#doesn'tcount: White Christmas

General: "Who let Potato out of her box?!"
Susan: "POTATOGRAM!"

#16: Holiday

Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant
Dir: George Cukor (1938)

This is one of those movies that puts me in mind of similar ones that are better. I love watching Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant together in anything, though, and in my mind this movie is just a wonderful warm-up for The Philadelphia Story - which is obviously the best movie in the entire world.

Holiday was actually a lot of fun in its own right. I loved the way the Seton family was its own enormous entity (I found many of the Setons referred to their family unit in similar language my siblings and I use for our own), and I especially loved all the dysfunction flying around between the siblings. The whole package obviously originated on the stage, but that gave it a nice contained sort of feel. I especially liked the neat handling of Julia's character - the plot held out admirably until the last minute, and then turned her into a horrible bitch. I like things being made easy for me like that.

Good: We'll start with Ned! I always felt like he was about to say something horrific. His character had a real edge that I really liked, and he played well with Linda. Cary Grant turned quite a few tricks in this movie, of course, which I found plenty exciting, and his adorable little face and adorably messy hair were positively at their peak. Linda was obviously wonderful since any time Katharine Hepburn plays a snarky, repressed and lovelorn sophisticate I get a kick out of it. Gee whiz I just love her.

Best: The Potters! God bless them! I haven't seen Edward Horton outside of a buffoonish role before, but in this film I felt like he had all of the cleverest lines and one of the most likable characters I've ever watched. They were just so damn cute! I want to meet them!

Bad: Linda's emotional outbursts (especially her vindictive farewell speech to her father and Julia) were just a tad too intense and a tad too lengthy for my comfort. When I see Katharine Hepburn pissed, I want to see a trembling chin and a whirlwind of chilling insults - not expansive declarations about love and support and commitment to peanuts.

Summary: Fun! Not where I'll go first to see this duo perform, but definitely worth the watching.

Stars: 3.75 of 5, rounded awkwardly due to the fact that every scene with Linda and the Potters rates an automatic 5 out of 5 but I just can't commit to a 4

#15: Two for the Road

Starring: Albert Finney, Audrey Hepburn
Dir: Stanley Donen (1967)

Such a cute scene!!

I felt pretty nicely neutral about this movie after I finished it. It was nowhere near getting New Favorite status, but it was plenty charming.
Bad: Albert Finney's Humphrey Bogart impersonations. A lot of the emphasis on sex that might have been fresh at the time seemed too heavy-handed at certain points in the movie. Mainly the middle third, I think, where I felt like there wasn't a single scene in which exactly where the rocks in Mark and Joanna's marriage were wasn't being defined... which is mainly a problem because to me Audrey Hepburn is too ladylike to have a sex life. At all. The end.
Good: I liked the chance to see Audrey Hepburn in a different kind of role than those I was already familiar with. She was equally impressive as both young and old Joanna - I really loved how she managed to appear totally believable at both ends of the spectrum. The young Joanna is so naive and bubbly and cute, while the older one is jaded, spoiled, and resentful, but the way Audrey plays it there is still plenty of continuity.
Albert Finney was a little less dynamic - his main thing was surprising me (generic viewer person) with how much he actually loved his wife, even after he'd said something heartless, and just when it seemed like he was about to leave for good.

Much has been made of Audrey's outfits in this movie, too, but blah blah blah I think she's adorable no matter what she wears and that is pretty much that.

Summary: The cheery appeal of a couple romping through Europe was this movie's main draw for me at first, but as it progressed I just loved watching Audrey Hepburn do a million different things. Princess Ann she is not.

Stars: 3 of 5

#14: That Funny Feeling

Starring: Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin

Dir: Richard Thorpe (1965)

Bad: Not much! This movie doesn't pretend to be anything it's not, so how can it miss?

Good: It's just as charming and adorable as it can possibly be! Seeing Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee together is always fun - you can sometimes catch little gestures and moments that appear unscripted between them. I also loved Donald O'Connor in this, because he will always be hilarious to me... even if he is a dork... because I am a dork! (And I find other dorks appealing.)

Summary: To compare it to the last fluffy, innuendo-filled '60s comedy I watched, I'd say this wasn't as good. The laughs weren't as consistent, and the plot was just as implausible, only less entertaining to watch as it unfolded. But I still liked it, though -- I'm going to keep plugging away at the Sandra/Bobby subgenre for a while and see what else turns up. I have faith!

