever a character showed up. One of the first screwball comedies and an incredible movie

4/22/23 "Punch Drunks" 1934
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I'll have four pieces of burnt toast and a rotten egg, I gotta tapeworm and it's good enough for him.", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
The second Three Stooges short ever made, and my first ever. I feel like this short is carried by Curly's physicality and overall commitment to a sort of silly story. The story is that Curly is a mild-mannered man until he hears Larry play "Pop Goes The Weasel" on the violin, which puts him in a fit of blind rage. Moe uses this to make Curly a star boxer. Curly's career is going great until he breaks Larry's violin halfway through a match, so Larry has to run throughout the city to find something to play "Pop Goes The Weasel". This was pretty funny, but not like over-the-moon funny. I can see why they're a big deal but this one was ok!

9/14/22 "The Thin Man" 1934
6/10 Stars, Favorite quote "Waiter, will you serve the nuts? I mean, will you serve the guests the nuts?"
This gets constantly listed as one of the best comedies ever made, but I just don't really see that. There were some good jokes but it feels like it's mostly a mystery film. I did like the main couple, I loved the chemistry between the two leads. What I love is how easily they could've just been one of those bad couples where they constantly fight and bicker. This couple however is very supportive and the jokes don't come from the very easy well of just hating each other. Rather a lot of the humor comes from how much they love each other and how odd of a job they have together being detectives.

12/20/25 "Bad Seed" 1934
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "This is not a saloon or a tennis court. It's serious business." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
For being Billy Wilder's first directed film, this is pretty well done. The shots are really well done, showing the beautiful European country side. The film follows a man who's rich parents stop giving him money, in hopes that he finds a job. Instead, he joins a gang of car robbers, where he meets a beautiful girl. The film is him and the girl running away from France to go to Casablanca. The writing is very clever and the characters are fun to follow.

8/10/22 "The Gay Divorcee" 1934
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You know, you're somewhat of an igneous intrusion yourself"
It's so funny how all of the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies are all so good. There hasn't been a single drop in quality for anyone. This was their first movie where they were the lead characters (their first movie together was Fly Me Down to Rio) and this has aged really well. What they did was cut a lot of songs from the Broadway play and only picked the best 5 which really helps this movie. This easily has the best writing and story of any of the films with some honestly great jokes. Great movie all around.

3/12/23 "It's A Gift" 1934
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I'll be sober tomorrow and you'll be crazy for the rest of your life." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No!
I was excited to see this one since I've never seen a W.C. Fields film. However, I don't really get why he was so popular watching it. I feel like his comedy style is too dull, he doesn't really offer something that the other comedians don't. There was one moment that was really funny. When a door-to-door salesman showed up and was annoying him, so he calmly walked inside and ran out with a butcher's knife. This film also advertises the heck out of "Baby Leroy" being in the film, even though he's a really small part and doesn't add anything to the film. I just found this film a tad weak

7/25/24 "The Whole Town's Talking" 1935
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I never had any use for that coked-up rat!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is an interesting intersection between two popular genres of the '30s, Noir and Screwball. We follow the minor-mannered Arthur Jones (Edward G. Robinson) who happens to look a lot like the murderer Mannion (also Edward G. Robinson). He's given a note that denotes that he's Jones and he starts writing a story on Mannion. The problem is, Mannion shows up in his apartment and requests the note so he can get out of jail. Arthur starts dating his long-time crush Miss Clark (Jean Arthur) and that only complicates things further. I didn't really laugh a lot during this, but the story was pretty good and there were some great acting moments. I can see why no one really talks about this one, but I thought it was pretty alright.

5/9/23 "Roberta" 1935
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You may call me Tanka" "Tanka?" "You're Welcome!" do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is the third pairing of Rogers and Astaire (the second with them as main characters). It's an odd film because there are two plots going on. There's one about a big band trying to make it with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and then there's one with Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott running a dress company. I like these two actors, but I'm not here for them. I'm here for Astaire and Rogers who are barely in this one. They only dance together twice! I feel like this film needed more musical numbers, it's barely a musical (which is sort of why people watch Rogers and Astaire movies)

6/4/25 "Triumph Of The Will" 1935
1/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Your state doesn’t order us, we order the state" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is an evil film. It's a documentary from Nazi Germany promoting Hitler and how he's going to be a great thing for Germany. The documentary is slow and is just focused on making Hitler seem like a good guy, which watching it today is impossible to do. This was made for one reason, so when it fails to do the thing it was made for, it makes a miserable watching-experience. The filmmaking is impressive, but devilishily so. The director knew what she was doing with every shot and every angle to make Hitler seem all powerful.

10/6/22 "The Bride Of Frankenstein" 1935
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "We belong dead!"
This is an odd film. I feel like this isn't a sequel to Frankenstein, instead, it feels like DLC (let me explain). If these two were smooshed into one film it would make both better. The blind man scene would've worked a lot better in the first movie, in fact, most of this should've been in the first movie. Many of the original film's themes are carried over to this film. The themes of playing god and Frankenstein's monster trying to find beauty and purpose. Overall, this was an alright sequel that's on the same level as Frankenstein

1/10/24 "The Informer" 1935
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "And now the British think I'm with the Irish, and the Irish think I'm with the British." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
So... unpopular opinion, but I feel like John Ford is better at directing classic literature than Westerns. This was a really compelling story that had a lot of great suspense throughout. It's about an Irish soldier who wants to go to America to work towards a better life with his girlfriend, but he doesn't have enough money to take the trip. That is until the British army is willing to pay someone a lot of money to expose his best friend, who's a threat to the British. He agrees and sells out his best friend for the money. The rest of the movie is his guilt as everyone in town is trying to find the Informer. It feels like a tamer version of M, both being directed very well. There are some really dynamic shots and interesting character moments throughout that keep this an underrated gem. It did win Best Director in 1935, but it isn't really talked about today

2/19/25 "The 39 Steps" 1935
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote : "There are 20 million women in this island and I've got to be chained to you." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is probably my favorite early Hitchcock film. We follow Richard Hannay (Robert Donat), a man vacationing in London, when he meets Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim), a spy who warns him about the dangerous spy regime called the "39 Step". Shortly after, he finds her in his apartment with a knife in her back, so he has to locate the 39 steps or he's going to be convicted for murder. It has some really great shots, as well as some great writing. I felt like they could've done a bit more with the premise, but it was still a really good Hitchcock film that definitely showed promise to his better films.

1/25/22 "Top Hat" 1935
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Heaven... I'm in heaven, And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak. And I seem to find the happiness I seek When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek"
This movie was very cute. It seems like if somebody wrote out the cliches of classic movie musicals, this will have most of them. I don't know why so many musicals involve some form of misunderstanding that breaks up the two main characters. Irving Berlin's music in this movie is wonderful and nothing short of timeless. The performances of Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger are great in this movie. I can see why they always pair these two together. They're both wonderful dancers, especially Fred Astaire. Fred Astaire is a great dancer, and singer, and is pretty funny throughout the movie. My one gripe with the film was the conflict being a misunderstanding because it's just so overused. I understand this was one of the first movies to use it, but it's still being used to this day and makes the plot kind of lazy. I'm so glad I saw this, I can see how this led to the modern movie musical.

