Classic movie recs for those more comfortable with Better off Dead than Citizen Kane.
More Detail
What I’ll Cover: My favorites are 30s and 40s films, especially comedies, and most of my recommendations will cover that terrain. I will also discuss 50s and 60s films that are not heavy on dimwits or pretension.
What I Won’t Cover: I won’t address films I think are an acquired taste (i.e., such as Citizen Kane and some silent movies), leaving that ground to classic film enthusiasts, such as the brilliant Self-Styled Siren. The 70s I find rough going. The long silences, music, and clothing all try my nerves, so my knowledge of 70s films is patchy. I’ve therefore opted to go with a strict definition of classic film, which excludes the 70s and sometimes much/all of the 60s.
About Me (Leah Williams)
My favorite modern films vary, but they range widely, from The Big Lebowski and Brain Smasher: A Love Story to Wonder Boys and Big Fish. I consider Airplane! a masterpiece. I enjoy sports movies, especially Hoosiers and Rocky, and often get snotty about what film deserves the Oscar. My favorite classic film is Ball of Fire.
My two sisters, both movie enthusiasts, have yet to give classic films a chance in spite of years of pleading. They consider classic movie stars inadmissible in the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game and resent when I win Scene It? at Christmas. My failure to convert them is a main reason I wanted to blog. Surely some of the rest of you are less stubborn.
In my non-classic-film-watching time, I’m a content developer. I’ve also been a communication center director, a professor, an editor, and a manuscript coach. A few years ago I relocated from the Northeast to the Midwest, and am reacquainting myself with college basketball fans, old friends, and the wonder of electricity that does not go out when the wind blows. I’ve also started a podcast with two friends about conspiracy, 90s coming-of-age, and femme fatale films.
To contact me about classic film, email leah [at] carygrantwonteatyou [dot] com. For more about me or my writing, see my Instagram, author Facebook page, or website, leahdamienwilliams.com.
Comments Policy
I encourage disagreement, especially if you consider a post hard on a film/performer you admire. However, ads, irrelevant responses, and personal attacks are a waste of your time and mine, and will be deleted. I will also delete posts that are attacks on actors’ looks rather than reviews of their work.