Hello! I know it’s not Monday any more, but Monday disappeared into the abyss of work, sushi, and dancing. So, I had a long blog weekend. I’m back today to share with you this edition of Movie Monday, kicking off a week full of fun posts.

The Thomas Crown Affair may be a’90s movie starring Pierce Brosnan in his hunky years (which entails his whole life. Who am I kidding?!), but before that, it was a fashionable ’60s film starring a couple of the decade’s sexiest people- Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. And if you don’t think they’re that sexy (I was arguing about this with some of my friends), just watch the famous chess scene, or any scene with the two of them, and you will completely understand.

Shot in the late ’60s, director Norman Jewison employs an experimental style including some “artsy” split-screen montages, unique camera angles, and memorable moments that center around actions much more than dialoge. It’s a fashionable, romantic romp full of warm, sensuous colors and sophisticated characters.

If you’re looking for a good date night film with content both sexes can appreciate, this is it. The plot* revolves around the bank heist, planned by already-millionaire Thomas Crown, which was so well executed that a specialist is hired to get the man who pulled the job. And get him she did- romantically speaking. If you ask me, the movie is more about chemistry than about bank heists.

The famous scene in which McQueen and Dunaway seduce one another (Dunaway doing the majority of the flirting) is one of the most epic romantic scenes in Hollywood history. The scene includes quite a few lingering close-ups, capturing the intimacy of the moment, and other unique camera angles. It’s pretty fun to watch!

*The 1999 version of The Thomas Crown affair explores the heist plot further than the 1968 version, but exercises less restraint.

I’ve got quite the reputation in my family as one who selects movies based on their substance and ability to provoke thought after the credits have rolled. If you’re anything like me, and you get the hankering to watch something that’s more than just a lot of fluff, The Children’s Hour is a great way to pass 107 minutes of your life.

The movie begins with a piano recital at an up-and-coming girl’s school, run by two childhood friends who have worked hard to make thier dreams come true. Everything seems to be going well. A marriage is in the works, the school is finally in the black, and the dead-weight aunt they employed is leaving for New York. Things couldn’t be better. That is, until a trouble making little girl starts spreading rumors about the sexual relations between the two head mistresses.

Shirley MacLaine has been a well respected actress through the decades, but it seems that Audrey Hepburn is often the one who receives a bad rap as far as her acting chops go. I’ve been to blame for this myself. In fact, I’m one of those rare old-movie-buffs who doesn’t much like Breakfast at Tiffany’s. But The Children’s Hour proves that Ms. Hepburn was more than just a pretty face and well-bred lady. The subtleties of her character’s evolution throughout the movie are spectacular. It’s the kind of performance you don’t mind watching again and again (bratty children’s hysterics aside).

This film could be discounted from its impact as a piece of art and instead turned into a just great lesson on the negative impact of gossip and social acceptance of certain alternative lifestyles. However, the framework of the story, symbolism throughout, and complex character development is something you don’t see much of in films from this decade. For me, I enjoyed The Children’s Hour as a substance filled quality work of art.

How much do I love Woody Allen? Do we really want to have this five hour (plus) conversation? Well, first of all, I completely am in love with and relate to to his avid love of literature and classic film, which are both very apparent in any one of his movies. Either his characters discuss or are can be seen immersing themselves in the arts, or he pays subtle homage to some of my favorite directors and writers in the screenplay or directing of most of his own films. Also, humor. Humor in the every day. The realistic banter and usualy normal circumstances from which he weaves simple plots have meaning and leave me spellbound. I like to think my own simple life somewhat reflects the essence of a variety of Woody Allen movies. And with that somewhat obnoxious statement, I will tell you why I love Annie Hall.

To me, Annie Hall speaks mostly about the cycle of life and relationships. The joy of encountering another soul, the sorrow of losing them, and then becoming lost in your own contrived misery and nostalgia for a bit before settling into the realization that it all is simply the essence of life. Life is a series of experiences, and the most meaningful ones are those that involve wonderful people with whom you can pour into one another’s lives in significant ways.

The timing of the movie jumps around quite a bit, as really the whole plot exists in the mind of Woody Allen’s character, Alvy, who has just broken up with Annie Hall, and is, at the beginning of the movie, wrapped up in the comtemplative period which so frequently follows the end of a very life altering relationship. The movie is a bit fantastical, in that the characters randomly will talk to strangers on the street about their feelings, hopes, and fears (encounters which are actually only happening in the character’s mind), and also, there are moments when a character will turn and talk to the camera, or even sometimes what they are really thinking is written in captions at the bottom of the screen. To me, these silly moments are a just another delightful addition of Woody Allen humor that I love so much.

You might be wondering why I haven’t really discussed the storyline of this movie. And really, I guess I haven’t beacuse I don’t think it’s very relevant. It didn’t impact the my opinion about the movie at all. You just really have to love the character of Alvy, or I suppose the movie won’t work for you. And if you love Woody Allen at least a little bit, you will like Alvy. Believe me. Oh, and if you don’t like Woody Allen, you might want to watch this movie for the great (and famous) Allen quotes or the chic ’70s fashion inspiration- complete with ground-breaking bohemian menswear fashion introduced by Diane Keaton’s character, and the movie’s nakesake, Annie Hall. La dee dah. What a gal.