20 Movies: His Girl Friday (1940)

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Bill Wren

I’ve always liked Howard Hawks and this movie, His Girl Friday, is one of my favourites from his long list of films. Apart from being a famously funny movie, it’s known for the incredibly rapid fire dialogue between Cary Grant … Read more →

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20 Movies: Chinatown (1974)

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Bill Wren

The problem with listing these 20 movies is that I’m building a list of movies I want to see again. But I guess that’s not such a bad thing. With Chinatown, we get an enthralling mystery and one of the … Read more →

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Leopards and actors and Cary Grant

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Bill Wren

I rewatched for the nth time (I’ve lost track) Howard Hawk’s Bringing Up Baby (1938). Apart from being great fun each time I watch it, this time was a bit different having read Marc Eliot’s book, Cary Grant: A Biography, … Read more →

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Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Posted on June 28, 2009 by Bill Wren

Directed by Howard Hawks While I’m not a big fan of the word, if ever the term “madcap” applied to a film it has got to be Bringing Up Baby, about as good a piece of comedic lunacy to be … Read more →

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Donovan’s Reef (1963)

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Bill Wren

Directed by John Ford This is a difficult film to defend, much less recommend, for many reasons, most of which have to do with director John Ford. Still, if I may refer to Glenn Erickson who, in his review, refers … Read more →

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Chinatown (1974)

Posted on November 20, 2007 by Bill Wren

Directed by Roman Polanski Chinatown, a wonderful movie, is an example of what a script can do for a film. It’s like finding the right music at a party. Someone feels compelled to dance, then another and another. Soon, everyone’s … Read more →

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His Girl Friday (1940)

Posted on June 25, 2001 by Bill Wren

Directed by Howard Hawks It occurs to me that the best movies are of one of two types. They are visually compelling, like the recent Hero, where there almost seems to be no need for dialogue, the images communicate almost … Read more →

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