< The Apartment >-- A funny, witty, self-realization comedy

I love Jack Lemmon's movies!
They always make me laugh~
His comedies are not the kind that you only laugh once when you first saw them,
but the kind that you find them even more amusing when you watch them for the second,
the third, or even the forth time.
And one of the examples is this movie <The Apartment>.
This is a movie about C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon),
an employee in a huge insurance company.
In order to get promotions,
Baxter lends his apartment to his bosses and their mistresses.
This is a mutual benefit exchange,
however, I just cannot help but pity Baxter.
Not only because his neighbors misunderstand him as a Don Juan type person,
but he is also forced to leave his home to his bosses, when he had a terrible cold.
Eventually Baxter gets what he wants,
but he becomes increasingly depress when he finds out that
the girl he likes is his boss' mistress.
In the end, Baxter decides to give up his job and apartment to start a new life...
The movie ends happily,
but it nonetheless points out the coldness within human being.
For example, when Baxter stops giving his apartment key to his previous bosses,
they begin to complain and criticize him in his back.
The story tells us that some people can be real good to you
only because they can get something from you, and once you
become useless or refuse to help, they will just toss you aside without second thought.
I guess Baxter is close to this kind of person in the beginning of the movie,

from his opening narrative:"On November 1st, 1959, the population of New York City was 8,042,783. If you laid all these people end to end, figuring an average height of five feet six and a half inches, they would reach from Times Square to the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan. I know facts like this because I work for an insurance company - Consolidated Life of New York. We're one of the top five companies in the country. Our home office has 31,259 employees, which is more than the entire population of uhh... Natchez, Mississippi. I work on the 19th floor. Ordinary Policy Department, Premium Accounting Division, Section W, desk number 861." 
All these figures show that Baxter is hard-working, but also a bit cold person,
who are willing to give up everything in order to get promotions.
However, as the plot unveiled, Baxter finds out that getting promotions 
via this method does not make him happy.
He feels empty and loss,
because everything is base on what you can offer others in order to get what you want.
He loses himself into an endless compromising.
That the reason why he chooses to leave for good...

I want to watch more Jack Lemmon's movies,
because he is extremely funny!!
His collaboration with Shirley MacLaine is also amazing!!


P.S. Quote comes from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053604/quotes?ref_=tt_ql_3

< Anatomy of a Murder >-- The truth is never clear

Although I did not watch a lot of James Stewart movies,
I think most of them are really heart-warming and inspiring,
such as <It's a wonderful life> and <Mr.Smith goes to Washington>.
However, <Anatomy of a murder> is kind of different...
Undeniably, there are a lot of funny moments in this serious court theme movie,
but generally, it gives me a feeling about the darkness of the reality
and the irony of the judicial system.

What I love the most about this movie is that it points out the absurdity 
of the judicial system through little hints.
One of them is when the judge tells the juries to disregard certain testimony,
Paul Biegler's  (James Stewart) client, Lt. Frederick Manion asks him:
"How can a jury disregard what it's already heard?"
He answers: "They can't, lieutenant. They can't."
Another one comes from Biegler's partner, Parnell Emmett McCarthy,
when they are waiting for the final result from the jury.
He says: "Twelve people go off into a room: twelve different minds, 
twelve different hearts, from twelve different walks of life; 
twelve sets of eyes, ears, shapes, and sizes. 
And these twelve people are asked to judge another human being 
as different from them as they are from each other. 
And in their judgment, they must become of one mind - unanimous. 
It's one of the miracles of Man's disorganized soul that they can do it, 
and in most instances, do it right well. God bless juries."
The design of the judicial system aims to give everyone a fair chance 
to defend oneself in the court,
but I think human beings are not really reliable.
It is easy for us to be influenced by people's appearances, how they dress, how they talk,
or maybe just our personal feelings towards that person...
So how is it possible for twelve strangers from around the country
to decide whether this person is guilty or not? 
Even the people who are doing the investigation can hardly find out the truth,
how can the juries, who are just listening?
I think this is a very interesting question to think about.
In the same time, this system seems to be the best among others.
Unless we can establish some other kind of system that 
proves to be more accurate and fair...
(In conclusion, it's hard)

The ending also puzzles me, because it is so open-ended.
There are so many questions that the movie does not answer.
I try to figure out my own explanation, but I guess I need to watch this 
over and over again to try to find out some more key elements!
This is definitely a movie that makes you examine so many things in all the directions!
If you like court theme movie, check this out, you won't be disappointed!!

