An American in Paris

I have been a sucker for classics throughout and when it comes to musicals, I guess I lead the fanatics who believe that movies have never been the same since they stopped producing them.
"An American in Paris" is one of my all-time favs and I have been spending this weekend watching it again to the detriment of my dad who wanted to catch something else (I think it was some sci-fi movie).
Gene Kelly's movies are characterised by extravagant sets, dance numbers that set any philistine's legs tapping and music that you can swing to and this one is no exception. Leslie Caron (of Gigi and a countless other classics) was introduced to the silver screen through this movie, and though the chemistry between Kelly and Caron is not really enough to cause any sizzle, the movie is carried through by the sheer brilliance of Kelly alone.
The story deals with a struggling artist in Paris who falls in love with a girl engaged to a leading singer, and the story that falls is a dazzling piece of music and romance that makes a cynic sit up and smile in appreciation.
The songs are on my list of must listen to atleast once a week and include "It's Wonderful", "Oom Pa Pa", "This time its really love", "I got rythm" and "My love is here to stay".
While many people believe that "Singing in the rain" was better than this movie, for me, this has a special charm, it almost makes me believe in love at first sight.
A movie that allows me to forget reality for sometime, it will be in my collection to be handed down to the little ones later as must-sees.

Goldfinger - Movietime

I decided to catch up on an old Bond movie today, the only Bond movies I have ever seen before are those with Pierce Brosnan and of course the latest one starring Daniel Craig.
I decided to check how Sean Connery performed in these movies, there have been fanatics who refuse to accept a Bond other than Sean, so decided to check out Goldfinger, a Bond flick released in 1964.
Used to the Bond movies with a lot of action, this movie comes as a welcome treat where even the villains seem to have some sense of manners and culture.
Comparing the three stars, Sean gets the vote for charm - somehow the way his wit is displayed in the movie can never be replicated by either Pierce or Daniel.
Pierce Brosnan is suave and sophisticated while Daniel Craig is a hunk embodying raw strength and stamina. Maybe a collusion of the three men will provide a perfect Bond!!!!
Ofcourse Bond has his women in this movie and the typical woman on the wrong side turns around to support him. The gadgets are there - an Aston Martin provided to Bond by Q has a tracker, bullet-proof shields, a seat ejector, machine guns forward etc.
The scene that really stood out for me was one where on spraying of the "nerve gas", the military around swoon, that's right, they swoon - an honest lady-like faint, the likes of which I used to imagine women in the 18th century indulged in while reading all those Jane Austen and other classic books. Where you would have thought that the men would just drop as they are, the way they fall is a graceful drop to the ground, in the most comfortable way possible. Ofcourse arguments can be made that since the military was faking, there was no need for them to unnecessarily hurt themselves, the elegance of the falls made me remember the numerous times I have tripped and fallen into an ungainly heap on the roads. Maybe practice will help me too to fall gracefully, I am definitely going to try this.
I have the next four days off - the weekend and then Monday and Tuesday, since its Pongal and am hoping to catch a few more movies and maybe read up a bit. Anyway its the weekend and here's to it!!