Click on the Top Books tag at the bottom to view all the posts on this topic.
Just like 2017, I had a difficult year reading-wise in 2018. I didn’t read many bad books, but at the same time, nothing genuinely "wowed" me. However, there were quite a few books I really enjoyed. Here are the five I enjoyed the most:
5. The Unexpected President by Scott S. Greenberger
Non-Fiction
I became interested in President Chester Arthur when I read a book about James Garfield’s assassination. Arthur was Garfield’s vice-president, which means he became president when Garfield was assassinated. Initially, when Arthur was chosen as Garfield’s veep, he was a “machine” man, deep in the pockets of the Republican party’s powerful ruling class. Garfield was not; he was a reformer. Many expected that Arthur would follow the machine’s orders when he unexpectedly became president. Instead, he chose to honor Garfield by continuing many of his policies. I was interested to learn what prompted this change of heart. I can’t say that this book truly answered this question (it is perhaps unanswerable; Arthur ordered much of his personal papers destroyed upon his death) but it was still an excellent biography of a little-remembered President.
4. Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński
Non-Fiction
An in-depth look at the rise and fall of the last shah of Iran. This is the second book of Kapuściński’s I’ve read. There are two things that I really love about him. The first is his ability to write compelling, informative non-fiction that includes beautiful, vivid language. I often find myself moved by him & have even copied down passages to re-read at a later date. The second thing I love is that so much of it is written based upon his personal experience. A Polish journalist during the time that Poland was ruled by the USSR, he covered some of the most turbulent times in modern African history (1950s onward). A truly fascinating author that deserves more recognition in the USA.
3. The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley
Fantasy Fiction
Set in the 1850s, a young man still recovering from a life-altering injury is sent to Peru by the British East India Company. His quest is to find a grove of cinchona trees and take cuttings, so that Britain can save money by growing its own trees. This is important, as quinine, a drug that treats malaria, comes from cinchona bark, and Britain is deeply mired in India, where malaria is rampant. This book is full of both mystery and mysticism while also including lots of interesting details about Peru. It’s a fantasy that somehow doesn’t feel like a fantasy. After I finished it, I read online that it’s considered a prequel to another of Pulley’s works. Being unfamiliar with her other work didn’t impact my enjoyment of this book in the slightest.
2. River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
Fantasy Fiction
Set in the 1890s, this novel asks he question: What would have happened if, in the early 19th century, the U.S. government had imported hippos into its marshlands to be bred as an alternative meat source? The answer is: nothing much good. When a wronged man is hired to do something about the hippo problem, he assembles a rag-tag team to help him finish the deal. This slim book is inventive. I’m amazed by how Gailey was able to build such a rich world in so few words. I really enjoyed the characters, and was particularly pleased by the inclusion of a non-gendered person. I thought it was a fast-paced, fun romp (it’s also quite violent). I enjoyed it so much that I was genuinely surprised to discover online that others don’t feel the same way.
1. The Immortal Irishman by Timothy Egan
Non-Fiction
Thomas Meagher may not be well-known today, but he was extremely popular in his time. Born in 1823 to a wealthy Irish family, he suffered under the oppressive British rule of the time despite that wealth. After taking part in one of Ireland’s many unsuccessful revolutions, he was exiled to Tasmania, which he later escaped. He then made his way to America, where he became a famous orator before jumping in to command one of the fiercest Union brigades of the Civil War. After the war, he moved to Montana and unexpectedly became one of its first governors. All of this before his mysterious death at the age of 43. Timothy Egan is hands down, without question, one of the finest non-fiction authors alive. I’ve never read a single one of his books that hasn’t been interesting, informative, and thoroughly engaging. This one, however, is definitely a highlight. Don’t skip out on it - give non-fiction a chance!
Monday, January 7, 2019
Top Songs of the Year 2018
Click on the Top Songs tag at the bottom to view all the posts on this topic.
In no particular order, and with little commentary, out of all the songs I downloaded in 2018, here are the 5 that I listened to the most.
This year, I’ve been into synthesizer music in a way I never was before (I blame “Stranger Things” for triggering 80s nostalgia in me). I love how moody and slow this is (plus all of GUNSHIP’s videos are super cool). Warning: although it's in claymation, this video is violent:
Getting to see them in concert reminded me of my love for Toad & how comforting I find Glen Phillips’s voice. It also introduced me to some of their more recent work, including this song:
I love this peppy little missive about (in my opinion) the insecurities of relationships:
“Out of the darkness, into the light… I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive.”