2/1/25 "Broadway Melody of 1936" 1935
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Yes, but I still have a little pride left." "So's Gandhi, but he's getting awful thin." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's insane how much better this sequel is than the original. The original Broadway Melody (the "best picture winner") came out in 1929 and was incredibly flat and had no character to it. This one however has quite a bit, perhaps too much. The story is a little all over the place with all the characters, but fun overall. There's the Broadway producer, Robert Gordon (Robert Taylor) who's trying to put on a Broadway show, so he gets the money from a wealthy widow. This attracts the attention of a gossip journalist (Jack Benny) and his assistant (Sid Silver), who change their mainly wholesome gossip page to become about him. While the columnist and Gordan are feuding, an old friend of Gordon's comes to make it big on Broadway (Eleanor Powell), and runs into the tap dancing team of the Burke siblings (played by real siblings, Buddy Ebsen and Vilma Ebsen). The best part of the film is easily the Jack Benny content, he really plays that role well and adds a lot of comedy to the film. This film contains some pretty classic songs like "You Are My Lucky Star" and "Broadway Rhythm". This isn't the best musical, heck, this isn't even the best Broadway Melody film, but it's pretty alright!

1/16/25 "Peter Ibbetson" 1935
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You needn't be afraid, Peter. The strangest things are true and the truest things are strange." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's crazy how this film feels both ahead of its time and like a throwback at the same time. This film uses a lot of techniques from the silent era to enhance the story. They divide it into three different parts using title cards and use a lot of double-exposure. We follow two kids who met in Paris before one of them, Peter (Gary Cooper), had to move to London. Part two sees the two meet again after a few years, only to find that she is married to a duke. I'm not going to spoil what happens next, but the

1/22/22 "A Night At The Opera" 1935
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You can't fool me! There ain't no sanity clause!"
A Night at the Opera is another great Marx movie. The humor is still great, but this time it's 3 brothers instead of 4. Zeppo Marx left the group after Duck Soup since he was the "Unfunny" brother. But it's obvious this movie was written with Zeppo in mind since they're always with another side character who acts exactly like him. This movie is alright, duck soup is still better. But you should still check it out

11/17/22 "Mutiny on the Bounty" 1935
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I asked your name, not the history of your misfortunes."
This is another Best Picture winner, but one that deserves to win. It tells the story of the ship the bounty and how terribly the crew is treated by Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton), and how his shipmate Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) committed mutiny and kicked him out of the ship. These two actors are so incredibly great. Charles Laughton plays such an unlikable villain that you just want him out of there. The movie is also shot pretty well and has some actually funny moments. There are also some great dramatic moments where you can really see how the crew is tortured horribly (like the dead body that gets whipped at the beginning for crimes it did when it was alive). My one gripe with this film is how anti-climatic the mutiny was. Well, maybe the REAL mutiny on the bounty was the friends we made along the way!

1/3/25 "Captain Blood" 1935
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Break out those sails and watch them fill with the wind that's carrying us all to freedom!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's an odd experience watching this film after watching the superior "Adventures of Robin Hood". Both films follow Errol Flynn playing a Swashbuckler who strikes up the poor to fight the oppressive rich, falls in love with Olivia de Havilland, and has a sword fight with Basil Rathbone. Both movies are quite good, but it's hard to watch this one after the later one improves on this film. Errol Flynn is really great in this type of role and is believable as a charismatic leader. The action is really well directed and as a whole, the film is pretty good! I can see why it's still remembered years later.

1/29/25 "Dangerous" 1935
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I am now humiliated to the point where I must thank you!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a weak Bette Davis film. We follow an architect, Don (Franchot Tone) who finds the actress, Joyce (Bette Davis). People find her dangerous because she's a raging alcoholic, so Don takes her to his rehab to try to fix her, but she still seems to crush anything she touches. Things get complicated when Don starts to fall in love with her, despite him being married. It's odd that Davis won for this, it wasn't her best work.

12/10/25 "Sylvia Scarlett" 1935
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I say! I know what it is that gives me a queer feeling when I look at you." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a rough comedy to get through. We follow Sylvia Scarlett (Katharine Hepburn), who becomes Sylvester Scarlett in order to make it in society. The jokes aren't too great, except for the sly references to queer-coding, but other than that, this film is quite forgettable. Seems like a prototype for Some Like It Hot, which had better jokes as a whole.

7/1/25 "Reefer Madness" 1936
1/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Just a young boy... under the influence of the drug... he killed his entire family with an axe." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I thought this movie was going to be more funny-bad, but it was just bad-bad. This film is notorious as one of the earliest "so bad it's good" movies, but I feel like this is a weaker entry. This film is essentially anti-marijuana propaganda that lies about everything that marijuana does. A lot of the humor comes from people absolutely losing their minds after taking the drug and acting really hyper, despite weed being more of a depressant.

1/17/25 "Anything Goes" 1936
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "In olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking, but now, god knows! Anything Goes!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is what happens when you don't trust the source material. Anything Goes is one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time due in part to Cole Porter's genius score. This film takes only four songs from the original productions, those being Anything Goes, You're The Top, I Get A Kick Out Of You, and There Will Always Be A Lady. I love these songs, so I was so excited to see them only to see that they all have been neutered. Let's take the title song, "Anything Goes". The film opens with Ethel Merman belting the first verse out, which was a great start. I was so excited this song was performed in full in the film, only to find THEY NEVER SING THE WHOLE SONG. In the movie "Anything Goes" they only sing 15 seconds of the song. They didn't have room for it, but they had room for songs written for the movie, which aren't nearly as brilliant. Especially in the finale, where Ethel Merman and Bing Crosby make their best Chinese impression... yikes. They change all the lyrics to "You're The Top" for reasons I really don't get. It's not like the original lyrics were so offensive that the general public couldn't get it, so I really don't know why they changed it. The number is the best part of the film though, because it shows the great performance between Bing Crosby and Ethel Merman. They really have fun with the number. The humor in the film is alright, although it feels like a lot was taken from the Marx Brother's "Monkey Business". This had the makings of a great musical, but they second-guessed themselves and really made "a worthless check, a total wreck, a flop".

9/19/22 "Follow The Fleet" 1936
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I've been trying to get drunk and it turns out I've been drinking grape juice for the last hour"
This wasn't as good as other Rogers and Astaire projects. I just feel like the plot felt all over the place compared to the others. Also, their chemistry in this one was off. Normally they're supposed to be a little mean to each other but learn to like each other. In this one, they took the little mean and turned it up all the way, they are really mean to each other sabotaging each other's careers for no reason. There were some good songs in this (music by Irving Berlin) like "We Saw the Sea", "Let Yourself Go", and "Putting all my Eggs in One Basket". Everything else was pretty mid. Not their best.

