Houdini's Magic Ticket Blog-a-thon

Dan at Top10films have asked film bloggers which films we would like to be transported into if we had the Houdini’s Magic Ticket from Last Action Hero. He asked us some questions and here are my answers:

What character would you most like to be sat next to on a plane?

For some reason, this question reminds me of the scene in French Kiss when Kate (Meg Ryan), a nervous flyer, sings, “I hate Paris in the springtime/I hate Paris in the fall/I hate Paris in the summer when it sizzles/I hate Paris in the winter when it drizzles/I hate Paris, oh why oh why do I hate Paris?/Because my love is there... with his SLUT girlfriend” and Luc (Kevin Kline) tries to distract her. Being a nervous flyer myself, I would want someone to distract me although I would not want that person to start arguing with me on purpose the way that Luc does with Kate. So, I would want someone who was funny like Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger)from Bridget Jones’s Diary.

As Mark Darcy says, she rarely censors what she is thinking, so she would be fun to listen to whatever she wanted to talk about, especially if we chat about Colin Firth’s wet shirt scene in Pride and Prejudice. Plus, I would steal her diary as she was sleeping just to keep myself entertained.

What character would you most want to enjoy a passionate romance with?

Ralph Fiennes’s Maurice Bendrix personifies all-consuming passion and heartbreak in this adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel, The End of the Affair. The way Maurice says “I’m jealous of the rain” and the way he looks at Sarah Miles (Julianne Moore) would make me forget that I’m married or that I made a promise to God that if Maurice lives I would give up the affair.

If you were a cop who would you want as your partner?

I know he would prefer to work alone, but I would love to have Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) as a partner. I would be more of the Pamela Landy character and he could protect me and provide me with backup. He knows how to make weapons out of ordinary objects like a book or a towel and how to adapt to various situations.



What animated feature would you love to walk around in?

Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney film. I would raid that library with Belle as well as sing along with her in “Belle”.

Plus, I will get to hang with the enchanted objects in the Enchanted Castle. And perhaps I could be part of the “Be Our Guest” number. Or I could witness Belle and the Beast slowly falling in love.

What adventure based on earth would you most like to go on / OR / What adventure based in an otherworldly, fantasy-based location would you most like to go on? I.e. Would you like to join the Goonies on their treasure-finding mission, or Luke Skywalker in his search for his family’s murderer?

I almost put The Da Vinci Code as an answer because I would go to Paris and London and go on an intellectual journey. But I would not want to spend my time there trying to clear my name for murder. So, I do not have an answer for this one because I would love to travel around Europe. But “the travelling around Europe” films that I can remember revolve around solving a murder, which is something I would not want to do. So if anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

What movie gadget would you love to try out (or steal)?

I tend to covet characters’ wardrobe rather than gadgets, but I always wanted James Bond’s latest fully-equipped Aston Martin. I would not have to worry about a flat tire or running out of gas or losing the car. It has a killer (pun intended) GPS system and can maneuver tight curves at high speeds easily.

What film's plot would you alter and how would you do it?

Even though I have great amount of respect for those who feel that the religious life is their calling, I really wanted Sister Angela to give up her vow to be a nun and accept Mr. Allison’s proposal. I blame Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr’s amazing chemistry. In my version of Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, Sister Angela realizes after her breakdown that she is in love with Mr. Allison. When they are rescued off the island, Mr. Allison lives and retires from Marine life. They get married singing “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” and live happily ever after.

What one film would you most want to be transported into, simply to be a part of that world?

I would like to go into Inception. Even though the dream world looks realistic, I like the fact that it mimics people’s perception of their reality. I would love to change people’s thoughts through the construction of their dreams. I would want to be the Forger because I would get to pretend to be another person. Plus, I love Tom Hardy’s line, “You’ve got to dream bigger, darling.”

So, does anyone have Houdini's Magic Ticket? And if so, how much do you want for it?

Cool Off With The Classics Blog-a-thon

For the month of August, Marc at Go, See, Talk invited film bloggers to pick their Top 10 classic black & white films that will makes us stay indoors on a hot summer’s day.

I will begin with a mini-Hitchcock film festival. Whenever Turner Classic Movies has one especially on a weekend, I am not moving from my bed.

