GBGoodies 2015 Movie Logbook

Yes, I love musicals, and I've been needing some good "pick-me-up" movies recently. Some of them I've seen many times, but a few of them were recommended in Gideon's Favorite Musicals thread recently. (Mostly the Fred Astaire musicals.)

I agree with you about Yankee Doodle Dandy. I love the movie, but it would have been amazing in color.

I've never been a fan of Cher, so I've kind of avoided this movie for years, but it was recommended by several people recently so I decided to give it a chance. It was a great recommendation. I may even give Cher a chance and watch a few of her other movies.

Thank you to everyone who recommended it.

You're welcome, gbg. I'm just pleased that you enjoyed it so much. I thought you would, so it's nice to see that you did.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Glad you enjoyed Mask-it was on my 80's list. If you want to see something else with Cher, it would have to be Moonstruck, but I assume you've seen it.

No, I haven't seen Moonstruck. Like I said, I've never been a fan of Cher, but I'll give Moonstruck a try. (I don't even know most of her music, except maybe 1 or 2 songs, and other than "I've Got You Babe" with Sonny Bono, I don't think I could name any of her songs. )

Turn Back Time was Cher's big come back hit in 1989. I think she sang it live on TV from the deck of an U.S. aircraft carrier. She was in this skimpy see through costume. I remember she had lots of tattoos and that was the first time I had seen a woman with lots of them.

I've probably heard it, but I don't know it from the song title. I know that Cher is known for wearing some crazy dresses, some of which are practically see-through. I didn't know that she has tattoos, but I'm not really surprised to hear that.

IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME................
duh-dun!
IF I COULD FIND A WAY.................
duh-dun!
I'D TAKE BACK THOSE WORDS THAT HURT YOU......

AND YOU'D STAY.

IF I COULD REACH THE STARS.............
duh-dun!
I'D GIVE THEM ALL TO YOU.................
duh-dun!
THEN YOU'D LOVE ME

LOVE ME

LOVE ME LIKE YOU USED TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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That sounds vaguely familiar. I probably heard her sing it at an awards show or on "American Idol", or something like that.

It's probably Cher's most popular song. At least, it's her most popular song as a solo singer.

That and "Believe."

Yeah, but they don't play her music on the country music radio stations, so unless she sings it on some TV show or movie that I watch, I'm not likely to hear it.

Harper (1966)

This is a pretty good detective story, with Paul Newman doing a great job in the title role. The movie feels like it wants to be a Noir movie, but it misses that mark by just a little bit. It's an entertaining movie that has a bunch of twists and turns, but I thought the ending could have been better. The movie has an excellent cast, and it's worth seeing if you like a good mystery.

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Gone with the Wind (1939)

Gone with the Wind is one of those movies that I've always wanted to see, but I just never got around to it.

It's a beautiful movie, and a pretty good story, but at 4 hours, it's just too long, and it's a very slow-paced movie. It's almost like watching a 4-hour long soap opera. Unfortunately, I never really cared enough about the characters to get emotionally attached to them, so their ups and downs didn't really make me feel anything for them.

Surprisingly, I didn't think there was much chemistry between Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, and I thought Vivien Leigh overacted through much of the movie.

The movie looks amazing, and the music is terrific, but maybe after hearing about this movie for all of these years, it just couldn't live up to it's reputation.

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My Sister Eileen (1955) - This movie was recommended in Gideon58's "Favorite Musicals" thread.

This is a fun and very entertaining movie. I was surprised to see that Jack Lemmon starred in a musical, but he's not the focus of most of the dancing or singing. Most of the singing and dancing is left to the rest of the amazing cast, including Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, Bob Fosse and Tommy Rall.

The dancing is very entertaining, but the songs didn't stand out as much as I'd hoped. I love watching Bob Fosse dance, and I was very impressed to see some of the other actors keep up with him, especially Tommy Rall in the "Competition Dance" scene. Betty Garrett stole almost every scene that she was in.

Thank you Gideon58 for this great recommendation.

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Body Heat (1981)

This is a very good thriller that almost feels like a modern day Film Noir. It has some interesting plot twists, although some of the twists are kind of predictable.

The entire cast is terrific, especially William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, and Ted Danson.

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The Winning Team (1952) - This movie was recommended in Gideon58's "Favorite Sports Films" thread.

This movie stars Ronald Reagan in the story of Major League Baseball pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander. It's not very accurate, but it's an enjoyable movie about a great baseball player, and the obstacles that he had to overcome to achieve his dream.

Thank you Gideon58 for this great recommendation.

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The Last Starfighter (1984)

This was a re-watch of one of my favorite science fiction movies. It's a fun and exciting movie about a teenage boy who's unknowingly recruited to fight in an alien space battle. It has a great blend of action, adventure, romance and comedy.

Lance Guest and Dan O'Herlihy are terrific in the movie, but Robert Preston steals the movie in one of his final appearances.

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The Music Man (1962)

This was a re-watch of one of my favorite musicals. I've probably seen this movie over 100 times, but I love it more and more every time I watch it. The story is fun, the songs are terrific, and the acting is great.

Robert Preston was great in everything he did, but he was never better than he was as Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man. Shirley Jones is wonderful as Marian Paroo, and the two of them are perfect together. Even little Ronny Howard is adorable in this movie, before he became better known as Opie Taylor, Richie Cunningham, and eventually a highly respected Hollywood director.

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Irma la Douce (1963)

This is a cute movie about an ex-police officer who falls in love with a prostitute. To try to get her out of the business, he creates a fake person who becomes her only client. The story is a little far-fetched, but it's a lot of fun. There are some very funny scenes, and a terrific little "twist" at the end.

Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are both terrific in this movie. Lou Jacobi stole the movie in every scene he was in. Star Trek fans should be able to spot Grace Lee Whitney in a minor role. This isn't Billy Wilder's best movie, but it's a very entertaining movie, and I highly recommend it.

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Ace in the Hole (1951)

This Film Noir movie about a reporter who tries to restart his career by exploiting a man trapped in a cave was written, directed and produced by Billy Wilder. The movie has a good story that holds your attention from start to finish, and it has a very powerful ending.

Kirk Douglas is terrific as the reporter who selfishly creates a media circus for his own gain.

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