5/17/25 "Things To Come" 1936
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "If we don't end war, war will end us." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I was kind of disappointed by this film, because it seemed like a cool concept, but as it went on, it seemed to get a little worse. It's a sci-fi movie that starts in modern day (the thirties) as we see a new history play out similar to ours. We follow how society handles different crises and see them become close to a utopia towards the end. The effects are pretty great for the time, but the story can fall a little flat, and the characters are stand-ins more than people. Overall, could've been better with a bit more of a human touch.

3/28/25 "The Story of Louis Pasteur" 1936
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Do not become angry at your opponents, for no scientific theory has ever been accepted without opposition." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's crazy how much critical attention William Dieterle got from essentially making the same movie twice. This film is just an earlier version of his later best picture winner "The Life of Emile Zola", both following a court case involving a controversial french figure (played by Paul Muni) as we see a biography of their life. While this is definitely the better movie, it's not by much. It doesn't present Louis Pasteur as a person, but more as an unstoppable force of good, which isn't great for a biopic. It felt more like a school project than an in-depth look at the story of Louis Pasteur.

1/30/23 "The Great Ziegfeld" 1936
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Yes, I'm trying to lose weight." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
More like the MEH Ziegfeld! This won best picture and is just a confused movie. It can't decide whether it wants to be a drama about the life of the legendary Ziegfeld (Of Ziegfeld's Follies) or just a showcase of how rich MGM was. This film was just shoving its wealth into your face with elaborate 15-minute-long musical numbers and it just gets too much. Sometimes I forgot I was watching a biography on Ziegfeld which is a shame because William Powell does an incredible job. He's funny in the role and is very natural. This movie didn't age too well though with several questionable sequences like a minstrel number and several odd encounters with little girls. But there is no way that this film is better than Modern Times which wasn't even nominated. Even Mr. Deed goes to Town deserved the win more than this. There's a reason no one really talks about it

4/22/23 "Disorder In The Court" 1936
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Do you swear..." "No, but I know all the words!", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Probably my favorite Stooges short. This involves the three stooges being the only witnesses to a murder so they have to go to court to give their testimonies. This has the most gradual increase of insanity, which is a great thing for a stooge short. Seeing the situation slowly get crazier and crazier until it ends on such a high note is a great achievement. This also combines physical humor with Witty humor really well. It feels like it's either one or the other, but this does a good job of combining the two. This would be the short I suggest you watch first.

5/22/24 "Show Boat" 1936
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'm tired of living and scared of dying." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Show Boat was a landmark in American musicals. It was the first one to ever have songs that directly correlate with the story instead of being little distractions. The original musical came out in 1927 and this film came out 9 years later in 1936. I was a little hesitant when watching it because a lot of the show handles racism and race relations, which for the 1920s could be pretty misguided. Actually watching it, however, I was shocked at how well they handled these issues. They talked about interracial couples and how messed up the laws are about it. I was shocked to hear them talk about this due to the Hays Code, but they apparently asked the office to get a workaround. I was also shocked to hear the villain of the movie use very offensive slurs because I thought they were banned by the Hays code. The difference is, we're supposed to look at the words he uses as vile and wrong. The songs are alright, but there's a clear winner. Paul Robeson is sitting by the dock, singing about "Old Man River" as we see visualizations of his troubles and how racism and slavery have ruined his life. We see the emotional switch when he sings the line "I'm tired of living and scared of dying". As he hits the last triumphant note, we just see a broken man on the verge of tears. Truly one of the most powerful performances put on the silver screen. There's a reason why he's the only person on the Criterion cover, he's the reason why you watch this film. Unfortunately not all of the numbers are to this caliber. Also, despite this film advocating for civil rights, it sure uses a lot of blackface, which goes against everything this film sets up. Besides that, I was pleasantly surprised with how this film aged somewhat well. Being a fan of musicals, I'm glad I saw it.

3/7/22 "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" 1936
6/10 Stars, Favorite quote "At least we've broken the ice"
This film started very strongly, it's about Mr. Deed, a simple countryman, receiving 20 million dollars. He moves to New York and becomes a really big deal. The film dipped in the middle as Mr. Deed became more and more annoying. I thought that it would just stay here, but then it got way better when a character called him out on everything he's done and he changes in the last 30 minutes of the movie. Mr. Deed is definitely a prototype of Mr. Smith (it was going to be Mr. Deed Goes to Washington, but they changed it to a new story, but a more interesting character (Mr. Smith is too pure, he's unrealistic). This seems like a very Frank Capra movie. It's all about America and the disparity between social classes. It also ends in a government hearing (like Mr. Smith and You Can't Take It With You). The courtroom scene was pretty good. Fun Fact, this was the first time the word "Doodle" was used in a modern way.

5/12/22 "Swing Time" 1936
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote, "You know, snow tastes just as bad as water."
POV You went into this movie completely blind and you're really liking it so far... then Fred Astaire puts on the black face paint. Yep... this movie has blackface. It makes me super sad since I love Fred Astaire. Other than that this is a very cute movie with some honestly incredible dancing and choreography. Some of the jokes made me chuckle and the two characters are pretty likable (besides the black-face)

4/29/23 "My Man Godfrey" 1936
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Stand still, Godfrey. It'll all be over in a minute.", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: no
This was basically White Lotus 1936. It's about a wealthy family picking up a homeless person named Godfrey (William Powell) to win a scavenger hunt to find a "forgotten man". Irene (Carole Lombard) starts to see that Godfrey is special and makes him their butler. The whole story works because Godfrey is the only normal one in the bunch. The wealthy family is insane and petty while Godfrey is always level-headed and polite. It's also funny seeing Irene fall in love with Godfrey despite him not caring. Though it drags in the middle, the beginning and end are great.

11/1/23 "Libeled Lady" 1936
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I thought that was rather clever of me." "Yes, I thought you thought so." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: NO
It was shocking how funny this movie was. I haven't really heard a lot about this movie. It's not discussed really among the screwball classics, but I really enjoyed this one. It has an all-star cast and a great plot. It's about a rich girl named Connie Allenbury (Myrna Loy) and her father (Walter Connolly) suing a newspaper company owned by Warren Hagerty (Spencer Tracy) on the grounds of libel. The article claims that she broke up a marriage because of an affair. Hagerty cancels his wedding to Gladys Benton (Jean Harlow) to handle this problem. This is where he sets things up with former ladies' man Bill Chandler (William Powell). They devise a plan to prove that Allenbury is an adulterer by having Chandler and Benton get married and then sending Chandler off to have a night with Allenbury. There are a lot of very witty jokes and William Powell is fantastic. To be fair, the odds were stacked in his favor, because he was working with his fiancee (Jean Harlow) and his on-screen wife (Myrna Loy), who were in "The Thin Man" movies. Spencer Tracy does a pretty alright job, but he isn't really given a lot to work with and often feels like he's in the wrong movie. The ending is sort of weird, but pretty funny within the context of the film. A really funny film with a lot of great performances.

