I think my interest in old movies actually started due to a combination of astrology and Charlie’s Angels (the TV show).
Charlie’s Angels was the first television show that I obsessed over – making lists of every episode that I could remember and eventually making sure I saw all of those episodes again in order to identify them by title (e.g. “Angels on Ice”). I also collected magazine articles and old TV Guides and even resorted to minor thievery to satisfy my Angel memorabilia habit. One of the things I “stole” was the biography of Kate Jackson (my favorite Angel, no duh.) out of the school library. I was already embarrassed to be checking it out and I made sure to do so when no other children were around. Then I lied and said I lost it so I could pay for the book. The cost: seven dollars, some shame and guilt. “Kate Jackson: A Special Kind of Angel” belonging to me… priceless!
Anyway, one of the things I read reported that Kate Jackson was a big fan of Katharine Hepburn. Of course this meant I had to become a big fan of Katharine Hepburn too. It was pretty easy to do, become a fan. Although I’ve never been obsessed or anything; I only stood in her driveway and I just happened to be there, like out for a walk in Connecticut or whatever. And I should go ahead and say it, but my obsession with Kate Jackson faded after “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” and I haven’t collected any Kate Jackson movies – not that “Inmates: A Love Story” wasn’t riveting.
In the next post are some quotes from some of my favorite Hepburn movies. Because, why not? I’ve been home sick for a few days and I’m a little bored. Humor me!
I am happy to report that I have finally found out the name of a movie that I saw as a youngster that imprinted on my brain in ways I care not to investigate. Say hello to “The Thing That Couldn’t Die.” I must have seen this on Chiller Theatre on television when I was around 6 years old or so. For over thirty years I have had passing thoughts about a bearded head in a hat box and lady walking around in the woods at night with a divining rod trying to find the decapitated head’s body. I’ve never seen a hat box and NOT thought about it containing a head.
Anticlimactic note: Although this is Very Exciting News for me, apparently if I had been watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 I would have seen this movie spoofed ages ago and would have no blog post for today. See comment section for the trailer. (IF YOU DARE!)
fuck “Deathproof”
Now that this movie is on cable and I’ve had the opportunity to watch it again (or again), I realize that the only thing, the only reason, that made it so memorable and exhilarating is the precarious and anxiety producing game of ’ship’s mast’ and the masterfully edited skills of Z. Bell. I have to agree with Matt that the dialogue sucks. The rest of the movie is a snore (with gore) and overacted.
Instead, I must replace it with “Stranger Than Fiction” which I’ve happened across and watched again. It’s funny, profound and much more memorable and lasting than “Deathproof.” Two thumbs up – both mine – and I move it over to the faves list. Amen.
Here are my selections for five favorite movies watched in 2007. These are movies that had my full attention, made me want to watch them again right away, had me talking about them to Lolly and thinking about them for a while afterwards. I didn’t keep track of what I watched specifically this year, and the year flew by so quickly, so I had trouble with picking, but I’ll stand by these choices. Alphabetically, they are…
The Brave One (07)
The Dead Girl (06)
Grindhouse: Death Proof (07)
Police Beat (05)
Shut up and Sing (05)
Although, disturbingly, I am now seeing that these, with the exception of Police Beat, center around the abuse of women in some way. That’s fucked up… even if they’re not ‘xploitation and some of them return the ass-kicking in the end, I’m feeling a little hinky about my list here.
Really, I’m not a freak. No, really.
“I have work to do and I still have to do a blog post. I’ve got nothin’.”
“You’ve got years’ worth of funny stories.”
“What funny stories?”
“And you’ve got all those lists that you do.”
“‘Here’s a list of the 14,000 movies that I’ve seen. And… begin.’”
“Well, no, you’d wanna do the ‘bestest’ or the ‘worstest’ or something like that.”
…
Actual number of movies that I’ve listed as seeing = only 2088
Movie #2088 = Grizzly Man [very disturbing]
The fewest number of movies I have seen that all begin with the same letter of the alphabet = 6, tied between the letters X and Z
The largest number of movies I have seen that begin with the same letter is = 241, the letter S
Number of documentaries on the list = 131
Number of animated films on the list = 43
Number of movies on the list that are really more like filmed live performances = 27
Number of ‘lesbian’ movies that are on the list = 35, including a porno
How many of those 35 are in the running for Worst Movie Ever Made = 6, none of which are the porno or The Children’s Hour
Current favorite movie = The Station Agent (2003)
A movie that will always be in the top ten of current favorite movies = Rear Window (1954)
Favorite movie at the time of the little diaries = The Empire Strikes Back [GWTW as fave was actually a little later]
A movie that quickly comes to mind as a lousy adaptation of a book I read before the movie came out = Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, even though the Lady Chablis was played by the Lady Chablis
The last movie that I watched = The Silence of the Laaaaaambs
The last movie that I watched until I fell asleep = Traffic
