I don’t normally get THAT excited about movie trailers, but I have watched this one *eight* times already, and I am about to watch it again! I am *SO* ready to see this movie!

1952’s High Noon is considered by many to be the first “adult” Western. A Western that finally addressed bigger subjects than simple good vs. evil, white vs. black.

Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) has just married a Quaker named Amy (Fowler) Kane (Grace Kelly) and is giving up his post as Marshall in Hadleyville to appease his pacifist wife. Just as he’s hung up his gun and star, the news comes that Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald), a man the Marshall had sent away 5 years ago, has been paroled and is on his way back on the Noon train to make good on his threat of revenge against Kane.

Kane’s first impulse is to grab Amy and run from the town, but his sense of obligation kicks in and he heads back to Hadleyville with the intention of forming a posse to confront Miller and his gang. Upon getting back to town, Amy informs Will that she will have no part of this and is leaving on the train if he is going to do this. He says he has no choice, and heads out to get the help of the townspeople.

What follows is a tension filled hour where citizen after citizen informs Kane that they would like to help, but….. After years of service to the town, after being told repeatedly how he made the town safe, the town deserts him in his moment of need.

This is an unsettling film in that it shows how the majority of men will talk a good game, but don’t ever ask them to actually do anything. Even Amy is a victim of this as she proclaims her peaceful ways for the entire movie, but in the end, even she has no choice but to go against the game she talks.

Fred Zinnemann crafts as fine an amount of tension as I have ever seen. The lingering shots of clocks, showing Kane’s time ticking away. The silent moments of staring down the straight train tracks, knowing that soon they will bring violence. The gut wrenching moment when the train whistle blows, filling you with a mix of dread and relief that the anticipation has ended. All of these deliver the desired emotional responses, which is not always an easy task for a filmmaker. And the idea that this was shown in close to real time must have been a jaw dropper of an idea back in the 1950’s.

At times this almost feels like a modern day indie film. The use of visuals is in unusual for a movie of this time period. the concept of playing out over real time and the amount of symbolism is astonishing. Pay close attention to how Cooper treats his Marshal badge when he first hangs it up to the end of the film, and you will witness a truly gorgeous example of a nuanced performance.

The DVD itself has two nice little documentaries about the production of the film. If you watch closely, you can also catch Leonard Maltin in an amusing slip of facts. He states that Gary Cooper won his only Oscar for this film…um…Leonard…Cooper won 2 Oscar’s, this was #2. Amusing when you consider what an expert on films he is supposed to be. I would have liked to have seen one or two more extras, but overall, a nice package.

4 out of 5 stars for the film
3 out of 5 stars for the DVD

Figured I might as well post my occasional movie reviews I write for the heck of it

1967’s Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner probably raised more than a few eyebrows at the time of it’s release. Sadly though, if you can not put yourself in the mindset of that time, the potential emotional impact of the film will be lost on you.

Set in the San Fransisco of the late 1960’s, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner tells the story of Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton) bringing her boyfriend of a mere 10 days, Dr. John Wade Prentice (Sidney Poitier), home to meet her parents. What the parents (played by Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn) don’t know is A)she is coming home, B)that she has a boyfriend she is planning to marry C)that said boyfriend is African-American and that D)said boyfriend is 14 years older than she.

Dr. Prentice informs Joey’s parents of his intentions to marry their daughter, but also informs them he will not marry Joanna without their permission. To further complicate matters though, they only have this one day to decide if they approve as he is due to leave for Geneva Switzerland for a job. What ensues is a family’s hopes and dreams for their daughter being analyzed and re-thought in the span of a mere few hours. Trying to decide if their daughter’s happiness should outweigh the inevitable hardships she will face in a relationship such as this.

The film spares no time in setting up just how happy the new couple are, and also does not waste time in letting you know the difficulties an interracial couple will face at this time in American history. Sadly though, it goes wrong in several other areas that are disturbing. The cookie-cutter characters in this film abound. The Irish Catholic Monsignor, the wise-to-the-world African American housekeeper and the busy-body friend of the Mother who has to be put in her place. If you can look pass these worn out, two-dimensional characters though, there is a poignant story of how love truly should conquer all.

Going back and watching a film that deals with race relations from a different time period can, however, be enlightening. Not once do you hear the term “African American”. You do hear the “N” word once, but it is used by the housekeeper towards Dr. Prentice. It is still shocking to hear it blurted out all of a sudden, but again, you have to remember the time frame the film was made in.

This is a difficult review to write though. This movie is flawed, but do you rate it based on its obvious film making flaws, or the merits of a story that needed to be told? I think in the end you have to go with the story. The story is basic, simple and timeless, don’t judge a book by it’s cover, and don’t care what the rest of the world thinks. For that, and its place in cinematic history, it deserves 4 stars.

Sadly, the DVD though only gets 2 stars. It does feature a gorgeous transfer of the film, and does offer both widescreen and full screen versions. However, the lone extra is the original theatrical trailer. Certainly there must have been something they could have included in the form of a commentary track for one of AFI’s Top 100 Films Of The 20th Century. A sad, little trailer is all it gets? Pathetic.

On a side note, this is also a sad movie to watch as you know Spencer Tracy passed away only 17 days after filming completed. You can also see the early signs of Katherine Hepburn beginning to show signs of trembling that would later be so well known. It was a fine film for both noteworthy actors.

Four stars for the film
Two stars for the DVD

I had just been thinking “Wow…there has been NOTHING to comment on lately.” Then, like a gift from on-high came this little gem. Thank you Philadelphia!

It seems that 10 year old Porsche Brown has committed that most heinous of all crimes…she had scissors! *pauses so the audience can stop gasping*

Yes, I can see where there was a potential for a problem, but come on folks, they were in her bag. Was there really a reason to haul her off in cuffs? For that matter, was there even really a reason to call the cops? Yes, I know the article said that this was the law, but come on! And now, on top of all this trauma, a 5 day suspension? The possability of being sent to a special disciplinary school seems wrong to me in the extreme.

What I really love is where the article goes on to say “and new policies give administrators the power to expel students for infractions as minor as violating the dress code, chronic tardiness or habitual swearing.” Dress code violations? DRESS CODE VIOLATIONS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I am *so* thankful I do not have a child currently going through any school system in America, as they seem to have ALL lost their minds!

Could someone please explain to me why people go nuts for the Bawls drink? A store in my town finally started carrying it, and after hearing people rave about it for years, I bought one abd gave it a try. Yep…I love paying $1.49 for what tasted to me like a 7-UP that had gone flat.

Maybe it is the fact my body gets no kick from caffeine from years of drinking several cups of coffee every day. For the life of me though, I could just not find anything exciting about this soda.

Oh well, your milage may vary.