1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Some Like It Hot

#354- Some Like It Hot (1959)
Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon
Directed by: Billy Wilder


Plot Summary: In the city of Chicago, saxophone player Joe and his double-bass player friend Jerry are down on their luck, looking for gigs to hire them. After witnessing a murder by the gangster Spats Colombo, the jazz performers need to find a way to get out of town and take a job with Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators. The only catch is that it is an all-girl band, so Joe and Jerry pose as Josephine and Daphne to get into the group. It is in the band that they meet and befriend Sugar Kane, with Joe displaying stronger feelings towards her. When they get to Miami, Daphne finds herself pursued by millionaire Osgood Fielding III, and Joe assumes the identity of Junior, the heir to Shell Oil, and uses Osgood's yacht to win Sugar over, while both he and Jerry try not to give their true identities away. To make matters worse, Spats and his gang arrive in Miami for a conference that is hosted in the same hotel that Joe and Jerry are hiding in.


After reviewing such film powerhouses as Gone With The Wind, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and A Streetcar Named Desire, I said to myself "I need a comedy." I've done so many monumental movies over the last 2 months (particularly dramas) that I wanted my next review to be something "lighter" in content. For years, I had a friend back in my home state of California (you know who you are) tell me that I would enjoy Some Like it Hot. He had introduced me to Tony Curtis through The Great Race, which also starred Jack Lemmon, but I was familiar with him thanks to my grandmother's love of the film Grumpy Old Men. As if those two weren't enough to peek my interest for this comedy, it also stars Marilyn Monroe, one of the greatest icons in pop culture history. The pieces were there for an enjoyable viewing experience, and I understood why this was so revolutionary in 1959, but a LOT of the comedy hasn't aged well. But there are also a lot of noteworthy elements that work in the film's favor.

Tony Curtis is the leading man as Joe, who disguises himself as Josephine. Tony Curtis is an actor that I would describe as the "total package." He had the looks, acting and musical talent, he was charming, and he was funny (which is very important to have in a comedy). In theory, Joe should be the "straight man" for a lot of the comedic bits, but a lot of the time, he's the one who draws these hair brained schemes. One of the better parts of the movie is when Curtis has to play Joe masquerading as Josephine AND as Junior (the heir to Shell Oil). The genius of this is that Curtis is playing a character that needs to play two other characters without revealing himself, which leads to a lot of hilarity. A lot of fun also comes in the voices that Joe gives to his alter egos. Josephine has a very stingy accent, but sounds very feminine and accurate, and his accent for Junior is so over the top that it is laughable that anyone would buy it (but they do).

Jack Lemmon plays Jerry, who disguises himself as Daphne. Lemmon has great delivery and plays a lovable sidekick to Joe. He has a smugness to him that definitely paints Jerry as a bit of a "creep," but Lemmon has so much charisma that Jerry is still found likable (something that is greatly missing in comedic characters nowadays). While, Joe blends into his disguise more in terms of looks and performance, I think I like Jerry as Daphne more because Jerry finds himself succumbing to the role and being "one of the girls" with the rest of the band. Of course, there's also a decent amount of time where Jerry wants to nail a bunch of the girls, but his biggest storyline is when Daphne catches the eye of Osgood Fielding III, played by Joe E. Brown. The millionaire has a strong love for Daphne, and Jerry wants to exploit that and marry him, only to divorce him and take half his fortune. There are so many times where Joe catches Jerry being TOO invested in the character, that it really does make it seem like something's wrong with Jerry.

This might sound weird, but the weakest performer in the main cast is the cultural icon Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Kane. I understand that the world was in love with Monroe during this time, and she was bubbly in her personality and had those pin-up looks, but I'm sorry to say that she was a horrible actress. Thanks to some online trivia (thanks IMDB), they had her lines taped all throughout sets, had cue cards that you can see her read from, and it took 50 or so takes for her to say simple lines like "It's me, Sugar." Her singing isn't awful, and it's understandable why both Joe and Jerry would try to make passes at Sugar (in all honesty, the character is likable through Monroe's charm), so her character is not a complete failure (just when she has to say a good majority of her lines).

