Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Remember When

I have noticed many recent Facebook posts featuring pictures of objects that are familiar to those of us of a certain age, like skate keys, Princess phones and juke boxes.  This trend got me thinking – reminiscing, really – about things I can remember from when I was young.  Most are not objects, but memories, and I'll bet many of you have similar ones.

I remember when...

…I related the cost of everything to the 50 cents an hour I earned by babysitting.  A record album (remember them?) cost $4, or 8 hours of babysitting.  My first suede jacket – actually, the first item of clothing I ever bought for myself – cost me 74 hours of hard labor.  I still have it.  I can't fit into it, of course – I think I was 13 or 14 when I bought it at Klein's in Woodbridge – but I keep it for nostalgia’s sake.

…I would go to the movies (the Cort Theater in Somerville, NJ) with $1 in my pocket (from two hours of babysitting, of course).  The movies, mostly double features and occasionally a triple feature, were 35 cents, popcorn was 25 cents and a soda cost a dime.  That left enough money for a stop at Wald Drugs where you could get six candies for 25 cents.   We would buy candy cigarettes, Hershey bars, lollypops, Bonamo’s Turkish Taffy, button candies that you ate off the paper and maybe a box of Juicy Fruits.  Hmmm, I think my weight problem can be traced back to my love of movies.

…there were seven TV stations - Channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13.  Since the knob was always broken on our Stromberg Carlson black and white console, we had to change the channels with a pair of pliers.  I grew up thinking that tool was made just for that purpose.  Oh, and kids served as the remote.  When Mom or Dad wanted the channel changed, my sister or I had to get up and do it.  Of course we all had to watch the same thing, since there was only one TV in the house, and Mom and Dad had a little more influence on the decision than either my sister or I had.  Luckily, Mom loved “I Love Lucy,” so I grew up watching and loving Lucy, too.

…the Million Dollar Movie would air every night for a week on channel 9.  The theme song was the theme to “Gone With the Wind,” which I didn’t know until many years later, when I saw GWTW in a huge theater in Woodbridge, NJ.  Hey, that’s the Million Dollar Movie theme, I remember thinking.

…I got my first transistor radio.  It was a pink Sears Silvertone that cost about $25 dollars and it was my birthday gift when I turned 12.  The Four Seasons' "Sherry Baby" was the number one hit at the time and is still a favorite of mine.  Up until that time we had no functioning radio in the house, so how I grew up knowing so many songs is a mystery even to me.

…there were no organized playdates for kids.  When we got bored and told my mother we had nothing to do, we were told (in no uncertain terms) to "Go out and play."  If we protested, "But I don't have anyone to play with," my mother's response was, "Find someone."  No further instruction was needed.

…you left the house for the day to “go out and play” with someone and stayed out all day.  There was no need to call home.  My friends Stevie and Karen Rice knew they better get home when their mother whistled loudly for them to come in, and they scrambled back right away.  No cell phones, no texts and no worries.  The kids were out there somewhere, and they'd eventually find their way home. 

…to be occupied, all you needed was a ball or a set of jacks or even a coin.  We would be outside for hours, jumping rope, riding bikes, playing catch, hitting a coin with the ball or playing jacks.  Low tech, inexpensive, fun games, with no batteries required!  If we were stuck inside on a rainy day, there would be Monopoly marathons, or we’d use Silly Putty to copy the comics from the newspaper.  Play Doh was a little after my time, along with Sesame Street and After School Specials.

…the Princess phone was introduced.  Wow, that was a really cool thing, and only a few kids actually had "extensions" in their rooms.  Eventually, I got one, in a shade of red, that I think had pushbuttons instead of a dial.  High tech!  Kids today don’t even know how to use a phone with a dial because they have never seen one.

…phone numbers began with “exchanges” that were words.  If you lived in Somerville, you were “Randolph 2” or “Randolph 5,” later abbreviated as RA 2 or RA 5.  And there were only two area codes when they first came on the scene.  I am still a 908 girl. 

…we would leave the house for the day and never lock the door.  If we went away for a week at my great-aunt's shore house, we locked it then, but otherwise, it stayed unlocked.  I never felt unsafe, either.

…we were taught how to use the card catalog in the library.  I was thrilled to have access to the Encyclopedia Britannica, World Almanac or World Book.  There was so much information, all right there at my fingertips.

…I went to my first Yankee game.  It was 1959, the Yankees were honoring Yogi Berra, and my father and I (along with his friend and his son) sat out in the bleachers.  In front of us stretched the vast expanse of grass that was the outfield at Yankee Stadium, whose sheer size seemed impossible for 3 people to patrol.  One of them was Mickey Mantle.  I have rarely had a such a feeling of joy and wonder since seeing that cathedral of competition. 

…I thought Italian food was spaghetti and meatballs.  I never even heard of lasagne, ziti or chicken parm until I went to college.  No wonder I loved going to Andrea Lucibello's house so much.  Her mother made the best chicken parm ever. 

…there were two brands of sneakers – PF Flyers and Keds.  My father sold shoes for a living and swore by the arch support in Keds, so, despite the claim that PF Flyers could make you "run faster and jump higher," we were Keds kids.

…there were two brands of chocolates – Nestle's and Hershey.  I know there are many more and better brands now, but give me a Nestle bar or some Hershey Kisses and I am a happy girl.

…there were two brands of dungarees (not jeans) – Wranglers and Levis.  This was before the age of the GAP and before Brooke Shields declared that nothing came between her and her Calvins.   Life was infinitely less confusing when you didn’t have to decide between bootcut, straight leg, mid-rise, etc.

…we would take our lunch to school in a paper bag or in a lunch box with the Lennon Sisters or Wyatt Earp on it, unless it was a generic plaid design.

…we used paper bags to make book covers for our school books.  You could look in the front of the book and see a litany of names of students who had used that book before it was passed down to you.

…we played paper dolls (not "with" paper dolls; we played "paper dolls").  You'd cut the glamorous clothing off the sheets (some were perforated) and put them on the dolls.  I had a Dinah Shore-George Montgomery set that I loved.  After all, Dinah Shore was in my living room every week, so the least I could do was dress her.

…the “Wizard of Oz” aired once a year on TV, and you had better be on your best behavior or the threat of missing it loomed large. 

…banking in school.  The kids who were good in math were selected to be the "bankers" each week, to collect the dimes or quarters their classmates brought in and log them in their bankbooks.  If someone brought in a dollar for their bankbook, I knew they had to be rich.  I was good in math back in those days. 

…when we would run out of milk – which seemed to occur often – we would stop at a milk machine and buy a gallon to tide us over until the milk man came with our delivery.  The milk box – always used as a handy seat on the front porch – was where the milk was left, and we didn't worry about it going bad or being stolen.  There was also the Duggan man, delivering bread and death-defyingly sweet cupcakes, the egg lady, the fruit and vegetable guy, the Charles Chips guy, and the man who went around the neighborhoods offering to sharpen your knives. 

…stores were open only during the day, not at all in the evenings, and closed on Sundays –  my father's only day off from the shoe store where he worked.  To this day, my sister and I can't bring ourselves to shop on Labor Day without feeling guilty since Dad insisted that was a day when everyone – at least in retail – should be off.

…we had a Brownie camera.  Luckily for our family, I loved taking pictures even then, or we'd have no shots of my sister at all!  They were square, black and white pictures and when you would go to pick them up at Ostro's in Somerville, it was always a thrill to see how they came out.

…in high school, senior year, I'd eat lunch every day in downtown Somerville at Febo's with Cathy Cozzolongo and Ronni Katz.  I'd order a roast beef sandwich on rye, lettuce, no tomato or mayo, and a Coke.  It think it cost me 87 cents or some absurdly small amount.  We had about 45 minutes to get to Main Street, order, eat and get back to good old Somerville High School. 

…when there was a fire in my hometown, a loud horn would blow to let residents know where it was located.  We had a card on the refrigerator with a code on it:  3 blasts followed by 2 blasts followed by 3 blasts meant High Street and Bridge, for example (not accurate, I am sure).  Conversation in our house would come to a halt so we could count the whistles and run to check the card.  And at 1 PM every day, the same horn would blow.  We called it –quite naturally – the 1:00 whistle.  You did not want to be walking in front of the firehouse where the sound emanated when that blast went off.  Scared me to death more than once!

…we had to wear these incredibly dorky one-piece uniforms with snaps to gym class in high school, and the mean gym teacher cared less about our fitness level than she did about whether the damn thing had been washed and ironed – ironed!  I mean, you're about to do gym things, which only wrinkle this mini-jump suit anyway, so what's the big deal about ironing it, I wondered even then.  Not ironing your gym suit was considered an offense not quite on the order of chewing gum in class – punishable by the death penalty, I think – but close enough.

…speaking of ironing, you could open our refrigerator and find Dad’s shirts neatly rolled up on a shelf.  My mother would sprinkle them with water stored in a Coke bottle with a sprinkler top and put them in the refrigerator until she was ready to iron them.  This was before permanent press, and this technique allegedly kept the shirts from wrinkling excessively.  It was just odd to me to open the fridge for a drink and find Borscht and Dad’s shirts on the shelf. 

…the kids in your class were named Susie, Judy, Barbara and Linda, unless you went to Catholic school, where they were named Mary, Mary Margaret, Mary Grace, Mary Ann, etc.  The boys were Bobby and Billy and Joey and John.  There wasn't a single Emma, Madison, Brittany, Austin, Tyler or Collin anywhere to be found. 

…I remember when I thought the people who reminisced were really OLD.  Now I know that can’t possibly be true.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Tina's December Movies 2012

Here are the movies I saw in December.  Numbering picks up from previous months and movies marked with an * are the ones I had not seen previously.  For a full list of all movies I saw in 2012 and my Top 10 list, see the next blog entry.  Wishing us all a happy new year full of great movies!

126.  Annie Hall (1977) – Woody Allen is at his intellectual-neurotic-romantic best in this Oscar-winning comedy.  His New York comic Alvy Singer falls in love with Midwestern aspiring singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton), a slightly dizzy-daffy woman with whom he has nothing in common.  Keaton is magnificent in her Oscar-winning role.  She started an entire style trend with her neckties, vests and hats, and who can forget her resigned phrase, “La de dah”?  She is sweet and charming and trying to adapt to his intellectual interests: movies about Nazis, books about death and long sessions with a shrink.  There are way too many great lines to single any out, but those of us who relish this movie and the time and age we were when we first saw it will remember them all.  Every time I see it, it seems like old times.  5 cans.
127.  The Women* (2008)  – I so wanted to love this movie.  With a potentially outstanding cast (Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Jada Pickett Smith, a stunning Eva Mendes and one of my favorites – Candice Bergen – in a small role) and a story about the bonds between women, I expected more but was disappointed in the predictability of the story.  There is the usual collection of women’s issues – career problems, cheating husbands, pregnancy, teenaged children – and pat solutions (one looks dumpy until she gets her hair – and life – straightened).  I’d consider it an acceptable movie, but I wanted more wit, more brightness, more originality.  3 cans.
128.  A Little Bit of Heaven* (2011) – Kate Hudson plays a spirited, flirty young woman who enjoys her life without care or commitment – until she finds out she has cancer.  Then her usual casual attitude about relationships – with friends, her parents and her lovers – is shaken.  How do you relate to friends and family when you know you are dying without being a burden and while still determined to enjoy life?  This is a woman who just wants to have fun, but now doesn’t know how to live her life.  It’s a tough topic to tackle, especially with humor, but the movie pulls it off adequately.  Kathy Bates plays her mother and an actor I had never heard of (Gael Bernal Garcia) plays her young doctor.  Hudson gives this story her best shot and conveys the character with the right amount of sass and anguish.  3 cans.
129.  Almost Famous (2000) – Writer-director Cameron Crowe based this film on his own experiences as a 15-year old rock and roll writer for Rolling Stone magazine (which had no idea of his real age when they hired him).  William Miller, the pubescent writer (Patrick Fugate), is an unabashed music fan, and he latches onto a rising but middle of the road band called Stillwater to do a cover piece.  This is the story of unrequited love – the love of fans and the bands they follow, of groupies and the musicians they fall for and the love of music itself.  It is also a somewhat charming look into the more sordid side of rock & roll, replete with drugs and groupies and deals that compromise the standards of the musicians who got into the business because of the music in the first place.  And speaking of Kate Hudson, here she makes a memorable debut as Penny Lane, who refuses to be called a groupie.  Billy Crudip is the charismatic guitar player for whom she falls.  Look for Frances McDormand as William Miller’s mom; Jimmy Fallon, almost unrecognizable as a record company rep; and a cameo by Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet as a desk clerk.  4 cans.
130.  Mister Roberts (1955) – War is hell, especially if you are stuck on a crappy cargo ship in the middle of the Pacific, battling a martinet captain and boredom.  Henry Fonda is Mr. Roberts, the cargo officer with dreams of getting into combat.  But he’s too valuable for the miserable captain (James Cagney) to let him go.  Roberts is idolized by the crew, whose interest he always has at heart.  I’d like to think I adapted my own management style from the example set by Mr. Roberts, and, when I retired, my crew gave me a gift I consider akin to the “Order of the Palm” the crew bestows on Mr. Roberts.  Jack Lemmon brings humor to his role as Ensign Pulver, officer in charge of laundry and morale, whose chief mission is to plot ways to annoy the captain but who never carries them out.  I love this movie and recommend it to everyone.  5 cans.
131.  Diner (1982) – Ah, the good old days, when we were in our 20s and had nothing better to do than hang out with our friends, exchanging witty barbs and engaging in clever conversation.  This movie is Barry Levinson’s nostalgic look at six buddies in Baltimore in 1959 who end up at Fells Point Diner every night, enjoying French fries with gravy and each other’s company.  The cast is great – Mickey Rourke as the bad boy Boogie; Steve Guttenberg as Eddie, the guy who won’t marry his fiancée unless she passes a trivia test on the Baltimore Colts; Daniel Stern as married Shrevie, who’d rather hang out with his friends than his wife Beth (Ellen Barkin); Kevin Bacon as Fenwick, the ne’er do well; Paul Reiser as Modell, the annoying one; and Tim Daly as Billy, going to grad school and in love with a girl who doesn’t reciprocate.  The plot is minimal but the experience is memorable.  4 cans.
132.  A Christmas Story (1983) – No holiday season would be complete without Jean Shepherd’s quirky little stroll down memory lane.  Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) wants a Red Ranger Rifle, a BB gun destined to shoot his eye out, for Christmas.  All the pent-up hope of a little boy is crammed into this funny look back at life, with scenes at school, fighting the neighborhood bully, snowsuits that prevent a kid’s arms from moving, standing on line to see Santa and Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant.  There’s a kid whose tongue gets stuck to a metal pole and the silly, leggy lamp cherished by Ralphie’s father – all memorable moments in this classic family gem.  My Christmas Eve is complete.  3½ cans.
133.  Les Miserables* (2012) – Les Miz happens to be my all-time favorite Broadway show, so I was anxious to see the musical move to the big screen (where previous, non-musical versions have starred everyone from Charles Laughton to Liam Neeson).  In this resplendent translation of the Victor Hugo novel and the long-running Broadway show, Hugh Jackman tackles the part of Jean Val Jean with boldness, vulnerability and great musical chops.  The same can’t be said for Russell Crowe as his adversary, the dogmatic Inspector Jauvert, whose singing is the weakest link in this epic.  Anne Hathaway is breathtaking as Fontine, a woman so poor and desperate that she sells her body, hair and teeth to support her young daughter, Cozette.  Director Tom Hooper (who also helmed “The King’s Speech”) chose an unusual way to record the songs, asking the actors to sing them live in character, instead of recording them first and using lip synch.  The result yields a more gritty performance but a less than perfect soundtrack, as the actors act the songs as much as sing them.  Several of the classic songs brought me to tears and goose bumps.  Pluses are the story itself, Jackman, Hathaway and Samantha Barks as Eponine, while minuses are for length and the overuse of comic relief in the form of Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter (I guess you need three names for comic relief, and Carter looks like she wandered in from “Edward Scissorhands”).  We almost didn’t get to see it because the first theater we went to on Christmas day had technical difficulties and nearly experienced a riot similar to the French Revolution portrayed on screen.  But it was worth the wait.  4 cans.
134.  Silver Linings Playbook* (2012) – My sister and I believe in silver linings.  When we get sick, we try to see the bright side of things, like the possibility of losing weight from lack of appetite (or from worse things…). This movie takes the same approach.  Patrick (Bradley Cooper) is desperately in love with his wife, Nikki, but when he catches her in the shower with her co-worker and punches the guy out, he is sent to a psychiatric hospital and has a restraining order that prevents him from contacting her.  When he initially meet him, he has just gotten out, moves into the home of his parents vows to be a better man so he can convince Nikki to take him back.  His gambling father is hot-tempered enough to have had himself banned from attending games of his beloved Eagles, and he wants Patrick to watch games on TV with him to bring the team luck.  When Patrick meets a young woman (Jennifer Lawrence) who is also on meds for her own issues, they become platonic friends.  She convinces him to compete in a dance contest with her, despite the fact that they are rank amateurs.  So now the movie becomes a mash-up of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Dancing With the Stars.”  This is supposed to be a comedy, but I found it more annoying than amusing.  You want to see a comedy, with characters delivering memorable lines?  See #126 above (“Annie Hall.”)  The silver lining in sitting through this movie is that I liked the ending.  Just 3 cans, despite raves from many critics and several friends.
135.  Anna Karenina* (2012) – This movie version by director Joe Wright manages to take Tolstoy’s classic tale of love and adultery and turn it into a bizarre integration of stage and screen.  Many of the scenes take place in a theater, with the back wall sometimes opening to a field or other location.  Other times the actors are forced to troop through the wings or area above the stage, with miscellaneous props and set pieces intruding their way into the action.  This approach distracts from the central theme, which involves Russian high society in the 1800s.  Socialite (not to be confused with Socialist) Anna (Keira Knightly), woman married to a powerful and respected man (Jude Law) falls instantly (and inexplicably, if you saw him) in love with Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a wealthy military man with an eye for the ladies.  Anna’s behavior is intolerable to her husband and society.  In several scenes I fully expected her beautiful gowns to be adorned with a scarlet “A.”  Knightly looks suitably anguished, but Taylor-Johnson is a wimpy, pasty looking guy with a wispy mustache and unruly blonde hair that makes him neither manly or appealing.  With the affectations of the staging and aberration of the famous love story, I can’t give this movie more than 2 cans.
136.  Funny Girl (1968) and 137. The Way We Were (1973) – There was a Barbra Streisand doubleheader on this snowy day at Casa Gordon, and I had a chance to view my two favorite Streisand movies.  She made her screen debut in Funny Girl playing Broadway star Fanny Brice.  In TWWW, she plays the ultimate Jewish girl Katie Moroski opposite the extremely handsome and goyisha Hubble Gardner (Robert Redford, looking his absolute best).  In both movies her character is in love with the wrong guy, a guy who finds her appealing despite her perceived shortcomings and whom she loves too much.  Eventually, it will rain on her parade, but not on those of us who love a love story or enjoy Streisand’s music.  Can it be that it was all so simple then, or has time rewritten every line?  With Barbra, it was never simple, but it was always lovely.  10 cans.
138.  The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) – Sheridan Whiteside (Monty Wooly) is an insufferable, obnoxious author whose trip to a quaint Midwest town is extended when he slips and falls in front of the home of his guests.  He is forced to recuperate in a wheelchair, and he proceeds to commandeer their home, summoning his celebrity friends and dictating his commands to his loyal assistant, played by Betty Davis.  This movie is a drawing room comedy and feels much like the stage play (by Moss Hart) from which it came.  Clever dialog and dirty tricks abound to make it amusing, but it still reminds you of the old adage that guests, like fish, tend to stink after three days.  3 cans.

