Godzilla! "King of the Monsters"

                                           

I think there’s been a lot of good monster movies out there, but what makes a good monster movie? The story line, the characters, or is it explosions and destruction that goes on throughout the film? Well, yes in a way, but no. The real answer I’m looking for is of course the monster itself. There have been a lot of impressive, powerful, and deadly monsters out there, such as the Cloverfield monster from the 2008 film Cloverfeild or even the monsters from the 2013 movie Pacific Rim. But in my opinion there’s only one monster that tops them all. The “King of Monsters,” himself Godzilla. Godzilla is strong, powerful, has a sharp terrifying roar, and has some wicked radioactive breath. No other monster can compare to this giant deadly lizard.

Godzilla has been such an icon that I don’t even think of him as a monster or for most of you out there a man in a rubber suit. No, I actually think of him as an actor. He would be given a role to either play the part of the hero, who saves us from another monster that wants to destroy everything and anything in its path. Or most likely IS the other monster that wants to destroy everything. The original Godzilla film was released in 1954 and has had twenty eight films to follow after it and were all produced by Toho productions. Godzilla has become a house hold name in not just Japan, but all over the world and many people have different opinions on this lizard. For instance whether or not Godzilla is male or female? since in some of the films Godzilla was a parent and is said that he laid the eggs. But there is just one thing I’d like to know. Do you think he’s a ruthless killer that destroys everything and cares only about himself? Or do you believe that deep down he does care and is good, but just doesn’t want to show it? Or is Godzilla just a freak of nature who has no thoughts or feelings and just stomps around a lot while blowing up stuff?

Fun fact, Godzilla was so popular that American monster King Kong wanted in on the fame. So not only did they get to do a film together, but it was also the first time for both of them to be in a movie that was shot in color. And there was actually a rumor going around that Godzilla actually planted itching powder in Kong’s dressing room.

MY FAIR LADY

Have you ever been in that situation where you’re talking to someone and you can’t stand their mannerisms, slang, or even how they speak or pronounce certain words? Well, what if you could change that? What if you were given an opportunity to change that person and everything about them? Well, a man named Henry Higgins was given that chance when he was challenged by a colleague. For six months he had to teach a filthy Cockney flower girl, with a horrendous accent, into a lady.

 Everything in this film is basically dedicated to being classy. The songs and the jokes are clever and brilliant, the gowns and wardrobe in this film are stunning, and the cast... let’s just say these parts were made specifically for these actors and actresses who played them. Only Rex Harrison could portray the character of Professor Henry Higgins, with his cockiness that he uses in most of his films, he could make it look like he was the actual Professor himself.  Not to mention the queen of elegance herself Audrey Hepburn who plays the ill speaking Eliza Doolittle. The Broadway musical of “My Fair Lady” was released in 1956 and the film was released in 1964. The movie and musical was based off of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion.

QUEEN BEE

Now I know what you’re thinking, but this movie is not a dull documentary talking about bees and their queen. It’s actually based on a novel about a young woman named Jennifer Stewart, visiting her cousin at her luxurious Mansion in Georgia.  When Jennifer arrives to the mansion her cousin isn’t there to greet her, but instead she is met by her cousin’s children. Trissa and her brother Ted. She then meets her cousin’s sister in-law, Carol, who appeared at the time to be in a pretty heated argument between her and her boyfriend Jud. Later she meets her cousin’s husband Avery, who was talking business with a friend. After all that was finished Avery greeted Jennifer in a frightening way by trying to intimidate her with a deep scar on his face that he got in an auto mobile accident.

Finally after meeting everyone else at the mansion, Jennifer’s cousin Eva Phillips arrives. Eva is dressed in fine clothes while also wearing a beautiful pure white minx coat. Her young children run up to her with open arms. She has a sweet tender smile on her face with a soft voice to match, but yet for some reason the other members of her family seemed bitter towards her. Also when they talked to or about Eva they would have a tone of hatred towards her. The only one who didn’t seem to have any hard feelings towards her was Jennifer. And she wondered why no one else liked Eva like she did.

