1950s

6/4/24 "Gun Crazy" 1950
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "We go together, Annie. I don't know why. Maybe like guns and ammunition go together." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is just classic noir. I feel like if I ever were to teach a noir class, this would be one of the films. We follow a young boy named Bart Tare who grows up with a love for guns. He doesn't want to kill anyone, but he just wants to shoot inanimate objects for sport. One day, at the circus, he meets a gunslinger named Laurie. They hit it off immediately and she gets him a job at the circus. They start to fall in love, but the boss gets jealous and tells him off. He decides to scare him and fire a warning shot. After this, the couple lives a life of crime together as a sort of modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. It's crazy how ahead of its time this film was. There's a scene where they rob a bank while driving a car and I thought "Oh, it's probably a screen" and then they turn the camera and get out of the car, revealing that they've been shooting like that the whole time. It was mindblowing because I just assumed they could do that in the 50s. Dalton Trumbo wrote the script and it shows because it's really clever and well-written. As a whole, it's a really great noir film that led the way for the new wave movement in Europe and America

6/4/24 "Stage Fright" 1950
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You can stand just so much of detectives! After all, they are only policemen with smaller feet!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This isn't exactly a classic Hitchcock film. I dare you to go out in the open and find someone whose favorite Hitchcock film is "Stage Fright". It was a pretty alright mystery, it was about a man who everyone thought killed the ex-husband of stage actress Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich). He stays with his ex-girlfriend (Jane Wyman), a fellow actress, to prove that Charlotte did the crime. Marlene Dietrich and Hitchcock seem like a match made in heaven, but the story just wasn't that interesting for most of it. I really liked the beginning and the end, but the whole middle was just a slog to get through. This was his first film of the 50s, which was definitely his best time. In the next 10 years, he would release Strangers On a Train, Dial M For Murder, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, and North By Northwest. THis isn't his best, but not horrible.

4/16/25 "Orpheus" 1950
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "This mirror is just a mirror, and in it I see a very unhappy man". Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
There are some really amazing effects in this, but the story wasn't as good. This retells the story of Orpheus but in post-war France. Jean Cocteau, the director, clearly shows talent with his shots and lighting, but I just couldn't really get into this film as much. The characters felt a little flat and hard to get invested in. Hadestown, which tells the same story, spends time letting us into the world of the characters, while this doesn't really do so. There are some truly inspired choices (like using the bombed France as their location for hell) that obviously inspired many filmmakers, but I just couldn't get into it.

11/27/23 "The Asphalt Jungle" 1950
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Why don't you quit cryin' and get me some bourbon?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is one of the most by-the-number noir film I have seen. It's about a man getting released from prison only to get a gang together to rob 1 million dollars of jewels. Most of the movie is about what happens after the heist and how there are double-crossings, murders, deceit, and all sorts of bad events. I feel like the plot is pretty good, but I didn't really care for the characters at all. When you don't care about the characters, then there are no stakes. Also, Marilyn Monroe is in this for three minutes and yet she made the poster of the movie

10/30/23 "In A Lonely Place" 1950
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "There are lots of little plots and things I didn't even tell you about!" "Thank You." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No!
This might be the best Humphrey Bogart performance I've seen. He plays a violent Hollywood writer who's accused of murder. His neighbor, Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame) argues that he's innocent and they fall in love. The conflict comes from Laurel questioning whether or not he actually did the crime. This film is so well written and shot, it's definitely one of the best noir films of all time.

2/24/25 "Father of the Bride" 1950
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "From now on her love will be handed out like a farmer's wife tossing scraps to the family rooster." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I was always interested in seeing this film, because I've always heard about the Steve Martin, I never knew it was a remake. This original film, while not as good as the '90s one, is pretty good! Spencer Tracy gives a great performance, and his relationship with Elizabeth Taylor as his daughter is really well done, the two really feel like father and daughter. It's shot really well, I especially like the almost David Lynch nightmare sequence. The comedy in the movie is sort of hit and miss, but the film has heart. I just personally feel like the Steve Martin one is funnier and has more heart.

6/1/25 "Winchester '73" 1950
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "High Spade Frankie Wilson... with a hyphen. That's what I sit on when I get tired." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I just don't really get why this film gets revered as often as it does. It's basically just about a gun. Lin McAdam (Jimmy Stewart) wins a competition to get a gun, but it gets stolen, so the film is Jimmy Stewart trying to get it back. This was also a very early film for Rock Hudson, who I didn't recongnize because he was in full red-face as a Native American... yikes. As a whole, this falls into the worst cliches and stereotypes of the western genre.

6/5/24 "Night and the City" 1950
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The night is tonight, tomorrow night... or any night. The city is London." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Honestly, I could take or leave this noir film. It's about a con man pulling a play promoting a Greek boxer, but the next day that boxer's dead, and everyone in the underworld thinks he did it. So the film is about him trying to run away from the mob, which is an alright premise, but not amazing. I feel like I already forgot a lot of what happened, because it wasn't a particularly memorable film in the slightest.

6/6/24 "Panic In The Streets" 1950
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You know, my mother always told me if you looked deep enough in anybody... you'd always find some good, but I don't know." "With apologies to your mother, that's the second mistake she made." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is an Elia Kazan Noir film that takes a pretty interesting direction. It's about a mysterious man getting murdered and his autopsy revealed he had the pneumonic plague. That means the killer also had this disease and could cause a huge outbreak. So it's up to the doctor to find this man before he spreads the disease further. It's a really interesting concept, that unfortunately, they don't really do a lot with. It's directed really well by Kazan, but it's lacking a bit of oomph to really make it a top-tier Noir film.

9/14/25 "Three Little Words" 1950
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "This is my house, what am I storming out for?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a part of a lineage of MGM musical biopics about famous songwriters. While being better than Words and Music, it happens to fall into the same pitfalls. While the story is better than Words and Music, with how interesting Bert Kalamar (Fred Astaire) and Harry Ruby (Red Skelton) and how they didn't even want to be songwriters (Kalamar was a dancer who loved magic, and Ruby was a baseball player). I also liked how they portrayed their relationship. I personally think their songs aren't as great as their contemporaries. I mean, they're alright, but they aren't that great. The dance sequences are well done, and luckily, Red Skelton is pretty toned down, which aids his performance.

7/5/22 "Sunset Boulevard" 1950
10/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Mr. DeMille I'm ready for my close up"
This is a flawless film. The acting by Gloria Swanson is simply spectacular. You can tell how much she really feels like the character, Norma Desmond. They're both silent stars who are basically out of a job since the pictures decided to go to sound. I love the scene when she's playing cards with other stars who were affected by the films becoming "Talkies", but they actually brought silent actors to play themselves since they all have lost their careers as well. The bridge players are H. B. Warner, Anna Q. Nilsson, and Buster Keaton (my beloved). The way this movie is written is like poetry with its narrations. It's incredible to see Norma Desmond's descent into madness. This is one of those films you NEED to see.

6/8/24 "No Way Out" 1950
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Don't be a fool" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's crazy how much star power Sidney Poiter has in his very first movie. It's also crazy how political this film was. It's about two southern brothers getting hospitalized, but one of them dies in the process. One of the brothers blames the doctor (Sidney Poiter) just because he's black. The brother starts a racist revolt against the white community in the neighborhood while the doctor works with the widow of the dead brother. This film is shot and written very well. It's a very real depiction of racism and the racist way of thinking. Sidney Poiter is just perfect in the role. There's a reason why he would have such a huge career after this film. It's written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the man behind All About Eve and Cleopatra and it's one of his better movies.

2/14/23 "Summer Stock" 1950
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "When you work for Mother Earth, you get paid by Father Time" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Maybe it's because I've seen four Judy Garland films in a row, but this really didn't do too much for me. It has some really great music, but the plot and characters are nearly nonexistent. Eddie Bracken was in this film and he plays the nerdy type of character so well. He's one of the most underrated actors of the golden age of Hollywood. Also, Phil Silvers is in this and he's great as always. This has the iconic "Get Happy" which was a treat to see. The choreography is great but it feels pretty empty. There's some fun in this, but not enough to justify its existence.

7/27/25 "King Solomon's Mines" 1950
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "There are no souls in the jungle. Very little justice and no ethics. And in the end, you begin to accept it all." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a pretty boring adventure movie. I watched this purely because it was the last 1950 best picture nominee I needed to see, and out of the other four, this sticks out like a sore thumb as being the worst one of that year. It's about a man who helps a woman find her husband in 1900s Africa, on the way to this adventure, they get stopped by various African Tribes (which were portrayed exactly as well as you think) and a German rival explorer. This feels like a stepping stone for Indiana Jones, but without all the character. The characters in this movie sort of just fall flat and are uninteresting as a whole.

4/28/25 "Cyrano De Bergerac" 1950
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I've died twice." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I watched this purely because of the Best Actor win, and I got to say, I'm glad I saw this movie, because I thought it was quite good. They really handle to Cyrano De Bergerac story really well, and Jose Ferrer adds a lot to the character. Cyrano is a brilliant poet as well as a skilled swordsman. The only problem is his ginormous nose. Everyone makes fun of him for it, so it makes it quite hard for him to find love, especially with the girl he loves, Roxane. Roxane, unfortunately, has her eyes on the very handsome (but not too bright) Christian. Christian can't think of anything clever to say, so he asks Cyrano to write for him. While Jose Ferrer obviously does an amazing job and really elevates an already great screenplay, he really didn't deserve the award compared to William Holden's more realistic and human depiction of Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard.

5/24/24 "Harvey" 1950
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is a film I've always wanted to see and I was a little disappointed with it. It has such a good premise, but they don't really do much with it. It's about a man named Elwood (Jimmy Stewart) who has visions of a 6-foot-tall rabbit named Harvey who's his friend. The problem is, that it's starting to affect his family and ruin their social lives. Elwood is such a wholesome character, so he brings a lot of comedy to the film, it's just that after a while the jokes get stale. It's a sort of forgettable movie that has a few good jokes, but not that interesting.

7/1/24 "Born Yesterday" 1950
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Because when ya steal from the government, you're stealing from yourself, ya dumb ox." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I always had a chip on my shoulder for this film, purely because of the Best Actress award. I always thought it was unfair that they gave it to Judy Holliday over Gloria Swanson for Sunset Boulevard. After watching the film, however, I must say Holliday gives a great performance. Did Swanson deserve it way more? Of course, but she gives one heck of a performance. It's about a millionaire named Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford) taking his fiancee of 6 years to D.C. for business. The problem is, Billie Dawn, the fiancee (Judy Holliday) is an ex-showgirl and an airhead who could ruin things for Brock. He hires a journalist (William Holden) to try to smarten her up for looks. Things get interesting when Billie starts learning how corrupt her future husband is. She really gives a layered performance as Billie and leads this movie having very funny moments as well as some really great dramatic stings. As a whole, this film was a really layered film with some great laughs and moments throughtout.

12/30/25 "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman" 1950
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "To understand one human soul is like trying to empty the sea with a cup." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I don't think I've ever seen a film look like this. It uses such earthy colors, which really set it apart from other films at the time. We follow a woman named Pandora (Ava Gardner) who's really quite lonely, until she finds a ship captain who reveals himself to be the Flying Dutchman (James Mason), who can only find peace if he gets a woman who's willing to die for love. The film is a Technicolor beauty with really beautiful story.

12/14/23 "Diary Of A Country Priest" 1951
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Does it matter? All is grace" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's interesting seeing such a character-focused film in the 1950s, but it stinks that the character wasn't that interesting. It's about a sick priest trying to treat a town that's lost its faith in god. It's hard seeing him get worse and start to lose his faith. It seems interesting on paper, but in execution, it was quite poor. I wouldn't really suggest it besides the admittedly great cinematography.

12/15/25 "Royal Wedding" 1951
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I never had no mother. We was too poor." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was quite a fun Fred Astaire musical, but it falls into similar pitfalls as his other musicals. The musical numbers are wonderfully done and some of the most technically amazing in musical history. For instance, the iconic section where he dances on the walls and ceiling. The problem comes from the lackluster plot and writing. It was enjoyable to see a semi-autobiographical story about a brother/sister dance pair (Fred and his sister were originally a duo). Also, a movie with Keenan Wynn is a wynn in my books (sorry about that pun).

8/30/23 "A Place In The Sun" 1951
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Men are so disgustingly prompt. I think they do it just to put us women in a bad light." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This feels like a better "Sunrise". George Stevens uses a lot of the same directing style as F. W. Murnau in this film with overlaying images (he also pulls an Orson Welles by using a lot of Deep Focus where nothing is blurred). The stories are very similar, but this feels a lot more mature and realistic. The film follows George Eastman (Montgomery Clift), a working-class bellboy from Chicago who moves to work at his rich uncle's factory. While meeting with him, he first sees Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor) whom he falls for at first glance. He knows that it won't work out though because of their class divide, so instead he dates Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters), a fellow worker at the factory. Everything's going well until George starts climbing the social latter and starts to get closer to Angela. I won't spoil it, but the film only gets more interesting from here. There are some fantastic performances (especially Clift) and great shots from Stevens. I can totally see how Stevens won best director for this film

4/2/24 "House On Telegraph Hill" 1951
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The trouble with you is you really don't know how to relax." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I thought this was going to be a very different movie. Looking at the poster, one would think this would be like a horror film, but it really isn't. It's about a woman who takes the identity of her friend after she dies in the Nazi camp that she was at so she can travel to the US. When there, she learns that she has a big inheritance attached to her friend's name (now her name). She gets involved with a man and decides to marry him, but she starts suspecting that he's going to kill her. It's a good premise that they don't do a lot with. It's a pretty slow film with no Hitchcock heartbeat, so it stays at that pace the whole film. Also, it's odd that they brought up such a horrible time in history like the holocaust only to never touch on it again. It feels a little insensitive.

7/23/22 "Ace In The Hole" 1951
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Good news is no news"
Now this is classic Wilder. It's all about Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) a corrupt newspaper writer who wants a good story after being fired from almost every newspaper in the country. While on the trail to go to a boring news story, he learns that there's a man stuck in a cave. This whole film comments on how much society loves disasters because everyone starts benefiting from this man's misfortune. The newspapers are selling like crazy, carnivals start popping up around the cave, and the man's wife got richer because of how many people are giving her money. The big problem is how Chuck Tatum stalls getting the man out because of how much money it's making. It has such a great message and really makes an engaging movie

10/24/24 "The Lavender Hill Mob" 1951
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these - it might have been." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a pretty fun and silly British comedy film. We follow a meek bank clerk (Alec Guinness) who works with transporting the gold bars. He's always thought of stealing the gold, but he never knew how until he meets his eccentric neighbor (Stanley Halloway) who sells souvenirs in Paris. So they hatch a plan to smuggle the gold out of the country. The two give really good performances with a lot of subtle comedy. I feel like the film can be a little slow at times and could've been funnier in certain areas. As a whole, it was a pretty charming film that made me chuckle.

