Literally Correct

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Title: Singin’ in the Rain

Director: Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen

Screenwriter(s): Betty Comden & Adolph Green

Producer: Arthur Freed

Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

In Theaters: March 27^th, 1952

Run Time: 103 minutes

Color: Technicolor

Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, & Debbie Reynalds

Genre(s):

Storyline: In 1927, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are a famous on-screen romantic pair. Lina, however, mistakes the on-screen romance for real love. Don has worked hard to get where he is today, with his former partner Cosmo. When Don and Lina’s latest film is transformed into a musical, Don has the perfect voice for the songs. But Lina - well, even with the best efforts of a diction coach, they still decide to dub over her voice. Kathy Selden is brought in, an aspiring actress, and while she is working on the movie, Don falls in love with her. Will Kathy continue to “aspire”, or will she get the break she deserves ?Written by Colin Tinto

Movie Trailer:

My Review: The experience of going to see a movie like this in the movie theater, especially when it’s sold out, can never compare to watching it on DVD at home. It sold out in two theaters actually. The movie is definitely larger than life and one of the first movies directed by Gene Kelly himself. I learned from Robert Osborn before the movie started that Kelly actually never wanted to be in front of the camera, he wanted to be to musicals what Hitchcock was to suspense and thrillers. He wanted to be the guy who “tried that first.” The staple for how future dance and music was choreographed and filmed for the big screen.

Unfortunately for him the audience loved him when he performed. Gene Kelly, you could say, took over, where Fred Astaire left off. I think one of the main differences between the two dancers was that Gene danced alone more than with a partner and Astaire was the opposite. Kelly like big numbers full of color and scenery while Astaire had you on the edge of your seat by just his dancing alone.

As the movie goes, not one member of the cast went to waste. From the up and coming Debbie Reynolds to the exhausting Donald O’Connor this movie was packed with comedy, romance, singing, and of course, dancing. Gene Kelly could do it all and as Jean Hagen famously says in the movie, in a voice few can mimic just right, “I can’t stand him!”

Here is the most memorable song and dance routine performed by Gene Kelly, along with 2 of my favorite songs from the movie as well.

Singin’ in the Rain - Gene Kelly

Good Mornin’ - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds & Donald O’Connor

Moses Supposes - Gene Kelly & Donald O’Connor

My Rating: A+

Original Article

The Two Mrs. Carrolls

Title: The Two Mrs. Carrolls

Director: Peter Godfrey

Screenwriter(s): Thomas Job & Martin Vale

Producer: Jack L. Warner & Mark Hellinger

Distributor: Warner Bros.

In Theaters: March 4th, 1947

Run Time: 99 minutes

Color: B&W

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Alexis Smith, & Nigel Bruce

Genre(s): crime/drama/film-noir/thriller

Storyline: Struggling artist Geoffrey Carroll meets Sally whilst on holiday in the country. A romance develops but he doesn’t tell her he’s already married. Suffering from mental illness, Geoffrey returns home where he paints an impression of his wife as the angel of death and then promptly poisons her. He marries Sally but after a while he finds a strange urge to paint her as the angel of death too and history seems about to repeat itself. Written by Col Needham

Movie Trailer:

My Review: According to Robert Osbourne this is one of the Bogart movies that many critics felt he over acted. I would disagree. The man was portraying a mentally ill person, bordering on schizophrenia in my opinion. Back during this time period when there were no green screens, the actors relied on their ability to make a facial expression worth a thousand words. So many actors from the 30’s-70’s were experts at moving the story along through the expression on their face. Humphrey Bogart simply over exercised his facial muscles in, what he probably assumed, was the only way to let the audience know he was insane. For me, it worked brilliantly.

Ms. Stanwyck was superb in the scene when she discovers her husband whom she loves deeply is poisoning her in the same fashion that he poisoned his first wife. The first Mrs. Carroll. I appreciate Barbara Stanwyck’s performance in this movie because it further emphasizes what I knew about her all along. She’s a damn good actress. Her voice, for me, is the most distinct feature about her. I could close my eyes and recognize her voice instantly. It’s very deep and sultry and commands to be heard. In her library of movies this is a good addition to showcase how broad an actor she was.

There are a few minor players surrounding the two main characters as well. Alexis Smith for instance who plays the woman who Bogart has chosen to be his third wife after he’s gotten rid of his current wife of course. What amazes me is that no other person around him sees just how crazy he really is but her and she still is willing to love him and live with him. It just goes to show that women see what they want to see and when it comes to love they are blind to what’s right in front of their face.

His daughter, for me, is the most vital part of this movie. Without her the audience can easily forget just how human he is. True he is crazy, but when it comes to his daughter he is attentive, loving, and caring. She also is the only woman in his life who knows and understands his work as a painter better than even he knows it. She is supposed to be no older than 12 yet she speaks like that of a 40 year old woman. There is nothing she is afraid of. I believe she secretly knew her father was slowly killing her mother. That scene where he’s about to administer what will be the final and lethal dose to his first wife and his daughter says to him, “I will follow you anywhere and do anything you want me to do because I know what you’re doing is in my best interest.” I’m paraphrasing of course. It was her way of letting him know that she understands and will love him always no matter what he does or who he kills, even if it is her biological mother. That girl is the anomaly in the whole movie yet without her there would be no story.

