Friday, June 1, 2012

(30) Stars of Summer - Day 1: Jimmy Stewart

(30) Stars of Summer kicks off with our favorite everyman.

You know the deal. Watch a Jimmy Stewart movie you've never seen, write a review in the comments below. We'll all use the month to expand our horizons and discover new stuff. SOUND GOOD?

In case you forgot what to do, here are the rules. And if you need help finding a movie to watch, check out this list of all the month's actors with links to what's available on Netflix Instant. And if you're not a Netflix subscriber, maybe this will help.

It's going to be a great month.

Jimmy Stewart! GO!

22 comments:

  1. To be honest, I wasn't didn't want to participate in this at all. I thought "Man, what is this, Oprah?"
    And then I watched the Daily Show from last night, and thought "Hmmm, I should watch Harvey."
    Damn you, Bromley!!!

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    1. Hmmm. I didn't think this made us Oprah. I thought it was just an excuse for all of us to watch more movies. Also, YOU get a car and YOU get a car and YOU GET A CAR.

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  2. Oh great... First day, and I already screwed up. The list I generated from the normally dependable instantwatcher.com lists Harvey as available on Netflix. It's not. Only Magic Town and Strategic Air Command (link).

    The tough thing about being your own man is that you can't blame anyone else.

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  3. Hope this isn't cheating - the JS movie I really wanted to see - Anatomy of a Murder - is being pulled from Netflix Canada today and I wasn't sure when so I watched it late last night - I promise I did not actually finish it until after midnight. Everyone's seen it I'm sure - it was great - my FIVE word review is:

    Panties. Panties, panties, panties. Panties.

    If you don't know or remember why - watch it! Panties.

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    1. Gosh, now I really want to see Anatomy of a Murder.

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    2. Heheh - you should! Great little courtroom drama and fucking Jimmy Stewart is fantastic. I've only watched him in Vertigo and some of It's a Wonderful Life, and I'm really digging his style, so I'm looking forward to some other recommendations. My only other Netflix option is Bell, Book and Candle which doesn't look great but I may check it out tonight anyway.

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  4. The Man from Laramie (1955) - Anthony Mann western in which Jimmy Stewart plays a mysterious stranger taking on a rancher and his psychotic son. Pretty kick ass. I've wanted to see it since hearing Patton Oswalt's "TiVO thinks I'm gay" routine.

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    1. While I haven't seen this yet, THE NAKED SPUR had me anticipating going through the rest of Stewart and Mann's western collaborations.

      Also, if you aren't burnt out on Anthony Mann, TCM is showing another classic of his, GOD'S LITTLE ACRE (starring my favorite western actor, Robert Ryan) at 8pm tonight.

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  5. Anatomy of a Murder(1959)

    James Stewart gives great performance in one of the best court dramas in film. The film is very ambiguous about the true facts about the case and shows the games both prosecution and defense play outside of trial. For a film that revolves around a very dark act, the film has bits of humor including a hushed exchange between the judge and the attorneys about alternate terms for the word "panties". Highly recommended.

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  6. Magic Town (1947)
    In which Jimmy Stewart plays a focus tester (named Mr. Smith, of course) who realizes that a particular small town's opinions match the country's as a whole. While secretly testing that theory as the town's newest resident, he falls for a tough-as-nails journalist (named Mary, of course) played by Jane Wyman, who discovers his deception, blabs his secret, and destroys the town’s market research superpowers. How can you tell? Because they make the EMBARRASSING gaffe of supporting the idea of a woman for president! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Idiots. An odd movie. We're supposed to root for Stewart, but he's kind of a jerk. Messages are mixed. The plot flip-flops between cartoonish and self-serious. Lesser Stewart—but hey, it's on Netflix.

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    1. There's a similarity there to Anatomy of a Murder - a defense attorney (Boooo!) using all the dirty lawyer tricks he can muster (Boooo!) to get a confessed murderer (Boooo!) off on a flimsy argument of temporary insanity (Boooo! Bullshit!), BUT the lawyer is played by Jimmy Stewart (Yayyy - go Jimmy!). You just can't help but root for that guy, even when he's being a dick!