Tina's 2012 Movies

Below is the complete list of all movies I saw during 2012, old and new, reviewed for your viewing pleasure.  My top ten list is (in no particular order, though I liked The Artist best):

Les Miz
Argo
Lincoln
The Artist
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Flight
Inventing David Geffen
50-50
Zorro the Gay Blade

Here are my reviews:

All films rated on a scale of 1 (not so good) to 5 (really great) tuna cans.  Movies marked with an * are those that I have not seen previously.

January
1.  Singing in the Rain* (1952) – “What a glorious feeling, I’m happy again.”  I must confess that I had never seen this classic Gene Kelly musical, and that I enjoyed it more than I expected.  Teamed with Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds, Kelly is full in charge, playing a silent movie star who transitions into talkies in the 1920s.  The story is a loose structure for a pastiche of song and dance numbers where Kelly’s prodigious athleticism as a dancer is on full display.  I actually got chills when watching Kelly and his umbrella in the iconic title song.  Some people are Fred Astaire fans, others Kelly devotees.  I just say, “Gotta dance!”  4 cans.
2.  The Special Relationship* (2010) – This HBO movie explores the relationship between Britain’s Tony Blair (Tony Sheen) and U.S. President Bill Clinton (Dennis Quaid).  Blair was the neophyte Labor Party leader when he met Clinton, just before Clinton’s reelection and Blair’s selection as Prime Minister in the mid -990s.  The two strike up a friendship based on mutual admiration and political convenience, Clinton serving as the older brother, doling out practical advice as Blair moves into 10 Downing Street.  However, with the Monica Lewinsky scandal tainting Clinton’s reputation and support, Blair grows wary of his friend.  When it comes time to act decisively in the Kosovo conflict, it is Blair who takes the lead.  Both actors lend credibility to their parts, though Quaid’s Clinton is played like a buffoon at times when he isn’t portrayed as the political shark he was.  3 cans.
3.  The Music Man (1962) – There’s trouble in River City all right, but it is in the form of Professor Harold Hill, a con man who arrives in Iowa to fleece the locals into buying band instruments and uniforms before he skips town.  Composer Meredith Wilson took seven years to write the score of this musical, which features a tour de force performance by Robert Preston as the “professor” and a boatload of songs and dances.  Shirley Jones is Marian the librarian, and a mop-topped Ronny Howard lisps his way through his performance as her kid brother. If you like old-time musicals, you’ll find this one highly entertaining.  3½ cans.
4.  Mr. Mom (1983) – Michael Keaton is perfectly cast in this broad comedy as Jack Butler, an auto engineer laid off from his job and forced to become Mr. Mom at home while his wife (Teri Garr) takes a job in advertising.  Remarkably inept around the house, Jack copes with the exploding washer and battles the scary vacuum “Jaws” as he cares for his three young kids and his wife handles success at work.  Whether Jack is playing poker with the ladies in the neighborhood (using coupons as chips in a hilarious scene) or turning the wrong way when entering the school driveway, it is clear that caring for a home and family is a tough job for anyone.  After nearly 30 years, I still find this little comedy quite amusing.  3½ cans.
5.  Big (1988) – Tom Hanks gives an amazing performance as Josh Baskin, a 13-year old who suddenly finds his wish to be “big” granted in a way he never imagined.  He wakes up the next morning as a full-grown man, awkward and clumsy in his new and strange body.   With the help of his best friend Billy (Jared Rushton), he moves into New York City to find the carnival machine that granted his wish and restore his 13-year old self, but first he takes a job at a toy company to give him needed financial support.  Who’s better to think of and try out new toys than a kid?  Josh succeeds at business without really trying, and, in the process, wins the heart of an aggressive co-worker played by Elizabeth Perkins.  The memorable scene in this movie has Hanks and Robert Loggia performing “Heart and Soul” on a giant, dance-on piano at FAO Schwartz, but there are so many little touches, glimpses and body language that Hanks makes believable as a big kid.  This is a sweet and charming movie.  4 cans.
6.  The Artist* (2011)  Let me start by saying that this movie is not about the Artist Formerly Known As Prince.  Instead, this is a silent movie about silent movies.  Wouldn't you love to have been there to hear the pitch when the producers tried to get financing for such an off-the-wall idea?  Except -- It works!  A cross between "A Star Is Born" and the movie I saw first this year, "Singing In the Rain," "The Artist" focuses on fictional silent screen star George Valentin (Oscar nominee Jean Dujardin) in 1927, just as talking pictures hit the theaters.  A swashbuckling silent hero, George is not ready for the talkies and eventually he is dropped by his studio.  In the meantime, he has met a young dancer, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), whose star ascends as his declines.  Eventually, he is left only with his loyal butler, Clifton, whom he fires because he cannot afford to pay him, and his precious little dog.  The dog should win an Oscar for his performance, and I suspect the Academy will find many people associated with this production to honor.  I didn't miss the dialog, didn't mind reading the cards on the screen and couldn't help admiring how the whole movie looked, felt and sounded, with great music punctuating the action.  I wouldn't want to see a silent movie every time I go to the theater, but I'm almost speechless when describing this one.  4½  cans, including a full case of Alpo for the canine co-star.
7.  Forrest Gump (1994) – Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his role as another wide-eyed innocent in this fantasy about a simple man in a not-so-simple life.  Even I could suspend my sense of reality to enjoy this tale about a boy with leg braces who grows into a man who can run.  Forrest becomes a football star, a college graduate, a war hero, an internationally-renowned ping pong player and the owner of a successful shrimp company.  But none of his success – which he doesn’t seek – matters as much to him as the girl he loves, Jenny (Robyn Wright).  This moving film won the Oscar and it was well-deserved.  4½ cans and a box of chocolates.
8.  Back Street* (1941) – I love the later Susan Hayward-John Gavin version of this romantic movie, sappy as it is, but I had never seen this original version.  The story, which takes place at the turn of the century (that’s 1900), is a simple one.  Man and woman meet, fall in love, and though he is bound to another, their relationship passes the test of time.  Like “An Affair to Remember,” there is a major “what if?” moment in this movie that changes its course.  I have to admit that I am not a Charles Boyer fan, though Margaret Sullivan did a good job in her role.  Judging by the very modest attire she wore, this looks like the most chaste romance in movie history.  I much prefer the later version, and even though John Gavin may be one of the worst actors this side of Troy Donahue, he is a feast for the eyes compared to the boring Boyer.  3 cans.
9.  Iron Lady* (2012) – The magnificent Meryl Streep portrays British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in this biopic about the daughter of a grocer who becomes one of the most powerful women in the world.  Unfortunately, the movie isn’t equal to the talents of Streep.  It is filled with flashbacks that show her ascension to power and her resolve, but too many scenes merely show her as the only pair of pumps in a room full of wingtips.  Aside from being convinced that she was always making the right decision, Thatcher and her greatness is missing.  As avowed a Meryl Streep fan as my sister is, even she had to concede that the movie was boring despite the fact she swears, “I’d listen to Meryl read the phone book.”  This movie wasn’t quite like the phone book, but my sister posed this question:  “Would you go and see a movie about Margaret Thatcher if Meryl Streep wasn’t in it?”  Clearly, not this one.  5 cans for Meryl and her make-up and hair people, 3½ for the movie itself.
10.  Only the Strong Survive* (2002) – If you like good music, that sweet soul music, you will like this documentary about the soul sounds of the 60s and 70s.  Filmmakers AJ Pennemaker and Chris Hegedus focus on the recording legends of that era, most of whom have stories of hardship that add grit to their talented pipes.  From the Memphis sounds of Stax records to Detroit’s legendary Motown to Chicago came Rufus Thomas and his daughter Carla, Sam Moore of Sam & Dave (the original “Soul Man” singers), Isaac (“Shaft”) Hayes, Wicked Wilson Pickett, the Chilites and ex-Supreme Mary Wilson.  All are still performing their hits, enjoying their lives and showcasing their talent, and all are shown in concert in this documentary.  A little more background would have been good, but the filmmakers deliver plenty of the performers’ personalities.  Clearly, only the strong survive.  3½ cans.
11.  The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984) –  Charlie and his cousin Paulie (Mickey Rourke, at his best, and Eric Roberts) have their dreams as they live their lives in New York.  Charlie wants to own a restaurant.  Paulie just wants to be a big shot with plenty of dough in his pocket.  To get there, Paulie suggests teaming up with a safecracker (Kenneth McMullan) to make a big score.  They don’t expect a crooked cop to show up in the middle of the heist, and then things get really complicated.  Roberts is twitchy and annoying, yet somehow endearing even to his cousin, despite his ineptitude as a thief and wise guy.  Charlie is smarter, yet not smart enough to avoid Paulie’s get rich quick scheme.  With opening music by Sinatra (“Summer Wind”) and a real feel of New York, this drama paints a vivid picture of the lives of these cousins.  I love Mickey Rourke in this movie, and even Darryl Hannah as his decidedly non-Italian, waspy girlfriend does a credible job.  He’s very cool, nattily attired and just short of truly dangerous.  4 cans.
12.  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close* (2012) – I thought this movie was going to be about my basketball seats at the Rutgers Athletic Center and their proximity to the pep band, but no, it was actually about the devastating aftermath of 9/11.  Oscar (Thomas Horn) is a gangly, quirky kid, a bit OCD and very smart, whose special relationship with his father (Tom Hanks) revolves around intellectual games they play.  A year following his father’s death during 9/11, Oscar finds a box of his belongings and a key in a small envelope labeled “Black.”  Thinking the key must fit a lock that contains more information about his father, Oscar sets out to meet all of the people in New York named Black to see if they knew his father.  Oscar is desperate to maintain any kind of tie to his late father, and along the way, he unlocks more than what a simple key can do.  Sandra Bullock is his mother in a relatively small role and Max Von Sydow plays “The Renter,” an old man who cannot speak but agrees to accompany Oscar on his journey.  I didn’t know what to expect here, but I found a special movie that I highly recommend.  4½ cans.
13.  50-50* (2011) – Finding out you have cancer is a jolt, and Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon Levitt) has to face it with an overbearing mother (Angelica Huston in a role similar to the one Shirley Maclaine had in “Terms of Endearment”), a good-intentioned but crazy best friend (Seth Rogen) and a girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) who can’t provide him with the support and love he needs.  To make matters worse, his cancer is a rare form that gives him only 50-50 odds of survival.  A therapist might help, except the one he is assigned (Anna Kendrick ) takes him on as her third-ever patient.  The odds seem against him, but this very controlled and emotionless young man faces it the best he can, making friends at his chemo sessions and going out with his buddy to pick up girls.  There is touching humor in what otherwise might be overwhelming sadness here, and Seth Rogen is in charge of most of it.  I know first hand the shock of getting a diagnosis of cancer (don’t worry, I’m fine now), so I sympathized with Adam’s plight.  Levitt, whom I loved in “500 Days of Summer,” is excellent as the young man fighting the odds.  4 cans.

February
14.  Namath* (2012) – This HBO documentary takes a frank look at Joe Namath, former quarterback for the New York Jets.  From a star athlete at Beaver Falls, PA, High School through his career at Alabama, to his emergence as Broadway Joe, Namath became a legend. His then-whopping contract with the Jets contributed to the credibility of the American Football League, and his “guarantee” that the Jets would beat the Colts in the Super Bowl in 1967 helped popularize the sport to the fanatical level it enjoys today.  His charisma made him one of the first true star pitchmen, memorably shaving with Noxema and wearing pantyhose in TV commercials.  But all of that fame and notoriety didn’t make him immune to devastating injuries and his habit of suppressing the pain with alcohol.  Still stoop-shouldered and now with a craggy face, Namath recalls his good times and bad with candor and a smile.  He is the stuff of legends.  4 cans.
15.  My Week With Marilyn* (2012) – I couldn’t imagine the waif-like Michelle Williams as the voluptuous Marylyn Monroe, but she pulls it off neatly in this look at the vulnerable and insecure actress.  Just married to author Arthur Miller, Marilyn goes in England to star with Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branaugh) in a trifle of a movie later named “The Prince and the Showgirl.”  She totes along her acting coach and production guy, who attempt to give her confidence, encouragement and drugs to get her through the task at hand.  But it is Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) a lowly “third” – a third assistant director who is nothing more than a gofer with a penchant for the movies – who becomes her ally and friend.  You know she will break his heart as he comforts and supports her through her near-breakdown.  Colin is a cute young innocent himself, albeit the scion of a wealthy and connected family, and he enjoys this very special time with Marilyn.  You can feel the fallibility of the shooting star that was Marilyn, a character of sorts that she herself felt she had to play.  4 cans.
16.  Catfish* (2011) – Professional photographer Nev Schulman is flattered when a young girl sends him a painting she created from one of his photographs in this documentary.  He strikes up an on-line relationship with young Abby, her mother, Angela, and her older sister, Megan.  But as this cautionary tale shows, your Facebook friends may not turn out to be friends – or actual people – at all.  When Nev and Megan get serious on-line, his filmmaker partners (brother Rel and friend Henry) decide to record the first meeting between them.  Nev is left to figure out exactly what happened to a once-promising relationship and why.  So do we, and that’s what makes this movie worth watching.  3½ cans.
17.  The Descendents (2011) – Since I saw this movie last year, I won’t review it again except to say that I enjoyed it more the second time around.  George Clooney was nominated for an Oscar in a role that I personally think falls short of providing the challenges worthy of such an accolade, but he delivers a solid performance.  This isn’t a great movie even though we might want it to be, but it is worth seeing for Clooney and the young actresses who play his daughters, both of whom are outstanding. 
18.  The Best of Everything (1959) – A girl needs a good, trashy B-movie once in a while, and this melodrama fits the bill.  Watching it is like seeing the prequel to “Mad Men,” with its coterie of women slaving away as unappreciated office workers while the men in the adjacent offices attempt to prey on them.  The office bitch is played by Joan Crawford, who, in a “Devil Wears Prada” moment, instructs her new assistant, a hopeful Hope Lange, to simultaneously review scripts for the publishing company, straighten out the files and get her coffee.  Does Lange’s character, armed with a degree from Radcliffe, aspire to the lonely heights of Crawford’s position, or does she really want to settle down with her boyfriend?  Meanwhile, Suzy Parker’s character wants to be an actress and is willing to do anything for a part; Diane Baker falls for the wrong guy (played by Robert Evans, before he became a mega-producer and studio mogul); and Stephen Boyd’s executive drinks too much and chases Hope Lange.  Juicy stuff, in a relatively tame 1959 way.   cans.
19.  The Wedding Date (2005) – If your sister were getting married and your ex was the best man, wouldn’t you want to show up and dazzle him to make him regret dumping you?  Debra Messing’s Kat Ellis hires male escort Nick (Dermot Mulrooney) to play her new boyfriend, and the handsome and buff hooker with a heart lives up to the role.  The plot is so obvious you can see it coming through a blizzard, but this is still a pleasant comedy with good turns by Messing, Mulrooney and Amy Adams as the sister.  Another chick flick, yes, but with more laughs than “The Best of Everything.”  3½ cans.
20.  Hugo* (2012)  – This is a pretty good season for young, waif-like characters who spend a lot of time on their own searching for keys and clues (see “Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud”).  Director Martin Scorsese’s title character is an orphan living in the Paris train station, keeping the clocks running and trying to avoid the mean man who runs the toy counter (Ben Kingsley) and the local police officer (Sacha Baron Cohen, complete with a Snively Whiplash mustache).  The plot ambles along so slowly that I dozed during the first half of the movie.  The story only began to catch my interest and keep me awake when it turned out to be related to making movies.  As much as Scorsese would like this to be his “Cinema Paradiso,” it doesn’t compare to that beautiful paean to movies.  The boy is trying to put things together (an automaton, primarily) and understand some old drawings and images.  He partners with the nasty old man’s god-daughter on his adventure, but the plot is difficult to follow and in no way entertaining for kids.  Maybe if I had seen this movie in 3D I would have enjoyed it more.  Or maybe if I could ever enjoy fantasy, I could have gotten more out of it.  But I will give it high praise for the incredible camera work and special effects, and some of the visual imagery is stunning.  But overall, I just couldn’t connect with the boy and his strange 1930s world.  For that matter, if the story took place in Paris, why did everyone sound English?  3½ cans, all for the brilliant visual work.
21.  Same Time, Next Year (1978) – I could watch this movie same time, any year.  Even though I know it is about infidelity, the relationship between George (Alan Alda) and Doris (Ellen Burstyn) is just so warm and genuine.  They meet at a seaside resort, where George is staying on business and Doris stops on her way to a religious retreat.  They instantly bond, despite having spouses they love, and pledge to meet each year for more trysts.  Their separate lives intersect through stories about their families and events they could not have anticipated.  I find this movie moving, funny and heart-warming.  4 cans.

