Quote of the Week

A Humphrey Bogart, a Jimmy Stewart, a Cary Grant, a Spencer Tracy —- these were icons whose characters often dealt with female stars as equals, who had sex appeal to burn but weren’t defined by their libidos or their list of conquests, who dealt in violence sparingly or not at all. Likewise in Victorian fiction, in books as eagerly devoured by the masses as any blockbuster entertainment today: How often is a rake or cad presented as a worthy model, how often is a killer celebrated for his body count? How often does a Dickens or a Tolstoy or a Trollope leave the impression that the masculine ideal involves dealing violence indiscriminately and sleeping with every blonde who catches your eye? Is Steerforth the hero of “David Copperfield”? Is Wickham the male ideal held up by “Pride and Prejudice”? In Western literature, who better embodies “traditional masculinity” as an aspirational ideal —- Vronsky or Darcy? Angel Clare or Gabriel Oak? Raskolnikov the murderer or Raskolnikov the penitent?
--Ross Douthat, "The Left and Masculinity," New York Times Blogs, June 3, 2014

Movie Quote of the Week

The boss hands you the envelope. You wonder how much is in it, and you don’t want to open it. As long as the envelope’s closed, you’re a millionaire.
--James Stewart, The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Trailer of the Week: The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Cool! It's actor Frank Morgan. I wonder what he wants to tell us about.

Movie Quote of the Week

Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't, I can, and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that.
--James Stewart, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

The Clarissa Complex

I probably can come up with a hundred theories if Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington became so popular but if I had to pick just one, it would be this:

Almost every American, male or female, can't help identifying with Jean Arthur's Clarissa Saunders character when we look at the American political world. We would like to be as idealistic as Jimmy Stewart's Jefferson Smith but I suspect most of us identify more with Ms. Saunders. Why? Because over the years, we can't help but grow a bit cynical at the difference between what our politicians promise and what they deliver. And although we would like to truly think the best of them, we can't help fearing that we'd end up like suckers if we do so.

Yet every now and then, we meet a politician that gives us hope that the world of politics does not have to be the way that it is. We do not necessarily develop the same type of relationship with them as Ms. Saunders does with Mr. Smith but we do come to trust said politico to the point of abandoning our cynicism in favor of idealism. Perhaps because said politico chooses to encourage our more positive emotions instead of encouraging our most negative ones.

I must confess that I have a tendency to wax more than a little cynical about politics myself. (For example, it is not a coincidence that "trust not in princes" is one of my favorite Biblical quotes.) And yet I am idealistic enough to prefer a politician who encourages me to vote in favor of something over a politician who encourages me to vote against something. A politician who chooses to run a positive campaign as opposed to one who runs a negative one.

In any event, I would rather take a chance that the candidate of my choice is a genuine idealist like Jefferson Smith than to assume that he is more a cynical rogue like the title character of The Great McGinty. And no doubt that is the real reason I like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington so much.

Either that or else I really like the chance to look at Ms. Arthur for about two hours...

Twenty “Worst” Chick Flicks

Yet another idea “borrowed” from Byzantium's Shores: a list of the alleged twenty worst “chick flicks” of the last twenty years and my thoughts on the same:

20. Autumn in New York.

I haven't seen it.

19. The English Patient.

I haven't seen it.

18. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

I haven't seen it.

17. The Notebook.

I actually did see this. I'm not going to pretend I liked it (after all, the main plot twist is given away in the trailer) but I was more moved by James Garner's performance than I expected to be. So I can't say I hated it either.

16. Dr. T and the Women.

I haven't seen it.

15. Sweet November.

I haven't seen it.

14. You've Got Mail.

The only good thing about this movie was the soundtrack album and the fact that it inspired me to rent from the local library a copy of the 1940 original The Shop Around the Corner. Then, of course, there's the fact that the plot of this movie just doesn't work as well as the plot of the original. After all, Jimmy Stewart didn't scheme to eliminate the store that was his would-be girlfriend's livelihood. And Nora Ephron never quite convinces me that it was a good idea for Meg Ryan to forgive Tom Hanks for doing just that. And as much as I loved The Godfather, I could not help but find Ephron's “all men quote The Godfather” routine to be forced and unconvincing.

13. The Princes of Tides.

I haven't seen it.

12. Georgia Rule.

Mi last ex-novia talked me into seeing this but I fell asleep halfway through the movie. What little I saw didn't exactly inspire me to stay awake.

11. Crossroads.

I haven't seen it.

10. The Bridges of Madison County.

I did see it. I was bored to tears. But at least I got a lot of chances to look at my watch.

9. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

I haven't seen it.

8. Fried Green Tomatoes.

I haven't seen it.

7. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

I haven't seen it.

6. Beaches.

One of my former novias was into the theme song for this movie. But I wasn't. Perhaps because -- you guessed it -- I haven't seen it.

5. Sleepless in Seattle.

I actually liked this movie, though I suspect it was more due to the Jimmy Durante song that played during the opening credits than its not-so-imaginative take on romance. At least I remember liking it more than You've Got Mail -- not that's saying a lot.

4. Dirty Dancing.

I liked it fair enough, but I never loved it the way some people seem to do. I liked the soundtrack fair enough, though I'm fairly sick of hearing The Contours' song “Do Ya Love Me” thanks to this movie.

3. Steel Magnolias.

I haven't seen it. Yes, I know. I should be ashamed.

2. Ghost.

It was okay. My sister liked it more than me. In fact, she cried at the end. I'll admit to liking it better than Jacob's Ladder, which was written by the same guy. But I didn't like it the way my sister liked it.

1. Titanic.

My middle brother once told my mother that as much as he liked this movie, he was certain that she was going to love it. He was right. I liked it well enough, but not as much as other people. And the whole Rose Dawson exposing herself -- er -- posing in the nude for the man she loved seemed like such a male-oriented fantasy that I'm still surprised that so many women take this film seriously. It's not quite deserving of the backlash against it, but then it's not quite deserving of the endless worship which prompted the backlash.

Movie Quote of the Week

Well, you look about the kind of angel I'd get. Sort of a fallen angel, aren't you?
--James Stewart, It's a Wonderful Life (1946)