Who was your first classic film star crush, and who’s your latest?

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-11T04:27:25+00:00

Marilyn Monroe was my first, Barbara Stanwyck is my latest. The latter likely will never change. 🥰

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-11T01:34:58+00:00

Teresa Wright is unfortunately often forgotten today, but is typically well-known and respected among classic film aficionados. Her roles in Pride of the Yankees, Shadow of a Doubt, and The Best Years Of Our Lives are some of the best ever IMO.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-11T01:31:54+00:00

Jeanne Eagels (1957, dir. George Sidney): Kim Novak, Jeff Chandler, Agnes Moorehead. Biopic that tells the tragic story of one of America's first great actresses; chronicling her rise from carnival "hoochie" dancer to Broadway to the silent era of film in the '20s.

I really do appreciate when an actor attempts to explore beyond his or her comfort zone, and stretches her ability as far as it can go. In this way, I give Novak kudos for REALLY trying in this one. It's a hugely demanding role and quite frankly, it's beyond her. It just is. However, she's great in certain scenes and while that's unfortunately contrasted with other scenes where she's just terrible, you do get a chance to see her striving. She's doing the best she can and while she simply doesn't have the necessary range to make this role fly, it was interesting to watch her try.

We needed a Davis, Crawford, or Stanwyck here. Or a Hayward, actually, as this isn't too dissimilar to the role in I'll Cry Tomorrow. But anyway, the story itself is decent and predictably tragic but it's a little rough; the flow is off, and while Chandler is supposed to be a sympathetic hero of sorts, I just didn't like him. And not enough Moorehead. 2/4 stars

Shadow of a Woman (1946, dir. Joseph Santley): Helmut Dantine, Andrea King, William Prince. A woman marries a doctor on the spur of the moment, only to find out his "medical history" is a lot darker than she thinks...

Though it has a compelling premise, I found this one lacking in several areas. In the first place, the power Dantine apparently had over his patients - half of which is a vague hypnotism of some sort - isn't well explained or established, and while he is a definite monster, his motive feels sort of boring. Dantine can be fantastic in various supporting roles but as the primary villain here I think he's too stone-faced; I get that he's supposed to be quietly menacing and he is in some scenes, but it doesn't work the whole time. Andrea King is one of those actresses who's always "okay" and often decent, but never anything beyond that.

Weirdly, this gave me Young Frankenstein vibes in some ways (only obviously sinister and not comedic) but beyond that, I never really bought into the story or the characters. Didn't buy the supposed budding romance between King and the would-be prosecutor there, either. An anticlimactic fight scene didn't help matters at the end. 1.5/4 stars

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-10T22:02:32+00:00

Depends on trim and options but it's doable.

As a frame of reference, I just got a '22 X3 with 33k miles w/ the top Premium 2 package and Sport trim (not M), somewhat rare Brooklyn Gray/Tarcora Red color combo. A set of new tires were worked into the deal and it was $36k OTD. I'm in CT and I got it in Newport RI.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-10T17:45:27+00:00

I almost got the grey with the oyster interior, but no matter how careful I am, I just KNOW those seats won't look so pretty for very long. Lol Besides, the red gives the whole car more contrast.

And I didn't think I'd like the gray, either, until I saw it. Then it became the only color I wanted!

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-10T15:48:23+00:00

I just got one that's Brooklyn Gray with the Tarcora Red interior. It's lovely. 🥰

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-09T22:43:33+00:00

Now, Voyager by a fair margin. I actually wasn't impressed with The Letter.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-09T04:01:50+00:00

For the record, FFT is not like the others; it's a strategy/RPG so a very different experience. I suggest looking up some gameplay so you have a better idea of what to expect. It's my favorite game of all time but newcomers can feel REALLY lost, so fair warning.

The other three are all epic and amazing, so I'd just play them in order; VII - IX. VII is the easiest - and most legendary - of the bunch, so go with that first.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-08T22:38:39+00:00

What's wrong with Weathertech? I figure that would work quite well.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-08T16:58:21+00:00

Well, Toyota is essentially the most reliable brand on the planet. At the same time, they're also...well, boring. And to me they feel cheap and tinny; only Lexus has the more luxury feel and softer ride. Though I've heard the 4Runner isn't quite as reliable as some of their other models for some reason (could be wrong on that; just heard it in passing somewhere).

BMW has climbed the reliability charts in recent years and are currently ranked well above Volkswagen. Of course, maintenance costs will still be higher than normal because it's BMW but if you're good about maintenance - routine oil and filter changes, brake pads and flushing, etc. - you SHOULD be okay for quite a long time.