March
22.  Something’s Got to Give (2003)  – You have to hand it to Jack Nicholson.  In this comedy he portrays 63-year old lothario Harry Sanborn, a resolute bachelor with a predilection for dating young women.  But when he has a heart attack at the house of the young woman of the moment (Amanda Peet), he is confined to bed and cared for by her playwright mother (Diane Keaton), a divorcee who is happy to stay uninvolved.  Suddenly she is pursued by Harry’s young doctor (Keanu Reeves), and, once Harry and her daughter break up, by Harry himself.  Is he at long last ready for a more mature relationship?  Nicholson – overweight, thinning hair and all – could care less how he looks.  While the wattage of the killer smile may have dimmed, he still displays his unmistakable charm.  Keaton is great as the playwright who turns their relationship into a Broadway hit.  4 cans.
23.  Midnight in Paris* (2011)  Woody Allen forsakes his New York home base and playing the main character to write and direct this comedy that takes place in Paris, mostly after midnight.  Owen Wilson plays what would have been the Woody Allen part of a Hollywood writer attempting to find inspiration for his novel in the streets of Paris while visiting with his fiancé (Rachel McAdams) and her parents.  Walking the streets alone as the clock strikes midnight, he is transported magically back to the gay Paris of the 1920s, where he gets to meet Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Cole Porter, Pablo Picasso and his muse.  The more he goes back in time and relishes the rich cultural world of that era, the less he wants to be in the present.  Allen won the Oscar for his screenplay, which is a combination of comedy and fantasy. Though Wilson plays the lead, I could almost hear Allen’s signature whine in the lines. 3½ cans.
24.  As Good As It Gets (1997) – Jack Nicholson Week at the Gordon Movie Theater continues with this James L. Books comedy.  Nicholson is Melvin, an irascible, OCD man living alone in a New York apartment with his idiosyncrasies, such as using fresh bars of soap every time he washes his hands – which is constantly.  His neighbor, a gay artist named Simon (Greg Kinnear), falls victim to a violent crime and Melvin uncharacteristically agrees to care for Simon’s dog.  The only human Melvin can tolerate is Carol (Helen Hunt), the waitress who gets stuck with him at the local restaurant, where he brings his own plastic utensils.  Between falling for the dog and seeing the human side of Carol, the prejudiced and barbed-tongued Melvin becomes much more human himself.  Good story, well done, if borderline annoying because of the main character.  4 cans.
25. The Candidate (1972) – With election season looming large, I thought this would be a good time to reexamine this look at American politics, where image is everything.  Robert Redford is Bill McKay, an idealistic and photogenic lawyer who is the activist son of a former California governor.  He is coaxed into running against the hackneyed incumbent (Don Porter) by his new handlers (Peter Boyle and Allen Garfield) and told that he can say and do whatever he wants.  McKay enters the political fray full of naïveté and good intentions.  Looks matter in this contest, and McKay quickly wins over the public despite his own skepticism about what he has to do to win the election.  His sincerity is quickly replaced by platitudes and his good intentions are compromised to win.  This movie shows the fervor and chaos of a campaign and the compromises it takes to run one successfully.  I vote yes.  4 cans.
26.  Only the Lonely (1991) – This sweet and sad romantic comedy is almost like a modern day (if you can consider 21 years ago modern now) “Marty.”  Lonely Chicago cop Dan (John Candy) lives with his disapproving mother (a still beautiful Maureen O’Hara) – she disapproves of everything, not just him – for whom he feels obligated to care.  Complications ensue when he begins dating plain and equally lonely Theresa (Ally Sheedy).  Will the Irishman Dan cut the apron strings to marry the Sicilian mortuary make-up artist or will he listen to his mother?  John Candy projects warmth and desperation in his role, surpassed only by Maureen O’Hara as the mother from Hell.  3½ cans.
27.  Tower Heist* (2011)  – Ben Stiller and Eddy Murphy star in this clever comedy crime caper about a businessman (Alan Alda) who swindles his clients (a la Bernie Madoff), among whom are the staff of the luxury apartment building where he lives comfortably in the penthouse.  Stiller wants to recoup their losses, so he hires  Murphy, a con man he knows from his Astoria neighborhood, to help him and his fellow victims find money he is sure is stashed in the penthouse.  We get to see flashes of the “Trading Places” and “Beverly Hills Cop” Murphy characters – street smart, snide and funny – but not nearly enough.  The revenge of the staff is clever, albeit implausible, but entertaining nonetheless.  This makes me yearn for THAT Eddie Murphy, and makes me wish he had a movie to carry that is as good as either of those earlier films.  3½ cans.
28.  The Social Network (2010) – Writer Aaron Sorkin takes an interesting approach to this movie about the founding of on-line giant Facebook, which was started by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse E).  The story centers around lawsuits against Zuckerberg brought by his former partner Eduardo (Andrew Garfield) and by the impossibly handsome and tall Van Winklevoss twins (remarkably played by a sole actor, Armie Hammer), all fellow Harvard students.  In flashbacks, he see Zuckerberg start by creating a dating website to check out hot girls.  But, after he is recruited by the twins to program their social network site, the Harvard Connection, he is “inspired” to create Facebook.  He ends up cheating his partner out of millions and denouncing the intellectual property theft claims of the twins when clearly he has committed both in his quest to build and spread Facebook around the work.  This movie says a lot about how young people eschew their own privacy to live their lives on-line while also illustrating the lack of fairness and justice that pervade society.  The irony here is that Zuckerberg, a man with few friends, ends up running a website dependent on them for everyone else.  I found this movie to be engrossing even after having seen it in 2010.  4 cans.
29.  The Announcement* (2012) – This documentary is the latest in ESPN’s terrific series on all aspects of sports.  This time, the topic is Magic Johnson, who, in 1991, announced to a stunned world that he was HIV positive and would retire from his career as basketball’s premiere star.  Gifted with dazzling moves and prodigious athleticism, Earvin Johnson earned his Magic moniker in grade school.  His Michigan State team won the National Championship against Larry Bird’s Indiana State team in 1979.  His “Showtime” Lakers won five NBA Championships, led by the ever-smiling man who personified teamwork.  Just as the HIV-AIDS crisis was beginning to get widespread public attention, Magic found out that he was HIV positive.  After recovering from the initial shock, he retired immediately and decided to become the face of HIV, working to educate people about how to avoid risky behaviors and show that an HIV diagnosis does not have to be a death sentence.  21 years later, Earvin Johnson is still Magic.  4 cans.
30.  From the Terrace (1960) – Somehow, this melodrama seemed much more corny this time around.  Paul Newman is Alfred Eaton, the son of a wealthy father and an alcoholic mother.  In 1946 he returns home from the war determined to make it on his own.  He meets and marries Joanne Woodward (his real-life wife), who here plays the daughter of an even wealthier man.  When an unexpected break lands him a job at a prestigious Wall Street firm, he is forced to work virtually non-stop while his wife carries on with her society friends and former boyfriend.  Alfred seems perpetually unhappy until he is sent on assignment to Pennsylvania, where he meets the daughter of a prospective client and they fall instantly in love.  Melodrama being what it is, complications – like his marriage – ensue.  Will he dump his cheating wife and pursue the girl of his dreams, giving up his lucrative career at the conservative firm?  Why would anyone cheat on Paul Newman is the better question.  His blue eyes have never been bluer, while Joanne has what looks like gray hair in her 30s and eyebrows that look painted on with a roller.  If she doesn’t want him, I’ll take him.  3½ cans.
31.  Game Change* (2012) – If you thought former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was an inexperienced politician who was in over her head when she ran for vice president in 2008, you will probably like this HBO dramatization.   However, if you thought Sarah Palin brought a fresh face and renewed energy to the campaign, you will probably resent her portrayal as inept and stubborn.  I’ll keep above the political fray and just say that this is Juliana Moore’s “Iron Lady,” with kudos to the hair and make-up people.  But the real star of the show is Woody Harrelson as Steve Schmidt, campaign advisor, who suffers through falling for the new candidate and then realizing he and the Republican political brain trust were not as smart as they thought in finding and, more importantly, vetting Palin before endorsing her as John McCain’s running mate.  Interesting take on the situation, but it probably will not win any votes from Republicans.  4 cans from me.
32.  Cast Away (2000) – Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) is an executive with Federal Express, living in Memphis with the love of his life, Kelly (Helen Hunt), until he moves to a deserted island and makes friends with a volleyball named Wilson.  OK, there’s a somewhat more complex story here, as Chuck’s FedEx plane crashes and he is literally stranded on the island for 4 years.  Aside from the obvious and extensive product placement, this is a truly remarkable movie.  It demonstrates man’s ingenuity, determination and resolve, as Chuck will only survive if he can figure out such basic activities as making fire, finding food and water, and living completely and totally on his own. The scenes with Wilson the volleyball become all the more touching because of his loneliness.  Hanks – nominated for an Oscar for this role and every bit as good here as he was in “Big,” “Philadelphia” “Forrest Gump” and “Apollo 13” – is everyman, faced with an extraordinary challenge and a will to survive.  Considering the lack of dialog (aside from conversations with Wilson throughout the deserted island time), this movie absolutely holds your attention.  Even Hanks’ body language – by the end of his time on the island, he haunches in a way that reminds you of images of prehistoric men – is compelling to watch.  If you have been on a deserted island and have somehow managed to miss this movie, get thee to a Redbox or order it On Demand and spend some quality time with Tom and Wilson.  4½ cans.
33.  Postcards from the Edge (1990) – Some 21 years before she became Margaret Thatcher, Marvelous Meryl Streep portrayed a drugged out actress in this movie written by caustic Carrie Fisher.  Laced with Fisher’s acerbic wit and based on her real life with her mother, Debbie Reynolds – here played by the mother of all mothers, Shirley MacLaine – the movie puts the fun in dysfunctional in the relationship between the guilt-wielding mother and the world-weary daughter.  As the movie starts, Streep’s actress is blowing her lines and consuming enough drugs to warrant getting her stomach pumped (after she is literally dropped off at the ER by Dennis Quaid).  With her behavior making her uninsurable for producers, she is forced to live with her mother so she can work.  Mom is overbearing, opinionated and full of suggestions – and vodka.  The two women have to figure out a way to survive their vices and each other.  Streep and MacLaine are pros in these roles, and Meryl reveals yet another talent by belting out two songs.  In the hands of anyone other than Fisher, director Mike Nichols, Streep and MacLaine, this would probably not be nearly as good as it is.  4 cans.
34.  Hope Floats (1997) – This is a movie I wish were better because of Sandra Bullock’s performance.  While she may not be Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock always seems to me to be the most unpretentious of actresses.  She doesn’t seem to mind looking bad on camera when it is appropriate to the role, and here she definitely doesn’t look her best.  She plays Birdee Calvert, a woman who finds out on national television that her husband is having an affair with her best friend.  She hightails it back to Momma’s house (Gena Rowlands) in Texas with daughter Bernice.  Waiting for her is Justin (a manly looking Harry Connick, Jr.), who appears to have waited for her all his life.  It seems too neat a package to me.  Just dumped, and a hunk waiting to help her start life anew?  Only in the movies, I guess.  But Bullock is her winsome self, so I’ll give the movie a bit more of a rating because of her appeal.  3½ cans.
35.  Moonstruck (1987) – Every time I see this movie I fall in love with it all over again.  Cher won an Oscar for playing Loretta Castorini, a dull, drab woman who lives at home with her parents (Vincent Gardenia and Olympia Dukakis).  In the course of three days, Loretta gets engaged to a man she doesn’t love (Danny Aiello), falls in love with his brother (Nicholas Cage) and goes to her first opera.  If you don’t like this movie, you will drop dead and she will go to your funeral wearing a red dress.  Luckily for me, I love this movie.  It is witty and charming and full of moonlight and madness.  4½ cans.
36.  Remember the Day (1941) – For some reason, the name of this movie has stuck with me over the last 40+ years since I first saw it and loved it.  Seeing it again, I can only picture a young, immature girl who was swept up in the heartwarming drama about a school teacher (Claudette Colbert) beloved by her students who falls for the handsome gym teacher (John Payne).  Now I look at this movie with the filter of a mature (ahem) woman who sees the schoolboy with the crush on the teacher and thinks “Mary Kay LeTourneau.”  What was once sweet has become potentially revolting, though the innocence of this movie would never take it in that direction.  Such is the society in which we now live, that where I once saw charm I now see cheese and sleaze.  I wish I liked it more, because I sure waited long enough for a second viewing.  2½ cans.
37.  Cedar Rapids* (2011) – What happens in Cedar Rapids stays in Cedar Rapids, except for the drinking and general debauchery encountered by straight-laced Wisconsin insurance man Tim Lippe (Ed Helms).  Repping his agency at the big convention, Lippe ends up rooming with Dean (John C. Reilly), his complete opposite, and falling for another agent (Anne Heche).  A few drinks, drugs and misadventures later, Tim is no longer the uptight guy who wears a money belt under his shirt and has never flown before, because he is flying high and bribing the pious President to give his agency the prestigious 2 diamond award.  This is a silly movie that stars Helms, whose work I am familiar with only through “The Hangover,” and this movie shares some of the latter’s less desirable characteristics.  There is a happy ending, however, and it was mercifully short.  2½ cans.
38.  Easy Money (1983) – Since I (sadly) did not win the lottery, and since we are on a roll with debauchery today, I decided to immerse myself in this Rodney Dangerfield comedy.  Rodney is all twitchy and bug-eyed as Monty Cappaletti, a baby photographer who indulges his taste for smoking, drinking, gambling and ogling women. His wife is the daughter of a very rich and snobby department store owner whose sudden death means a large inheritance – if Monty can lose weight and drop his bad habits for a year.  Hanging out with best buddy Nicky (Joe Pesci) doesn’t help, but Monty gives it his best shot.  The movie’s narrative is, shall we say, casual at best, but the scenes of his daughter’s wedding reception in his tiny, fenced Staten Island backyard and watching Dangerfield and Pesci transporting the wedding cake (which they have wedged against the toilet in Nicky the Plumber’s van) are priceless.  Like all Rodney Dangerfield films, this one has no redeeming social value beyond making me laugh out loud.  3½ cans.
39.  Around the World in 80 Days* (1954) – Author Jules Verne had a big imagination.  Producer Mike Todd had a big budget.  And actor David Niven had a big top hat.  Niven plays Phineaus Fogg, a rich Brit who bets his snooty buddies that he can go around the world in 80 days, an impossible task in the pre-1900 timeframe.  Accompanied by his valet (Cantinflas, and whatever happened to him after this movie?), he sets out by balloon, boat, train and every existing transportation device (after all, this was before the turn of the LAST century) to accomplish that lofty goal.  Along the way, he rescues a princess in India (Shirley MacLaine), encounters attacking native Americans in the West, stalled trains and an inspector who is sure he robbed a bank. This movie is part spectacle, part fun, and packed with cameos by everyone from Noel Coward and Buster Keaton to Frank Sinatra.  Even I couldn’t keep up.  All I knew about this movie was that my mother loved the theme song, “Around the World.”  As for the movie, well, it was a way to while away time on a rainy day.  3 cans.

