Movie Mania Hitchcock Special: Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Hey, my darling readers!
For this post, I looked into one of the very few real comedy movies Alfred Hitchcock ever made. So let’s check out this screwball film with Carol Lombard and Robert Montgomery.

The Plot:

Ann and David are a happily married couple – or so it seems. Turns out, due to a bureaucratical error they were never really wed.
Things start to go downhill when Ann decides she doesn’t want to be his wife again and David chooses not to accept that.

The Rating:

Oh boy, where do I even begin with this one?
There’s just about nothing I enjoyed about this film. It’s not particularly funny and many of the actions are very dated.

The film kicks off rather slowly and never really gets up to speed. The whole premise why they are not married is rather flimsy and was just a bit hard to accept.

In general, I don’t think I laughed out loud a single time while watching this film. I’m not even sure I ever chuckled. The jokes just don’t hit and nothing in there has a wow effect.

The main problem that kept me from enjoying this film, is most likely the very outdated behavior many of the characters show. First of all, Ann is flabbergasted when she realizes they are not married and it’s obviously unacceptable to live in the same house for a single night without being wed again.

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Movie Mania Hitchcock Special: The Trouble with Harry

Hey guys!
Today I want to share my thoughts on one of Hitchcock’s few true comedy films. So let’s talk about The Trouble with Harry!

The Plot:

Harry is dead. It’s not that he was a particularly interesting or beloved person. But his parting certainly causes a great distress for the good people of Highwater. Each one of them is convinced that he or she killed Harry…

The Rating:

Well, from my past reviews you can tell that I didn’t enjoy it too much when Hitchcock tried mixing full-fledged thrillers with comedic elements. Turns out when he instead focuses on one or the other, the outcome is rather great!

With The Trouble with Harry Hitchcock gives black comedy and try and the film is much better than I would have expected. It’s not the funniest or smartest comedy out there and especially the male characters are a tad flat. But in general the movie is quirky and charming and especially Shirley MacLaine is adorable here.

Movie Mania Hitchcock Special: The Man Who Knew Too Much

Hello, my lovely readers!
It’s time for checking out another one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous movies. The Man Who Knew Too Much is a classic, so let’s talk about it!

The Plot:

An innocent American family is travelling. They are on vacation in Morocco when they encounter a rather irritating man. Soon before long that leads to them being sucked into a dark plot…

The Rating:

This is definitely one of my favorite Hitchcock movies.
The Man Who Knew Too Much is a super smart suspense thriller that features many surprises.

The main roles are played by James Stewart and Doris Day who are an impressive match. In case you ever wondered where the famous song “Que Sera, Sera” was featured, well, you found the very movie.
Hitchcock incorporated the song in an intense and perfectly fitting way. In general, music is a very important aspect of this picture and Hitch chose it wisely. Goosebumps all the way!

Movie Mania Hitchcock Special: Shadow of a Doubt

Hello guys!
For today’s Hitchcock Movie Special post I watched the 1943 noir thriller Shadow of a Doubt. So let’s see about it!

The Plot:

Charlie Newton is more than thrilled when her mother’s brother Charles drops by for a visit. She soon loses her excitement when noticing her uncle’s strange behavior.
Is Charles really who he pretends to be?

The Rating:

Let’ see. What we have here is an interesting thriller. Teresa Wright gives a very promising performance as Charlie Newton and carries this film to a large extent.

The story is well-crafted and certainly keeps you on your toes. However, there are some moments that feel rather far-fetched and just didn’t convince me. I don’t want to add any spoilers here but, if you’ve ever seen the film, you’ll know what I mean.

There is a particular scene on a staircase. Before I re-watched the film to do this review, I tried hard to think about the first time it actually saw. And the only thing I could remember was that weird and almost ridiculous scene. It’s supposed to be a scary moment, but my only thought was “Are you kidding me?!”

Thursday Movie Picks: 2018 Releases

Hello, my darling readers!
Welcome to another entry for Thursday Movie Picks.
It’s a series hosted by Wandering through the Shelves, so if you want to join the party, head over to her blog! It’s pretty easy: check out each week’s topic and come up with 3 to 5 movies that fit the theme.
This week’s theme is 2018 releases. However, I only went to the cinema once last year, so I’ll tell you which 2018 film made it to my to-watch-list!

Bohemian Rhapsody:

I already heard so many amazing things about this one, I can’t wait to check out how the film turned out. The trailer looks super impressive and I’ve always loved Freddy Mercury and Queen. Rami Malek was great in Mr. Robot, so I’m intrigued to see him as Freddy!

Mary Poppins Returns:

If this movie isn’t supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, I will be really mad. I’ve been a Mary Poppins fan ever since I listened to the story on tape when I was a kid. So I am super excited for the wonderful Emily Blunt to follow Julie Andrews’ footsteps.

Movie Mania Hitchcock Special: Frenzy

Hey guys!
We’re no officially halfway through my Alfred Hitchcock review series. Today I’ll be writing about Frenzy. So let’s see whether I enjoyed this thriller!

The Plot:

The story follows a serial killer in who’s terrorizing London. He rapes and strangles women but tries to from another for his crimes…

The Rating:

Another Hitchcock thriller with comedic events. I really wish he wouldn’t have done it.I know some people praise this but for me it just doesn’t fit. The moment I get drawn into the story an awfully placed joke destroyes the whole atmosphere.

The idea of the film and the crime committed would actually be interesting, if not for the irritating execution. After a strong start, the quality started to decline until I reached a point where I just wanted the film to be over. Had Hitchcock followed through with just the thriller elements, Frenzy would be a fascinating crime movie that chills you to the bones. There are many strong scenes. But in between, we always get bits that ruin all the great aspects of the film.