Discovered this Montreal-based band (and also Hot As Sun above) while watching the show “Killjoys.” I’m really loving all their work. In this particular song, her voice reminds me of Stevie Nicks:
In no particular order, and with little commentary, out of all the songs I downloaded in 2018, here are the 5 that I listened to the most.
This year, I’ve been into synthesizer music in a way I never was before (I blame “Stranger Things” for triggering 80s nostalgia in me). I love how moody and slow this is (plus all of GUNSHIP’s videos are super cool). Warning: although it's in claymation, this video is violent:
Getting to see them in concert reminded me of my love for Toad & how comforting I find Glen Phillips’s voice. It also introduced me to some of their more recent work, including this song:
I love this peppy little missive about (in my opinion) the insecurities of relationships:
“Out of the darkness, into the light… I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive.”
Discovered this Montreal-based band (and also Hot As Sun above) while watching the show “Killjoys.” I’m really loving all their work. In this particular song, her voice reminds me of Stevie Nicks:
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Woodland Enchantress Cross Stitch, Progress Report 8
We're well past due for an update on the cross stitch! Here's a reminder of what it's supposed to look like when I'm finished:
Here's what it looked like the last time I updated, in January 2018:
And here's what it looks like now:
During the Great Blog Burnout of 2018, I stopped keeping track of the hours/days I worked on this project. Bear in mind that I missed 2 updates (in April & July 2018), but I still get the impression that I worked on it a lot more this year than I did last year. I feel like I've made a lot of progress. I know I finished the bottom half around mid-July. That means all that work on the top half has occurred in less than 3 months. I attribute this to the fact that I started taking the project into work with me when I have day shifts. It's much easier to put this down down & pick it back up when the phones are busy than it is to read.
I've already purchased another big cross stitch, which I plan to hang in our bedroom, so I'm feeling extra motivated to finish this one in a more timely fashion!
Note: I'm trying to complete the sky around her head before I fill in the rest of her body because I'm bored to death with those colors (mostly blue-purple, sky blue, and light blue).
Here's what it looked like the last time I updated, in January 2018:
And here's what it looks like now:
During the Great Blog Burnout of 2018, I stopped keeping track of the hours/days I worked on this project. Bear in mind that I missed 2 updates (in April & July 2018), but I still get the impression that I worked on it a lot more this year than I did last year. I feel like I've made a lot of progress. I know I finished the bottom half around mid-July. That means all that work on the top half has occurred in less than 3 months. I attribute this to the fact that I started taking the project into work with me when I have day shifts. It's much easier to put this down down & pick it back up when the phones are busy than it is to read.
I've already purchased another big cross stitch, which I plan to hang in our bedroom, so I'm feeling extra motivated to finish this one in a more timely fashion!
Note: I'm trying to complete the sky around her head before I fill in the rest of her body because I'm bored to death with those colors (mostly blue-purple, sky blue, and light blue).
Monday, October 8, 2018
Top 50 Actors Project: Overview
When I decided to do the Top 50 Actresses Project, I figured I’d show the men some love by also doing the Top 50 Actors.
As with the actresses, I culled this list from AMC. They provided the list of actors, but I’m the one who chose the movie to watch for each actor. Since this list is voted on by the public, it appears that it can change over time. To avoid confusion, below I’m posting the list as it stood when I copied it down, along with the movies I chose for each actor.
A few notes about this project:
My main concern was that I wanted to make sure none of these films were movies that I previously reviewed, an issue I ran up against during both the AFI Top 100 and the Sci Fi Top 100.
So my general rule was that, if the actor won a Best Actor (not Best Supporting) Academy Award for a role, that is the movie I chose to review unless I previously reviewed it. If he won more than one, I chose which of those movies to review based on personal preference.
If I already reviewed one or all of his Award-winning performances OR if he hasn’t won a Best Actor Academy Award, then I looked at his acting credits and chose one of his movies to review. My choices were largely based on IMDB ratings (typically I chose something in the 7s or higher), coupled with my interest in the film based on its description. I avoided movies from the 1970s as much as possible. I've discovered that I'm not a big fan of 1970s film making.
Very occasionally, I have vetoed an Award-winning film simply because I don’t want to watch it. After watching lots of films I had little to no interest in, I wanted to give myself some leeway. Also, the list is subject to change. Some of these films are surprisingly difficult to get one’s hands on, despite the fact that I have access to an astounding number of ways to see films. Sometimes I may decide last-minute that I just don’t feel like watching the film I previously chose (this happened a few times with the actresses).
