It's Always Fair Weather

At the end of the war, three soldiers promise to meet in 10 years, just for the sake of proving that they will always, always be best of friends!  Well, they keep their "appointment", but soon discover that they have nothing in common, and can hardly stand being with each other! 

Each guy has his own issues, but the story focuses mostly on "Ted", played by Gene Kelly.  Through circumstance, Ted meets a program coordinator (Cyd Charisse) for a live TV show, where the 3 friends are going to be suprise guests.  It amazes me that this movie was made in 1955, and yet the premise involved somewhat of a "reality" bit in the show! 

I LOVED this movie - I loved the dance sequences and the story was great!  Gene Kelly is AMAZING...I mean, he tap dances with ROLLER SKATES on his feet!!  Tap Dances.  With ROLLER SKATES!!  Loved it!! 

And I cant really say that I love ALL musicals...In OTHER musicals, I've found myself forwarding past the music, which defeats the purpose of watching a musical, right?  I guess what I dont like is when the story comes to a screeching halt, the "scene" fades away, and then a song is thrown in.  But in this type of musical movie, the song is part of the story progressing within the scene...which I love! 

This is my 2nd Gene Kelly movie...but I tell you..I'm gonna dig up and watch all his stuff!  (I decided this after the first time I saw him!) 

Loved it - recommend it! 

NUMBER THE STARS, By Lois Lowry

Set in 1943 in occupied Denmark, this fictional story is about 10-year -old AnneMarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen.  At this time in their young lives, Copenhagen is filled with Nazi soldiers, watching their every move. But thats just the start.  Soon, the Jews of Denmark are to be "re-located", so Ellen's parents flee, leaving Ellen to pretend to be part of AnnMarie's family.  

Although it is fiction, this book is based on actual people and events, including the work of the Danish Resistance, who protected the Jews at that time by smuggling them into Sweden. The story was told through Ann Marie's point of view, and I think the author captured the fear and anxieties that this young girl faced as she risked her life to help out her beloved friends.  

This is a 5th grade book, and the winner of the 1990 Newbery Medal.  I read this along with my 10 year old son, who's class was reading it together.   The story was sad, but it was also interesting and yes, educational.  I found myself Googling various topics from the book for further reading and info.  It seemed as if the author did her research on the topic. Its an excellent book to use to introduce children into the difficult topic of the Holocaust.  

My Darling Clementine

Wow - does Henry Fonda look YOUNG in this movie!  Indeed, he was 41 years old when he played the Marshall Wyatt Earp in this!  I love me a good Western, and this was a good one!  Of course, part of my enjoyment is that it's set in Tombstone, Arizona.  (I grew up in a nearby town!) I loved seeing the stagecoach marked "Bisbee - Tombstone - Tucson"...yes, all those places are quite familiar to me!  Last time I was in Tombstone was in 2008.  Here's how it looked then:

 

As the movie opens, the "Earp" brothers are traveling towards California with a herd of cattle.  One evening, 3 of the Earp brothers go into town and leave their youngest brother to watch the cattle.  When they return to camp, the cattle is gone and their brother is dead.  So Wyatt  decides to take the Marshall job in Tombstone until he finds out who killed his brother.  Enter Doc Holliday - who pretty much runs the scene in town. Basically, its a retelling of the feud between Earp and the Clanton gang, and their famous shoot out at the OK Corral.  

Here's some more pics of modern day Tombstone: 

I can just see the Earp brothers herding their cattle through this land, can't you?

I really enjoyed the movie!  I've seen old Westerns that are corny and over-acted, but this one stands the test of time.  Worth your time to watch it if you enjoy classic Westerns!  

TRUE GRIT (2010)

I was kinda curious about how good this movie would be.  I was raised by the biggest John Wayne fan, so a movie like this had potential to be really great or really bad.  I purposely did not re-watch the original True Grit before seeing this one, because I wanted to judge this one on its own merit.  Im happy to say that this movie was AWESOME! 

Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld plays14-year-old Mattie Ross, who has decided she needs to make sure her father's killer is brought to justice.  Unfortunately, the case is not high on the list of priorities for the local law.  So she hires a Marshall that she hears is the meanest around - Rooster Cogburn. They strike up a deal to track and find Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the murderer.

Texas Ranger, "Mr. Lebeof", played by Matt Damon, has been tracking Chaney unsuccessfully for months.  After much bickering about who should and shouldn't go, the three of them head off to get their man.  At first, the men tried to go without Mattie, but she was stubbornly determined that she was going to be a part of this job. 

What follows is bad weather, arguments, shoot-em-up scenes, crazy mountain men, whiskey-drinking,  and everything you would expect to see in a good western!  This movie was GREAT!   Jeff Bridges played a great Rooster Cogburn, & Matt Damon played a great Leboef.  Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross did an outstanding job - a very big role for a new young actress!

You MUST see this movie - it's a great story to begin with, and it's retold beautifully!