Charade

     A woman, Regina Lampert, plans to divorce her husband, until she learns that he's been murdered.  Upon meeting a mysterious man at a ski resort, she's suddenly thrust into a thoroughly engaging spy plot.

     Take the delightful Audrey Hepburn, pair her with the suave Cary Grant, throw in a delicious Henry Mancini score, and presto!  you've got the wonderfully entertaining comedy/thriller "Charade" from 1963.  It's almost impossible not to have a goofy smile plastered across your face while watching "Charade".  Apart from the heavenly pairing of the two lead actors, who have impeccable chemistry, by the way- we also get Walter Matthau, George Kennedy, and James Coburn in fabulous supporting roles.  Almost at times coming off like an Alfred Hitchcock film, "Charade" echoes not only Hitchcock but Blake Edwards as well.  To describe "Charade" best, think "Breakfast At Tiffany's" meets "North By Northwest", and you get the picture.  Full of running jokes and colorful characters, "Charade" is an oddly underrated classic- I'm not sure why, because it has all the ingredients of a great movie.  Director Stanley Donen, as mentioned above, directs as if he actually is Hitchcock, and Hepburn and Grant spout off sparkling dialogue throughout the film.  To make matters worse, this was Hepburn and Grant's only screen pairing together, which is a shame.  They both shine here, and seem to fully enjoy working together.
     So if you're in the mood for a clever and witty mixture of suspense, intrigue, romance, and humor, complete with some fantastic location shots, "Charade" is the perfect cocktail for you.  A lovely time capsule of the 1960's, "Charade" is a thoroughly enjoyable and funny "whodunit" that will keep you guessing right up to the climax.  And it's damn near impossible to get Henry Mancini's sensational score out of your head, especially the title tune!

Flamingo Road

         Joan Crawford plays Lane Bellamy, a gal from the wrong side of the tracks.  A carnival dancer/cooch wiggler who finds herself stuck in a small, southern, politically corrupt town, she soon develops a relationship with the sheriff of the small town,  and decides she likes the small-town life.  There's only one problem, though.  The slimy head sheriff, deliciously played by Sydney Greenstreet, wants her out of town.  This is the kind of role Crawford was born to play, and besides the fact that Joan is a bit too old for her part, "Flamingo Road" is still ridiculously entertaining.
     Wonderfully film-noir with crackling dialoge, "Flamingo Road" was made during Joan's peak years.  Hot off "Mildred Pierce" and "The Damned Don't Cry", this is a worthy follow-up effort.  With Joan taking on political corruption in a small, Southern town- it's impossible not to enjoy this.  Besides Crawford in her peak years, the always welcome Sydney Greenstreet plays a memorably corpulent and evil villain.  Amazing that at 45, Crawford could still pull off a role like this, and probably do it in her sleep if asked.  Always riveting, she commands attention, dominating every scene she's in.  But that's just business as usual for Joan.   "Flamingo Road" would even inspire the short-lived but infamous 80's series, starring Stella Stevens and Morgan Fairchild.  Even if you're not a fan of Joan Crawford, it's hard not to get sucked into a film like "Flamingo Road".

Beyond the Valley Of the Dolls

  
     If you have any interest whatsoever in "cult" or "camp" movies- "Beyond the Valley Of the Dolls", along with the original, are a great place to start.  A sequel to the 1967 trash classic in name only, "BTVOTD" tells the tale of young girls who come to Hollywood looking for fame and fortune, but instead find lots of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.  This is one of the strangest, most over-the-top movies ever filmed.  Released in 1970, "BTVOTD" is chock full of fabulous psychedelic fashions, campy dramatics, eye-popping sexual situations, drugs- you name it, it's in here.  While not as unintentionally hilarious as the original "Valley Of the Dolls", it's still tasteless, late 60's acid pop schlock that never for one minute fails to entertain.  The film moves along at such a breathless pace, and offers so many outrageous characters and situations, that you almost need to stop it halfway through and collect yourself.  This is one of the all-time great camp classics.  The story of an all-girl group who pack up their van and schlep out to Hollywood to become famous simply has to be seen to be believed.  It's such a hot, wet pile of WTF, a jaw-dropping whirlwind that just might make your head explode.  This movie was made for aficionados of the bad and the bizaare- even the Strawberry Alarm Clock show up and perform their groovy smash, "Incense and Peppermints".
     It's a mind-numbing parody of virtually every cliche in the book, possibly even inventing a couple of new ones along the way.  At times, it almost comes across as an X-rated "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" mixed with "Josie & the Pussycats", with the rapid-fire jokes and quick editing and the tale of an all-girl group trying to make it big.  This is a true audience participation film- "BTVOTD" truly comes to life with a group of people together, watching "MST-3000" style.  This almost makes "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" seem a bit drab in comparison.  Endlessly amazing and entertaining, this film was way ahead of its time.  There is simply no way this film could or would be made today.  It's one of the most notorious and misunderstood films of all time- most people take the outrageous shenanigans onscreen at face value, but there's much more going on here.  Russ Meyer and Roger Ebert (yes, that Roger Ebert- I swear!) created a bizarrely colorful and completely artificial world that's 100% silly, and 150% bizaare, but somehow relevant all the same.  "Beyond the Valley Of the Dolls" offers a surprisingly good soundtrack, and is full of crisp, trippy colors.  The movie looks sensational.  But I'm telling you here- to truly appreciate the raunchy excess that is "BTVOTD", the film must be viewed on as big a screen as you can find, with as big a group of friends you can find.  It's wacky, it's wild, it's gotta be seen to be believed.  And it contains some of the greatest lines of dialogue found anywhere.  "You're a groovy boy, I'd like to strap you on sometime."  "This is my happening, and it freaks me out!"  "Hey you still balling that rich chick with the knockers?"  "Swallow the black sperm of my vengeance!"  "I am Superwoman!"  I could go on and on, but trust me, just watch it for yourself.

