Christmas In July

Dear Moviemainers,   The month of December is here and as I always feel that as soon as October is upon us it is rush rush rush.  There will be no dinner this month as it does not matter whenever we make a date, there is way too much stuff going on for everyone.   This month I choose to do only one movie and we will get together the end of January.   Anyone who is interested in hosting for the month of January feel free to send me an email.  

The movie for the month of December is the 1940 Christmas in July starring Dick Powell and Ellen Drew.  It is the story of a man who THINKS he has won a contest.   He gets a promotion at work and his whole life changes; I am trying not to give to much away.   I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. I look forward to seeing everyone the end of January.  "If you cant sleep, it isn't the coffee it's the bunk".   Your movie Diva, Movielynne.

Click here for "Christmas In July" in IMDB.com

The Contender | Burn After Reading

It is November and although I do not talk politics or religion (I think that is best as I always like to be invited to the party and not be the controversial one), I wanted to try two Washington based films. Two films, very different, so if you do not like one hopefully you'll get my second choice.   First film is "The Contender" from 2000; it is considered a political thriller starring Joan Allen (the film was written  for her) and also stars Jeff Bridges (yes I think he is hot always have ! )and Gary Oldman who was in Dracula from last month.   It is a story about a President of the United States who needs a new Vice President and the events that unfold from that moment on.  Now I did not feel the need to see it when it was in the theater but saw it later at home and felt the acting and the story is worth while.  

The next film is a Coen brothers film called "Burn After Reading" from 2008. This is truly a black comedy written and directed by the Coen brothers.   When a cd is left on the floor in a locker room  gym, a personal trainer thinks it could be highly sensitive information from the government . The trainer and his friend set out to blackmail the man who dropped it by accident, and the cast of characters unfold and it is surprising.   One story from the making of the film is when Brad Pitt read the role he told Joel Coen, "I do not think I can play this role, this guy is an idiot".   Joel Coen thought for a minute and said " Ah you will be just fine ".   Brad Pitt received a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Role  in the film.    

This month's dinner will be at Tom & Carl's house on Monday 11/24 at 6:00.  They will be screening "Burn After Reading" that night.  If you can make it, please RSVP in the blog or send an email to Tom or Carl.  

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, your movie diva Movielynne.  

Click here for The Contender in IMDB.com

Click here for Burn After Reading in IMDB.com

Frankenstein | Dracula

It's Fall again , brown leaves, temperatures are falling you get a feel of what is to come (yes, if you get the idea this is my least favorite time of year you'd be right ).  Last October we did Rosemary's Baby and The Storm Of The Century.   This month we are celebrating Francis Ford Coppola's films. The first will be Frankenstein from 1994, starring Kenneth Branagh, Robert DeNiro and Helen Bonham Carter .   Instead of meeting in someone's home we will meet at the Smitty's theater in Biddeford on October 15 at 6:p.m.  They (Smitty's) call it Way Back Wednesday's.  They show older films free of charge, hoping that you will eat while you are there (for me it is no problem, I love their potato skins).   

The next film will be Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film Dracula, starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves.  Now basically speaking I do not enjoy scary movies like Elm Street or Halloween, I would never sit through them.  There  is something about this particular Dracula film I like, it may be the way Francis filmed it, that hypnotized me.  At one point I actually feel for Dracula, go figure ! I will host this movie at my house on October 24 at 5:30p.m.cocktails and then small bites to be served while we watch Dracula in the barn.   Carl has a great idea we do a wine tasting during the cocktail hour showcasing Francis Ford Coppola's wine.   Now I personally have never had his wine but I am game !  

It looks like our movie club is getting bigger which is great, but members need to RSVP so that I will have enough room for seating at movie time.    If you are unable to make Frankenstein I hope you will be able to make Dracula.  Your movie Diva Movielynne

Click here for Frankenstein in IMDB.com

Click here for Dracula in IMDB.com

The Trouble With Harry | Laura

First on the list is the 1955 Hitchcock film "The Trouble With Harry".  I chose this one for the Fall scene as we are now into September.  It is more a romantic comedy than a murder mystery.   It takes place in Vermont in a small village; four people encounter a man lying dead on a hillside and try to figure out what happen to him.   It was shot in Vermont in late September.  When Hitchcock got to Vermont, he was shocked to see that all the foliage was off the trees and they had to glue leaes on the trees for the scenes.  It stars Shirley MacLaine, John Forsythe and Edmund Gwenn.  

