Every Monday, each of us will suggest a film that we feel too few people have seen.
Melissa’s Pick of the Week: Johnny Guitar
Until this film’s recent restoration and release onto glorious Blu-Ray, Johnny Guitar was very difficult to track down. And that’s a pity, because this western is too strange to languish in obscurity for that long. That’s because the sexual politics were incredibly bold for a film of this age and genre. The title is a bit of a misnomer, as Sterling Hayden’s character Johnny really doesn’t have a lot to do with the plot. Instead, the entire film centers around businesswoman Joan Crawford (who spends most of the film in pants and a gun belt) and Mercedes McCambridge (who plays a cattle baron with her own posse). The two women battle each other for control over the town’s future, and gangs of gawking men follow in their wake. How did this get made in 1954?!
Windy’s Pick of the Week: Burlesque
This film falls into the category of “better than it had any right to be.” The musical numbers are absolutely top notch, and the cast is almost uniformly charismatic. Christina Aguilera is charming, and the script isn’t nearly as predictable as you might expect – most notable: characters are surprisingly 3-dimensional (e.g. the “bad guy”). With a cast that includes Stanley Tucci and Kristen Bell, headlined by Cher at her sassy best, this movie delivers on its burlesque premise: titillating, energetic, and best with just a bit of alcohol.