There are a lot of twist and turns in this movie, from the nightmares of Eva’s son Ted, to the death of Eva’s sister in-law, leading up to the drastic ending of the film. The novel was written by Edna. L. Lee and the movie was directed by Ronald MacDougall. The film starred Lucy Marlow as Jennifer Stewart and the “Mommy Dearest” herself Joan Crawford as Eva Phillips.

ABANDON SHIP!

                                                                                                                                                                                                            

I think we can all say at one point in our lives we like to take control and just be in charge of our lives, but what would happen if you became in charge of someone else’s life? What would happen if say you were on a luxurious cruise ship and one day while sailing your ship hits a rouge mine and sinks? Well in Alec Holmes’s case he manages to survive along with twenty-seven other survivors who share one life boat that was built for nine people only. Among those survivors was the dying captain who trusted Holmes enough to make him the captain. There were skeptics and doubters, but he manages to get his point across that no matter what they say he is still in charge.

Since the boat was way too small to hold all of them at once, Holmes decides that they would take shifts of who would stay in the boat and who would wait in the water while tied to the sides of the boat. It was hard on them especially for those who became sea sick and those who were injured from the sinking. Then, it got worse because Holmes and the survivors were about to get stuck in the middle of a storm. After a badly injured passenger jumps ship Holmes realizes he won’t be able to save everyone from the storm and makes a gruesome decision. He was going to throw over all the sick and injured to drift in the sea and let the strong and healthy survive.

This movie was directed by Richard Sale and was released in 1957.  The film stars Tyrone Power who plays Alexander Holmes.  This was actually based on a real event and when the survivors were found Holmes went to trial and because of the circumstances he was only imprisoned for six months. At the end of the film, they ask: do you think what Holmes did was the right thing to do or was what he did wrong and should  he have had a greater punishment? More importantly, if you were put in charge, what would you have done?

                         

 

 

 

 

 

THE TROUBLE HARRY

We’ve all heard about murders being committed whether it’s drowning, shooting, or stabbing someone. Either way it’s all very gruesome and disturbing, but what would make it even more disturbing would be the thought that you might be the murderer.

One morning in a small quiet town somewhere in New England a retired sea captain is out in the woods hunting rabbits. He fires two shots but all he manages to hit is an old rusted can and a sign where the bullet went through it. On his way back home the captain makes a shocking discovery, he finds a dead man lying on the ground with a fresh cut on the man’s fore head. The captain was frightened because he believed that maybe one of the two shots he fired must’ve killed him.

The captain checks the body for any identification and finds that the dead man’s name is Harry Worp. Harry Worp wasn’t from there, but he came there to get his wife back. His wife was Jennifer Roger’s and she despised Harry. She only married him because he was the brother of her first late husband and she wanted her unborn child to have a father. But after seeing what Harry was really like she decided to run away and change her name. Harry manages to find her but when he comes to the front door Jennifer hits him over the head with a milk bottle. As she put it, she says she hit him silly and that he went away in a stumble and that he was saying that he’d find his wife.   The next day (the same day the captain finds Harry) Arnie, who is Jennifer’s little boy, finds Harry too and goes home to get his mother. Unlike the captain, Jennifer was rather pleased with how she found Harry.

  After Harry got hit in the head by that milk bottle he ran into Miss Gravely who was doing an early morning hike. He swore at her and insisted that she was his wife.  He grabbed her and she fought back. During the struggle one of her hiking shoes came off, she grabbed it and used the heel of the shoe and struck him on the head with it. And after she ran into the captain and saw that he believed he killed Harry, she felt a little relieved thinking that she wouldn’t be the one to blame. But she also felt guilty that someone else would take the rap for something she might have done. And if the three of them didn’t have enough problems already, when they try to burry Harry they get stuck in a situation where they keep digging him back up again.

