Rating Marilyn: Part 1

So I am a HUGE  Marilyn Monroe fan, if you haven't seen my other post on Marilyn get yourself acquainted with it. Now I owe a huge debt to Melinda from Marilyngeek.com or formerly known as marilynmonroe.ca. This website encouraged my obsession with Marilyn. Yesterday as I was visiting the site I ventured onto the movie review site and I was sad to see that not counting Gentlemen prefer Blondes, I disagreed on her movie tastes so I decided to make a post about it. I'm going to cut it into two parts: movies 1-8 mainly being studio chosen films for her and 8-13 chosen by her or at least with more creative control. Plus they are my favorites as they seem to flow from her more easily.

Let's skip: Ladies of the Chorus, Monkey Business, Let's make it Legal, the Asphalt Jungle, Love Nest  and Clash by Night as they were really only her bits and intro, she really had only 10 min of screen time perhaps in each and was the only reason those movies are remembered are because of her but whateves.

1.All About Eve

Now even though MArilyn only had two scenes in this movie not only were they memorable, but they literally made her more famous. This movie was a hit, it garnered 11 Oscars! I love this movie, I watched it because of Marilyn but it became one of my favorites quickly. The premise is so real and so true, it literally is still going on today. I would recommend this movie to everyone. It is honestly like the adult 40's Mean Girls. 

"Put on your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride." - Margo Channing.

Now we're getting into the good stuff:

2.Don't Bother to Knock

Before TCM was cruelly left in the cold by TWC, I had the fortune to tune into this movie. It was by happenstance that I saw it and I was in awe. I had only seen Marilyn do comedy at this point and I was in shock by her gritty portrayal of a mentally unstable babysitter. Full with suspense and shock this was honestly a good movie. I saw it during Halloween, when they were giving "scary old movies". Honestly I think she deserved more credit than she got. This was something that she hadn't tried on before and even though the audience of the time didn't appreciate it, she was rather convincing. She has this enigmatic quality to portray sadness and sympathy that makes you want to feel sorry for her but then you remember she's psycho and you recant. Her co-stars we're Anne Bancroft and Richard Widmark. The creator of  MarilynGeek was crazy about  this movie. She said :"My opinion: This is a very unusual role for Marilyn.  She doesn't do a bad job either. I think the movie is pretty slow though and it really isn't Marilyn's best work but she does star in it and we get to see lots of her on the screen.  Make sure this isn't the first Marilyn movie you see because you don't get the whole effect of her presence."  Although I agree that this is probably not the first Marilyn you should watch, it's definitely one that you have to watch. I disagree that the movie is too slow. I think that it was perfectly paced so that you can see the strings start to unravel in the little moments, like when she dabs on perfume of stares at herslef in the mirror for a fraction too long. I just love this movie.

3.Niagra 

This movie is breathtakingly stunning, it was shot in Technicolor and let me tell you that there were two big draws to this movie, COLOR and MARILYN'S WALK. You could say this was Marilyn's breakthrough, not Big Break. She is perfect in the role of Rose Loomis a housewife who is vacationing with ther husband in Niagra Falls. The premise is about how she cheats on her husband and involves this other couple. I love this movie because you get to see the sneaky, bitchy and conniving side to Marilyn. Even though she doesn't talk alot in the movie you are so drawn to her. The story is very well written as well. It was one of my first Marilyn movies and I was very happy about it. I think that  because Marilyn could do cold and aloof and yet portray a frightened innocence it worked in the movies favor. You knew Rose had what was coming to her, I mean come on she wanted to kill her husband, and yet you could still feel sorry for her. Her desperation is palpable and her fear is real. It was just, so good. Watch it for the story, the visuals or for Marilyn but watch it!

4.Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

This is Marilyn's Big Break movie. This movie was the perfect vehicle for her. The story is about two girls from the wrongside of the tracks who take are essentially looking for love. Marilyn plays Lorelei, a gold digger essentially but a loveable one. Jane Russell plays her smart, witty fool in love gal pal. They are on a cruise ship to Europe where Lorelei's millionaire boyfriend is going to meet up with them. Now they say that Marilyn was stereotyped as a dumb blonde. Well I will be the first to inform you that not only was Lorelei not dumb, perhaps a bit ditzy but definitely not dumb, she was a spitfire. I love this movie because of the musical numbers, they are neither long nor ostentatious, they just present Lorelei and Dorothy just as they are. Everything about this movie is just perfect. The musicals, the comedic timing, the costuming, and not to mention the CASTING. I love Jane Russel and Charles Coburn because of this movie. I also love Howard Hawks for this movie. This is why Marilyn was stereotyped, because she was perfect for this role. Personally Marilyn wasn't very materialistic (the woman literally lived out of her suitcase) so she wasn't Lorelei but if the shoe fits, strut!

