The Moon’s Our Home (1936) and other 5 movie recommendations

YES! It is i. It’s been a long time since I blogged, but I’m coming back with a vengeance! Lots has happened since I was away, democratic nominee chosen, Olympics in Beijing and most importantly, the beginning of Burning Man.

In a recent job applications I had the opportunity of thinking of recommending 5 movies to my favorite film. Not an easy task considering that my favorite film goes under the radar, but none the less, I think I did a good job. I was only allowed to used 20 words in the job application, but I’ll use more here because I can.

The Moon’s Our Home (Seiter; 1936) – Only currently found on VHS and very rarely on TV, but worth the search; it is my all-time favorite movie. It is a story about a movie starlet and an explorer/author who despise one another and fall in love without knowing who the other really is. Opposites never attracted so beautifully as in this film. If you have had the privilege of seeing this ’screw-ball’, then you know why this is my fav. The sheer disgust and resentment on their faces at times, both Henry Fonda and Margret Sullivan play their parts unequivocally, small glances that you could easily miss the first few viewings tell so much and add layers of comedic genius. Then the times when they hold and gaze in each others eyes is a celluloid wonder. This movie, in my humble opinion, is one of the first inventive uses of talkies though a decade after the first. Why? Because of their simultaneous talk that is so crucial to the comedic tension and story it is difficult to think of how the script must have looked. Why this movie is not on DVD is beyond comprehension. I’ll see if I can get a clip up soon of some of the goodiness.

In the movie, both characters are jealous of each others accolade, never seeing who it is that is getting all the attention. Yet, they both smoke a cigarette as they slip into bed for the night, ah the good ol’ days. Match made in heaven they get married under their aliases in a ceremony that is by far the best ever. They run separate directions and then try to find each other under their alias names, but cannot. Ah, I can’t describe the gold, you’ll just have to sniff this one out like a bloodhound like I had to.

Recommendations:

The Lady Eve (Stuges; 1941) – How does a professional con-artist swoon for, and then capture an upstanding brewery heir? By being herself. Henry Fonda plays the target for a con-artist family, but Barbara Stanwycks character eventually falls in love with the charming, gullible guy. He finds out who she really is, they have a falling out, obviously. Do they get back together? She’s a con, of course she finds a way. Basically by making him marrying a whore, who is Barbara Stanwyck’s character. Great film.

You’ve got Mail (Ephron; 1998) – Corny? Yes. Very much so. Comparable because they fall in love with each other, while hating the maligned idea of one another. Now, I actually didn’t watch this movie for the longest time because of the ridiculous name and AOL reference, but since it is Nora Ephron one must at least give it a shot (it’s got Dave Chappelle in it.). For those ‘too cool’ to see it; Tom Hanks, plays a family that has a chain of bookstores like Barnes & Noble, Meg Ryan plays an owner of a small bookstore. Of course they hate each other. That is the beauty of this movie. They are both internet geeks when they go home like we all have become that are reading this and writing blogs and chatting via internet. So if you were like me, don’t judge.

Swept Away (Wertmüller; 1975) – Laboring working man and a pampered rich woman get stranded on an island… oh, how the tables turn. Sad ending though. If you know and like anything about the D/s scene, you will be enthralled with this film. I haven’t seen the remake yet, this one seems dated at first, the porno-style music, the rich fast-talk a lot of nonsense at the beginning that turned me off to the first couple of viewings of this film. That is purposefully of course because you are meant to want these spoiled rich folk talk about seemingly meaningless crap, you feel like the one of the ship-hands having to listen to it, and wanting to strangle them into silence. When the hired hand and bratty minx get on the island, the man-slave becomes the Master and the Mistress becomes the slave. The intensity of the film you will have to see for yourself. I will say you need to stay for when they get on the island before you turn it off, it’s worth it, trust me. Funny stuff.

*note: I love rich people, I myself will be one, however, there is a difference between wealthy/rich and spoiled/rich. Actually, it is a common theme in Lena Wertmüllers body of work. One of my favorite women directors, always provocative and clever.

Clueless (Heckerling; 1995) – One irresponsible growing teen and a dependable young law intern. Two people who never seem to match, yet perfect? I was fortunate enough to meet Amy Heckerling while I was going to college at Brooks Institute of Photography, very cool woman, she would hold South Park parties. Anyway, if you haven’t seen this one, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s a great flick. It brings back those days of the cute John Cusack doing his honorable, nice-guy thing character. He’s the perfect match for an overprivileged Alicia Silverstone with his non-judgmental adversary role that Paul Rudd plays wonderfully.

The Love Parade (Lubitch; 1929) – Battle of sexes must have been a great time to be alive. Switching gender roles, this movie takes ’sexist’ to a whole new level. Okay, so basically a unwed Queen finds a suitor in a promiscuous French soldier, they get married. Not happily ever after though, he is a prince and she the Queen, as the manly ‘macheesmo’ gets sucked from out of the Frenchman the Queen becomes the Dominant role of their Kingdom. While this film enforces stereotypical gender roles like “hunter/gatherer” and “stay-at-home/nurturer” its a great flick and actually, its shiz that many relationships argue over to this day… who wears the pants.

That’s all I got for now, but know that I have several more reviews on the horizon, some of them include:

Summer Lovers: Sleeper classic from the 80’s

Pennies from Heaven: Best (yet most overlooked) musical evah!

Seven Year Itch: Censorship and Monroe

Farrelly Brothers movies; retrospective

A Short Film about Love v.s. A Short Film about Killing

I’ve been working on these every so often so stay tuned for these coming up. I bid you adieu and many gracias-es.