7/25/24 "Theodora Goes Wild" 1936
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Be free, express yourselves! Take your life into your own hands and mold it. The world will try to rob you of your freedom, but fight for it!" Do they say the title of the movie: close, but no
I really enjoyed this screwball comedy. It has such an interesting plot where we follow a small town reacting to these new romantic novels by a woman named Caroline Adams, there's a committee of wholesome women who try to fight these books like the Sunday school teacher, Theodora Lynn (Irene Dunn). Little does the town know however, Caroline Adams is a pseudonym for Theodora, who's been secretly writing these books the whole time. It's a really funny premise that leads to a really entertaining film. When in New York, she meets her illustrator (Melvyn Douglas) who pressures her to reveal her secret. The relationship between the two is a very interesting one and makes the film really memorable. I would highly recommend this classic screwball.

11/22/25 "Born To Dance" 1936
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "That's just two inches shorter than a totem pole." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is such an underrated musical. James Stewart and Eleanor Powell have great chemistry, and although Stewart isn't known for his musical theater abilities, he holds his own. The film follows a sailor from the Navy who falls in love with a woman who wants to dance. The film has a wonderful score by Cole Porter, and he really pulls out the stops. This film is the debut of the songs "You'd Be So Easy To Love" and "I Got You Under My Skin", which are absolute classics. There's also a very underrated Porter track called "Rap Tap on Wood," which is really well done. As a whole, this film can be somewhat predictable, but it features good jokes and great musical numbers.

2/13/24 "Camille" 1936
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "It's my heart. It's not used to being happy." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This almost feels like a parody with how overly dramatic it is, it's not aided by Garbo. I think Garbo's an alright actress, but she tends to go a bit much in her dramatics. We follow Marguerite Gauthier (Greta Garbo) as she must choose between Baron de Varville (Henry Daniell), the man she's supposed to marry, and Armand (Robert Taylor), the poor man who loves her. It's a pretty predicable plot with an, admittedly, surprising ending.

7/29/25 "Three Smart Girls" 1936
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Muffins and milk! That's no food for fighters!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's insane how unenjoyable this movie was. It's a musical where three little girls stop their dad from getting remarried to a gold digger, but they didn't do a single thing right. The movie isn't funny enough to be a comedy, nor does it have enough good songs to be a good musical. I can't tell you a single song from this movie because of how forgettable it is. It's insane that this film was up for Best Picture.

3/1/24 "Pepe Le Moko" 1937
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Sir, I am an informer not a hypocrite." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is a pretty neat French film. It's about a criminal (Pepe Le Moko) hiding from the law in a Casbah in Algiers. The problem is, if he leaves, the police will catch him immediately. He plans on staying there forever, but he meets a woman who reminds him so much of Paris that he might want to sneak out. I love the sense of community built in the Casbah, seeing the whole community try to hide Pepe was a nice addition. The direction and acting were fantastic as well. It could get a little slow at points, but it was still a fun watch with some great shots.

2/13/25 "The Good Earth" 1937
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Hunger makes men mad." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Let's get this out of the way. The yellow-face is really bad in this film. I was nervous that this film would be more racists than it was, but it still isn't great representation. They don't speak in the accent, luckily, but the makeup and casting of white actors weren't the right choice at all. The story is a bit bland, being about an arranged marriage between a farmer (Paul Muni) and a slave (Luise Rainer) as we see them go through hardships. Rainer won best actress for this film, which is somewhat well deserved, it was kind of a sleeper year. There was a really well shot climax, but other than that, this was pretty forgettable

8/24/25 "Song At Midnight" 1937
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The fish can also make a wave." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's so interesting to see China's first horror movie. Song at Midnight is a loose retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, but taking place at a Chinese singing house instead. The practical effects and lighting really make this an interesting film; however, it is just the same story told again. The innovation from this film really shines through, but the story has just been done to death.

4/7/25 "Lost Horizon" 1937
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Here's my hope that we all find our Shangri-La." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This film offers a really interesting question but doesn't really do a lot with it. This was a Frank Capra movie, and you can really see that in the humanity of the characters. The film asks a question of escapism in a time of need. We follow British diplomat Robert Conway (Ronald Colman) and his team as he finds the "Shangri-La" community in the Himalayas after a crash landing. This community knows nothing about what's happening in the war that's brewing in Europe, they just live a secluded life of prosperity, which they offer to the team. It's a difficult choice for them to choose whether to stay or go back home. While this is an interesting premise, I feel like the film doesn't do too much with it.

4/29/23 "Way Out West" 1937
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Tell me, tell me about my dear, dear Daddy! Is it true that he's dead?" "Well, we hope he is, they buried him.", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Laurel and Hardy go west! They try to give a poor woman a deed for her father's mine but her uncle and aunt trick them into giving it to them. This is a very classic Laurel and Hardy adventure that contains some of their most iconic gags, including their dance number. Some of the gags seemed a little too cartoony which seemed out of place compared to their earlier, more grounded work. A pretty enjoyable movie that was also pretty short (only an hour and two minutes).

8/14/25 "A Star Is Born" 1937
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Wrong tense, your career has SLIPPED." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: no
It's a shame that this is the most forgotten "Star Is Born" film, because it's a really good entry. Before Lady Gaga, Barbara Streisand, and Judy Garland, we had Janet Gaynor, and she really helped form this character. She brings the right amount of optimism as well as drive to the character, so it feels rewarding when we see her do well. I love the scene where Vicki Lester is impersonating different stars of the time to try to get ahead. The film is also a pretty early Technicolor movie, and it still looks stunning today. Fredric March also brings a lot to his tortured character. I'm surprised with how much this film gets away with for the 30s, it's really interesting to see.

6/24/22 "Shall We Dance" 1937
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "What are the grounds for divorce in this state?" "Marriage."
This movie was just delightful. It's another Astaire/Rogers movie but with Gershwin songs. This was the introduction of many famous songs like "Slap that Bass", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", and "Shall We Dance". Fred and Ginger are great in this film, I really enjoyed their chemistry but Edward Everett Horton stole the show entirely. Every scene he was in was such a memorable scene, like the scene when he's given the news that people think Fred and Ginger are married and as the camera pans to Fred for three seconds, when we look back Edward Everett Horton is on the floor and passed out. I really respect how quickly he can go through with such a gag. I would highly suggest this film.

11/2/24 "Make Way For Tomorrow" 1937
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'd sooner have been your wife, Bark, than anyone else on Earth." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No

I was sort of expecting this to be better, especially when listed on the letterboxd top 250. Don't get me wrong, there's quite a lot to enjoy about this, I just didn't think it was as great as everyone says. We follow an old couple as their house gets foreclosed, so they have to live with their five kids. The problem is, they're starting to spend less and less together. The parents start to get in the way of the children, which causes a rift to form between the kids and the parents. It's definitely a sad film that's pretty well written, I just felt like it sort of dragged. The ending was really great, but the film wasn't as good as everyone said.

5/2/25 "Captains Courageous" 1937
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You sure is a tonic to yourself." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I'm honestly surprised how modern this film feels to this day. We follow a spoiled brat (Freddie Bartholomew) who fell off the side of a rich boat and was saved by a fishing ship. The child wants them to take him to shore, but they're on a fishing expedition and keep him on board. This film gave Spencer Tracy his first Oscar win, but I don't think he deserved it for this film. He has this weird accent that's hard to pin down, and it sounds more like he's creating an impression of Chico Marx. I personally think Lionel Barrymore did a better job in the film. It's nice seeing the arc of the little kid. A lot of people get annoyed with him, but I feel like that's part of the charm. You see this little brat learn responsibility, and we learn that maybe he's this way because he's never been challenged before.