Overall, the comedy works thanks to the timing and chemistry of Curtis and Lemmon. There are a lot of jokes that work simply though the gender bending concept (which was somewhat new in terms of mainstream films at the time), but a lot of the jokes are also outdated. The film itself offers a lot of charm in what it's doing, whereas nowadays cross-dressing comedies go more for shock value to distinguish the humor of impersonating the opposite gender, and I'm glad Some Like It Hot played it safe, but also had enough "risqué" humor to make the audience delve deeper into what has been said (the last line of the film had me in stitches, then got me thinking of the implications).


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Maybe jokes about different genders were more groundbreaking in the '50s, but I felt I was missing something involving the humor. Some Like It Hot definitely has great delivery from Curtis and Lemmon, but some of the jokes have gone flat over the decades. I'd still recommend this as a rental for any fans of comedy though, as it is one of the most critically acclaimed comedies in film history, so that should say something for its impact.

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1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- A Streetcar Named Desire

#245- A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Starring: Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter
Directed by: Elia Kazan


Plot Summary: Blanche DuBois is a southern belle with delusions of grandeur who pays a visit to her sister Stella Kowalski and her husband Stanley in New Orleans. Blanche comes with bad news that her family's plantation, Belle Reve, was lost. Blanche also says that she's taken a leave of absence from her job as an English teacher to clear her nerves. Stanley doesn't believe Blanche and is determined to find out the truth at any cost. Blanche is not thrilled about Stanley's "common" behavior, including his verbal and physical abuse towards Stella, who, unknown by Stanley, is pregnant. One of Stanley's friends, Mitch, takes a liking to Blanche, even though Stanley disapproves of it. When Stanley finally learns the truth about Blanche's past, he uses it to his advantage in order to bring Blanche's extended stay in his home to an end.


And now for a film choice that was inspired through school (perish the thought considering it's summer). During the Fall semester last year, I read "A Streetcar Named Desire," a critically acclaimed play written by Tennessee Williams that was later adapted into a critically acclaimed film starring Marlon Brando. I really enjoyed reading the play, so I was very excited to watch the film version when the semester was coming to an end. Unfortunately, we didn't finish the entire movie (we had about 20 minutes left when class ended on the final day), so I knew I needed to re-watch A Streetcar Named Desire soon in order for the proximity of my thoughts to make it in review form.

Marlon Brando stars as Stanley Kowalski, in one of the most important roles of his career. Stanley is an absolutely detestable character, with an aggressive personality and violent temper that leads to many moments of abuse within his home. An important theme used with his character is that he is labelled common, and that the attraction to him is primal, which is definitely notable once you have him played by an amazingly charismatic actor like Marlon Brando. Brando is one of acting's all-time greats, so it's almost frustrating to see a character this despicable have a natural charm to him. It doesn't excuse any of his actions, but you can't help but notice that intangible quality to him that an actor like Brando can give Stanley. Plus, he knows how to win the heart of his wife back, by screaming her name out in the rain.

Blanche DuBois, Stanley's sister-in-law, is played by Vivien Leigh. Leigh was the only cast member out of the four leads that did not reprise her role from the original stage adaptation, but you wouldn't get that impression watching it. Leigh has natural chemistry with each of the main characters, and does a fantastic job of playing Blanche as a woman who looks to have her head in the clouds, but means well in the process. Of course, there's a lot more to Blanche than meets the eye (no, she's not a Transformer), which many of the other characters find out along the way. Stanley doesn't trust Blanche for a second and so their tension is a crucial aspect of the film. It doesn't lead to the greatest of endings for Blanche (I'll give you a hint and say that it basically happens to her when she played Scarlett O'Hara), but it allows her to serve as a martyr-like character, with the event being an important catalyst that leads to some karma-heavy resolution for Stanley.

Kim Hunter plays Stanley's wife, Stella. Like Blanche, Stella is the kind of character who is a natural free spirit, but feels confined where she is thanks to her controlling husband. Hunter does a fine performance, but there's something that's somewhat irritating about the character of Stella (most likely the annoyance of how often she goes back to Stanley when she clearly shouldn't). The audience knows what's best for Stella, and the baby that she's pregnant with, and it isn't with Stanley, so we want her and Blanche to get out of there. But I guess if that were to happen, we wouldn't have that iconic scene of Stanley yelling "Hey STELLA!"

