On The Waterfront (1954)

On The Waterfront (1954) ★★★★★ 5/5

Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) emerges from the dark and calls to a window for his friend Joey, telling him to go to the roof to get a pigeon of his that had escaped his coop. Joey goes to the roof and as Terry walks away, Joey is thrown from the roof top and killed. Father Barry (Karl Malden) becomes involved as he realizes that there is more going on then meets the eye at the docks. The dock workers are being treated unfairly. Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) controls the docks and who is paid what and when. If a worker complains, he ends up like Joey.

Terry feels bad about setting his friend up to be murdered, but at the same time he is conflicted to remain under the good graces of Friendly. Terry becomes more conflicted as he develops a relationship with Joey's sister, Edie (Eva Marie Saint). Eventually he realizes he has to stand up for himself in order to keep Edie by his side. With the help of Father Barry, Terry takes on Johnny Friendly and his mob in an effort to ensure the workers are treated fairly.

Eva Marie Saint, Marlon Brando and Karl Malden are all powerhouse stars in this film. Each of them ignite the film and when they appear together on screen the results are awesome. The story is fast paced and the finale is terrifically played out. A moving picture with a message. My only complaint about the movie was Brando's character name. At times it sounded like people were saying "Jerry" other times "Gary." I don't know if it was the accents or the distant yelling in some scenes but I was often like, "Who are they talking about?" You are also going to look out for Brando's famous "I coulda been a contender line." It is always a thrill to hear a popular movie line played out in its actual context.

Giant (1956)

Giant (1956) ★★★★★ 5/5

A sweeping epic. There is not much more one can say about Giant then that. This is a film of such great magnitude. This film is a powerhouse in every way imaginable. from the star power to the story. One can debate about what the film is actually about though as it coves so much territory. Is it the film of a man and his family? We are introduced to Jordan "Bick" Benedict (Rock Hudson) when he first meets Leslie Lynnton (Elizabeth Taylor). The two become married and move to his ranch where they start a family and we follow their lives. Is the film really about Jett Rink (James Dean) and his rise from a poor farm hand to an eccentric millionaire? We are introduced to him and watch him go from nothing to a nationally renowned tycoon. Are we really seeing his story and how it impacts the life of the Benedict family?

As far as plot, it is quite simple. The Benedicts are successful ranchers in Texas. They are proud of Texas, and proud people. Jett is their ranch hand, and when Jordan's sister, Luz (Mercedes McCambridge) dies, she leaves a small plot of land to Jett. Jett takes that land and begins to dig for oil. He strikes it big and becomes more wealthy then the Benedicts. Jordan loathes Jett and wants nothing to do with him. So, it becomes quite a shock later in life when his daughter Luz II (Carroll Baker) falls for Jett.

What is even greater in this film is the social changes that Leslie brings to Texas when she arrives from the East. Prior to arriving to Texas, she is a Virginian socialite. She breaks racial barriers when she tends to a sick baby in the Mexican village. She shows that animals can be broken by using respect rather then physical abuse. She makes politics a place for women and not just men. She is a strong woman, and as strong as Jordan is, he respects and loves Leslie enough to understand her. Leslie represents a coming of age for women's rights and helps to show how in a few generations, the way of life can be positively impacted by accepting the beliefs of those you love. Her openness to people and modern ways of thinking by those in comparison to what Jordin was accustomed to do wear off on Jordin and he adopts them as his own. This is apparent in two of the final scenes where his son, Jordan Benedict III's (Dennis Hopper) wife Juana (Elsa Cárdenas) is denied service in one of Jett's hair salons, and then again when Mexican customers are turned down at a diner.

Running well over three hours, the film can certainly drag on at points. This is not because it is dull or boring, but because we are simply not accustomed to sitting through one movie so long. If you can stick it out, it is a must see movie. The messages are subtly incorporated through the film so that when it come to the finale, we clearly see and understand that a change has been made. It is this ending that makes us realize that we are watching more then simply the story of a man's life. We are watching the evolution of man. We see how man's thinking can change. While it may take time, it happens, and perhaps a slower development of ones thinking makes for a greater impact when the time comes to fully understand and discover what you believe in. This fantastic movie was sadly the last for James Dean and a clear tribute to his incredible on camera persona. Sadly, he did not even live to see the release of this film. It is also fine acting by Rock Hudson who proves his range extends romantic comedies and commands the respect as a serious leading man. It goes without saying that Elizabeth Taylor is radiant in this film as she always is. She is charming as Leslie Benedict and it's hard to imagine anyone taking on this role but her. Through her acts of kindness on screen, it is very easy to relate to stories of her humanitarianism in her real life. A magnificent piece of work!

