Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Day One)

Well it has now snowed about a foot here in Boston. And out of the six movies i got, i have watched two - Charlie Chaplin's City Lights and Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep. I always liked Charlie Chaplin (what's not to love?) i grew up on his genius. The tiny movements with his shoulders, the cane, the big eyes that make you realize the paradox of the adorable tramp. I've never seen the film in full, just the famous scene with the flower girl, but it's definitely worth to watch the entire masterpiece. The last scene is especially endearing and appropriate (Chaplin has said it was one of the best moments he has ever filmed). The whole movie is precisely timed and nuanced although you wouldn't get that by how smoothly it flows. That's the thing about perfectionists, it takes incredible work to make it look so easy. As to the argument of who is better Chaplin or Keaton i have to honestly admit that i haven't seen enough of Keaton to make an educated opinion, however i do think Chaplin had more heart than Keaton.
I have been meaning to see The Big Sleep for quite some time. Film Noir is one of my favorite movie genres but Bogart and Bacall have always eluded me. I have to admit that i partly took the film out because i thought it contained the famous line by Bacall,

"You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and
blow." [If that's not pure sex appeal than i don't know what is.]

Alas, the film i was thinking was To Have and Have Not (my next Bacall movie). Although this incomprehensible film does have its good zingers:

Bogart: "You've got a touch of class, but I don't know how far you can go."
Bacall: "A lot depends on who's in the saddle." (Say, hello to inuedo, old Hollywood style.)

The plot is really hard to follow (who shot who? and why? is never really resolved) the film was re-shot to make Lauren Bacall look good. Also if you decide to see it, watch for the remarks about Bogart being tall, he was known (like Tom Cruise) to be quite short for a leading man (so he wore platform shoes to make him taller than the leading ladies). Funny stuff.

While i was looking up stuff on the wonderful internet i came across this morbid site that reports the circumstances of celebrities deaths. I have a feeling the character James Leer from Wonder Boys would like this site.

Well i'm sure you all enjoyed my two cents on the movies. I'll leave you now with a video i just found of Postal Service's We Will Become Silhouettes (directed by the guy who did Napoleon Dynamite).