Stars: 3 of 5

#13: Pagan Love Song

Starring: Esther Williams, Howard Keel

Dir: Robert Alton (1950)

Booooooo the Esther Williams vehicle! She was MGM's top star at one point perhaps, but it's no mystery why her movies didn't stand the test of time like others'. Too much time spent trying to make her water ballets moderately plausible plot-wise (thank god for the "dream sequence" cop-out) and not enough time writing decent songs for the AMAZINGLY TALENTED AND WONDERFUL Howard Keel to sing!!

Good: (Note: I've been flipping the bad/good order back and forth, but this deserves to end on "bad.") Obviously Howard Keel. I watched this movie with my grandmother, who also is in love with HK (and Dana Andrews, too -- it must be genetic!), so we suffered proudly through all 80 minutes in his name alone. This was my first time seeing Howard shirtless - kudos to this movie for including a scene with him in Dr. N0-esque short-shorts, biking and singing on a beach. What a stud!

Bad: The music was HORRIBLE. Also, they spent too much money on Esther's swimsuits and not enough on Howard's wardrobe - he spent 99% of the movie in the same stupid linen suit. Come on!! Also, the poor (attractive) man had to play a totally unattractive character... what a waste. The plot was fluffy and lame, half the Islanders were white boys with bronzer (remind anyone of West Side Story?), and Rita Moreno didn't even get to dance! Ugh.

Summary: I should be fair and say that Esther Williams' acting was not as bad as I'd expected. She was kind of endearing and pretty and all that, and she played her character well (an unaffected, easygoing island girl-type), but I just kept remembering how obnoxious she was in her autobiography. (So I only read like fifty pages, but still, she had a monster ego. Hard to ignore.) Plus I kind of felt like her biceps kept punching me in the eye with their hugeness...

Overall - an interesting, kitschy relic of moving Esther cheesecake. If only Howard had been given the same treatment.

Stars: 1.5 of 5

*my OCD self has to admit that I saw this before That Touch of Mink, but forgot to post both until today and did them in the wrong order... so chronologically this is actually #12. okay crazy self out.

#12: That Touch of Mink

Starring: Cary Grant, Doris Day

Dir: Delbert Mann (1962)

Hoorah! Kat told me when I checked out this movie that it was terrible and the stars had no chemistry and Cary Grant was too old, but she was WRONG! I loved it. It was that perfect blend of sexy and not sexy that only a movie starring Doris Day opposite a man can produce.

Good: Can we just say once and for all that Cary Grant's sex appeal does NOT have an expiration date?? Thank you! Ooh: I have a theory too that some of Cary Grant's lines/actions are ad-libbed in this movie, because there were a few scenes where he would say something bizarre and funny exactly before a fade out. I don't know... some of his comments just didn't seem scripted. Kat noticed it too (like when he throws a candy to Gig Young and teases him - "Why don't you take the wrapper off first. There, it's better that way, isn't it?"). I also loved all the little dirty jokes and innuendos (minus some of the painfully dated jabs at homosexuals) because they were adorable.

Cathy: "Oh, I love sunken baths! You'd always find me in it! -- ...I didn't mean it like that -"

Philip: "I know you didn't. But let's not rule out the possibility."

Bad: Okay, so they didn't have fantastic sexual chemistry. But they looked like they were having fun at least!

Summary: It was bubbly and energetic and full of virginal Doris and playboy Cary and all the wonderful things in life - even a sneaky joke about her marrying Rock Hudson! So what's not to LOVE??

Stars: 4 of 5

#11: Boomerang!

Starring: Dana Andrews

Dir: Elia Kazan (1947)

So I watched this a while ago and have been too lazy to post it on here, shame on me! I remember liking it... I think...

Good: I liked it! It had Dana Andrews in it...

No, to be fair, I just liked it. I liked watching him interact with his wife even though it was kind of laughable because everyone knows he's married to me. But, you know, they pay him to act, so - well done, Dana.

It was interesting to see him be all caught up in this moral dilemma because I'm more used to seeing him brooding about something. I guess this follows the Ox-Bow trend of making me slightly uncomfortable with him - I'm used to seeing him play characters with a bit of an edge, not Wholesome Through-and-Through types. As far as the film overall, though... I'm generally a fan of legal dramas so I enjoyed that aspect of it. Also, despite the fact that the internet has nothing on it, I am ONE HUNDRED PERCENT POSITIVE that Arthur Kennedy is Donald Sutherland's father. They look exactly the same. I will prove this one day if it takes everything I have.