The Best Of Everything

      The creamy 1959 classic "The Best Of Everything" is a high-gloss, big-screen soap opera centering on the lives and loves of four young career girls working at a New York publishing firm.  Hope Lange, Suzy Parker, Martha Hyer, and Diane Baker star with the always glamorous and delicious Joan Crawford. Joan plays Amanda Farrow, a no-holds-barred bitch who just might have a heart of gold under all that tough and direct demeanor. She's the wise and older career gal who's been around the block or two, while presiding over the younger women.

     Johnny Mathis croons the title tune, while the fabulously 50's credits in hot pink roll by- this film is a 50's lovers delight.  This is the 50's version of "Valley Of the Dolls".  Not an Oscar-winner by any means, but it's a gorgeously filmed 50's soap that never fails for one second to entertain.  You just can't beat the glossy Cinemascope films of the 1950's and 60's, and this one is no exception.  "The Best Of Everything" is chock full of gorgeous shots of a bustling downtown Manhattan, gloriously bitchy dialogue, male characters who are nothing more than sexist pigs, sensational retro costumes and set designs, and fabulous 50's style, with a sudsy soap opera to boot.

      It's a fun and campy time capsule that gives us a look at working women and the obstacles they faced in a male-dominated 1950's.   Practically an urban "Peyton Place", it's all-around delicious!

Niagara

       Two innocent honeymooners at Niagara Falls stumble upon a sinister plot of love, betrayal, and murder.

 
     On the verge of superstardom, Marilyn starred with Joseph Cotton in 1953's "Niagara", a somewhat dark tale of an unhappy woman who wants to murder her jealous husband.  Marilyn showed at this early stage that she could handle dramatic roles convincingly- in this film she already has a presence.  The look and atmosphere are prime 1950's and the film moves along at a deceptively leisurely pace.  Before you know it, you're caught in a web of intrigue and revenge that builds to a gripping climax.  Marilyn is riveting- her natural beauty combined with an earnest performance are quite the pair.  Look closely at Marilyn's performance, and you might find more than just her being the blond bombshell.

      "Niagara" is a great rainy-day kind of movie.  The lush cinematography and the gorgeous shots of Niagara Falls, on top of an intriguing murder mystery of greed and infidelity all make for an underrated classic that's just interesting enough to be fascinating.  Almost Hitchcockian at times, it's a genuinely suspenseful murder mystery that looks great today.

 

Funny Face

     Fashion photographer Dick Avery, played by Fred Astaire, is looking for the next big face in fashion.  He, along with his team, invade a Greenwich Village bookstore and finds it, in the form of Audrey Hepburn.

     As usual, Hepburn simply shines here.  Not usually known for singing and dancing, she's just charming enough to pull it off effortlessly.  Fred Astaire could be her father, but who cares?  What with the gorgeous cinematography, the sparkling score of George Gershwin, sensational art and costume direction, the divine fashions of the fabulous 50's, and the fantastic scenery of New York City and Paris, it's impossible not to be completely won over by this movie.

     "Funny Face" is a rare film indeed- a musical that manages to succeed as parody of the fashion industry as well as quality musical entertainment.  The songs and choreography are simply top notch.  Many notable scenes stand out- especially Audrey's wild and abandoned beatnik dance scene in a smoky Paris cafe and her Parisian photo sequence.  "Funny Face" is beautifully photographed and is oozing with style- the Hubert de Givenchy Paris fashions alone are worth watching.  Who can ever forget that classicly iconic image of our Audrey, descending that vast staircase in a breathtakingly red Givenchy gown?

     "Funny Face" threatens at times to be a bit too sugary, but Audrey Hepburn completely and effortlessly wins us over anyway.  Fred Astaire is his usual suave self, and Kay Thompson is deliciously bitchy as Maggie Presscott, head of "Quality" magazine.  A rollicking good time and one of the best musicals to come out of Paramount Studios in the 50's.

Invasion Of the Body Snatchers (1956)

     Dr. Miles Bennell returns to his sleepy hometown of Santa Mira, California because of many urgent calls from  his patients to see him immediately.  Upon returning, he finds many reports of patients thinking certain loved ones are not who they're supposed to be,  as if they've been replaced by identical look-alikes.  Has a mass hysteria descended upon the small town, or is something more sinister at work here?

     Hands down the best horror movie of the 50's, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is a thrilling, almost film noir chiller that's packed with action, suspense, and a creeping, subtle terror.  It's an absolute gem of a movie, full of gorgeously crisp black and white photography and delicious 50's atmosphere.  "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is in my opinion the most original and entertaining of all the paranoid sci/fi-horror films to come out of the 1950's.  The way the story unfolds is chilling, even for 50's standards.   Alien invaders have long been a huge plot element in all kinds or sci/fi and horror movies, but never quite handled so creepily as in this movie.

      "Body Snatchers" has a timeless sense of paranoia, which is why the movie has been remade 3 times.  Made on a low-budget with a very simply plotline, it's still widely considered the supreme sci-fi/horror flick of the 50's.   I can't stop raving about "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"- it's just one of those movies that I can always lose myself in at any given time.  It's frightening, mysterious, suspenseful, and original.  Classic!

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