stapsreads

I mentioned before, didn't I, that I've got quite a lot of Marlene Dietrich films queued up on LoveFilm? Well, I'm aiming to watch 10 films released before 1960 as part of my 101 in 1001 project, and there's nothing to say that they can't all feature Dietrich.

This is her first film, and features what is perhaps her most famous song - 'Falling in Love Again' - and a couple of other ones that aren't so good. Ostensibly the film is not about her at all; it is the story of an ageing college professor who falls in love with a nightclub singer and Throws His Life Away. And that's quite interesting, in an angsty manpainy kind of way, and he does end up wiht a lot more of my sympathy than he gets at the beginning, but it all rather pales into insignificance beside Dietrich.

I'd like to have seen a bit more of what happened between 1925 and 1929. Obviously in those four years their marriage goes to the dogs, and it's not difficult to guess why (can we say 'fundamentally incompatible'?) - but it seemed an odd thing to leave to the imagination.

It's very good for me to watch films with subtitles once in a while. I'm very bad at not actually watching, and just picking everything up from the dialogue, but my German's not good enough for that in this case.

1. Toy Story 3

Full disclosure: the first time I saw Toy Story was 17th August 2010. The first time I saw Toy Story 2 was 18th August 2010. I can't claim, therefore, that this destroyed or validated or did anything much to my childhood. Nor did it make me cry - not quite, anyway. But it was a lot of fun. Will watch again. (My sister-in-law has one of the disturbing strawberry-scented bears. Wahrgarbl.)


2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My father-in-law, half-Polish, claims that the word 'Polish' could easily replace 'Greek' in this, but for me it was uncomfortably reminiscent of my own, huge, but otherwise boringly English, family. Perhaps all happy families are alike.

Anyway, I enjoyed this, in a switch-your-brain-off kind of way. I loved the way that Toula got up and did things for herself. It was a pity that there wasn't any real kind of conflict, and the chap just let things happen, but still. A good one for times of little brain.