The Movie Journal

The Sound of Music (1965) Who said that schmaltz was such a bad thing? In the world of film, too much of schmaltz or saccharine is often viewed in a negative light. In 1965’s The Sound of Music , the film is practically running with sentimental/saccharine feelings…..and I love the movie every bit for that. This movie is viewed as the best musical of all time, and I can agree to that statement. The word that can describe the movie is joy. From the moment Julie Andrews popped on screen, waving her arms in the air against the beautiful mountain background and beginning the title song, a smile creeped upon my face and it stayed there for two hours and fifty-two minutes. The joy is infectious and each character has a sense of happiness despite the Nazis lurking in the background. This is the type of musical you’ll remember forever. I saw this movie once as a child and twenty years later, was able to sing along to such joyful songs like “Do-Re-Mi”, “My Favorite Things,” “Edelweiss”,...

Father Goose When scrolling through the reviews of 1964’s Father Goose , I was somewhat shocked at the relatively poor reviews of the movie. Could it be that these reviews ended Cary Grant’s career prematurely? Although contemporary reviews are kinder towards the movie, I was still surprised at the initial reaction. Admittedly this movie is far from Grant’s best role, but he still remains charming as ever. This movie is a pleasant romantic comedy that achieves on being funny, heartwarming, charming, and just a general crowdpleaser. The movie also earns points for casting Grant against type, but more on that later. Although the film did not garnish major attention come awards season, screenwriters Peter Stone and Frank Tarloff received an Oscar for their screenplay. The screenplay leans towards the sentimental and heart-warming side while playing up to the talents of Cary Grant. Directed by Ralph Nelson, Cary Grant plays Walter Eckland-a loner with the appetite for plenty of...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 16 "Altar Egos" March 17, 2004 Ah, now we get to one of my favorites. This episode, “Altar Egos,” plays two-fold with the next episode, “Justice is Blind.” I liked these two episodes together because it proves that Arrested Development can have a storyline that lasts for more than 22 minutes an episode. It also introduces one of my favorite guest stars-Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the blind attorney Maggie Lizer. People seem to be cool on her character, but I really laughed at lot. We get the typical blind jokes, but they work very well. I liked the overall theme of this episode and the next. People pretend to be the person they say they are even though they really are not. Lots of stuff happen in this episode and every storyline shown here is good for multiple laughs. Michael has a one-night stand with lawyer Maggie Lizer who feels bad for her blindness. But that pity goes away when he finds out Maggie is the lead prosecutor in...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 15 "Staff Infection" March 14, 2004 This fifteenth episode in the first season of Arrested Development , while not a classic, remains a very funny and engaging episode. There is much to enjoy here in the episode. The two character standouts are Buster and Tobias. Buster basically is given work at the construction site for the Bluth Company and is amazed by all the men cursing around him. Plus we learn in a very satisfying flashback that Buster is afraid of sheep due to a terrifying incident in Catalina. Tobias, on the other hand, decides to check himself in a prison for acting research-the same prison as George Sr’s. It’s a funny thing that sheep plays to the overall theme of the episode. In addition to Buster’s childhood fright, Buster is called Bob which sounds like “baa”, the workers of the Bluth Company are herded around like sheep by a person of authority, and their company bus is named “The Good Shepherd.” It’s an interestin...

Dr. No (1963) 1963’s Dr. No is the first of many James Bond films to come. This particular version is the cheapest one of the series and perhaps one of the more fun ones. The plot is very James Bond-like which means the series generally run on Cold War tropes-but I like the sense of adventure in the movie. We were also introduced to Sean Connery, a relatively unknown actor then. People consider himself one of the greatest James Bond to date, and I completely understand why. What fascinates me about this movie is what it took to bring this movie to the cinema screens. The author of the James Bond books, Ian Fleming wrote his first Bond book in 1952. He believed that his character was more suited to TV or movie screens than on page. Many film producers agreed, but had a hard time bringing the now iconic character to the silver screen. Two producers, Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman were key to making this work. Saltzman was able to purchase the rights, but he had no money to...

The Birds (1963) Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is another strong film in a filmography that is nothing but strong films. This 1963 horror thriller is Hitchcock’s second horror film after the chilling 1960’s Psycho . This movie is the weaker of the two, but that is nothing to scoff at. This film’s imagery of the birds swooping down and attacking the folks of Bodega Bay is iconic. Hitchcock enjoyed bird-watching as a child and he was fascinated what would happen if birds were to turn evil. I do not believe that Hitchcock added any messages or allegories in the film, but some people suggest the attacking birds are actually Greek Furies attacking those people who dwell in evil. The movie may not be as good as other Hitchcock movies like Rear Window , but the movie has this eerie tone that works, the acting is solid thanks to newcomer Tippi Hedren’s soaring performance, and the visual effects are especially great. I could do with less of the oddly tedious love story and the change o...

Arrested Development: Season 1, Episode 14 "Shock and Aww" March 07, 2004 For the first time all series, Arrested Development can now look forward to its future instead of looking back in the past as previous episodes may have done. “Shock and Aww” feels like a new beginning for the series. New characters are introduced, and we have quite a few guest stars in the lineup. Heather Graham plays George-Michael’s ethics teacher whom every Bluth male seems infatuated with. Jane Lynch plays Cindi Lightballoon who seems like a crazed fan of George Sr’s teachings, but is actually an FBI agent. Finally, we meet one of my favorite new characters-Annyong who is a Korean kid that Lucille adopted in a drunken stupor. These new characters added more life to the episode and Heather Graham is the episode’s MVP. I wish she was in more episodes, because she is the perfect actress for the serie’s overall quirkiness. Miss Baerly is George-Michael’s new ethics teacher. Michael attemp...