12/8/23 "Grand Illusion" 1937
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "For me it's simple. A golf course is for golf. A tennis court is for tennis. A prison camp is for escaping." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I feel like this movie was pretty overrated. Everyone online loves this film, but I just don't see it. There were some really interesting themes, but they just didn't really develop most of them. It's about a group of soldiers during WWI escaping from a prison camp, but they are all of different social classes. I personally didn't find the film engaging and I felt like the characters sort of fell flat. The plot is pretty interesting, but as a whole, this isn't the movie for me.

6/27/22 "A Day At The Races" 1937
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Don't drink that poison! That's four dollars an ounce."
This was a long movie, in fact, the longest Marx Brothers film. Normally Marx Brothers films are 90 minutes or under, but this was nearly two hours. This movie had some scenes that had some of their best gags I feel while other scenes seemed to drag on and on. There were like 5 musical numbers that all went on for 5 minutes. There was one song I thought was sweet at first where Harpo was singing with some African American kids and having a fun time with them, this all changed when the police came in on the three Marx brothers and they had to disguise themselves... so they reached for the black face paint. It's weird doing this binge on these classic movies how often Black Face appeared. Other than that scene this movie is pretty harmless. I really enjoyed the third act and how chaotic everything was. It wasn't confusing chaotic, more fun and controlled chaotic. That's something I love about the Marx Brothers, they always know how to make chaotic scenes but still tell great jokes in them that are clear for the audience to understand. I would say this was a step up from "Night at the Opera" with its plot, but a step down from "Duck Soup" with it's weird pacing

11/16/23 "Easy Living" 1937
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You don't have to get mad just because you're so stupid." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a Preston Sturges-written comedy film that's only okay. It's about a rich husband getting mad at his wife for buying so many fur coats, so he throws one outside of the window. It lands on a middle-class girl who's riding a double-decker bus to work, she unintentionally becomes one of the most famous people in town. I thought, though the plot had a good premise, sometimes the jokes don't land. Not Sturges' best.

10/29/23 "Topper" 1937
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You're asking me to drive in a car that looks like a painted Jezebel. And drive it to a roadhouse? Why, it'd be like going to the opera in my nightgown!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I like what this film did for Cary Grant's career more than I like the film itself. It's about a wild couple going to several parties before dying in a car crash. The couple returns as ghosts and realizes they can't go to heaven until they help someone. They decide to help their old boss, Mr. Topper, an uptight banker who can't have fun. Cary Grant is spectacular in this, and strangely enough Mrs. Topper (played by the same actress who played Glinda in The Wizard of Oz) was another film highlight. They both had such great line deliveries. This was a huge success at the box office leading to more (and often better) roles for Cary Grant as a comedian. This film has a pretty alright plot, although I feel like they don't take full advantage of it. It's pretty limited, because of the effects of the 1930s, so all they can do is turn invisible. It's a nice start to Cary Grant's screwball career, but he does a lot better in other films.

11/16/22 "The Life Of Emile Zola" 1937
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I shall tell the truth. Because if I did not, my nights would be haunted by the specter of an innocent man expiating under the most frightful torture a crime he never committed."
Yet another Oscar-winning movie, and arguably one of the most forgotten, and it definitely feels like it should be. It started off very strong, they gave us great reasons to like Emile Zola, but I feel he doesn't do a lot here. This film has some awful pacing, it's not even 2 hours but it feels like 3. It just doesn't end. Side note, he does not look like he does in the poster, I don't know where they got that image but that's just not him. Emile Zola is a real person, a French author who wrote what he saw and didn't care about being censored, and yet he is one of the smallest roles in this film. The real-life Dreyfuss Affair was about a Jewish man being sentenced to life in jail for being accused of communicating secrets to the German army. Emile Zola tried to point out how wrong this was by releasing "J'Accuse!", an open letter about how he accuses the French government of being Anti-Semitic and not having enough evidence to prove he's guilty. The problem is they don't bring up the fact that Dreyfuss was Jewish at all. They didn't even bring up the anti-Semitic subject matter, the main reason why people still use it as an example of antisemitism. They were afraid this might sound like they were picking sides in the second world war. So in a movie about a man not being afraid to tell people how it is, they covered up the most important part of the Dreyfuss case after being of what the other countries would think of them. The Dreyfuss Affair happens for no reason in this movie. The Lost Horizon, The Awful Truth, and the very first "A Star Is Born" lost to this film and it doesn't deserve its spot. It's even in the national film registry for some reason. Sorry future generations.

12/21/25 "Broadway Melody of 1938" 1937
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You take that much off, and you'll be nothing but a blood vessel to keep your clothes warm." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This film is so all over the place. The major problem comes from how many characters they try to stuff in, but all of them just seem to take up screen time more than flesh out the story. This film is the third out of the four Broadway Melody films, taking a lot of elements from the previous two. For instance, this film basically brought back the entire cast of '36 (except for Jack Benny, which was definitely a blow against this film). This film is also important for giving us one of Judy Garland's first staple songs, where she sings "You Made Me Love You" to a picture of Clark Gable. She felt like a very late addition, but was a welcome one. I honestly could've used more of her, because the rest of the additions were just filler, it seems. The main love story was so sluggish and over the top that I just couldn't take it seriously. The main point is, this needed Jack Benny.

6/20/25 "Stage Door" 1937
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "We started off on the wrong foot. Let's stay that way." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This film has been on my watchlist for a fair while now, due to it's wonderful cast. Ginger Roger and Katharine Hepburn play semi-rivals who come form other sides of the show business world. Rogers plays Jean Maitland, a middle class aspiring dancer, who lives in a boarding house for actresses. Her world gets flipped upside down when the upper-class, snobbish Terry Randall (Hepburn) moves in. Randall wants to pursue acting, despite her father's wishes. The film has some hard hitters in the supporting actors as well. Jack Carson, Lucille Ball, and a 14-year old Ann Miller are in the cast. The screenplay could've dove deeper into these characters, but the movie was pretty good as a whole. Although, I much prefer "Dance, Girl, Dance" which has a somewhat similar premise.

9/13/22 "The Awful Truth" 1937
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I'm going out to get some popcorn and pink lemonade. I've just seen a three-ring circus."
This is a great screwball comedy. Directed by Leo McCarey (director of Duck Soup and Going My Way) this film follows a married couple who can't trust each other anymore so they get a divorce. The whole movie is about them trying to sabotage each other's love life by trying to embarrass them. This was a really fun movie with some great acting from everyone, especially Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. I've never seen a movie with Irene Dunne in it but she was so good in this one. She's really funny and quick with her jokes. Of course, I have to talk about Cary Grant who's a delight in this movie. He's one of the best actors from the 30s, I mean he has chemistry WITH A DOG. Sidebar, a lot of people would lump this in with romantic comedy but I feel like screwball comedy is a more accurate term. Romantic Comedy focuses on romance while Screwball comedy focuses on Comedy with a hint of romance. Screwball comedies have zanier characters that extend beyond just the main two, and that was my TED talk.