7/30/25 "On Moonlight Bay" 1951
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I wonder how much manslaughter is in this state?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a pretty cheerful musical that had some great performances throughout. Some of this musical, however, felt like a retread of "Meet Me In Saint Louis", mostly due to the time period. Taking place in 1917, we follow a tomboy (Doris Day) who has to hide that side of her with a local boy that she loves (Gordon MacRae). The boy, however, turns out to have very unconventional ideas about life, including the dismissal of marriage and money, which rubs her dad (played by the same dad from "St. Louis", Leon Ames) the wrong way, being a bank vice president. There are some really funny moments in the movie. Mary Wickes is consistently funny throughout, and the "love ya honey" duet between Doris Day and Jack Smith is a great sequence. I can see why this musical often gets forgotten, though. While good, it doesn't really soar.

4/4/22 "An American In Paris" 1951
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Paris? No. Not this city. It's too real and too beautiful to ever let you forget anything. It reaches in and opens you wide and - you stay that way."
It's so funny how one scene can change an entire movie. When I was watching it, I thought this would be a 7 or a 6 because it was a pretty standard musical. This is a Gershwin musical, meaning that it reuses Gershwin's songs. "S'Wonderful", "I've got rhythm", and "Nice Work if you can get it" are all in this movie and are Gershwin's staples. Gene Kelly does a good job in this movie as Jerry Mulligan, but I feel like he was way better in Singin' in the Rain. I don't know, but I feel like he was written in a less charming way than in Singin' in the Rain, but I mean... he's still Gene Kelly. The plot of this musical is also a very standard musical plot where two lovers participate in forbidden love since Leslie Caron's character is dating someone already and plans to marry him (Jerry's friend) and Jerry is getting funded by his wealthy girlfriend who he doesn't love. Jerry is a painter in this movie who has no money, so it makes sense that he would try to get some from his rich girlfriend. With the way I'm describing it, you can see how I thought this would be a 6 or a 7, but it all changes with "An American in Paris Ballet". Gershwin wrote a ballet piece that inspired this movie, and it is beautiful. The 17-minute sequence really just shows Jerry's love for Paris and everything that surrounds it. The sets are made in such a way that it looks like one of Jerry's paintings and he keeps meeting up with Leslie Caron's character. He even enters a Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition where he steps into several of his paintings. It was such a treat to see him dancing through paintings like "At the Moulin Rouge" where they do the makeup like brush strokes. The whole thing is shot so well that it really tracks the action. Overall this is a very beautiful movie that deserved the Oscar win for best picture.

12/30/22 "A Streetcar Named Desire" 1951
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I've always depended on the kindness of strangers"
I was not expecting this movie to be this amazing. All of the characters are written so well and portrayed so well by their actors. Marlon Brando played the role of Stanley in the original Broadway play, so bringing him onto the silver screen was a perfect choice. I would say this is his best role. Stanley is such a cruel and aggressive character that it's scary how realistic he is. There are Stanleys out there in the world. This should've won the Oscar (it got beat out by An American In Paris).

2/26/22 "The African Queen" 1951
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I should hang you twice"
This is a fun film. It's an action/adventure/romance movie about Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn trying to blow up a Nazi ship. Their chemistry in this movie is great, also the writing is very solid. The technicolor in this movie has that classic Hollywood palette. My problem is, some scenes seem unnecessary and don't pay off later. Overall, it's a very enjoyable watch with great romance

8/2/22 "The Greatest Show On Earth" 1952
1/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "It's Mickey Mouse! HI MICKEY MOUSE HEHEHE"
Wow, this was awful. This best picture win was produced by the famous Cecil DeMille (as in "Mr. DeMille I'm ready for my close up"). I'm going to give this a little bit of background. In the 50s' it became really popular to make more expensive movies (in the vein of "Gone With The Wind"). This was possible because of the wonderful economy and the larger-than-life studios. These films are long, almost three hours long along with being full of extras, color (which was an expensive choice back then), and expensive sequences like dance numbers, battle sequences, and so on and so forth. These movies were made to make two groups seem inferior. One, other movie studios, nothing shows more power to other studios than making a huge movie that'll make lots of money. Two, television, we're in the fifties folks, meaning that television was jeopardizing the film industry so they kept making films bigger and bigger (like our current streaming war and constant superhero/action movies). This film is everything wrong with this formula. The story is all about a circus, but it doesn't actually comment on the cruelty of the circus, it's just Mr. DeMille showing us how much he loves the circus with nothing to comment on it. This film is a lot like a circus act ironically because they throw all of these stories at once to try to distract us from how shallow the acts are, this movie is so long and overblown that it tries to distract us from the lack of substance. Jimmy Stewart plays a clown in this one. I feel like that's important to say. This film has aged like fine milk, with random jokes about blackface, a pretty sexist plot, mistreatment of circus acts, possible animal cruelty, Charleton Heston's existence, etc. the whole movie is just nothing but random circus acts and haphazard attempts at plot. Worst Oscar-winning movie I've seen. You can pick any circus movie and it'll be better. Chaplin's Circus, Big Top Pee Wee, heck even Madagascar 3 is better than this sorry attempt at a narrative film. High Noon should've won. For that matter, Singin' in the Rain which WASN'T EVEN NOMINATED FOR BEST PICTURE should've won.

8/28/22 "The Life Of Oharu" 1952
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Lady Oharu, a human being - no, woman - can only be happy if she marries for love. Rank and money don't mean happiness."
This was kind of hard to follow. The plot goes in all sorts of directions I feel. It's about a woman named Oharu who's kicked out of her village after having sex with an unmarried man and we just follow her as she goes from home to home. This one just dragged on I feel, I thought this was going to end several times but it just keeps on going. It has some fascinating ideas but overall could've been streamlined.

4/5/24 "Forbidden Games" 1952
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Michel!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: NO
This is such an incredible French film. It's about a 5-year-old girl who loses her family and dog in a Nazi air raid and tries to find a new home. She finds a little boy named Michel and he takes her into his house. It's an interesting perspective because it's the two of them trying to reason with the insanity of war. Since they're so young, they question why people even fight in war. The ending of this film is very sad as well. This won best foreign film at the Oscars and it's completely deserved.

1/12/24 "The Quiet Man" 1952
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "When I drink whiskey, I drink whiskey; and when I drink water, I drink water." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
John Ford is truly a hit-or-miss director. He has created some really great films like "Grapes of Wrath", "The Informer", and "Stagecoach", but he's also made some serious stinkers, and this is one of them. This film is about an ex-boxer (John Wayne) who comes back to his home in Ireland to find the beautiful Mary Kate. There isn't much to this film. There are two constants that you'd find in any scene. They try to make John Wayne's character extremely cool, but once you see through that it gets exhausting. Also, there are a lot of Irish stereotypes around. None of the Irish characters feel like characters. They have one trait and then the writer was like "Good enough!" There's also a fight at the end of the movie that's supposed to be the big climactic battle, but it's played for laughs for some reason. This won Best Director at the Oscars, but I didn't find the direction to be too remarkable. It's not as bad as "The Greatest Show on Earth", but "High Noon definitely should've won

8/18/25 "Ivanhoe" 1952
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "A gentleman at last, and my first task is to steal a horse!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was such a slog to get through. It feels like this film was made for the size and scale of the production more than for the film being good. The production design is really well done, and so are the costumes, but I just couldn't get behind anything else. It's insane to me that this was nominated for best picture, but not "Singin' In The Rain", which is a vastly superior film. We follow a man named Ivanhoe who joins a fight against Prince John. This story is chalked up to being a boring version of Robin Hood that doesn't have the same splendor or interest. As a whole, I understand why this film doesn't have the biggest fan base.

3/6/24 "Fear And Desire" 1952
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Well, we have nothing to lose but our futures." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a pretty good debut film, but a pretty horrible film-film. This is the film debut of Stanley Kubrick and he absolutely hated this film. It follows four men after crashing a plane in war behind enemy lines. One of the people there falls in love with a girl who's tied up, the only problem is she can't understand him due to the language barrier. Honestly, this wasn't great in any meaning of the word. You can see the promise in this film, but as a whole, it isn't something you should seek out unless you're trying to see all the Kubrick films.

1/8/25 "The Big Sky" 1952
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Don't bother to aim because you probably couldn't hit nothing no how." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I would consider this film, as a whole, a misfire. While beautifully shot, this film doesn't age well considering it's depiction of native Americans. This is a problem with the greater western genre, but this film still falls down similar trappings. While this potrayal is a bit more humanizing than other roles, this still falls down the similar cliches and stereotypes. We follow two mountainteers (Kirk Douglas and Dewey Martin) who join a trade deal with the blackfoot native Americans in St. Louis up the Mississippi river. I just found the film slow and dull with very little of Howard Hawk's classic wit and charm.

9/7/25 "Monkey Business" 1952
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Not yet, Cary." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This comedy made me feel more uncomfortable than it made me laugh. We follow a middle-aged Cary Grant making a youth serum that makes the user feel younger. It starts all right with him and his wife (Ginger Rogers) feeling like they're in their 20s, but it gets really awkward when they overdose and start acting like kids. I feel like it was handled better in a previous Ginger Rogers movie, "Major and the Minor," where she had to PRETEND to be a child, versus here her character is supposed to BE a child, it gets a little cringe. It's also silly to me how underutilized Marilyn Monroe is in this movie. Her talents were really unused. Overall, this fell short of my expectations.

6/8/25 "Ikiru" 1952
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I can't afford to hate people. I don't have that kind of time." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This often gets listed as one of the best films of all time, and I can definitely see the appeal. The story is very existential, being about a man who gets diagnosed with cancer, so he has to find meaning in his life. Where he turns to is making a park for the little kids. In his deepest depressions, he tries to bring joy to others. It's a wonderful film that touches upon what it means "to live" (which is the title of the movie in english). The swing scene is very iconic and for good reason.

7/28/22 "Limelight" 1952
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "That's all any of us are: amateurs. We don't live long enough to be anything else."
I feel like my expectations were far too high. I loved Chaplin so I was expecting to love this film. I was pretty excited about the drama in this film since I know that Chaplin can make great drama along with comedy. I mean "The Kid" (his first picture) starts with the phrase "a picture with a smile and perhaps a tear" which perfectly describes why he was the best out of the three geniuses of the classic era (Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd). Every film he would make would have a perfect blend of comedy and drama that made his pictures unique. You get the slapstick, visual gags, and physical humor, but you also get dramatic themes of abandonment, class disparity, and existentialism. Limelight is like your average Chaplin film but not funny. This movie doesn't try to be funny... at some points while in others it desperately tries to be. The movie is about a fading vaudeville star who used to play a tramp character ("Hey, I've seen this one!"- Marty McFly), the problem is when they try to cut back to sections of Chaplin being funny, he just isn't. It's weird because he's one of the funniest comedians but he was just so flat in this film. It's not because it's a talkie, because he was phenomenal in "The Great Dictator". It's funny because the funniest part in the whole movie was when he was performing a silent act with his partner who turns out to be Buster Keaton making this the first time these two legends ever shared the screen together which I have to give props to in this movie. They work surprisingly well together which makes me wish that a Keaton/Chaplin film existed in the '30s. The heart of Chaplin with the stunts of Keaton would be incredible. Back on topic, I would've liked this film a lot more if it focused on the fading aspect and did not force a love story. Another theme in Chaplin's films is romance, but it's mostly underaged. That's the problem with being a Chaplin fan, realizing that Chaplin and the Tramp are two very different people, one of them being pretty problematic. With an age gap of 42 years between the 63-year-old Chaplin and the 21-year-old Claire Bloom, it's hard to see any chemistry between the two of them. If Chaplin had a kid when he was 21 and that kid had one when they were 21 that would be how old Claire Bloom is. It's a problem when the love interest could be the same age as their parent, let alone GRANDparent. Not the best Chaplin film

12/18/23 "The Bad and The Beautiful" 1952
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I've told you a hundred times. I don't want to win awards. Give me pictures that end with a kiss and black ink on the books." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a pretty smart movie. It's about three people recounting their time with the movie producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) and how he has wronged each of them. We see his rise to power as he steps off the backs of those he uses. It's such a smart way to start a film and really intrigues the audience. Kirk Douglas does a fantastic job in this role and really sells it. It's a really underrated film in my opinion.

3/25/25 "Angel Face" 1952
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "That's not only dangerous, it's stupid." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I don't know, I just couldn't really get into this film. On paper, it seems like a film I should really enjoy, but it just sort of fell flat for me. The plot was a little predictable with it being about an ambulance driver (Robert Mitchum) falling in love with a girl (Jean Simmons) after the death of her step-mother, but the driver starts to suspect that she had a hand in her step-mother's death. This sort of feels like a Hitchcock script that he kept in drafts. It was pretty slow, and though there were some good performances, that couldn't save the film as a whole.

7/3/25 "The Naked Spur" 1953
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Choosin' a way to die? What's the difference? Choosin' a way to live - that's the hard part." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a pretty dull Western. It has a small cast, which could lead to some interesting character dynamics, but it unfortunately just doesn't. Jimmy Stewart gives probably his most unhinged performance in this film, but that doesn't save how this film slogs along.

8/7/24 "Niagara" 1953
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'm one of those logs that just hang around in the calm." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Erm... yeah
This is a fairly interesting Noir film. It's shot in this beautiful technicolor, which wasn't really common for many Noir films. We follow a couple going to Niagara Falls for a honeymoon, they meet their neighbors at the hotel, a dysfunctional couple (Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten). The wife gets close to Cotten as she suspects something suspicious is happening with the Marilyn Monroe character. There's quite a lot of action that I wouldn't want to spoil, but this is a really interesting film with some great performances. It drags in some points, but it's a pretty solid film!

4/2/25 "I Confess" 1953
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I have abused your kindness." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This further proves that Hitchcock was an absolute beast in the 50s, that was his best era by far. This is a sleeper hit, I would say, it rides on a really interesting concept. We follow a priest (Montgomery Clift) who hears a man confess to murder in a confessional. Things get tricky when he gets accused of the same murder, but due to the oath of the confessional, he can't say that he committed the crime. This leads to a very interesting moral question of whether or not he should tell to clear his name. The film gets weighed down by a pretty mid-love story, but it's still a pretty interesting film during an era where seemingly Hitchcock couldn't fail.

6/27/23 "Monsieur Hulot's Holiday" 1953
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Don't look for a plot, for a holiday is meant purely for fun, and if you look for it, you will find more fun in ordinary life than in fiction." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Just like the quote said, this had no plot, but that isn't such a bad thing. This film has such an interesting vibe being a combination of very soothing while sometimes it's very manic. I would say Monsieur Hulot is definitely a lot like Chaplin or Keaton, but a lot more relaxed. This film doesn't really deliver a lot of laughs though, but there were definitely some good moments, like Hulot's tennis career and the firework scene. I would say this film is to his filmography like "The Circus" is to Chaplin, a pretty alright start that you can clearly see he'll refine his formula and make some truly incredible films

3/28/24 "Ugetsu" 1953
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Success always comes at a price, and we pay in suffering." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a pretty good mix of drama and J-horror. It's about two Japanese peasants selling their earthenware pots to soldiers, despite the warning of a sage. They use the money to follow their desires but at the risk of losing themselves. It had a pretty interesting premise, the pacing is really slow, but as a whole, it was pretty good! I really liked the dialogue, but the character doesn't really feel fully formed. As a whole, it's not the best film but it's a pretty solid one!

