Going My Way (1944) - 2 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A singing priest comes to save a struggling parish.

Starring: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald

Best of: Bing Crosby, Bing Crosby, Bing Crosby.

Worst of: The plot is wandering and nearly absent at times. Largely forgettable.

I would have liked it better if: it were just a Bing Crosby CD.

Casablanca (1943) - 5 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A stoic man with a troubled past operates a popular nightclub in the Morroccan City of Casablanca, a stopping point for many Europeans trying to escape the horrors of WWII...enter the troubled past.

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre

Best of: Setting, mood, and atmosphere are brilliantly staged. The script effortlessly weaves romance, action and comedy. Humphry Bogart either created a fantastic character or is just a weird guy.

Worst of: So many of the famous lines are now cliches that it is impossible to hear them objectively for the first time.

Notable: The line "Play it again, Sam" never appears in the film. The closest we get is "Play it, Sam" which just doesn't have the same ring.

Mrs. Miniver (1942) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: World War II, as viewed from the British homefront.

Starring: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, May Whitty

Best of: Several memorable tension-wraught scenes. Strong acting performance by Greer Garson. I enjoyed watching a movie about WWII that was filmed during WWII. Plane crash that holds up better than most special effects from the 90s.

Worst of: The ole two-twin-beds-for-the-married-couple always throws me off.

Notable: The film, released in 1941, was credited with increasing American sympathy to the war effort prior to Pearl Harbor.

How Green Was My Valley (1941) - 1 star

One Sentence Plot Summary: A large family from a Welsch mining town lead a depressing existence and make us watch.

Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Donald Crisp, Sara Allgood, Roddy McDowall, Anna Lee, Patric Knowles

Best of: Interesting enough for the first 4 minutes.

Worst of: 5th minute on.

I would have liked it better if: it hadn't bounced from subplot to subplot to subplot without much cohesion.

Also nominated: Citzen Kane.

Rebecca (1940) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot summary: A rich widower remarries despite ample baggage left over from his first marriage (including a head servant who psychotically misses her old boss).

Starring: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson


Best of: Great tension set by director Alfred Hitchcock - in his only Academy Award Winning Picture - and composer Franz Waxman.

Worst of: Overly dramatic at times.

I would have liked it better if: the climax had lived up to the build up.

Also nominated: The Philadelphia Story, The Grapes of Wrath

Gone With the Wind (1939) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Unlikeable woman has dysfunctional relationship with unlikeable man in the Old South.

Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland

Best of: By far the most epic and elaborate of the best picture winners to date. And, the first to be in color. Beautifully made. Well acted. There is something very alluring about the whole production.

Worst of: Am I supposed to like Scarlet O'Hara? Cause I hated her. Passionately. Also didn't care for Rhett Butler. Not sure who the heck I was supposed to be rooting for. At least it doesn't end well for either.

I would have liked it better if: it didn't take multiple sittings to watch. It did not take four hours to tell this story. Also, I really could have used a bit more sympathy for the leading lady...that is to say, any sympathy at all.

Also nominated: The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939 is often cited as one of Hollywood's greatest years)

You Can't Take it With You (1938) - 4 stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: Romeo and Juliet, but with out all of the drinking of the poison and the stabbing.

Starring: Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart, Edward Arnold, Mischa Auer, Ann Miller, Spring Byington

Best of: This is Jimmy Stewart's breakout role. Damn, he is engaging. Especially compared to the other actors I've been watching, he is just head and shoulders above the rest. He is one of several solid acting performances in the film. This is also the first best picture winner to have black characters that aren't entirely stereotypical which was refreshing (don't worry though...they're still pretty stereotypical).

Worst of: Given how common a story it is (rich boy meets poor girl, etc), the movie took longer than it needed to with the set up and felt a bit too strong a need to hit you over the head with its message.

I would have liked it better if: it were about 20 minutes shorter.

The Life of Emile Zola (1937) - 3 stars

One sentence plot summary: A biopic focusing on french author Emile Zola's literary support of Alfred Dreyfus, who had been falsely imprisoned for treason.

Starring: Paul Muni, Gale Sondergaard, Joseph Schildkraut

Best of: Strong lead acting performance by Paul Muni. Tightly focused screenplay.

Worst of: Entertaining and well executed, but ultimately a bit forgettable.

I would have liked it better if: it left more of an emotional impact on me.

The Great Ziegfield (1936) - 1 Star

One sentence plot summary: A biopic about the life of musical producer Florenz Ziegfield.

Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer


Best of: The end credits.

Worst of: Dear sweet Lord this is a long movie. I suppose all of the musical sequences were seen as elaborate and impressive in 1936, but now they just come off as overlong distractions from an already meager plot. I never really cared, but I stopped caring even a little bit halfway through the three hour film.

I would have liked it better if: they cut out every single musical feature.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) - 3 Stars

One Sentence Plot Summary: A mutiny, oddly enough, on a ship called the Bounty.

Starring: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone

Best of: Charles Laughton makes a fantasic villain. Slowly building tension. In the most graphic on-screen violence I've seen yet from the early best picture winners, a hand gets stabbed with a knife and it's 100% believable.

Worst of: It's all a bit over the top at times.

I'd have liked it better if: it were longer, oddly. I felt like the final half hour was somewhat rushed and it was the most engaging part of the storyline.