make me your lady
So Schindler's List turned out to be a bust because it's the most depressing thing ever. I made it through the first disc and can't quite get up the courage to put in the second. I don't particularly enjoy having my soul crushed. And I know it's cowardly of me and the only way that the world gets better is if we all face up to the awful, but I can't. I immediately just want to watch HIMYM and marvel that Ted almost married Stella (because seriously, wtf was that).
I did, though, finally get my next AFI movie from Netflix and watched it with my mom over the weekend. Swing Time with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers was surprisingly awesome. My mother complained that it was so contrived, but let's face it, it was a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie. People don't normally go around dancing and singing through life, so I was prepared to accept a contrived storyline.
What's great is that everything fits together so nicely - the songs and dancing fit in very well with not just the story (which is about dancing) but moves the plot along nicely. The opening song is "Pick Yourself Up," which they sing as Astaire's character tries to convince Rogers's that he can't dance. There are incredibly long stretches of dance numbers that are very entertaining, if only because Astaire is so talented and Rogers is so good at making herself seem talented. Additionally, Rogers does a great job of making Astaire seem sexy, thrilling, and charming. I'm sure Astaire actually was charming, but when you think about it he wasn't particularly handsome (though he had a great smile) and his ears were ridiculous. But Rogers makes him seem utterly desirable for the whole movie - a testament to both of their talents.
The ending is so random, but the humor throughout the movie is quick, witty, and surprisingly funny and brings together what would otherwise be a really silly movie. Unlike other musical numbers, for example, the characters actually respond to the lyrics of songs - Astaire looks absolutely puzzled by Rogers's words in "A Fine Romance" as the audience bursts out laughing at the unique rhyme scheme that includes "yellow" and "jello." I'm hoping that there are other Astaire movies on the list for me to look forward to!
I did, though, finally get my next AFI movie from Netflix and watched it with my mom over the weekend. Swing Time with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers was surprisingly awesome. My mother complained that it was so contrived, but let's face it, it was a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie. People don't normally go around dancing and singing through life, so I was prepared to accept a contrived storyline.
What's great is that everything fits together so nicely - the songs and dancing fit in very well with not just the story (which is about dancing) but moves the plot along nicely. The opening song is "Pick Yourself Up," which they sing as Astaire's character tries to convince Rogers's that he can't dance. There are incredibly long stretches of dance numbers that are very entertaining, if only because Astaire is so talented and Rogers is so good at making herself seem talented. Additionally, Rogers does a great job of making Astaire seem sexy, thrilling, and charming. I'm sure Astaire actually was charming, but when you think about it he wasn't particularly handsome (though he had a great smile) and his ears were ridiculous. But Rogers makes him seem utterly desirable for the whole movie - a testament to both of their talents.
The ending is so random, but the humor throughout the movie is quick, witty, and surprisingly funny and brings together what would otherwise be a really silly movie. Unlike other musical numbers, for example, the characters actually respond to the lyrics of songs - Astaire looks absolutely puzzled by Rogers's words in "A Fine Romance" as the audience bursts out laughing at the unique rhyme scheme that includes "yellow" and "jello." I'm hoping that there are other Astaire movies on the list for me to look forward to!