Since the focus of this project is more on performances rather than the films themselves, I’ll include a section about that with each review. Additionally, where applicable, I will provide links to other movies of that performer's that I’ve reviewed.
As usual, I will watch the list from the bottom up, beginning with #50 and making my way to #1. At the end of the project, I will provide a master list of reviews & some final thoughts. Here is the list of Top 50 Actors:
1. Tom Hanks - Philadelphia
2. Henry Fonda - 12 Angry Men
3. Humphrey Bogart - The Caine Mutiny
4. Laurence Olivier - Sleuth
5. James Stewart - Anatomy of a Murder
6. Gregory Peck - Twelve O’Clock High
7. Marlon Brando - The Men
8. Jack Lemmon - Missing
9. William Holden - Stalag 17
10. Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
11. Orson Welles - Touch of Evil
12. Paul Newman - Cool Hand Luke
13. Anthony Hopkins - The Elephant Man
14. James Mason - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
15. Jack Nicholson - The Shining
16. Spencer Tracy - Captains Courageous
17. Cary Grant - Arsenic and Old Lace
18. Peter Sellers - The Return of the Pink Panther
19. Clark Gable - Run Silent, Run Deep
20. Dustin Hoffman - All the President’s Men
21. William Powell - My Man Godfrey
22. Gary Cooper - Sergeant York
23. Michael Caine - The Italian Job
24. George C. Scott - The Hospital
25. Sean Connery - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
26. Charles Chaplin - The Great Dictator
27. Richard Burton - Becket
28. Burt Lancaster - Elmer Gantry
29. John Wayne - True Grit (1969)
30. Sean Penn - Mystic River
31. Sidney Poitier - Lilies of the Field
32. Steve McQueen - The Great Escape
33. Kirk Douglas - Spartacus
34. Russell Crowe - L.A. Confidential
35. Robert Mitchum - Out of the Past
36. Al Pacino - Scent of a Woman
37. Edward G. Robinson - Key Largo
38. Robert DeNiro - Once Upon a Time in America
39. Errol Flynn - The Adventures of Robin Hood
40. James Dean - East of Eden
41. Gene Kelly - On the Town
42. Fred Astaire - Top Hat
43. Buster Keaton - The General
44. Groucho Marx - Animal Crackers
45. Gene Hackman - Mississippi Burning
46. Morgan Freeman - The Shawshank Redemption
47. Denzel Washington - Training Day
48. James Cagney - White Heat
49. Clint Eastwood - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
50. Johnny Depp - Ed Wood
As with the actresses, I culled this list from AMC. They provided the list of actors, but I’m the one who chose the movie to watch for each actor. Since this list is voted on by the public, it appears that it can change over time. To avoid confusion, below I’m posting the list as it stood when I copied it down, along with the movies I chose for each actor.
A few notes about this project:
My main concern was that I wanted to make sure none of these films were movies that I previously reviewed, an issue I ran up against during both the AFI Top 100 and the Sci Fi Top 100.
So my general rule was that, if the actor won a Best Actor (not Best Supporting) Academy Award for a role, that is the movie I chose to review unless I previously reviewed it. If he won more than one, I chose which of those movies to review based on personal preference.
If I already reviewed one or all of his Award-winning performances OR if he hasn’t won a Best Actor Academy Award, then I looked at his acting credits and chose one of his movies to review. My choices were largely based on IMDB ratings (typically I chose something in the 7s or higher), coupled with my interest in the film based on its description. I avoided movies from the 1970s as much as possible. I've discovered that I'm not a big fan of 1970s film making.
Very occasionally, I have vetoed an Award-winning film simply because I don’t want to watch it. After watching lots of films I had little to no interest in, I wanted to give myself some leeway. Also, the list is subject to change. Some of these films are surprisingly difficult to get one’s hands on, despite the fact that I have access to an astounding number of ways to see films. Sometimes I may decide last-minute that I just don’t feel like watching the film I previously chose (this happened a few times with the actresses).
Since the focus of this project is more on performances rather than the films themselves, I’ll include a section about that with each review. Additionally, where applicable, I will provide links to other movies of that performer's that I’ve reviewed.