12/28/24 "Titanic" 1953
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Why do the British find it necessary to announce dinner as if it were a cavalry charge?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Out of the three separate Titanic films I have seen. This is easily the worst one. It's not bad, but it's just not that memorable. I stated in my review of "A Night to Remember" how the aforementioned movie was best at displaying the realism of the Titanic, while the 1997 film was better at the story and emotions. This awkwardly slides between the two. The characters aren't too great, but they're the main focus of the movie. It touches upon themes similar to those in the 1997 movie, but not as well. It's a little all over the place, and as a whole, I feel like "The Bandwagon" should've won Best Original Screenplay.

6/16/23 "Shane" 1953
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "SHANE! I'm sorry." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Oh Yeah!
This Western gives a different take on the conventional genre norms. I like how it's more focused on a family in the West whose life gets interrupted by Shane, a mysterious gunslinger who shows up out of the blue. The story is pretty engaging and it's shot really well. The kid is a surprisingly good actor and the ending made me nearly cry. Jack Palance is in this from City Slickers and he does a good job as well. This is a Western I can give my seal of approval to.

7/25/25 "Julius Caesar" 1953
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Et tu, Brute" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I feel so bad that performances this good can't save a film so dull. I've never seen a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, but it's definitely one of his duller works, I'm afraid. It's such a shame, because the pairing of Marlon Brando as Mark Anthony and James Mason as Brutus leads to a lot of on-screen chemistry, but I just found the film to be dull.

6/5/23 "Stalag 17" 1953
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "There are two people in this barracks who know I didn't do it. Me and the guy that did do it." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
Another Billy Wilder win. This is such an interesting war film since it really doesn't feel like a war movie. The film is about American soldiers being held in a German prison during WW2 and planning to escape. When they do, two of their men die because the German soldiers just happened to know when and where they escaped. There's a mole in the stalag and they have to find out who it is. What's so great about the movie is how the mole isn't obvious, but it isn't out of the question as well. The film also has a nice balance between comedy and drama, since it takes a different perspective on war. A lot of these films would focus on men just trying to get out of prison. This one shows how they want to leave, but they also show how they're making the best of their situation. They have dances and a real sense of comradery between all of them, which makes it hard to see how one of them is working with the other side. William Holden got an Oscar for his performance in this movie, though not his best performance (that goes to Sunset Boulevard) this is still a great performance of his. The script is incredible, of course, I mean it's Billy Wilder. An underrated Wilder film that's really compelling

7/30/22 "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" 1953
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Don't you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn't marry a girl just because she's pretty, but my goodness, doesn't it help?"
I wasn't expecting this movie to be this good. I absolutely loved the chemistry between all the characters, you really can tell how much all of them liked each other behind the scenes. I also enjoyed the message of the film. In the film, they always paint men as being shallow, but in this movie, they show that both sides can be shallow. I also love how the women are written in this movie. This was a Howard Hawks film so this movie has a lot of Hawksian women which I'm all for. He writes women like he would write male characters which is really refreshing. I also enjoy the musical numbers, this was based on a musical on Broadway and they cut many of the songs, but I feel like they did that intentionally. There wasn't one bad song (especially not "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" which was the highlighted number). This film has barely any musical numbers, so it appeals to both Musical lovers and haters.

7/21/22 "The Band Wagon" 1953
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "More scared than a turkey in November"
Okay... this is probably my favorite Fred Astaire movie. I'm not sure if it's an unpopular opinion, but I feel like his later years were when he made some of his best work (Funny Face and this movie) versus the earlier years (Top Hat and Swing Time). This movie is all about a washed-up movie star who tries to make it big on Broadway... it's basically "Birdman the Musical". The problem comes when the director they get takes their fun and goofy story and tries to make it this grand, deep story about Faust. I love the message of this movie where they say that dramatic plays are great but sometimes people need to see a comedy once in a while. It's "Make 'em Laugh the Movie", that's the last one I swear. The songs in the movie are terrific (except for the triplets one, which was awful). My favorite number was the "Girl Hunt Ballet" since it made fun of those Pulp Fiction Noir comic books. The ending was delightful since this was one of his last musicals. Seeing the happiness on his face when he thought no one was going to be there was so good. I never felt like this movie dragged. Many movies feel like time goes by slower than usual while in this one the time just flew right on by. I looked at the clock expecting 10 minutes to have gone by to see that it was really thirty minutes?! Wonderful pacing, a great performance from Astaire, and incredible numbers make this one of his best

6/14/22 "From Here To Eternity" 1953
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I've been counting on this like a kid counts on Christmas"
Here's another Oscar-winning that takes place during WW2 (there are 8 in total). It's an interesting look at the Military because it really shows how they dehumanize soldiers during the war. I just feel like this type of story has been told over and over again when it comes to war movies. Something that's different about this film is how they don't focus on warfare but on the characters. The problem also comes with the various storylines that come weaving in and out like the Burt Lancaster one, sometimes I forget that he is in the story until he's on-screen again. I also like how the movie is set in Hawaii, it sets it apart from the usual war setting, but having the movie set in Hawaii during 1941 the audience can guess what big event will happen in the film, or else they wouldn't have specifically mentioned that year. Frank Sinatra is great in this movie, mostly because he got the mafia to interfere with the casting to give him this role. This was referenced in the godfather through the singer Johnny Fontane who needed the mafia to get into the role. He's a third-wheel movie and I never knew he needed to be in that role. Half of the scenes with him are him entering when the main two are getting romantic. I love the scene of Montgomery Clift just absolutely killing it on the bugle that seems to come out of nowhere. I can also appreciate the chemistry between Sinatra and Clift. It's funny because there was one actress that looked very familiar until I realized that she was Mary in "It's a Wonderful Life". I don't really like the way they wrote her character, because she constantly contradicts herself in weird ways. I wasn't a fan of the ending either. Not the best Oscar-winning movie because at no point in the film did they say "This was has been going on from here to eternity"

4/30/22 "Roman Holiday" 1953
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Is this the elevator?"... "It's my room."
You can really tell how much this movie loves Rome. It seems like it's a love letter to the monuments, the culture, and the customs. This is more of a Rom-Com than a Screwball Comedy, though the two can easily get confused. Screwball Comedies focus on the "Com", while romantic comedies focus on the "Rom". This movie has a few jokes, but it's not too many. The ending was something I really enjoyed, tying together this movie's almost Indie feel since it's all about Audrey Hepburn escaping her royal family and she runs into a writer for the newspaper who hides her only if he can have her story, but as it goes on he falls more in love with her. AKA This movie is just "It Happened One Night". This is different from that movie, however, because of the atmosphere they build. It ends up feeling more like "Lost in Translation" than anything. Pretty solid movie, my first movie with Gregory Peck and I can see why everybody loves him

11/13/25 "The Robe" 1953
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I think this movie was just nominated at the Oscars because of its new technology. This film was the first to utilize the new Cinemascope filming method, which allowed movies to be played in wide-screen format. This film is a pretty flat retelling of the crucifixion of Christ, which could make a good story, but the dialogue was very exposition-y, and the acting was off. Everyone hammed it up and really gave over-the-top dramatic performances. None worse, however, than Jay Robinson as Caligula, who's supposed to be threatening, but acts like a villain in a middle school play. As a whole, this was a forgettable

12/11/22 "The Big Heat" 1953
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You'll walk through side streets and alleys so that people won't stare at you. Oh, but you're lucky. It won't be for long."
This was my first Fritz Lang film and a great one at that. This is probably one of the most by-the-book noirs (and I mean that in a good way). This has all the tropes and the reasons why the noir genre is excellent. This has such an intriguing mystery with some incredible characters and shocking moments that seem to come out of nowhere. The plot could get a little hard to follow at some points, but you get it by the end.

4/4/24 "Kiss Me Kate" 1953
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "How do you suppose she says "You're welcome"?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
This movie has gotten a lot of flack over the years because of how sexist the movie (more specifically Fred Graham) is. I feel like that's the point though. The film is about a theater troupe performing a production of "Taming of the Shrew", but Lilli (Kathryn Grayson) who's Fred's Ex-wife, starts to fight with Fred (Howard Keel) on stage after finding out he's going for the actress Lois Lane (no relation to superman). This leads to the infamous spank scene where Fred (after being punched, kicked, and slapped by Lilli) reaches a breaking point and starts spanking her live on stage. A lot of people think that this was a horrible thing to do... because it was. I'm shocked how many people don't realize that we aren't supposed to like Fred Graham. He's a pretty awful person in this and it leads to some great comedy. The music is done by Cole Porter, which leads to some fantastic songs. This is one of the only Cole Porter musicals where the songs tell the story. Kiss Me Kate was the first musical to ever win "Best Musical" at the Tony's and I feel like this is a really great show that might not have stood the test of time.

8/25/25 "Beat The Devil" 1953
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Do you know what I say? I say time is a crook." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's rough when even the main star has called this a mess. This is a noir comedy, but it's rarely funny. It's such a shame, because it brings back the Humphrey Bogart/Peter Lorre pairing that's worked in the past, but this just couldn't make it work. I feel like 12 things are happening at once without a real rhyme or reason. We follow a group of con-men who are stranded in Italy on their way to Africa to stake a Uranium Mine. It just ends up feeling like a cheap knock off of the Maltese Falcon

7/26/24 "It Should Happen To You" 1954
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I haven't changed. I'm the same as I was before - only in a different way." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's crazy how underrated of an actress Judy Holliday is. Seeing her in "Born Yesterday", she really gives some great performances. I was seeking this film out purely because it's the film debut of Jack Lemmon (who's my favorite actor) and this film doesn't disappoint. It's about Gladys Glover (Judy Holliday) wanting to be famous, so she spends all her money on a billboard that says her name. The whole town becomes curious as to who this Gladys Glover is and she becomes an overnight sensation. Meanwhile, there's an amateur documentarian (Jack Lemmon) who wants to date Gladys, but she's far too busy for him. The writing is really snappy and says a lot about how shallow fame can be.

4/9/24 "Seven Samurai" 1954
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "This is the nature of war: By protecting others, you save yourselves. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
What can I say about this film that hasn't been said already? The plot is one of the most iconic and classic plots ever to be put on screen. A group of bandits say that they're going to loot and murder a small town, so they enlist a retired samurai to protect them, so he goes throughout Japan looking for other samurai to join him in his quest. This type of plot has been used so much since this movie for good reason, it's such a great idea to focus on the seven samurai as individuals and see how they're different from one another. The shots in this film are iconic as well, though the last hour is just one long fight scene, it's an amazingly shot and choreographed fight. I can see why so many people are inspired by this film to make movies, it's a great film all around if they just shorten the fight at the end.

1/6/24 "Johnny Guitar" 1954
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "A man can lie, steal... and even kill. But as long as he hangs on to his pride, he's still a man. All a woman has to do is slip - once. And she's a "tramp!" Must be a great comfort to you to be a man." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is a beautifully shot western that sort of lacks when it comes to the story. It's about a feud between a saloon owner, Vienna (Joan Crawford), and Emma Small because in the past they both loved one man, "The Dancin' Kid", but he picked Vienna. Johnny Guitar, a new man in town, tries to calm things down, but Emma Small convinces the sheriff that they should get kicked out of town. Johnny Guitar turns out to be Vienna's former lover as well as a very skilled gunman who quit years ago. This film had some really great action scenes, but I never really cared for the characters too much. I felt like the events in the movie sort of just happened and that's it. As I said, it's beautifully shot but not really a great story.

1/16/25 "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" 1954
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "There were no F names in the Bible so Ma named him Frankincense because he smelled so sweet." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a very odd MGM musical because I would say it's halfway influential. The overall look of the film as well as the amazingly choreographed "Barn Raising Dance" are often talked about, but you never really hear about the songs and story. The songs are pretty alright, this doesn't really have that big showstopping number, but they're overall pretty good. The plot of this movie is kind of bonkers. It's about a woodsman (Howard Keel) marrying a small-town chef (Jane Powell) in a sort of quick manner. When they get back home, the chef realizes that he lives with his six other, misbehaved brothers. She teaches them manners and how to get women because they all want to be married like their brothers. So far, the plot is pretty normal. When the six brothers fall in love, they hatch a totally rational plan to KIDNAP THE WOMEN. It's such a "HUH?!" moment because I thought this was just going to be a light romp, but then they get to the kidnapping and it's such an odd twist. While this film is certainly referenced when it comes to golden-age musicals, it never really got the same following as other films like "Wizard of Oz", "Singin' In The Rain", "The Bandwagon", etc.

2/15/24 "Brigadoon" 1954
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Oh we have 'em. We pronounce it differently." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
This has one of the more interesting premises when it comes to movie musicals. It's about two American hunters going to Scotland to hunt when they get lost in the woods. They find a strange town called Brigadoon, a town that appears one day every 100 years since the 1700s. Gene Kelly's character falls in love with a young girl (Cyd Charisse), so he must decide whether he leaves the world behind forever or leave Cyd Charisse behind. This is one of the only Gene Kelly movies that was adapted from a Broadway play. The songs were written by Lerner and Loewe, but they don't have the same charm as their other shows. For reference, they also wrote "My Fair Lady", which has some of the greatest songs in musical theater. "Almost Like Being In Love" is the best song in the bunch, being very memorable and catchy, but that's about it. It was shot on Cinemascope, so it looks absolutely gorgeous. It's hard to believe that the musical was shot on a soundstage, it looks so realistic. This was a pretty sizable bomb, unfortunately, but as a whole, I would say this is a pretty defining musical

8/22/22 "Sabrina" 1954
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "A woman happily in love, she burns the soufflé. A woman unhappily in love, she forgets to turn on the oven."
Pretty neat. Another Billy Wilder outing. It has a great premise where it's about Audrey Hepburn (Sabrina) having a crush on William Holden but he never notices until she comes back from Paris 2 years later. William Holden is getting married to a girl for the family business where Humphrey Bogart is the head. When William Holden is starting to fall in love with Sabrina, Humphrey Bogart tries to sabotage it by getting Sabrina to fall in love with him. During that time Bogart starts developing feelings for Sabrina. There are some solid jokes in this one (one of which was referenced in a Simpsons episode that I never got). Pretty good movie with an interesting plot.

9/9/23 "The Barefoot Contessa" 1954
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "If you can act, I can help you. If you can't nobody can teach you." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Close!
How was a movie written by the same guy who wrote "All About Eve" so boring? This is like the bad ending All About Eve where the female character has 0 personality and yet she's the focus of the entire movie. The film follows Harry (Humphrey Bogart), Oscar (Edmond O'Brien), and Vincenzo (Rossano Brazzi) at the funeral of film star Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner). They all look back at their relationship with her through inner monologues. As previously stated, she has no personality so I genuinely don't care what she does. The actual writing for the scenes was good but the plot was really bad. Feels like a worse Citizen Kane.