Bad: Eh nothing.

Summary: So obviously it wasn't that memorable, which is kind of my bad because I'm forgetful and also partly due to the fact that the movie isn't very exciting. A lot happens and I guess it's dramatic, but it didn't really make an impression... at least on me.

(Minus Dana Andrews and everything he ever says or does. I mean, I do kind of notice that sort of thing automatically.)

Stars: 2.5 of 5, rounding up to 3 in all scenes including Dana

#10: The Ox-Bow Incident

Starring: Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, that nostril guy from State Fair

Dir: William Wellman (1943)

Bad: I have a hard time with Westerns, I really do. This one was mercifully short. I guess I wasn't in the mood for what it offered: I didn't like the THESE CHARACTERS ARE SYMPATHETIC and THESE CHARACTERS ARE UNSYMPATHETIC heavy-handedness, or how predictable the ending was, or how awkward it was to see Dana Andrews emoting, or how the movie decided to teach me a lesson. I didn't feel like being taught a lesson, I felt like tangling my fingers in Dana's hair (or Anthony's eyelashes. Mmmm).

Good: Dana & Dana's hair, Anthony & Anthony's eyelashes... Also, Henry Fonda was better by the end than he promised at first. I liked the quiet scenes between him and Harry Morgan. There were a lot of surprisingly artsy shots and those were kind of fun to see.

Summary: I really enjoyed certain scenes here and there, but overall I think it did itself a disservice by being so social commentary-y (although at the time it must have been more progressive than it looks today) (I understand that it was based on a book but I don't feel like looking that up). Hmm. It just was not the type of movie I usually like to see, so I had to put up with some stuff to get through it.

Favorite scene by far was Henry Fonda drinking on horseback and making those weird faces. So good.

Stars: 2.5 of 5

#9: Spellbound

Starring: Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman

Dir: Alfred Hitchcock (1945)

I'm allowing the giant picture because it takes in the great scope of Gregory Peck's attractiveness best.

Bad: Nothing bad really. It's not my favorite Hitchcock so far, I found the score was occasionally louder than the dialogue (though that could have been my tape), and it ran a wee bit longer than I liked. Also, I didn't like Ingrid Bergman in this, which makes me sad to say, as I usually like her very much. Well I envied her bathrobe at least, even if it was problematic. Who on earth wears tailored robes anymore??

Good: First and most importantly, Gregory Peck was the most mind-bogglingly attractive in this movie as I've ever seen him (second only, perhaps, to Duel in the Sun..!). I liked the ending - satisfying enough, since I wasn't bothering to think ahead and discover the murderer for myself. Many of the shots were wonderfully fun, like the suspenseful scene between J.B. and Dr. Brulov (to the doctor! back to the razor! to the kitchen! to the razor! to the doctor! to the RAZOR!!) and its culmination which drowns the viewer in a glass of milk. Honestly that was my favorite shot in the entire movie, going "Are we going to --? Yes we are! Drowned in a glass of milk!" I was expecting something like "Oh dear, the whiteness of the milk crowding his vision is going to make him crazy," and that was probably what I was meant to think, but that's what makes it so clever.

Summary: I liked this movie a good deal. There wasn't fantastic chemistry, no really great dialogue worth remembering*, the story was eh (others can explain the silliness of the old psychoanalytic school), and I may not watch it again anytime soon - but for a first-time, one-time view movie, it was engaging and excellent fun.

*except -

Ballantine: "Will you love me this much when I'm 'normal'?"

Petersen: "I'll be insane about you."

Stars: 3.5 of 5

#8: An Affair to Remember

Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr

Dir: Leo McKarey (1957)

And here I was thinking that Sleepless in Seattle could ruin this classic love story for me! So maybe I knew how it was going to end, but still - you can't overestimate the awesomeness of this story. Similar to my recent newfound appreciation for Joel McCrea, this movie made Deborah Kerr work for me. (It's difficult to like any woman who gets with Yul Brynner right in front of you.) And Cary Grant - well, there was never any trouble with him. Lord Almighty.

