RIP Hitch: 30 Years

Alfred Hitchcock died on April 29, 1980. He is one of my all time favorite directors. Tied for first with Billy Wilder. He died before I was even born. Instead of mourning the death, I'm celebrating by watching some of my favorite movies. I decided to start with my all time favorite Hitch movie: Rear Window (1954). What ones will follow? Probably Notorious (1946) and maybe The Lady Vanishes (1938).

R.I.P. Hitch! Your movies still rock! I've posted some random pictures of Hitch below:

Hitch with Ingrid Bergman. 

Hitch hiding.

Hitch loved food.

Hitch and Monty Clift. 

Hitch and a cute silly dog.

Happy Birthday: Shirley MacLaine

Happy 76th Birthday to another one of my favorites: Shirley MacLaine! Ok, so it's officially April 25 right now, but only by almost an hour, so we'll pretend it's still April 24th.


The Apartment (1960) and Terms of Endearment (1983) are my personal favorites of hers. Both of these films had fantastically written screenplays, great casting, and amazing directors. Shirley was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Fran Kubelik, but the award went to Elizabeth Taylor for her role as Gloria Wandrous in BUtterfield 8. It wasn't until 1984 that Shirley won an Oscar and it was for her role as Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

So, finally, I have watched a movie with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Now I'm wondering, what had I been thinking waiting this long?! Bette Davis may be a new favorite of mine. I loved What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and she was brilliant as Baby Jane Hudson. Bette really made Baby Jane seem horrifically unstable. The doll of her child-self freaked me out! Her dancing and singing in the mirror like she was still a child star was really disturbing, as well as depressing. Her makeup, hairstyle, and clothing added to this unstableness beautifully.

Being a fan of horror films, I am happy I watched this one. I'd categorize it more as dramatic-horror, than full-blown horror though. Meaning, I think that people who aren't fans of the horror genre itself would still enjoy this film. I don't think it would cause terrible nightmares for anyone. You've just have to remember: It's only a moooovie! Hitchcock knew what he was saying when he said that! Trust me! If you haven't seen this movie and you plan on it, then don't read anything below! 

Spoilers:
After watching the movie, I have a question for those who have watched it. Who is more insane, Jane or Blanche? I honestly cannot decide after thinking it over. Blanche wasn't the innocent victim by a long shot. Why? Well, it seems to me that she enjoyed the fact that Jane thought it was her fault that Blanche was paralyzed. Also, Blanche seemed to think it was a good idea to not tell Jane how she had been intending to kill her, but she missed her and rammed into the gate instead, causing her own paralysis. Jane was mentally disturbed to a higher degree because her sister never told her the truth about this accident. It made her become an angry, evil, and deranged drunk, who lived in a fantasy world and often times did not think over the severity of her actions. If Blanche had admitted the truth, as well as gotten help for her sister, then maybe she wouldn't have been tortured by her? Blanche obviously caused a lose-lose situation for both of them by not attempting to help cure her sister's mental health. She could have saved herself from being tortured by her sister! She could have saved Elvira! She could have saved Jane from being psychotic!

Don't get me wrong, I still felt awful for Blanche. Who couldn't? She grew up being treated like she meant nothing to her father. She watched as her sister danced and sang, while tons of people flocked around her for attention. Blanche had an awful childhood because of this and she suffered a large amount of neglect and jealously. Also, Jane treated her just terrible once they got older and Jane became her nursemaid after the accident that led to Blanche's paralysis. As I explained before, she could have put an end to this if she would have just told her sister the truth and gotten her the proper care that she obviously needed to restore her mental health! She didn't though, so she was tortured by Jane. Jane withheld her fan letters, she killed her pet bird, she gave her the dead bird for lunch, she gave her a dead rat for a different meal, she starved her, she kicked her and dragged her across the floor... I could go on and on! She could have prevented it though! Thankfully though, this is only a moooovie (and a novel, but that's a different medium to discuss).

Happy Birthday to William Holden and Me!

It's my birthday and I'm excited because it's also William Holden's. He is one of my favorites! Maybe I'll watch Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, or the Country Girl now. I won't have time to tomorrow! I'm hoping the weather is beautiful tomorrow. It should be a fun time anyway!

This is one of my favorite scenes with Bill Holden and of all the "I Love Lucy" episodes.  This episode is called "LA at Last." In the episode, the Ricardos and the Mertzes arrive to Hollywood. While Ricky is off rehearsing, Lucy and the Mertzes end up going to a restaurant called The Brown Derby, which is a popular spot where celebrities hangout and dine. There, they end up being seated next to William Holden. Watch the scene to see what happens!

I learned something new about Bill Holden. He was very passionate about the conservation of wildlife. I found an adorable picture of him with his friend Batian, who is a cheetah. Unfortunately, I am not able to post the picture. However, you can learn more about Batian the cheetah by clicking here. This website also has the cute picture that I was talking about! There is a Wildlife Foundation that was made to continue Holden's support of wildlife, if you would like to learn more about it or would like to donate to the foundation, click here.

Random Post: Billy Elliot

Earlier today and last night, I was working on a ton of homework. Having completed all that is due, excluding having to study for a quiz, I decided it was time for a break. Turned out to be a sensational idea! Yes, sensational! Why? Well, because I ended up seeing Elton John as he arrived for the premiere for the Billy Elliot musical! I don't understand why the premiere was officially today, seeing as it started showing March 18, but I guess I won't question it anymore. Definitely didn't expect this to happen today, which is why it's gloriously random and fantastic! Never been so happy for taking a study break! I took a picture of him on my phone:

I got super close to him because people kept pushing me forward! That was fun! I haven't seen the musical yet, but I really want to see it. The dancing is awesome! 

Happy Birthday: Gregory Peck

Happy Birthday, Gregory Peck! Definitely the best choice for playing one of my favorite characters of all time: Atticus Finch. He portrayed him perfectly by putting real feeling into the role. I like to think that he was like Atticus in real life.  

"If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."-Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee)

Happy Birthday: Heath Ledger

Happy Birthday, Heath! I was working on an animation project the day that Heath died. I remember my professor telling me that he had heard that Heath died after I asked him why the Internet was moving much slower than usual. I didn't believe him and told him that he must have gotten the name confused, seeing as Heath was only 28. However, my professor was extremely insistent that he heard it was him. He went to his own computer in his office to look because it must have been on a different Internet connection. I knew that it was true before he came back because a webpage finally worked and Heath's death was the first news story.

I first saw Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). I had a huge crush on him after that! He was adorable in that movie. How he sang to Julia Stiles' character and the date scene with the paintballs! Definitely one of my favorite movies back in Junior High.

As for Heath's best role, I'd have to say, he was brilliant as the Joker in Dark Knight. I saw the film in the IMAX two or three times, when it first came out. The insane laugh and the mannerisms were fantastic. I was thinking about his mannerisms and voice and I think that he was influenced a bit by Jack Lemmon's character as Daphne in Some Like it Hot (1959). Does anyone else recognize any similarities?