Audrey Hepburn: 20 Years Ago Today...

Whenever I try to talk about a celebrity or person that is an inspiration to me, I am never able to find the right words. This time is no different, when it comes to Audrey Hepburn, I tend to ramble on and don't sound nearly anywhere as eloquent as others who have spoken about her. However, I will try my best to do her justice.

What can I truly say about Audrey Hepburn that hasn't been said in a much more beautiful way than I can ever say it? Well, since every person talks about someone differently, I will try my best to convey those thoughts to you all. From the moment I saw Roman Holiday back in 2007 I have been under Audrey's spell.   I knew a little bit about who she was before I saw her movies, and I even got a calendar of her for my room (I think when I learned about her it made me want to actually see her films) anyway, I went and rented 5 of her movies, the ones that are considered her "best" by most people: Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sabrina, My Fair Lady and Funny Face. Roman Holiday was the first one I watched. At that time I was still a pretty new fan to classic movies, but I thought she was the cutest thing and seeing her it made me want to know more about who she was. Shortly after that, like the next summer I saw her star on the Walk of Fame and just wanted to see more of her films and learn more about her. She quickly became my favorite actress. I loved that I had found someone who was so genuine and didn't become part of all the hell that Hollywood can tend to be.

She was a mother first and foremost and that is something that is truly admirable. I wish that you saw more of her when you went into stores and things, but I have started to so that's good. It just always irritated me that Marilyn was always what you saw in the way of Classic Hollywood merchandise, not Audrey. I had to search for Audrey related stuff. Anyway, I truly don't think that she was overrated (even though many say she was) and that she wasn't the greatest actress in the world. Okay, fine that's your opinion, but i've watched a lot of classic movies and I think she truly has the ability to bring out every emotion that she may be feeling; it's all in her eyes, they express so much. She makes it look easy, she had that ability to make you laugh one minute and be crying your eyes out the next. You wanted to be her friend, no matter what character she was playing, she made you believe it. I would say she was more underrated in some aspects than overrated. Her acting is so subtle and at the same time, it's also very sincere. I mean when she is singing "Moon River" in Breakfast at Tiffany's, in that moment it's not Holly, it's Audrey singing that song and I truly understand why it meant so much to her that the song stay in the movie. It's one of my favorite scenes in the whole film, for that very reason.

For those that claim to be "fans" having only seen Breakfast at Tiffany's or owning merchandise like a shirt or bag with her on it because you though it was cute, she wasn't only Holly Golighty and she isn't only known for her fashion. She was a true, genuine humanitarian and she ultimately cared about everyone, especially children. I think this quote sums her up perfectly:

"She believed in love. She believed love could heal, fix, mend, and make everything fine and good in the end… and it did. She left us with peace and serenity, and her passage was almost devoid of any pain.” - Sean Hepburn Ferrer 

Everyone that knew her, either fell in love with her (her leading men) or became great friends. She just had that personality and that presence, she was so graceful and quiet, but had the best sense of humor and was someone that you would want to know. 

She truly is an inspiration to me. Definitely someone that I aspire to be like and that more women should aspire to be like. She has changed my life in more ways than one. I don't think I would be as big a fan of classic movies or at least I don't think I would have gotten as into them when I did if it wasn't for discovering her movies. 

So as I think about her today i'll remember her truly kind and loving spirit and celebrate her life for the person that she was. RIP my dear Audrey. See I still ended up rambling. Oh well, I hope that I conveyed how I feel about her. :) I will leave you all with the words of someone who knew Audrey very well. 

“I think that there are few people in one’s life that you never really feel that they’re gone. I have to remind myself that she isn’t around.” - Blake Edwards 

Blazing Saddles

Well I have now seen Blazing Saddles (shocking I know), but i'm not really someone who likes parodies that much. Sometimes they can be really stupid and come off really offensive, but this was just hilarious. You really can't take a movie like this too seriously because it's all for fun.

I really enjoyed Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder in the movie. There scenes were my favorite. Harvey Korman was also hilarious as Hedley Lamar. Also seeing John Hillerman in this movie was fun since i'm used to him as Higgins on Magnum P.I. I was enjoying myself the whole time that I was watching it. Mel Brooks isn't really my favorite director/writer, but then again i've only seen this film that he's done.

I will probably watch others though now. :) This movie is on 10 lists on the icheckmovies.com site. So glad that I finally watched it. Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Best Picture Winners: Annie Hall

Well I just finished watching another Best Picture winner. :) It's the first Woody Allen movie i've seen. It was pretty good. I didn't know if I would like it that much, but I laughed at parts. He was so neurotic though, my goodness! I thought Diane Keaton was really endearing as Annie with her ditzyness. It was an interesting take on life and relationships and now different people can be together or in their case, still be friends at the end.

I could relate to Alvy with some of his neurosis. I can't go see a movie if it's already started and with Annie when she had to have someone come and kill a spider that was in her bathroom. I can't kill spiders and i'm very afraid of them too. Part of it was that she just wanted to see him again because she missed him.