As usual, I will watch the list from the bottom up, beginning with #50 and making my way to #1. At the end of the project, I will provide a master list of reviews & some final thoughts. Here is the list of Top 50 Actors:
1. Tom Hanks - Philadelphia
2. Henry Fonda - 12 Angry Men
3. Humphrey Bogart - The Caine Mutiny
4. Laurence Olivier - Sleuth
5. James Stewart - Anatomy of a Murder
6. Gregory Peck - Twelve O’Clock High
7. Marlon Brando - The Men
8. Jack Lemmon - Missing
9. William Holden - Stalag 17
10. Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
11. Orson Welles - Touch of Evil
12. Paul Newman - Cool Hand Luke
13. Anthony Hopkins - The Elephant Man
14. James Mason - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
15. Jack Nicholson - The Shining
16. Spencer Tracy - Captains Courageous
17. Cary Grant - Arsenic and Old Lace
18. Peter Sellers - The Return of the Pink Panther
19. Clark Gable - Run Silent, Run Deep
20. Dustin Hoffman - All the President’s Men
21. William Powell - My Man Godfrey
22. Gary Cooper - Sergeant York
23. Michael Caine - The Italian Job
24. George C. Scott - The Hospital
25. Sean Connery - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
26. Charles Chaplin - The Great Dictator
27. Richard Burton - Becket
28. Burt Lancaster - Elmer Gantry
29. John Wayne - True Grit (1969)
30. Sean Penn - Mystic River
31. Sidney Poitier - Lilies of the Field
32. Steve McQueen - The Great Escape
33. Kirk Douglas - Spartacus
34. Russell Crowe - L.A. Confidential
35. Robert Mitchum - Out of the Past
36. Al Pacino - Scent of a Woman
37. Edward G. Robinson - Key Largo
38. Robert DeNiro - Once Upon a Time in America
39. Errol Flynn - The Adventures of Robin Hood
40. James Dean - East of Eden
41. Gene Kelly - On the Town
42. Fred Astaire - Top Hat
43. Buster Keaton - The General
44. Groucho Marx - Animal Crackers
45. Gene Hackman - Mississippi Burning
46. Morgan Freeman - The Shawshank Redemption
47. Denzel Washington - Training Day
48. James Cagney - White Heat
49. Clint Eastwood - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
50. Johnny Depp - Ed Wood
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Top 50 Actresses: Final Thoughts
Following the example of my Sci Fi Movie Project, I thought I would wrap-up the Top 50 Actresses Project with some final thoughts. Before I started the project, I guessed what rating I would give each movie. So first, here are a few stats related to those guesses.
Out of the 50 movies reviewed for this project:
4 movies, I guessed my rating accurately
15 movies, I was within a quarter star (plus or minus)
15 movies, I was within half a star (plus or minus)
9 movies, I was within three-quarters of a star (plus or minus)
3 movies, I was within 1 star (plus or minus)
4 movies, I was within 1+ stars (plus or minus)
Biggest difference in the positive: It’s a 3-way tie between The Country Girl (I guessed 3, gave it 4), The Killers (same as Country Girl), and Ball of Fire (I guessed 3.5, gave it 4.5).
Biggest difference in the negative: The Quiet Man, which I guessed I would give 4 stars. I gave it .25 star. I still really hate that movie. Even remembering it makes me angry.
I was more likely to guess low than high. Of the movies in which my guesses were inaccurate, I gave 26 a higher rating than I guessed. That means I gave only 20 a lower rating than I guessed.
I feel that I was more accurate than not. I think guessing within half a star is pretty good. 34 of my guesses were either spot on, or within a half star. Only 16 were wrong by more than half a star.
I enjoyed this project and felt that it was very successful. In fact, out of 50 movies, I gave 27 a rating of 4 stars or higher. That means I felt that 54% of the movies were excellent. That’s far better than any other movie project I’ve undertaken. The Oscars project is a distant second, with a current percentage of 43% of films rated 4 stars or higher.
I attribute this huge jump in enjoyment to the fact that I got to choose which films I watched, and I gave myself a lot of flexibility in those choices. While I tried to watch Oscar-winning performances, if there was a film I simply didn’t feel like watching, I chose something else. I do feel that there were some actresses who didn’t belong on the list (ex: Barbra Streisand, Marilyn Monroe, Julia Roberts). Since it was a publicly generated list, it was, to some extent, a popularity contest.
