There are movies... And there are good movies...
And there are flippin' great movies...
...and then there are eyegasms.
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger never made a bad movie in their lives and when they made really good ones they made 'em so good your eyes will pop out of their sockets and dance with delight. I would heartily recommend any of the following films but on Thursday January 12, 2012 TCM is gonna run all three of 'em back-to-back-to-back.
Stay up all night and watch 'em; no reason to go to school or work the next day.
First up is A Matter Of Life And Death (a.k.a. Stairway To Heaven). Can't praise this film enough; one of the most delightful fantasies ever filmed. David Niven is an RAF pilot who should've been killed but survives due to a clerical error in heaven; by the time they get around to rectifying their mistake he's fallen in love & so he sues to get a full life since he otherwise wouldn't have met Kim Hunter!
Next is The Red Shoes, which inspired thousands of young girls (and more than a few boys) to careers in ballet. Blending a fairy tale with a modern story, this is a glorious yet heartbreaking tale.
And capping the evening, Black Narcissus, in which Deborah Kerr & a buncha nuns go to the Himalayas to establish a convent and sLoWlY gO mAd . . .
(And if you think that's all this movie is about, guess again; it's one of the most deliriously captivating dramas you'll ever see!)
Seriously, see these movies. I can't stress that intensely enough.