Marty = 7.5/10
Maybe you've heard of it, maybe you haven't. Best picture of 1955 or 1956, not going to bother too much on that detail. A pretty decent film about two lesser-attractive-people falling in love. However, it seems too unfinished. It also depicts life in an Italian family and there are a bunch of other subplots going on but in the end, the movie leaves you wondering what was going to happen with everyone. So, the movie ends up feeling like all set-up and no payoff. Except for with Marty and his finding a woman. That plot is settled but the rest of the secondary characters are left in the wind. I was surprised that the movie just ended. This movie is really just about a first date in a way but it's an awfully sweet first date and I was happy along with the main characters. There is also one hilarious side character that I thought was awesome because of his voice. If you ever see the movie, it's the guy who talks about a writer Mickey Spillane. Recommended if you want an idealized view of 1955 romance and life.
Shadow of a Doubt 8.5/10
One of the last big Alfred Hitchcock movies I haven't seen yet. It's a shame that the audience is left with no doubt right away as to whether the Uncle is guilty or not. I think it would have been better to keep toying with the audience's suspicion or doubt longer. That said, Joesph Cotton is awesome. It's worth watching the movie for his performance. Plus, once things are finally laid bare between the two main characters, it sets up an interesting finale and then we get to some real suspense. I'm surprised Hitchcock calls it his favorite film. There are others I like far more although I do admit that the ending to this would rank pretty high when it comes to Hitchcock movies. The ending is pretty darn good. And once again, there is another side character who I think is awesome. The character's name is Herb and the actor who plays him reminds me a lot of Rick Moranis. Seriously, you'd think Rick Moranis went back in time. He and the father of the family spend most of the movie talking about the ways they would kill one another. It's a concept that's a little out there but it keeps you entertained.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - 9/10
Sure, The Simpson summerized and lampooned this movie in about 5 minutes compared to the 161 minutes this movie runs at but I still recommend seeing the whole thing. It's the greatest comedy epic of all time. I say that because I don't think any other comedy runs this long and has an intermission break making it the only comedy epic. If you've ever seen Rat Race, that's close enough to the same plot here. A bunch of people learn about a buried treasure and the race is on as they rush to beat each other to the prize. The thing that sets this movie apart is that they tried to bring in as many famous comedians as they could at that time. Buster Keaton and the 3 Stooges make appearances. Some cameos I have no clue who the people were which now make the scenes they are in totally random.
The funny thing about this movie is that you probably aren't going to laugh out loud a lot. It might seem strange to recommend a comedy so highly then but it comes from the spirit of things. You just sort of grin along at the mayhem unfolding. There are a couple characters who you do make you laugh everytime they come on the screen. One is Sylvester Marcus who plays a thickheaded momma's boy and the other is Otto Meyer, a real weasel. If you see the movie, chances are you'll recognize Otto Meyer from The Simpsons episode: "Homer the Vigilante" when there is a cat burgler in town. At the end of the episode there is a mad dash through town for his hidden loot. That's the lampoon of this movie. One scene has a man in a fedora shaking his fist at Bart as his car goes down a river. That's Otto Meyer. Appearantly, even The Simpson writers thought he was hilarious enough to include one of his scenes in that episode.
The other thing that surprises me about this move is the stuntwork in it. I was amazed at the amount of stuntwork done in this movie as I watched it again. They did some spectacular camera work and driving stunts for this movie. The best thing is that since this is 1963, you know that most of that was actually done in real life. I think it would be worth watching just for those scenes alone. Great stuff, great movie.