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    2. In Magic Town, he's a half-hearted jerk. He plays the townpeople for fools, for money, but all while creating genuine relationships that don't jive with the overall premise. THEN, when the woman he lied to calls him out, he gets mad at her because the truth ruins the town. THENNN they fall in love again and they unite the town in a final scene reminiscent of It's a Wonderful Life ...which came out the year before. Hmmm.

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    3. I also think Stewart was an asshole, albeit a charming one, in THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. The still unrivaled snappy dialog and Stewart's earnest delivery of it nearly made me forget how manipulative he was in that film.

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  7. Rope (1948)

    Stewart plays a college professor who comes to suspect that two of his former students have murdered their classmate. And worse, they were inspired by his teachings! Hitchcock filmed this one using only long takes, which serves to ratchet up the tension nicely. The film starts from the killers' point of view, but when Stewart's character arrives things gradually switch to his perspective - especially when he starts to piece things together. The final confrontation is a real nail-biter, and no one gives a closing speech like Stewart.

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  8. Call Northside 777 (1948)

    Stewart plays a news reporter who battles the police, as well as his own professional instinct, to find the true killer in a eleven year old murder case. Encouraged by his wife through the film's first half, Stewart is hardly the heart of the film, since he initially agrees with the original verdict that dealt a life sentence to an *possible spoiler* innocent man. The noir-ish cinematography and fleshed-out performances easily overshadow the conventional investigation scenes. A gripping conspiracy tale overall.

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  9. Not to take up the comments section, but if anyone's looking for a last minute pick, I just found FIRECREEK (1968) on Youtube. A really underrated western that features one of the few times when Stewart loses his shit on camera.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4rWi23Ereo

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  10. I watched Mr. Smith goes to Washington. I had never seen it. And I LIVE in Washington! It's fantastic and raw and inspiring, of course. Serious question: Following his tour of duty in WWII and his tenure as America's favorite Everyman, could Jimmy Stewart have been president?

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    1. I have never seen it either and always wanted to. I can still watch Jimmy Stewart even though it's not June 1st anymore, right? I GET A CAR!!!

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  11. I'm watching AIRPORT '77. Stewart plays a John Hammond-like billionaire, except instead of cloning dinosaurs, his thing is futuristic planes and priceless paintings. The evil hijackers are not terrorists, but art theives! It stars Jack Lemmon, Darren McGavin, Christopher Lee and Olivia De Havilland, so there's that, at least. I dare you to watch this and not be reminded of jokes from AIRPLANE! in every other scene.

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  12. Greetings fellow F-Heads! I'm Josh, you'd know me from Twitter as @Dr_David_Banner

    I watched Harvey, a genuinely charming comedy about a delusional alcoholic. It's a little stagey, but it's quite funny and Stewart is very likable in the lead, managing to make the character funny without ever coming off as a loser or a sad-sack, a trap a lesser performer could have easily fallen into.

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  13. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

    I'm conflicted. I liked the film's procedural aspects (senate rules, how to introduce a bill, etc.), and of COURSE Jimmy Stewart is the best, but his character is also ... autistic? Or, at the very least, milquetoast. But then he ... starts screaming? His fits of rage (punching reporters, arguing with senators) are really jarring, especially considering how campy/corny (and, yes, devastatingly raw and inspiring) everything else is. OK, I realize it's really late, and perhaps my brain hasn't quite absorbed the movie's impact yet. I also have to take into account that a living, breathing 72-year-old person wasn't even ALIVE when this was made, so ALL IS FORGIVEN. I can't stay mad at you, Frank Capra. ANYWAY, I hope Jefferson Smith is able to FINALLY open up that boy's camp along Willet Crick. Because JUSTICE.

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  14. Sorry for being late, I didn’t get chance to post this yesterday.

    Shenandoah (1965)

    I went in expecting a western and instead got more of a family melodrama set during the American Civil War. That said, I really enjoyed the film, it’s beautifully shot and paced, with some great performances that really made me care about what happened to Stewart’s character and his family.

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