However, in a general sense, I thought it was a pretty solid list. I liked the aspect of watching the films in order to focus on a specific performance. In the end, I felt like I got to see a lot of great films & become acquainted with some performers with whom I was previously unfamiliar.
I’m looking forward to doing the same for the Top 50 Actors, which will be my next project.
Out of the 50 movies reviewed for this project:
4 movies, I guessed my rating accurately
15 movies, I was within a quarter star (plus or minus)
15 movies, I was within half a star (plus or minus)
9 movies, I was within three-quarters of a star (plus or minus)
3 movies, I was within 1 star (plus or minus)
4 movies, I was within 1+ stars (plus or minus)
Biggest difference in the positive: It’s a 3-way tie between The Country Girl (I guessed 3, gave it 4), The Killers (same as Country Girl), and Ball of Fire (I guessed 3.5, gave it 4.5).
Biggest difference in the negative: The Quiet Man, which I guessed I would give 4 stars. I gave it .25 star. I still really hate that movie. Even remembering it makes me angry.
I was more likely to guess low than high. Of the movies in which my guesses were inaccurate, I gave 26 a higher rating than I guessed. That means I gave only 20 a lower rating than I guessed.
I feel that I was more accurate than not. I think guessing within half a star is pretty good. 34 of my guesses were either spot on, or within a half star. Only 16 were wrong by more than half a star.
I enjoyed this project and felt that it was very successful. In fact, out of 50 movies, I gave 27 a rating of 4 stars or higher. That means I felt that 54% of the movies were excellent. That’s far better than any other movie project I’ve undertaken. The Oscars project is a distant second, with a current percentage of 43% of films rated 4 stars or higher.
I attribute this huge jump in enjoyment to the fact that I got to choose which films I watched, and I gave myself a lot of flexibility in those choices. While I tried to watch Oscar-winning performances, if there was a film I simply didn’t feel like watching, I chose something else. I do feel that there were some actresses who didn’t belong on the list (ex: Barbra Streisand, Marilyn Monroe, Julia Roberts). Since it was a publicly generated list, it was, to some extent, a popularity contest.
However, in a general sense, I thought it was a pretty solid list. I liked the aspect of watching the films in order to focus on a specific performance. In the end, I felt like I got to see a lot of great films & become acquainted with some performers with whom I was previously unfamiliar.
I’m looking forward to doing the same for the Top 50 Actors, which will be my next project.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Top 50 Actresses: Master List of Reviews and Scores
Here it is, my full list of scores and reviews. The list goes from my favorite to my least favorite. In cases where films share the same score, I’ve listed them based on personal preference. Special weight was given to how I viewed each actress’s performance in her respective film, so these rankings have more to do with that than with how much I enjoyed the film as a whole. For example, the first 4.5 star review you see is my favorite of the 4.5 star performances.
Note: As I was compiling the list, there were some movies/performances that I could no longer recall very well, which led to me placing them lower on the list, even though I may have really liked them when I originally wrote the review. I figure, if I don't remember it, it couldn't have been that great of a performance.
1. Marlene Dietrich - Witness for the Prosecution, 4.5
2. Judi Dench - Philomena, 4.5
3. Halle Berry - Monster’s Ball, 4.5
4. Judy Garland - A Star Is Born, 4.5
5. Barbara Stanwyck - Ball of Fire, 4.5
6. Vivien Leigh - Waterloo Bridge, 4.5
7. Mary Pickford - Stella Maris, 4.25
8. Susan Hayward - I Want to Live!, 4.25
9. Olivia de Havilland - The Heiress, 4.25
10. Shirley MacLaine - What a Way to Go!, 4.25
11. Angelina Jolie - Changeling, 4.25
12. Meryl Streep - Sophie’s Choice, 4.25
13. Joan Fontaine - Suspicion, 4.25
14. Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side, 4.25
15. Julia Roberts - Erin Brockovich, 4.25
