A Movie Scene Quiz

For what it's worth, I hated The Road to Perdition. It's very striking (in a disturbing way) to look at, but it's also extremely violent, and the attempt to dress up the violence with a lot of fancy talk about fathers and sons did nothing to make it more palatable to me. Paul Newman was great in it, but even that wasn't enough to redeem the movie for me.

Well, I subscribed to all the pay stations yesterday and so far have seen Big Fish, Pirates of the Caribbean and Something's Got To Give and I was glad that I hadn't gone to a theater to see them. I will see The House of Sand and Fog next week. I welcome any recommendations of new movies to see (a year old, of course) because I find myself drifting back to the oldies and am concerned that I am not evolving as I should.

Wow, Raggedy! All the pay stations? That would cost a fortune with my cable company. I hope they had a sale going on...

I wasn't pleased with Road to Perdition either. I agree that the look was interesting, and I remember some stylistic choices that I admired at the time. But the mixture of violence and children was really repulsive to me. And though Newman was very good, I thought both Tom Hanks and Jude Law were pretty much wasted. Neither one had the chance to show us what they can do.

Hey Mac. Costs a fortune with my cable company, too, but since I don't go out to the movies (except for Phantom of the Opera (lol)), look at all the money I'm saving. And, those cable channels were featuring a slew of movies I'd like to record to DVD, i.e. Streetcar,Place in the Sun, Being There, From Here to Eternity, Cabaret, etc. etc. etc. and I might have to wait an eternity for them to come on TCM. Once I fill up my DVD cabinet, I'll drop the pay stations. My daughter said that once I start watching everything I've recorded, she'll probably have to converse with me by written messages. She bought a notebook the other day.

Raggedy, in your honor, I just added Phantom of the Opera to my Netflix rental queue...

I am indeed honored and I do hope you enjoy it. I anxiously await your opinion of it.

I envy you all those stations! I'll have to dig out my lists of all the movies I've seen in the past few years (yes, I too am a compulsive list-keeper) and see what recommendations I can come up with. Off the top of my head, I can think of two must-see movies from early 2004 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Before Sunset - but I'm not sure if they're being shown on TV yet.

And now here's a new question, with the same theme:

Richard Gere

Doris Day

Tom Mix (a three-word title) + James Dunn (two words from a title)

Peggy Moran (two words from a title) + John Travolta (one word from a title) + Deanna Durbin (one word from a title)

Thanks Bree. "Before Sunset" isn't on cable next month, but Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is on Max on May 15 and I've listed it on my calendar.

I've been keeping my list of the movies I've recorded on my computer. That's the easiest way to add movies. What have you decided to do about your computer?

And now, on to your question.

Vernon Drake

Autumn in New York - Richard Gere

April in Paris - Doris Day

Taking a Chance (Tom Mix) + Living On Love - James Dunn

I Can't Give You Anything But Love - Peggy Moran + Get Shorty - Travolta + It Started With Eve - Deanna Durbin

You got them all (and I know you meant Vernon Duke)!

I still haven't decided what to do about my computer. A techie at my office kindly offered to take a look at it if I brought it in, but I haven't managed to do so yet.

Yes - Vernon Duke (I have a stack of DVDs next to me and King's Row was one of them. Drake (Ronald Reagan ) is one of the characters in that movie. LOL)

I'm going to be out most of the morning tomorrow, but if you'd like a question to think about, I'll be glad to oblige.

I hope you'll be able to get someone to carry your computer to the office.

Oh, I liked the Autumn in N.Y. and April in Paris selections.

I'll be out this evening, but if you want to post a new question now, it will give me something to look forward to tomorrow morning.

Oh, and my personal computer is a laptop, so it wouldn't be too hard for me to bring it in to the office -- I've just been too lazy to do so, so far!

Oh, glad it's a laptop. I was a bit concerned when you said you'd have to take it to the office.

New question - same theme.

Betty Hutton

June Haver

Ann Sothern

Dan Dailey

Charles Boyer (One word in title)

Raggedy, here's a list of movies I've seen in the past few years that I think you might enjoy, based on what I think I know about what you like. The only order the list is in is roughly reverse chronological, starting in 2003 and going back to 1999:

Lost in Translation
The Station Agent
I Capture the Castle
The Secret Lives of Dentists
Sunshine State
Far from Heaven
Last Orders
The Quiet American
Gosford Park
In the Bedroom
Amelie
You Can Count on Me
Chocolat
The Cider House Rules
The Talented Mr. Ripley

Your question is tricky, because there are a lot of Cole Porter song titles in the movie titles of your actors (Red, Hot and Blue for Betty Hutton, Wake Up and Dream for June Haver, and Panama Hattie for both Ann Sothern and Dan Dailey), but since we've already done Cole Porter songs, I'm going to assume you're not doing him again. So now I'm off to see if I can figure out who it is this time.

That's a great list there, bree. I may borrow it for my Netflix queue as there are a few there that I missed as well as a few I'd like to revisit.

Enjoy, mac! One of these days, I'll get a DVD player and join the Netflix world -- I know several people who use it, and it seems to work really well.

Wow. Thanks Bree. I hadn't realized I had seen so many of them. I've seen Far from Heaven; The Quiet American; Gosford Park; You Can Count On Me; and Chocolat and The Cider House Rules( which are two favorites) and The Talented Mr. Ripley. You're are correct. I enjoyed all of those movies. I've made a list of the other 8 and will check to see when they're on.

Last night I caught the last half of "Love Actually" and will catch the complete movie next week. I thought it was going to be a piece of fluff, but as I got into it, I really enjoyed seeing London - and the cast, too.

I just missed Lost in Translation, but it will be on again . I will also watch Mystic River and House of Sand and Fog next month.

Mac: Which movies would you like to revisit?

I thought my question might be tricky when I saw how many movie titles were also song titles.

No, not Cole Porter. The composer may not be as well known as the others we've used, but I think you'll recognize him and agree that the songs are all-time standards. The June Haver song is TCM's theme for most of their movies and the Boyer song always make me cry - just because I'm a sentimental fool. (Oh, no clues here. - Just felt like gabbing (lol))

I'm glad to hear it sounds like my suggestions were in the ballpark!

If this composer is less well-known, then it probably isn't George Gershwin (Somebody Loves Me - Betty Hutton - and Lady Be Good - Ann Sothern and Dan Dailey) or George M. Cohan (Give My Regards to Broadway - Dan Dailey). Am I on the right track with any of these?

Jimmy McHugh (Hooray for Love - Ann Sothern)

Mack Gordon (Three Little Girls in Blue - June Haver)

Walter Donaldson (The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady - June Haver)

You're on the right track with Somebody Loves Me, but not Gershwin.

Oh, I've been meaning to ask: Have you been experiencing any April Raindrops?

Gee, I noticed that one, too, but for some reason I forgot to follow up on it. I'll do it tonight, while watching the Yankees (if I don't fall asleep, which is a distinct possibility).