4/3/23 "A Star Is Born" 1954
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I just want to take another look at you.", do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Judy Garland deserved the Oscar. For those who don't know, she infamously lost the Oscar for best actress to Grace Kelly in "The Country Girl". Watching this film, I was just drawn to Judy Garland. This is the performance of her lifetime. It's her finally letting go of her Dorothy, Betsy Booth, and Mary Holden roles and playing a role that really embodies her struggles. Every moment of this film feels like something she's gone through. I have one gripe with this film, but it's not the film's fault. The company thought this film was too long and cut out 30 minutes of the film, however, when trying to restore this film they found that 10 minutes were missing, but they still had the audio. So what they did was they took still shots from the promotional material and shoved that in there. It's jarring, but it's better than removing those scenes. This film feels really ahead of its time, with some really dark scenes. Overall, it's quite clear how this became an iconic film.

8/28/22 "Godzilla" 1954
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "If nuclear testing continues, then someday, somewhere in the world, another Godzilla may appear."
I can definitely see why this is so iconic. I feel like this is just King Kong, but better in almost every way. I feel like this one has a stronger central theme: the dangers of the H-bombs. I feel like, as a whole, this movie has a lot more to offer than the big monke movie. Dr. Serizawa is such an interesting character who was the film's best part. Also, Takashi Shimura is in this movie, who is arguably one of the most important actors in Japanese cinema (I mean, he's been in Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ikiru, Yojimbo, etc.) It's funny because it feels like Godzilla is the least interesting part of the film since it just got a little repetitive after a while. I can see how a huge franchise spawned from this movie

7/29/24 "Phfft" 1954
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "If you knew what you looked like in that silly vest and that mustache. You look like a gigolo! You don't even look like a gigolo, you look like Groucho Marx!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's such a shame this has one of the worst titles I've seen in a film because I thought this was quite a good movie. We follow Robert (Jack Lemmon) and Nina Tracy (Judy Holliday), a married couple who decide to get a divorce. We follow the two of them as they try to fit into a single life and outdo each other. This has a looser plot, but I enjoy the situations the two get into, I might've preferred this as a TV show more than a movie. Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday are really funny, and Jack Carson does a great job as Jack Lemmon's best friend. Overall, this is an underrated gem that gets weighed down by a bad title.

9/17/25 "Deep In My Heart" 1954
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "You have talent. That's very rare in the theater." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes'
I would argue that this is the worst of the songwriting biopics made by MGM. The previous movies were made about Lorenz Hart, Joseph Kern, and Kalmar and Ruby, so for this film, they decided to make it about Sigmund Romberg. The music of Romberg is, in my opinion, very boring and lacks the same staying power as the others. The story itself was very by-the-numbers and felt like it fell flat. It was funny to see Paul Henreid play Florenz Ziegfeld when Walter Pidgeon is also in this movie and would play him 14 years later in Funny Girl. Besides an Ann Miller number and a Gene Kelly tap with his brother. This was a slog to get through; it ended the songwriting biopic series and was easily the worst one.

12/16/25 "The Country Girl" 1954
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Mr. Dodd, when I was a child, we had a town idiot who kept insisting that elephant tusks came from piano keys, but he had nothing on you." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is a pretty infamous movie when it comes to the history of the Oscars. This film was the recipient of the award I call "The Oscar That Got Away", because of Grace Kelly's best actress win over Judy Garland in "A Star Is Born." This isn't really Grace Kelly's film, it seems; this feels more like an exploration of Bing Crosby's character and William Holden (who plays a very Joe Gillis type character). Kelly does alright in the role, being the wife of a struggling, alcoholic actor, but I think Judy Garland's portrayal of the wife of a struggling, alcoholic actor is superior. The film is very interesting, but it's just funny how similar it is to A Star Is Born (which, in my opinion, does it better).

8/4/25 "A Bad Day At Black Rock" 1955
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "She must have strained every muscle in her head to get so stupid." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was quite an interesting noir movie. It takes place in a small western town, and we follow a war veteran (Spencer Tracy) as he looks for Komoko, but everyone in the town treats him weirdly. The film is really well shot and really shows off the desert environment. I thought that the plot and characters could've been a little more fleshed out, but I understand how this film has it's fans.

9/29/22 "Les Diabolique" 1955
8/10 Stars, Favorite quote "Don't be devils!"
This one was probably one of my favorite thrillers It had Hitchcock energy the entire time while still having its own flair. I don't want to spoil a single thing in this movie, but it's great! Great acting, story, and pacing. It's written by the same people who wrote "Vertigo", so that can tell you a lot

5/28/23 "East Of Eden" 1955
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "GET OUUUTTTT!!!!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No!
This was a pretty overrated movie. This was the only film in that James Dean was alive to see himself play the lead. For the three of you who don't know, James Dean died tragically young in a car crash when he was only 24. His next film, A Rebel Without a Cause, was still being edited and Giant was still being filmed. He didn't because huge in the public zeitgeist until he died that tragic death. While his death was truly tragic, I feel like he just wasn't that great of an actor. Almost any role he got was because Marlon Brando or Paul Newman said no, and both are superior actors. James Dean just whines and boom! That's acting baby! The story as a whole was very slow and didn't need to be stretched into a two-hour film. You know the pacing is a problem when two hours is too long. They were trying to make a small epic, they even included an Overture in the beginning for some reason. What was weird was they had an overture but no intermission. You would expect it to have both. The story is a modern adaptation of Cain and Abel but they spell it out so much that you get it, especially when at the end Burls Ive says something like "You know this is a lot like Cain and Abel!" There were some good moments, like the carnival scene and the tensions in the town from WW1, but as a whole, it feels like the same scenes play over and over again

12/1/22 "Marty" 1955
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "See, dogs like us, we ain't such dogs as we think we are."
This movie is almost amazing. This is an Oscar-winning film, which is weird because it doesn't really feel like one. This film sets aside spectacle to tell a genuine story about an ugly man trying to date. Ernest Borgnine did a fantastic job and really deserved the win for best actor. There were little things in this movie that irked me that I sort of just ignored because of how much I liked it. He has this best friend who was very clingy and annoying in this film, and he's really mean-spirited (but so is everyone else). Also, everybody calls Besty Blair's character "a dog", but she's really not ugly at all. I mean she was married to Gene Kelly of all people. Plus there's a side plot that doesn't really go anywhere, all it does is set up something for the ending. Oh my gosh, the ending. In terms of endings... this movie has none. It simply stops. That's what ruins this film. If this film had like 5-10 minutes more where they resolved things better, this would've been one of my favorites I think.

2/9/25 "Interrupted Melody" 1955
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Tonight I love the whole world and I want them to know it." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was the last film I needed in my "Best Original Screenplay" winners binge, and this was kind of an underwhelming end to the watch. It's not a bad film in any means, but it's a very bland one. We follow the life of Marjorie Lawrence (Eleanor Parker), an Australian soprano who got polio in the height of her career. The film sees her rise and fall and rise again as she has to learn to deal with her illness. Eleanor Parker does a pretty great job in the role, dealing with her high highs and low lows, but the script itself isn't too special and drags in a number of places. It's also a little too melodramatic for it's own good, but the film was pretty alright. I personally think "It's Always Fair Weather" should've won.

1/28/25 "Kiss Me, Deadly" 1955
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Va-Va-VOOM! Pretty pow!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is one of those noir films that I'll be thinking about for a while. This film is a departure from many of the films of the past. We can see this in the detective character, Mike Hammer (played by Ralph Meeker). Where previous detectives are a little cynical and bitter, Mike is fully enraged. He actively takes out his anger on many people without giving a second thought. It's such an interesting dichotomy because this film is a story about revenge. Mike was driving down the road when he let a woman hitchhike with him. This hitchhiker (Cloris Leachman in her film Debut) has escaped from an asylum and she warns Hammer about the men after her. They get in a car accident (caused by those men) and they kill the hitchhiker. The film follows Hammer trying to figure out why they would do this and to get revenge. The ending of the film is such an interesting choice and has been referenced (or stolen in Quentin Tarantino's case), a whole lot. Overall, this is a classic Noir film that should be on your watchlist.

8/22/25 "Love Me Or Leave Me" 1955
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The girl can sing... About that I was never wrong." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I'm so shocked that Doris Day didn't get a nomination for this role, because this is some of the finest acting I've seen from her. What's so smart about this movie is that it plays with the classic Doris Day rags-to-riches fame story, but makes it based on a real person and adds the drama of an abusive relationship. It really makes the movie one of her more memorable, especially when paired with James Cagney as her husband. Doris Day was more than capable of handling a role like this, so it's a shame directors didn't let her break out of her musical persona. The fact that Jennifer Jones got an Oscar nomination for Love is A Many-Splendored Thing and not Doris Day for this movie is insane.

8/11/22 "The Seven Year Itch" 1955
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Oh, wouldn't you like to know! Maybe it's Marilyn Monroe!"
I have so many questions about this one. This whole movie is about a man who's home alone after his family leaves for vacation and he tries desperately to stay loyal to his wife but he's getting really tempted by his new neighbor, Marilyn Monroe. The whole movie he imagines different things happening to him like he has an imaginary talk with his wife about how several girls have wanted him, but the thing is all of these encounters are assumed to be imaginary, like one meeting where it's very clear that he just stole the scene from "From Here to Eternity" when they're on the beach. The big question is, are we supposed to hate this guy? I don't know if he's supposed to be an awful person on purpose or if that's just what ended up happening. He's an extremely creepy guy who I presumed we are supposed to root against, but at the end of the movie he actively gets rewarded for his bad deeds, so I'm not sure if this is supposed to be the case. Another question I have is if this whole thing even happened in the first place. He seems to be one of the only people who interact with the girl (she doesn't have a name) so my theory is everything was in his head since he called her Marilyn Monroe. Also when he's thinking of what she could be he says that she's a model or an actress, and it turns out that she's both. I don't know. This movie had some good gags but I just don't know if this film was meant to be interpreted this way. This wasn't Billy Wilder's best but it's still good

7/17/22 "Lady and The Tramp" 1955
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "*random song about the lady not knowing what a baby is"
So you might be confused about why I'm reviewing this since it seems like such a random film for me to cover. Well, a while back my sister and I started a challenge where we would try to watch every Disney animated movie. We eventually got really busy so we couldn't continue it... UNTIL NOW! I feel like this is an odd Disney movie. First of all the voice actor for The Tramp never acted before or ever again after this film which is weird because he's really good at it. The voice actors during this time of Disney were all a part of a core group. When you star in a 50's Disney film, you star in 4 of them. Like the voice actors for the Fairy Godmother, Kanga, Smee, and King Merriweather. They even got the voice of Fred Flintstone here which was pretty weird. This movie is a musical but it really shouldn't have been. They have 4 songs in this movie, one is obviously famous ("Bella Notte" during the pasta scene), one is a slapper ("He's A Tramp"), one is awful (What's a Baby), and one is EXTREMELY racist and really cringy to watch (That darn Siamese Cat song). The anima6tion is beautiful in this movie because of course it is, it's Disney after all. Movies like this make me want Disney to return to 2D animation because of how timeless it is. This movie, which came out 67 years ago still looks amazing while a movie like Tangled which came out 12 years ago looks a little outdated. I can understand why this film got famous, it's just lacking that Disney story that I love.

3/17/25 "Mister Roberts" 1955
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I just threw your stinkin' palm tree overboard! Now what's all this crud about no movie tonight?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Honestly, this felt like I was watching two movies at a time. There's this Henry Fonda drama movie where he plays his classic hero character (which he does better in both the "Ox-Bow Incident" as well as "12 Angry Men") and a really fun Jack Lemmon movie. The film falls apart when it tries to be both and leads to a really big tonal problem. I feel like it can't tell whether it wants to be "Mutiny On The Bounty" or "Anchors Aweigh". It wants to be a serious drama about how Captain Morton (James Cagney) treats his crew horribly as Mr. Roberts (Henry Fonda) tries to help the crew feel welcomed as he hopes for battle. Meanwhile, the other of the film are wacky ways in which the crew tries to rebel against Morton, which is mainly seen in the Pulver character (Jack Lemmon), who won an oscar for this role. I may be biased because of what a big Jack Lemmon fan I am, but he's the best part of the movie. The ending of the film was such an odd choice and really made me question what the point of the film was.

5/12/25 "The Man From Laramie" 1955
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'm a lonely man, Mr. Lockhart. So are you. I don't suppose we spoke ten words comin' down here, but I feel that I know ya, and I like what I know." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I normally dislike the western genre, but this film handles it pretty well. I tend to like westerns that seem to shed the cliches of the genre, and this is no exception. This is very character-focused and has very little action, it's more about these characters and the psychology that follows. Jimmy Stewart gives a pretty good performance and really takes this film over the edge.

9/16/24 "The Night of The Hunter" 1955
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "It's a hard world for little things." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I can't believe I haven't seen this film before. We follow Rev. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), a priest who has a habit of murdering sinners. He gets thrown in jail for car theft, where he meets a man named Ben Harper. Since Ben is in jail for life, Ben reveals to Harry that he has hidden 10,000 dollars in stolen money. The second Harry gets out of jail, he goes to Ben's house and meets his family to try to get the money. The creepiest parts of this movie refer to how Harry treats the two kids of Ben. The kids know no better, so they just trust him implicitly (especially because he's a man of the church). The director, Charles Laughton (the actor), shot this film well which leads to this being a really suspenseful film. As a whole, this is an incredible film that every film fan needs to see.

3/30/25 "To Catch A Thief" 1955
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Mother, the book you're reading is upside down!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This might be one of the sillier Hitchcock films, it's not that it takes away from the suspense, but there are some really good jokes in the movie. We follow a string of thefts that have been happening in Paris, where everyone believes it's the now-retired jewel thief, John Robie (Cary Grant). The crimes are committed in his exact style, but he's not the one doing it. The problem is, nobody believes he's innocent, so he has to take the law into his own hands and catch the thief himself. There are a lot of twists and turns that keep the film interesting. The movie's really well shot with some great use of shadow to keep the tensions high. Cary Grant gives a great performance in this film and has some electric chemistry with Grace Kelly. Overall, this cracked my top 10 Hitchcock, it's really well done.

8/20/25 "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing" 1955
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I will make no mistakes in the name of loneliness." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's so funny to me when a song from a movie becomes more popular than the movie itself. I've heard the titular song from this movie for most of my life, and yet I never knew it came from a movie. Lo and behold, there's a reason for that. This movie is a pretty dull romance movie that aged all too well. This film takes place in Hong Kong, where they have mostly white actors playing the natives, including heavy prosthetics. This is pretty rough to watch, along with the main characters being very boring and without a lot of personality. As a whole, I'm kind of sad that now I'll think of this movie when I hear that great song.