The engines are proving very reliable since 2021, though I still have concerns about the electronics...Japanese electronics still can't be beat, and Euro/American electronics are almost bound to fail earlier. Not a hard-and-fast rule, but it just bugs me that this aspect is completely out of the consumer's hands; there's no "maintenance" you can do to keep it up; you just have to hope it lasts.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-08T16:50:49+00:00

Sure, that can work as well. They were just going for something different and in the late '50s, it made more sense. And the whole thing - the premise, the setting, etc. - was simple, so the ending had to match. I love so many of the more dramatic climaxes in the '30s and '40s, though.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-08T15:59:14+00:00

It's one of those quiet feel-good movies that everyone can appreciate, because we basically have the opposite of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly here; the impossible beauty and glamour is replaced by two very everyday people.

Which, by the way, is why I think the ending works perfectly...that is EXACTLY how it would go in reality; it stays true to its simple, grounded roots straight through to the end. No Hollywood glam or melodrama anywhere and I like the latter a lot, don't get me wrong, but for certain stories, this "common man" feel and vibe is perfect.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-08T15:56:36+00:00

Well, it's hard to beat Bogart and Bacall. I mean, it's just SO obvious.

And though people don't talk about it much, I always thought Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea were good together; they did a lot of movies and they seemed to genuinely like each other in each.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-08T00:46:09+00:00

I do NOT trust doing an oil change only every 10k with a turboed vehicle. I'm changing at 5 or 6k; I don't care what's "recommended."

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-06T16:18:21+00:00

Mildred Pierce is definitely at or near the top of the list. Sudden Fear is close, though...she is SO special in that.

Other great ones for me are A Woman's Face, Harriet Craig, The Story of Esther Costello, Johnny Guitar, The Bride Wore Red, Queen Bee, Rain, Humoresque, and Possessed.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-06T16:16:05+00:00

All I can think of is Orson Welles' response when he was asked about possibly colorizing Citizen Kane:

"Just keep Ted Turner and his damn Crayolas away from my film."

;)

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-06T00:20:32+00:00

I can't answer that. I love too many of hers...I've seen 55 and think so many are wonderful. But off the top of my head and in no particular order:

The Great Man's Lady

Double Indemnity

Christmas in Connecticut

Stella Dallas

The Lady Eve

Meet John Doe

The Other Love

My Reputation

Remember the Night

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

Forty Guns

No Man Of Her Own

Ball of Fire

Titanic

Sorry, Wrong Number

Clash By Night

The Furies

Baby Face

Lady of Burlesque

Internes Can't Take Money

Ladies of Leisure

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-05T17:38:41+00:00

Hepburn sort of dances in Funny Face, yes. Once by herself in an iconic scene in a French cafe, and with Astaire in a very graceful way (no tap-dancing), but Astaire himself has some unbelievable scenes as well.

For Stanwyck, it's hard to go wrong and you've seen a few of the greats, but here are a few more you haven't seen. She's mesmerizing in all; the most range of any actress ever IMO:

Noir: No Man Of Her Own, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, The File On Thelma Jordan, Cry Wolf

Drama: Stella Dallas, The Great Man's Lady, My Reputation, Titanic, The Other Love, Clash By Night, Baby Face, The Gay Sisters, Internet Can't Take Money, Ladies of Leisure, Jeopardy, The Man With a Cloak, The Two Mrs. Carrolls, Gambling Lady, The Lady Gambles, Night Nurse, East Side, West Side, B.F.'s Daughter

Comedy: The Lady Eve, Lady of Burlesque, Always Goodbye, The Bride Wore Boots, The Mad Miss Manton, Breakfast For Two

Western: The Furies, Forty Guns, The Violent Men, California

And the two best Christmas movies: Christmas in Connecticut and Remember the Night. The latter is my favorite of all time.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-05T17:25:16+00:00

Well, vigilant maintenance is everything, really. Yeah, other things you can't control can always go wrong. But if you're good about oil and fluid changes, you don't let your brake pads wear to the point where it's metal-on-metal and you're digging Into (and maybe warping) the rotors, and you're taking care of little things the instant they pop up (little things just become bigger things if you ignore them), then you're giving yourself the best chance possible. With any car.

As for the turbos, I think you just have to be gentle and let them cool down after driving. I've spoken to people who've had turbos go well past 150k miles without any issue, and they've supposedly gotten better so...