Next film for the month of September is my personal favorite: "Laura" starring Gene Tierney, Clifton Webb and Dana Andrews from 1944.  This is the story of a New York City police detective trying to solve the case of the dead woman he believes is Laura Hunt.  He starts to fall in love with the dead girl after reading her diary and meeting her friends.  Once again I just love movie trivia and the portrait over the mantle that is a painting of Laura was done several times and in the end they took a photograph of Gene Tierney and then blew it up and dabbed it with paint to give the illusion of an oil painting (I just love the movies).  I have to say, after watching the movie I think back at how funny Carol Burnett was when she would do a skit on this film, classic funny.

Larry will be hosting this month's movie night dinner on Friday night, September 26.  Finger foods at Ginny and Don's house one street over at 5:30 pm, then the movie ("The Trouble With Harry") and dessert at Larry's house.   Please RSVP if you are attending by adding a comment to the blog;  there are 12 seats at Larry's theater so RSVP to make your reservation.   As I will be unable to attend I will leave it to Don and Ginny to announce what everyone will be bringing.   I will miss everyone but will hope to see you all at the movies in October.   Movielynne 

Check out Trouble With Harry in IMBD.com

Check out Laura in IMDB.com

  

Reap The Wild Wind | Dead Calm

Dear Members, as July ends (my favorite time of the year we head very quickly into August) I drove my yacht (a 13 foot Boston Whaler, yes it is a yacht to me) out of the Kennebunk River and I thought to myself "How lucky am I to spend my summers here and be in this ocean and enjoy this very pretty place".   I know exactly what I am missing - two stories about boating, we have not done them yet.  Yes Carl I have packed your sea sick pills and your lifejacket.  I promise you it will not be too rough !  

We will start with 1942’s Reap The Wild Wind.  Now the reason I like this film is not only the cast, which includes John Wayne, Paulette Goddard (I believe she slept her way through Hollywood ,sorry I digress, remind me to tell you the story of her episode at the Brown Derby one night), Robert Preston and Susan Hayward.  Set in 1840's Key West Florida, it tells the story of salvage crews who would fight to get to a wrecked ship first to claim the booty.  They would sometimes trick the sea captains by flashing a light so the captains would end up driving their ships onto the rocks.  The heroine is a lady and of course there is romance but for me the deep sea diver played by John Wayne and the underwater scene with the squid is amazing as remember this is 1942.   It is the second film in color directed by Cecil B. Demille.  

Next film is Dead Calm, a 1989 thriller based on a novel from the 1960’s .  A couple that had tragedy in their personal life set off in their sailboat to get away from it all.  A man by the name of Hughie rows up in a dingy and claims everyone on his boat got sick and died and his boat is sinking.  The couple tries to help him and things are not what they appear to be.   I find this a good thriller when people genuinely try to help another person (all good deeds do not go unpunished).     

THE NEXT MOVIE DINNER IS 6:00 ON MONDAY AUGUST 4 AT THE HOME OF KATE AND JOHN MAIUCCORO'S.  THE ADDRESS IS 224 OCEAN AVENUE. PLEASE RSVP TO ME MOVIELYNNE (I WROTE THIS IN CAPS SO YOU WILL NOTICE IT BEING A SHORT TIME BEFORE WE MEET).   We are having hotdogs, hamburgers and baked beans this is what we need.  Movielynne will do hamburgers and lemon squares.  We need potato salad, pasta salad, appetizers and booze is always a good thing.   Please RSVP TO ME AS SOON AS YOU CAN.  YOU MUST BRING A LAWN CHAIR AND BEACH TOWEL (it does get chilly).  Kate and John are setting up a big screen outside like a drive in theater, something different.  I can't wait.  We will be showing Moonrise Kingdom, one of July’s movies.  I hope to see you there, touch base with me soon.

Your movie diva, Movielynne.

Click here for "Reap The Wild Wind" in IMDB.com

Click here for "Dead Calm" in IMDB.com

 

42 | Moonrise Kingdom

For all the members who missed Italian night what can I say but lets eat!  Boy did we (click here for pictures). 
      

The first film for the month of July - lets go out to the ball game - is "42" starring Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson and Harrison Ford as the very colorful Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers.   It is the story of the first black baseball player to play in professional baseball.  It's fascinating to see how Robinson's teammates grew to despise the constant abuse he endured from opposing teams, even though they themselves were initially against his joining the team.  Robinson wore the number 42 through out his long career.  His wife worked on the production of the film as to keep it authentic and real as possible.  This film came out last April 2013.