5.How to Marry a Millionaire

Quite possibly my least favorite Marilyn movie of all time, including the westerns. I really hate the premise of this movie. Lauren Bacall also irks me. She wasn't one of my favorites of the era. Betty Grable is boring to me too. The idea that women have to go looking for millionaires to make themselves better is so annoying to me and its a tired old plot even for the 50's. Marilyn's character is  Pola and she is blind as a bat but refuses to wear her glasses in a setting where a man can see her. Although it has comedic elements thanks to her running into walls, I was bored and annoyed the entirety of the film and only watched til the end to see Marilyn. There's not more to say except PASS!

6.River of No Return

Second western I have ever liked. The movie is about a father and son who are re-meeting after a long time and they meet Kay. She is a saloon girl who is in love with a gambling man. After her man is chased out of town by thugs they again run into the father and son. The man robs the father, even though the father has shown him hospitatity and kindness. In a struggle they fight and the gambler is about to kill the man and Kay intervenes. That's how she gets stuck with them. They are attacked by indians and so have to leave. They have to ride a raft all the way down a river the indians call "the river of no return". hence the movie title. I like this movie because my grandma likes this movie. Back when she could walk and come to my house she and I would watch old movies, she liked Marilyn a lot, mainly because I loved her but anyways she always loved the cinematography and the story line. I like it because Marilyn is good in westerns, she plays a lovefool but tough saloon girl. It's Marilyn's forgotten film, and I think it has to do with the cowboys but I would give it a chance. 

7.There's No Business like Show Business 

Here's the truth, I watched but didn't really pay attention until Marilyn came up. Even though she had really great costumes and dance numbers this movie was not really good for her. She was a mean gold digger and lost some of her charm for me. I still liked her in this but it wasn't anything special. I'd skip it and just youtube the dance sequences. 

8.The Seven Year Itch

So this is where Marilyn played "The Girl", and she was fantastic in it. Although I don't like this movie as much as most of her other films I don't dislike it. The storyline is actually hilarious and her acting is perfect, for me the problem is him.Tom Ewell is just not funny to me. His comedy is dry and lacks spark. I honestly fins this movie boring whenever Marilyn is not on screen. However without this movie we wouldn't have that dress scene now would we! That became the Marilyn, so I watch it because of that. However I usually skip around. 

END OF PART 1

You know what time it is! Olympic gala of movies .....the Oscars

Nominees in Pixar

 

My favorite choice to win 

In third place.

 In second place

 



This weekend marks the 86th annual Academy Awards. Holy shit 86? I remember I was waiting for the 83. Man that was ages ago. Moving on here are the nominees, in wonderful parody form. My favorite is the walle cover. I predict that American Hustle will take the award for Best Motion Picture edging out the contender 12 years a slave. The Academy might surprise me and put their bs politics aside and crown it. However I still think American hustle might win, it was really good. The costumes, the acting was just superb! My girl Jennifer Lawerence delivered. She's just so.. ughh I love her. Anyway I think that this year had really good movies and I'm glad that in recent years we have had an insurgence of really good moives. This generation has to pick up the slack for the crap in the 80's and mis seventies. I have watched most of the Oscar winning pictures and not always have I agreed on the winner. They tend to be war movies, musicals and or something that's going to make you cry. And albeit that those tend to be good movies I think the Academy is somewhat prejudice on ceartin directors (ex. A Martin Scorsese)

Spring time

Back at school and look at me taking stats. Hold the applause. I'm in the lab supposedly doing math hw but I wondered over to youtube and saw the new trailer for Season 4 of Game of Thrones. If I havent been vocal about it just know I love Game of Thrones. It is so well written so expansive and richly set, I mean its just fucking epic. Anyway so I ventured to this video which is a behind the scenes look at the making of GoT season 4 and lets just say the chick that plays Brienne, has officially lost her marbles. This bitch is crazy go ahead and skip to 9:01 .... watch as her madness unfolds.. muahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5iS3tULXMQ

 

 