The Awful Truth (1937)

The Awful Truth (1937) ★★★★★ 4/5

Jerry Warriner (Cary Grant) is introduced in the film trying to get a quick tan before heading to his wife who believed him to be in Florida for a week. Where he was, we don't really know, but it certainly wasn't somewhere a married man should be. When he does return home, he finds his wife Lucy (Irene Dunne) with company of her own, Armand Duvalle (Alexander D'Arcy). She too has not been home, and had spent a weekend away with him. The two realize that neither is necessarily faithful and think perhaps the best thing to do is divorce.

Lucy moves out and soon finds herself engaged to Dan Leeson (Ralph Bellamy), a wealthy Oklahoman. Jerry himself begins to date Barbara Vance (Molly Lamont) and the couple is often seen in the social pages. Throughout each of their new affairs, they find themselves often interfering in each others relationships. Lucy has custody of their dog Mr. Smith, and Jerry visits regularly, usually when Dan is visiting. Lucy, upon a visit to Jerry's home, accidentally answers the phone when Barbara calls. To cover this up, Jerry says it's his sister. To his surprise, Lucy shows up at a dinner event Barbara's family is hosting. However she shows up as Jerry's sister.

By the end of the night, the two end up heading to a family cabin, and they realize how happy the really are with each other.

This film is a screwball comedy with the highlights being scenes where Lucy is playing Jerry's sister, the two are pulled over because of a loud car radio and where Mr. Smith's hide and seek interrupt a visit from Armand, Jerry and Dan. The film is fun and light hearted. The two are enjoyable as they take turns sabotaging each others relationships without doing so at the expense of the person the opposite has begun dating. it is a fun film and quite typical of other films of that era. Irene Dunne plays comedy quite well, as does Cary Grant. Dunne is also very reminiscent of Katharine Hepburn and certainly holds her own in the comedy arena.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) ★★★★★ 4/5

This is a Western unlike any other Western. There are no sweeping landscape shot, there are no shootouts between the good guys and the bad guys and the headlining star Henry Fonda as Gil Carter is not the central character. A local cattle herder has been robbed and killed. The townspeople gather and form a mob to avenge the death of their fellow cattleman. The angry group finds three men asleep "near Ox-Bow" in the middle of the night. They awaken the men and immediately conclude they are the murderers. Donald Martin (Dana Andrews) is the soft spoken leader of the three. He is found with cattle which bear the mark of the deceased rancher. He claims to have paid for them but has no proof of sale. His fellow traveler Juan Martínez (Anthony Quinn) is found to have a gun on him . . . the same gun that belonged to the murdered rancher. Alva Hardwicke (Francis Ford) is the third in their party, and he is a mindless old man that only complicates matters by claiming Martinez is the murderer.

The "Major" Tetley (Frank Conroy) and his son, Gerald (William Eythe) lead the mob that has cornered the three accused of murder. Gerald is completely opposed to the whole situation, but the hard nosed major bullies him into lead the three men into execution. While the majority of the group is in favor of the "eye for an eye" attitude, Davies (Harry Davenport) is absolutely against any revenge and tries to sway the men into bringing the three to town for a fair trial. He allows Martin to write a letter to his wife, and he shares that letter to the Major in an effort to convince him for a fair trial. The effort is in vain, and while only 7 of the men are opposed to killing the three captured, it is not a majority and the men are ultimately hung.

Following the hanging of the three, the mob runs into Sheriff Risley (Willard Robertson) and finds that the man who was initially said to be dead was merely injured and recovering quite well. In addition, the men who really shot him were all in custody. Immediately, the men all realize they have themselves committed murder, and all will be dealt with except for the 7 who opposed the hanging.

This was quite a shocking movie as Westerns of that particular era were notorious for ending with the good guys riding off after defeating the bad guys and saving the town. In this instance, the good guys took action which in turn left them to be the bad guys. The good guys were hung and murdered. Although the intention of the townsmen was good, their actions were careless and lawless. This was a great twist and quite ahead of it's time. I also liked the relationships between the characters. The dynamics between the Major and his son, as well as Davies and the rest of the group. It is a movie that makes you think after it ends. There is a direct impact it has on the characters we have seen deal with the situation, as well as characters we were never even introduced to in the film.