Blithe Spirit (1945)

Noel Coward's famous play is adapted for the screen by the great David Lean.  Starring Rex Harrison and Constance Cummings as husband and dead ex-wife reunited after a séance, this comedy fantasy is a bit dated (green makeup, really?) yet it's still an enjoyable yarn.  Yet the actor that really steals the show is Margaret Rutherford as the Madame Arcati; wow, what a great a performance.  She's a riot well worth checking out.  Like all Coward's work, there's a lot of witty exchanges and commentary on the norms of English life.  Grade: B+

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Watch almost any Hitchcock film and tell me the man wasn't a genius.  This is one of his more light thrillers, a fun adventure about an English tourist played by Margret Lockwood and musician played by Michael Redgrave who are thrust into a mystery when an older lady staying in the same inn disappears.  Soon the mystery spins into a complex European conspiracy on a train.  Along for the ride are cricket enthusiasts Caldicott and Charters, two proper English men played by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat who I first enjoyed in the film Night Train to Munich.  This was the popular comic duo's first film appearance and you can see why they became recurring characters.  There's a lot to enjoy about this one.  It's technically a marvel with memorable performances from an outstanding cast.  This was the film that spurred Hitchcock's career toward Hollywood where he'd soon become a legend.  Grade: A.

Suzanne's Career (1963)

The second film in Eric Rohmer's Six Morale Tales Series, this almost-hour long story is of a college student's judgmental relationship with a friend's on-and-off again girl friend.  Suzanne is more of a free-spirit; an opinionated young woman that rubs Bertrand the wrong way even as he refuses to accept that he's attracted to her all the same.   There is even a feeling that if Bertrand was more accepting he'd fall for her.  As I write this I'm trying to pin-point the reason I enjoyed it so much.  It's funny how such a simple plot can really inspire a memorable little story.  I think what worked for me was that these characters were so real.  I've known people like them.  It might as well have happen in a city in the United States with young people today using cell phones and Facebook.  Such a wonderful universal quality makes it a timeless work.  The next film in the series is La Collectionneuse  and I'm looking forward to it because so far I'm loving what Rohmer is doing.  Grade: B+ 

Farewell, Mr. Ebert

Rest in peace, Mr. Ebert.  While there are a lot of movie critics out there, too many maybe, none of them will be able to fill your shoes.  You wrote reviews as someone who really loved movies.  Sure you were an expert, an intelligent and thoughtful writer with years of knowledge, but you didn't write about movies to impress us or to invent some unnecessary theory of being you wrote them to celebrate and give guidance.  Reading a review from you was like having a conversation with a good friend, a fellow movie nerd who I mostly agreed with.  And when I didn't agree with you, I didn't feel insulted, I could still see your point of view.  You prove that not everyone can be a critic, that some opinions are unique enough and pure enough to be heard and honored.  Thank you for your dedication and know that you've made an impacts.      

The Story of Qiu Ju (1992)

After her husband is kicked in the groin by the village leader, pleasant woman Qiu Ju sets out to find justice.  She doesn't want money or sympathy from the government.  She wants what in many ways she can't have and yet she will travel as far as it takes, even pregnant, to get what she wants.  Zhang Yimou directs what really is a minor masterpiece.  Gong Li plays the stubborn Qiu Ju and it's impossible to take your eyes off her, her character is so enduring that it's easy to get caught up in her obsessive quest.   These kind of tales about China and the workings of Communism are so fascinating.  I can't recommend this one enough.  Grade: A

The Man Who Came To Dinner (1941)

The rude guest that just won't go away makes up the plot for this hilarious and witty comedy starring Monty Woolley as the formidable Sheridan Whiteside, a radio host that becomes a couple's live-in nightmare after hurting his back slipping on their front stairs. Bette Davis is his assistant who falls in love with the local newspaper reporter but Whiteside would rather not lose her so begins to conspire ways spoil the love affair.  There's much to enjoy about this film, especially Whiteside's sharp tongue insulting those he considers his inferiors (meaning everyone).  Grade: B+

Glee (Season 3)

The popular high school musical show about the unpopular kids of Glee Club continues its third season and is able to keep from becoming stale.   The love story between Rachel and Finn continues to entice and the ongoing quest for a National Title remains as exciting as ever.  It does seem at times that the magic that made this show so amazing during the first two seasons is running low but there are still some moments.  I also think the producers are making a mistake not introducing more students to replace the Seniors graduating.   Even if we continue to follow the senior class after graduation this is a show about a high school Glee club so it needs to spend most of the time in high school.   Grade: A.