Little Shop of Horrors
Rick Moranis can really sing!
Frozen
Comedienne Kristen Bell does well.
Christmas Carol: The Movie
Kate Winslet shows vocal chops.
Next: movies featuring 2 actors who didn’t get along at all in real life.
The Wolf Man
Ankers’ and Chaney’s personalities clashed.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Starred famous rivals: Davis, Crawford.
*I Love Trouble *
Nolte, Roberts troubled each other.
Next: movies that starred or featured both members of a real-life couple, but not as a couple (and they had to be a couple already at the time-- the set can’t be where they met).
Laurence Olivier & Joan Plowright
The Entertainer
Vaudeville’s The Last Picture Show.
Steve Carell & Nancy Walls
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Students, adults, and “non-penetrative sex.”
Susan Sarandon & Tim Robbins
Bull Durham
Baseball fanatic, ace, rookie shenanigans.
Next: Movies where the wife or husband is killed by the other
The War of the Roses
Turner, Douglas go at it
Vertigo
Murder undetected until much later
Double Indemnity
Insurance guy takes wrong client
Next: Movies where a husband or wife is saved by the other
Stay Tuned
Ritter saves Dawber from Devil.
National Lampoon’s European Vacation
Clark saves Ellen from kidnapper.
Date Night
Carrell, Fey, in Hitchcock-esque comedy.
Next:
Movies about college or high school sports.
Hoosiers
Scrappy basketball team goes far
Remember the Titans
Football squad fights racial divisions
We Are Marshall
Plane crash decimates gridiron team
Next: Movies that inspire American patriotism
Prelude to War (pt. 1 of Why We Fight)
WWII propaganda by Frank Capra.
Miracle
US hockey team takes Olympics.
The Music Man
Gives you Americana warm fuzzies.
Next: more movies that inspire patriotism, or are otherwise good July 4th week choices.
1776
American independence as a musical.
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Biopic of Cohan; Cagney stars.
This is the Army
Patriotic song and dance revue.
Next: Biopics.
The Miracle Worker
Slice of Helen Keller’s life.
Blossoms in the Dust
Fictionalized portrait of Edna Gladney.
The Theory of Everything
Stephen Hawking becomes Stephen Hawking.
Next: movies about orphans.
Batman
Little Bruce needed more therapy.
A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Almost good, but just missed.
James and the Giant Peach
Parenticidal rhino and insect friends.
Next: Movies where the love interest has a terminal illness.
Forrest Gump
Nature of illness left ambiguous
Brian’s Song
Athletes’ platonic love, of course
Love Story
Young Ali MacGraw dies beautifully
Next: Movies taking place on a single day
Rope
Takes place in one party.
12 Angry Men
Henry Fonda is good guy.
Groundhog Day
Technically, same day, several times.
Next: movies with a numeral (not a spelled out number) in the title.
12 Monkeys
Terry Gilliam’s tragic time-travel drama
27 Dresses
Romantic comedy mocked by Deadpool
48 HRS.
Eddie, Nick clash, bond, win
Next: Movies of Eddie Murphy
Coming to America
African King seeks American bride.
Trading Places
Murphy, Aykroyd, upset commodities market.
Dr. Doolittle
Veterinarian can talk to animals.
Next: Films of Dan Aykroyd
I love love love *Trading Places!
Ghostbusters*
Wiseass, two nerds fight spooks
Love at First Sight
His screen debut, in 1977
Driving Miss Daisy
Played Southern lady’s dutiful son
Next: Films of Jessica Tandy
The World According to Garp
Sad adaptation of Irving’s novel.
Cocoon
Florida seniors meet extraterrestrial visitors.
*
batteries not included
More extraterrestrials; Tandy, Cronyn shine.
Next: Films of Robin Williams.
Popeye
An early flop (despite spinach)
Good Morning, Vietnam
Breakout role as ornery Army DJ
Good Will Hunting
Won Oscar as helpful professor
Next: Movies all or mostly set on college campuses
The Freshman
Harold Lloyd goes to school.
Breaking Away
My Alma Mater’s bike race.
Mona Lisa Smile
Good; could have been great.
Next: movies too sad to see twice.
Life Is Beautiful
Protecting son in concentration camp
The Sixth Sense
Doomed to see ghosts forever
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Robot kid finally sees “Mom”
Next: Comedies you would happily watch again
Major League
Repeatedly enjoyed during baseball season.
Last Vegas
A senior’s bachelor party? Sure!
Airplane!
Many terrific jokes, sight gags.
Next: Dramas you would happily watch again.