 

Now for the second film of the month - I am thinking summer camp.   Moonrise Kingdom starring Bruce Willis and Bill Murray is a story (not just for kids ) about a 12 year old orphan who just can't seem to connect with the other boys in camp but meets a girl.  They run away together and have an adventure.  This film is by Wes Anderson (whose latest is The Grand Budapest Hotel).   I love the way this film is written - very funny and a bit eccentric.  Stay tuned to the blog site to find out about the dinner at the end of the month.   I am thinking hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill - very summer.   Movielynne 

 

Click here for 42 in IMDB.com

 

Click here for Moonrise Kingdom in IMDB.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Night | Mid-August Lunch

Welcome back to all club members who were able to escape the long long (did I mention long?) winter here in Maine!   The month of June is Italian month and I have two requests.  First is a movie from 1996 called Big Night.  Two brothers open an Italian restaurant in America; one is a chef the other is the manager.  The film stars Stanley Tucci  ( I think he steals every film he is in).  Stanley Tucci, with Campbell Scott, directs this film.   Who are Campbell Scott's parents?  The film also stars Minnie Driver and Isabella Rossellini.

Second film is a little Italian film called Mid-August Lunch.  As August vacations approach, a man in debt has no choice but to babysit some elderly ladies through the summer holiday.    No vacation for him!

Stay tuned to THE BLOG SITE AS THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE TO GO TO FIND WHERE THE DINNER WILL BE HELD AND THE DATE!   

Your Movie Diva,

Movielynne

Check out "Big Night" in IMDB.com

Check out "Mid-August Lunch" in IMDB.com

Seabiscuit | Secretariat

Ok Moviemainers it is May and it is off to the races,  Jim's Picks  We will start with Seabiscuit first during the depression A small horse and a big jockey become a surprise hit loosely based on a true story the little horse that could.   Favorite line from the film  "You don't throw a whole life away just cause its banged up a little bit ".   Don't forget the little dog that actually Bing Crosby gave to Charles Howard  a fellow horse lover himself they named the dog weebiscuit !

Next is Secretariat winner of the Triple Crown in 1973, it stares Diane Lane ( just love her ).  A Colorado housewife agrees to help her father save the horse farm that has been mishandled.    Now some people feel this is a better film then Seabiscuit you decide .    Several horses that were used in the making of the film among them was a horse called Trolley Boy the great great grandson of the real Secretariat .   We will host the club at our home on Saturday May 31 at 5:p.m. we will do a light supper of small bites while we watch the film Secretariat.   RSVP      Movielynne

Check out Seabiscuit in IMDB.com

Check out Secretariat at IMDB.com

An American In Paris | The World Of Henry Orient

Hey Moviemainers.  April movies are... being the month of April I always like to have at least one movie with the word Paris in it.  This month it is An American In Paris. It is a musical from 1951 starring Gene  Kelly and Leslie Caron and directed by Vincente Minneli.   A World War II war vet tries to become a painter in Paris.  He meets and falls in love with none other then Leslie Caron.  You have got Gershwin music and it doesn't get better then this.   Next on the list is The World Of Henry Orient from 1964.   A comedy starring  Peter Sellers, Paula Prentiss and Angela Lansbury.  It is the story of a concert pianist who falls for a married women (loosely based on the life of Oscar Levant) he believes two teenage girls are following him and spying on him so he becomes paranoid.  It was voted  one of the ten best films of that year.   Larry, our newest member, will be showing this movie at his house with a lasagna dinner on Saturday 4/26 at 5:00.  Please RSVP to Larry at LEKalp@aol.com. His home theatre has 12 seats, so the first 12 to RSVP are in!

PS from Carl...Tom and I watched World of Henry Orient last night.  What a delightful movie!  Don't miss it.  The story of the friendship between the two girls is beautiful, and Tom Bosley's character comes from out of nowhere to steal the show!  

PSS from Tom...loved the movie a real surprise acting was fun the development of the characters was perfect.

Click here for "An American in Paris" in IMDB.com

Click here for "World of Henry Orient" in IMDB.com

Cinema Paradiso | The Commitments

Thanks to Ginny and Don for hosting dinner in their new home and what a meal (mashed potatoes amazing !).  Meeting our new member Larry was the best, we were invited to watch Widow's Peak at Larry's personal movie theatre.  How great is that ?   Movies for the month of March are Cinema Paradiso, a 1988 film about a young man who loves the movies and the projectionist he becomes close to in the theatre.   The film was not considered a great success when first released.  It was reedited and several minutes of the film were cut, and then it became a success.  It won the 1989 Best Foreign Language film Oscar.