12/3/25 "All That Heaven Allows" 1955
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Only in that one way." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This may just be one of the most beautiful films ever shot. I saw the film made after this ("Written On The Wind"), and said how beautifully the film was shot, despite the weak story. This however has strong visuals and a very strong story. We follow an upper-class widow (Jane Wyman) who lives with her kids in their family home, one day her and her younger gardner (Rock Hudson) fall in love and try to start a life together. The problems come from her upper-class friends mocking his down-to-earth living style and her being shackled by what others think of her. It's a really realistic plot that has a lot of great character moments and deveastating consequences. The scenes in Hudson's cabin are lit so well and have such vibrant colors, that the film takes on an almost Post-Impressionalist feel.

2/18/24 "It's Always Fair Weather" 1955
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I feel terrible showing my face in decent homes across the country. Boys, don't be like me. Live clean. Use Klenzrite." Do they say the title of the movie within the movies; No
This is a strangely cynical musical for the time, but it kind of works. It's about three soldiers from war becoming friends and meeting at a bar. The bartender bets them that they're just friends because they fought in war together and won't be friends ten years later. They take that bet and return ten years later to the same bar, the problem is that they find that they're drastically different people and they don't get along anymore. The film satirizes post-war America and especially television. This was written as a sequel to "On The Town" (they didn't want to work with Sinatra again) but ends up feeling like a sequel to 'Singin' In The Rain" with its satire. The satire of television feels very fresh even today with how they seek sentiment just to sell you something. The dance numbers are fantastic, especially "I Like Myself" (which feels like it can be on the same level as the "Singin' In The Rain" number) it involves Gene Kelly tap dancing IN ROLLERSKATES. The combo of the two was something I never expected but it worked so well. As a whole, this feels like a classic MGM musical but with more depth.

9/11/23 "Killer's Kiss" 1955
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "It's a mistake to confuse pity with love." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: NO
This is the second major film by Stanley Kubrick, and you can see the little inklings in this film that he's going to go on to do some amazing things. This film is the perfect blend of the past and future of film (in 1955). This film has some aspects of classic noir mixed with some New Wave cinema which wouldn't be a major movement until 1967. The story is pretty basic, but the shots and the script really make it special. It's clear that Kubrick is one of the best directors, and we can tell through his second film.

2/16/24 "The Trouble With Harry" 1955
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Lightly, Sam. I have a very short fuse." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is an odd entry into the Hitchcock filmography. This is one of his only pure comedy movies. Does it have an interesting plot? Yes. So is it funny? No. It's about a man named Harry who mysteriously dies in the middle of the woods, the kicker is that everyone in town thinks that they killed Harry, but none of them really care. It's a funny premise that leads to a pretty interesting mystery of who killed Harry, but it just wasn't funny at all. There wasn't one joke in the film that I laughed at. They were trying to bank on the absurdity of the situation, which is funny on its own, but they never do anything with the premise besides mentioning how odd the premise is. Overall, this is a pretty underwhelming Hitchcock entry. You can tell he was trying to branch out, but it just didn't work. It was shot really well, it just wasn't well written.

4/15/24 "Kismet" 1955
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "What kind of a sentence did he get?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I feel like there's a reason why nobody talks about this musical as much as its contemporaries. The movie is based on a play written 44 years prior, which is a pretty stale story all things considered. We follow a poor poet (Howard Keel) in Baghdad as he randomly becomes a very rich man, his daughter (Ann Blyth) finds a man to love that he doesn't approve of (Vic Damone). I really enjoyed the songs, but I realized that all the songs are from the Russian composer Alexander Borodin with lazy lyrics on top. The musical just falls flat and leaves a very forgettable and bland taste in your mouth. Do yourself a favor and watch a better musical.

9/11/22 "Oklahoma!" 1955
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "One man likes to push a plow, The other likes to chase a cow,"
Oklahoma is one of the first musicals to have the songs push the story (the first one was actually Show Boat). In older musicals, they wrote the songs first and then wrote the story around the songs they wrote vs how they do it now where they make the story and then add the songs. I think I've just committed musical theater mutiny by saying this isn't that good. Many of the songs are pretty forgettable in my opinion, after the movie I couldn't really sing any of the songs to myself. To be honest, most of the songs I could sing were just because they played in the Main Street instrumental that plays at Disneyland. Curly, the main character, is pretty bad. He tries to convince a man that he should kill himself and sings a song about it (pretty messed up). It's also one of those movies where it's like "The two main characters are mean to each other... so they LOVE EACH OTHER". Shirley Jones is Laurey and she does a good job. Speaking of Laurey, the dream sequence was pretty cool, if it was shorter. That's this whole movie to me. Way too long. In perspective, Music Man is the same length and actually uses the time to tell an entertaining story that actually goes somewhere. I have to mention Ado Annie who's played by Gloria Grahame (who played violet in It's a Wonderful Life). She can't hold a tune and wasn't good in any of the songs. I do like some of the shots in this movie and I understand this is a landmark film, it's just not good

6/10/22 "Guys and Dolls" 1955
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "One of these days in your travels, a guy is going to show you a brand-new deck of cards on which the seal is not yet broken. Then this guy is going to offer to bet you that he can make the jack of spades jump out of this brand-new deck of cards and squirt cider in your ear. But, son, do not accept this bet, because as sure as you stand there, you're going to wind up with an ear full of cider."
I expected a bit more from this movie since it's such an iconic musical. Everyone and their dog has heard of "Guys and Dolls" and "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat" but the rest of this movie feels like such a blur. Half of the numbers are really good (mostly because Sinatra is an incredible singer) while the other half of the numbers are really bad. I have to dedicate a whole sentence to that cat number and how cringy it is. I also want to bring up the beginning do this "Broadway Melody Ballet"esc dance where they show the exposition of New York, but it just seems so cheesy. The main appeal to this movie is Marlon Brando and Sinatra giving it their all (especially Sinatra, sorry I really love Frank Sinatra, he is so awesome in this movie). I feel like the two dolls did alright, but this is one of those films where they give the guys all of the characters and sort of leave out the dolls (the antithesis of Howard Hawks). I suggest listening to "Guys and Dolls", "Adelaide", and "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat"

7/2/24 "Artists and Models" 1955
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Remember, any more noise and you're going to be using the curb for a pillow." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This film made me realize that I'm not really a fan of Jerry Lewis. His comedy seems a little juvenile, consisting of an annoying voice and silly faces he makes. It's a shame because he has some great physical comedy moments, but this gets cluttered with some over-the-top moments. I honestly preferred Dean Martin's comedy in this film, he has a more subtle style which really works in this film. Even Shirley MacClaine outperforms Lewis in my opinion, and she doesn't get a lot to work with. It's about an artist (Dean Martin) shifting to comic books after his comic book-obsessed friend (Jerry Lewis) begins dreaming about a new superhero that has the potential to become a success, the problem is, he forgets the second he wakes up. This film was directed by Frank Tashlin, who used to direct Looney Tunes cartoons. He does a really great job with the direction because it feels like a Looney Tunes brought to life. The colors are really vibrant and the cartoony props really bring this film to life. Not the best comedy, but there certainly are laughs.

7/3/24 "Picnic" 1955
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "When I graduate from college I'm going to New York, and write novels that'll shock people right out of their senses." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Honestly, this is a very over-the-top drama that takes itself too seriously. Let's start with the casting of the 37-year-old William Holden as the new college graduate. This drifter finds himself in a small town on Labor Day during their big old picnic and he causes trouble. Rosalind Russell plays an old school teacher and she's the best part of this movie. She's a bit over the top, but so is everyone in this film. At least it makes sense for her character. I can't believe that this was up for so many awards, it just wasn't that great.

6/22/23 "The Ladykillers" 1955
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I always think the windows are the eyes of a house, and didn't someone say the eyes are the windows of the soul?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I wouldn't say this film is for everyone. It's filled with a lot of British humor which is very slow and some of the jokes take a long time to pay off. I thought this movie was pretty ok, but not something I'd see myself rewatching. It's about five conmen posing as a string quartet moving into an old lady's house. When their heist goes south and she finds out, they all try to kill her. What I really liked about this film is how cool they make the old lady compared to the bumbling men. Everyone does a great job, Alec Guinness (with fake teeth and all) is the leader of the gang and is a great anchor to the group. This was also the first collaboration between Hebert Lom and Peter Sellers (who would later be Commissioner Dreyfus and Inspector Clouseau in the pink panther films). I wouldn't really suggest this film, it's sort of a drag.

1/14/25 "The Man With The Golden Arm" 1955
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The monkey is never dead, Dealer. The monkey never dies. When you kick him off, he just hides in a corner, waiting his turn." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's insane to think that this film came out in 1955, because of how much this film discusses addiction. It's crazy seeing how they take the shots in the 50s setting since the Hays Code would never allow that. We follow a drug addict, Frankie (Frank Sinatra) coming out of prison only to soon find him dealing with his old ways. Sinatra gives, what I would consider, the performance of his career, as an actor that is. I hear this role was going to go to Brando, which I can totally see, but Sinatra does an amazing job. The shots are well-constructed and the story is perfectly tragic. It's held back a bit because of it's ending (it was the 50s), but as a whole, this was a really great film.

10/17/25 "Smiles Of A Summer Night" 1955
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "For the sad, the depressed, the sleepless, the confused, the frightened, the lonely." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I'm not sure if Ingmar Bergman could really be funny. Ingmar Bergman is known for his very heavy and existential films, so this didn't really work for me. While this would go on to be the basis of the musical "A Little Night Music", this movie just didn't really do it for me. I just didn't really find it that funny.

4/27/25 "The Burmese Harp" 1956
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The soil of Burma is red, and so are its rocks!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a pretty well-told film. I feel like I couldn't exactly get into it as much as others, but I can definitely see the appeal. The film follows a Japanese soldier who disguises himself as a monk to avoid imprisonment during WW2. It's quite a philosophical film and has some pretty great dialogue. I just couldn't really get into the characters and the story felt a little dull at some points.

10/1/22 "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" 1956
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I don't want to live in a world without love or grief or beauty, I'd rather die."
This did not disappoint whatsoever. The pacing in this is unreal, not a dull moment. The characters are great and the story is really thrilling. It's funny though because this film is clearly about communism and the red scare. It's about these people who look exactly like humans, but they don't feel the emotion and they all work together for one central goal. When an American doctor comes back from war and notices people are slightly off, he takes things into his own hands. It's a fantastic movie everyone should see

5/8/25 "Carousel" 1956
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain, though your dreams be tossed and thrown." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's so rough to rate this movie, because it has so many good elements, but one glaring problem. The songs in this film are really, really great. "If I Loved You", "Soliloquy", "June is Busting Out All Over", and especially the gorgeous "You'll Never Walk Alone". There are also some really well-done dance sequences in this film, but the biggest problem comes from how poorly certain aspects have aged. The main character, Billy Bigelow, is a really awful person, which is okay in a musical; we've seen that before, but in the end, we're supposed to be on his side, which I feel is a huge mistake. I mean, it's a major plot point that he beats his wife, which is a horrendous thing to do. There's also one of the worst lines in movie history, where his wife explains, "It is possible, dear, for someone to hit you, hit you hard, and it not hurt at all." Which like... no? That's just such a horrible sentiment to have and to treat domestic abuse like it's okay is a really horrible thing to do.

8/8/24 "Forbidden Planet" 1956
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "It's true, it will remind us that we are, after all, not God." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a very campy, classic science fiction film. It's about a space crew landing on a planet that used to have a whole civilization of scientists, but when they get there only two remain. Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis). It's up to Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) to find out what happened to all these scientists. It's a really engaging plot with some wonderful special effects. It was insane to see what they could do in the '50s no less. It was weird to see Leslie Nielsen in a pre-Airplane role, but he did a really good job! Overall, I can see how this film was well-regarded in the Sci-Fi world.

8/29/22 "The Man Who Knew Too Much" 1956
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Qué será, será! Whatever will be, will be"
Although not the best Hitchcock film, this was still pretty interesting. This is yet another Jimmy Stewart Hitchcock film, although it's probably my least favorite out of the four (Rope, Vertigo, and Rear Window are better movies in my opinion). This has a good plot with a good amount of suspense. I feel like Doris Day was a little out of place here since she's mainly been in comedies and musicals, but she was pretty good! I like the use of "Que sera, sera" and the symbol throughout it.

9/15/23 "The Killing" 1956
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "What's the difference?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This film is significantly ahead of its time. It's a lot like his previous film, Killer's Kiss, where it's a mix of classic Noir with new wave. This film is a vast improvement however, it's insane how much Kubrick grew as a director. The film is shot really well and positioned in a non-linear fashion (yes, it inspired Tarantino). The acting is a little shoddy, but this film really pushed not only the genre of noir but also the directing of Stanley Kubrick

12/11/25 "Invitation To The Dance" 1956
2/10 Stars, Favorite Scene: The animation, Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I feel bad, because you can see how excited Gene Kelly is to make this movie, but this just didn't work. This was a film designed to be like Fantasia, but purely for dance where three stories are told with no dialogue and just dance. I just don't really think the dancing carries these stories. It feels a lot like the Broadway Melody sequence, but without the great cinematography or sets. It just drags on until the animaiton scene, which works really well due to how impressive the animation is. As a whole, this set Gene Kelly back a bit.

4/10/24 "The King And I" 1956
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I genuinely don't get the love for The King and I. The songs are alright, "Getting To Know You" and "Shall We Dance?" are the best ones and the rest are pretty forgettable. It's hard to get into the story without mentioning the racism in this film. It's about a British school teacher (Deborah Kerr) and her son (who disappears after the opening scene) who travels to Bangkok to teach the children of King Mongkut (Yul Brynner). This has some unfortunate ties to colonization and is told in a very Euro-centric way. For instance, the teacher sings a song about whistling when she's afraid and she starts whistling right when she sees the locals (yikes). Also, the entire Uncle Tom dance was done in pretty poor taste with masks that use pretty racist depictions. There's also a love story between the teacher and the king which is such a rushed and unwarranted story. The King is nothing but mean to her and then they dance once and now they're in love. It reminds me of the relationship between Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins but in "My Fair Lady" we're not supposed to like the romance between the two, whereas here it's the main plot. If you want to see a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about a woman being sent to a stubborn man's house to teach his children as the two slowly fall in love, watch The Sound of Music, it's better in everyway.

9/10/25 "Lust For Life" 1956
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I know about loneliness! Only I don't whine about it!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Only Vincente Minnelli could've directed a film like this. This tells the story of the painter, Vincent Van Gogh, as he struggles with mental health issues. Kirk Douglas does a really great job as Van Gogh, really playing the anguish and suffering well, but the true star of the show is the production design. They're able to recreate his paintings so well and with his exact color palette. The film is limited by the time it was released, however, because they couldn't really dive deep into these issues.

