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Reviews
Airport (1970)
A multi-charactered action film.
By 1970, the played-out "Grand Hotel" cliche on film plots was growing thin, but writer-director George Seaton pulled it together nicely in this adaptation of Arthur Hailey's best-seller about chaos at a metropolitan airport. Burt Lancaster, Dean Maritn, George Kennedy, and Jean Seberg head an all-star cast in this rollicking blockbuster. From melodrama, to action, to romance, this film will NOT leave any movie fan dissatisfied. The music (by legendary Alfred Newman), cinematography (by Ernest Laszlo), and Seaton's surefootedness makes this a spectacular film. Also stars Van Heflin, Jacqueline Bisset, Dana Wynter, Maureen Stapleton, Lloyd Nolan, Barbara Hale, and Helen Hayes in her Oscar-winning role as Mrs. Quonsett, the stowaway.
The Cowboy and the Lady (1938)
Delightful romantic farce!
This film has about as far-fetched of a plot as you can find: a Presidential candidate's wily daughter goes on holiday, takes company with a brooding young cowboy and eventually marries him. Without a doubt, this film is a curio, but is still watchable for the performances of two of my favorite actors, Oscar-winner Gary Cooper and Oscar-nominee Merle Oberon. Won the Academy Award for Best Sound.
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
What a movie!
This 1968 caper/romantic drama paired 2 of the 1960s biggest screen icons: Oscar-nominee Steve McQueen and Oscar-winner Faye Dunaway. The chemistry between them is sensational, as is the split-screen visual effects. My favorite scene is the sensual chess scene. This movie is quite psychedelic in its own way, which film buffs will appreciate. McQueen and Dunaway teamed once again, in 1974's The Towering Inferno, although it was a shame that their characters didn't have as much interaction as they do in this film. This is easily a five-star cinematic masterpiece (and check out Dunaway's very chic apparel!). Oscar-winner for Best Song.
The Misfits (1961)
An interesting and insightful character study.
A film with a star trio like Gable, Monroe, and Clift CANNOT be missed! That is the case with this movie, which sadly was the last for both Gable and Monroe. The story of a distraught divorcee looking for happiness with a barrage of Reno cowboys may sound lumbering, but this is truly an excellent film, featuring what I believe was Monroe's best performance (WHY wasn't she Oscar-nominated for this?). My two favorite scenes were when Gable, in a drunken stupor, searches hungrily for his kids, and when Monroe mentally collapses in the middle of the barren wastelands. This film has real meaning, depth, and imagery, with wonderful support by Wallach and Ritter (as always). A real cinematic gem.
One Desire (1955)
A high class soap opera.
Look at Eve Harrington now! Oscar-winner Anne Baxter is marvelous in this movie, in which she plays Tacey, a gambling hall hostess who tries to go straight. She falls in love with gambler Clint Saunders (nicely played by Rock Hudson), and starts life anew with him and his brother. Julie Adams plays the bad girl who steals Clint away to the hilt. Natalie Wood gives an endearing performance as Seely, an orphan who also lives with Clint and Tacey. This is a sadly underrated film which showcases the talents of some of Hollywood's most cherished stars.
The Towering Inferno (1974)
The Crowning Achievement of the '70's Disaster Era.
Dazzling cinematography, stunning action, and an all-star cast (including Fred Astaire in his only Oscar-nominated performance) give depth and precision to this 1974 adaptation of not one, but two novels ("The Tower" and "The Glass Inferno"). This film, about a skyscraper that goes up in flames, has some cliched dialogue in certain areas, but that can't offset the brilliant work by the entire cast. I felt for Jennifer Jones' character in particular: A widow who falls in love again (with Astaire) only to die by falling out of the elevator, that scene was heartbreaking. But no movie of this caliber would be complete without the obligatory villain, nicely played here by Richard Chamberlain. Winner of 3 Oscars: Best Song, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
A wonderful black comedy!
This is a rare film that is able to parody Hollywood in a very real and explicit way. It shows the down side of stardom, and the misfortune(s) of using others to get ahead. William Holden was decent, if not excellent, as Norma Desmond's young lover/kept man. As Desmond, Gloria Swanson gives her best performance and chews up the scenery as the fading star who lives on past memories and bleak hopes for the future. Nancy Olson, Jack Webb (TV's "Dragnet"), and Erich von Stroheim (as Max, Norma's chauffeur and former husband) round out the excellent cast.