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30 Day Movie Meme, Day 10
Jul. 20th, 2010 01:19 am( Days 1-6 )
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist or ending - Most of the movies I watch that qualify for having surprising plot twists are based on books. (I'm thinking this meme would be more fun with books... heyyy, there's an idea to keep me occupied.) So they aren't really surprises in the movie. I am going with the movie versions of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (also known as Ten Little N*ggers / Ten Little Indians). The book is pretty awesome, with ten people brought together who are judged to be guilty of a murder that is not prosecutable, or for which they were not punished. In the end, everyone dies, and it isn't until the epilogue that you find out HOW. However, both of the English-language versions of the movie I have seen have a slightly different ending - the final two suspects are NOT guilty and do not die (which detracts from the psychological thriller aspect, but apparently Dame Christie thought it worked better on stage to have survivors and a romance). The 1945 one (which includes Judith Anderson as the starched spinster Emily Brent) seems pretty comic to me, but it's worth watching. The 1989 one (inlcudes Donald Pleasence and Frank Stallone) is pretty awful, with the story transported to a safari.
There is however, one movie version that is based on the book - a 1987 Russian version (Des'yat Negritat, using the original title) that preserves the psychological thriller aspect and everyone dies. (It's Russian. You expected something else?) The dubbing on the one I have is pretty good, and it's worth watching. It's creepy.
Day 08 - A movie that you've seen countless times - There's a couple that fit in this category, although I'm saving the obvious one for Day 30. Instead, I'm going with Disney's Sleeping Beauty. It's my favorite of the Disney princess movies, even though Sleeping Beauty doesn't do much. Instead, we have Maleficent, possibly one of the most badass of the Disney villains. She's evil, and she knows how to make an entrance and an exit. I'm also fond of Prince Philip, because he's one of the few princes who shows up and uses his brain. It's something I can put on and just enjoy, and the MV likes it as well. I also like "Once Upon A Dream".
Day 09 - A movie with the best soundtrack - I'm cheating a little here, but I like the three Shrek movies for soundtrack. First of all, they're fun - I like soundtracks where the cast is involved. I do wish they had Mike Myers' version of "Hallelujah" on the soundtrack CD, but oh well. The Smash Mouth versions of "All-Star" and "I'm a Believer" are fun, although the former can be annoying if you hear it too many times. Dana Glover's "It Is You (I Have Loved)" and Rufus Wainwright's "Hallelujah" are haunting, and touching, and almost make you forget it's about cartoon characters. "Accidentally in Love" by the Counting Crows is good, as is Pete Yorn's "Ever Fallen In Love". I think my all time favorites however, are the covers of "Holding Out For A Hero" (by the Fairy Godmother) and Fergie's version of "Barracuda". The songs are fun, and some of the background music is good too.
Day 10 - Favorite classic movie - There's several contenders for this one, but I'm picking The Women (1939). The entire cast is female (although the argument could be made the movie is all about the men) - and it's a pretty star-studded cast. Norma Shearer plays the good wife, Rosalind Russell plays the catty female, Joan Fontaine plays the fragile young wife, Joan Crawford plays the man-stealing shop clerk, and Lucile Watson plays Norma Shearer's mother. It's over-the-top (especially the Technicolor fashion show), gosspiy, and very dated, but fun to watch. The dialogue snaps, and although it's pretty hard to like Joan Crawford's character, she has some of the best lines. It's almost a guilty pleasure, but it's a little too smart for that.
( 30 Day Movie Meme )
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist or ending - Most of the movies I watch that qualify for having surprising plot twists are based on books. (I'm thinking this meme would be more fun with books... heyyy, there's an idea to keep me occupied.) So they aren't really surprises in the movie. I am going with the movie versions of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (also known as Ten Little N*ggers / Ten Little Indians). The book is pretty awesome, with ten people brought together who are judged to be guilty of a murder that is not prosecutable, or for which they were not punished. In the end, everyone dies, and it isn't until the epilogue that you find out HOW. However, both of the English-language versions of the movie I have seen have a slightly different ending - the final two suspects are NOT guilty and do not die (which detracts from the psychological thriller aspect, but apparently Dame Christie thought it worked better on stage to have survivors and a romance). The 1945 one (which includes Judith Anderson as the starched spinster Emily Brent) seems pretty comic to me, but it's worth watching. The 1989 one (inlcudes Donald Pleasence and Frank Stallone) is pretty awful, with the story transported to a safari.
There is however, one movie version that is based on the book - a 1987 Russian version (Des'yat Negritat, using the original title) that preserves the psychological thriller aspect and everyone dies. (It's Russian. You expected something else?) The dubbing on the one I have is pretty good, and it's worth watching. It's creepy.
Day 08 - A movie that you've seen countless times - There's a couple that fit in this category, although I'm saving the obvious one for Day 30. Instead, I'm going with Disney's Sleeping Beauty. It's my favorite of the Disney princess movies, even though Sleeping Beauty doesn't do much. Instead, we have Maleficent, possibly one of the most badass of the Disney villains. She's evil, and she knows how to make an entrance and an exit. I'm also fond of Prince Philip, because he's one of the few princes who shows up and uses his brain. It's something I can put on and just enjoy, and the MV likes it as well. I also like "Once Upon A Dream".
Day 09 - A movie with the best soundtrack - I'm cheating a little here, but I like the three Shrek movies for soundtrack. First of all, they're fun - I like soundtracks where the cast is involved. I do wish they had Mike Myers' version of "Hallelujah" on the soundtrack CD, but oh well. The Smash Mouth versions of "All-Star" and "I'm a Believer" are fun, although the former can be annoying if you hear it too many times. Dana Glover's "It Is You (I Have Loved)" and Rufus Wainwright's "Hallelujah" are haunting, and touching, and almost make you forget it's about cartoon characters. "Accidentally in Love" by the Counting Crows is good, as is Pete Yorn's "Ever Fallen In Love". I think my all time favorites however, are the covers of "Holding Out For A Hero" (by the Fairy Godmother) and Fergie's version of "Barracuda". The songs are fun, and some of the background music is good too.
Day 10 - Favorite classic movie - There's several contenders for this one, but I'm picking The Women (1939). The entire cast is female (although the argument could be made the movie is all about the men) - and it's a pretty star-studded cast. Norma Shearer plays the good wife, Rosalind Russell plays the catty female, Joan Fontaine plays the fragile young wife, Joan Crawford plays the man-stealing shop clerk, and Lucile Watson plays Norma Shearer's mother. It's over-the-top (especially the Technicolor fashion show), gosspiy, and very dated, but fun to watch. The dialogue snaps, and although it's pretty hard to like Joan Crawford's character, she has some of the best lines. It's almost a guilty pleasure, but it's a little too smart for that.
( 30 Day Movie Meme )