8/3/25 "The Bad Seed" 1956
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "They got a little blue chair for little boys and a little pink chair for little girls." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This horror movie aged really well because of its wonderful premise and performances. We follow a daughter (Patty McCormack), who can be very self-centered and selfish, but keeps that to herself. For instance, she starts going off about this boy named Claude, who won the penmanship competition that she believed she deserved. While off on a school picnic, her mother (Nancy Kelly) hears that Claude had drowned in the river. She's nervous that her daughter will be traumatized, but she's strangely calm and collected, causing the mom to start to think that she killed him. Kelly and McCormack give wonderful performances, but the best in the film has to be Eileen Heckart as the landlord. She feels so modern in her acting techniques. I can really see how this film is a classic

4/12/23 "High Society" 1956
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "That's the end of the song, and now the start of the story", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: yes
People don't understand how long these remakes of old films have been going on. For some reason, a lot of people think that Hollywood got together in the 2000s and thought "Hey! Let's start remaking old films. This is a remake of "The Philadelphia Story" and it kind of falls flat. They take out a lot of the humor and a lot of the tension with the love triangle of the original to add musical numbers by Cole Porter. While some of them are pretty good, all of them are pretty forgettable. The musical numbers don't really aid the story that much, they just feel like little distractions from the story. When there are only 9 songs (counting the beginning song and the last 30-second song), you wonder what's the point of making it a musical. The average musical has 25 songs. The cast in this movie feels more like they're stand-ins for the original 1930s cast than they feel like they are their own characters. Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly just feel like watered-down versions of Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Katharine Hepburn. The addition of Louis Armstrong is a pretty good one though, he just seemed like he was having such a fun time filming this movie (it definitely rubs off on the audience). It's weird to think this was the last Grace Kelly film since she would go on to become the Princess of Monaco. My guide is to just watch the original, the opening number of this film, and the duet between Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Sidebar, why would you bring these two immaculate singers together only to have them duet only one song, I wanted a lot more duets between these two

8/15/25 "Tea and Sympathy" 1956
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Manliness is not all swagger and mountain climbing. It's also tenderness and gentleness and consideration." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I feel bad because the ending of the film sort of ruined it a little bit, but it wasn't the filmmaker's fault. This film is based on a play about homosexuality, which was a big no-no in the Hayes Code, so they just used the word "sensitive" the whole time. They changed the ending so it wouldn't suggest the character is gay, which ruins the whole story for me. Other than the lackluster ending, the rest of the film was really fantastic and ahead of its time. The coloring in the movie was beautiful, and the writing was even better, you just see how this boy is getting eaten awat from the inside with his emotions.

12/16/23 "Written On The Wind" 1956
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I'm allergic to politeness." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This movie is beautifully shot but doesn't have much plot. It starts with a murder to catch the audience's eye, then proceeds to tell a pretty basic love story. It's a shame because I wanted to like this one since it was made by the director Douglas Sirk, who's very celebrated. It also stars Rock Hudson and Lauren Bacall, but they don't really bring their A-game. As a whole, this is a pretty forgettable movie that does have some beautiful shots and great use of color.

1/14/24 "Giant" 1956
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You want to know something, Leslie? If I live to be ninety, I will never figure you out." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This film feels like "Gone With The Wind", but better. It's about a young girl named Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor) marrying the very wealthy Texas rancher, Bick (Rock Hudson). We follow Leslie as she tries to get used to the lifestyle of Bick. Along the way, she finds the attractive Jett (James Dean) and that starts a giant rivalry between Bick and Jett. It's incredible to see the subtle shift in Bick's character from a charismatic young man to a bitter middle-aged man. This is quite a long film (3 hours and 22 minutes) and quite a giant film. This is also a pretty notable film for sadly being the last James Dean film, he died before this film came out. This was the best performance for me because he just felt very real in this role. Rock Hudson deserved to win the Oscar for Best Actor, but it went to Yul Brynner for The King and I. Overall, though this film has some pacing issues, it deserved to win Best Picture over Around the World in 80 Days (it also deserved its Best Director win).

12/2/22 "Around The World In 80 Days" 1956
1/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "No wonder you have stomach trouble"
This film is an overproduced mess. The stakes in this movie are some of the worst I've ever seen. I'm not sure if this is present in the original Jules Verne story, but the plot of this movie is a man says that he can travel around the world in 80 days, and another guy says "bet" and so he tries to go around the world in 80 days. Yep... that's the plot! There are no consequences if he loses except money, it's not like he's that passionate about it, he just does it so this movie can be expensive. This is an epic film which is trying to be the most expensive movie so you don't turn on your TV. Guys! Our movie is 3 hours, has an intermission, has to be in full color, has 40 celebrity cameos, has 112 locations in 13 countries, and has 140 sets. This movie cost about 6 million dollars (or 65 million in today's money). This is also supposed to be a comedy... but it's not funny. This won best picture which l don't understand, but I guess 1956 was sort of a slow year... all that was released was The Killing, The Searchers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Forbidden Planet, Ten Commandments, Giant, The Wrong Man, High Society, The King and I, Lust for Life, War and Peace, The Girl Can't Help It, The Harder They Fall, Carousel, Friendly Persuasion...

9/22/25 "Friendly Persuasion" 1956
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'm just his father, Eliza, not his conscience." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was a pretty dull film that had a really good premise. We follow a small Quaker town in Indiana as it faces the Civil War. The problem comes from the Quaker's oath to be a pacifist. The film is pretty long for what it is and tries to endear you to the family, but the family just isn't that interesting. This was nominated for Best Picture, and it feels like one of those Oscar-bait movies.

2/25/25 "The Wrong Man" 1956
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "An innocent man has nothing to fear, remember that." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's interesting to see Hitchcock take on a true-story. It seems like it should have him written all over it (the title of the movie itself is a trope in his films) and yet I just wasn't as into it. We follow Manny Balestrero (Henry Fonda), a man who gets arrested after being mistaken for someone else. The film follows the stress that falls on him and his family as he has to convince the cops that he is innocent. While being an interesting story, it just doesn't have the same feel as a Hitchcock film. Hitchcock thrives on murder, sabotage, and conspiracy, this didn't really have that. I feel like there's a reason this film isn't brought up as often in Hitchcock's work.

2/14/22 "The Throne Of Blood" 1957
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Admirable, my Lord. You, who would soon rule the world, allow a ghost to frighten you."
This film is an interesting adaptation of Macbeth, but set in feudal Japan. It has flaws though, a lot of flaws. I feel like the acting in this movie is extremely over the top. Plus, it's hard to follow all of the different characters and try to assess which character lines up with which Macbeth character. Better than Polanski's, but still nothing special

3/9/22 "Funny Face" 1957
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "I wouldn't be caught DEAD in pink"
Delightful. Just Delightful. This film is just a delight to watch. It has that idealist musical vibe from the 50s that you just can't find these days. It's not trying to tell a big story, it's not trying to use deep characters, it's not trying to win an Oscar. The whole point of the movie is to make you smile and it achieves its goal. The cinematography in this movie is amazing, the choreography is to die for. I feel like the best performances are easily from Fred Astaire and Kay Thompson, they were fantastic in every number that they were in. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I thought that Audrey Hepburn was okay in this movie, she wasn't a stand-out singer or dancer really. It was funny how Kay Thompson was outperforming Audrey during the "On How to Be Lovely" number. Special shout out to the numbers "Funny Face", "Bonjour Paris!", "On How to Be Lovely", "S' Wonderful", and HUGE SHOUT OUT TO "Clap Yo' Hands". The best number in the movie.

7/11/22 "The Seventh Seal" 1957
6/10 Stars. Favorite Quote "I am Death"
This film is a hefty one. It's all about death and how people try to fight it. So why is it only a six? It's because it's a very unbalanced film. The way they wrote the women in this movie is pretty funny because they are written weirdly. One guy says to his wife "Woah! It's literally death" and his wife is like "Oh honey! You're so silly!" Also, there's a point where a man's wife dies and to help him cope his friend says "Well... It's hell living with 'em and it's hell living without 'em!" The directorial style of Bergman is really great here, the actors do a great job, and the symbolism of this film is great but with a rocky story structure, odd writing choices, and some scenes that feel like they go nowhere, this is a pretty clear 6

3/8/24 "The Incredible Shrinking Man" 1957
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "To God, there is no zero. I still exist!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
I wasn't expecting this film to be so good. This is an iconic B-movie about Scott Carey (Grant Williams) a man who unknowingly passed through a field of radiation on vacation. After that, he starts to notice small differences. His clothes are getting bigger and he's losing weight. A lot of the suspense in the beginning is knowing that he's shrinking but he doesn't know. The effects in this film are awe-inspiring, especially with a budget of only 750,000 dollars. Some of the effects are a little hoaky, but it was the 1950s, so for the time it was insane. The writing is pretty good, but the ending was such a surprise for me. It ended in a way I wasn't expecting but was such a perfect ending. You go in expecting an over-the-top B-movie and you'll leave with a really philosophical and sad film.

9/28/23 "Plan 9 From Outer Space" 1957
1/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Perhaps, on your way home, someone will pass you in the dark, and you will never know it... for they will be from outer space." Do they say the title of the movie: Kind of (they say the original title of Grave Robbers From Outer Space)
This is often listed as one of the worst movies ever made, and... yeah it's terrible. The plot makes close to no sense, the acting is terrible, the screenplay is atrocious, and there are so many mistakes in the film it'll make you go crazy. My problem with this film though, is that it's not really funny bad, it's just pure bad. This Halloween season, if you want to see a film that's so bad that it's good, watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space. This is however a landmark film in cult status.

8/9/24 "The Spirit Of St. Louis" 1957
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "There were 200,000 people there that night. And when we came back home, there were 4 million people waiting." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I'm sad this was the one time Billy Wilder and Jimmy Stewart worked together because it really worked out well! Jimmy Stewart plays his idol, Charles Lindbergh, in his quest to fly from New York to Paris, the first solo transatlantic crossing. It's really well-written and it was really nice seeing the Spirit of St. Louis come together over time. Jimmy Stewart plays the role really well. It isn't the most memorable film, but for what it is, it's pretty good!

1/19/22 "12 Angry Men" 1957
10/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Prejudice always obscures the truth"
I always saw this movie placed really high on people's lists of the best movies of all time, so I decided to check it out to see if it was an over-exaggeration. It really wasn't, this movie was FANTASTIC. Every actor played such a great part in this movie and all had very identifiable personalities, even though we never got their names. The whole movie is about a jury trying to decide whether or not an 18-year-old boy deserves the electric chair for the supposed murder of his father. Everyone votes that he is guilty, except for juror 8 (Henry Fonda) who argues that they don't have enough evidence. The whole movie takes place in one room, which makes it astonishing that the movie was so interesting. I would highly suggest that you watch this film, it's an amazing character study that has such an interesting mystery to it.

4/11/23 "Designing Woman" 1957
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "For Dinner?!?!?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's funny how this won best screenplay despite having an awful screenplay. Most of the jokes don't land in this film and it's far too long for a simple premise. It's basically just "Woman of the Year" but not as funny. It's about Gregory Peck (who's clearly there because Cary Grant said no) a sports writer and he impulsively marries Lauren Bacall (who's a Grace Kelly stand-in) and they don't have a lot in common. It's that but for two hours, which is really stretching out a not-so-great story. Lauren Bacall's involvement is sad because she took the role to try to escape the problems at home with Humphrey Bogart's health. She stated how she took this to get away from all of that emotional turmoil. Bogart died four months before the movie came out. Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall do a good job with what they're given, but this film is still not really worth watching

5/31/24 "Nights Of Cabiria" 1957
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Guess there's some justice in the world. You suffer, you go through hell. Then happiness comes along or everyone." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I was never really that big of a Fellini fan. I thought that 8 1/2 and La Strada was just alright, but this is a really great movie. We follow Cabiria (Giulietta Masina), a woman who was nearly drowned by her boyfriend, trying to find the good in the world. It's such a minimal premise that's done extremely well by the wonderful acting choices of Giulietta Masina. She really makes the character feel real and has you really rooting for her. Checking Letterboxd, it's easy to see why this is regarded as his best film. It just has so much life to it.

4/11/24 "A Face In The Crowd" 1957
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I’m going to make them love, say you going to love me” Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I can't believe how well this movie held up. Despite being made nearly 70 years ago, a lot of the themes of fame and corruption. It's about a radio producer (Patricia Neal) trying to find the next big thing when she stumbles upon a drifter named Lonesome Rhodes (Andy Griffith) who accidentally ends up on her radio show, where he becomes a big hit. We follow Rhodes as he becomes more and more famous while his ego gets bigger and bigger. Andy Griffith does such an incredible job in the role. I didn't expect him to be so incredible in the role, since I thought he was more one note. In this, he shifts from likable and charismatic to aggressive and downright frightening. Patricia Neal also does an incredible job. There's a lot more to this film that I don't want spoiled at all, I would highly recommend this film

8/10/24 "Love In The Afternoon" 1957
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I mean, if people loved each other more, they'd shoot each other less!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a pretty good Billy Wilder comedy but there's one major problem holding it back. We follow a private detective (Maurice Chevalier) who helps people catch their spouses cheating on them. His daughter, Audrey Hepburn, soon becomes smitten with one of his files on Frank Flannagan (Gary Cooper), who's a notorious ladies' man. She starts to pretend like she's more experienced in the way of love than she actually is. This is a really funny premise that leads to some great scenes, but Gary Cooper was horribly miscast. He was 55 to Audrey Hepburn's 28, which led to many scenes feeling very creepy. They should've cast someone like Rock Hudson or Frank Sinatra. When Audrey Hepburn was born, Gary Cooper was already in an Oscar-winning movie. Not Billy Wilder's best, but there were a lot of really fun scenes that keep this as a pretty good movie

12/5/25 "The Prince and The Showgirl" 1957
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Better luck next time, only not with me, of course." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's so funny scrolling through the reviews of this movie and consistently seeing the same thing. I fully agree with the popular belief that Marilyn Monroe holds this film together. While Laurence Olivier gives an alright performance, the film would fall apart without Monroe's natural charm and humor. The film follows a Prince (Olivier) who chooses a showgirl (Monroe) to seduce; the only problem is, she's a lot smarter than he thought. Behind the scenes, Olivier was mad that he couldn't get his wife, Vivien Leigh, as the showgirl (the roles they had on Broadway), but I just couldn't see Leigh doing as well as Marilyn. While this falls into very obvious cliches, this has a great Marilyn performance, maybe one of her best.

11/8/25 "The Happy Road" 1957
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Well, I'm glad they brought the food along. It wouldn't have been as much fun without it." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was honestly such an enjoyable movie; it's a shame that it fell into the unknown. This is a Gene Kelly-directed comedy where an American boy and a French girl escape from a summer camp in France to go to Paris to see their parents. Their parents are a single American dad (Gene Kelly) and a single French mom (Barbara Laage). The parents are alerted that their kids have escaped and team up to find them. It's a really fun movie that really highlights both the kids and the parents well. It, at times, felt like a cartoon, but in a silly, fun way. It's so funny, I was thinking how this had the sentimentality of Forbidden Games, only to realize both movies share the same actress as the little French girl. As a whole, this low-budget comedy got some laughs from me and doesn't deserve this forgotten fate.