1) Notorious (1946)



This is the first film I remember watching on Turner Classic Movies and forever sealed my love for Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, and Ingrid Bergman. Alfred Hitchcock’s direction is pitch perfect particularly the crane shot into the close-up of the wine cellar key in Alicia’s hand. Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman as T.R Devlin and Alicia Huberman have the perfect chemistry whether they are bantering about her mission to woo a Nazi sympathizer or stealing a few moments of being in love. Their kissing scene is one of the sexiest ones on black & white film and they are fully clothed and nibbling at each other.

2) Spellbound (1945)



Ingrid Bergman is seriously one of the luckiest actress ever because she works with the handsomest men in Hollywood. In this film, she plays opposite Gregory Peck as a psychiatrist who tries to help an amnesiac man. Having a psychology degree, I think this film does a good job at portraying how psychiatrists used Freud’s dream analysis at that time. My favorite sequence is the famous Salvador Dali-designed dream sequence.

3) Suspicion (1941)



This film is the first of four Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock collaborations. I love the dark undertones that Hitchcock brought out of Grant as Johnnie in this film. Never has a glass has looked so menacing to me than when Johnnie carried it on a tray. Whenever I watch this film, I am never quite sure of Johnnie’s intentions toward Lina (Joan Fontaine). Even the ending still makes me wonder.

4) Rebecca (1940)



I do not know why I enjoy watching Joan Fontaine play a tortured heroine, but she does it so well. The source of her torment is the specter of the beloved Rebecca, the first wife of Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). Judith Anderson gives an amazing performance as Mrs. Danvers, Rebecca’s extremely loyal maid, who quickly reminds the second Mrs. de Winter that she cannot compare to Rebecca. I think I enjoy this film more for the acting than Hitchcock’s direction.

5) Strangers on a Train (1951)



Robert Walker’s performance as Bruno Anthony is mesmerizing as he shifts from charming to threatening. I can see how Farley Granger’s Guy Haines could be easily charmed by Bruno that he does not realize that he has agreed to commit a murder. Being a tennis fan, my favorite sequence is the tennis sequence when everyone else follows the ball except for Bruno whose focus is on Guy.

And now for my non-Hitchcock choices:

6) All This and Heaven Too (1940)



This is the only Bette Davis film that I have seen where she gives a subtle and contained performance. As a governess who falls in love with her employer, Duc de Praslin (Charles Boyer), and his children, Davis uses her eyes beautifully to convey the emotions that Henriette cannot express. Boyer shines in the few stolen romantic moments that the Duc de Praslin and Henriette share.

7) Love in the Afternoon (1957)



I love the chemistry between Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn. I will be bold in saying that I like Hepburn better in this film than in Roman Holiday. My favorite scene is when Ariane gives a report of all of her lovers into Frank’s Dictaphone trying to prove that she is just as sophisticated as Frank.

8) Portrait of Jennie (1948)



Jennifer Jones gives a mesmerizing performance as Jennie. She “ages” from a young girl to a woman through vocal performance and body language. I can see why Eben (Joseph Cotten) is so taken with her. Although the film might be known for the few moments in color such as the completed portrait, it does have great black & white cinematography.

9) Holiday Affair (1949)



What’s more cooling than thoughts of Christmas? Or how about Robert Mitchum simply being adorable? I know that Mitchum and adorable do not go together for most people, but they do for me especially in this film. Mitchum plays Steve Mason who tries to win the affections of Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh) and her son. There is just something about Mitchum in moments where his characters falls in love with a woman that gets to me.

10) The Story of Esther Costello (1957)



Frankly, I am including this film because I just saw it on Joan Crawford day on TCM’s Summer Under the Stars. I started in the middle of it and I watched it till the end. But I was captivated by Crawford’s performance as a lonely woman who takes a blind girl under her wing. Also, I thought the scene where Esther gets her sight back was well done. I would like to see it again just to get the total film experience.

Since Marc stated that we had to stay in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, I could not include Love with a Proper Stranger (1963) although it is in black and white. But I wanted to mention it because I would want to watch it in my black & white film festival because Natalie Wood is so adorably neurotic in it as she tries to deal with an unwanted pregnancy. My favorite scene is when Angela invites Rocky (Steve McQueen) over to her new apartment and rants about her feelings toward him.



Sigh. If only I could win a chance to be a guest programmer on TCM, then I can truly make this black & white festival a reality.