P.S. All the quotes here come from 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052561/quotes?ref_=tt_ql_3

< The Sting >-- Con artists and their game

Despite the fact that being cheated by somebody 

is definitely not a good experience,

movies seems to find the charm of it,

and the audience (at least me) always enjoy

watching the main characters set up a big con,

and how they successfully play on their rivals.

I watched a lot of movies about con artists,

and <The Sting> does not escape the basic formula for this genre.

(The main characters are in some kinds of troubles >> 

so they gather some of the friends that have different talents >>

set up a plan for their target >> succeed :) !)

However, I think this is one of the best and the most classical films about this theme.

The story itself connects very well;

every little part is like a piece of puzzle,

together they build up the whole picture,

and make the audience feel "Wow!" in the end.

Unlike some of the movies about this theme,

which often establish a lot of unsolved mysteries,

but in the end, those mysteries kind of faded away without making any sense at all.

This creates confusions and definitely make the audience hard to follow.

I love the whole movie, there are so many memorable scenes.

However, one of my favorite will definitely be the part when Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman)

plays poker against their mark-- Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) on the train,

in order to let him falls into their trap.

In here, Gondorff pretends to be a drunk and kind of rude poker player 

in this "Gentlemen's game".

He not only successfully wins the game by cheating (Lonnegan also cheats),

but he also irritates Lonnegan, which is exactly what he wants.

Because he notices anger and greed are two weakness of human beings,

they cover your eyes and shut down your brains.

This allows Gondorff to play their next step to Lonnegan.

Therefore, I think we can say Gondorff is not just a skill con artist,

but also an amazing analyser who understands very well about human nature.

Besides Paul Newman, Robert Redford is another actor I like very much.
He played Johnny Hooker, a smart but lack of experiences young con artist.
A few times in the movie, he is so close to death,
fortunately, Gondorff saves him in the last moment.
There are a lot of other interesting characters,
who add more colors and amazements for the movie.

This is not only an exciting movie,
but also full with humors and wisdoms.
The collaboration between Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and
the director George Roy Hill is amazing!
They create great dynamic for the movie,
and the story, the characters are so convincing!
Their other famous collaboration is <Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid>,
though the story sets in a completely different circumstance,
but the audience can sure find a lot of similarities between the two.

Oh, yes! The music in <The Sting> also adds a lot of extra points for the movie.
It makes the movie even more alive!

Very handsome Paul Newman and Robert Redford :)

  

< Cool Hand Luke >-- A Natural-Born World-Shaker

This is definitely one of my favorite prison movies alone side with 

< The Shawshank Redemption >, < In the Name of the Father >, < The Experiment > etc.

However, unlike those movies, < Cool Hand Luke > seems

to be more casual and has a great deal of humors,

nevertheless, it is equally or even more memorable than some 

and extremely be-loved by the audience.

Lucas a.k.a. "Cool Hand Luke" (Paul Newman),

who is a decorated veteran, but also a trouble maker.

He was caught destroying public properties,

and was sent to prison for two years.

He soon becomes the captain and the bosses' nightmare,

because no matter how they punish him,

Luke just never give in... 

Luke is a very special man; he is a hero, but in an unconventional way.

He does not have powerful bodily strength or super brilliant mind, 

but there is no one, not a single person,

can make Luke conforms to the authority.

Just like his famous line: "sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand."

He fights his inmate Dragline even though he notices he is much weaker than him;

he bets a lot of money on a poker game even though he has a handful of awful cards;

he escapes from the prison again even though he understands he might get kill...

Although some of his inmates criticize that he has more guts than brain,

Luke nevertheless surprise and admired by his friends. 

He gives them hopes and courage for something they want to do,

but never do due to the authorities.

Luke is also a "real" hero.

He has inner-conflicts just like any one of us.

In one scene he tries to communicate with God,

in order to ask him for advices.

Because on one hand, he does not want to give in to the authorities,

but on the other hand, he also wonders why he cannot conform to the authorities

in order to live a more comfortable life?

Peeking the roof with one-eye,

praying for God's answer,

Luke eventually notices that God is not somewhere else,

but actually inside his heart.

He is the one who controls his actions and thoughts.

If you decide to do something, don't hesitate, follow your heart,

because you are the master of yourself!

Luke is not only the hero among his inmates,

but also the God of himself.

As Dragline describes him: "Hell, he's a natural-born world-shaker."

Amazing acting, thought-provoking plot, and interesting characters,

this is definitely one of the best Paul Newman movies!
And the interesting thing is, each time you watch,
you can find new things in the movie that you never notice before!