11/27/23 "Sweet Smell Of Success" 1957
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You're dead, son. Get yourself buried." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: close, but no
This film just got better and better as it went on. I was really nervous when I first started watching this since it didn't seem that interesting, but then the plot really started going and I really enjoyed it. It's about a publicist named Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) who is hired by the most influential newspaper writer, J.J Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster). He hopes that Falco can break up the relationship between his sister and a jazz guitarist no matter the cost. Falco hopes that helping Hunsecker will get him his dream job. It's sad watching Falco doing increasingly horrible things. I don't want to spoil anything, but J.J. Hunsecker is such an intimidating character and Tony Curtis is great. I would highly suggest this film.

5/11/23 "Silk Stockings" 1957
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "If you want to get the crowds to come around, You've gotta have glorious Technicolor, Breathtaking Cinemascope, and, Stereophonic sound..." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No!
This film is a remake of the 1939 film "Ninotchka" with music written by Cole Porter and this is the superior film. The original Ninotchka was about a nonsense Russian ambassador (Ninotchka) coming to Paris to pick up some jewels taken from the Russian Revolution. While there, she meets a man who falls madly in love with her and tries to have her open up. This film basically has the same premise, however, instead of jewels, it's about Hollywood. They ask a Russian composer to use his songs in an adaptation of "War and Peace", making that movie the next big movie epic. This film also makes more sense since it takes place during the cold war which fits better. Cole Porter does a really great job writing the songs in this film. They're all so satirical in such a funny way. He wrote a rock song for Fred Astaire to dance to make fun of rock and roll. The dancing is fantastic and the comedy is really on point

12/26/25 "An Affair To Remember" 1957
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'll just take my ego for a walk." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Everyone loves this movie, and I don't quite get it. It's good, but not great. I saw the original 1930s one, and I thought that one was good, but I prepared myself for the better version in this one, but I kind of preferred the original 30s one. The best part of this film is the obvious chemistry between Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, but this wasn't as romantic as I thought it was. This film has some beautiful shots, but there were some shots in the original that I thought were done better.

10/25/25 "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" 1957
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Of course, the great thing about television is that it lets you see events live as they happen, like old movies from thirty years ago." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This seems like a pretty early camp film; it's a ton of fun to watch. The director of this movie, Frank Tashlin, used to direct Looney Tunes cartoons, and he brings that same zany energy into this film. We follow the titular Rock Hunter (played by Tony Randall), who's a TV advertiser who needs a new idea for a lipstick commercial or he's out of his job. That's when his niece shows him Rita Marlowe (Jayne Mansfield), who decides to do it if they can pretend they're in a relationship to make her old boyfriend jealous. The problem comes from this situation standing in the way of him getting married to his real girlfriend. The film is really funny, and most of it is making fun of the newly popular television (including a very passive-aggressive halfway interruption to channel commercials). Tony Randall is really great in the role; he's a really underrated actor who really brings out the anxiety in Rock Hunter.

3/22/23 "3:10 To Yuma" 1957
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Funny, some men you see every day for ten years and you never notice; some men you see once and they're with you for the rest of your life.", Do They Say The Title of the Movie Within The Movie: Yes!
A classic western that hasn't really aged too well. I'm sure this movie must've been huge in the 50s, but now it's less than stellar. It's very slow with barely any story. It's about a farmer taking a criminal to prison, and that's about it. They rarely do anything interesting with these characters and the acting was flat.

4/17/24 "The Pajama Game" 1957
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "It's a plot to murder me" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I wasn't that pleased with this film at first, but the more it went on the more I started to like it. The Pajama Game is a musical about a pajama manufacturing factory starting to unionize after their boss wouldn't raise their pay by 7 1/2 cents. The superintendent, Sid (John Raitt) starts to fall in love with the union leader "Babe" (Doris Day) but she chooses not to fall in love with him because it might affect her work. The first third of the movie is just Sid making these advances toward Babe which feels very awkward and outdated, but after the first third they become a couple and it really fixes their relationship. The songs are also pretty darn catchy ("There Once Was A Man", "Steam Heat", "Hernando's Hideaway", "7 1/2 Cents", Etc.) An unsung hero of the movie is Carol Haney, who really gives her all. This was her first speaking role as well as her last film role. As a whole, this is a pretty decent musical.

5/2/23 "A King In New York" 1957
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Men can't use their free speech" "That's because you're using it all!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: no
One of Charlie Chaplin's last films (second last that is) and you can sort of tell that he's run his course. This film is supposed to be Chaplin's commentary on America, especially the red scare. For those of you who don't know, Chaplin was kicked out of the country because everyone believed that he was a communist for his films. This film would've been a lot better if they focused on this aspect (it's only in the film for like 15 minutes), as a whole the film is very unfocused leading to the film feeling like it has no point. Most of this film is commenting on commercialism and the rise of TV. The problem is, a lot of the scenes end out of nowhere and end up feeling like Family Guy cutaway bits. It's a shame because this film is pretty funny, but the plot is just all over the place and pales in comparison to his earlier work

12/13/22 "The Bridge On The River Kwai" 1957
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "There are times in your life when you realize that you are nearer to the end than the beginning "
This should not have won the oscar. I'm so tired of these Epics winning the oscar. I feel like this story should not have occupied a nearly 3-hour story. This was interesting, but more interesting if you just read the Wikipedia article than watching this movie. They spend the beginning introducing us to the characters only to add the main character of the film halfway through the run time. This film wants to show us the horrors of war but doesn't really get into the really dark aspects of being in these prison camps, they more or less push these aspects aside so they can show SPECTACLE! Forget the horrors of war! Look at all these filming locations we are at! Look at the color in this movie! These types of films ruined the Oscars in my opinion because the Oscars wanted to pick the most expensive films because of their own bias when there were clearly better movies out there. You're telling me this movie is better than 12 Angry Men, Witness For The Prosecution, Paths of Glory, Seventh Seal, and Wild Strawberries

10/25/25 "Les Girls" 1957
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "One of these days there's going to be a murder in this attic and it WON'T BE A MYSTERY!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is quite an interesting movie, because it feels like the end of an era. This was the last MGM musical with Gene Kelly in it, as well as the last film score by Cole Porter. The songs in this film are alright; however, they are far from the best Cole Porter score. He kind of ended with a dud. The story is about a former showgirl being sued over a book she wrote about her time in the show. We see all sorts of different perspectives as we learned what happened. It's an interesting plot, and the dance sequences were well filmed, but it just feels like the genre is tried at this point. This time of film just feels like a director (George Cukor) being tired of the golden age musical.

1/29/25 "Jailhouse Rock" 1957
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "WARDEN THREW A PARTY IN THE COUNTY JAIL" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's weird how long it took for me to watch an Elvis movie. I'm a big fan of his songs, so one would think I would be all over his film career. This film is the reason has all the reasons why I was hesitant. There's almost no plot to this one, and the plot that was there just makes absolutely no sense. We follow Vince Everett (Elvis) who stands up for a lady in a bar who was getting berated by her boyfriend. Elvis punches him one too many times (and I really mean, just one time too many), and the guy DIES. Elvis kills someone in the first five minutes of the film. Once in jail, he happens to share a cell with someone who knows how to play guitar. It's so funny watching Elvis have to pretend like he doesn't know how to play a guitar. He spends the jail time getting really good at playing, so he eventually gets a record deal. They drop the fact that he killed someone so quickly, it's insane. The songs are a sort of mixed bag, you have the iconic "Jailhouse Rock" sequence (obviously) and a great performance of "You're So Square (I Don't Care)". It's kind of alarming that this is one of his better films, but it's still so flat. Elvis' performance in this film goes a long way, but not long enough.

9/22/23 "Paths Of Glory" 1957
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "There are times when I'm ashamed to be a member of the human race and this is one such occasion" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a really interesting movie because it has such clear and defined three acts. I went into this movie basically blind and it was really interesting seeing the different directions this movie goes. It's 1/3 war film, 1/3 courtroom drama, 1/3 new wave. The war part wasn't my favorite, but it had some incredible tracking shots by Kubrick. Then it was the courtroom drama which was really great (this just proves that the courtroom drama peaked in 1957), and the last part was very powerful. This is one of the most effective anti-war films because they don't show the violence, only the aftermath. I would say this is Kubrick's first masterpiece.

8/31/22 "Witness For The Prosecution" 1957
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "The question is, Frau Helm, were you lying then, are you lying now, or are you not in fact a chronic and habitual LIAR!"
What's that? A courtroom drama that isn't downright boring! Outrageous! seriously though, this film was great. Really great. The characters are well-defined, the story gets more and more intriguing as it continues, and every actor does a beautiful job. This is another Billy Wilder movie of course and it's one of my favorites of his (behind Sunset Boulevard and The Apartment). You should check it out, it's wonderful.

4/24/24 "Elevator To The Gallows" 1958
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Anything's good for an alibi." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a very compelling French Noir film. It's about a woman convincing a man to kill her husband so she can run off with him. When he commits the crime, he realizes that he left a bit of evidence there, but on the way back the elevator breaks down. This leads to a butterfly effect of misfortune that leads to a horrible night. It's insane how ahead of its time this film is, it really was a front-runner in the French New Wave scene.

4/8/24 "South Pacific" 1958
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "It's not born in you - it happens after you're born!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that I don't think aged too well. Let's get the two obvious problems with this film out of the way. One: the racism. This film tries to have an anti-racist point of view, but the ironic part is many of the characterizations of the native islanders are very stereotypical and don't really portray them in such a great light. The second problem is the color grading in this movie. I understand what they were going for, they wanted to make the film look like the stage version with the lighting, but that doesn't really translate when changing mediums. It got really distracting when the screen would turn a mustard-like yellow or a hard-to-see dark blue. It's a shame because there are some incredible songs. "Bali Ha'i", "Some Enchanted Evening", "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair", "I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy", and especially "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught" are wonderful songs, the latter being a really powerful commentary on racism (that, again, is undermined by the poor representation). As a whole, I can understand how this was important back in the day and it definitely was a very powerful message in 1950, but nowadays it just doesn't have the same effect.

11/2/23 "Touch Of Evil" 1958
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Your future's all used up." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
Honestly, I couldn't get into this film. Maybe I'm just not an Orson Welles fan. I didn't really this movie nor did I particularly enjoy "Citizen Kane". I get what they were going for, but it was just done poorly. Much like Citizen Kane, this film is shot incredibly and staged fantastically. There's no doubt that Orson Welles is a great director, he changed the way we think about composition and camera movement. The problem is, he's not that great of an actor/writer. He has an amazing voice, but his physicality and facial expressions just aren't up to snuff. This story is also very slow and has many superfluous scenes. Besides the admittedly incredible open sequence, I'm sure I'll forget most of what happened here.

10/21/25 "Dracula" 1958
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "They're not for decoration, are they?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is a pretty boring Dracula adaptation. I'm not a big fan of the 30s film, but that handles the Dracula lore with way more style and substance. Besides the legendary performances of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, this film feels like it just goes through the numbers of a vampire film. The mood is way off for me. The film is colorful, but really really bright, which leads to it looking wrong. A vampire movie like Sinners or even Fright Night has color, but it adds to the ambiance, versus this movie feels like color is there just to brag that they can make a movie in color. As a whole, I just couldn't get behind this film.

6/29/23 "Mon Oncle" 1958
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I prefer Constantino and his nice music." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Felt like a diet "Modern Times". The whole film centers around Monsieur Hulot, who lives in a small apartment in France, trying to adapt to his sister's new way of living, in a suburb with a lot of new technology that even she doesn't understand. He's happy with his life, but his sister is trying to give him a wife and a job. The only person in that family who seems tired of that type of life is his nephew, who likes to prank people and run around with his friends. This is Tati's first film in color and he utilizes it in the best way. It gives off such a comfy vibe that not a lot of films have. It's slow, but it's like a bedtime story. It has a small amount of plot, but most of it is set up for gags and getting to know the characters. I would've personally liked a little more plot and better pacing, but it's pretty good as is

6/13/22 "Vertigo" 1958
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "If I let you change me, will that do it? If I do what you tell me, will you love me?"
This was Hitchcock's most artistic work. The shots in this movie can get pretty surreal along with the excellent lighting in some of the scenes. Hitchcock wasn't afraid of using colored lighting in this one leading to wonderful shots where the main characters are illuminated in different colors to express their mood. There was also a dream sequence which was done very well, like one shot of Jimmy Stewart walking with a black background only to switch to a new location while Jimmy Stewart is keeping the same movement. This film also found "the vertigo shot" which is a dolly zoom meant to stretch the background out farther than the foreground making a dizzying effect. The mystery in this movie is also really well done, but I feel like there was no way for the audience to solve it at home. Something I can always appreciate about Hitchcock movies is how he limits the main characters to draw the suspense. In Rear Window it was the wheelchair, in North by Northwest it was the drunk scene, in Psycho it was the shower, etc. In this one, Jimmy Stewart is a police officer who has a fear of heights which leads to him being kicked off of the force for being helpless to save his partner. He later gets called on to protect this man's wife because she is trying to kill herself. People often credit this as Hitchcock's best work but I feel like it wasn't really too suspenseful. Don't get me wrong, this film was a wonderful journey and mystery but I was expecting suspense throughout more of the movie. It wasn't until the ending that things got really suspenseful which I appreciated. I feel like "Strangers on a Train" and "Rear Window" are better when it comes to suspense, but this movie is 100% worth a watch. If you want to be a film buff you need to see this movie

12/3/22 "Gigi" 1958
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Gigi, you're from another planet."
A best picture winner and one of the only musicals might I add. This was a weird one. It has some great songs and some funny moments, but the plot didn't age well whatsoever. It's all about a man falling in love with Gigi, a girl who's much younger than him and who's being encouraged by his uncle (Maurice Chevalier) who kicks off the movie with the song "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" all about how he loves little girls since they eventually grow up and he can date them. There are also several jokes about people being excited that a woman nearly committed suicide, like... what? Also, though the songs are great, there is little to no choreography in this movie. It's all just singing. Overall, it's not the worst movie ever, but it's certainly not the best

7/15/25 "No Time For Sergeants" 1958
5/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "But... he completed it the wrong way!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I feel like this comedy movie didn't age well. It's not offensive or racist or anything like that, it's just a very old style of comedy. I normally love older comedies, but this felt too silly and too "of its time", so it just didn't work for me. It's about a farm boy (Andy Griffith) becoming a soldier for the army, but his captain thinks he's the dumbest soldier they have, so he repeatedly tries to embarrass him and take him down a peg, but it keeps backfiring. I found the Griffith character annoying, and his "aw shucks, golly" personality forced. The best part of the movie is the brief appearance of Don Knotts. In one scene, he was funnier than most of the movie.