APRIL
40.  The Terminal (2004) – In “Cast Away,” Tom Hanks was stranded on a remote island, forced to figure out how to survive.  Here, he is Viktor Navorski, stranded at JFK Airport and forced to figure out how to survive when his tiny Eastern European country is in civil war  and no longer recognized by the U.S., thus voiding his visa.  The mean man in charge of security (Stanley Tucci) tells him to wait, and, being a compliant guy who speaks little English, Viktor does just that – for more than 9 months. He lives at gate 64, makes friends with the airport staff, improves his English by reading books at Borders and even gets a construction job so he can make money to survive.  All he wants to do is set foot in New York, but his quest seems as impossible as his relationship with lovely airline flight attendant Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones).  The more I see Tom Hanks, the more I realize what a treasure he is to the movies.  Anyone cooped up interminably in a terminal might go mad, but Hanks, like he does in “Cast Away,” makes you believe he can endure it.  You just can’t help liking his characters and admiring his skill as an actor.  4 cans.
41.  Word Play (2006) – This entertaining documentary offers a gentle cross-examination of the world of crossword puzzles, their creation and their enthusiasts.  Among those profiled are such dedicated puzzlers as former President Bill Clinton, baseball pitcher Mike Mussina, and comedian Jon Stewart.  The star of the show is Will Shortz, the amiable editor of the venerable New York Times crossword puzzle and the originator of the annual American Crossword Puzzle Competition.  Each year contestants gather at the Stamford, CT, Marriott to participate in timed competitions to determine the winner.  Contestants spend the year in between competitions honing their skills and timing themselves on the daily puzzle.  The competitors include a 20-year old student from Rensselear Polytech, a man from Florida and a guy named Al, who competes every year but has never won.  Don’t get down and out, Al, there’s always next year.  4 cans.
42.  Splash (1984) – A very young Tom Hanks teams up with director Ron Howard on this fantasy/comedy about a man who can’t swim who falls for a mermaid (Darryl Hannah).  Hanks and his brother (John Candy) own a food company, and when mermaid Madison comes along, Hank knows he has made a big catch.  She sheds her mermaid attributes while not in the water, so Hanks doesn’t know her true identity, but a scientist played by Eugene Levy is studying her and ready to expose her (which would happen more readily if her strategically placed hair ever moved).  Hannah is fetching as the innocent who gets accustomed to land-locked love, but when Hanks discovers her secret this charmer gets a little too madcap for me, with scientists and the brothers chasing the bad guys and each other.  You can see the future success destined for the stars and director even if this movie sometimes seems all wet.  Hats off to Dodie Goodman for a small but hilarious role as the whacky office manager.  3 cans, but no tuna.
43.  The Scout* (1994) – Today is opening day for the New York Yankees, so it is only fitting that I watch a baseball movie that ends up in Yankee Stadium.  Here Albert Brooks is Al Percolo, a baseball scout who lives on the road, trying to find future baseball starts.  When his latest phenom fizzles, Al is sentenced – I mean sent – to central Mexico, the minorest of minor leagues.  There he unexpectedly meets the stud of all stud baseball players, Steve Nebraska (Brendan Fraser), who can throw a fastball so hard he knocks over the catcher and umpire.  Oh, and he hits homeruns, too.  Al convinces him to come to New York, where the Yankees make him an offer no one in his right mind could refuse.  Trouble is, Steve may not be in his right mind, so Al sets him up with a psychiatrist (Dianne Wiest) for therapy.  Will he take his prodigious talents to the big leagues, or will he and Al drive each other crazy?  By the way, there is more fantasy in this movie when it comes to baseball realities than there was in “Splash.”  3 cans.
44.  Jerry Maguire (1996) – Tom Cruise is slick sports agent Jerry Maguire, a man who first gets into your living room, then your head, and finally your heart.  He is living the good life, repping the presumed top NFL draft pick, engaged to a sexy woman (Kelly Preston) and excelling at his job.  But one night, after a few too many drinks, he writes a “mission statement” that eviscerates the profession for its greed, urges integrity – and costs him his job and his fiancée.  He marches out of the agency with his principles, a couple of fish, one client and a low-level staffer named Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellwegger) who believes in him.  His one remaining client, wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Oscar-winning Cuba Gooding, Jr.), exhorts him to “show me the money!”  Jerry Maguire yearns for the love, which he thinks he’s found with Dorothy and her irresistible son Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki), but he is incapable of real intimacy.  This is the movie that gave us Zellwegger, Lipinicki and his 8-pound head and a small but juicy part for one of my favorite actresses, Bonnie Hunt.  Tom Cruise, this time you had me at hello.  4 cans.
45.  Evening* (2007) – Vanessa Redgrave portrays Ann, an elderly dying woman in this poignant drama.  On her deathbed, surrounded by her two daughters (real-life daughter Natasha Richardson and Toni Collette), Ann begins to have flashbacks about a great love in her life and her regrets.  Claire Danes plays the young Ann on the weekend of the wedding of her best friend Lila (Mamie Gummer), and Patrick Wilson is Harris, the man they both love.  As her daughters try to figure out Ann’s ramblings and names they have never heard before, her best friend, Lila (Gummer’s real mother, Meryl Streep) pays a visit to her dying friend.  This is a lovely look at life, the decisions we make – or don’t make – and what happens as a result.  4 cans.
46.  The Money Pit (1986) – Young couple Walter and Anna (Tom Hanks and Shelley Long) experience the nightmare that is home renovation in this slapstick comedy by Richard Benjamin.  Desperate for a place to live, they settle on a suburban home that appears to be a steal.  It also appears to have working plumbing, electricity and a staircase, but all those things are short-lived, and they must find and work with contractors, plumbers and the rest of the crew, all of whom assure them the repairs will take “two weeks.”  Months later, they are still hauling water by bucket up a ladder to bathe.  This movie has much more slapstick than I can generally tolerate, but Hanks and Long made me laugh out loud more than once.  And yes, my Tom Hanks movie marathon continues (number 7 for the year).  3 cans.
47.  Bridesmaids (2011) – When I first saw this movie last year, I found the raunchy comedy to be refreshingly distasteful.  However, seeing it a second time, without the surprise, I found myself dissecting it.  Some of the scenes go on too long and some of the subplots are just not necessary (Kristen Wiig’s roommates don’t deserve nearly this much screen time).  For those who are unfamiliar with the story, Wiig plays Annie, who has lost her business and her apartment, has a broken down car, who sleeps with a guy who makes her feel used (Jon Hamm), and who is forced to live with her alcoholic mother (the late, great Jill Clayburgh).  In other words, this story is destined to be a comedy, right?  The comedy part is when she takes on the role of maid of honor at her long-time best friend’s wedding (Maya Rudolph), whose new best friend (Rose Byrne) is determined to out-bridesmaid her.  Their rivalry is the centerpiece of the comedy, with heavy doses (pardon the pun) of Oscar-nominated Melissa McCarthy as a “fellow” bridesmaid.  I still laughed, but, though this is a fun movie to share with your girlfriends, it is not one that I’ll watch every time it airs on TV.  4 cans.
48.   Trading Places (1983) – Unlike “Bridesmaids,” this is a movie I seldom pass up a chance to see.  This delicious comedy stars Eddie Murphy as small-time hustler Bill Ray Valentine, Capricorn.  Dan Ackroyd plays his counterpart, the rich and snobby Louis Winthorp.  Winthorp’s even wealthier bosses at a commodities trading company, Mortimer and Randolph Duke (Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy), conduct an experiment to see if Valentine can succeed and Winthorp fail if they arrange a sneaky switch of their stations in life.  Winthorp, now arrested and penniless, meets hooker-with-a-heart-and-a-head-for-business Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis), who takes him in.  When the two men realize they have been had, they team up for revenge, aiming for the Dukes’ fortune.  Murphy is great, especially in the first third of the movie as the hustler and as he adapts to his new, rich life, exhorting his former posse to use coasters and stop putting out their Kools on his rug.  A shout out is due for Coleman the butler (Denholm Elliott).  There are memorable lines throughout the movie, and I know them all.  But I will keep watching this movie anyway.  4½ cans.
49.  The Lucky One* (2012) – Blue-eyed Zac Efron stars in this Nicholas Sparks’ story of a Marine who finds a picture of a woman in the rubble of a battle and feels that she has saved his life.  Determined to track her down to thank her, he somehow walks from Colorado to Louisiana, where, naturally, he finds her and, just as expected, they fall in love before he finds the right moment to reveal why he tracked her down.  I’ve read several of Sparks’ books, and they all feature stoic and noble men who are incredibly understanding and amazingly competent.  Here, Efron’s character, Logan, can play chess and piano expertly, and he can train dogs, repair boat engines and broken hearts.  The predictability of the story seems inevitable, but overall, the movie, co-starring Taylor Schilling and Blythe Danner, was less cheesy than I expected.  The real stretch of credibility is that Logan could walk from Colorado and find the woman with such a minimum of fuss and bother.  3½ cans.
50.  Separate Lies (2005) – “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes wrote and directed this sophisticated movie about a wealthy couple who become involved in a murder cover-up.  Tom Wilkinson is James, a London solicitor, and Emily Watson is his loving wife, Annie.  When the husband of their housekeeper is killed in a hit and run accident near their country home, James begins to suspect the involvement of their friend Bill Buell (Rupert Everett).  As the story progresses, there are secrets and lies revealed and consequences to face.  This is a slowly told tale as the layers of the story begin to unfold.  I found it interesting and engrossing. 4 cans.
51.  Water for Elephants* (2011) – Jacob (Robert Pattinson) is taking his veterinary exams at Cornell when he is removed from class and informed that his parents have died in a car accident.  Left penniless, Jacob walks down the railroad tracks and hops on a passing train, which turns out to be a circus train.  With his veterinary skills, he is assigned the task of caring for the animals, including the new attraction designed to bring profitability to the failing enterprise – an elephant named Rosie.  The circus is run by a mean ringmaster (Christoph Walz) and headlined by his wife (Reese Witherspoon), who learns to ride and show off Rosie’s talents.  Predictably, the young vet and the veteran performer fall in love and Jacob lands in trouble.  I’m told that the book was great, but as for the movie?  Well, it’s OK, but not something I’d make sure to see again.  This is my first exposure to Robert Pattinson (since I haven’t seen his “Twilight” movies), and I found him to be believable in the role.  I couldn’t help thinking how badly he must have smelled, wearing the same clothes and cleaning out the animal cages.  3½ cans.
52.  The Great Escape* (1963) – As war movies – or, more accurately, prisoner of war movies – go, this one is about as interesting and entertaining as they come.  Based on a true story, the movie details how the Allied Forces captured and sent in 1942 to a German POW camp that is purported to be impossible to escapable plot to ruin its reputation by doing just that.  Among the cool characters working on the escape plan are Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson and James Coburn.  Each man has his assignment and his specialty, and the way they cover up their covert activities is clever indeed.  Unlike my favorite prison movie, “The Shawshank Redemption,” which has one man working to dig a tunnel to escape (and you don’t know he has done it until he actually escapes), this one has legions of men burrowing away underground, devising tools and implements to dig and get rid of the dirt and to ultimately liberate hundreds of POWs.  I won’t reveal the end except to remind you that war is hell, yet this movie is refreshing and absorbing.  4 cans.

May
53.  Venus* (2006) – Peter O’Toole plays Maurice Evans, an aging English actor who is so frail that he willingly plays corpses.  He enjoys trading sardonic barbs with fellow thespian Ian (Leslie Philips), his equally old and persnickety pal.  Maurice and his friends are content to sit around in the local diner, swapping stories and insults while reading the paper.  Ian’s niece’s teenage daughter, Jessie (Jodie Whittaker), arrives to care for him, injecting brashness and energy into the sodden atmosphere, and Maurice is smitten with the girl, whom he calls Venus.  He is kind to her, takes her shopping and drinking, and doesn’t mind her manipulating tendencies and occasional cruelty.  Venus rekindles feelings in Maurice that he thought had ebbed, and that no longer exist with his wife (Vanessa Redgrave), with whom he no longer lives.  O’Toole, who closely resembles Henry Fonda in “On Golden Pond” here, was nominated for an Oscar for this understated performance.  Whittaker plays Venus with the typical sullenness of a teenager, impatient yet drawn to the old actor.  3½ cans.
54.  Larry Crowne* (2011) – Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) is an average middle-aged guy, a nine-time employee of the month at the local discount store, when he is suddenly fired in a downsizing – supposedly because his lack of a college degree makes him ineligible for advancement to management.  When his neighbor advises him to get a degree and make himself “fireproof,” he enrolls in the local community college, where he enthusiastically tackles his economics and communications courses.  Lack of enthusiasm is among the things that plagues his speech teacher, Mrs. Tainot (Julie Roberts), who has a lazy, porn-addicted husband and who only hopes that not enough students show up in her classroom so she can cancel the course.  Maybe Larry’s luck will turn on what the dean of student services calls Tainot’s “life-changing class.”  Larry swaps his gas guzzler for a small motorbike and meets a fellow student who spiffs up his image and appeal.  Tom Hanks produced, directed and co-wrote this somewhat predictable story, which you know will end in romance.  If not for the appeal of its stars – Julia Roberts, when she finally smiles, still lights up the screen – it might have ended sooner in my house.  Nice try, Tom.  3½ cans.
55.  State of Play* (2009) – Russell Crowe is a reporter for the fictional Washington Globe who becomes immersed in a story when his good friend, a Congressman played by Ben Affleck, makes the news for having an affair with a young staffer.  When the woman commits suicide, Crowe turns up evidence of murder that points to the company Affleck’s powerful committee is investigating, but he needs to tie it all together without compromising the friendship.  His newspaper boss (Helen Mirren) wants corroboration on the record, and his young colleague from the on-line side of the paper, played by Rachel McAdams, is ready to rip into the story to prove her worth.  So Crowe has a lot of things to handle, not counting the military-trained bad guy who is killing people connected to the case.  This is an intriguing drama, with an unkempt Crowe playing both sides but wanting to be the good journalist.  There are serious “All the President’s Men” overtones here – the Washington paper, the scruffy journalist and partner who could be replaced by a more senior writer, doors being slammed in reporters’ faces and even a scene in a parking garage (only it’s not Deep Throat, it is the bad guy on the loose there).  I am glad I listened to Janie P., who recommended this film, and I will do the same.  4 cans.
56.  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – Is there anyone, anyone, who has not seen this John Hughes classic about a high school student (Matthew Broderick in the title role) who just wants a day off from school?  Anyone, anyone?  The doubting principal (Jeffrey Jones) is determined to blow Ferris’ cover, but he is one cool kid.  He and pal Cameron (the droll Alan Ruck) and girlfriend (Mia Sara) take off in Cam’s father’s Ferrari for a day of adventure around Chicago as the rest of the adult world tries to reel him back in.  Ben Stein, playing a teacher with as much enthusiasm as wallpaper, is the hidden gem in this movie, and I love Edie McClurg as the secretary to the evil principal.  John Hughes made a bunch of movies in the 1980s centered around teenagers before he went even younger with “Home Alone.”  I think this one is among his best.  Broderick is utterly charming as Ferris.  4 cans.
57.  The Best Most Exotic Marigold Hotel* (2012)  – For a bunch of Brits whose financial futures are dim, living life in retirement at the Best, Most Exotic Marigold Hotel in India seems like a good move.  The hotel promises to cater to an older crowd, almost like a hostel for the elderly.  But when the various characters arrive, the hotel turns out to be better in concept than in actuality.  Its manager/owner Sonny (Dev Patel) is full of optimism and good intentions, but the rooms don’t have doors and the place looks all but abandoned.  However, this group of characters is played by the royalty of English actors (Dame Judith Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, among others (I don’t know how they missed Helen Mirren), so you know that the movie will work, at least on some level.  One woman hates everything about India as she worries about eating a “bacteria, lettuce and tomato sandwich.”  Maggie Smith’s character (who gets the best lines) takes the trip only to have a hip replaced since she can’t wait for the expensive operation in England.  Each character has his or her own story, and they all play out against the new world that they have entered, some adapting much better than others.  The Marigold may not be a four-star resort, but it gets 4 cans in my book.
58.  Invincible (2006) – This drama is the improbable real-life story of super fan Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), too old and too small to be a football player, who gets a try-out with his hometown Philadelphia Eagles in the late 1970s and, incredibly, makes the team.  A substitute teacher and part-time bartender, Vince is just a neighborhood guy, whose girlfriend leaves him and who is going nowhere (as the ex-girlfriend tells him in a note).  When the Eagles’ new coach, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear), announces try-outs, Vince shows up, convinced he won’t make it.  Imagine being in the stands one year, cheering for your team, and the next year being down on the field, facing the Dallas Cowboys, with your friends looking on.  This isn’t exactly Rudy, but Papale’s story is almost as compelling.  When it comes to sports, you gotta have heart, and Papale has about 180 pounds of it.  3½ cans.
59.  Glory Road (2006) – Only in the movies could a first-year, former high school girls’ basketball coach take a Division 1 men’s team to the National Championship – except that this drama is based on a real story.  In 1966, Texas Western Coach Don Haskins (played by Josh Lucas) took his team to the title in what became a milestone in sports.  Haskins recruited the first black players to the El Paso, Texas, school, and they led the team to a season with only one loss.  In the National Championship game, Haskins played only his black players against Kentucky, a 5-time National Champion team led by legendary Coach Adolph Rupp (Jon Voight) – who refused to recruit black players.  Haskins quite literally changed the complexion of basketball for all time.  Set against the Civil Rights movement, the movie shows the indignities and prejudice faced by the black players and how Haskins molded them and their white teammates into a championship squad.  I knew the outcome of the game and the backstory, but still found the drama here thrilling.  4 cans.
60.   Fame (1980) – This drama depicts the angst and exhilaration of the young musicians, singers, dancers and drama students – from auditions through graduation – at the New York School of the Performing Arts.  Standout performers include dancer Gene Anthony Ray and Irene Cara, who sings the title song along with ”Out Here on My Own.”  The plot is not nearly as important as the message, that it is a tough world for performers and you have to dedicate your life to your craft in order to succeed – and that still might not be enough.  It gets glum in parts, but when the singers sing, the dancers dance and the musicians play, this movie is an exuberant salute to the performing arts.  3½ cans.
61.  No Way Out (1987) – Can it be 25 years since Kevin Costner made his first big splash on the screen in this intriguing drama?  Here he stars as Naval Commander Tom Farrell, a self-assured and oh-so-cute guy who takes a job at the Pentagon, working for the Secretary of Defense (Gene Hackman) and reporting to his college friend, the Secretary’s Chief of Staff, played by Will Patton.  He hooks up with an attractive woman (Sean Young) at an event (check out the memorable limo scene), unaware that she is involved with the Secretary.  She’s not about to break off her rewarding arrangement, so she sends Farrell packing when Hackman’s character drops by one evening.  They get into a fight, complications ensue, and suddenly, Farrell is in charge of an investigation that has him as its target.  There are spy themes here, a little action, but mostly the viewer has to wonder if Farrell really has no way out.  4 cans.
62.  For the Love of the Game (1999) – Kevin Costner’s third baseball movie (“Field of Dreams” and “Bull Durham” are the others) is not only about the national pastime but also a love story.  Costner is Billy Chapel, aging right-handed pitcher for the about-to-be-sold Detroit Tigers, who has to make up his mind, something he doesn’t do very well.  Arm woes aside, he’s been seeing Jane (Kelly Preston) on and off for five years, and he can’t fully commit to the relationship because he is wedded to baseball.  At 40, he knows the end is near, but he still has the love of the game.  This story is languorously told, with plenty of baseball scenes, and both of Billy’s loves are fully explored.  The end?  Let’s just say “perfect.”  4 cans.
63.  Bullitt (1968) – Steve McQueen plays Frank Bullitt, one cool cop, in this drama set in San Francisco.  He’s put in charge of guarding a federal witness who ends up shot.  Bullitt is determined to find the shooter and the motive, chasing him down in one of the most exciting car chases in movie history.  Robert Vaughan is the power broker who needs the witness alive and is none too happy when he vanishes from the hospital.  McQueen’s total dialog here probably took less time than the nine-minute car chase, but his cool, taciturn manner plays well for the character.  Interesting story, and you cannot beat that car scene – except maybe by Gene Hackman in “The French Connection.”  3½ cans.
64.  House of Steinbrenner* (2010) – This documentary is part of ESPN’s outstanding series, “30 for 30.”  This movie focuses on the ups and downs of George Steinbrenner in his reign as owner of the New York Yankees, with special emphasis on the building of the new Yankee Stadium.  Diehard Yankee fans first hated George, then, as the Yankees began to win in the 1990s, embraced “The Boss.”  They also loved the old Yankee Stadium, that cathedral of a ballpark, and were skeptical about the shiny new “House That George Built.”  While I, too, can shed tears over my first Yankee game (Yogi Berra Night, 1959), I won’t miss the odor of urine in the hallways, the paucity of powder rooms and the lack of monitors when you left your seat to go to the hotdog concession.  Maybe I’m a homer, but I just can’t see any other sports franchise – in any sport – conjuring up such passion and vitriol over either an owner or a ballpark.  But then, I never went to Ebbetts Field before Walter O’Malley transplanted the Dodgers from Brooklyn to LA.  I almost shed a few tears over the Yankee memories this film evoked.  4 cans.