P.S. The 50 eggs part is so memorable and funny, I laugh whenever I think about it!

"Nobody can eat fifty eggs"

(That is true except for Luke!)

< The Long, Hot Summer >-- A sweet summer tale

I won't say <The Long, Hot Summer> is my favorite Paul Newman movie,

because there are <Cool Hand Luke>, <The Hustler>, <The Sting>, 

and <Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid> etc.

However, this movie nonetheless is very enjoyable, with vivid characters and a bit fairy tale like story.

You get Ben Quick (Paul Newman), 

a smart, but seemly notorious young man,

who just moves to the new town and is looking for a job.

Clara Varner (Joanne Woodward), 

the daughter of the richest man in town,

who is very clever, and nice, 

but always try to hide her real feelings toward Ben.

And Jody Varner (Anthony Franciosa),

brother of Clara,

who tries to please his father for his entire life,

and becomes mentally disturb when he thinks Ben 

is taking over his father's love.

These and the other characters make up a dynamic family tale,

through hatred, jealousy, and eventually redemption and forgiveness.

Like the hot, humid summer,

which makes people feel annoying and impatient,

but when the weather slowly gets colder,

people begin to miss those days under the burning sun.

Because it makes up so many precious memories

that are sweet and also a little bit bitter inside. 

I like Paul Newman a lot ever since I watched <The Sting> and <Cool Hand Luke>.

Not only because of his beautiful blue eyes and the handsome face,

but also the charismatic he embodied.

No matter what roles he played,

he gave them lives and passions,

and he made people believe that he was that particular character.

I do not know the exact reason,

but I always feel a little bit regret for not really knowing him a lot

before 2008 when he passed away...

He brought so much of great things to the world for all the people!

And my mission is to try to watch all of his movies!!

< All About Eve >-- A cruel and cold world

<All About Eve> is a 1950 classic directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 

starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter.

It tells a story about how a young woman Eve (Anne Baxter),

uses the famous actress Margo (Bette Davis) and her friends' kindness,

in order to achieve her own fame and to fulfill her own ambition.

I love the whole movie, especially the last scene, which strikes me deeply.

After using all kinds of methods, 

Eve finally becomes the youngest award winner for high achievers in stage performances.

When she goes back to her room, she discovers a high school girl waiting for her,

Phoebe, who claims as her biggest fan.

Eve allows her to stay.

Later on, Phoebe helps her answers the door,

when the award Eve forgotten was being brought back.

She then enters Eve's room, and finds a beautiful dress on the bed.

She tries it on, holding the award, and looking at the trifold dressing room mirror.

Gracefully she bows to different directions, like she is the one who receives the award.

This scene not only reminds us about Eve not long ago, 

but when the mirror reflects multiply images of Phoebe,

they are also telling us that there are millions of people who can sacrifice and use others,

just to make sure they can fulfill their own desires. 

This movie some how reminds me about our present world.

When I see news about people faking accidents in order to get money

by deceiving kind people who try to help them,

I feel sad for them and for the world.

This is suppose to be a world that people help each other when they are in need,

but some take advantages of this and benefit themselves.

Just like Eve, who makes up lies in order to gain people's sympathies,

and turns back to use their kindness on achieving her goals.

I think I can understand slightly about why people become so cold to each other.

There are a lot of people who may heard or even encounter these schemes,

and these make them afraid of helping people.

Because they do not know rather those people really need help or just faking,

in order to protect themselves, a lot of people will choose not to help.

Sadly, there may be people who truly need help, 

but were being viewed as possibly pretending.

To fill our world with more love and kindness,

we need to repay those who help us,

and try to help more people around us.

Let people gain the confidence back for helping others.

My cartoon-like drawing for my favorite scene in <All About Eve>

  

      

  

Spring Break in New York (2)-- Central Park Zoo

I am not a zoo person.

Since I was little, I always feel kind of sad to see animals being confine in such tiny cages.

Therefore, I was very surprise toward myself when I decided to go to the central park zoo.

I guess probably it was because the cartoon Madagascar (which I like a lot),

or because I started to miss my dog back home. 

Anyway, central park zoo is a neat little place;

you can finish a tour within an hour.

My only disappointment was that there are no lion, giraffe, hippo, or zebra :)    

The lucky thing was that I was able to see the feeding of sea lions!

They are so smart and cute,

and they have exactly the same reactions like my dog when they see foods!!!  

My dog: when there are no foods around...

           Here is what he does when he spots foods...       Kind of like those sea lions...

STANDING UP STRAIGHT!!

My own creation of sea lions :)