Harold "Mitch" Mitchell is Stanley's friend and Blanche's love interest, played by Karl Mulden. Mulden's performance is pretty good, as he is able to make Mitch feel genuine when he's with Blanche, but also cowardly whenever Stanley is around. It's clear that he wants to be happy, but also doesn't want to step on his friend's toes, especially with the temper that Stanley has. I think almost everyone has a friend like Mitch, and in many cases are like Mitch himself. At least, that's how his character is for majority of the film. Once Stanley gets involved in unraveling Blanche's past, Mitch reacts with bitterness towards Blanche, which is understandable since he's the kind of character to wear his heart on his sleeve. He loved and trusted what Blanche was putting out there as the "real" her, and when her past conflicted, he didn't know how to react to this version of Blanche.

For the first time in a while, I have done a review where I actually analyze all the crucial main characters in depth. Part of that comes from the fact that this is a character piece adapted from the stage to the screen. Since my biggest passion is film and I spent all four years of high school in the theater program, I have a large appreciation for a film like A Streetcar Named Desire that is able to make its film adaptation resemble the stage production. Not only are all four main characters performed well, but the entire film is primarily set within the tight confines of their apartment, making the whole film feel like a "bottle episode" (go look it up, or watch the Community episode where they define the term). The use of space creates a tense area, and accentuates the performances that much further. I would love to go see an actual stage adaptation of "A Streetcar Named Desire" to compare which version, stage or film, was able to do it better.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

This is a film that should be remembered through the quality of acting performances, primarily through Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh. A Streetcar Named Desire is a film that I recommend for all fans of movies, particularly good acting, to check out at least once.

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1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Casablanca

#165- Casablanca (1942)
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid
Directed by: Michael Curtiz


Plot Summary: Rick Blaine is the owner of an upscale nightclub in Casablanca that attracts guests in the form of refugees trying to get to the United States and those who are tracking them down. Rick claims to be neutral in the situation, but in reality, he has fought on the side of the Loyalists against the Nationalists. Rick is in possession of papers that allow free travel and are very valuable to the refugees stuck in Casablanca. Ilsa Lund, Rick's former lover, enters his establishment with her husband Victor Laszlo, seeking Rick's help to get out of Casablanca and into the United States with the "letters of transit" that he possesses. Without revealing his past with Ilsa to Victor, Rick refuses to help, leading Ilsa with not many options left but to tell him that she still loves him and the reason why she left him all those years ago.


Casablanca is another one of those movies that you hear about a LOT from film aficionados, and is regarded as one of the great icons of cinema. Thanks to the star power of Humphrey Bogart, I was looking forward to checking this movie out immensely. And while I did enjoy it, I'm not sure if all of it has aged well throughout the decades. I hope no one twists my words, and understand that there is a whole lot to enjoy, but don't walk into it expecting the PERFECT movie.

Humphrey Bogart stars as the main protagonist, Rick Blaine. Whether it's James Stewart, John Wayne, Clark Gable, or in this case Humphrey Bogart, I always look at the leading men of yesteryear and see what their appeal was with audiences. For Bogart, he plays Rick with a gruff, no-nonsense attitude, but is still able to have a charm in how he talks. Rick is an amazingly quick thinker, both in his actions and in what he says (just listen to some of the comebacks that he has for people, or see the plans that he has made unravel). Many of the film's most iconic moments and quotes come from Rick and that can all be credited to Bogart's legacy as one of cinema's greatest leading men.

The film does have a pretty solid cast of supporting characters, including Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo, Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault, Conrad Veidt as Major Heinrich Strasser, and Peter Loree as Signor Ugarte. The biggest "supporting" character though is Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund. I get that she has a captivating look about her, but that does not make a good character. Using logistics, a lot of the conflicts that arise for Rick and Victor are from misunderstanding and miscommunication through Ilsa's actions in the past (they could have avoided the entire conflict had she just explained at the very beginning). Her performance is probably the one that has aged the worst, but that's because women have come into their own as strong and confident characters over the decades. Unfortunately, that also means that the classic love story between Rick and Ilsa suffers in terms of overall storytelling (curse my appreciation for logical storytelling).