JUNE
65.  The Desk Set (1957) – It took me 13 days to see my first movie this month and I picked this Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn ditty about the dawn of the computer age.  Hepburn’s Bunny heads the reference department at the Federal Broadcasting Company, where she and her “girls” pick up the phone and answer every kind of question imaginable, and they do it quickly and efficiently.  Not efficiently enough for the boss, who brings in Tracy’s efficiency expert and his enormous computer to replace them.  This device nearly takes up the whole room.  The chemistry between Tracy and Hepburn is palpable, as usual, despite her long-term relationship with an indecisive Gig Young.  You can’t imagine a more dated movie, but it is fun to see the office running at top speed until the computer is installed.  But the real reason I watched this movie is that my father, who would have turned 100 years old the day before I viewed it, was once in a community theater production of the play on which the movie is based, starring in the Tracy role.  My sister learned every line in the play – for all of the characters – to rehearse with him, but she was so young that she thought he was running off with another woman for real at the end of the play.  This was my father’s first and last foray into show business, so this story holds a special place in my heart.  Happy 100th, Dad.  Dad gets 5 cans; the move gets 3.
66.  You’ve Got Mail (1999)  – This romantic comedy was about the last time we saw Meg Ryan looking like Meg Ryan.  Here she and Tom Hanks couple up again – or try to – as she plays the owner of an independent bookstore and he is the owner of a megachain of bookstores which ultimately will drive her out of business.  So on the business end, they are bitter rivals, but what they don’t know – at least immediately – is that they are exchanging on-line messages with each other and developing a rapport that might lead to a relationship.  Much as in the other movie in which they paired, “Sleepless in Seattle,” you just wish they’d get together already.  Both bring a modest charm to the leads that makes the movie warm and comfy to watch.  4 cans.
67.  One Day* (2011) – Adorable Anne Hathaway and cute Jim Sturgiss meet, almost sleep together, and out of that encounter they become best pals.  Though we know immediately that they are meant for each other, they grow ever closer without realizing the inevitability of their union.  She is a little ditzy, he is a little annoying, but you know that they have to be together.  It is just that their timing is off.  And then some.  I liked it and gasped audibly in the appropriate places.  4 cans.
68.  The Vow* (2012) – Try as I might, I really don’t like Channing Tatum.  He is the same wooden, plain vanilla actor in every movie of his that I have seen, and I should VOW to skip the rest of the ones he makes.  However, Rachel McAdams is his exact opposite, with warm and adorable qualities that make you love her and her character.  Here she is married to Tatum when she has an accident and loses her memory.  She eventually remembers her past (including the old boyfriend played by Scott Speedman that she almost married) but still cannot recall anything about her husband, so he sets out to make her fall in love with him again.  I don’t think it would have worked on me the first time, no less on the second time around.  3 cans.
69.  Burlesque* (2010) –  Christina Aguilera doesn’t sing as much as belt her way through this role as Ali from Iowa, who wants to make it big in Hollywood as a singer when she sees the Burlesque review owned by Cher.  She is totally entranced by the goings on on stage, so taken with the performances of the lip-synching, writhing dancers that she grabs a tray and starts waiting tables to earn her way into the chorus.  Cher is at her deep-throated, wry best as the club owner in danger of losing the club to rich and handsome but evil Eric Dane, who wants to knock it down and build a high rise.  Stanley Tucci, virtually reprising his role in “The Devil Wears Prada” as the gay BFF and man in charge, is Sean, who is constantly carrying costumes in need of a glue gun or sewing machine.  Back to Aguilera: she is quite the tour de force as Ali, who gets a chance to show off those miraculous pipes when Nikki, the requisite star-with an-attitude-problem, kills the big number and Ali saves the day.  Did I mention that she falls for the bartender who takes her in?  Cher is given one solo that we are to take as her strong stand against her growing credit problems, but it is Aguilera’s movie all the way, and she does shine.  Sure, lots of clichés, a few extra layers of cheese, but this big, bombastic movie is entertaining.  Aguilera should see it and remember who she is before she signs on for another go-round as a judge on the TV show, “The Voice,” because she has the best one around. 3½ cans.
70.  Bye Bye Birdie (1963) – What better contrast to “Burlesque” than the heart-warming, all-American musical with Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh and a way-too-old-for-the-role Ann-Margaret.  Van Dyke is a failed songwriter with mother (Maureen Stapleton) issues who would rather be a biochemist.  Leigh, his secretary/girlfriend, gets him assigned to write a song that Elvis Presley-like Conrad Birdie will sing to a random teenager who idolizes him (Ann-Margaret) on The Ed Sullivan Show.  I first saw the play when my high school put it on, and I can still sing the words to “Have you heard about Hugo and Kim?”  It is full of energy and wholesomeness, though any suggestion that Ann-Margaret’s Kim McAfee would be in love with Bobby Rydell’s Hugo smacks of science fiction.  If it is a choice between “Burlesque” and “Birdie,” I’d take the latter for Paul Lynde and his number
“Kids” alone.  4 cans.
71.  The Emperors Club* (2002) – This is Kevin Kline’s “Dead Poet’s Society” movie, where he portrays Mr. Hunderd, a dedicated classics teacher at a boys’ prep school.  There, in 1976, he teaches Cicero and Caesar to a mostly willing bunch of eager students whose lives he molds and inspires.  Until Sedgwick Belle (Emilie Hirsch) comes along, that is.  Belle is a charismatic cut-up, defiant in a non-threatening way, but pre-occupied more with pranks than homework.  The rigid Hunderd, also the assistant headmaster, is thwarted in his attempt to teach and motivate the teenager, so he prevails on the boy’s powerful father, whose sole phone call results in an only-in-the-movies renewed interest in learning.  In fact, Belle improves so much that he qualifies as a finalist in the annual Mr. Julius Caesar competition.  He soon reverts back to his egregious behavior, and 25 years later, his path once again crosses with Mr. Hunderd.  Will he have learned his lessons?  Kline – who does not make enough movies to suit me – carries off his role with considerable grace and presence, and Hirsch is a good bad boy.  The settings are lovely and the music is soaring, but the movie didn’t have enough bite to appease my appetite, though I liked the ending.  3 cans.
72.  Moonrise Kingdom* (2012) – I can’t say I wasn’t warned.  Despite a promotional campaign touting Moonrise Kingdom as “best movie of the year,” two people I trust claimed to hate it.  I didn’t hate it, but I’m not sure I can describe adequately the immense quirkiness of this odd little film.  The story centers around two 12-year olds living on an island in New England.  The roads aren’t paved, there is one police officer (Bruce Willis) and a very strange young girl living with her equally bizarre family (parents played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand, who personifies quirkiness).  The girl runs away with the boy, who escapes his Khaki Scout camp to meet her.  They are in love, or at least desperate enough for the girl to leave her strange family.  The boy, an orphan, is a misfit, sweet and artsy and destined for bullying by the other boys.  Their adventure includes a whopper of a storm, an odd Scout leader (Edward Norton), a woman from Social Services who is only referred to as Social Services (Tilda Swinton), and the ongoing schlepping of a suitcase as they escape through the woods.  Bizarre, strange, quirky, but visually arresting – sometimes you have to color outside the lines, I guess.  3 cans, and probably a slew of Oscar nominations.
73.  Moment by Moment (1978) – This misguided romance goes down in my annals of movies as one of the worst ever made – a feeling I had when I first saw it that holds true today.  I wondered, would I still want to throw things at the screen and shout at the inane dialog?  John Travolta is Strip, a drifter who latches on to Trish (Lily Tomlin), a lonely, rich Beverly Hills matron newly separated from her husband.  Though she is considerably older, with their look-alike haircuts, they could be brother and sister, making their romance all the more unlikely.  Strip, who is only too happy to doff his clothes and strut around in his “Saturday Night Fever” drawers, is a lost soul looking to make a connection.  Trish, who is not looking for anything initially, finally succumbs to his rich mane of hair (unlike in “Saturday Night Fever,” you are allowed to touch his hair here) and having someone to love.  Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Greenjeans had more heat between them than these two, and their romantic scenes are excruciating to watch.  Those scenes are matched by the equally ridiculous dialog, and, since the main characters are on the screen almost exclusively for most of the movie, you are either hearing them talk or watching them in bed.  There is one line that has stayed with me for all these years – and it isn’t when Tomlin’s character keeps calling, “Strip!”  It is Strip’s message in a bottle:  “What a world.”  When it comes to movies, what a movie!  I hope I spoiled it for you, because no one should ever be forced to see this train wreck.  An underachieving 1 can, just for the pleasure of hating it so much.
74.  Rock of Ages* (2012) – Big, bad hair and loud rock anthems set the tone for this musical pastiche of 80’s rock and roll.  Like its more mature musical predecessor, “Mamma Mia,” “Rock of Ages” takes a collection of songs from the era and stitches them together with a story about a small town girl(Julianna Hough) living in a lonely world who arrives in Los Angeles to become a singer.  On her first night, fresh off the bus, her suitcase is stolen but she meets a nice young guy (Diego Boneto) from the big rock mecca on the Sunset Strip.  He is also determined to be a singer.  And what better role model to emulate than the outrageous Stacie Jaxx (Tom Cruise, in a bravura performance), an aging rock star with a coterie of burly body guards and pretty girls and a monkey named “Hey Man” who can tend bar.  What I liked about this movie is that it never takes itself too seriously.  Cruise is absolutely over the top as rocker Jaxx, stuffed into his leather pants and wailing his many songs with gusto.  Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand are hilarious as the guys who own and run the club, and Catherine Zeta-Jones virtually chews the scenery as the rightwing crusader determined to put a stop to the evils of rock & roll.  Everybody gets a song, including Paul Giammati as Jaxx’s manager.  Mary J. Blige, wearing costumes Cher once had in her closet and sporting Venus William’s old beaded hair, comes to the rescue of Hough’s character – mainly so she can join the party and belt out a tune or two.  There was more cheese in this movie than Kraft makes in a year, but it was a joke the cast was in on, so why not enjoy the ride?  (Compare this movie to “Burlesque” above, which thought it was Oscar-worthy.)  When it comes to rock and roll, my advice is: “Don’t Stop Believing.”  3½ cans.