Catching Fire

I had been in slow agony awaiting this movie it seems like I like torture (not all other series I love) finally the blessed weekend came and me, nothing. I had no one to go with. None of my adult friends wanted to go and my cousins ( as I shall call them) had already gone without me. I call betrayal! So when my cousin from Houston came back they all wanted to go see it again and me for the first time!It was fucking awesome, way better than the first and definitely more true to the book. Ok can I pause for a second and congratulate both the writer and the costume designer. One for an amazing job thinking these things up and the second for making them come to life, I swear the costumes for these movies are just plain fantastic. Its really not that simple to put all of this book into one small contained movie, there was so much here, the whole clock aspect of the games was fantastic. I really loved this movie, I can't wait for them all to come out and for me to have them on video so I can just watch them and have a marathon. On that note I will say that it was sadder than the book. Maybe because I saw the visualization. I honestly don't know I loved it. Even if it is a fucked up concept. I'm a little spacey so this post might need revision later

R.I.P Kindle

Last Saturday as I was doing laundry I put my kindle in my hamper and I washed it, yes ladies and gentlemen I am a huge jackass. I loved my kindle more than one should love such objects, but if you had one you would understand! That kindle was my life, it literally never left my side, if it did it was because where I was going was to dangerous to take. I could not risk it's life. I had all my life inside that kindle. Now I feel so empty, there is nothing I can even begin to compare to my beloved kindle. My blackberry used to be on this pedestal but once I stupidly erased the mobi reader app and have not been able to install it on the new blackberry I am stuck in limbo with that piece of crap. My kindle allowed me to be part of the app crowd. Now I have nothing to divert my time with, no more candy crush, song quiz, plants vs. zombies, star girl, unblock me. no more alarm, no more really cool comforting rain sounds to put me to sleep! Its all very sad and so I ask you to join me in the moment for my kindle. .

Ironically all my  kindle pictures where on the kindle. so this is the one I had I tried to get a new one this holiday season (black Friday and cyber Monday) but for some reason it was like 3 times this price so I said nels.

here's what my beloved looked like

Little Children

Little Children by Tom Perrota is one of those fabulous novels that have been turned into better movies. I had seen the movie back in 2008. The movie starred two of my all time favorite actors; Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson. The movie revolves around two stay at home parents who have completed degrees in higher education. They have both conformed to the lives of the "dominant spouse" and when they find themselves they begin a romantic conection. The problems being to arise with the arivval of a knonw sexual offender.
This is where the movie and the book begin to defer.
The movie takes the character of Ronnie the sexual deviant into a more subdued manner, they don't acuse him of murder nor is he as repugnant as he is described in the book. Also the scene where he goes on a date is also thankfully excluded.
The truth is I really liked the movie and the ending was much more powerful, in the book the end was almost laughable. I mean you got the mom who has been a pseudo intellectual now playing Cinderella, the dad who has been for the most part a pretty face who was riding on his luck taking a turn for the better attempting to be a hero. Then you have the secondary characters the "perfect mom" riding in to finally break her own rules and quits becoming a conformist and the sexual deviant who just lost his mom becoming sympathetic to someone besides himself. The really is an asshole all throughout the book while in the movie you don't exactly forgive him or understand why he did what he did but you can sympathize with his character.
All in all the book was a quick read, but I would rather watch the movie.

Machete Kills

So I saw the trailer for this movie and I just could not help wanting to watch it. I knew it was going to be terrible the minute I heard the name of the main character. Machete is a character I have come to know very well. What with him being the cool outcasted uncle in the very popular children's "Spy Kids" series. Now let me say this first; robert Rodriguez always has a hispanic cast and he is like Adam Sandler or Judd Apatow you already know who his main and co-starring characters will be. In the Machete series he baisically takes this already established character and amps his violent streak to a 10. Now I haven't seen the first one, at least not all of it. However I saw enough to understand that he is a mercenary on the hunt fro something and justice for Mexico or whatever and Michelle Rodriguez comes in and kicks as and Juny Cortez is also there as a cholo and Machete is Machete with Cheech Marin as his priestly brother. Jessica Alba is the law abiding princess who steals his heart.
In this new Machete, which by the way opes with a teaser for the next installment of Machete, aka Machete Kills Again in Space( that I will go watch for the funny Space Wars spoof and mostly for laughs) and proceeds to the very first killing. I guess I won't spoil and tell you what is Machete's driving froce behind his killing streak. I will however say that it was FUNNY!  I swear I almost peed in my seat laughing! I don't know if it was because the Mexicans next to me were cheering him on (as if he could or would listen) or because I just couldn't handle the ridiculousness that is the whole entire movie. On a sidenote Sofia Vergara can do creepy very well, its that damn gigantic mouth of hers. Oh and Amber Heard plays a good bitch. I say watch it if your not going to take it seriously. If you are your going to be dissapointed .