12/16/25 "Young and Innocent" 1937
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I feel like a shy bride." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is one of the weaker Hitchcock films. It follows his iconic "wrong man" plot, which he uses quite a bit, where there's an innocent man who is convicted of a crime that he didn't commit, and he has to prove his innocence. The characters fall extremely flat, especially when it comes to the romance they try to build. Also, Hitchcock hasn't quite mastered suspense yet, because this film kind of drags in a lot of different places. As a whole, this is just a stepping stone.

1/8/25 "A Damsel In Distress" 1937
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Do not finger art... Oh! Well, I don't blame Art. If I were Art, I would object too! Hehehe hahaha... I don't get it." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I'm surprised this movie doesn't get brought up when discussing Fred Astaire because it's quite a good one. I would even say it's on the same level as some of the Rogers and Astaire musicals. This film follows Lady Alyce Marshmorton (Joan Fontaine), who's going to get married soon. Everyone who lives in her castle makes bets on who the respectable gentleman is. A young boy makes a deal with the head of the raffle, where if he finds someone who's not royalty that she'll marry, he gets the whole pot. Little does everyone else know (except the boy) that she's had a romantic connection with a dancer (Fred Astaire). So the boy forges a note to give to the dancer to get him to London. He takes his publicist (George Burns) and his wife (Gracie Allen) with him so he can save this damsel. I feel like adding Burns and Allen to the adventure was such a smart choice, they're extremely funny in the role. This was my first time seeing Gracie Allen in a movie and she is extremely talented. Someone who sort of stuck out like a sore thumb, however, was Joan Fontaine, who's a great actress, but not in this movie. The scoring of the film was also top-notch with Gershwin bringing his A-game. This is the film that introduced "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and I was sort of expecting it to have a bigger presence, but it was still a pretty landmark moment. The ending was a little underdeveloped, but it was still a very fun time.

11/18/23 "Nothing Sacred" 1937
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I am sitting here, Mr. Cook, toying with the idea of removing your heart... and stuffing it like an olive!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This had so much promise but fumbled all throughout. It has a legendary cast of Carole Lombard (who's admittedly great in this film, but when is she not), Fredric March, and Walter Connolly. The story is about a reporter (March) taking a dying girl (Lombard) to New York before she dies, the only problem is that her sickness was only a false alarm, and she knows that she's not really dying. This sounds like a funny idea for a movie, but they just don't really do a lot with it and the jokes don't land. The main scene that people remember from this one is the fistfight that Lombard and March get into. Seeing them uppercut each other just felt distasteful. As a whole, this film has some depictions that don't age well, but Carole Lombard and Walter Connolly are the only two people who make it somewhat enjoyable.

1/17/22 "Bringing Up Baby" 1938
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I just went gay all of a sudden!"
I know many people say this movie is full of animal cruelty and Katharine Hepburn is infuriating. I'd like to say that there isn't that much animal cruelty. Just one scene, animal cruelty is still animal cruelty though. Also, Katherine Hepburn's character is meant to be that infuriating. It's hilarious her chemistry with Cary Grant and how Cary Grant just tries to make the best out of the odd situation he was put in. The Leopard was also great in this movie. He was perfect with his cues and was so well-trained. This movie is one of the best screwball comedies out there.

4/13/23 "Jezebel" 1938
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "What does it matter who he loves? It's his life that matters.", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This film feels like a Gone With the Wind knock-off. It has a weird history of being a knock-off and being the original at the same time. So basically this was a play in 1933, then the Gone With The Wind book came out, and after that, they started production on Gone With The Wind, the biggest movie in Hollywood. Everyone was trying to score the main role of Scarlett, including Bette Davis, when she didn't get the role they made this film to keep her happy. Bette Davis would've been an amazing Scarlett O'Hara and she's great in this film, the best part, but that doesn't really save the film. It just seems like a downgrade from Gone With The Wind. Don't get me wrong, both films have pretty racist depictions of slavery which haven't aged well whatsoever. Both idolize the confederate south and both treat the Civil War like it was the end of the world. The thing is though, Scarlet O'Hara was just a better character. Julie (Bette Davis' Character) is very much like Scarlet in the beginning but then all of a sudden in the end decides "Hey! What if I cared for other people!". Meanwhile, Scarlett is awful the entire runtime of Gone With The Wind and drives away everyone who ever loved her. Also, the colors and cinematography in Gone With The Wind make it a way better movie. I did enjoy the dance scene in this film, but that didn't save this from being sort of forgotten nowadays

4/13/25 "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" 1938
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Why do you think a woman puts a man into a straightjacket? Because she loves him!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This might be one of the most clear examples of a screwball comedy. It was directed by Ernst Lubitsch and written by Billy Wilder (the goat). We follow a multi-millionaire (Gary Cooper) who marries a poorer woman (Claudette Colbert). The thing that he didn't tell her though, is that he's been married 7 times before. She decides to change his bachelor ways by messing with him. Colbert is a ton of fun to watch and plays that Screwball leading lady so well. Gary Cooper also plays that bachelor role really well and it's such a thrill to see him get taken down a peg. This is yet another Billy Wilder win.

4/3/25 "Vivacious Lady" 1938
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "If she gets any closer to him, she'll be behind him." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I'm starting to think that the writers of those Fred Astaire movies didn't know how to write for Ginger Rogers because he's a firecracker in this movie. She's always been written as somewhat boring in those musical films, with most of the focus being on Fred Astaire, versus this film she's allowed to be as crazy as she wants, and gives a great performance. It's about a shy college professor (Jimmy Stewart) marrying a vivacious singer (Ginger Rogers) while on a trip to New York. The game of the film is how long the two can keep this a secret from his very dominating parents, (Charles Coburn and Beulah Bondi). This film is filled with very funny performers who play this screwball comedy perfectly. I loved the slapping scene, I thought that was really well done. Overall, it's a very goofy time.

8/26/23 "The Adventures of Robin Hood" 1938
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Fluently." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
One of the most iconic movies of all time, The Adventures of Robin Hood has aged really well. Errol Flynn is amazing in this and stands out for his wit and charm. It's really telling that in the 85 years since this movie came out, there hasn't been a Robin Hood movie done as well as this one (except possibly the Disney one). Some of this movie gets a little repetitive of Robin Hood meeting someone and then fighting them and then they join his merry men, but it's still pretty entertaining. They barely gave Robin Hood and Maid Marian any time together, which is a shame because the two have great chemistry. I also really enjoyed Claude Rain and Basil Rathbone's performances. They are both so petty and evil that they make fantastic villains. The colors are simply beautiful in this film. This was one of the first film made with technicolor, so the colors just pop out of the screen and look amazing. There's a reason why this film is still talked about to this day

3/14/23 "Holiday" 1938
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "When I find myself in a position like this, I ask myself, what would General Motors do? And then I do the opposite!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: big time!
I feel like George Cukor isn't that good of a comedy director. I mean, he's arguably a good director with films like "A Star Is Born" and "Gaslight" but those are dramas. This is directed as if it's a drama movie, but it just feels flat and dull. The shots are pretty slow and it's edited very straight. Compare this to another Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn film "Bringing Up Baby" by the great Howard Hawks. That film is edited and directed in favor of the jokes and reactions. Bringing Up Baby is a lot quicker and way funnier. It also used Grant and Hepburn a lot better than this film. Here they feel bored, except for one scene where they do a backflip together. I mean, you have two of the finest comedic actors and you give them a weak script with barely any jokes. Edward Everett Horton is here too, and he does a good job with what he's given but it still doesn't it make good. Fun fact, Edward Everett Horton was in the original version of the movie back in the 1930s.

