Tag: comedy

Favorite Actress – Katharine Hepburn

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When I was in my 20s I went through a bit of a classic movie phase and Katharine was a big part of that. I think the first movie I saw her in was Sylvia Scarlett (1935) where she pretended to be a boy. It was a good indication that she did things her own way. She is smart and funny and quick as a whip. I love how she challenged norms and stayed true to herself.

She was born in 1907 Connecticut to a doctor and a suffragette. One of her brothers committed suicide in his teens and it affected her greatly. Even though she had a house in NYC and rented in LA when she filmed there, she consider Connecticut her lifelong home. She was married, but it didn’t work out and the married Spencer Tracy became the love of her life.

She is the only actress to have 4 Oscars.

I recently watched Call Me Kate on Netflix and it’s fantastic if you’re a fan. I also read The Private World of Katharine Hepburn by John Bryson and loved it! You can check it out here.

These are the movies I remember watching.

The A movies

The Philadelphia Story (1940) is one of my all-time faves, also starring Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. A perfect romantic comedy.

State of the Union (1948) also starring Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson. It is amazing how little has changed in politics in 75 years!

Desk Set (1957) also starring Spencer Tracy. An office romance.

Bringing Up Baby (1938) also starring Cary Grant. A goofball of a romantic comedy.

The African Queen (1951) also starring Humphrey Bogart. A sailing adventure!

On Golden Pond (1981) also starring Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda. Henry and Katharine both won Oscars for their performances.

The B movies

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) also starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katherine’s niece, Katharine Houghton. Interracial relationships served.

Holiday (1938) also starring Cary Grant. Her sister gets the man, sort of.

The Lion in Winter (1968) also starring Peter O’Toole. Henry II has a choice to make.

The B-/C+ movies

Summertime (1955) Venice is my favorite city so I loved that this showed the romance of the place.

Sylvia Scarlett (1935) also starring Cary Grant. Gender swapping hijinks.

See my other Top 100 Actors here.

Favorite Actress – Sandra Bullock

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I first saw Sandra in Speed (1994) and then fell in love with While You Were Sleeping (1995). It’s her girl next door charm and goofiness packed into a body with that megawatt smile. She’s charming in a way that makes her seem approachable and she brings that to most of her 60 movie credits. Of those 60 I’ve watched 29, but it’s those A movies that I’ve seen countless times that have made a lifelong fan. The vest majority of her movies that I’ve seen have been As or Bs.

She’s from Arlington, Virginia, where I was living when I met Jason. She’s adopted two children. She has a BFA in drama. She recently lost the love of her life to ALS. She’s lived the highs (winning and Oscar) with the lows (ugly divorce in the public eye).

So what is your favorite Sandra movie?

*Giving these movies an A*

While You Were Sleeping (1995) I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen this romantic comedy.

The Proposal (2009) A different kind of romantic comedy that was just as fun.

The Lake House (2006) Her domination of my favorite romantic movies continues.

Crash (2004) She had a smaller part that showed her not so happy side.

The Lost City (2022) I was expecting not to like this, so imagine my surprise!

Bullet Train (2022) Her part in this movie was fun (and small)!

Speed (1994) As a vehicle to stardom this bus worked.

*Giving these movies a B*

Gravity (2013) She carried a film few others could have.

Miss Congeniality (2000) Just goofy fun.

28 Days (2000) Dealing with addiction isn’t pretty.

Two Weeks Notice (2002) Another romantic comedy with an equally witty actor.

Hope Floats (1998) A romance, yes, but so much heartfelt family drama.

Murder By the Numbers (2002) I love dark thrillers.

The Blind Side (2009) A well deserved Oscar for Best Actress.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) A moving film dealing with 9/11.

The Net (1995) It would probably be funny to watch today with the advances we’ve made.

Bird Box (2018) So much stress (in a good way).

The Unforgiveable (2021) Dark.

Minions (2015) Villain voices count!

The Heat (2013) Those two are hysterical!

So, so movies

Two if By Sea (1996), Forces of Nature (1999), Miss Congeniality 2 (2005), Premonition (2007)

Big Fails for me

All About Steve (2009), A Fool and His Money ( 1989), Fire on the Amazon (1993) this was so bad and it had a surprising sex scene with lots of skin.

See my other Top 100 Actors here.

The Good, the Great, & the Ugly – March/April Movies

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I decided to discontinue my 5 word movie reviews, but haven’t put anything in its place, so we’re going to try something new.

