www.janeek.com

www.janeek.com

Established 1999

These are treats from my Movie Treasure Chest.
Some may not be known to you, but take a chance,
as they are definitely worth the viewing.

Everyone has movies that they hold dear - these are just a few movies of quality that I love and admire that are not on the usual lists of beloved and admired movies, such as "Gone With the Wind" and "The Godfather".  So, try going off the beaten path and give them a try.  

BLACK ORPHEUS: A Brazilian movie that won the Oscar in 1959 for Best Foreign Language Film. It is an exiting, sensual movie of the Orpheus and Eurydice love story legend that is enhanced by the Bosa Nova music of Antonio Carlos Jobim. It has a wonderful mystical quality to it, that combined with the beautiful co-stars makes for a magical movie.  (The picture is of the star, Breno Mello.)

THE RIGHT STUFF: Probably my favorite movie of all time. I love the nonchalant attitude of the pilot characters, the historical time period (I remember how exited the country was of the Mercury astronauts), the performances of the actors, and the overall flavor of the film which is a combination of reverence and humor. It’s not perfect, but it is a movie that never fails to enthrall me every time I see it.

THE WINDS OF WAR and WAR AND REMEMBRANCE: I know what you’re saying - TV mini-series!!! It is my favorite and a huge commitment to watch, as it is the longest and most expensive mini-series ever filmed. Yes, it does have a soap opera story that ties the events together, but the historical events are the real stars of the show. It is an amazingly personal retelling of World War II, anchored by the solid performance of Robert Mitchum. The scenes of the Nazi atrocities in the concentration camp are gut-wrenching. Both series have been shown on the History Channel, so watch for scheduling.

A TOWN LIKE ALICE: Begins in a Japanese internee camp for women and ends in a search for love that ends in Australia. This mini-series is a love story that is as real as it is romantic. 

ALL THE KING’S MEN: Based on the life of Huey Long of Louisiana, it is a powerful story of politics with a strong performance by Broderick Crawford in his Oscar-winning role.

THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY: A wonderful anti-war black comedy starring James Garner and Julie Andrews. Very funny and smart, with Julie proving she is more than a nanny.

THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU: Sophisticated comedy set in Victorian England starring Oliver Reed and Diana Rigg. It is definitely off-beat story about an assassin for hire company.

BULLETS OVER BROADWAY: Was a surprise to me, a Woody Allen picture I thought was funny! I got real bored with his introspective films that I didn’t find funny (sorry, but I think "Annie Hall" was a snooze), but he doesn’t appear in this one. I thought the Chazz Palminteri's role and  performance was especially amusing.

COLD COMFORT FARM: Recent British comedy of a very managing young English lady who needs a place to live and chooses the distant relatives who need the most help. How she fixes their lives is amusing and sweet.

DEEP IMPACT: A truly well-done, emotionally-charged disaster movie.  Mimi Leder merged special effects with honest human feelings and actions to produce a movie I don't get tired of watching.

FAIL SAFE: Whenever I am asked what is the scariest movie I have ever seen, this is always the one I pick. It is a too real look at what would happen if something had gone wrong during the Cold War. Although it covers the some territory of Dr. Strangelove, the ending never fails to chill me totally. Great performance by Henry Fonda as the president.

FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH: Well done British sci-fi movie that begins with the discovery a space ship while digging a new underground tunnel. Story doesn’t end up where you originally think it is going, which makes for great viewing.

FORGET PARIS: Billy Crystal directed and stars in this original love story with Debra Winger. The presentation is a fresh and natural telling of the evolving story and the scenes on the basketball court are a hoot. Especially memorable is the pigeon segment. You’ll be "stuck" on it.

THE FOUR FEATHERS: This is a classy 1939 British film done in gorgeous Technicolor (you truly have to see it to appreciate the richness of the photography!!).   It is a story of the meaning of courage, done in a rich complete manner, that goes far beyond the normal action adventure tale.

THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS: I missed it when it was in the theaters and finally saw it on cable. True story of rogue lions attacking bridge builders in Africa. The special effects of the lion attacks actually had my palms sweating (even the third time I watched it). Plus it has Val Kilmer, who is becoming an actor to watch for interesting performances.

THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY: Off-beat, very original comedy set in Africa that is a clash of cultures. A coke bottle falls from the sky (from a a passing plane) into a remote tribe, who soon find that it disturbs their happy group. The bushman who attempts to give the bottle back to the "gods" whom the tribe believes dropped it, encounters the modern world, filled with confusing and confused people.

HUD: I am always surprised at how many people have never seen this movie. Strong performances by the entire cast, headed up by Paul Newman as the title character and Patricia Neal and Melvyn Douglas in their Oscar-winning performance. Hud is a true modern character, a man without morals, who doesn’t give a damn about anything or anyone. The dry, black and white photography of James Wong Howe sets the entire mood of the film, which is set in the modern West.