One of the most memorable facets within the film is in its definitive atmosphere. The environment created through the use of lighting (particularly shadows), the sets are able to create the right amount of tone for the film's narrative. Picture the scene where Rick says "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine," or the climactic scene in front of the plane. If either of those scenes had been altered (more lighting in the former, and less fog in the latter), the overall aesthetic of the film would have been changed because tone would have been altered entirely.

Over 70 years have gone by since Casablanca is released, and there is still so much of it to appreciate. It embodies the look and vibe that a classic movie should have, highlighted by the aforementioned use of atmosphere and Bogart's leading man charisma. Even if some aspects of the film (Ilsa) haven't aged in the most graceful of ways, the film is still a powerhouse in the canon of monumental films.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Maybe the expectations were a little high, but some of the gravitas of the film remained stuck in its own time. Still, there are memorable lines, a tremendous amount of atmosphere, and a career defining performance from Humphrey Bogart that makes Casablanca one of the most iconic movies in history, and one that every moviegoer should at least see once.

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1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Citizen Kane

#150- Citizen Kane (1941)
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore
Directed by: Orson Welles


Plot Summary: After wealthy newspaper publisher Charles Foster Kane dies, journalist Jerry Thompson wants to discover the significance of Kane's last word: "Rosebud." As he interviews many important people in Kane's life, he learns more about Kane's rise to the top business wise, as well as his struggles within his personal life. Among those interviewed are Kane's second wife, Susan Alexander, his business manager, Mr. Bernstein, his former best friend, Jedediah Leland, his butler, Raymond, and the written memoirs of Walter Parks Thatcher, a banker who became guardian for Kane during his childhood. Through all of their stories, Thompson knows more about Kane than intended, but is still searching in hope for the meaning of "Rosebud."


After over a year of watching movies off this list, have I finally come across the greatest film of all time? For decades that is what the general consensus has been when discussing Citizen Kane. After hearing how great this movie is, one can definitely get an impression that the film will deliver, but I'll be honest, apart from the whole "Rosebud" thing, I had no idea what this film was even about. So there was a lot to be excited about in watching this film for the first time. On one hand, if I enjoyed it, then no harm no foul, and if I didn't enjoy the film, at least I could cross it off my queue of movies to watch.

The man responsible for Citizen Kane is Orson Welles, who directed, produced, co-wrote, and starred as Charles Foster Kane. As far as visionary standpoint is concerned, we will cover that later, but let's look at his acting portrayal. Welles plays Kane with two distinct personalities. There is a confident, yet brash, business tycoon that is full of charisma and charm, but also a cynical, despicable and greedy man in his personal affairs. That's pretty impressive for his first film role, but that's only a small portion of Welles's contribution to the film.

The supporting characters are a bit of a mixed bag, as many are used more to tell Kane's story than anything else. The ones who stuck out the most were Jedediah Leland and Mr. Bernstein, played by Joseph Cotten and Everett Sloane respectively. Both felt really close to Kane in different ways, with Leland feeling close at one point to Kane, and Bernstein always displaying respect for Kane. Also, some credit should be given to the makeup department for the elderly makeup to show the characters that aged over time, while also giving equal credit to the actors for being able to play their characters as both young and old.

Welles also had a vision for how the film would be shown, and it is incorporated through the amazing and innovative cinematography by Gregg Toland. Toland really knows how to incorporate elaborate camera shots and mixing them with proper lighting effects to bring focus on what Welles wants focus to be given to. Each scene has its own unique shots, from Kane's mustached mouth saying "Rosebud," to Kane standing in a room full of mirrored walls, to dark lit rooms with the right amount of light shining in, the visual aspect of storytelling is definitely a highlight of the film that has since changed the way filmmaking and cinematography are done.