16. Elizabeth Taylor - Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 4
17. Kate Winslet - The Reader, 4
18. Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine, 4
19. Bette Davis - Jezebel, 4
20. Reese Witherspoon - Legally Blonde, 4
21. Grace Kelly - The Country Girl, 4
22. Ingrid Bergman - Gaslight, 4
23. Natalie Wood - Splendor in the Grass, 4
24. Myrna Loy - The Thin Man, 4
25. Joan Crawford - Mildred Pierce, 4
26. Carole Lombard - To Be or Not to Be, 4
27. Ava Gardner - The Killers, 4
28. Audrey Hepburn - Wait Until Dark, 3.75
29. Greta Garbo - Ninotchka, 3.75
30. Claudette Colbert - Since You Went Away, 3.75
31. Jean Arthur - The Devil and Miss Jones, 3.75
32. Rita Hayworth - Gilda, 3.75
33. Nicole Kidman - The Hours, 3.5
34. Jane Fonda - Klute, 3.5
35. Katharine Hepburn - The Lion in Winter, 3.5
36. Deborah Kerr - The King and I, 3.5
37. Lauren Bacall - To Have and Have Not, 3.5
38. Doris Day - Pillow Talk, 3.25
39. Mae West - My Little Chickadee, 3.25
40. Ginger Rogers - Kitty Foyle, 3.25
41. Sally Field - Norma Rae, 3
42. Natalie Portman - Black Swan, 3
43. Sophia Loren - Two Women, 3
44. Marilyn Monroe - The Misfits, 3
45. Barbra Streisand - Funny Girl, 3
46. Jodie Foster - Inside Man, 2.75
47. Diane Keaton - Reds, 2.75
48. Julie Andrews - Thoroughly Modern Millie, 2.75
49. Jean Harlow - The Public Enemy, 2.25
50. Maureen O’Hara - The Quiet Man, .25
Note: As I was compiling the list, there were some movies/performances that I could no longer recall very well, which led to me placing them lower on the list, even though I may have really liked them when I originally wrote the review. I figure, if I don't remember it, it couldn't have been that great of a performance.
1. Marlene Dietrich - Witness for the Prosecution, 4.5
2. Judi Dench - Philomena, 4.5
3. Halle Berry - Monster’s Ball, 4.5
4. Judy Garland - A Star Is Born, 4.5
5. Barbara Stanwyck - Ball of Fire, 4.5
6. Vivien Leigh - Waterloo Bridge, 4.5
7. Mary Pickford - Stella Maris, 4.25
8. Susan Hayward - I Want to Live!, 4.25
9. Olivia de Havilland - The Heiress, 4.25
10. Shirley MacLaine - What a Way to Go!, 4.25
11. Angelina Jolie - Changeling, 4.25
12. Meryl Streep - Sophie’s Choice, 4.25
13. Joan Fontaine - Suspicion, 4.25
14. Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side, 4.25
15. Julia Roberts - Erin Brockovich, 4.25
16. Elizabeth Taylor - Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 4
17. Kate Winslet - The Reader, 4
18. Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine, 4
19. Bette Davis - Jezebel, 4
20. Reese Witherspoon - Legally Blonde, 4
21. Grace Kelly - The Country Girl, 4
22. Ingrid Bergman - Gaslight, 4
23. Natalie Wood - Splendor in the Grass, 4
24. Myrna Loy - The Thin Man, 4
25. Joan Crawford - Mildred Pierce, 4
26. Carole Lombard - To Be or Not to Be, 4
27. Ava Gardner - The Killers, 4
28. Audrey Hepburn - Wait Until Dark, 3.75
29. Greta Garbo - Ninotchka, 3.75
30. Claudette Colbert - Since You Went Away, 3.75
31. Jean Arthur - The Devil and Miss Jones, 3.75
32. Rita Hayworth - Gilda, 3.75
33. Nicole Kidman - The Hours, 3.5
34. Jane Fonda - Klute, 3.5
35. Katharine Hepburn - The Lion in Winter, 3.5
36. Deborah Kerr - The King and I, 3.5
37. Lauren Bacall - To Have and Have Not, 3.5
38. Doris Day - Pillow Talk, 3.25
39. Mae West - My Little Chickadee, 3.25
40. Ginger Rogers - Kitty Foyle, 3.25
41. Sally Field - Norma Rae, 3
42. Natalie Portman - Black Swan, 3
43. Sophia Loren - Two Women, 3
44. Marilyn Monroe - The Misfits, 3
45. Barbra Streisand - Funny Girl, 3
46. Jodie Foster - Inside Man, 2.75
47. Diane Keaton - Reds, 2.75
48. Julie Andrews - Thoroughly Modern Millie, 2.75
49. Jean Harlow - The Public Enemy, 2.25
50. Maureen O’Hara - The Quiet Man, .25
Monday, September 10, 2018
Top 50 Actresses, #1 - Bette Davis: "Jezebel" (1938)
Movie Stats:
Released 1938 (USA)
American, in English (minor, non-translated French)
Director - William Wyler
Stars - Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent
Plot Summary:
In 1850s New Orleans, headstrong Julie Marsden (Davis) likes to play games with her suitors, resulting in both personal disappointment & shared tragedy. Fonda co-stars as Julie’s suitor, Preston “Pres” Dillard & Brent as another suitor, Buck Cantrell.