If you’ve never seen Humphrey Bogart or if you’ve only seen him in a role of the cool guy, this is a great movie to see. It will open your eyes to just how great an actor he is, being able to play a role that no one would have ever imagined he’d be able to play.

My Rating: A

Original Article

Aleph

Written By: Paulo Coehlo

Cover Artist:

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Publication Date: September 27^th, 2011

Pages: 288 pages

Age Range: 18+

Buying Options:Amazon.com or BN.com

Genre(s):

My Rating: ★★★1/2

My Review: This book is only the second of Paulo Coehlo’s books I’ve ever read. The first was The Alchemist that I read just about one year ago at the behest of a friend of mine. It’s where I learned about destiny and journeys and how, no matter how far you may go or travel, and how many experiences you might gain and grow from, what you are looking for most may be what’s been in front of you all along. So much irony in that thought. But it’s not the destination that should be our driving force when we live our lives, but the journey. That is the important life lesson learned in this book. I believe this is the first, most personal account, he has given of his life. By that I mean it is written from his point of view.

He decides to go on a book tour, saying yes to any country that invites him, in hopes he should find his “fire” again, his reason for being. Somewhere along the journey of his life he found himself losing that spark he had decades ago. Don’t we all feel that way as we get older? I know I am feeling that way. Where do we go from here? What’s the point in continuing? Why am I doing this? These are all questions that have their own different and unique answers depending on when and who is asking the questions.

The first half of this book, I felt, was easily relatable to myself. I was able to take those pearls of wisdom he sprinkles throughout whatever he write and apply them to myself with no problem. But as the book progresses passed the mid-point it begins to take on a more personal tone, dealing with a very ancient love affair he acknowledges having with a perfect stranger who shows up during his book tour and insists on completing the journey with him. Hillal is her name and she is only 20 (I think) which makes those who actually ARE traveling with Paulo raise concerns about why he is allowing her to travel with him while his wife has opted to return home, feeling he needed to continue on this journey without her. What is discovered and what exactly the “aleph” is, I will leave for you to discover on your own. We all have our own paths to create. If you were looking for a time, or at least a starting point, any Paulo Coelho book, especially this one, is a good way to start.

Read In: 6 days

Also Reviewed By…

Original Article

The Little Red Guard

Written By: Wenguang Huang

Cover Artist: Manuel Litran/Corbis (jacket photograph)

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Publication Date: April 26th, 2012

Pages: 272 pages

Age Range:

Buying Options: Amazon.com or BN.com

Genre(s): family memoirs/history/Chinese/biography

Star Rating: ★★★★ 1/2

My Review: The author tells a pretty unbelievable story and I suppose that is what makes this true story all the more fascinating to me. Up until this book I knew very little of the Chinese culture during Mao’s reign and once he was gone. I’ve known that China was a communist country and that communism wasn’t a good thing. When it came to government structures I was aware of the distinct differences between our “Western” culture and that of China’s. But this book gave me a first hand account of it through the lives of what many might consider to represent a typical Chinese family.

Aside from his telling about his father who worked tirelessly to abide by his mother’s wishes, this was just as much a coming of age story for Wenguang. The title and the description lead you to believe this story is simply about a family trying to figure out how they would get away with burying the grandmother without getting caught and suffering permanent punishment. This is not the entire story at all. In fact it’s a small part. To me the coffin is a red herring for the true purpose of this book. The author needed to tell this story for his grandmother who was too concerned with reuniting with her husband back in their home town where he was fortunate enough to be buried before the ban on burial came into effect. For his father who he firmly believes died much too soon (of cancer) because he was overwrought with doing his mothers wishes of being buried and not cremated. His own mother who resented the relationship her older husband had with his mother, feeling like he sacrificed for his own mother but would never do the same for her. And in telling their story he ends up telling us his own story. 

Having lost both my grandmother and my grandfather I can relate to what he was going through all too well. It reminded me how anyone, no matter where we come from, take our choices for granted, feel and die the same as anyone else. This was truly a book that was better than I ever imagined. I learned so much about a new culture and was reawakened to my own at the same time.

Read In: 8 days

As Told By…_____________________________

Original Article

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

Full Title: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)

Written By: Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess

Cover Artist: Andrea Ho

Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons (amy einhorn books)

Publication Date: April 17th, 2012

Pages: 313 (hardcover)

Age Range: 18+

Buying Options: Amazon.com or BN.com

Genre(s): humor/auto-biography

My Star Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

My Review: I found The Bloggess through Twitter and instantly took a disliking to her! No I’m kidding, I instantly was a HUGE fan because she did what I thought no one else in the business of blogging would do (remove dirty thoughts now!) she answered my questions! Mind you, some may have been dumb at the time but I appreciated her taking time out of what I’m sure was an adventurous and purely unplanned day, to answer my questions. Jenny, I thank you, again…

Now onto my review. It ties into the fact that she was in New York City the day her book was released for a book signing. I honestly would not have known about it had I not been at the B&N on 86th street weeks before and instantly noticed her picture up on their big screen advertising her up and coming book signing. If you know The Bloggess at all, her photograph of her hair in curlers is easily recognizable. Initially I was not planning to arrive early for the signing (to my own stupidity) but I’m glad I did because way before it started (promptly at 7pm as advertised and for that I thank you Jenny again! Not everyone is as “on time” as you when it comes to book signings) there was standing room only. I think her event was one of the largest book signings I’ve been to (not counting the two former Presidents of the United States book signings I’ve been to: Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton). To me that’s saying something. I was unaware just how powerful the blogging world can be and how supportive they are until this day.

