Holiday Films!

Here is a select list of films to get you in the mood for the holidays!

It's a Wonderful Life (1947) directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell and an enchanting Henry Travers. The quintessential holiday film --let the bells ring!

Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) based on the play by Kaufman and Hart -- and starring Monty Woolley as Sheridan Whiteside -- the one and only. Also starring Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Billie Burke and a delightful appearance by Jimmy Durante. Madcap fun!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) Bob's recommendation -- all about the nightmare of getting stuck with a stranger in a web of transportation delays -- Merry Christmas!

The Trouble with Angels (1966) directed by Ida Lupino. With a working title Mother Superior, the successful comedy starred starred Rosalind Russell and followed by the sequel Where Angels Go -- Trouble Follows.

Starring New York

New acquisition "Starring New York: Filming the Grime and the Glamour of the Long 1970s" -- Stanley Corkin provides a new reading of the films that defined the decade. He focuses on the changing social fabric of the city by examining a number of the classic films of the time -- Midnight Cowboy (1969), Klute (1971), The Godfather Parts 1 and 2 (1972 and 1974), the blaxploitation films, The French Connection (1971), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and others.

New York City in the 1970s was quite a place -- and the films that defined the decade were exceptional.

Overhearing Film Dialogue

Written by Sarah Kozloff and published by the University of California Press in 2000 -- this book provides an interesting look at film dialogue and its importance to the visual medium. The author discusses why dialogue has been neglected in analysis and, through example, emphasizes the importance of dialogue to the narrative. The author looks at the role and nature of dialogue in four film genres: westerns, screwball comedies, gangster films, and melodramas.

You can search for memorable quotes in the IMDB -- search on film title or search Google by famous line(s) -- this is a wonderful scene from Tootsie.