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Well it can be unintentionally funny because it exposes the US General's Hubris.
I love Artists and Models in general, and Frank Tashlin on the whole and that's pretty much the best Martin/Lewis movie and what it really does capture is the crazy comic-book surrealism of the time.
I love Tashlin (Tish-Tash) too, but more as an animation director than as a maker of live-action films.
Tashlin's live-action was a little uneven but Artists and Models and The Girl Can't Help It are masterpieces. The latter film is still the best film about rock music, and it's a movie that invented the Beatles.
To Each His Own struck me as the chick flickiest Chick Flick that ever chick flicked, but De Havilland was great in it and deserved that Oscar.
And of course it led to one of the greatest Oscar photos of all time
◊ as Olivia blew her sister off backstage after winning.
Does anybody ever go to Reddit or anywhere else or know a good classic movie forum? I like our little thread here and have no desire to leave it but man, there aren't very many of us.
Frumpy and grumpy
Occasionally The Av Club has a good discussion going when they review an old film that's getting a new release. Unfortunately, it's become much rarer than before.
Yeah, I got the same feeling. She's good in it but, man, that plot has been driven to the ground.
edited 23rd Mar '17 7:17:28 AM by LongTallShorty64
"It's true that we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman."
The AV Club had a good thread about The Magnificent Ambersons just a couple of days ago.
Frumpy and grumpy
I finally got around to watching The Invisible Man. I was blown away by the effects. I've seen lazier and cheesier effects nowadays. Not to say that we haven't come a long way, and our effects are really great now, but it's really amazing what they did back then. It sounds extremely labour intensive, though.
Claude Rains gleefully evil scientist is a highlight. He basically carries the film on his voice alone.
"It's true that we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman."
I'll watch older films and be amazed at what they could accomplish without computers. We kind of take for granted anything we see on screen now, given that it's possible to portray pretty much anything with the aid of a computer, that it sometimes takes a second of mental adjustment to remember that they had to do things the hard way prior to the 90's.
There's the skating scene from Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlMFQHbmtpg
which was accomplished by painting the background on a glass pane and filming the scene through it, in forced perspective.
Visual explanation of how Chaplin did it.
On the subject of movies with special effects that have aged marvellously, The Incredible Shrinking Man. Boy, did the prop department have a field day there.
Ceterum censeo Morbillivirum esse eradicandum.
Frumpy and grumpy
I've been sick the past couple of days, so I decided to watch a lot of comfort movies which are always Busby Berkeley musicals. I was also bored, so I ranked his precodes for fun.
Long Tall Shorty's non-definitive list.
1. Footlight Parade: Best one of the lot for two reasons: Joan Blondell and James Cagney. I always love these two together, and this is the strongest plot for a Berkeley musical. The numbers are tight and I love Cagney in "Shanghai Lil", yellowface not withstanding. Their tribute to FDR also seemed pretty timely and strange; you don't get presidential endorsements in films nowadays, at least I've never seen one in musical form.
2. 42nd Street: This movie made me fall in love with all things musical mostly for the music here. "42nd Street", "Young and Healthy", and "Shuffle off to Buffalo" have been ingrained in my brain forever. Even though Ruby Keeler didn't have the best voice, she sells it here. I know Ruby Keeler is always kind of cheesy in these movies; all around good girl who the same thing happens to over and over again (she's a small town girl who's shy but, darn, can she dance. Put her in the show! Rinse and repeat.) But it's endearing here.
3. Gold Diggers of 1933: It seems like a crime to put this one in the second last place, but the plot is just a little too silly for me (I know, these movies aren't for their plots!), but I still want something interesting between the numbers. However, Blondell and Aline MacMahon steal the show and it's great.The music and numbers are spectacular. "We're in the Money" is hilariously meta and "Remember My Forgotten Man" still heart wrenching.
4. Dames: The weakest for having Ruby Keeler and her family the main plot. But, damn, is that "Only Have Eyes for you Number" astounding.
edited 26th Mar '17 8:00:43 PM by LongTallShorty64
"It's true that we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman."
Regarding special effects, I've already mentioned San Francisco above for a simulation of the 1906 earthquake that has aged shockingly well.
Onion AV Club has an article on Leopold and Loeb films today that includes two films from our era, "Rope" and "Compulsion".
Frumpy and grumpy
What a messed up couple of people. I've always liked Rope. I think it was the first Hitcchock use of reprehensible Jimmy Stewart.
"It's true that we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman."
Frumpy and grumpy
I made a page for a movie that I recorded for the 31 Days of Oscar. It's called Vacation from Marriage and stars Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr. It was a really good dramedy about a couple changed by their service in WWII and how they're scared of reuniting since they remember each other as boring and passionless.
"It's true that we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman."
Deborah Kerr. You know, Black Narcissus really should have ended with a Naughty Nuns orgy.
Just made a page for a pretty darn good Japanese movie called The Crucified Lovers. Quite a feminist film for Japan in 1954, lots of attention to the Double Standard. Also very romantic.
Frumpy and grumpy
A little while ago I mentioned to you guys a great book called Five Came Back about five directors of The Golden Age Of Hollywood. It's now a Netflix documentary. I haven't watched it yet, but it looks really good.
"It's true that we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman."
The Lucille Ball movie that they got the title from, Five Came Back, is also pretty good. And it's a treat to see I Love Lucy herself as a High-Class Call Girl.
Frumpy and grumpy
I just finished the doc. and it's really good. Would definitely recommend.
I never was a big fan of crazy, mugging for the camera I Love Lucy era Lucille Ball. The only film from her early career I've seen is Stage Door.
"It's true that we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman."
I haven't watched a ton of movies from the period of late, but I'm about to re-watch the 1953 Julius Caesar. It really is quite good. Brando is surprisingly effective as Antony.
Just got a collectors edition of Citizen Kane as a present today. I've heard wonders about it, in and out of the internet, but I need a serious opinion. How well does it hold up? Is it really any good, or it's a movie that you have to love (even when you really don't) just because everyone else loves it? Has it aged gracefully, or is it one of those movies that the sheer cheesiness and narmy dialogue of earlier movies totally ruin the atmosphere?
Why don't you watch it and find out? 
My first exposure to it was in a film class, which provided the context for why the film is so important on a technical level. And I'd say it still holds up, precisely because of those achievements.
Frumpy and grumpy
It's been a while since I've seen it, but it's definitely a film worth watching for the cinematography. The acting isn't plagued with over acting: it's pretty good on that front. To be honest, you don't have to like it even if it's considered a classic. I don't like many classics, but as long as you understand their value, you're not doing anything wrong.
I really enjoyed Citizen Kane myself. My only complaint, and this is entirely a matter of personal taste, is that frequently characters talk over each other. That's a style choice, and is completely naturalistic, but I found it annoying.
While it says nothing about whether or not anyone will enjoy the film, I still find it remarkable that Welles was only 24 had never directed a film before when he made Citizen Kane.
When asking "will I enjoy this film?" my advice would be just dive in and find out. No one can possibly tell you if you'll enjoy it or not.
I made a page for Olivia de Havilland's Oscar-winning performance in To Each His Own. It was okay for the most part. Solid melodrama.
edited 21st Mar '17 3:57:12 PM by LongTallShorty64
"It's true that we had a gentleman's agreement, but unfortunately, I am no gentleman."