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So what do you get when you mix 3 huge stars in one movie? Usually something bland which is what I saw in The Philadelphia Story. An unbelievable tale of self discovery of a young girl played by an old woman mixed in with a dash of revenge and naturally no melting pot will be complete without an ultimate ending wrapped in love.

I was utterly disappointed with the cast and even annoyed at times. Maybe it was my mood at the time but this one deserves nothing more than a 4/10.

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

I put off watching this movie for far too long. It put the brakes on my little project to watch the top IMDb 250 films. I got a little sick of watching all these old movies despite most of them being fantastic. I needed a little change and so I watched some popcorn movies this past week. All out of my system and back to the list now.

Bride of Frankenstein was better than I imagined it would be. The visual effects were surprisingly good for the thirties and the mood was just right for a horror flick. Lots of nice dark scenes with hard shadows. Some good stuff there. The plot wasn’t the strongest and the acting a bit over the top which was to be expected. All in all a good fun watch that doesn”t take up too much time at under an hour and twenty minutes. For pleasantly surprising me I gave it a 7/10.

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Network is a memorable film with some fantastic speeches. It spoke to the audience of its time with great passion and it’s easy to see why it won 4 Oscars and numerous other awards.

It is the story of the unscrupulous acts carried out by a rating hungry network in America at a time when terrorism is common place and the audience at home fed with murder, war, corruption, hunger and death in a steady diet of nightly news. Sounds just like today. There are 3 key characters each screwed up more than the other. The only salvation is that one of them truly does save himself.

The performances by Faye Dunaway and Peter Finch are fantastic but in my mind the more subtle role played by William Holden of the only sane person in the movie is a stand out. It’s a real shame Holden didn’t win his Oscar nomination where the other two did. This is the type of movie I’m glad I get to see as part of this year long project. A solid 8/10.

Network (1976)

Neurotic. Woody Allan defined in one word. Each time I’m reminded of him that word springs to mind. He even mentions it in this movie.

Most of his movies are about nothing and this one does not stray too far. That’s not a bad thing. He does it well and never better than in Manhattan. It’s the story of a couple of friends and their relationships old and new. It’s simple, funny and memorable in a subtle way. After watching it you realise it was rather plain and uneventful but you won’t forget the natural banter and emotion displayed.

A standout for me is the long one cut scenes (I’m a sucker for these) as they walk the streets of Manhattan and the scene where their love triangle comes to an uncomfortable head. It’s well worth the watch but only when you have nothing else to see. Just nudged over the 6 for a 7/10.

Manhattan (1979)

Don’t forget to tune in to the Oscars for a somewhat diluted extravaganza this year. Yes, the credit crunch has even de-glitzed the glitzy Academy Awards.

Will Sean Penn walk away with his second Oscar or is it to be the first one for Brad Pitt? Is the Slumdog Millionare going to win another basket of awards to add to its already 62 tally? Whatever the outcome it’s sure to be a great night.