The next film, being that it is the month of March is an Irish film called The Commitments; it is considered a dramedy.  Filmed entirely in Dublin, it tells the story of a young man named Jimmy who wants to manage a band that plays soul music.  In 2005 it was considered the best Irish film of all time.   Now I know there is a long wait on Netflix to get this film.  Carl has suggested that you go to your library and ask them to order it for you.  Or...you can watch the movie at Tom & Carl's house during the next movie club dinner on Saturday, March 22 at 5:30 pm.  Knowing Carl he will find a way to get the film.

One more thing,  I would like to thank all the  members who have hosted dinners, brought food, and wine and appetizers, and all the great conversations we have about the movies.  As of this month Moviemainers is two years old and I have had the best time writing these little intros to the films and planning the dinners.  Everyone has something that they are passionate about and since I was a little kid the movies are the one thing without skipping a beat that I truly love.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone on March 22.   Your movie diva Movielynne

PS - Remember to RSVP for the next dinner.

Click here to check out "Cinema Paradiso" in IMDB.com

Click here to check out "The Commitments" in IMDB.com

Alfie | Widow's Peak

The first movie for the month of February is the 1966 "Alfie" with Micheal Caine.  I  have chosen this film because I have got that song stuck in my head.  It is about a womanizing man who couldn't care less about other peoples' feelings.  It was the first film to get suggested for mature audiences, which eventually became P.G. rating.  A must see that you can watch on YouTube is Cilla Black recording "Alfie" with Burt Bacharach in Abbey Studios in London: Click here to watch. In my opinion it is the best of all the recordings of that song.  

The next film on the agenda is "Widow's Peak" from 1994, starring Mia Farrow, Natasha Richardson and Joan Plowright.  It is about a little village in Ireland in the 1920's after WW1. It  just so happens that everyone in this little village is a widow, and what happens when a new widow shows up and stirs the pot. My husband asked me what is the theme of this month's movies; I guess I would have to say "Just British".  

The next movie club meeting will be an afternoon luncheon at Don & Ginny's new home on Sunday 2/23 at 3:00 pm. Their address is: 11 Bramblewood Lane, Gorham, ME 04038.  Afterwards, we will go to Larry's house to view "Widow's Peak".  Larry is a new member who lives near Don & Ginny and has a movie theatre in his house; how lucky are we?!?! Your only assignment is to see "Alfie", and then we will watch "Widow's Peak" together at Larry's.  Movielynne 

PS from Carl...How appropriate it is to do British movies this month! February 9th is the 50th anniversary of the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan, which sparked the British Invasion.  Coincidentally there's a Beatle connection in each of Movielynne's choices: Cilla Black was a coatroom girl at Liverpool's Cavern Club where she met the Beatles, who introduced her to Brian Epstein and George Martin which led to her first recording contract.  And Jane Asher (who was engaged to Paul McCartney for several years before he met his future wife Linda) is in the cast of "Alfie". Jane inspired many of Paul's early love songs, such as "And I Love Her".  Plus..."Widow's Peak" features Mia Farrow (who joined the Beatles in India, along with her sister Prudence, in 1968 to study meditation with the Maharishi).  While in India, Prudence inspired the song "Dear Prudence" which appeared on the White Album.   

Check out "Alfie" on IMDB.com

Check out "Widow's Peak" in IMDB.com

Love Me Tonight | All About Eve

Hello Movie people, I thought this month it would be fun to have great character actors in film.  These are actors that you might not remember their name but you hear their voice and see their face and you say oh yes I have seen that guy before.  First on the list is Charlie Ruggles in Love Me Tonight, it is about a tailor who pretends to be a nobleman falling in love with a princess.  It has Rodgers and Hart songs and Maurice Chavalier and my personal favorite Myrna Loy.  One more thing people might not know he did the narrartion voice in the fractured fairy tale in my favorite Bullwinkle and Rocky cartoons   ( the cartoon has adult humor and goes over childrens head highly recommended  you will get it

Second on my list is George Sanders in All About Eve he plays a notorious talent agent .  It is about an aging actress and a woman who is a fan and she starts to manipulate herself into the actresses life.  Famous line is Fasten your seatbelt it is going to be a bumpy night.  It won six academy awards including best picture.  George Sanders was married to one of the Gabor sisters and when he said he had had enough of life he killed himself leaving a note that said he was tired of living, goodbye world .  Angela and Arthur will host the dinner this month on Thursday 1/9 at 6:30 to discuss the December movies Gigi and Joyeaux Noel.  Please RSVP to Angela at seascapes@roadrunner.com.  Movielynne 

Check out "Love Me Tonight" on IMDB.com

Check out "All About Eve" on IMDB.com