Michael Gildea (mjgildea)

I've tried watching Shadow of a Doubt half a dozen times to no avail. I always stopped either out of restlessness or boredom but it was worth the wait once I was able to sit still and enjoy it. I wouldn't way I want to kick my own ass for not seeing it sooner, but I'm definitely glad I caught it. Truly one of Hitchcock's lesser-known masterpieces, the direction and imagery is fantastic (especially in the first 15 minutes or at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs) and the supporting cast is colorful enough without reaching the point of annoying. And the chemistry between Henry Travers and Hume Cronyn was gold. Of course the real standout was Joseph Cotten who could emit paternal warmth and straight vileness in the same scene. The story seemed to end a little too abruptly but it didn't ruin the movie overall. I'd put in my Top 10 of favorite Hitchcock films but the Top 5 are safe.

Marked Woman is decent but nothing to freak out over. There's not much to it besides being a precursor to On the Waterfront with an adorable Bette Davis and a seat warmer performance by Humphrey Bogart that really anyone could've done. The direction was a little off for me with too much direct eye contact but the final scene after the verdict is read was well done. There's a reason you don't hear the title Marked Woman whenever someone mentions Davis or Bogart and I'll just leave it at that...

Jack Nicholson is a magical combination of rambunctious and hilarious as Bad Ass in this riotous and sometimes touching movie wonderfully done by Hal Ashby. The drunken parking lot and hotel scenes are great, but the bar scene is one of my new favorite scenes ever. ("I am the motherfucking shore patrol, motherfucker! I am the motherfucking shore patrol! Give this man a beer!") My only gripe was that the ending was kind of anticlimactic and really fizzled out even though I knew how it was going to end. But still--I'm not so sure that Chinatown is my favorite Nicholson movie anymore. It's also great for some much-needed laughs.

One of the most amazing movies ever made. Not a dull moment and not a bad song. Too bad there's a sequel.