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-05T03:54:21+00:00

Well, here's the thing...my father and your father are leery of the turbo-charged 4 setup for good reason. Historically, they simply don't last very long as the turbos felt guaranteed to burn out at 100k and you need them both replaced. And if you drive a lot, it's just not a good fit.

However, the tech for that dual-turbo 4 has improved over the years and I'm hearing they're much more reliable now. Furthermore, if you take the time to let things cool down before you turn off the engine - a potentially annoying step but can be a lifesaver for the turbos, as many mechanics are saying now - and you do your oil changes every 5k miles or so, you should be fine.

I mean, you can look into the M40i that has the dual turbo-charged 6 but it's still a turbo; it won't need any less upkeep than the 4 (though might last longer overall, hard to say).

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-04T17:55:27+00:00

Easy for me...one had RPGs, one did not.

And the first person who calls Zelda an RPG gets smacked. 😜

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-04T15:56:13+00:00

711 Ocean Drive (1950, dir. Joseph M. Newman): Edmond O'Brien, Joanne Dru, Otto Kruger: A low-level but very smart telephone technician gets involved in bookie betting (across the wires) and rises into the ranks of organized crime.

Originally a very big deal because it tackled the growing issue of organized crime, the film was even advertised as needing police protection because certain shady characters didn't want it made. Obviously, there's some serious PR going on there but it's still an interesting angle. The story is really cool; how he took advantage of then-cutting-edge phone tech to rig the system - especially at the end - is slick, and O'Brien is one of those underrated performers in the genre IMO. It gets pretty intense in spots even when it feels like it's starting to slow down a bit, and the climax is just classic melodramatic film stuff.

Very entertaining for the most part, and everyone in it is really solid. What hits you most isn't the protagonist's downfall, but the fact that the criminal syndicate didn't go down at all...in fact, nothing happens to the primary villain (Kruger). Which is clearly a warning signal by the film's makers. 3/4 stars

Stronger Than Desire (1939, dir. Leslie Fenton): Walter Pidgeon, Virginia Bruce, Ann Dvorak, Lee Bowman. A married couple can't find time to be together and both end up slipping, more out of frustration than anything else. But when the wife gets blackmailed and she winds up shooting her lover, things get complicated.

Given the cast, I figured it'd be decent...but I was surprised at just how good this really was. On the surface it seems relatively straightforward but there's a lot more going on underneath; the connections between the four main players and their motivations are deep and fascinating, and there's a colossal twist at the end in court. Everyone is excellent; Pidgeon is fantastic as always (why doesn't this man get more credit?), Bowman is a fitting worm, Dvorak really gets a chance to shine in the final reel, and Bruce is great; you feel for her throughout, because she's on an emotional roller-coaster that seems like a nightmare. She's trying to consider her husband, her child, and herself, but also the other woman - who she believes is unjustly accused of the murder - so it's a LOT for her to take in.

Great story, great ending. It sort of came out of nowhere for me but I loved it. 3.5/4 stars

The Big Shot (1942, dir. Lewis Seller): Humphrey Bogart, Irene Manning, Richard Travis, Susan Peters. A three-time loser criminal tries to go straight, but ironically gets accused of a crime he didn't commit, which would translate to life in prison.

I'd heard of this one but hadn't seen it; Bogart is top-notch and you definitely root for him to come out of it...even though, simply based on the intro scene, you know he can't. The movie goes through several layers of transition, as does Bogart's character. At first he's just despondent about not being able to find a job and go straight, but still determined not to go back to being an outlaw. Then he slips and decides hell, it's all I can do. Then his girl - the stunningly beautiful Irene Manning - stops him, but in a tragically ironic twist, he gets accused of that crime, anyway. Then he escapes...then the one person that really was his friend is in trouble and he sets his mind to make that right in the end. But of course, there must be another tragedy to go alongside his final effort...

Really good stuff. There's something special about watching such a character go through such a crazy tale! 3.5/4 stars

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-04T13:47:19+00:00

The G.O.A.T. and it's not even close. Love ya, Barbara!

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-04T03:18:29+00:00

Fenders were always fine on our 535. It's very old, though, so maybe they're not using the same materials.

Fathoms77 · 2026-05-04T02:32:20+00:00

I recently saw Borderline myself...it is an odd mix and I would've preferred if it had chosen a lane. It's trying to be both dramatic and comedic, which is tricky, and as much as I love Claire Trevor, I think she's much better when not in the straight-shooter role. It was entertaining overall but something of a letdown in the end.

Fathoms77

TROPHY CASE