It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

It’s a Wonderful Life
Call No: TEMP 1649

I have a confession to make. I have never seen “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Now I know what you’re thinking: How? It’s aired every Christmas (multiple times) and is easily considered to be a classic holiday film. The answer is: I don’t know. I’ve seen parts of it, bits of scenes here and there, but never the whole thing. When one of my housemates watched it for a class and I was left behind in the “Haven’t seen It’s a Wonderful Life” corner, I decided to see it. I’m glad I did.

As you may know, the movie is about an angel named Clarence trying to earn his wings. He needs to save George Bailey, a man at the end of his rope. To do this, Clarence shows George what life would be like if he had never been born. Most people know this. I knew that was the general idea when I sat down to watch it. What fascinated me was that Clarence’s encounter with George only covers the second half of the movie. There was much more going on in the film than I had originally anticipated there would be.

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

BUBBA HO-TEP
Call No: PN1997.2 .B83 2002

There’s something about Bruce Campbell that I can’t seem to avoid. It’s not that I don’t enjoy watching him – it’s quite the opposite. I find him a treat to watch, like that snack in the cupboard that you know is terrible for you but you can’t seem to quit. I first discovered him when a friend insisted that I watch Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness. Even though it was the third part of the Evil Dead trilogy, my friend insisted that I didn’t need to watch the first two to enjoy it. He was right, and to this day I still stop for Bruce Campbell when channel surfing. When I came across Bubba Ho-Tep, I was excited to watch.

Don’t get me wrong -- this is not the witty and clever Shaun of the Dead, nor is it the gory and entertaining Zombieland. Watching this film and expecting anything but what it is could sour the viewer. The premise of the film, however, is enough to make any fan of these movies consider giving it a shot. I wish I could have been in the room when they first pitched the idea for this film: Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy fight off an undead mummy at a retirement home. Of course, not all the residents of the retirement home are still playing with a full deck so their real identity is suspect, but the stories that Elvis and Jack spin about themselves are so entertaining that you can’t help but hope they might just be telling the truth.

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Maltese Falcon
Call No: PN1995.9.D4 M253 2000

Since the last two films I reviewed were both in colour, I decided to choose something a little less colourful. I’ve chosen The Maltese Falcon for three reasons. The first is that my housemate has put together a “must see” list of films for herself, and this film is on it. The second is that I spent some time watching two Marx Brothers movies earlier in the week, both of them black and white. Third and finally, the curators from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) have released their top 100 films to watch, and The Maltese Falcon is on it (#85).

Based on the Dashiell Hammett novel of the same name, The Maltese Falcon is the textbook definition of a film noir.  It has all of the basic requirements. It’s dark, it contains a serious crime, murders, a femme fatale, and has a cynical private detective.  Humphrey Bogart, whom many people will recognize as “that guy from that Casablanca movie”, plays Sam Spade, a private detective caught up in a web of intrigue surrounding the legend of the Maltese Falcon.

According to legend, the Falcon was a bird created by the Knights Templar of Malta, made of gold and encrusted with priceless jewels and intended as a gift for the King of Spain. It never reached him, stolen before reaching its destination.  The Falcon was covered in black to hide its true value.  Over the centuries it has been lost, stolen and bartered. Finally it has landed into the lives of Sam Spade and three other people. There’s Joel Cairo, a suspiciously quiet and soft spoken criminal. Then there’s Kasper Gutman, a heavyset man whose desire for the bird is stronger than anyone else. And there’s Brigid O'Shaughnessy, a woman involved who wants nothing more than to get out... or does she?