8/6/25 "Four Daughters" 1938
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'm going down to the Hall of Records to strike my name off your birth certificates!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's so funny how John Garfield is such an obvious stand-out in this film, and yet he's barely in it. This was his debut, but you can see how his acting style is very ahead of its time. Besides Garfield, this film is very forgettable. We follow a family of very musically inclined people, including the couple's four daughters. Problems come from what type of music they follow. It's plain to see why this isn't as well remembered as other films of the era.

1/27/22 "You Can't Take It With You" 1938
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Maybe it'd stop you trying to be so desperate about making more money than you can ever use? You can't take it with you, Mr. Kirby. So what good is it? As near as I can see, the only thing you can take with you is the love of your friends."
Yikes. I really wanted to like this one. It's one of the only Oscar Winning movies to be a comedy. I really like Frank Capra Movies (Mr. Smith goes to Washington, It Happened One Night, It's a Wonderful Life), so I really thought I would like this. And it has JIMMY STEWART, one of my favorite actors in it. This movie was a little too wacky for me. It's the classic tale of two people who are engaged having their parents meet, but one of them is too normal while the other ones is quirky. Also, it's funny seeing the parallels between this and Capra's next project "It's a wonderful Life" both starring Lionel Barrymore and Jimmy Stewart. There's even a scene where various characters make hefty donations in both. Overall, not the best

8/3/25 "Pygmalion" 1938
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "If you can't appreciate what you've got, you'd better get what you can appreciate." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's interesting to see how much charm this movie has. This story would later be adapted into "My Fair Lady", but even without the songs, it's really well done. Leslie Howard might be a better Higgins than Rex Harrison. The film really fits this screwball-like atmosphere really well. This won the best adapted screenplay at the Oscars, and I think it deserved it.

12/27/24 "Carefree" 1938
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Tony's all right. Except that, he's a dirty, double-crossing scientist!"
This is a very weird entry in the Rogers/Astaire collaborations. This was after a bit of a hiatus between the two. Astaire made "Damsel In Distress" with George Burns and Gracie Allen, while Rogers was off making "Stage Door" and "Vivacious Lady". This film also has only four musical numbers, one of which is an instrumental so Fred Astaire can hit golf balls while dancing, and one being about yams. Yams. The entire number is about Yams. What? There are two good numbers in the movie which are "I Used To Be Colorblind" (which is shot in 1/4 time, giving it a very fluid slow-motion effect), and the other one is "Change Partners", which is the only song that caught on. This movie is more of a screwball comedy than a musical, but it's just okay. Fred Astaire plays a psychiatrist who helps his friend, Ralph Bellamy, figure out what's wrong with his fiancee, Ginger Rogers. She can't seem to make a decision on whether she wants to marry him. The problem is, that she starts to fall in love with Fred Astaire, so she pretends to be crazy so she can see him. The two are funny in this film, but you go into these films for the great musical numbers, and this just didn't fit.

12/28/24 "Boys Town" 1938
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "There is no such thing as a bad boy." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This film feels so modern, yet so classic. We follow Father Flanagan (Spencer Tracy), a man who builds a community for juvenile delinquents so he can teach them how to adapt to society. Everything's going well until he takes in the extremely troubled Whitey Marsh (Mickey Rooney), who proves to be a challenge. While Spencer Tracy did end up winning Best Actor, I feel like the true standout was Mickey Rooney. He brings such an energy to the screen that steals the show. There is a very unfortunate, but brief, blackface scene, but it lasts for 1-2 minutes. Other than that, this was a pretty enjoyable film.

3/13/23 "Room Service" 1938
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Jumping butterballs!", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yep!
This is going to sound odd, but it would've been better if the Marx Brothers weren't in it. The play "Room Service" was written without the Marx Brothers in it. It's a really clever idea for a play, but the Marx Brother are awkwardly shoved into this play. The Marx Brothers don't play their iconic characters, they play watered-down version of their personas since they had to fit the pre-established characters. I feel like there are some great gags in this one, it feels like it should've been played by a Cary Grant or John Barrymore or Clark Gable. Lucille Ball is in this film (this is where her friendship with Harpo started) and she barely gets used.

1/26/25 "The Lady Vanishes" 1938
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "My father always taught me, never desert a lady in trouble. He even carried that as far as marrying Mother." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was an early Hitchcock success. This film follows a young woman named Iris on a train who grows attached to a kind old lady named Miss Froy. Iris goes to sleep, and when she wakes up she can't find Miss Froy. She asks people about her on the train and everyone denies that she ever existed in the first place. For such a thrilling concept, it's interesting that it has such a comedic side to it. The comedy doesn't take away from the film, it actually makes it seem more realistic. The main two characters seem like such realistic people.

11/21/24 "Alexander Nevsky" 1938
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "On that Russia stands and forever will we stand!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I expected more from the director of this film. The director was Sergei Eisenstein, the Russian director who made "Battleship Potemkin" but this wasn't as good. Most of the film boils down to boring battle scenes where they just close up on some soldiers flinging around their swords. This was a very obvious attempt to create propaganda for Russia with the character Alexander Nevsky, who in the story is like a super-human soldier who can't get hurt. It's not that thrilling when a character is invincible. It was just a boring film that I didn't really enjoy. a

4/21/25 "Gunga Din" 1939
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You displease me greatly, and I ignore the both of you." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is a film that probably should've stayed in the thirties. There isn't anything really interesting about this film, it's surprisingly boring for what it's trying to do, which is shocking. We follow three British soldiers in the 19th century who find an underground cult. When rumors of treasure open up, Cutter (Cary Grant) decides to investigate, only to get captured by the cult. It hasn't aged well because anyone who isn't British is portrayed as evil and very stereotypical. This just isn't that entertaining of a film.

8/4/23 "Stagecoach" 1939
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Remind me never to do that ever again" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
This is the film that many people credit with saving the West, and it's a pretty solid one. They develop an interesting divide between social classes when 9 different people had to share one stagecoach from all different walks of life. The problem is they don't really do much with this. Also, this film is a Western, so there are some troubling depictions of Native Americans. There were some great shots by Ford and some great performances by the cast. This was also the breakout role of John Wayne for better or worse.