JULY
75.  Risky Business (1983) – I ended last month with Tom Cruise in “Rock of Ages” and began this month with Tom Cruise having the time of his life as Joel Goodson in the role that made him a star.  Who can ever hear Bob Seeger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll” without thinking of Cruise sliding across that wooden floor in his pink shirt, socks and underwear?  Teenaged Joel is a good son, doing his yard work while his parents are away, until, thanks to his friends, he ends up with call girl Lana (Rebecca De Mornay), with his mother’s prized glass egg missing and his father’s Porsche submerged like a U-Boat.  Joel ends up establishing a “home-based business” with Lana and her friends to undo the damage.  I had a great time watching this movie again and enjoyed all my old favorite lines, like, “I have a trigonometry midterm tomorrow and I’m being chased by Guido the Killer Pimp.”  Joe Pantoliano, who plays the wise killer pimp, gives Joel some sage advice:  “In times of a sluggish economy, never f*** with another man’s livelihood.”  But you know, every now and then you just have to go for it, put on the Ray Bans and say, “What the f***.”  4½ cans.
76.  Jones Beach Boys* (2007) – This documentary is a salute to the boys of summer – the lifeguard corps who patrol Jones Beach, New York.  Ron Colby, the producer/director/writer of the movie and himself a former Jones Beach lifeguard, returns to the beach to visit his old lifeguard buddies, many of whom have been on the job for 30+ years.  Some are teachers or coaches, while others are dentists, doctors, firemen and police officers.  All are drawn to the beach and to the camaraderie of people who take pride in their jobs and are thrilled to save lives.  When New York State decided in 1971 to terminate any lifeguard over the age of 35, the corps went on strike.  When the scabs hired to replace them performed so badly that people drowned, they were rehired.  Each year they are required to pass a rigorous test to pass muster.  Some of the lifeguards are second generation, and some now are women.  The film focuses on the stories of some of the “old” guards in their 50s to 80s and their devotion to their jobs – which, by the way, are much tougher than you might think.  I’ve never been to Jones Beach, but it is comforting to know this coterie of lifeguards is dedicated to making sure everyone who does go has a great time and stays safe.  3½ cans.
77.  Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) – It was crazy and stupid and I loved it, even though I saw it last year and knew the plot twists.  An appealing cast, led by a schlubby Steve Carell (who plays schlubby with the best of them), a near-perfect Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Julianne Moore, who can cry with the best of them.  Throw in Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon and the kid who plays Carell’s son, add the babysitter and you have the right people in the right parts for a funny and bittersweet story.  Gotta love Crazy, Stupid, Love.  If you haven’t seen it yet, slap yourself and get on with it.  4½ cans.
78.  Joyful Noise* (2012) – Despite my sister’s assurances that “you can’t go wrong with Queen Latifah,” I have to say the queen does not come through royally here.  She is promoted to choirmaster of the church when the previous choirmaster (Kris Kristofferson, who was probably grateful for the brevity of his part) dies, over the disappointment of his widow, a nipped and tucked Dolly Parton.  The choir is rehearsing to compete in the nationals – shades of “Glee” here, folks – and Latifah’s character and Parton’s character clash over the music and the growing relationship between the former’s daughter (Keke Palmer) and the latter’s bad-boy grandson (Jeremy Jordan).  They exchange pithy barbs and Southern platitudes as Latifah, a nurse supporting her two kids, exerts her creative control over the choir and Parton fights back with threats to withdraw her financial support.  The little town in Georgia loves the choir, which is good, since it is about the only thing the economically depressed area has going for it.  The music is good – everyone gets a solo – and the last performance is enough to make you want to stand up and dance, or cheer – or even sing.  I wanted to like this movie so much more (sorry, Nan), but the clichés weighed it down.  I will say that Queen Latifah makes a great mother, and there is a scene/stand-off with her daughter that all mothers should take lessons from.  But overall, this was more noise than joy.  2½ cans.
79.  To Rome With Love* (2012) – This series of stories is Woody Allen-lite, bereft of the sardonic and sharp wit of the Allen of old and rife with an eagerness to entertain that seemed forced.  I won’t even try to summarize the plots, but I will admit the performances by stars Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page and especially Robert Begnini were excellent.  While I found the movie modestly entertaining, it seemed more like Woody just continuing on his escape from New York to see other cities and make movies while traveling, this time to Rome.  I didn’t think much of “Midnight in Paris,” but that seems much better in retrospect compared to this effort.  Woody himself plays a role here, and his neuroses have not aged well.  3 cans.
80.  Wages of Spin: Payola* (2008) – You might have to be of a certain age to be familiar with Bandstand – not American Bandstand, but its first iteration, Bandstand – the Philadelphia-based music show which started in 1952 on the radio and eventually landed on ABC-TV.  By the time Dick Clark took over the show in 1956, it was well-established and popular, and the boyish Clark only enhanced its popularity.  However, Clark, an astute businessman, added to his haul as host money by venturing into music publishing, artist management and even manufacturing records.  This nostalgic look at the thriving Philadelphia independent-record scene indicts Clark for making backroom deals – some of which were not illegal at the time – and for profiting by playing and promoting records that he either owned publishing rights to or by artists he worked with.  Ultimately, Clark testified before Congress on the payola scandal and denied any wrong-doing.  This documentary leads the viewer to conclude otherwise.  It is hardly an objective look at the industry, and, while Clark certainly seems complicit, you have to admire his business acumen.  He was never indicted or convicted of anything, and let’s give him credit (although the movie does not) for introducing America to many Black artists who had no forum for their talents.  I give it a 75 – the beat was very repetitive.  3 cans.
81.  Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002) – If you were a teenager in the 60s, chances are that Motown was the soundtrack of your youth.  And while you were well acquainted with Smokey and Stevie and Martha and the Vandellas, you probably didn’t know much about the Funk Brothers, the studio musicians who laid down the grooves that made Motown Hitsville USA.  An eclectic collection of mostly jazz musicians, the Funk Brothers played keyboard, drums, bass, guitar, tambourine – you name it – as studio musicians and made up the bands that toured with Marvin Gaye, the Supremes and countless other acts.  They brought their special creativity and are as responsible for the Motown sound as Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson and the songwriters.  This documentary pays tribute to the largely unknown Funk Brothers, a tight band of brothers whose soul music defined a generation.  The documentary also features Chaka Kahn, Joan Osborne, Gerald Levert and Ben Harper recreating the Motown classics, accompanied by the remaining Funk Brothers.  How sweet it is.  3½ cans.
82.  For Your Consideration* (2006) – This Christopher Guest-Eugene Levy satire skewers Hollywood and the gossip surrounding the making of a small (and incredibly bad) movie called “Home for Purim.”  The usual Guest-Levy troop shows up to play the leads in the movie, has-been actors, gossip columnists, TV “reporters,” PR people, etc., and includes the reliable Catherine O’Hara, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, Fred Willard – along with Guest and Levy.  I liked this picture better than “Best in Show” and “A Mighty Wind.”  The scenes from the movie, focusing on a Southern Jewish family celebrating Purim, were priceless, as the “actors” pronounced “mitzvah” and “oy vey” with Southern drawls, all while succumbing to rumors about possible Oscar nominations for the cast.  Clever, witty and fun.  3 cans.
83.  Dirty Dancing (1987) – Has it really been 25 years since the late Patrick Swayze dirty danced his way into our hearts?  Here he is Johnny Castle, a dance instructor at Kellerman’s Catskills Resort, when he meets Baby Houseman (Jennifer Grey), the do-good daughter of a doctor (Jerry Orbach) who is vacationing with her family.  When she fills in for his dance partner (Cynthia Rhodes), she learns more than the mambo from Johnny, who, despite his bad-boy swagger, is really a good guy at heart.  And oh, how he could dance.  I had the time of my life watching this movie again, and I even viewed the last dance scene twice.  4 cans.
84.  Blazing Saddles (1974) – This Mel Brooks classic is on the top of my favorite movie comedies of all-time, right up there with “Animal House.”  When I think of Mel Brooks, all I can say is “inspired lunacy.”  Stars include Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Harvey (“that’s Hedly, Hedly Lamar”) Korman, and the wonderful Madeline Kahn as a Marlena Dietrich-like character.  Whenever I am tired, I always break out into her song:  “I’m tired, tired of being admired…Let’s face it, I’m pooped”).  I laugh so much watching this movie that it is hard to hear every line, but by now I know them all and I watch anyway.  5 cans of beans and a campfire. 
84.  Animal House (1978) – Faber College, 1962.  The delightfully devilish deeds of the deeply demented Deltas are on full display in this collegial comedy brought to you by the lunatics from the Lampoon.  If you went to college or even lived near one in the 1960s and 1970s, you probably went to some fraternity parties like the ones depicted here.  John Belushi, in his first and best movie role, shines as perennial student Bluto (“seven years of college down the drain”), given to starting food fights and peering into rooms at the sorority house.  Tim Matheson (“Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you”) never looked better.  Throw in Kevin Bacon as a pledge for the clean-cut rival Omega fraternity, Peter Reigert (Boone), Karen Allen (Katie), Bruce McGill (D-Day), and pledges Pinto (Tom Hulce) and legacy Flounder (Kent Dorfman, played by Stephen Furst) and you have a bunch of actors who looked like they were enjoying every mapcap moment.  I know every line in this movie, which, along with the aforementioned “Blazing Saddles,” shares top billing on my list of all-time favorite comedies.   Knowledge is good.  Comedy is fun.  5 cans.
85.  Edison the Man* (1940) – Spencer Tracy lights up this portrait of eccentric inventor Thomas Edison, whose desire to invent the incandescent bulb burns brightly throughout the movie (Spoiler alert:  He succeeds).  Truth be told, I have had a “thing” for Edison since my 5th grade class took a trip to his lab in West Orange.  I have always admired his ingenuity and am a big fan – like most of us – of his inventions.  After all, if it weren’t for his inventing motion pictures, how could I see so many movies or write this blog?  I remember seeing the sequel or prequel to this movie, the “Young Tom Edison” film starring young Mickey Rooney, but this one was new to me.  As a film I’ll give it just 2½ cans, but as an inventor, Mr. Edison rates 5.
86.  Terms of Endearment (1983) – James L. Brooks’ first big film explores the relationship between an overbearing, difficult mother Aurora Greenaway (Shirley MacLaine) and her underachieving and disappointing daughter Emma (Debra Winger) with humor and pathos.  Clearly, they love each other, but they find it difficult just to get along.  This movies is about love in its many forms – between parents and their children, married couples, unmarried couples, friends, would-be suitors – as depicted by Jack Nicholson and his killer smile as the astronaut next door who has a brief relationship with Aurora, Jeff Daniels as Emma’s husband, Flap, and Lisa Hart Carroll as Winger’s best friend.  This funny and moving movie is in my top 5 of all time, and it was one of the movies my mother loved as well (we saw it together).  MacLaine is outstanding and Winger completely believable in their love-tolerate relationship.  As always, I found it endearing and heart-wrenching.  5 cans, and 5 tissues, too.
87.  Marty (1955) – The recently deceased Ernest Borgnine won the Oscar for his portrayal of lonely butcher Marty in this poignant movie.  Everybody’s got a beef with Marty – his customers and his mother tell him he should ashamed that at 34 he isn’t married yet, while all his kid brothers and sisters are married.  His best friend just wants to find something to do, and no one thinks the nice girl he meets at a dance is good-looking enough.  But Marty likes her, and they talk long into the evening on the night they meet.  Marty is a good guy, living with his mother, listening to his buddies and hard-pressed to imagine himself actually happy.  Borgnine brings pathos to his role and is matched by Betsy Blair as Clara, the nice girl he meets.  This movie is considered a classic – it won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Director – and if you haven’t seen it, you should.  Marty may seem like a loser, but the movie is a winner.  4 cans.
88.  About Face: Supermodels Then and Now* (2012) – This HBO documentary is a series of interviews with well-known supermodels, most of whom are still working in fashion.  Ranging in age from their 40s to one in her 80s, these still stunning women talk about the trials and tribulations of making a living off your looks.  They include Beverly Johnson, Carol Alt, Paulina Porizkova, Christy Brinkley, Jerry Hall, Christy Turlington, Cheryl Tiegs and Marisa Berenson.  The stories they share shed new light on the life of a supermodel, rife with eating issues, dips in self-confidence and self-esteem and legitimate concerns about longevity and cosmetic surgery.  The oddest part is Isabella Rossellini, who appears dressed in a man’s suit and tie and looks strangely like Peter Campbell on “Mad Men.”  3 cans.

August
89.  In & Out (1997) – Kevin Kline stars in this funny farce about a high school teacher/drama coach who is “outed” at the Oscars by a former student who wins the award for best actor (and the scenes of his movie are hilariously bad).  About to marry a fellow teacher (Joan Cusak, who almost steals the show), Kline vehemently denies the charge that he is gay, though he is forced to examine his love for all things Streisand and whether he can forego dancing to “I Will Survive.”  Tom Selleck, a TV reporter assigned to the story in rural Greenleaf, Indiana, reveals that he, too, is gay.  Debbie Reynolds and Wilfred Brimley play Kline’s parents and Matt Dillon is the Oscar-winning actor in a story that poses the question, “Is everybody gay?”  All I know is that everyone is laughing, because this is a funny and charming movie.  4 cans.
90.  Hope Springs* (2012) – Whenever there is a Meryl Streep movie out, you go to see it full of hope that it will be memorable, outstanding and entertaining.  “Hope Springs” qualifies on the lowest rung of that scale.  Meryl and Tommy Lee Jones are an old married couple in this “romantic” comedy, going through the motions of a dull and drab life together in their empty nest.  He comes down for the same breakfast every day and silently reads the headlines while she serves him.  In the evenings, he falls asleep in the recliner watching the Golf Channel before retreating to his bed in the guest room, while she pines for intimacy, romance and any conversation that doesn’t involve someone’s tax returns.  Realizing they need help, she signs them up for a $4000 week of couples therapy in Maine, which he insists is not only completely unnecessary – isn’t the fact that they have been married 31 years enough to show they have a successful marriage, he ponders – but way too expensive.  She decides to go anyway, and he reluctantly joins her.  Steve Carrell is completely wasted in the role of the sincere and helpful therapist who gets the recalcitrant couple to do things they haven’t done in years – and possibly ever (and I was more that a little uncomfortable watching Meryl stoop to some of the assignments).  I wish there had been more comedy here – can you imagine Bob Newhart as the therapist? – but any movie with Meryl starts with at least one can.  Jones is a good match for her, as grumpy as she is sincere, but overall, despite a few humorous moments, there is a lot of pain to witness here.  OK, but not great.  Sorry, Meryl.  3½ cans.
91.  Anywhere But Here* (1999) – Susan Sarandon and a very young Natalie Portman play mother and daughter Adele and Ann August.  Flighty Adele moves her 14-year old from her familiar surroundings in Wisconsin to Beverly Hills, despite the fact that they can’t afford to live there.  The eternal optimist – except when she takes to her bed in a fit of depression – Adele is determined to make their meager existence better, even if it means lying to do so.  Who is the mature person in this relationship, you wonder.   Sarandon and Portman give outstanding performances as the eccentric mother and the sometimes sullen teenager.  Ann realizes she needs to break free of her mother, but Adele is not about to let go easily.  I somehow had missed this movie that I always had wanted to see, and I am happy I finally caught up with it.  3½ cans.
92.  J. Edgar* (2011) – Leonardo DiCaprio is J. Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood’s biopic about the man who led the FBI for nearly 50 years.  Fiercely loyal to the agency and protective of the U.S., Hoover became more powerful than virtually anyone in the country.  He pioneered the establishment of a federal registry for fingerprints and championed the federal legislation on kidnapping after conflicts with NJ law enforcement during the Lindbergh baby’s disappearance.  A vengeful man, he didn’t hesitate to take credit for things he didn’t do or to establish an enemies list that even Richard Nixon could envy, tracking the private lives of anyone who disagreed with him or crossed him.  Ironically, he had a long-term relationship with a man he hired at the FBI, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), all the while railing against homosexuals.  This movie depicts a zealot who abused his power absolutely, answered to virtually no one yet remained devoted to his mother and his job.  DiCaprio looks more like Philip Seymour Hoffman than Hoover, but he does a credible job, looking angry enough to burst at the seams throughout the movie.  It was hard for me to separate my disdain for Hoover from the credibility of the movie, but Eastwood and DiCaprio do a good job of shedding light on a very dark man.  4 cans.
93.  Air Force One (1997) – Harrison Ford plays the very brave and resourceful president of the U.S., who is forced to outwit, outplay and outlast the bad guys who take over his plane in this action-adventure.  Indiana Jones as president, I guess.  Glenn Close plays the VP, manning the Washington contingent and trying to deal with terrorist Gary Oldman as he systematically executes the passengers on the aircraft.  Who knew Air Force One was so huge?  There are sets of stairs, conference rooms, a huge office and lots of places to run and hide, which helps the president in his retaliation against the terrorists.  I’m not a big action fan, but having the action in a confined space that no one else can enter makes this story an intellectual as well as physical fight.  I hadn’t seen it since it appeared in the theater 15 years ago, and I’m probably good for another 15 before seeing it again, but as action movies go, this one really takes off.  3½ cans.
93. & 94. Fatal Honeymoon* (2012) and Natalie Holloway* (2009) – I don’t generally watch Lifetime TV’s heroine in distress movies, but I was familiar with both of the cases on which these dramas were based, so I watched them back-to-back one night when nothing else was on.  Both are based on stories of attractive young women whose fate is sealed when they find themselves with sociopathic guys who will do them harm and refuse to tell the truth.  “Fatal Honeymoon” is the story of Tina Watson, a Southern beauty who falls for Gabe, a manipulative creep whom her father (Harvey Keitel) immediately recognizes as the wrong guy for his precious daughter.  Gabe marries her then hauls her off to Australia for their honeymoon so they can scuba dive around the Great Barrier Reef – despite her lack of experience as a diver and her expressed fears.  She mysteriously drowns, and there is plenty of evidence that he either disconnected her air supply or, as a certified rescue diver, should have been able to save her.  Her father pursues the case vigorously, eager to see his son-in-law of 11 days pay for what he is sure is his daughter’s murder (his motive? Collecting on the life insurance policy her urged her to take out but which she ultimately did not do.).  In “Natalie Holloway,” Tracy Pollan delivers a gritty performance as Beth Twitty, the anguished mother of 18-year old Alabama high school graduate Natalie, who goes off with her friends and classmates on a celebratory trip to Aruba, meets Joran Van der Sloot and is never seen again.  Desperate to find her, Twitty arrives in Aruba and takes on the lax investigation by garnering as much media attention as possible to force Joran to tell the truth.  Neither of the parents in these movies can possibly be satisfied with the outcome of their cases, so there is a strong parallel here.  And the lessons learned are that kids who drink can end up as tragedies, and parents who worry too much are probably right.  3 cans a piece.
95.  Zorro the Gay Blade* (1991) –  Sometimes when someone recommends a movie highly I worry that it cannot possibly live up to the hype and that I will be disappointed.  This was definitely not the case in this campy and outrageous version of Zorro, with George Hamilton playing the title role and also playing the hero’s twin brother, “Bunny.”  Hamilton is all arched eyebrows and megawatt smiles as he attacks this role with more relish than you can find on all the hotdogs at Nathan’s on July 4th.  Whether facing off against his arch enemy, the autocratic alcalde (Ron Liebman, delightfully evil) or fending off advances from the alcalde’s wife (Brenda Vaccarro – remember her?), Hamilton is dashing and dazzling.  If I didn’t know better, I’d say Mel Brooks directed this romp, and it is almost on a par with his brand of inspired lunacy.  Lauren Hutton chips in to the hilarity as a woman out to do good who falls in love with Hamilton.  There are duels galore, lavish sets and costumes and enough of a “pronounced accent” that I might just have to see it again to catch all of the good lines in missed.  I urge any of you “pipples” who may have missed this gem to rent it or catch it on TV.  4 cans.

