Let The Right One In.

This film is startlingly gripping. And definitely a new take on a genre spoiled by the Twilight series. Shot in Sweden, the atmosphere is dark, gloomy, and I swear i feel the chill even in my warm room here. The actors, despite being children, deliver a strong depth in their performance. Dark, moody, poignant, I would watch this again just to share with my friends what interesting things you can find when you actually bother to look at the advertisements on the London Underground. Do watch it if you can, before the Americans get to it and spoil it for the rest.

Top Hat!

Fred Astaire isn't exactly the most handsome pick of the lot, but boy can he dance. He has a certain debonair style, with which he plays the part of one who is supremely confident of his own abilities, and knows what he wants.

The movie as a whole was not too bad, a more successful blend of light hearted humour and romance than "Singing in the Rain". But of course, thats my own opinion, some may beg to differ.  I find that as the dance scenes go, Fred Astaire really can carry off the compositions well, enhancing the scene with moves that suggest the mood. Point taken in "Isn't this a lovely day (to get caught in the rain)" and "Cheek to Cheek". What really struck me is how the sequences speak much better than the dialogue in describing their conditions.

And the "Cheek to Cheek" sequence rocks! I always liked that song, now i like it even more!

Singin' in the Rain

And yet another chapter of classical movie education completed. :)

Slept at 2, but it was worth it.

It seems that comedies during that era would be what we consider slapstick now. The vaudevillian style of standup, the pies and the hooked canes. In my opinion, "Singing in the Rain" would have been better off advertised as a musical with a side of comedy, rather than a musical comedy. The comedy didn't quite strike me as rather fascinating, while the musical numbers were quite good!

Gene Kelly is a fantastic tap-dancer though. His routines mesh fantastically well with the tunes, almost as if every note was triggered by his individual steps. Very precise, very smooth.

It seems that every actor in these old films like acting as debonair rich people - Maybe it was easier to pull off? I guess noone wanted to see a scruffy bugger in the 1950s. Then again, that was the age of Sinatra et al, the coat and tie was the norm.

Comparing Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire - From what i see now, Gene Kelly is a better tapdancer, Fred Astaire has more emotion in his varied styles (and more ballroom oriented). Kelly has fantastical cheerful and vibrant movements, while Astaire moves more emotionally and vividly. Or perhaps it's the mileau of the background movie that dictates their styles? Top Hat and Singing in the Rain do have different themes. I guess i'll have to watch more of their movies to tell ( haha i just made myself a reason to find more movies)

One strange thing - I recognised one of the dance sequences from a parody in Family Guy. Sadly, I had to watch the parody before I saw the actual sequence. Shouldn't that be a good reason to enjoy the classics?