4/25/24 "Indiscreet" 1958
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I don't want a lobster! I want a man!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This was a very underwhelming romantic comedy. It's about an actress (Ingrid Bergman) feeling like she's too old to get married when she meets an economist (Cary Grant) who falls in love with her. They start a relationship despite the fact that Cary Grant is married. There's a twist in this story that happens around the mid-point that I wouldn't want to spoil, but it's really stupid and makes me question the film's point. It just wasn't very funny and they wasted the obvious talent of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. They had great chemistry and Ingrid Bergman did a pretty good job with her comedy (despite not being a comedian). As a whole, this is a pretty forgettable rom-com.

12/5/24 "The Defiant Ones" 1958
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I ain't gettin' mad, Joker. I have been mad all my natural life." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I had higher hopes for this film since the concept was really interesting, but this lived up to the hype. We follow two escaped convicts, a racist white man (Tony Curtis) and an African American (Sidney Poitier) as they try to get away from law enforcement. What makes things difficult is the fact that they are chained together, even though they absolutely hate each other. That sounds interesting, but I feel like it was a little shallow in execution. I feel like if this film was made 10 years later, it would've been a lot better. It's an alright film, but I just wish they went deeper with the material.

7/22/23 "A Night To Remember" 1958
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "But this is not the end of the story - -For their sacrifice was not in vain" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's funny watching this film after watching Titanic earlier this year because of what they hope to accomplish. Titanic is more concerned with a sentimental journey. They invent characters for you to fall in love with so when they die later on, you feel the true impact of the ship going down. This film, however, chooses to go the more historical route. This film's sinking is a lot slower since it historically wasn't as fast as the James Cameron one. It's also a lot more general when it comes to the characters, you don't really get to know them that well since it basically cuts from character to character. I would say this is a better record of what happened that night whereas Titanic is a better movie

4/19/23 "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" 1958
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "SHUT UP!", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: no.
I feel like maybe my expectations were just too for this one. I just thought that this would be absolutely fantastic since everyone talks about this film, but it was just okay. There were some great acting moments, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, and Burl Ives. Which, on a side note, this is so childish but it felt so wrong watching Burl Ives swear and get so mad when you've been hearing his voice every Christmas season in Rudolph. The story was kind of weak potatoes. It's just that Paul Newman doesn't want to get intimate with Elizabeth Taylor, but Burl Ives (his father) wants a grandkid. In the OG play, it's suggested that Paul Newman's character is gay, but the Hays code said "Oh no you don't!" and censored that part of the play.

9/11/25 "The Blob" 1958
3/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "How do you get people to protect themselves from something they don't believe in?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
You would think that in a movie called "The Blob", you would think the blob would be in the movie more. The movie follows these young adults (one of which being played by Steve McQueen) as they find a mysterious alien blob that consumes anything it touches. The group of young adults is really not that interesting, even though they're basically the focus of the movie. It was just a slog to get through.

4/19/24 "Damn Yankees" 1958
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'm handy with fire." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a pretty great musical. It follows a man named Joe Boyd making a deal with the devil (Ray Watson) to help his favorite baseball team win against the Yankees. He gets turned into the young Joe Hardy (Tab Hunter), a younger version of Joe Boyd who joins the team. While there, he starts missing his wife and previous life so he thinks about ending the deal, so the devil introduces him to a lady named Lola (Gwen Verdon) who's working for the devil. The songs in this movie are very iconic and well-written. It's sad because it was the last show written by Adler and Ross because Jerry Ross died the year this was finished. They wrote three shows together and two of them won the Tony for Best Musical (The Pajama Game and This). Gwen Verdon does an excellent job in this role, but true props have to go with Ray Watson, he plays such an over-the-top devil and it's clear how much fun he has in the role. The songs are pretty catchy here too, "Whatever Lola Wants", "Heart", "Who's Got The Pain", and "Good Old Days". "Gold Old Days" has some troubling depictions in it, but the whole song is literally about horrible parts of human history. The choreography is also great, especially "Who's Got The Pain" with Verdon and Bob Fosse himself doing the number. A pretty memorable movie as a whoel

1/19/25 "Shadows" 1958
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The trouble with you is, you suffer from self-induced hysteria at the word 'existentialism'. Are you aware of that?" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This is one of the first Indie films ever made, and it's such an interesting piece of film history. This is the first film by John Cassavetes, and it contains his signature style of trying to capture reality. The story is really interesting, especially for the '50s. We follow a man named Tony, who's white, who falls in love with the light-skinned black woman, Lelia. Lelia has a protective brother who's darker than she is, and who doesn't entirely approve of Tony. For a debut film, it's interesting how quickly Cassavetes wanted to talk about social issues, especially in a time when they weren't talked about too often. It's a little rough around the edges, but the fact that this film was made at all is a testament to Cassavetes.

3/9/24 "Bell, Book, and Candle" 1958
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Shep, you just never learned to spell" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This was a pretty funny post-screwball film. It's about a modern-day witch (Kim Novak) in Greenwich Village casting a spell on a man (Jimmy Stewart) to fall in love with her instead of his current fiancee, who was her college rival). However, she thinks that she's falling in love with him, which is bad because if a witch falls in love she loses her powers. This film had some pretty great performances. Obviously, the best one is Jack Lemmon. He just brings such great energy to every character he plays and plays it with such sincerity. Jimmy Stewart does an alright job, although it's clear to see that he was a little miscast. He's really funny, but I think the role was more suited for Cary Grant who's a lot more of a physical comedian. Kim Novak does a pretty great job too, despite comedy not really being her thing. Ernie Kovacs is also really funny in this film. The writing was a little all over the place, but the performances really elevated what little they had. As a whole, this isn't really one that everyone needs to see, but if you like Jimmy Stewart or Jack Lemmon, this might be worth it.

2/6/25 "Auntie Mame" 1958
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I always saw this on the AFI 100 Best Comedy list and was a little confused. I hadn't really heard much about this movie, and yet it's on the list of the 100 best comedies. After watching it, I can completely see why. This is such an interesting comedy, especially for the 50s, because of how it handles politics. Easily, the best part of the film is Rosalind Russell as Mame. This is a real showstopping performance that makes the whole movie. Mame is an eccentric, freethinking woman who throws extravagant parties and loves the pursuit of knowledge. One day, her brother dies, leading to her being the guardian of her young nephew, Patrick. She deeply loves Patrick and wants nothing more than him to follow in her footsteps of being a freethinker. Her main philosophy is to "live, live, live", this goes against the idea of the executor of his father's estate, who wants him to live a very conservative life. There's a constant battle between Patrick picking the regular life to live and the eccentric one. The sets are really well done along with the lighting (I love how instead of cutting to black, the lights go to black like a play). The side characters are really great, especially Gooch (Peggy Cass), an unmarried woman who's painfully normal compared to Auntie Mame, and yet Mame adores her. This is such an extremely funny and heartfelt film, I highly suggest it.

1/15/24 "Some Came Running" 1958
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Buy yourself a Quonset hut." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I don't really get the grab to this film. This is a pretty standard melodrama with a stellar cast (Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin). It follows a soldier coming home after war (Sinatra), and becomes friends with a gambler (Martin). While back in town, Sinatra falls in love with two women who couldn't be more different. I just couldn't really get into this film. There's barely any plot and the characters aren't great.

1/11/26 "Room At The Top" 1958
2/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Darling, you're crying! I believe you really are sentimental after all." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This film was hard to sit through. I just found that this was such a dull, dry film to get through. The film deals with a love triangle, but it's special because none of the characters actually have any chemistry. We follow a man who's marrying the daughter of a factory owner to get ahead, but he falls in love with an older woman. It seems like a good plot, but with the boring characters and lack of chemistry, this film was a slog to get through. It's actually crazy that this won for the best adapted screenplay in the same year as "Anatomy of a Murder" and "Some Like It Hot".

9/18/24 "House On Haunted Hill" 1959
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Don't stay up thinking of ways to get rid of me, it makes wrinkles." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is a very campy horror film, and I was all for it. The basic premise is that a group goes to an eccentric millionaire's house, who offers to give each of them 10,000 dollars if they can stay the whole night in a haunted house. This is a pretty classic setup for a horror movie, there are some great images in this film that have defined the horror genre for the years to come. Vincent Price was practically born for a role like this, he executes it so well. While this isn't the greatest horror film, it certainly had its impact and was a pulpy, fun time.

7/25/22 "Sleeping Beauty" 1959
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "That looks awful!" "Well, it's on you!"
I feel like this is where Disney got really good. Binging all the Disney movies with my sister, you get some really bad ones. This film doesn't really have those long dull moments because of how naturally the plot flows. The chemistry between the Prince and Aurora is really natural and it's a mutual love between them which is nice. I also like how the prince was told about the spell and doesn't just kiss random women in the woods (cough cough Snow White prince). The three fairies and Maleficent make this movie so iconic, I love all the comedic moments that actually made me chuckle. Very cute film

5/13/25 "Ride Lonesome" 1959
7/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "I'd hunt you free." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
I was pretty impressed with this western because of how stripped back it was. In this film, there are only six characters, and the film depends on their relationship to one another. Ben Brigade (Randolph Scott) is a bounty hunter who's after Frank John (Lee Van Cleef), but to get to him, he has to pretend that he's taking his brother Billy (James Best) so he can lead him to Frank. While there, Ben meets the duo Sam Boone (Pernell Roberts) and Whit (James Coburn in his film debut!), who are also after Frank. He also meets the widow Carrie Lane, who tags along for revenge. The one problem with this film is the depiction of Native Americans that's so common with the genre, but other than this is a western classic

5/5/23 "Rio Bravo" 1959
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "You want that gun, pick it up. I wish you would." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes!
Another win for Howard Hawks, I think he might have one of the most consistent filmographies despite dripping into various genres. Screwball Comedy, Musical, Noir, and now, westerns, Howard Hawks can truly direct any genre. This film has some of the most likable characters in a western. Even the comedic relief old man, who in other movies would be very annoying and over the top, whereas in this film he's actually funny and could be really sweet at times. My favorite character is the Dean Martin character. He goes through a really interesting arc where the whole town sees him as a joke since he's been drunk. An example is when they throw a coin in a spitoon since he would reach in and get it to buy a drink. It's nice seeing him gain the admiration of the town and try to be a better man. There are also some great action sequences and a duet between Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson which is something I never knew I needed. The weakest part of this film was the romance that was thrown in because of old Hollywood. It doesn't really add anything, but it doesn't take away from the film. A classic

3/25/22 "The 400 Blows" 1959
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "Right or Left hand?"
I feel like this generation would love this movie. I feel like this is what inspired many of the modern-day Indie Films. It has that indie existential feel that so many movies have these days. The movie doesn't have the huge plot that many other movies have, but this is all about Antoine Doinel who's a rebel with a cause. While the American rebel is seen as cool and pop culture iconic, Antoine is more confused and lashes out at society. His parents are great in this film. I feel like in movies either the parents are goofy funny parents who don't pay attention to their child or uptight control-freak parent who are overbearing. This film has the parents play both roles, they're both fun and goofy but also overbearing at times. This is such a realistic look at parents since very rarely are parents like that. This film will just leave you heartbroken just seeing how Antoine's life is so miserable since nobody listens to him.

6/30/25 "Black Orpheus" 1959
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Forgive me, Eurydice." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
This film had good intentions, but it really didn't handle them well. This is a retelling of the myth of Orpheus, but in Brazil, during a carnival. The film is shot really beautifully, and they have some clever ways of setting it there, but it feels very exoticized, especially when considering that it's a French director who has no attachment to the culture. The acting is only so-so, I much prefer the other French Orpheus from 1950.

10/28/23 "Anatomy of a Murder" 1959
9/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "As a lawyer, I've had to learn that people aren't just good or just bad. People are many things." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: No
It's strange how engaging this film is. It is nearly three hours of court proceedings, yet it keeps the audience engaged the entire time. It's very ahead of its time, it's about Paul Biegler (Jimmy Stewart), a lawyer taking on a case where a lieutenant killed a man because he r*ped his wife. The whole movie questions whether murder can be justified. Jimmy Stewart is incredible in this role, he adds a strange amount of comedy to such a serious movie, but it works! Duke Ellington also does the music in this movie, which is an interesting touch. There's even a scene of Duke Ellington and Jimmy Stewart playing the piano together, and that image will forever live in my head rent-free. I don't want to spoil too much about this film, it's a rollercoaster ride of emotion. I highly suggest it.

1/8/23 "Ben-Hur" 1959
4/10 Stars, Favorite Quote "By condemning without hesitation an old friend, I shall be feared.", Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
Another best picture winner, and another historical drama. For those new to this account, I'm trying to watch all of the best picture winners before the next Oscars ceremony. This definitely feels like one of those "big to be big" movies. This is one of those films with an intermission, overture, massive sets, lots of extras, and a nearly four-hour runtime. I feel like this movie puts the story aside to display how expensive the film is. Speaking of the story, this is adapted from an 1800s novel which is basically just bible fan fiction which is sort of odd, although the crucifixion scene was well done. It's crazy to think films like Some Like It Hot, North By Northwest, Anatomy of Murder, Pillow Talk, Sleeping Beauty, and Rio Bravo lost but this won. To be fair, this was not only one of the highest-grossing films of 1959 but the 14th highest-grossing film of all time. It sold 98,046,900 tickets (which totals up to $918,699,453 in today's money). This just wasn't my type of movie. I'm more into character-focused films

6/30/25 "Pickpocket" 1959
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Oh, Jeanne, to reach you at last, what a strange path I had to take." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
It's interesting how the film fully tells you it's not a thriller. This film argues that it is more a tale of the everyman than a thriller. We follow a young pickpocket, who isn't good at pickpocketing, but it's all he can do. He tries to get a straight job, but pickpocketing is easier for him. It's a very French film with the way it's shot and paced, but it's really well done. I really enjoyed the characters in this film and how endearing they all are. There are some pretty tense moments, all things considered.

11/23/25 "On The Beach" 1959
8/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "The war started when people accepted the idiotic principle that peace could be maintained by arranging to defend themselves with weapons." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
This is such a devastating film to watch. The film follows four characters five years into the future in 1964, where the world has pretty much ended. There's been nuclear fallout everywhere, and within months, everyone will die of poisoning. We follow a young, married man (Anthony Perkins), an older scientist (Fred Astaire), a lonely widow (Gregory Peck), and a lonely woman (Ava Gardner). This film feels both hopeless and hopeful. There's a clear warning against nuclear war, and the only way to get that message across is to see how hopeless life will become if we go down this way. It's a very poignant film that has some shocking themes for a 50s movie.

7/4/24 "Suddenly, Last Summer" 1959
6/10 Stars, Favorite Quote: "Is that what love is? Using people? And maybe that's what hate is - not being able to use people." Do they say the title of the movie within the movie: Yes
I was expecting a little more from the man who wrote "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof". It follows a rich widow (Katharine Hepburn) whose son dies and the only person who witnessed it, his cousin (Elizabeth Taylor) is so traumatized that she goes slightly mad. The widow takes Taylor to the doctor (Montgomery Clift) to hopefully give her a lobotomy to cover the event up. The movie was pretty slow, but the ending somewhat made up for it. It could've been better.

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