Sunday, June 28, 2009

Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #26


Curious about what I watched this week? Maybe, maybe not! But I'll tell you good folks just the same:

Bringing Up Baby
Cary Grant: A Class Apart (documentary film)
Monkey Business
Night and Day
Please Don't Eat the Daisies
Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House
By The Light of the Silvery Moon
Teacher's Pet
Gentleman's Agreement

Have you seen any of these? Do you have a favorite among them? All of these--with the exception of Please Don't Eat the Daisies--were new to me. (I had only the vaguest memories of Please Don't Eat The Daisies from when I watched it as a kid.) I really enjoyed Gentleman's Agreement (1947). It's a movie about antisemitism and prejudice. Gregory Peck plays a writer/reporter (a widower with a young son) going undercover, pretending to be Jewish, in order to write a series of articles. In the process, he falls in love and becomes engaged. But his girl isn't so happy with his "angle" of writing. She wishes he wasn't pretending to be Jewish. She's worried what her friends (and family) will think of her. The two do bicker over this...a lot. And I found myself stubbornly rooting for the underdog played by Celeste Holm. She loves him, accepts him, respects him...and she's not in on the secret. Of course, he just sees her as best-good-friend material. Oh well. Anyway, this movie was released several years prior to the publication of The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank in America (1952). And it was interesting to see this film. All the while I was thinking what it was that changed--or helped change the mindsets of Americans. There's a powerful scene in the movie between Peck's character and his mother, played by Anne Revere.
"I suddenly want to live to be very old. Very. I want to be around to see what happens. The world is stirring in very strange ways. Maybe this is the century for it. Maybe that's why it's so troubled. Other centuries had their driving forces. What will ours have been when men look back? Maybe it won't be the American century after all... or the Russian century or the atomic century. Wouldn't it be wonderful... if it turned out to be everybody's century... when people all over the world - free people - found a way to live together? I'd like to be around to see some of that... even the beginning. I may stick around for quite a while."
Here's the trailer for the movie:



I'm still looking for recommendations for old movies, classic movies, so keep them coming!

What I read in a previous week, but reviewed this week:

The City In the Lake. Rachel Neumeier. 2008. Knopf (Random House) 294 pages.
The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd. 2009. Penguin. 309 pages.
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. 1926. 218 pages.
Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link. 2008.

What I read this past week and reviewed:

Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluemle. Candlewick. 2008.
Dog Day by Sarah Hayes. 2008. FSG.
Critter Sitter by Chuck Richards. 2008. Walker (Bloomsbury)
Bad Dog, Marley by John Grogan. 2007. HarperCollins
Really Truly Bingo by Laura McGee Kvasnosky. Candlewick Press. 2008.
Finding Susie by Sandra Day O'Connor. 2009. Random House.
Natalie & Naughtily by Vincent X. Kirsch. 2008. Bloomsbury.
Peanut by David Lucas. 2008. Candlewick.
Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman. 2009. HarperCollins.

What I read this past week and haven't reviewed yet:

Old Man's War by John Scalzi. 2005. 314 pages.
Love's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell. 2009. 329 pages. Bethany House.
Local News by Miriam Gershow. 2009. 360 pages.

What I've read and really really need to review:

Cashay by Margaret McMullan. 2009. 208 pages.

What I'm currently reading:

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

What I'm just fooling around that I'm reading:

Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

What I hope to start reading soon:

Nation by Terry Pratchett
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
God's Little Princess Devotional Bible by Sheila Walsh
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

What I've abandoned:

Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

6 comments:

Literary Feline said...

I haven't seen any of the movies you mention. Isn't that horrible? But then since you just saw them for the first time (all but one, anyway), I guess I shouldn't feel too bad. :-)

I will keep an eye out for your review of Old Man's War. I've been thinking of picking that one up to read.

How are you finding Wicked Lovely? That's another one I want to read.

I hope you have a great week, Becky!

Julie J. said...

I am anxious to see your review of Wicked Lovely!

When you get a chance, drop by http://molcotw.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-honored-to-have-received-my-first.html and pick up your award. :)

AP said...

I like the movie "Holiday", with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. Also "His Girl Friday" with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. The ones you saw sound pretty good...

DesLily said...

I am more than happy to hear you have discovered "new movies"! They are so worth watching! I watch Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics quite a bit, and I'm never disappointed.

I think I mentioned that you should watch Yankee Doodle Dandy for the 4th of July movie! Although James Cagney was well known as a bad guy he started out as a dancer! There are so many great old movies I wouldn't know where to begin to tell anyone to watch! I think many people are afraid to watch black and white movies..not sure why though.
Oh, I think you read Rebecca..there's an old movie you would probably like!

Nikki in Niagara said...

Well I'm a HUGE Cary Grant fan and just love Mr. Blandings.... and Bring up Baby; they are two of my favs! The book "Mr. Blandings..." is really good too if you ever get time to read it, I believe there is a sequel too which I've never read. For more Cary Grant greats that show his comic side I highly recommed Arsenic and Old Lace and The Grass is Greener.

Mya Barrett said...

I'm so glad I found this blog! I spotted it on the Fill In The Gaps Project site and came right over. I've read up to this point without leaving comments, because I agree with you on so much. However, I had to reply to this one.

The movies: how do you expect me to choose? It's not possible! I love everything you watched. I'm a movie addict, particularly TCM movies, so you have to forgive my gushing.

I'll move along now and keep an eye out for your new reviews. I have you bookmarked now.