Bad: I wish I could say nothing, but I am bound to honesty. I was not a fan of either rendition of "Tomorrow-Land," and the whole children's chorus thing got way too much play. Maybe I am also a little tired of the "Let's Consult the Sharp-Eyed Old Lady Full of Wisdom and Matchmaking Inclinations" movie cliche, but that was only one scene (albeit an important one) in the midst of an epically wonderful movie that I otherwise loved every moment of.

Good: The chemistry. The way they met. The brief scene where she's leaving the dining hall just as he goes in, so she tells him to try the bouillabaisse and he just says "Oh, shut up." I loved all the sentimentality, the title song, their stubbornness, and how easy it was to turn Nick from a devil-may-care playboy into a deeply feeling and goodhearted potential husband. I loved how Terry was always able to laugh at herself. I loved how you didn't feel bad for her jilted ex because he was incredibly attractive in his own right and would probably end up happy with someone else. I just loved it.

Summary: An excellent movie for when you're feeling unapologetically romantic, or any time you want to feel the heartache without suffering the unhappy ending.

Stars: 5 of 5

#7: The More the Merrier

Starring: Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn

Dir: George Stevens (1943)

FINALLY. Kat has been yammering about this movie for as long as I can remember and I know I've never had a good enough reason for letting it go unseen, but the curse is lifted at last!, as is my lifelong apathy towards Joel McCrea. Forgive me for letting it get this far.

Bad: Despite the many endearing characters he's played, Charles Coburn has always looked like a creepy little pig to me. I found that distracting for the first half of the movie, but then JM came in to shine and I had more important things to think about.

Good: My conversion to the Cult of Joel McCrea Love can be pinpointed to the moment that he started snarking at Charles Coburn. I love a snarky man, especially one who can do a little shimmy-one-two-step when he likes. Not to be neglected is the lovely Jean Arthur, who is one of the only leading ladies I've ever seen (besides Deanna Durbin) who has a booty! Her dancing alone in her bedroom was one of my favorite movie moments.

Summary: It was adorable. It was funny, clever, full of banter and some of the best screen chemistry of all time. Plus, any movie with a scene like this deserves credit for something:

I rest my case.

Stars: 4.5 of 5

#6: Of Human Bondage

Starring: Bette Davis, Leslie Howard

Dir: John Cromwell (1934)

Let's keep this one short and sweet for the good of all concerned.

The bad and the good -

Bad: Let me sum up the bulk of Bette Davis' acting for you.

"WELL OI AIN'T SUCH A BAD GULL AM OI?? [wiggle wiggle] AN' OI DAN'T MOIND IF YA TAKE ME TEH THE THEATA [eye roll] BUT OI AIN'T GONNA KISS YA GADNAAAAAAHHHTTTT!! [wiggle]"

Good: Leslie Howard has a pretty face.

Summary: I vastly prefer Howard's treatment of the cockney urchin in Pygmalion. Of Human Bondage felt like being tied to a chair and having my eyeballs hammered unceasingly for an hour and twenty minutes. Good thing the most forgiving of guardian angels appear to have ushered Bette safely through such low points in her career... if not, we may never have had Baby Jane. And with that we may all say a short prayer of thanks, and good-night.

Stars:

-1,000 of 5

#5: The African Queen

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn

Dir: John Huston (1951)

Now I may be technically cheating with this one since I'm fairly sure I saw bits of it when I was small (and it's also technically not a old-timey black & white), but something about The African Queen's classic status convinced the anal-retentive part of my brain that appears to be driving this project (e.g. MICKEY ROONEY MOVIE) that passing it up would be just another kind of cheating, but far more grave. Still, whatever I'd seen of the movie in childhood only left a memory of dread and depression, so I approached the viewing with some anxiety. "Doesn't he die in the end??" I asked Katherine worriedly. She insisted that he didn't, but then again Kat likes to make people suffer by doing things the Right Way, and may have been lying on principle so as not to spoil the ending. I had no confidence.

Oh well.
Turned out the one who died was the homely yet sympathetic brother figure, and while I'm all for feeling sad about that, HUMPHREY MAKES IT OUT OKAY. And that's what I really care about, so, it's safe to watch this movie now!

The bad and the good:

Bad: Well, basically nothing, right?? I mean, maybe some of the score isn't that great, but who's paying attention to the music with everything else going on? Also, watching this movie made me feel like I was swatting away a horde of invisible flies. And like I needed to take a shower. But I guess that was atmosphere.