September
96.  Love Story (1970) – What can you say about a 25-year old woman who died – 42 years ago?  That she appeared in a corny, sappy and irresistible movie that even now I adore watching – not all the time, but every once in a while.  Erich Segal’s tearjerker involves rich preppie Harvard guy Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O’Neal, looking FINE), who falls hard for poor, smart and snarky Radcliffe girl Jennifer Cavalleri (Ali MacGraw).  They meet cute, marry, suffer through estrangement from his incredibly wealthy father and endure poverty as they put him through law school, and just as he is getting himself established with a prestigious law firm in New York, she comes down with movie star disease (you can assume it’s cancer, but they never name it, she has no symptoms, and it will kill her quickly, the doctor advises Oliver).  No amount of money will save Jenny, leaving poor Ollie to look forlorn.  The memorable score by Francis Lai adds to the melodrama, and I can’t help but think about the Carol Burnett-Harvey Korman send-up of this movie, but, truth be told, I am a sucker for sap and I love “Love Story!”  4 cans and a box of Kleenex, please!
97.  Thief* (1991) – James Caan channels his Sonny Corleone tough-guy persona in this story about Frank, a man in the car business by day and the safecracking business by night.  An ex-con, Frank is an expert safecracker, but he wants just one more big score so he can get out of the business and on with his life.  He marries Jessie (Tuesday Weld) and adopts a young son, but the complicated score he is working on gets more complicated when his “client” (Robert Prosky) changes the terms of their deal.  If you know anything about filmmaker Michael Mann, you will immediately recognize his visual style and pounding soundtrack (think “Miami Vice” but without the pastel suits).  There is plenty of violence and tough-guy posturing, and Frank, like Sonny Corleone, doesn’t mind taking matters into his own hands.  Drop the gun and grab the cannolis.  3 cans.
98.  Chapter Two* (1979) – James Caan sheds his tough-guy persona here to star as George Schneider, a New York author who is grieving the loss of his beloved wife Barbara.  His friends and his brother Leo (Joseph Bologna) want to set him up with new women, and when he meets actress Jennifer (Marsha Mason), he falls hard and fast.  In no time, they get married, but George has trouble allowing himself to enjoy his new life and wife while he hasn’t finished mourning the last one.  George can be charming one minute and sullen the next, but Jenny is patient and plucky and in for the long haul.  This movie was written by Neil Simon, who based the story on his own experiences and was married to Marsha Mason.  It contains some of the witty repartee for which Simon known, but not enough to lift the veil of gloom.  I give it extra points for co-starring Valerie Harper as Jenny’s best friend.  2½ cans.
99.  Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) – Paul Newman plays middleweight champ Rocky Graziano, whose roughneck style in the ring came from his life on the streets on New York.  Rocky Barbella, his real name, was a hoodlum growing up, someone the cops knew by name and sight, always in trouble, hanging out with a gang (including a young Sal Mineo), looking for the next score and backing down from no one.  His bleak future grows yet bleaker when he is drafted into the Army.  Intolerant of any kind of authority, Rocky simply leaves one day, but eventually he is captured and sent to Leavenworth to do hard time.  There, one of the inmates sees him fighting and tells him to come by Stillman’s Gym when he gets out.  With nothing better to do, Rocky shows up one day, offers to spar, refuses to train, and devastates opponents with a brutal right hand.  Along the way, he changes his name to avoid bad publicity, actually finds a nice girl to marry him, and turns his life around completely.  Newman is all twitchy and jumpy as Rocky and scores a knockout performance as the champ.  This movie does make you wonder why anyone would want to be a professional fighter, although in Rocky’s case, he would have been fighting in the streets for much less of a payday.  3½ cans.
100.  Arbitrage* (2012) – Richard Gere has eased handsomely into silver-fox parts.  Here he plays Robert Miller, millionaire head of a family-owned investment firm, a philanthropist and philanderer who is trying to sell his company before it crumbles around him.  He is altruistic and generous – and desperate about that little $400 million hole in the books.  Like the part he played in “Unfaithful,” he commits a reprehensible act and acts amorally, relying on others for the cover-up, which he professes to do because too many people would be hurt.  Never mind the crime and its ultimate end, he’s just ever so thoughtful.  I kept waiting for more suspense or twists, but instead had to watch the dogged, Columbo-like detective (Tim Roth) try to crack the case by harassing the young man Miller enlists to help him, who the detective figures will crack.  I haven’t seen Gere this emotional and frustrated since Louis Gossett Jr. tormented him as Private Mayo in “An Officer and a Gentleman.”  Here, he is neither.  3 cans.
101.  Inherit the Wind* (1960) – Esteemed barristers Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy) and Matthew Harrison Brady (Fredric March) face off in a sweltering Hillsborough, Tennessee, courtroom in this movie based on the Scopes Monkey trial.  Young teacher Bert Cates (Dick York) is accused of teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution to his high school classes, much to the consternation of the religious right, led by Reverend Brown (Claude Akins), whose daughter is engaged to Cates.  The drama examines every angle of the story, of religious fervor, of scientific analysis, of the relevance of the Bible and the role of religion and in the laws and how they are administered in the court system.  Tracy delivers a stellar performance, matched in histrionics by the more volatile March, in this thought-provoking drama.  Preachy at times, it nonetheless holds your attention, though I confess I can’t imagine this film having a wide commercial success, given the subject matter.  It is a classic that I finally took time to see.  4 cans.
102.  A Star Is Born (1976) – Barbra Streisand’s prodigious talents and prominent proboscis are on display in this tale of a singer whose star is on the rise while her husband’s career hits the skids.  Kris Kristofferson plays John Norman Howard, a rock star whose performances on stage are fueled by drugs and alcohol and whose life is in free fall when he meets club singer Esther Hoffman.  With his help and connections, she becomes a star and marries him, despite his warnings that he’s probably not good for her in the long run.  The end of the movie is inevitable, but just seeing Barbra in her curly perm and pantsuits and hearing her sing “Evergreen” makes the movie worth seeing – but no more often than once every 20 years or so.  3 cans.

October
103.  Norma Rae (1979) – It’s a long way from Sister Bertrille in “The Flying Nun” to Norma Rae for Sally Field in this gritty movie about a young widow who works in a textile mill down South.  Field’s title character lives with her parents and her two kids, barely making a living in the sweltering, dusty plant, along with most of the rest of the town.  When Ruben (Ron Liebman) shows up – a union organizer from New York City and truly a stranger in a strange land – and tries to convince the locals that they are being exploited and need the union to protect them, Norma Rae becomes his staunchest supporter.  The scene where she is forced out of the factory but defies management by simply standing on a table holding up a “UNION” sign remains a powerful visual and a turning point for the story.  Field won her first Oscar for her spot-on portrayal of a fearless woman ready to tackle the unknown.  Beau Bridges, as her mostly quiet husband, joins her in another memorable scene where she vows to cook, clean, iron and make love – all at once.  Of course, you have to buy in to the generalization that big companies exist to exploit their workers and never have their interests at heart, but this movie is very good at conveying that specific scenario, at least in this town.  4 cans.
104.  Steel Magnolias* (2012) – Speaking of Sally Field, the star of the original version of this movie, here is a new version aired by Lifetime TV and starring an all black cast, headed by Queen Latifah in the role played by Field.  Queen brings her alpha woman strength and attitude to the role of MaLynn, the mother of Shelby (Condola Rashad), a young woman about to get married and living with diabetes.  The strength of the story comes from the bonds of the Southern women (Jill Scott, Phyllicia Rashad and Alfre Woodard) who congregate at Truvie’s Beauty shop to complain about their husbands and lives and offer friendship and comfort to each other in good times and bad.  The script has been updated to include references to Michelle Obama and Beyonce, but the story is largely the same.  Maybe because the original was so memorable that I can recall the zingers delivered by Dolly Parton (“There ain’t no such thing as natural beauty”) Olympia Dukakis and Shirley Maclaine (and a young Julia Roberts as Field’s daughter), this time around I knew what was coming and it didn’t have the same impact.  Latifah has a harder edge and lacks the vulnerability Field brought to the role.  Still, I find the strength and friendship of women appealing and commendable, so it’s hard to knock any story which features that bond as its main theme.  3 cans.
105.  Argo* (2012) – When 52 Americans were taken hostage in the American Embassy in Iran in 1979, six people managed to avoid captivity, seeking refuge in the residence of the Canadian Ambassador.  While the world focused on the hostages and their 444 days of captivity, the CIA considered ways to safely remove the missing six, who would soon be discovered missing by the Iranians.  CIA operative Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck, who also directed), proposed the best of the bad ideas – to pose as Canadians scouting locations in the Middle East to make a science fiction movie titled “Argo.”  But to make the fake movie seem real, he needed Hollywood help (from John Goodman and Alan Arkin, both wryly amusing) – including a script, storyboards and a fake production company – as well as passports and bios for each of the six.  He finds a script for a potentially terrible movie (shades of “The Producers”) and puts the plan into action.  Would the Iranians buy the concept of scouting locations amid the upheaval?  Affleck shows a deft hand in directing this clever movie, based on the actual events, making it both suspenseful and comedic in turn.  4 cans.
106.  Abduction: The Carlina White Story*(2012) – Ordinarily I won’t subject myself to Lifetime’s overly dramatic dramas, but this one was based on a true story, so it intrigued me.  Besides, I like the actresses – Keke Palmer and Sherri Shepherd (in a serious role) – who played the leads.  Carlina was just a few days old when she went to the hospital with a fever.  There a woman who had just lost her third baby and was posing as a nurse befriended her parents and, when they left temporarily, abducted her and raised her as her own.  No amount of pictures on milk cartons and pressure on the police could find the missing child.  The new mother managed to raise her without much of a job but with help from her sister.  However, when teenaged Carlina needed a birth certificate, she learned that she was not who she thought she was.  Still a bit overly dramatic, the movie nonetheless brings up the subject of parenting, of identity and who really are we.  Not that I would recommend this movie, but the performances were good.  2½ cans.
107.  Rain Man (1988) – The Best Picture of 1988, Rain Main is perhaps Tom Cruise’s finest performance.  I tend to find him very self-conscious as an actor, or maybe it’s just me seeing his Tom Cruiseness in every role.  Here he is the brash Charlie Babbitt, a failing luxury car dealer with a lot on his plate when his estranged father dies.  Not only does he not inherit the  rich man’s fortune, he learns he has a brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) who has been institutionalized for years.  Hoffman’s performance as a savant, which won him the Oscar, is amazing.  His every movement and utterance is completely in character of the man whose life is dictated by strict routine.  He has to watch Judge Wapner every day, buy his underwear at Kmart and eat fish sticks and lime Jell-O on Wednesdays.  As Charlie drags him across country in order to wrest his inheritance away, they develop a bond, with Charlie accommodating Raymond’s strange demands and awkward responses while developing a brotherly love.  This is an original story, and it deserves all the accolades it received.  4½ cans.
108.  Doubt (2010) – There is no doubt that Meryl Streep is the premiere actress of her generation.  Here she is Sister Aloysius, an unyielding nun who serves as principal of a Boston school in the 1950s.  Nearly engulfed by her habit, Streep has only her face and voice with which to convey her character, a stereotypical scary nun fiercely wedded to intimidation and tradition in the education a rowdy group of kids in a Catholic school.  She frowns upon the new parish priest, Father Flynn (the brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman), a man who dares to use a ballpoint pen instead of a fountain pen and is friendly with the students.  Too friendly, Sister Aloysius suspects, after a young nun (Amy Adams) notes some strange behavior by the only black student in the school after visiting with Father Flynn.  Was the priest merely trying to reach out to help the young man or was there something untoward in his action?  There is a memorable scene between Streep and the boy’s mother, played by Oscar-nominated Viola Davis.  But the crux of the story is doubt itself, doubt about the priest’s credibility, doubt about whether suspicion and intolerance are enough to convict someone of acting inappropriately without being a witness to such action.  This provocative movie was one of the best of the year, and seeing it again left no doubt why.  4 cans.
109.  My Fair Lady (1964) – I have to love this movie since it is all about using proper English, grammar and enunciation.  Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) sets out to prove he can convert an uneducated Cockney guttersnipe into a woman with class and charm – often despite her protestations.  Audrey Hepburn plays Eliza Doolittle, the object of his intentions in this erudite Lerner & Lowe musical.  The lyrics tell the story brilliantly in this musical adaptation of the classic Pygmalion tale.  I could have danced all night.  4½ cans.
110.  Love, Actually (2003) – Love actually can be quite challenging, especially for those who don’t love their mates, or who love someone else, or who don’t have a partner at all, or who lust after someone without their knowledge or encouragement.  A plethora of British actors (Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, among others) appear in this ensemble, playing witty, charming, lonely and desperate people (sometimes all at the same time), sometimes looking for love in all the wrong places, and looking for it all around Christmas. This was one of the first holiday movie ensembles that I can remember, where the characters are divided up into duos or trios and only occasionally intersect in each other’s stories.  This movie pulls off the trick neatly, with the characters finally reaching happiness after a series of trials.  It also happens to have one of my favorite holiday songs, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” by Kelly Clarkson (and yes, I am Jewish, but I still like the song).  The whole thing made me want to run to an airport and greet strangers.   cans.
111.  Ethel* (2012) – When I think of someone named Ethel, either Mertz or Kennedy comes to mind.  This loving tribute to Ethel Kennedy by her youngest child, Rory (born six months after the assassination of her father, Robert, in 1964), reveals much about her background, faith and fun-loving side.  Ethel Skakel was born into a wealthy family similar to the Kennedys, competitive and outdoorsy.  Rory and Ethel cover the Ethel’s courtship, her parenting style and the role of the children in JFK’s 1960 presidential campaign as well as their participation in RFK’s ill-fated run in 1964.  Ethel is strong and stoic in the face of the loss of her parents in an airplane crash, the loss of two of her 11 children and, of course, the assassination of both her brother-in-law and her husband.  Since Ethel raised her brood largely on her own, she should get the lion’s share of the credit for the continuing tradition of Kennedys serving in non-profit and community service capacities.  Informative, if not revealing, this documentary takes Ethel out of the background and sheds light on her life and her family.  3 cans.
112.  All the President’s Men (1976) – And speaking of presidential politics, this account of Watergate by Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein reads like a procedural drama.  As they peel back the layers of the onion that was the break-in to the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters at the Watergate, they heed informant Deep Throat’s advice to “follow the money,” tracking the trail of dirty tricks in Richard Nixon’s 1972 campaign all the way into the White House.  The mark of a good movie based on a true story is whether it can sustain the suspense even though we all know the outcome, and this one does just that.  There are nice touches on the look of the Post’s newsroom, the process for confirming information and dealing with “non-denial denials” and seeing now antiquated typewriters, phones that dial and using phone books for reference.  This entire episode changed our culture and the lives of so many people involved.  Kudos to Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman and Jason Robards as editor Ben Bradlee for this compelling drama.  4½ cans.
113.  John Portman: Life of Building* (2012) – The late 20th century and current work of noted architect John Portman is profiled in this PBS documentary.  Master of modern architecture, Portman first gained acclaim for breaking the mold of boxy hotels with his innovative Hyatt Hotel in Atlanta.  Soaring atriums, flowing shapes and open spaces characterize his design aesthetic.  Portman became a developer, sculptor, painter and international businessman whose work is well represented throughout China and in 60 cities globally.  With the use of time lapse photography, this documentary helps the viewer experience movement in Portman’s building and provides a look at them in daylight, sunset and nighttime.  This movie presents stunning design and beautiful visuals for those interested in modern architecture.  3½ cans.

