- Casino Royale Review
- Carrie (1976)
- Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
- Trainspotting (1996)
- Rain Man (1988)
- Fatal Attraction (1987)
- Targets (1968)
- An Education (2009)
- Mirror, The (1974)
- Fargo (1996)
- Fight Club (1999)
- Do The Right Thing (1989)
- Report (1967)
- Is "The Sting" The Best Gambling Film Ever Made?
- Pink Flamingos (1972)
- Ox-Bow Incident, The (1943), Or 28 Angry Men
- Rome, Open City (1945)
- Spring in a Small Town (1948)
- Drive (2011)
- Vinyl (1965)
- Seconds (1966)
- Rosemary's Baby (1968)
- A Hollywood Invasion of Casino Halls
- Thin Man, The (1934)
- In The Heat of the Night (1967)
- All In: The Poker Movie, Player’s Best Tricks
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
- 1001 Club - Skyfall (2012)
- 1001 Club - When Harry Met Sally... (1988)
- 1001 Club - Rain Man (1988)
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)
Oh, Hara indeed!
Genre: Drama Romance Musical
Starring: Maureen O'Hara (Jamaica Inn • Miracle on 34th Street), Lucille Ball (Ziegfeld Follies • "I Love Lucy")
Directed By: Dorothy Arzner
Overview: Judy's dream is in ballet while the saucier Bubbles hopes to get her fame in the burlesque houses. This is the tale of their trials, tribulations, hopes, dreams and men they find along the way.
Some films on my famous list are ones I've just accepted as being absolutely nothing more than filler to complete a proper film history. The first African America Director's movies were terrible, but he was a pioneer and as such he rightfully deserves (I suppose) to make it on the list. By extension, one of the first and most important female directors in Hollywood also has a large part to do in the making of its history. In fact, I know that Dorothy Arzner has a lot to do with the making of history, not only by making waves by the way she never disguised her lesbian sexuality, but because she had many firsts. She was the first to direct a talkie for Paramount (The Wild Party) as well as being the first to hang a microphone on a fishing rod and have it follow the actor around - invention of the boom mike anyone?
So fine, Dorothy Arzner is a pioneer, and a name worthy of remembering. But what about her actual films? How good a filmmaker was she, based on the recommendation in that mighty tome?
Let me begin by saying that I don't tend to enjoy romantic film, especially comedies, and Musicals are certainly not my typical fare. So far, not the perfect pick for appreciation. However, kiddies, I was not disappointed, especially in the very skilful technical aspects. Firstly, I wouldn't call it a comedy, which saves me them trouble of saying it isn't funny and though there are musical numbers, they are in perfect context, namely Lucille Ball on a burlesque stage, singing to an audience. What is most interesting about this film however is the honesty of the character dynamic. Everyone has a touch of imperfection. In Judy's case, her lack of self-esteem causes her to miss golden opportunities. Bubbles, successful and attractive, is not one who enjoys being upstaged, and certainly a bit of a gold-digger. As is common of the few musical dramas I've seen, there's some glorious speeches (read: just a little trite at times) but for as much as there are occasional moment that remind me why I'm not a fan of the genre, the characters aren't terrible archetypes of antagonists, and the issues they face are enjoyable to watch unfold, mainly because they're so believable - like Jody's interest in a man on the rebound and his flip-flopping emotions.
Dorothy Arzner, lesbo extraordinaire
Overall Rating: 70% (Fine, Kiddies, Fine)
Aftertaste:
A true study film, this is the kind of movie I watch to expand my knowledge of an era, a female director's work, of a script representative of an age, and the kind of film I watch alone given that pretty much no one I know is into this kind of fluffy thing. The other attractive thing about Dance, Girl, Dance is seeing a young and very attractive Lucille Ball before she went the way of the comic 11 years later in "I Love Lucy".
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