Here's looking at me kid

Movie Monday: Sweet Charity 1969

What a whirlwind life has been the past few weeks! We moved house, I wore my mother's clothes for two weeks until we unearthed my own, I've been sick, babysitting my brother's dog, living without internet (until two days ago- yippee!), and not realizing today is Valentine's Day until logging onto Facebook! Oh my. Life can be pretty overwhelming at times, without Valentine's Day expectations thrown into the mix, am I right?

Well, as a kick-off to getting back to regular posting, I thought it would be fun to share with you this Shirley MaccLaine musical I fell in love with over the weekend. Shirley MacLaine in a musical?! Yeah, I know! But she is phenominal. By far my favorite role of hers I've experienced.

Sweet Charity is the perfect Valentine's Day musical, if you ask me. MacLaine's character, Charity, is full of life and love, and seems to spend it all in the wrong places. She's a happy go-lucky girl who thinks someday a dream guy is going to rescue her from her life as a dance hall hostess. But everyone around her thinks she's crazy. She might be crazy, after all, but watching her kooky character unfold on screen makes you fall in love with her and her silly ways.

The musical was so fresh and quirky- unlike anything I've ever seen. I was actually engaged in the song and dance portions (oftentimes these are my popcorn/bathroom breaks), and emotionally the movie has me both laughing and crying- sometimes in the same scene!

This musical comes with a few unexpected bonuses as well! Check out how Shirley MacLaine's character, Charity, stretches her wardrobe by dressing up and down the same black dress throughout the movie. Impressive! Also, I think Sweet Charity really shows us how much fun life can be if we smile, sing, and even dance through the lonely and difficult times in life. I think I might try that more often. :)

Movie Monday: A Little Romance 1979

As a married lady now in my late twenties, it's awfully easy to look at romance between youngsters with a heavy dose of skepticism. Far too quickly I forget the very real feelings of first love- when the heart first finds a match, and all the seriousness of love and feelings of adventure quickly follow. A Little Romance perfectly encapsulates these feelings with a beautifully nostalgic look at a charming little romance between an American girl and a French boy.

A Little Romance is more than just a character study of two kids so in love. Quite a little adventure unfolds for Lauren and Daniel, thanks to the unexpected involvement of the interesting old man they meet at the park- Julius, played by none other than Laurence Olivier. The shananigans which follow are much more believable than what you might have seen when the Olsen sisters visited Paris back in '99, and you might be surprised when you relate much more to the children than you do the adults. Just like a trip back to Junior High, actually!

Diane Lane shines in her debut role as a lonely girl with a high IQ and innocent affection for the quirky French boy who first introduces himself to Lauren with (capturing my heart) so many references to Bacall and Bogie. "Call me Bogie," he says. "Why?" "Because they belong together."

All in all, there's not much I can say without ruining the fun along the way, so I'll just tell you that A Little Romance is a refreshing and very charming look at the innocence and freedom of first love. Set in Paris and Italy. So, what more could you want?

Movie Monday: The Mary Tyle Moore Show 1970-1977

Yeah, yeah... I know! Movie Mondays are usually reserved for, well.... movies! This I know. However, I recently discovered one can watch (for free!) seasons 1-3 of The Mary Tyler Moore show online! So you can probably guess what I've been doing with my down time.

I seriously cannot underestimate the influence 1970s television shows had one my personal style as a kiddo. These are the sitcoms I grew up watching on Nick and Nite and TV Land with my family. Makes it a little strange to think about this show being as old then as Full House is now.... Oh my. Will my future children be influenced by the primary colored room of the Tanner girls, as well as their asymettrical pony-tails? Here's hoping they'll be just as interested in the wholesome humor of 1970's Mary Tyler Moore.

Rewatching this favorite show not only brought a gush of gooey nostalgia, but also made me wonder if I underestimate the influence of Mary Richards's apartment on my own decor decisions. I mean, remove the shag carpet, change the "M" on the wall to an "A," switch up the fabric colors a little, and holy moly, it's a dream studio apartment! Alright, so I'd probably make a few more changes. But seriously, kids, it's a cool pad, am I right?

There's really just too much to say about this show. I love all of the characters, Mary's fun dreses and kooky belts, the dynamics at her office, the relatability of Mary's character, the step back in time to kitschy decor and polyester suits... What's there not to love?

I'm sure most of you remember this show fondly, and for those of you who have never seen it- well, what are you waiting for? I think you'll enjoy this mother-of-30-Rock sit com just as much as me. Now go forth, and watch!

Movie Monday: Bugsy 1991

Do you like ganster movies? They are a faaaavorite guilty pleasure of mine! I hate violence in real life, and I know these movies depict actual villains who did really terrible things. Maybe it's because I know those tommy gun toting stool pigeons have since been vanquished, but I have no problem at all watching all of their craziness unfold onscreen. In fact... I love, love, love it. And what if they all looked like Warren Beatty? That woud be even better, eh? So if you like gangster movies, and since I like gangster movies, let's talk about one I just watched for the first time. Bugsy.

Bugsy is a meandering look at the personality of Ben Siegel (Warren Beatty), otherwise known as Bugsy. The movie begins by introducing Ben as a shameless mob member, who also happens to be a good ol' American boy who hates communists, liars, thieves, and cheats. He's got a nice wife with two kids, works hard to bring home the bacon, and justifies his extra marital affairs because, eh, he loves his wife, right?

Okay, okay, so he works for the mob. People learn to look the other way. And they learn to never call him Bugsy. He has the attitude of the neuveau riche- no concept of his money ever running out, of someone telling him no, or of not getting exactly what he wants when he wants it. And that's how he falls in love with the strong-willed, hot headed Virginia Hill (Annette Bening), who begins to shape the rest of his extravagant life.

I enjoyed watching this movie that intimately follows only a short period of Ben Siegel's life. All of the actors seemed to do a phenomenal job channeling their characters. Of course, I don't know how accurate the biographical aspect is, but Mr. Siegel seems to have been a pretty crazy fellow. And crazy people tend to make good subjects for biographical films, in my opinion. There really wasn't much mob action, which could be a disappointment to viewers who want to see violent shootings and U.S. Marshal chases. This movie is really a character study of one guy alone. Just don't call him Bugsy. He may beat your face off.