9/11/25 "Love Affair" 1939
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "It's a funny thing, but the things we like best are either illegal, immoral or fattening." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Leo McCarey really directs the heck out of this movie. While he would remake it to be the more famous "An Affair to Remember", this film still stands on its own. I love the way he shoots this movie, especially the shot when Irene Dunne opens the window to show the Empire State Building in the reflection. The movie follows a French playboy (Charles Boyer) and an American nightclub singer (Irene Dunne) who meet on a cruise and fall in love. They agreed to meet each other six months later, but the question is whether this will work out. This movie is definitely a melodrama, but it does it really well.

11/3/23 "Midnight" 1939
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I feel like Red Riding Hood. When I see your long grey whiskers, don't expect me to call you grandma" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
I feel like this is such an underrated Screwball comedy. It was written by the goat himself, Billy Wilder, and it shows. What's funny is you can see little glimpses of what Billy Wilder would become. You can find little traces of films like "Some Like It Hot", "The Apartment", and "One, Two, Three". It's about a showgirl (Claudette Colbert), who lost all her money in Monte Carlo, going to Paris to look for work. She takes a Taxi driven by a man who slowly falling in love with her (Don Ameche). Feeling uncomfortable, she runs away and accidentally finds herself in a high-class party where she pretends that she's a baroness. A rich man (John Barrymore) secretly pays for all of her lies in order for her to date his wife's secret lover to make her jealous. While all of this is going on, Don Ameche's character is rallying up all of the taxis in Paris to find her. It's a plot that really goes all over the place in the best way. It gets better and better as the lie becomes bigger and more complicated. I would highly suggest this to any comedy fan.

10/11/25 "Dark Victory" 1939
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Nothing can hurt us now. What we have can't be destroyed." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Close, but no
This was a pretty devastating film that has a very underrated Bette Davis performance. We follow a stubborn, upper-class woman (Bette Davis) who all of a sudden starts acting strangely. She gets it checked out with a doctor and finds out that she has a tumor in her head. The doctor operates on her, and after she falls in love with him. The only problem is, he doesn't have the heart to tell her that she's going to die in a few months. It's a really sad setup that gives Bette Davis a ton of great moments when she really acts her heart out. I'm sure she would've won the Oscar, too, if Gone With The Wind came out any other year.

9/29/25 "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" 1939
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I thought I heard you saying it was a pity I never had any children. But you're wrong. I have. Thousands of them and all boys." Do they say the title of the movie: Yes
I went into this movie with pretty low expectations, but it was honestly really touching. We follow the titular Mr. Chips (Robert Donat) as we see his whole career at a boarding school. At first, he's hated among his students, but he slowly learns how to win their hearts. It's a pretty standard story, but it has a lot of heart and is really endearing to see Mr. Chips slowly break away the ice. Robert Donat does a wonderful job as Mr. Chips, playing him at multiple ages; he won the Oscar for this role. Although I think Jimmy Stewart deserved it a little bit more for his role in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, this is still a very touching film with a great leading performance.

1/7/26 "Only Angels Have Wings" 1939
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Someday I'll get a straight answer from you, and I won't know what to do with it." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I didn't really know what to expect with this film, but I was really impressed by it. This film has really human characters that really feel fully realized. We follow an American showgirl (Jean Arthur) who goes to a South American trading port for her job. There, she meets a group of pilots who risk their lives to pass cargo along. The main guy there, who's played by Cary Grant, is such an interesting character because you can tell how much he's hiding below the surface. He tries to pretend like he doesn't care, but you can see he does. One of the most electric part of the movie, however, is an early screen apperance by Rita Hayworth. She really plays a great character that has such a presence. As a whole, this is a classic Howard Hawks film that has a really tight screenplay.

1/1/25 "The Rules Of The Games" 1939
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The awful thing about life is this: Everybody has their reasons." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I'm pretty disappointed that I didn't like this. This seems like it should be right up my alley, but I just couldn't get into to it as much as I would've wanted. We follow various couples all having different affairs with each other, but at a high class party all these secrets are dying get out. There's a fair bit of drama, but also some pretty comedic moments. I thought this would've been a bit better for everyone losing their mind over this film, but it was pretty alright. The best Renoir film I've seen.

8/2/24 "The Women" 1939
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "There's a name for you ladies, but it isn't used in high society... outside of a kennel. So long, ladies!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This film is kind of a mess. It's a true ensemble piece, so the story can be a little muddled, but so can the messaging. It's called "The Women" because the cast of 130 is comprised of all women. This is a pretty cool casting choice for the '30s, but all they talk about is men. There's also a really odd scene where this Black and White movie goes in color just for a fashion show. The main three do a great job though (especially Norma Shearer who's very underrated), but that doesn't save this overstuffed movie.

6/27/25 "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame" 1939
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Why was I not made of stone - like thee?" Does it say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is the third Hunchback iteration I've seen, and it's a pretty standard adaptation. The actors do a wonderful job playing the roles, but I never got how this is a horror movie. We focus on Quasimoto, but he isn't a horror villain; he's just disfigured. I feel like this being called a horror movie misses the point of the original novel, where the villain is so obviously Frodo.

1/9/25 "Babes In Arms" 1939
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Pat, sometimes do you ever feel older than your folks?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's hard to believe that this was the first musical pairing of Garland and Rooney, and it was so successful they decided to make more. This was a really bad movie in my humble opinion. The plot was literally just the old "let's make a show in our backyard" and that's the whole story. There's this film actress who wants to take Garland's role, and Rooney lets her because she'll draw people in, but Garland doesn't like this. It's hard to believe "Wizard Of Oz" was made the same year as this movie, because the musical plot is way more advanced than simply "let's do a show!" None of the songs add to the story, and the longest song is also extremely racist being all about minstrel shows. And yes, the whole cast is in blackface. I don't even have to explain how awful the whole sequence was. It lasted about 7 minutes. This movie was the debut of "Good Morning", but that's all it's known for to me. Just not a good film in any meaning of the word.

3/20/23 "At The Circus" 1939
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "There must be some way of getting that money without getting in trouble with the Hays Office." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: no
I would say this is an underrated Marx Brothers film. The main problem of this film is how the scenes just stop without really ending. Also, there are two songs performed in this film. One is iconic and really catchy (Lydia the Tattooed Lady) and the other is truly awful and is overly long (Two blind lovers). This film has some wonderful gags (The badges, the cigars, and the manic ending). The ending is Manic, but it ends poorly. If this film was five minutes longer and wrapped up the story more, that would've been a lot better. Not the worst, not the best

3/16/23 "Ninotchka" 1939
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "That is why I believe in the future of my country." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: yes
I was really excited to see this film because it seemed like a pairing made in heaven. It was directed by Ernst Lubitsch (director of Trouble In Paradise) and written by Billy Wilder (The Goat), but this film wasn't that good. It wasn't horrible! It had a few laughs from me, but it just felt a little boring in some areas and not really as funny as I would've liked it. Greta Garbo does a great job here because she doesn't take her so seriously. She's a lot more believable here than in "Grand Hotel". This was definitely a stepping stone for Billy Wilder to write and soon direct better films

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