Good: Everything else!! Katharine Hepburn uses all her old standards - the gangliness, awkwardness, the wobbly chin, the superiority, and the insulted crying - while portraying a character that is obnoxious, frigid, lovable, and hilarious all at once (soooo Kat Hepburn, only a prude). Humphrey Bogart stops being hard-boiled and hams it up as Charlie with the greasy neckerchief and filthy hands. Seriously, it's almost awkward watching him do this after years of tough detective roles, but with a little concentration it all comes together. He's a wonderful character with terrible habits and yet the bravest and most chivalrous spirit imaginable. The movie is all about watching a relationship develop between unlikely people who are basically cross-sections of Bogie and Kate. What I love best about that is how the two people who should reasonably only be bringing out the worst in each other -and they do, for quite a while - end by bringing out the very best, even qualities buried so deeply that we would never have imagined them capable of possessing them, right up to the point of (SPOILER ALERT NOBODY DIES) self-sacrifice. True love, my peeps. Reading Kat Hepburn's book on the making of TAQ, I could believe that their real-life relationship was like this - minus the true love, of course (did you know Lauren Bacall stayed with Bogie on location in Africa? And was a total boss about it? And apparently wandered around makeup-free and glamorous, doing things like cooking for people and just ingratiating herself to everyone, and Katharine Hepburn was hopelessly jealous and freckled-feeling and prickly and used to journal crankily about it? AM I RIGHT LADIES) - in that they complemented each other by being nearly opposites in a few ways but identical in essentials: disciplined, principled, talented, and smart. With a big streak of respectful snark and a love of hard work.

The African Queen is a perfect combination of comedy, adventure, and drama, which while sounding like a cliche is actually a remarkable achievement when you really watch it. Only two actors, a tiny boat, and some intimidating scenery. Lots of squeamish moments, like getting chest-deep into filthy water and almost dying and having to pee in front of a strange man. It's really not the sort of thing you should like to see.
But if you don't, you're an idiot.

'Nuff said.

Stars: 5 of 5

#4: Boys Town

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney

Dir: Norman Taurog (1938)

I snatched up this little gem while going through the stacks in clean, alphabetical order, so it was right at the top and as soon as I saw it I could only grit my teeth and say, "Well, might as well get this over with!" Get this, youngsters: Catholic priest founds town for boys and presides there as sole authority over what basically amounts to a sprawling Boy Plantation (orphaned and abandoned only). It may have been an inspiring (and true) tale in 1938, but watching it now is just painful.

The bad and the good:

Bad: Well, priests and boys... and lots of it. And enough hugging, candy, and "there's no such thing as a bad boy"-ing to go around.

Worse: Mickey Rooney, folks!! He barely edged out priest/boychild dynamics for the worst element of this film. It's just... that face! That stubby nose, those beady eyes... the whiny voice, the total lack of charisma! - not to mention the fact that the entire second half of the film is composed of him either crying, pleading, or screaming, composing a veritable ugly buffet. It doesn't do him any favors that his character is despicable, either, but then I've seen abler men scrape some appeal out of worse situations.

Confusing: Spencer Tracy supposedly won an Oscar for this role, and while I love the good man and his work, I just plain can't see why. The only word I have for this entire movie, including his performance, is underwhelming. Good thing you can't take those back! Long gone are the days when the sympathetic Oscars are handed out to inspiring portrayals of upstanding men of the Church... nowadays the accolades are reserved more for Satan's Alley-type shenanigans.

Finally, good: This one's easy! My favorite part of Boys Town was the thundering rendition of "Fairest Lord Jesus" that not only heralded the commencement of this fine piece of cinema, but was reprised during every scenes of any significance, including (near-)deaths, chases, and the occasional victory procession. Also not to be missed is its seamless transition into an even more thundering "Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes." Confused? I guess the producers were restricted to the public domain. Darn.

Stars: 2 of 5

#3: Dodsworth

Starring: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Mary Astor

Dir: William Wyler (1936)

The bad and the good -

Bad: Mary Astor's "emote! emote!" waving scene at the very end. Also bad (in a good way) is the sheer hatefulness of Ruth Chatterton's character. Everything she does makes me want to smack a ho. The French-isms, the emotional manipulation, the mindless way she throws herself at anything with an accent - as long as it's not a Midwestern one - although her comment about tourists and Baedekers made me think of A Room With a View... so that's awesome.

