The China Syndrome focuses on two journalists, Jane Fonda ("Georgia Rule") and Michael Douglas ("King of California"), who try to expose the dangers of a nuclear power plant in California. Jack Lemmon ("The Odd Couple II") works in the plant and helps them when he becomes convinced that safety standards are not being met. The film is a bit slow starting off, but when it gets going, the paranoia and cover-ups are easy to buy into. The ending is also very good. Definitely worth checking out.
I haven't seen a film as moving as Talk to Her in quite awhile. Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar ("Volver"), the story follows two men who become friends while caring for the women they love, both of whom happen to be in comas. But it's so much more than that. There's love, of all kinds, morally questionable actions, beautiful cinematography, haunting music, crying, laughing, general amazement on my part. This is what movies are all about.
Grand Hotel was the Best Picture Oscar winner in 1932, and thought it took me a bit to get involved in the story, once I did, I was thoroughly hooked. The film shows the events in The Grand Hotel in Berlin over the course of 24 hours. The intrigues, friendships, love affairs and agonies of the people staying in the hotel, give us plenty of drama. Also, according to the TCM guy, this was the first film with an all-star ensemble cast, composed of brothers John ("Playmates") and Lionel ("Lone Star") Barrymore, Greta Garbo ("Two-Faced Woman") and Joan Crawford ("Journey to Murder"). Very entertaining.
Roman Holiday stars Audrey Hepburn ("Always") as a princess who just wants to have some fun. So, she shirks her duties for a day, and ends up touring Rome with Gregory Peck ("Cape Fear"). Only she doesn't know that he's a journalist planning to write a story about their adventures. But then they start to have feelings for each other, and Peck faces a moral dilemma. Very funny and sometimes heart-wrenching. Peck and Hepburn have great chemistry. I really enjoyed this.
The Red Shoes is a film by director Michael Powell and writer Emeric Pressburger ("Ill Met by Moonlight"), whose names I have always heard, but work I had not seen. The story has a fairytale quality. It's about a ballerina who wants to be a great dancer. A director takes her under his wing, promising to make her a star, but when she falls in love with a composer, the director tries to crush both their careers. The film starts slow (I seem to be saying this alot. Maybe I'm the slow one.). There's also quite a bit of ballet, so be aware of that going in. I really enjoyed the use of color and the examinations of career versus life, art verses love. I'm not sure I'm sold on this duo's genius, but am definitely interested in seeing more of their films.