Warnings:
Minor violence.
Bad Stuff:
I could’ve done without the racist slave caricatures.
The story is a bit inaccessible. There’s a lot going on. There’s southern social dynamics, the north/south divide (already contentious in the 1850s), and a yellow fever epidemic. Little of that is relatable to a modern audience.
The constant insinuations that all Julie needs is a good beating raised every one of my hackles.
Good Stuff:
Julie is a complex heroine. On the one hand, she’s mean & genuinely awful to everyone around her. On the other, you kind of get why. I mean, [SPOILER] her fiancé breaks up with her because she wears a red dress (instead of virginal white) to a party, which is pretty stupid. [SPOILER] She’s a woman ahead of her time, and that frustrates her, which makes her lash out.
Henry Fonda is very good.
Loved the costuming. Gorgeous!
About the Performance:
Davis is great, of course. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a performance of hers that I haven’t liked. She’s so expressive. Even when Julie is behaving her worst, Davis plays her in such a way that you can feel the inner pain & frustration that cause her to act like that. It’s very masterfully done.
Other performances of Davis’s I’ve reviewed: About About Eve
The Verdict:
I didn’t particularly care for the subject matter, but I thought it was well done. Most of the acting was excellent. I particularly enjoyed how Fonda played it — you could practically feel him seething with rage, rage that he never expresses because it’s not the gentlemanly thing to do. Also, shout out to Spring Byington, as Davis’s aunt, who alternately amused and annoyed me with her fussing and nitpicking. Although I didn’t find the ending believable, I liked it. It felt very poetic, and as open endings go, it seemed right. I liked that I could decide how it inevitably played out. [SPOILER] I’m a realist, so I think they both died of yellow fever. [SPOILER] There’s a lot of nuance to this film, in the dialogue, the subject matter, and the performances. The more I think about it, the more I liked it.
I give it 4 stars.
Released 1938 (USA)
American, in English (minor, non-translated French)
Director - William Wyler
Stars - Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent
Plot Summary:
In 1850s New Orleans, headstrong Julie Marsden (Davis) likes to play games with her suitors, resulting in both personal disappointment & shared tragedy. Fonda co-stars as Julie’s suitor, Preston “Pres” Dillard & Brent as another suitor, Buck Cantrell.
Warnings:
Minor violence.
Bad Stuff:
I could’ve done without the racist slave caricatures.
The story is a bit inaccessible. There’s a lot going on. There’s southern social dynamics, the north/south divide (already contentious in the 1850s), and a yellow fever epidemic. Little of that is relatable to a modern audience.
The constant insinuations that all Julie needs is a good beating raised every one of my hackles.
Good Stuff:
Julie is a complex heroine. On the one hand, she’s mean & genuinely awful to everyone around her. On the other, you kind of get why. I mean, [SPOILER] her fiancé breaks up with her because she wears a red dress (instead of virginal white) to a party, which is pretty stupid. [SPOILER] She’s a woman ahead of her time, and that frustrates her, which makes her lash out.
Henry Fonda is very good.
Loved the costuming. Gorgeous!
About the Performance:
Davis is great, of course. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a performance of hers that I haven’t liked. She’s so expressive. Even when Julie is behaving her worst, Davis plays her in such a way that you can feel the inner pain & frustration that cause her to act like that. It’s very masterfully done.
Other performances of Davis’s I’ve reviewed: About About Eve
The Verdict:
I didn’t particularly care for the subject matter, but I thought it was well done. Most of the acting was excellent. I particularly enjoyed how Fonda played it — you could practically feel him seething with rage, rage that he never expresses because it’s not the gentlemanly thing to do. Also, shout out to Spring Byington, as Davis’s aunt, who alternately amused and annoyed me with her fussing and nitpicking. Although I didn’t find the ending believable, I liked it. It felt very poetic, and as open endings go, it seemed right. I liked that I could decide how it inevitably played out. [SPOILER] I’m a realist, so I think they both died of yellow fever. [SPOILER] There’s a lot of nuance to this film, in the dialogue, the subject matter, and the performances. The more I think about it, the more I liked it.
I give it 4 stars.
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