This was directed by the terrifyingly genius Alfred Hitchcock and this film is known as a black comedy which I believe is also a good way to describes Hitchcock’s sense of humor. This film was based on the novel “The Trouble with Harry,” written by Jack Trevor Story. The movie was released in 1955 starring Shirley MacLaine, John Forsythe, and Jerry Mathers as Arnie, who will later on be known as the iconic Beaver from televisions “Leave it to Beaver.” So after reading this which one of the three do you believe killed Harry?

AUNTIE MAME

After his father dies, a young school boy goes off to live with his aunt, knowing very little about what kind of person she is and what he was about to get into. Auntie Mame, as she is known by, who lives the most eccentric life, knows the most unique kind of people, and lives by her motto to always “live, live, live.” At first you don’t really know what to make of her, but once you get to know her you realize she’s a caring, witty, and loving woman that only wants to show her nephew the best that life has to offer.

Auntie Mame is a very free spirited person, along with many other people in the world. And along with free spirited people there will always be the ones known as “stick in the mud.” That is what Mr.Dwight Babcock is. Mr. Babcock is, Patrick, the nephew’s trustee. He does everything in his power to make sure that Auntie Mame has no influence on the boy, especially since she sent her nephew to a nudist-type school.

On one of nephew Patrick’s Christmas breaks from prep school, Mr. Babcock’s doing, Auntie Mame meets an oil baron named Beauregard Burnside. They met at Mame’s new job she had gotten during the depression at Macy’s department store, where she was later fired because of a mix up. After hitting it off, Mame and her nephew were invited to go down to the South to meet Beauregard’s family, where Mame had a life threatening experience while on a hunt, but was later proposed to be Mrs. Burnside.

Years went by and the two lived a happy married life traveling the world, until one day while climbing the Matterhorn, Mr. Burnside had a fatal fall. Although Mr. Burnside was no longer with her she still had her nephew to love, but like most children... they do grow up. Not only was he grown up, but he was also in love and planning on marriage too. Except to a very dull girl with a very dull family background, and, after reading this much, do you really believe Auntie Mame would let this marriage happen? I’ll let you be the judge of that one.

I really enjoyed this movie because in real life I too have an aunt that is very similar to Auntie Mame. Eccentric, loving, and a bit loud at times, but that’s just more to love. The film was released in 1958, it is based on the novel by Patrick Dennis about his life with his aunt. It was directed by Morton DeCosta, and stars Rosalind Russell as Auntie Mame.

IMITATION OF LIFE

While spending a day at the beach, a young widowed mother and her daughter meet a black homeless woman and her daughter. After getting to know each other, the widow decides to let the homeless mother and her daughter come and live with them in their tiny apartment.

                                           

Lora Meredith, a young mother who had lost her husband in the war, who’s determination to make it on the stage and make a name for herself tries to give her little girl everything she never had. Later on she does land a small part in a comedy play and then becomes an overnight success. She finally has her dream of becoming a star, and is now able to afford a nice home for her and her new friend and their daughters. Along with that she is able to buy her daughter things she could never have before, but the only thing her daughter really asks for is that her mother would be around more often.

                                   

Annie Johnson, a mother with a kind loving heart, who would put someone else’s happiness before hers was left by her husband and she now has to take care of their daughter who’s half black and half white. Her daughter loathes the thought of knowing that she is only half white and tries to make sure no one ever finds out who her mother is. When she gets older she decides to run away and become a show girl at a night club.

No matter what happened to them in their lives, the mothers were always there for each other. They didn’t betray each other, they would come to each other when they had troubles, and they even treated each other’s daughters as their own. This movie was released in 1959 and was directed by Douglas Sirk, and starred Lana Turner and Juanita Moore. They played how friends should be no matter their backgrounds or who they were before. Although the ending is bitter sweet, it shows how strong a friendship can be.