corrina, corrina

the year: 1994

the genre: dramedy


the cast: Whoopi Goldberg (Corinna Washington); Ray Liotta (Manny Singer); Tina Majorino (Molly Singer); Don Ameche (Grandpa Harry)


the plot: When Manny Singer's wife dies, his young daughter Molly becomes mute and withdrawn. To help cope with looking after Molly, he hires sassy housekeeper Corrina Washington, who coaxes Molly out of her shell and shows father and daughter a whole new way of life. Manny and Corrina's friendship delights Molly and enrages the neighbors.


don't miss: Percy. The kid is a kick.


listen for: "You're the short, silent type aren't you? -I could tell."



did you know: this was only Tina Majorino's second film.



also listen for: the fantastic soundtrack artists. Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington, and Jackie Wilson - to name a few...



extra bonus points: if you know how many versions of the song "Corrina, Corrina" are in the movie.

guess who?

His earliest movie memory is of being so scared by The Phantom of the Opera at age 9 that his grandmother allowed him to sleep in the bed with her that night.

He marched with Martin Luther King, Jr.

During his lean salad days, he supported himself as a Radio City Music Hall tour guide and as a catalog model for Montgomery Ward.

He was Warner Bros. original choice to play Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He was offered the role and seriously considered it but passed away before he could give them an answer.

His favorite singers were Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. He was also a big fan of Elton John.

The character he is most famous for was voted the greatest screen hero of all time by the American Film Institute in May 2003, only two weeks before his death (beating out Indiana Jones, who was placed second, and James Bond who came third).

nacho libre

the year: 2006

the genre: comedy


the cast: Jack Black (Nacho); Ana de la Reguera (Sister Encarnacion); Hector Jimenez (Esqueleto); Darius Rose (Chancho)


the plot: Nacho is a monastery cook, who spends his day feeding orphans and being underutilized (with "dead guy duty"). When Sister Encarnación arrives at the monastery, Nacho realizes that the only way to win her affection and to save the children, will be by competing as a Luchador wrestler.



don't miss: the summoning of the eagle powers - the film version is almost as good as a Sunbeam doing it before praying.



listen for: "How did you find me in the wilderness?" "I saw you from the village."


extra bonus points: if you know how many (and what kinds of) hugs and kisses Nacho sends in his letter.



also listen for:"I dunno why you always have to be judging me because I only believe in science."

the sting

the year: 1973

the genre: dramedy


the cast: Paul Newman (Henry Gondorff); Robert Redford (Johnny Hooker); Robert Shaw (Doyle Lonnegan); Charles Dunning (Lt. Snyder); Ray Walston (J.J. Singleton); Eileen Crennan (Billie); Harold Gould (Kid Twist); Dana Elcar (FBI Agent Polk)


the plot: Johnny Hooker, a small time grifter, unknowingly steals from Doyle Lonnegan, a big time crime boss, when he pulls a standard street con. Lonnegan demands satisfaction for the insult. After his partner, Luther, is killed, Hooker flees, and seeks the help of Henry Gondorff, one of Luther's contacts, who is a master of the long con.



listen for: "What was I supposed to do - call him for cheating better than me, in front of the others?"


don't miss: the sting.




did you know: Robert Shaw injured his ankle and incorporated the resulting limp into his performance.



extra bonus points: if you know when Robert Redford finally saw this movie.


also listen for: "Sit down and shut up, will ya? Try not to live up to all my expectations."



did you also know: if you listen when Lonnegan (Shaw) first walks into "The Operation", you can hear over the P.A. that one of the horses running is called Steve McQueen.

entrapment

the year: 1999

the genre: suspense


the cast: Sean Connery (Robert "Mac" MacDougal); Catherine Zeta-Jones (Virginia Baker); Ving Rhames (Aaron Thibadeaux); Will Patton (Hector Cruz)


the plot: Following the theft of a highly-secured piece of artwork, an insurance agent convinces her employers to allow her to pretend to be an art theif in order to entrap an aging but active master thief. Mac takes her on suspiciously and demands rigorous training before their first job together--stealing a highly-valued mask. Their deepening attraction and distrust could tear apart their partnership but the promise of a bigger prize (some eight billion odd dollars) keeps the game interesting. Only, who's playing with whom?


did you know: the film came in $2 million below its budget. Co-producer Rhonda Tollefson credits this to Producer Sean Connery's thrifty Scottish ways. Connery drove his own car instead of hiring a driver and flew on commercial planes instead of using private ones so that all the money would show up onscreen.


listen for: "It's impossible. But doable."


extra bonus points: if you can name one piece of information found in Mac's file.


also listen for: "I don't like surprises." "Trust me, there won't be any." "Trust me, there always are surprises."

the ghost and mrs. muir

the year: 1947

the genre: drama


the cast: Gene Tierney (Lucy Muir); Rex Harrison (Capt. Daniel Gregg); George Sanders (Miles Fairley); natalie Wood (Anna Muir)


the plot: Living in a haunted house by the sea is a less frightening prospect for Lucy Muir, a young widow with a small daughter, than continuing to live with her sisters-in-law. At first Captain Gregg (the ghost) plays the same tricks on Lucy he has used to get rid of previous tenants. And while he loves solitude, he soon comes to admire her spunk and to make it possible for her to afford to stay in the house by deciding she will write a best-seller - his memoirs. When Lucy visits a London publisher, she also impresses a famous author of children's books, Miles Fairley. Can a ghost be jealous?


did you know: Bernard Herrmann considered his musical score for this film to have been his best. Herrmann also did the scores for Psycho, North by Northwest and Citizen Kane.


don't miss: Mr. Coombe - realtor.


extra bonus points: if you know what the word "muir" means in Gaelic.


listen for: "You said I should see men." "I said men, not perfumed parlour snakes!"



The trailer can be watched here.