Hump Day Classic Movie: The Great Escape

It's been a long time since I've posted a classic movie rec because I've been busily "binge" watching Supernatural. The quotes are because my internet sucks, so I'm binge-ing old school via DVDs. Anyway, I finally got far enough into my queue for some classics to pop back up, and I discovered The Great Escape.

I'm normally not a war movie kind of gal, so it's easy to see how I missed this one. But wowza! That cast! Even if you're not a movie buff, you've likely heard of some of them. Richard Attenborough (Hammond from Jurassic Park), Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, David McCallum (Duckie on NCIS), James Coburn, James Garner, Donald Pleasence (The psychiatrist from Halloween)...

If you're a happy movie only kind of person, this is not the movie for you. There is lots of humor, but there are several sad parts and the ending is not overly optimistic...Of course, it's based on real events, so that is completely to be expected.

My only real issue was how long the movie was. The pacing was excruciating. I'm glad I watched it, though, and if you haven't seen it, you should! 

Hump Day Classic Movie(s):The Blob (1958) and THEM (1954)

Nothing says summer to me like really cheesy 1950s monster movies.  And nothing says monster movie like The Blob and Them!

What could be sillier than a rampaging piece of jello? Perhaps giant ants! Both movies are classics. They each have star power: The Blob stars Steve McQueen and Them! has both James Arness and James Whitmore. And they each have a somewhat silly monster.

One of the reasons I loved the Dreamworks film, Monsters vs. Aliens, is because of the tongue in cheek references to all of the classic horror films I grew up with. My mom watched them at the drive in when she was little; I watched them at home on VHS. These may seem stupid to younger viewers who have grown up with digital special effects, but there's a charm to these movies that just isn't there in more modern CGI extravaganzas.