Good: Walter Huston, who I haven't seen in anything else yet, but did one of the finest bits of old movie acting I've ever seen. He created a sympathetic character without being obnoxious, and was actually vivacious and entertaining and endearing to watch (which is something, since I don't usually waste my time on the plain ones). The dialogue was similarly entertaining - replete with shocking arguments, subtle manipulations, and brazen innuendos. Just balls-out fun.

Summary: It looked dreary at first, and I won't deny that it's some fairly intense viewing, but Dodsworth's plot scuttles along quickly enough to make you unable to resist hating the characters you should hate (there was some shouting at the screen), not to mention loving the good ones, by the end. Also props for edgy cinematography! Now who would have thought to place the camera BEHIND a plant...

Stars: 4 of 5

#2: Holiday Inn

Starring: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds

Dir: Mark Sandrich (1942)

The bad and the good -

Bad: Blackface. Lots of blackface. Also, Marjorie Reynolds is a BLAND-PAN. Also, Fred Astaire playing an unsympathetic character is just too much of a stretch for me. Also, there were many boring holiday songs - who says Lincoln's Birthday is a holiday, anyway? Oh wait I forgot it's an excuse for more BLACKFACE! Which we love!! Also, it made me wish I was watching Christmas in Connecticut instead. Also... blackface.

Good: I liked seeing a fresh-faced young Bing doing his buh-buh-buh-boos in the Singing/Dancing number with Fred Astaire. Also not to be missed was Fred's fireworks dance - probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Why was he so awesome ALL the time?? I mean, tapping on the ceiling and an exploding dance floor and a duet with a coat rack?? Not all in the same movie, of course.

Best: We have this movie to thank for "White Christmas." And that's wonderful.

Summary: It had two of my favorite actors, but in two of my least favorite roles so far. Most confusing of all, it was a Christmas movie that felt kind of un-Christmas-y. More of a New Year's movie. (Oh, I forgot! Also good were Mamie's adorable children, especially dressed as the Old and New year.)

Stars: 3.5 of 5

#1: The Shop Around the Corner

To Do: Watch all the old classic movies I've always intended to see but have still come thus far without actually sitting down and watching. Sometimes I avoid old movies unassociated with any childhood nostalgia because nostalgia doubles the fun of anything and old movies can be boring. Or I avoid certain other ones because my favorite movie stars are old in them (Barkleys of Broadway still looms...). There are always reasons. Anyway, the time has come NOW to confront the classics I always turn away. (Some, as I will eventually learn, for good reason.)

First in the experiment: The Shop Around the Corner.

Starring: James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan

Dir: Ernst Lubitsch (1940)

The bad and the good -

Bad: I don't get Margaret Sullavan. I just don't. No chemistry, no charm, and her character was a bitch who failed to turn sympathetic despite the demands of the plot.

Good: The first movie to make me love Jimmy Stewart! He's always been kind of standard and bland to me - I prefer the dark and attractive men of classic cinema, rough around the edges, not-quite-gentlemanly et cetera, and I mean who looks good next to Dana Andrews, right? Especially ol' pie-face. But Shop made me like him. He was sweet and sincere and for some reason I found it endearing this time rather than yawn-inducing (maybe a reaction against Mags?). Also, his passionate declaration in the movie's final scene made it into my vault of favorite heart-fluttering lines:

"You know what I wish would happen? When your bell rings at eight o’clock tonight, and you open the door, instead of Popkin, I come in. And I say, 'Klara, darling' - Klara, my dearest sweetheart, I can't stand it any longer. Take your key and open post office box 237 and take me out of my envelope and kiss me."

I swear I teared up when I heard it. Don't know why. Must be the sentimentalist buried deep, deep within.

Anyway, I was underwhelmed given its iconic status in the annals of romantic comedies, but at least it succeeded in opening my eyes to the appeal of Apple Pie.

Stars: 3 of 5

"You know what I wish would happen? When your bell rings at eight o’clock tonight, and you open the door, instead of Popkin, I come in. And I say, 'Klara, darling' - Klara, my dearest sweetheart, I can't stand it any longer. Take your key and open post office box 237 and take me out of my envelope and kiss me."
-The Shop Around the Corner