HUDSUCKER PROXY: Have you seen "Raising Arizona" and "Fargo" and were knocked out by the Coen Brothers scripts and directing skills? Well, this is another one of their films which is worth a look. Story starts out with a bang and never stops. I found it amazing, funny, and fascinating.

HUMORESQUE: John Garfield is a violinist from the mean streets. John Crawford is great as a wealthy arts patroness.  The moving finale is a unforgettable.

THE LIMEY: Is a compelling movie  with Terence Stamp giving a haunting performance as a British criminal who comes to L.A. to find out who killed his daughter.   The stylish filming foretells Steven Soderbergh's later direction of "Traffic".  A very human story with a hard edge.

MARNIE: I first fell in love with Sean Connery watching this one.  Although supposedly a story of a female thief who gets caught by the man who falls in love with her, it is really a tale of suppressed sexuality that may reflect director's Hitchcock's own life.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S COMEDY: This is the 1935 Max Reinhardt version filmed by Warner Brothers. Some of the scenes are absolutely magical with the combination of wonderful camera work and the Mendelssohn music. (Note: the only write-in Oscar win was given to Hal Mohr for his cinematography.) There is some of the hammy actors of the time, but on the whole a pretty enjoyable filming of a Shakespeare play.

MILDRED PIERCE: Mommie Dearest Oscar winner based on the James M. Cain’s novel. Joan Crawford at her wide shouldered best as a story of motherly love and devotion. It is soap opera at its finest with a good supporting cast, including Jack Carson and Ann Blyth as the bitchy daughter.

THE MIRACLE WORKER: Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke honed their performances on Broadway and each won and an Oscar.  It is director Arthur Penn's remarkable black and white photography that elevates this film to artwork.

MR. LUCKY: Cary Grant is a suave gambler who is reformed by the socialite played charmingly by Lorraine Day. Nifty screen play on many levels, from the comedy of the rhyming slang to the seriousness of the WWII.

MR. SKEFINGTON: My favorite performance by Claude Reins, as the long-suffering, dignified husband of the vain Bette Davis. Nice period piece.

THE MUMMY:  Remains my favorite of the old time "scarry" movies.   Boris Karloff plays the Mummy who returns to life to seduce his reincarnated past love played by Zita Johann, who looks wonderfully exotic and sexy in those 30's bias cut gowns.  Begins with a classic scene where the Mummy comes to life and literally scares the explorer to death.

NOW, VOYAGER: Another Bette Davis and Claude Rains soaper, but in this one she is the shy daughter who comes out of her neurotic shell, defies her mother, and ends up romanced by the married Paul Henreid. They have the famous lighting of two cigarettes at the same time scene in this movie (looks sexier than it sounds, and that’s from a confirmed nonsmoker).

NOTORIOUS: It’s one of those movies I didn’t appreciate until I was an adult. Wow, a real undercurrent of angry sexuality between Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman that flares into love. And has Claude Reins as the unhappy spy with the evil mother. Hitchcock directs one of his best.

PYGMALION: This movie was made in the 30's based on the play that was turned into the musical loved as "My Fair Lady". Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller are the definitive Henry Higgins and Eliza Dolittle. Truly wonderful performances that make you forget the later musical.

SABOTEUR: Another nifty Hitchcock spy movie. This one has surprisingly strong acting by Robert Cummings as a falsely accused man out to clear his name and find the real traitors. Ends up in the famous Statue of Liberty scene with Norman Lloyd.

SAN FRANCISCO: Clark Gable falls in love with the lovely Jeanette MacDonald.  Co-stars Spencer Tracy as their friend, a priest, in the days leading up to the great San Francisco earthquake.  The quake scenes still stand up as terrifyingly watchable.

SPECIES: This is the mack daddy of all alien on earth movies for me. (Alien II is the best alien in outer space.) Sexy and scary with great effects, Sil is one nasty mama.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF: To my mind, the funniest Western ever - makes me giggle every time I see it.. It spoofs everything in a good natured fashion with James Garner heading up a great cast, including the so-missed Joan Hackett.

TOTAL RECALL: Great special effects and fresh story full of plot twists. Arnold saves Mars from tyranny by the evil dictator, Ronnie Cox.

A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN: A  tender story of the child of a dreamer and his practical wife, and how hope can grow, just like a tree in a crack of cement in the city.   Wonderful performances all around by Oscar winner James Dunn as the father, Dorothy McGuire plays another mother, Peggy Ann Garner (awarded special Oscar) as the daughter who wants more from life, and Joan Blondell as the amusing and loving aunt.

THE WIND AND THE LION: I am a sucker for "Sheiks of the Desert" stories. This one is based on a true story and has my personal heartthrob Sean Connery playing the Sheik to Candice Bergen’s captured American. Brian Keith steals the movie, however, as Teddy Roosevelt.