I watched 5 movies in March and 8 in April. I also streamed season 1 of Resident Alien, 3 Body Problem on Netflix, and season 1 of C.B. Strike based on the Robert Galbraith series. All three of these were great.

These are listed in the order I liked them best. How many of these have you seen?

The Great

Damsel, 2024. All things a great fairy tale should be.

Dune 2, 2023. I liked this one a little better than the first. It was slightly less confusing and visually stunning on the big screen.

Hack Your Health: Secrets of Your Gut, 2024. Short but very good documentary about gut health. So many of us with kids with autism know how important diet is and I applaud these doctors for linking autism to the gut, not just the brain. It’s not about autism. but that it was mentioned a few times in relation to gut made me happy. Not enough doctors know to help parents understand this should be one of the first steps after diagnosis.

The Good

The Batman, 2022. I love all of the Batman movies, some more than others. This was a darker look than some and thought Robert Pattinson was a fine Batman, but less than stellar Bruce Wayne.

Saltburn, 2023. A creepy and oddly compelling tale of a young man wanting friends above his station in life.

Oppenheimer, 2023. I liked it, but thought it was too long. Good movie about the making of the bomb and the man in charge.

We Have a Ghost, 2023. Went in expecting a ghost story and got a lot more. A good family friendly film.

Where the Crawdads Sing, 2022. I liked it. Very atmospheric and loyal enough to the book.

Set It Up, 2018. Cute little romantic comedy about young adults trying to figure out their lives.

Plus One, 2019. An edgier romantic comedy with potential.

Upgraded, 2024. Another romantic comedy, but this one has an aspiring art gallery owner lying her way to the top.

It Chapter Two, 2019. I liked part one, Gage even watched it and liked it (his first real scary movie), but this one was too violent and just boring much of the time. The kid cast was great, but the adults, even the big names, couldn’t save it for me. It’s not quite in the ugly category, but it’s close.

The Ugly

The Hunt, 2020. I have no idea why I continued to watch this past the first 10 minutes. Lots of violence and nonsensical politics.

Why We Suck, by Denis Leary

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CD Audiobook CoverFinished audio 1-25-09, rating 3.5/5, humor, pub.2008

Let me start by noting that I listened to the abridged audio version read by author, Denis Leary.  I never listen to abridged books on tape and I didn’t know that’s what I had until I was halfway through.  That being said, I am not interested in reading this book in full.  Denis Leary has such a unique voice that it would not be the same if I read it.  His biting wit is better heard than read.  So, for the first time ever I am recommending an abridged cd over the actual book (gasp).  Another benefit of the cds?  The Irish music played between chapters.

My favorite aspect of this book were the endless stories of his Irish American childhood.  Stories of “when I was a kid…” were not annoying with Leary’s acid tongue.  My favorite story was one that involved Denis being shot in the head with an arrow by his brother and then running home with the arrow still sticking out of his noggin.  There is also an ongoing conversation with his mom which is funny and will probably remind you of at least one person you know (in a good way).

This book will offend you.  Somewhere, something will rub you the wrong way, but if you wait a few minutes you will probably be chuckling again.  I laughed out loud often, even though I never like jokes involving Jesus and I thought he went on a bit too much about having a mom home all the time.  There are plenty of things that will make you laugh- Dr.Phil, annoying children, his new love affair with Oprah, and the circus that is paparazzi.

Denis Leary received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Emerson College.  So he’s DOCTOR Denis Leary to the masses 🙂

My West Virginia weekend

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Last night we arrived home at 10:30pm from a weekend in West Virginia to a dark house.  It seems that while we were enjoying beautiful weather Hurricane Ike moved all the way to Ohio and took out trees and power.  Lucky for us, it is back up.  Eight of us stayed in a cabin and the men went whitewater rafting while us two gals hiked, shopped, and took in the area by foot, car and boat.  It was more beautiful than I expected.

new river

We were having a wonderful Saturday until Ohio State lost (and that’s kind) to USC.  The campground showed the game outside on the big screen and there were many unhappy Buckeye fans that night. 

Since there were three guys in the car with me I chose comedy cds for some entertainment.  We listened to the Blue Collar Comedy Tour on the way down and the Blue Comedy Tour Rides Again on the way back home.Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and Ron White each took a turn entertaining us.  If you need to pass some time in a car full of guys these cds are a good choice, and I even got them from the library.  The second one was a little more mean spirited at times than the first, but still funny.