Monday, July 7, 2008

Movies for a Saturday afternoon

I've been very busy lately with my other hobby: quilting, so I haven't had a lot of time to watch movies. Last weekend however, I had a lot of hand sewing to do so I grabbed a DVD and started watching. First up was The Mighty Quinn a 1989 film with a young Denzel Washington. It is a mystery set in the Caribbean with Denzel as the policeman investigating the murder of a tourist. Robert Townsend stars as Maubee, the assumed killer but is also Washington's childhood friend. Esther Rolle plays a witch and I don't know about you but I love Esther Rolle! She has such a good, strong face. I always like to see her in a film. Although this film doesn't get rave reviews from the critics, it's always been a favorite of mine. Denzel is young and handsome, Townsend plays the boy who never grew up to perfection, the mystery story is involving and the island setting adds some spice. If you're a mystery lover like I am I think you'll like this film.
Next up was director Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding. This film is about an arranged marriage (the couple have only known each other for 2 weeks), in a Punjabi family. While the father worries about all of the arrangements, the costs, and losing his daughter, the young couple try to get to know each other, family problems crop up, the man in charge of the flower arrangements falls in love with the familys' maid...too much is going on! But the wedding comes off perfectly in spite of the rain! This is an exuberant, joyful film that's fun to watch!
Then Hitchcocks' The Birds came on TV and I couldn't resist watching it again. I really appreciate the old technicolor look. It's different from the color on film today and I just think it looks better. I'm a big fan of Rod Taylor and although I don't think Tippi Hedren is a particularly good actress, with those evil birds around who needs to act! Hitchcock films are always good and this is a less serious, more fun examply of his work. And if you like this one, don't miss Mel Brooks' take-off High Anxiety which satirizes The Birds and many other Hitchcock films. It's hilarious!

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