Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
Monday, June 25, 2007“I’ve got a little list…”
Ever since I posted my 100 favorite movies last night, the critical response has been largely positive—a congratulatory kudo from Vince Keenan, whose opinion I greatly value in that we seem to like a lot of the same films, and equally laudatory praise from Edward Copeland, who has his own list up at his blog and whose favorites mirror many of mine (30% of the films I listed are on his tally as well). He also has a few that I wish I could have made room for on my list, among them Lone Star (1992—in retrospect, I should have made some space for a Sayles film…though I probably would have went with Matewan [1987], a film closer to my heart), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Night of the Hunter (1955), Prizzi’s Honor (1985), Raise the Red Lantern (1991), Rio Bravo (1959), Notorious (1946), On the Waterfront (1954), Vertigo (1958), The Apartment (1960), The Manchurian Candidate (1962—I can’t believe I left this one off the list!), The Crowd (1928), Double Indemnity (1944), and The Third Man (1949).
The Self-Styled Siren known as Campaspe also has an interesting “alternative” tally, with thirteen of my favorites making the cut—and again, films I dearly love but could make no room for: Letter From an Unknown Woman (1948), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), Point Blank (1967), The Last Detail (1973), The Letter (1940), Pickup on South Street (1950), The Woman in the Window (1944), Brute Force (1947), Ball of Fire (1941), Libeled Lady (1936), Body and Soul (1947), and Attack! (1956). (She also refers to my list as “wonderfully iconoclastic,” which, now that I think of it, needs to be carved into my headstone.)
Bill Crider likes my list because it has Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) on it. But Jeff Meyerson, ever the dissenter, thinks It’s a Gift (1934) is a better Fieldsian representation that the two I have on my list, Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935) and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). (To be honest, I’m not entirely certain he’s not right about this; it’s just Trapeze deserves to be better known and Sucker is pure, undiluted W.C. insanity.)
- Posted by Ivan G. Shreve, Jr. - 2:57:52 PM - comment []
But like Fahrenheit 9/11, we're not checking anyone's I.D...
I got this rating because I used "hell" four times, "murder" three times, "kill" twice and "bitch" once.
What is up with that? Is Jack "Boom-Boom" Valenti rating from beyond the grave? Heck, Woody Allen drops an F-bomb in The Front (1976) and he emerged with a PG.
- Posted by Ivan G. Shreve, Jr. - 12:03:58 PM - comment []
No more calls, we have a winner!
The winner of the Manhunt of Mystery Island contest is a gentleman who goes by the nom de plume of Bill the Splut (one of the Back Bay Spluts, I’m guessing). Unfortunately, since Mr. Splut neglected to leave me his real name and real mailing address, his fabulous prize will have to wait until I return from summer hiatus (the ‘rents and I are making our annual pilgrimage to the Shreve Family Reunion, which faithful TDOY readers know as “the driest weekend of the year”).
Mr. Splut will also be receiving a bonus with his prize—a copy of the Twilight Zone audio drama “Static,” starring Stan Freberg and bantered about (or, to be more accurate, battered about) the blog two weeks ago. (I received an extra copy of this upon purchasing those Information Please CDs and so it’s only right that Mr. Splut share in this bounty.)
I had a total of six entries for the MOMI giveaway (which pretty much reflects the readership of this blog) and the winner was chosen at random by my mother, who asked me not to involve her in this foolishness ever again. Sorry, Mater—the people have spoken! Hopefully, I will have another nifty giveaway in the upcoming month or so.
And with that, Thrilling Days of Yesteryear will take a short leave of absence and be back in July. Be on your best behavior and don’t give me a reason to utter the line: “I don’t remember giving permission for a party, Joel…”
- Posted by Ivan G. Shreve, Jr. - 10:34:39 AM - comment []
