His Girl Friday

So, I've slowly come to the realization that most people don't like old movies. I find this sad. I feel like old films are where it's at. They've got originality, something that is sorely lacking these days, and they're classic. There is no one today that is like Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Peter Lawry, or Irene Dunne. People try to compare, but it's useless--no one has the charm, the spark, that makes these actors light up on camera.

So here's a list of pros and cons for watching classic films. Pros: as I already said, they're classic and original, they're oftentimes funny, and have a happy ending. Instead of explicit content and language that seems to have run amok these days, old films have whats called innuendo. Meaning you have to use your brain to get it. This may be hard for some people, but give it a try. There is something so fresh and new to old movies that can't be beat. Cons: they tend to be a bit dramatic. But you have to understand that back then radio was the centerpiece of the home and had to convey meaning through sound instead of sight. People couldn't see someone in distress so they had to sound it out. Another con is some of them run a little long. I'm not asking you to start out with Ben Hur or anything, just an average lengthed film like the one I'm spotlighting today.

Ok. Now on to my spotlight. I think I'm gonna do this every once and awhile to remind everyone of the great shows that we've all forgotten. So this week it's His Girl Friday. It stars Cary Grant and Rosalind Russel. Its mainly about the newspaper industry and a divorcing couple too caught up in trying to get the best story out there to focus on their marriage.

As you're watching this, here are some cool factoids about the film. It was directed by Howard Hawks, who pioneered the screw-ball comedy. The average script for a 90 minute film is about 90 pages long. His Girl Friday is 180 pages and still only 90 minutes long. Which means that there is a lot of fast talking and a lot of people talking over each other, which adds to the comedy and drama. Mr. Hawks had Cary and Rosalind rehearse their scenes together and would only be satisfied if they were yelling at each other by the end of the scene. Rosalind would often end their rehearsals in tears.

You see that folks? You don't get cool stuff like that from Terminator. All you get from that movie is nerdy anecdotes of when the computer software system was on the fritz and the CG extras were naked! Oh, good times.

Check this movie out. It's worth your time and its a true Hollywood classic.

Magic

So I bought M83's new album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. And let me tell you, it's magical. I mean, remember The Never Ending Story? Remember the feeling you had watching it when you were little? When Atreyu was the bravest boy you've seen? When you felt the wind in you hair just like Bastian did when he was riding Falkor? When The Nothing was overcome and your imagination was able to run free without any inhibitions? Well, this is what this two-disc album has been for me. In a word, it's magical.

I know this sounds a bit over-the-top, but I feel this album throughout my whole body to its very core. And albums like this are a rare find. When I do find it, it seems that it's all that consumes my thoughts. It's all I can talk about. It's all I want to do. It's the kind of music that is meant not only to listen to, but absorb. It's magical.

So give it a listen. I hope you have a magical experience as well. And if you don't feel the magic, please don't tell me. It would break my heart.