Like I said earlier, Citizen Kane has left a lasting legacy on film that has since labelled it as one of the greatest, if not the greatest movie of all time. While I can't go that far in terms of labels, I will say that it has many elements to it that any fan of movies can appreciate. It is a well-constructed film that has great acting, camera, lighting and effect techniques, and a plot that celebrates the good and bad moments of its central character. If that's not a film that movie buffs can study and analyze, I don't know what is then.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Maybe it's out of pure film appreciation, but I would definitely recommend that everyone sees Citizen Kane at least once before they die. If anything, it is to observe one of the 20th century's most influential films courtesy of Orson Welles.

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1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

#129- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Starring: Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Claude Rains
Directed by: Frank Capra


Plot Summary: After the untimely passing of U.S. Senator Sam Foley, the search is on to find his replacement, leading to the selection of a younger candidate, Jefferson Smith, who the government believes will be easy to manipulate through his naivety. Smith is taken under the wing of Senator Joseph Paine and his new secretary Clarissa Saunders, who attempt to bring some credibility back to his name after the newspapers label him a buffoon. Smith proposes a bill to authorize a loan to buy land for a national boys' camp, but the land is already part of a graft scheme that is supported by Paine. While Paine does try to stand by Smith, he is reminded of what would happen to his power and influence in politics if he were to back out. Paine stands aside as the political machine accuses Smith of trying to gain profit through his bill. In order to prove his innocence, Smith must launch a filibuster and convince the U.S. Senate and his constituents to set things right.


When it comes to the year 1939, there are three movies that most people think about. The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind are two of the more recognizable choices with general audiences, but many movie buffs will also think about Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and regard it as one of the greatest movies of all time. This is one of the more intriguing films I put in my wishlist because I knew plenty of references from American Government classes I had in high school and college, and I had seen an episode of The Simpsons that pays homage to the film. Add the fact that it's made by the director of It's a Wonderful Life and stars one of my favorite actors, James Stewart, and you have some pretty high expectations for this film.

James Stewart stars as Senator Jefferson Smith. Stewart continues to display why he is one of my favorite actors of all time, as he is able to give Smith a visible sense of hope and optimism while he's in Washington D.C. His humble nature really paints him as one of the ultimate "good guys" to have in politics, and his speech at the end of the film was powerful enough to cement Stewart as one of Hollywood's biggest powerhouse actors. The film has a very slow build to its climax, but once Smith is able to have the floor for discussion, Stewart is able to show why he's got some of the greatest acting chops of all time by showing as much emotion as possible. One of my favorite themes about Smith is that he is an honest man (which many politicians hate him for) and can tell when others are lying (he's almost like an X-Men).

One of Jefferson's biggest support systems throughout the film is Clarissa Saunders, played by Jean Arthur. Arthur's performance is one of the few that hasn't aged the greatest, and I think a lot of that has to do with her voice. I'm not sure if her voice was considered "seductive" at the time, but nowadays it is definitely ranging more on annoying than anything else. She is credited as being very crafty in the world of politics, which does allow her to stick out as someone superior to Smith in certain areas, so she is able to hold her own against the men in Washington D.C.

Claude Rains plays Senator Joseph Paine, a character who tries to help Jefferson out of respect for Smith's late father (a friend of Senator Paine), but eventually partakes in selling Smith under the bus with the rest of the politicians. The rest of the political figures in the film have a despicable, "holier than thou" arrogance towards them, but Paine is a bit more complex. We can see early on that he (begrudgingly) is trying to look out for Smith and has him keep to himself for a while in order to protect him. It is only later through the deeply-rooted corruption and power within the political machine that Paine must concede and partake in sabotaging Smith. Rains does a good job in making sure Paine can be empathetic when he needs to be due to his guilt, but also loathsome when his loyalties are put on display before Smith and the audience.

While I will never claim to be an expert on American politics, I can still appreciate the film's atmospheric patriotism. There are many scenes in which Smith is overwhelmed by the beauty and history that is on display in Washington D.C., and the montage of monuments and landmarks should leave all U.S. viewers proud to be Americans. Adding to the theme of patriotism, the film offers a great product of Americana in Jefferson Smith, making him one of the more trustworthy and likeable American characters in film history.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

There is something very fascinating about Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but it takes some time to get to it. Still, there are great acting performances all around and a great story told on-screen, making it a film I recommend everyone should at least see once.

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