November
114.  Flight* (2012) – Not since Tom Hanks reported “Houston, we have a problem” in Apollo 13 has there been such a terrifying flying incident – until now.  Whip Whittaker (Denzel Washington in a sure Oscar-nominated role) is cool, calm and collected despite the apparent failure of his airplane.  He puts the periled plane through some very tricky maneuvers that few pilots could even attempt, no less execute.  He is also drunk and high.  So, was the crash his fault?  And is he a drunk in dire need of help?  This is a man of strength, but also of rage, who insists he “chooses” to drink.  He needs no help, no consolation, no contact with anyone.  He just needs to drink.  John Goodman, as his dealer, supplies the only comic relief in this otherwise serious story reminiscent of “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “Days of Wine and Roses,” with all three movies providing insight into their main characters’ addictions.  It can be harrowing at times, and you want to like Whip, but Denzel, to his credit, makes that almost impossible.  4 cans.
115.  Apollo 13 – And speaking of Apollo 13, this Ron Howard movie holds you in suspense even though you already know the ending.  I think everyone knows the story, so I’ll instead mention that I can’t decide whether Tom Hanks in Apollo 13, Tom Hanks in Castaway or Tom Hanks in Big is my favorite Tom Hanks movie (and you can probably throw in Forrest Gump, for that matter.)  Not only is this a great story, but it is a great movie.  Although I don’t know what a command center, spacecraft or a simulator actually looks like, the look of the sets, the dialog of the crew and command center just seems authentic to me.  I can’t help holding my breath while we wait to see if the crew makes it back every time I see it.  Great movie.  5 cans.
116.  Casablanca (1942) – Bogart.  Bergman.  Wartime intrigue.  Romance.  You must remember this.  Here’s looking at you, kid.  Classic.  4½ cans.
117.  Lincoln* (2012) – Tall, dark and not particularly handsome, Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis, ready to face off against Denzel in this year’s race for the Best Actor Oscar) has just been reelected when we meet him on a battlefield in 1864.  Amiable, humble (and extremely tall, wearing an extremely tall top hat) and at times humorous, Lincoln is a dedicated politician, and he aims to abolish slavery by Constitutional Amendment with his lame-duck Congress as the Civil War dies down.  The scenes in the chambers of Congress play out like hirsute C-SPAN broadcasts, with posturing politicians (Tommy Lee Jones among them) and backroom patronage deals.  Sounds familiar?  Meanwhile, on the White House front, Lincoln’s wife, Marry Todd (Sally Field at her grittiest), is still grieving the loss of her son in the Civil War and wants to make sure her next son, Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) doesn’t enlist.  She is an astute politician herself, and her scenes with Lincoln are amusing and furious.  I’d like to know how they made DDL look so tall.  When Lincoln gets up from a chair, it looks like he is unfolding or inflating like those air-filled figures that flap in the wind.  In the end, this movie is more politics than entertainment, and, despite the Steven Spielberg pedigree, too long and slow, so I am giving it just 3½ top hats.
118.  Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) – There was a time when Ellen Burstyn seemed to be the lead in every movie, and this is one of them.  A waitress and sudden widow, Alice and her goofy son Tommy (Alfred Lutter), move to Arizona so she can pursue her singing career.  Instead, she ends up waiting tables at Mel’s Diner with waitresses Flo (Diane Ladd) and Vera (Valerie Curtain).  But slinging hash isn’t all that bad when Kris Kristofferson ambles into a booth.  Alice is insecure but wise-cracking, and eventually succumbs to his charms.  Look for a very young Jodie Foster as Tommy’s friend Audrey in this little gem.  4 cans.
119.  The Great Gatsby (1974) – This movie is more like “The Not-So-Great Gatsby” if you ask me.  A lush adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel of the 1920s, the movie is the story of Jay Gatsby, mysterious self-made millionaire whose money means less than his love of the woman (Daisy Buchanon, played by Mia Farrow) he romanced when he was poor but who went on marry wealthy and obnoxious Tom Buchanon (Bruce Dern).  Gatsby doesn’t care that she’s married.  He just wants her back.  The story is told through the eyes of her distant cousin, Nick Carroway (Sam Waterston), who is spending his summer renting a place across the great lawn from the Gatsby estate.  The lavish production, sumptuous sets and even Gatsby’s pink suit hardly compensate for the innate shallowness of the story and the characters.  Oh, and if you decided to see this movie because Robert Redford plays the great Gatsby himself, you won’t even find him on screen for the first 35 minutes.  A new version of this movie is coming out next year with Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead, so I reread the book this summer and saw the movie to remind me of the story.  Having done all that, I think I’ll pass on Leo’s version, since I realize now that I didn’t really like these people any more than they liked each other.  3 cans, mostly for the production values and a chance to see Redford.
120.  No Place Like Home* (2012) – To say Josh Swade is a fan of the University of Kansas basketball really doesn’t do his fervor justice.  Dr. James Naismith himself, inventor of the game and a former Kansas coach, probably couldn’t summon up Josh’s enthusiasm.  So when Dr. Naismith’s original rules for the game come up for auction at Sotheby’s, Josh sets out to find wealthy alumni who will put up the money – estimated to be in the millions – to bring the rules home, where he feels they belong, to Allen Field House in Lawrence, Kansas, a place he calls “the cathedral of basketball.”  Josh’s effort is the heart of this documentary, another in the highly entertaining ESPN “30 for 30” series.  Josh is persuasive, but he has to be to get the money guys involved.  You have to admire a place where people turn out every year to support their team with such ardor, and you have to admire a man whose unselfish quest is all about the history of the game.  3½ cans.
121.  The Package* (1989) – I’m not much on action movies, but I tuned this one in thinking this Gene Hackman effort was a different movie.  Hackman is Sgt. Gallagher, assigned in Europe to escort a prisoner (Tommie Lee Jones) back to the US.  It turns out the prisoner isn’t who his papers say he is, and he is part of an assassination plot to prevent the signing of a treaty between the US and Russia.  That means plenty of action as good guys and bad guys try to outsmart and outshoot each other.  Joanna Cassidy, with really big curly hair, and Dennis Franz, playing his usual role as a cop, co-star.  And Hackman gets to have another car chase, though not nearly of the magnitude of his classic “The French Connection.”  3 cans.
122.  Liz & Dick* (2012) – The brawling, boozy and very public Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton romance/marriage/divorce/remarriage is dramatized in this Lifetime movie.  Anyone alive in the 60’s knows the story of how they met on the set of Cleopatra, dumped their respective spouses (Eddie Fisher seemed quite expendable), bought a lot of jewelry, spent a ton of money and gave rise to the phenomenon of paparazzi.  In this rendition, an overmatched Lindsay Lohan takes on the role of Elizabeth, but it was more than a pout that made the woman a huge movie star.  Grant Bowler is Burton and handles the Welshman’s masculinity and charmingly deep voice efficiently.  I didn’t find this movie as absolutely heinous or laugh- out-loud ridiculous as I had expected, but Lohan clearly needs a career reboot.  They did a good job with her makeup, however.  2 carats.
123.  Inventing David Geffen* (2012) – The road to success is not a straight line, as evidenced by David Geffen’s rise from the mailroom at the William Morris Agency to entertainment mogul in this fascinating documentary.  Geffen, along with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, is one of the men behind the studio Dreamworks.  His career began in the mailroom after faking his credentials, then he became an agent, quit to manage the career of rising singer-songwriter Laura Nyro, founded a record company, managed superstar groups such as The Eagles and Crosby, Still & Nash, went into producing Broadway shows and movies, started and sold another record company (where he recorded Donna Summer, Cher and Elton John), and became a multi-billionaire.  This documentary examines his instincts, his negotiating skills, his fierce loyalty and his refusal to back down from anyone.  Along the way, he became the most powerful man in show biz.  This is one interesting guy and a story well documented and told, with plenty of interviews and glimpses of the talented artists of my lifetime.  4 cans.
124.  Nothing In Common (1986) – David Basner (Tom Hanks) loves his life.  A 30-something ad exec, he loves working with his team and chasing women, and he’s good at both.  And then one day his mother leaves his father (Eva Maire Saint and Jackie Gleason) and David is forced to face family responsibilities, the truth about the relationship between his parents and how it has affected him.  You’d never know from this description that this movie is equal parts comedy and drama (the advertising scenes in the office draw the most comedy).  David leans on his old high school girlfriend (Bess Armstrong) for emotional support even though they have both moved on.  Gleason is terrific as irascible Max Basner, still trying to sell children’s clothes and ignoring his failing health as he rails at David.  My review doesn’t do the movie justice, because I think of it as a gem.  4 cans.
125.  Mary Poppins (1964) – This family friendly fantasy stars Julie Andrews in the title role, playing, shall we say, a rather unconventional nanny who leads her charges on magical jaunts around London.  Dick Van Dyke is her buddy Bert, the chimney sweep.  I am surprised how much I had forgotten about this movie, and how much animation it includes.  It is a lovely and entertaining tale, but not really designed for someone who has trouble suspending her sense of reality.  Since I am seeing the Broadway musical tomorrow, I thought I would reacquaint myself with the story.  I think a musical like this will sparkle more on stage.  3 cans.

DECEMBER
126.  Annie Hall (1977) – Woody Allen is at his intellectual-neurotic-romantic best in this Oscar-winning comedy.  His New York comic Alvy Singer falls in love with Midwestern aspiring singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton), a slightly dizzy-daffy woman with whom he has nothing in common.  Keaton is magnificent in her Oscar-winning role.  She started an entire style trend with her neckties, vests and hats, and who can forget her resigned phrase, “La de dah”?  She is sweet and charming and trying to adapt to his intellectual interests: movies about Nazis, books about death and long sessions with a shrink.  There are way too many great lines to single any out, but those of us who relish this movie and the time and age we were when we first saw it will remember them all.  Every time I see it, it seems like old times.  5 cans.
127.  The Women* (2008)  – I so wanted to love this movie.  With a potentially outstanding cast (Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Jada Pickett Smith, a stunning Eva Mendes and one of my favorites – Candice Bergen – in a small role) and a story about the bonds between women, I expected more but was disappointed in the predictability of the story.  There is the usual collection of women’s issues – career problems, cheating husbands, pregnancy, teenaged children – and pat solutions (one looks dumpy until she gets her hair – and life – straightened).  I’d consider it an acceptable movie, but I wanted more wit, more brightness, more originality.  3 cans.
128.  A Little Bit of Heaven* (2011) – Kate Hudson plays a spirited, flirty young woman who enjoys her life without care or commitment – until she finds out she has cancer.  Then her usual casual attitude about relationships – with friends, her parents and her lovers – is shaken.  How do you relate to friends and family when you know you are dying without being a burden and while still determined to enjoy life?  This is a woman who just wants to have fun, but now doesn’t know how to live her life.  It’s a tough topic to tackle, especially with humor, but the movie pulls it off adequately.  Kathy Bates plays her mother and an actor I had never heard of (Gael Bernal Garcia) plays her young doctor.  Hudson gives this story her best shot and conveys the character with the right amount of sass and anguish.  3 cans.
129.  Almost Famous (2000) – Writer-director Cameron Crowe based this film on his own experiences as a 15-year old rock and roll writer for Rolling Stone magazine (which had no idea of his real age when they hired him).  William Miller, the pubescent writer (Patrick Fugate), is an unabashed music fan, and he latches onto a rising but middle of the road band called Stillwater to do a cover piece.  This is the story of unrequited love – the love of fans and the bands they follow, of groupies and the musicians they fall for and the love of music itself.  It is also a somewhat charming look into the more sordid side of rock & roll, replete with drugs and groupies and deals that compromise the standards of the musicians who got into the business because of the music in the first place.  And speaking of Kate Hudson, here she makes a memorable debut as Penny Lane, who refuses to be called a groupie.  Billy Crudip is the charismatic guitar player for whom she falls.  Look for Frances McDormand as William Miller’s mom; Jimmy Fallon, almost unrecognizable as a record company rep; and a cameo by Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet as a desk clerk.  4 cans.
130.  Mister Roberts (1955) – War is hell, especially if you are stuck on a crappy cargo ship in the middle of the Pacific, battling a martinet captain and boredom.  Henry Fonda is Mr. Roberts, the cargo officer with dreams of getting into combat.  But he’s too valuable for the miserable captain (James Cagney) to let him go.  Roberts is idolized by the crew, whose interest he always has at heart.  I’d like to think I adapted my own management style from the example set by Mr. Roberts, and, when I retired, my crew gave me a gift I consider akin to the “Order of the Palm” the crew bestows on Mr. Roberts.  Jack Lemmon brings humor to his role as Ensign Pulver, officer in charge of laundry and morale, whose chief mission is to plot ways to annoy the captain but who never carries them out.  I love this movie and recommend it to everyone.  5 cans.
131.  Diner (1982) – Ah, the good old days, when we were in our 20s and had nothing better to do than hang out with our friends, exchanging witty barbs and engaging in clever conversation.  This movie is Barry Levinson’s nostalgic look at six buddies in Baltimore in 1959 who end up at Fells Point Diner every night, enjoying French fries with gravy and each other’s company.  The cast is great – Mickey Rourke as the bad boy Boogie; Steve Guttenberg as Eddie, the guy who won’t marry his fiancée unless she passes a trivia test on the Baltimore Colts; Daniel Stern as married Shrevie, who’d rather hang out with his friends than his wife Beth (Ellen Barkin); Kevin Bacon as Fenwick, the ne’er do well; Paul Reiser as Modell, the annoying one; and Tim Daly as Billy, going to grad school and in love with a girl who doesn’t reciprocate.  The plot is minimal but the experience is memorable.  4 cans.
132.  A Christmas Story (1983) – No holiday season would be complete without Jean Shepherd’s quirky little stroll down memory lane.  Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) wants a Red Ranger Rifle, a BB gun destined to shoot his eye out, for Christmas.  All the pent-up hope of a little boy is crammed into this funny look back at life, with scenes at school, fighting the neighborhood bully, snowsuits that prevent a kid’s arms from moving, standing on line to see Santa and Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant.  There’s a kid whose tongue gets stuck to a metal pole and the silly, leggy lamp cherished by Ralphie’s father – all memorable moments in this classic family gem.  My Christmas Eve is complete.  3½ cans.
133.  Les Miserables* (2012) – Les Miz happens to be my all-time favorite Broadway show, so I was anxious to see the musical move to the big screen (where previous, non-musical versions have starred everyone from Charles Laughton to Liam Neeson).  In this resplendent translation of the Victor Hugo novel and the long-running Broadway show, Hugh Jackman tackles the part of Jean Val Jean with boldness, vulnerability and great musical chops.  The same can’t be said for Russell Crowe as his adversary, the dogmatic Inspector Jauvert, whose singing is the weakest link in this epic.  Anne Hathaway is breathtaking as Fontine, a woman so poor and desperate that she sells her body, hair and teeth to support her young daughter, Cozette.  Director Tom Hooper (who also helmed “The King’s Speech”) chose an unusual way to record the songs, asking the actors to sing them live in character, instead of recording them first and using lip synch.  The result yields a more gritty performance but a less than perfect soundtrack, as the actors act the songs as much as sing them.  Several of the classic songs brought me to tears and goose bumps.  Pluses are the story itself, Jackman, Hathaway and Samantha Barks as Eponine, while minuses are for length and the overuse of comic relief in the form of Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter (I guess you need three names for comic relief, and Carter looks like she wandered in from “Edward Scissorhands”).  We almost didn’t get to see it because the first theater we went to on Christmas day had technical difficulties and nearly experienced a riot similar to the French Revolution portrayed on screen.  But it was worth the wait.  4 cans.
134.  Silver Linings Playbook* (2012) – My sister and I believe in silver linings.  When we get sick, we try to see the bright side of things, like the possibility of losing weight from lack of appetite (or from worse things…). This movie takes the same approach.  Patrick (Bradley Cooper) is desperately in love with his wife, Nikki, but when he catches her in the shower with her co-worker and punches the guy out, he is sent to a psychiatric hospital and has a restraining order that prevents him from contacting her.  When he initially meet him, he has just gotten out, moves into the home of his parents vows to be a better man so he can convince Nikki to take him back.  His gambling father is hot-tempered enough to have had himself banned from attending games of his beloved Eagles, and he wants Patrick to watch games on TV with him to bring the team luck.  When Patrick meets a young woman (Jennifer Lawrence) who is also on meds for her own issues, they become platonic friends.  She convinces him to compete in a dance contest with her, despite the fact that they are rank amateurs.  So now the movie becomes a mash-up of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Dancing With the Stars.”  This is supposed to be a comedy, but I found it more annoying than amusing.  You want to see a comedy, with characters delivering memorable lines?  See #126 above (“Annie Hall.”)  The silver lining in sitting through this movie is that I liked the ending.  Just 3 cans, despite raves from many critics and several friends.
135.  Anna Karenina* (2012) – This movie version by director Joe Wright manages to take Tolstoy’s classic tale of love and adultery and turn it into a bizarre integration of stage and screen.  Many of the scenes take place in a theater, with the back wall sometimes opening to a field or other location.  Other times the actors are forced to troop through the wings or area above the stage, with miscellaneous props and set pieces intruding their way into the action.  This approach distracts from the central theme, which involves Russian high society in the 1800s.  Socialite (not to be confused with Socialist) Anna (Keira Knightly), woman married to a powerful and respected man (Jude Law) falls instantly (and inexplicably, if you saw him) in love with Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a wealthy military man with an eye for the ladies.  Anna’s behavior is intolerable to her husband and society.  In several scenes I fully expected her beautiful gowns to be adorned with a scarlet “A.”  Knightly looks suitably anguished, but Taylor-Johnson is a wimpy, pasty looking guy with a wispy mustache and unruly blonde hair that makes him neither manly or appealing.  With the affectations of the staging and aberration of the famous love story, I can’t give this movie more than 2 cans.
136.  Funny Girl (1968) and 137. The Way We Were (1973) – There was a Barbra Streisand doubleheader on this snowy day at Casa Gordon, and I had a chance to view my two favorite Streisand movies.  She made her screen debut in Funny Girl playing Broadway star Fanny Brice.  In TWWW, she plays the ultimate Jewish girl Katie Moroski opposite the extremely handsome and goyisha Hubble Gardner (Robert Redford, looking his absolute best).  In both movies her character is in love with the wrong guy, a guy who finds her appealing despite her perceived shortcomings and whom she loves too much.  Eventually, it will rain on her parade, but not on those of us who love a love story or enjoy Streisand’s music.  Can it be that it was all so simple then, or has time rewritten every line?  With Barbra, it was never simple, but it was always lovely.  10 cans.
138.  The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) – Sheridan Whiteside (Monty Wooly) is an insufferable, obnoxious author whose trip to a quaint Midwest town is extended when he slips and falls in front of the home of his guests.  He is forced to recuperate in a wheelchair, and he proceeds to commandeer their home, summoning his celebrity friends and dictating his commands to his loyal assistant, played by Betty Davis.  This movie is a drawing room comedy and feels much like the stage play (by Moss Hart) from which it came.  Clever dialog and dirty tricks abound to make it amusing, but it still reminds you of the old adage that guests, like fish, tend to stink after three days.  3 cans.