The Silver Screen Oasis

A pair of Guilty Pleasures for me are:
SPICE WORLD
EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY

Although truth be told, I don't feel TOO guilty about it.

Anything with Hugh Grant in it. ~Pktrekgirl

I do confess that I find his movies devilishly diverting, even drivel such as Mickey Blue Eyes. Have you seen the one with Drew Barrymore and Mr. Grant? It looks like quite amusing fluff and since I've always had a weakness for '80s pop, it should be entertaining for me. Haven't time right now to look it up--it's the one about the songwriters.

Hi Everyone,

3 of my guilty pleasures are:

1) "Thoroughly Modern Millie" - -
I just love Beatrice Lillie, as an Oriental yet, and how she looks Mary Tyler Moore up and down and says, "All alone in the world, my dear, - such a pity".. All the while hoping to 'white slave' her to Latin America......
And, how she controls her henchmen by saying, "Shoo Shaow, Schoo Shaow!"

Several years ago in Hong Kong, my friend Dottie and I were sitting at an outside cafe having lunch, when 2 beggars came up to us, and we both said, "Shoo Shaow, Shoo Shaow" to them and they left. Must be something to it!!.......


2) "Clash of the Titans" - -
I love this movie for Maggie Smith as the statue that comes to life and screams, "Alert the Krakon!".....
Sometimes in a committee meeting, where we're bogged down, I'll suddenly call out, "Alert the Krakon!" just to wake them up. Happens mostly on my seniors board.
My friend, Doreen, usually counters, "Larry, you are the Krakon!!".....


3) "The Opposite Sex" - -
I love this mainly for Dolores Gray and Ann Miller...
I like Joan Blondell and Ann Sheridan too, but it's mainly for DG & AM.....
No two were a better companion to party with. Annie knew LA and Las Vegas like the back of her hand and Dolores knew NYC and London just as well.
There's a scene where Dolores enters a room, stops and adjusts the side panels on her dress; I've seen that bit of business in more nightclubs with her than I care to count. It's a Star ploy - and says look at me, I've arrived & it never fails......

Larry

Love those juicy "asides" you include in your posts, Larry. I'll never look at Dolores Gray in a movie again without thinking about that bit of business.

BTW, no relation to Virginia Grey, I assume?

Hi Miiss G,

No, Dolores and Virginia were not related.

Ann Miller also knew how to make an entrance. I've written about this before but:
In 1998, she entered the lobby of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Bright red Chanel suit, pearls and a large diamond clip. The Manager met her and gave her flowers and a large crowd had gathered when her car was spotted.
She smiled and waved and said "Howdy" to the folks. Just like the Queen of England.....
As she and I passed by a little girl (maybe 4 years old), Annie smiled and looked down at her - "Hiya, toots!".... The little girl looked up at her grandmother (?) and said, "Oh, she's magic!!!"...
We heard the grandma say, "She's a STAR!!"....
Annie was pleased.......

Larry

Great story about Ann Miller, thanks Larry.

Mr. Arkadin wrote:I'm a big fan of early Exploitation and Blaxploitation films.

I also love lots of cult films like Carnival of Souls, Johnny Got His Gun, Faster Pussy Cat/BVD, Seconds, The Warriors, Bucket of Blood, Man Bites Dog, The Loved One, Marat Sade, Gates of Heaven, Werner Herzog Eats his Shoe, and other similar movies.

The Loved One is fantastic. And Faster Pussycat is the Citizen Kane of cult movies. Although Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is even better.

I have a weakness for 1960s and 1970s eurohorror and eurotrash (Jess Franco was of course a genius), but I don't feel guilty about it.

I also love 1950s and 1960s juvenile delinquent B-movies. Kitten with a Whip being the greatest of them all. It's definitely the Citizen Kane of juvenile delinquent B-movies.

jdb1 wrote:I have two relatively recent favorites that I like to watch on my own, without having to explain or apologize to anyone:

Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion
Connie and Carla

Both are female buddy movies; both are charming and unpretentious; and both are funny, undemanding, and entertaining.

Judith, I caught Connie and Carla one night on tv. I watched about 10 minutes or so and starting thinking, "This movie is just not very good, no it's not! I'm going to bed at the next commercial break. "

Wouldn't you know I stayed up and watched the whole thing?! I still don't think it's that great, but the actors were so appealing. Why hasn't Nia Vardalos had more of a career after My Big Fat Greek Wedding? She can certainly act and is very funny.

Sandy K

sandykaypax wrote: Judith, I caught Connie and Carla one night on tv. I watched about 10 minutes or so and starting thinking, "This movie is just not very good, no it's not! I'm going to bed at the next commercial break. "

Wouldn't you know I stayed up and watched the whole thing?! I still don't think it's that great, but the actors were so appealing. Why hasn't Nia Vardalos had more of a career after My Big Fat Greek Wedding? She can certainly act and is very funny.

Sandy K

Yeah, my reaction exactly. I thought to myself, why am I still watching this silly movie. But they are so sweet in it, and the performances are so honest and appealing. Plus, C&C's lounge act is supposed to be cheesy, and they do it so very well. I like this movie much better than "Wedding," which just smothers me with not very trenchant cliches. C&C is certainly cliched as well, but I think it's funnier.

I love Vardalos' husband, Ian Gomez, as the dour club owner. "Why the big paws?"

As for me, I like Steven Segall movies, Arnold Schwarznegger movies and Sylvester Stallone movies.

I go in not expecting any Oscar nominations and I am never disappointed. Of course, since my daughter hates Steven Segall, maybe I just watch for the "irritation factor".

Anyway, a movie doesn't have to be good to be entertaining.

Charlie T:

I'm with you on the action movies. I love all of those old Arnold, Chuck, and Steven films. They can be such fun. Arnolds' Commando was one of my favorites, it is filled with goofs. Chuck Norris' Code of Silence was actually a good one. I never missed a Steven Seagall movie, nor any of the Lethal Weapons, or Die Hards.

Those movies are so outlandish but they're pure entertainment.

Another type of movie I like are the disaster ones. All the Airport sequels, and things like the original Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno and all the others from the late 60's and 70's.

Anne

Oh boy, guilty pleasures.

I love those spy/thrillers (books too) like the adaptations of Tom Clancy novels. And when they stick a little humor and sci-fi in, like the Men in Black movies, I'm thoroughly hooked.

I also liked the first Jurassic Park movie. Funny lines, good action, classic moments (the water in the glass displacing when the tyrannosaur is coming--how many times has that been parodied or referenced?). And the look of awe on Sam Neill's character's face the first time he sees the dinosaurs gives me chills.

And the more I see it, the more I like "Dogma" though I can't really analyze why.

Tracey

I have guilty pleasures in music too: Marlene Dietrich, Patsy Cline, "It's my Party" and "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'" those silly songs that Ktel got together in the 70's and marketed as "Goofy Greats" and Dumb Ditties" (all those Ray Steven's classics!) and all those one hit wonders fromt he 80's like "867-5309" ""Don't You want Me Baby" and my all time favorite, "Tainted Love." Gotta love it.

Hi Tracey! You bring up an interesting twist on it, the musical "guilty pleasures".....mine is really silly: I absolutely love that schmaltzy 60s lounge music---the kind they used to play in elevators and supermarkets; Percy Faith, et al. LOL I eat it up.