Okay, seriously, NOW onto my review of her book! I started reading it on my way home from said book signing. After listening to her read and entire chapter to us I absolutely had to start reading her book. As a small sample (if you have no idea who she is or have never read her blog before) here is the title of the chapter she bravely read to us: The Psychopath on the Other Side of the Bathroom Door

As she says throughout her book, MOST, if not ALL of what she shares with us about her life from childhood to adulthood, really truly happened. I’ve read her blogs and as unbelievable as they may sound, I have grown to not only believe her but to appreciate that no matter how messed up I find my life to be I’ve never gotten my arm stuck up inside a cows vagina! Yes, that actually happened to her! Read her book if you don’t believe me!

I laughed till I cried and couldn’t keep reading because the tears were in my way. When I finished wiping my tears away I’d read a few more sentences and there they would return! If it wasn’t for the laughing till I was crying and this crazy job I have that insists I work from 8:45am-5:15pm during the week I probably would have finished this book in less that 4 days. I’m ashamed of myself for pausing from reading this book to do life things as well, like bathing and eating and sleeping. Although I did read while I was eating so I guess I can be partly forgiven because at least I tried to read it in less than four days!

I recommend this book for the sarcastic, for the one who loves humor (especially when you know all this stuff is true and not made up!), and for those of us who need a change of pace from those books with proper sentence structure and correctly spelled words and crap! They are SO overrated!

It’s so good I wish I could read it to you right now and just not stop till I was done (or at least till you begged me to because you found it genuinely funny and promised to go buy your own copy). Instead, I’m going to share with you the opening paragraph of her first chapter and if that doesn’t make you want to rush out and buy a copy or download it on your e-reader (I hate those damn things by the way!!) then I give up on you entirely! Weirdo!

I Was a Three-Year-Old Arsonist

Call me Ishmael. I won’t answer to it, because it’s not my name, but it’s much more agreeable than most of the things I’ve been called. “Call me ‘that-weird-chick-who-says-“fuck”-a-lot” is probably more accurate, but “Ishmael” seems classier, and it makes a way more respectable beginning than the sentence I’d originally written, which was about how I’d just run into my gynecologist at Starbucks and she totally looked right past me like she didn’t even know me. And so I stood there wondering whether that’s something she does on purpose to make her clients feel less uncomfortable, or whether she genuinelydidn’t recognize me without my vagina. Either way, it’s very disconcerting when people who’ve been inside your vagina don’t acknowledge your existence. Also, I just want to clarify that I don’t mean “without my vagina” like I didn’t have it with me at the time. I just meant that I wasn’t, you know…displaying itwhile I was at Starbucks. That’s probably understood, but I thought I should clarify, since it’s the first chapter and you don’t know that much about me. So just to clarify, I alwayshave my vagina with me. It’s like my American Express card. (In that I don’t leave home without it. Not that I use it to buy stuff with.) - Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess (Let’s Pretend This Never Happened)

Read In: 4 days!

“As Told By _____________” <—click here to read another review of this book!

Will you, Run And Tell That?

Mockingjay

Full Title: Mockingjay (Hunger Game Series #3)

Written By: Suzanne Collins

Cover Artist: Tim O’Brien

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication Date: August 24th, 2010

Pages: 390 (hardcover)

Age Range: 13+

Buying Options: Amazon.com or BN.com

Genre(s): science fiction/young adult

My Star Rating: ★★★★★

My Review: While this trilogy does not compare to the Harry Potter series, and I was pissed and cursing this book with every page I turned, I cannot deny my inability to put it down. I was sucked in from page one and if not for having a life outside of reading, I would have finished this book in half the time.

I will try to leave no spoilers since this is an ending that will truly keep you shocked at every turn. The first two books were TOO predictable for me. Suzanne Collins probably did that to lull her readers into a false sense of security so that when we get to the epilogue we are so exhausted by the ride we don’t know whether to be pissed or pleased. I finished the book feeling a healthy dose of both emotions.

If you came to this Trilogy looking for something other than teenage confusion, deep loss, senseless murder, and unresolved relationships, you came to the wrong place. This book, on it’s own, is full of all that I just mentioned and then some!

My only criticism, on just this book, without giving away much of the ending, is how she chose to wrap up the relationships that we got to know from the very beginning.

I recommend this Trilogy to anyone who is looking for a quick, fascinating, and (for some) satisfying read.

Read In: 6 days!

“As Told By _____________” <—click here to read another authors review of this book!

Will You…Run And Tell That?