I thought it was interesting how he couldn't try anything new and he couldn't be happy, he had this pessimistic view of life and I know that I can be pessimistic quite a bit, but I don't stay that way, I like to try things and be happy because what is life if you can't enjoy it and make a difference? Anyway, at the end when he says that relationships are just absurd and all these other things, that may be the case, but like he said "people continue to do it for the eggs" or something like that. They want that companionship and love. They don't want to be alone, that's why no matter how ridiculous and painful relationships can be, we still want to be in them. They can also be great too. :)

Now i'm just kind of going off on my own little ramble. While I tend not to really care all that much for 70s films (with the exception of Grease) I thought this was pretty good. I mean there is a reason why it won Best Picture. :) Overall rating: 3 out of 5.

Best Picture Winners: The Sting

So I just watched The Sting on TCM tonight for the first time. Now I have seen 31 of the Best Picture Winners. I've decided to mention whenever I see a new movie that I was a Best Picture Winner. Since there are still a lot of them that I haven't seen. That way everyone can be included in the experience of me seeing them for the first time, even if it is through a post on a blog, lol. 

Anyway, what I loved about this movie was the soundtrack. The Scott Joplin music fit perfectly for 1930's Chicago. Plus, I just like jazzy/blues music and that time period as well. It's also cool that it was based on a real story about these characters that Robert Redford and Paul Newman play. 

Of course if it takes place in Chicago in the 1930s, you have to have con men and gambling and all that stuff going on. It was a lot of fun to watch though and entertaining. I enjoyed seeing Robert and Paul work together again. I think I liked it more than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! :D 

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 

Murphy's Romance

So on Friday I watched Murphy's Romance. I had been wanting to see it for a while and I moved it up in the netflix queue and I had it at home when a friend came to visit this weekend and so we all watched it. James Garner movies always make me happy. He's such an amazing actor and makes it all seem so effortless. Sally Field does as well. She's always enjoyable to watch in films because she brings so much to it and at the same time makes it look natural as well.

I thought it was interesting that Sally Field's character (Emma) came from Modesto and was starting over in Arizona since I am from Modesto myself and eventually might go to Arizona. :) Although I wouldn't know how to run a farm lol.

Her Ex husband (Brian Kerwin) was fun to watch and wouldn't leave her alone. I liked how Murphy put him in his place and the dancing scene with the two of them was hilarious.

I like romantic movies and James Garner does them well no matter how old he is. I thought that the older man/younger woman plot in this film was nice, you don't always get to see that. There wasn't really anything about this movie that I didn't like. Some of the language I didn't care for, but I can deal with it. Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Lincoln

So yesterday I went to see Lincoln. I wanted to see it because Abraham Lincoln was one of my favorite presidents and because it was directed by Steven Spielberg. I thought it was very interesting, the beginning of it was a little slow, but it keep my interest the whole time. It just cemented my love for this man even more. He was so kind and cared about people, that's why he wanted to end slavery. It was nice to see that he was able to accomplish ending slavery and ending the Civil War before his life ended. I think he consider his life lived. "It's not the years in your life that matter, it's the life in your years." :) 

It was nice to see some familiar faces in the film, like Sally Field, who I think gave a really amazing performance (like she always does) as Mary Todd Lincoln. I didn't really know that much about her, so a lot of the things regarding her were new to me. Based off that, I don't know how much of it was accurate, i'm sure that they had a good relationship, but the heartache of losing her son took it's toll on her mentally. When the argument happened, you heard how Lincoln felt. He just hid it and he was also devastated too, but dealt with it differently than Mary did.

The two men that were talking to the Dems were pretty funny, although I didn't like the use of their language all that much. It was cool to see Bruce McGill (since I know him from MacGyver) in a role like this. Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens was great. I don't remember much about Thaddeus Stevens from my history classes, but he was portrayed in a great way here. 

I know there were some things that weren't the most accurate, such as having the 13th Amendment be the thing that helps end the Civil War. It was part of it, but it wasn't what ulitmately ended it. It also seems like Steven Spielberg's favorite curse word to use in his movies is God with the D word. It was said more than any other curse word in the film. I think the F word was said a few times too. Can't you just say "Damn" and not make it against God. Sorry, i'm going off on a rant now. I just don't feel like it's necessary. Anyway, I enjoyed the movie and even though it might not have been completely accurate with some things (it is a movie after all) it still showed who Lincoln really was and I loved his insight on life and of course his speeches. :) He was a truly beautiful human being. Overall rating: 4 out of 5. :) 

The Last Starfighter

Another 80s Sci-fi movie, I am a person that isn't really into sci-fi (except for the Back to the Future movies and the Star Trek movies) but most of the ones from the 80s are really good no matter how corny people seem to think 80s movies are. This was an exception. I think the effects are just enough to wear it still seems realistic and even though it's sci-fi you feel like you're a part of it because of the simplicity (if that even makes sense lol)

I thought this was a great film and it reminded me of War Games in some ways because it's dealing with a videogame. I liked the message, he was a guy who wanted to get out and he got his dream by helping to defend the evil forces. :) Oh and Robert Preston was phenomenal as always. He will always be Prof. Harold Hill to me though. :D Another great 80s movie to add to my list of movies that i've seen. I always say that the 1980s had the best of everything; TV shows, movies, music... :) Overall I give this a 4 out of 5