1930-1939: My Top Ten Favorite Movies

0   8.2   8.5 

Before there were special effects, CGI graphics & matrix-style action sequences in film, there was human physical talent.
And in the early 1900's, the height of this talent was displayed to movie viewing audiences through the almost impossible stunt routines of Charlie Chaplin.
back then, watching his ability to choreograph & incorporate his crazy stunts into the props & background sets (particularly in this film, with the complicated set designs of the factory) must've been the equivalent of watching a summer blockbuster of today.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

0   7.8   8.1 

One of my top 5 of favorite comedy movies of all time.

It's truly a classic, with the Bros. Marx carrying on with their timeless mayhem antics & spouting out lines like "I could dance with you till the cows come home. On second thought, I'd rather dance with the cows till you came home."
For any of you who haven't yet seen this, IMO, the best of the Marx movies, I recommend that you give it a looksee. And if any of you do decide to give it a view for the first time, then I envy you. It will truly be a gala day for you. And if you're anything like Groucho, the Marx's head hermano, a gal a day is enough for you. You probably couldn't handle any more.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

0   7.2   7.7 

Before there was Lestat, Blade, Eli or that whimpy, waspy whitey Edward Cullen,
there was Dracula.



I don't care what any of you might think of the old Count, he's still the O.G. of bloodsuckers, suckas. If it weren't for him, Count Chocula cereal would just be called Chocolate Flavored Cereal Wit' Chocolate Flavored Marshmellows In It.
So pay 'em his due propers.
Suckas.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

0   7.5   8.1 

What Dracula did for Count Chocula cereal, the Frankenstein monster did for Frankenberries.
Suckas.



Actually, the main reason these two early Universal monster flicks (both Franky & Dracula) are on my favorite movies list is because they've been a regular staple on the television sets of The Mighty Celestial household every Halloween night now for generations. Heck, even before television sets were invented.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

0   7.8   7.7 

In the Modern Times entry at the top of the list, I mentioned that Charlie Chaplin's physical stunt work provided the same kind of awe-inspiring awe back then in the same manner that special effects do today.
In these black & white dances classics,
the awe is a result of the complex, stylish dance steps of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers.
I can only imagine the wonder & amazement that 1930's movie audiences must have felt back when they first witnessed the fancy footwork from the chemistric choreogrphy from this couple, alongside the camera work, classy costumes & shimmering back sets used to enhance the routines.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

0   7.7   8 

In this immensely successful sequel (one of the first to be so successful) , the Frankenstein Monster learns to talk, smoke a cigar, and on a social level, put himself "out there".
Now while he & the Bride give a new meaning to the term "made for each other", for any few of you who've never seen this movie,
I won't spoil it for you by revealing whether or not she accepts his proposal or not.

Lest to say that the fact that the name the follow-up film to this follow-up film is Son Of Frankenstein bears no reflection to the outcome of this movie.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

0   7.4   8.1 

Alot of the movies from this period & the '40's are films that I first watched as a kid, & therefore, I tend to like more 'em more for sentimental reasons than because of their place in the movie history hierarchy.
The Adventures Of Robin Hood is a good f'rinstance.
Whenever I watch this movie, it always reminds me of those times when I was at that age in which I still believed heroes where chivalrous, suave, gave to the poor, & were so cool, that even if they were always sporting around in a pair of light green tights, they were still able to score with a really hot maiden.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

0   8   7.7 

I remember when I made the decision to watch the early dance classics of Swing Time & Top Hat just to see if the all the dancing lived up to all the hype that I had heard about for years.
And while it did, along with Fred Astaire's ability, not only as a dancer, but also as a lead, not to mention the way that all the sets & costumes seemed to shimmer with the black & white quality of the film,
what was a complete surprise for me was Ginger Rogers.
Sure, her dance moves kept up with Fred's every step,
but wow. I didn't realize how the combination of her beauty, personality & charisma would just light up the whole picture. When Top Hat was over, I was left literally stunned by this woman.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

0   7.4   8.3 

What does Dorothy do when she finds out that she and Toto are not in Kansas anymore?
Following the yellow brick road, she goes off to see the wizard in a pair of ruby slippers, along with three of the most famous McGuffins in film history.
The moral of this story:
no matter where you find yourself, even if it's got a Lollypop Guild, an emerald city, or an army made up of flying monkeys,
there's still no place like home.

The Mighty Celestial's rating:

0   6.8   7.1 

At the time of this posting, this is a movie that I had just recently watched for the first time.
As I posted in one of my earlier entries, the Universal Movie Monster Trio, Dracula, Frankenstein & The Wolfman are perennial favorites on my TV set every Halloween. I had meant to watch this Spanish version of Dracky for awhile now, especially since TCM tends to show it every once in a while, back to back with it's American counterpart.
Filmed at the same time (literally) as the Bela Lugosi version, this one features the same energy & enthusiasm as it's originator, seems even crisper in appearance (at least, to my eyes), & has more creative camera work than was allowed to the original version. Yet the best part of it all, is that this one is longer in length, but without any sacrfice to it's story quality.
Though, the actor playing Dracula doesn't seem to have the "weight" in his presence that Bela Lugosi did,
over-all, this is still a version of the "rey de los vampiros" that, after finally watching it, makes me feel like I just struck some big time cinema gold.

The Mighty Celestial's rating: