Favorite Films Set in the 1950s

Below is a list of my favorite movies set in the decade of the 1950s: 


FAVORITE FILMS SET IN THE 1950s



1. L.A. Confidential (1997) - Curtis Hanson directed this outstanding adaptation of James Ellroy's 1990 novel about three Los Angeles police detectives drawn into a case involving a diner massacre. Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pierce and Oscar winner Kim Basinger starred.





2. "Grease" (1978) - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John starred in this entertaining adaptation of the 1971 Broadway musical about a pair of teenage star-crossed lovers in the 1950s. Randal Kleiser directed.





3. "The Godfather, Part II" (1974) - Francis Ford Coppola directed his Oscar winning sequel to the 1972 Oscar winning adaptation of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel. Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall and Oscar winner Robert De Niro starred.





4. "Quiz Show" (1994) - Robert Redford directed this intriguing adaptation of Richard Goodwin's 1968 memoir, "Remembering America: A Voice From the Sixties", about the game show scandals of the late 1950s. Ralph Fiennes, Rob Morrow and John Tuturro starred.





5. "The Mirror Crack'd (1980) - Angela Landsbury starred as Miss Jane Marple in this adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1962 novel. Directed by Guy Hamilton, the movie also starred Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and Edward Fox.





6. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls" (2008) - Harrison Ford returned for the fourth time as Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones in this adventurous tale in which he is drawn into the search for artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie was produced by him and George Lucas.





7. "Champagne For One: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001)" - Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin starred as Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe in this television adaptation of Rex Stout's 1958 novel. The two-part movie was part of A&E Channel's "A NERO WOLFE MYSTERY" series.





8. "Hollywoodland" (2006) - Adrien Brody, Diane Lane and Ben Affleck starred in this intriguing tale about a private detective's investigation into the life and death of actor George Reeves. Allen Coulter directed.





9. "My Week With Marilyn" (2011) - Oscar nominee Michelle Williams starred as Marilyn Monroe in this adaptation of Colin Clark's two books about his brief relationship with the actress. Directed by Simon Curtis, the movie co-starred Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh and Eddie Redmayne as Clark.





10. "Boycott" (2001) - Jeffrey Wright starred as Dr. Martin Luther King in this television adaptation of Stewart Burns' book, "Daybreak of Freedom", about the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. Directed by Clark Johnson, the movie co-starred Terrence Howard and C.C.H. Pounder.





Honorable Mention: "Mulholland Falls" (1996) - Nick Nolte starred in this entertaining noir drama about a married Los Angeles Police detective investigating the murder of a high-priced prostitute, with whom he had an affair. The movie was directed by Lee Tamahori.

Favorite D.C. COMICS Moments in Movies and Television

Below is a list of my favorite scenes from various movies and television shows featuring D.C. Comics characters:

FAVORITE D.C. COMICS MOMENTS IN MOVIES AND TELEVISION

1.  "Justice League" (2017)  - Barry Allen aka the Flash tries . . . and fails to save his Justice League colleagues from the paranoia and wrath of an amnesiac and resurrected Clark Kent aka Superman.

2.  "Batman v. Superman:  Dawn of Justice" (2016) - D.C. Comics original trinity - Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman - gather together for the first time in a live action production, when they team up to take down Doomsday, the monster created by Lex Luthor.

3.  "Legends of Tomorrow" (2.07) "Invasion!" (2016) - The Arrowverse heroes gather for a final confrontation against a group of alien invaders known as the Dominators in this crossover event.

4.  "Suicide Squad" (2016) - Chato Santana aka El Diablo confesses the true details about the death of his family to his Suicide Squad colleagues in a bar in this poignant scene.

5.  "Legends of Tomorrow" (2.14) "Moonshot" - Legends member Dr. Martin Stein aka Firestorm I, distracts the Mission Control members at NASA circa 1970 with his rendition of "The Banana Boat Song", while the other half of Firestorm, Jefferson Jackson, work to prevent them from detecting Dr. Ray Palmer aka the Atom from moving the Apollo 13 capsule.

6.  "Superman Returns" (2006) - In a spectacular action sequence, Superman saves both a space shuttle in route to a launching pad and the jet plane conveying it, following a nationwide power outage.

7.  "Wonder Woman" (2017) - A determined Princess Diana of Themyscira aka Wonder Woman leads the charge against a battlefield dubbed as "No Man's Land" in an effort to reach a Belgium town and General Erich Ludendorff, whom she believes is Ares, the God of War.

8.  "Batman v. Superman:  Dawn of Justice" (2016) - Bruce Wayne aka the Batman battles against thugs hired by Lex Luthor in order to save Superman's mother, Martha Kent, from them.

9.  "Man of Steel" (2013) - In this controversial scene, Superman is forced to save a family of humans by killing the last remaining Kryptonian, General Zod.

10.  "Superman:  The Movie" (1978) - Superman makes his first appearance in Metropolis, when he saves Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane after her fall from a damaged helicopter, atop the Planet building.

11.  "Arrow" (5.17) "Kapiushon" (2017) - After being tortured for a while by the villainous Promethus, a distraught Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow finally admits his penchant for killing.

12.  "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (1.12) "All Shook Up" (1994) - While a deadly meteor streaks toward Earth, Jonathan and Martha Kent tries to convince their adoptive son, an amnesiac Clark Kent, that he is Superman.

13.  "Batman v. Superman:  Dawn of Justice" (2016) - Various journalists, commentators and scientists debate in a montage scene about Superman's true nature and goal on Earth.

14.  "The Flash" (3.23) "Finish Line" (2017) - Before a defeated and vindictive Savitar can kill the Flash, the latter's fiancee, Iris West, shoots him dead.

15.  "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (2.18) "Tempus Fugitive" (1995) - The vindictive and sarcastic evil time traveler, Tempus, reveals Superman's true identity to an astonished Lois Lane.

16.  "Batman v. Superman:  Dawn of Justice" (2016) - Clark and Lois enjoy a sexy respite in a bathtub, following a serious discussion over his rescue of her in North Africa.

17.  "Batman" (1989) - Bruce Wayne aka Batman crashes through the glass roof of  Gotham City's Museum of Art in order to save photojournalist Vicky Vale from criminal Jack Napier aka the Joker.

18.  "Legends of Tomorrow" (2.17) "Aruba" (2017) - Before he can kill Legends leader Sara Lance aka White Canary, the villainous speedster Eobard Thawne aka Reverse-Flash is killed by Black Flash, the Speed Force enforcer and former villain Hunter Zolomon aka Zoom.

19.  "Green Hornet" (2011) - Newspaper publisher Bret Reid aka the Green Hornet and his partner Kato are chased along a Los Angeles highway by minions of gangster Benjamin Chudnofsky in order to prevent them from publishing an article exposing a corrupt district attorney in Chudnofsky's pay.

20.  "Gotham" (1.01) "Pilot" (2014) - Rookie police detective James "Jim" Gordon of the corrupt Gotham City Police Department is forced to fake the death of minion Oswald Copperpot aka the Penguin, after being ordered to kill the latter by gangster Carmine Falcone.

Honorable Mention:  "Batman Begins" (2005) - Batman refuses to save the life of his former mentor Henri Ducard aka Ra's al Ghul from a runaway monorail, after foiling the latter's plans to destroy Gotham City.

“Comic Book Movies: Critical Hypocrisy”

"COMIC BOOK MOVIES:  CRITICAL HYPOCRISY"

It just occurred to me that none of Marvel’s Captain America films ended on a happy note.  Yet, they have never been criticized for possessing too much angst or being depressing.  Why?

In “CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER”, Steve Rogers lost his close friend, James “Bucky” Barnes during a mission.  He was forced to crash the HYDRA plane into the cold Atlantic Ocean, where he froze for the next 66 to 67 years.  Because of the crash, his burgeoning relationship with SSR Agent Peggy Carter abruptly ended, with her believing that he had died.  The movie ended with Steve awakening in 2011 New York City as a fish out of water and the world completely changed.

“CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER” was a rather depressing film, if one is completely honest.  The only good thing that came out of it was Steve’s new friendship with Afghnanistan War veteran, Sam Wilson.  Otherwise, the movie featured the downfall of S.H.I.E.L.D., the very agency that his old love Peggy Carter, Howard Stark and Chester Philips had created, caused by a mistake they had made.  And that mistake was the recruitment of former HYDRA scientist, Armin Zola.  Steve discovered that despite the Red Skull’s death, HYDRA still exists and that it had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and the U.S. Senate.  He also discovered that his former best friend Bucky Barnes was not only alive, but also a brainwashed assassin.  Everything had went to shit by the end of film, including Steve’s career with S.H.I.E.L.D.

“CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR” was another depressing film.  It introduced the Sokovia Accords, in which enhanced beings like himself and other members of the Avengers would be forced to register with and regulated by various governments.  The main drive behind the Accords was Bruce Banner aka the Hulk’s former nemesis, Thaddeus Ross, who finally got the opportunity to control a team of enhanced beings.  The ninety-something Peggy Carter finally died.  And the Avengers faced another threat - a Sokovian named Zemo who wanted revenge for the destruction of his country (caused by Tony Stark’s creation of Ultron).  And he used the still brainwashed Bucky Barnes, whose past involved being coerced into murdering Howard and Maria Stark, to get his revenge.  Between the Accords and Zemo, the Avengers suffered a permanent split by the end of the movie.

None of the Captain America movies ended on a happy note and were filled with a great deal of angst.  On the other hand, two of the DCEU movies, “MAN OF STEEL” and “SUICIDE SQUAD” ended on a happier note.   And the latter was filled with a great deal of humor.  Yet, both, along with “BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE”, have been criticized for being “depressing and angst-riddled”.  So, why is it that the DCEU movies have been critized for this and the MCU’s Captain America films have not?  Hypocrisy much?

Favorite Films Set in the 1950s

Below is a list of my favorite movies set in the decade of the 1950s: 


FAVORITE FILMS SET IN THE 1950s



1. L.A. Confidential (1997) - Curtis Hanson directed this outstanding adaptation of James Ellroy's 1990 novel about three Los Angeles police detectives drawn into a case involving a diner massacre. Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pierce and Oscar winner Kim Basinger starred.





2. "Grease" (1978) - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John starred in this entertaining adaptation of the 1971 Broadway musical about a pair of teenage star-crossed lovers in the 1950s. Randal Kleiser directed.





3. "The Godfather, Part II" (1974) - Francis Ford Coppola directed his Oscar winning sequel to the 1972 Oscar winning adaptation of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel. Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall and Oscar winner Robert De Niro starred.





4. "Quiz Show" (1994) - Robert Redford directed this intriguing adaptation of Richard Goodwin's 1968 memoir,"Remembering America: A Voice From the Sixties", about the game show scandals of the late 1950s. Ralph Fiennes, Rob Morrow and John Tuturro starred.





5. "The Mirror Crack'd (1980) - Angela Landsbury starred as Miss Jane Marple in this adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1962 novel. Directed by Guy Hamilton, the movie also starred Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and Edward Fox.





6. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls" (2008) - Harrison Ford returned for the fourth time as Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones in this adventurous tale in which he is drawn into the search for artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie was produced by him and George Lucas.





7. "Champagne For One: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001)" - Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin starred as Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe in this television adaptation of Rex Stout's 1958 novel. The two-part movie was part of A&E Channel's "A NERO WOLFE MYSTERY" series.





8. "Hollywoodland" (2006) - Adrien Brody, Diane Lane and Ben Affleck starred in this intriguing tale about a private detective's investigation into the life and death of actor George Reeves. Allen Coulter.





9. "My Week With Marilyn" (2011) - Oscar nominee Michelle Williams starred as Marilyn Monroe in this adaptation of Colin Clark's two books about his brief relationship with the actress. Directed by Simon Curtis, the movie co-starred Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh and Eddie Redmayne as Clark.





10. "Boycott" (2001) - Jeffrey Wright starred as Dr. Martin Luther King in this television adaptation of Stewart Burns' book,"Daybreak of Freedom", about the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. Directed by Clark Johnson, the movie co-starred Terrence Howard and C.C.H. Pounder.





Honorable Mention: "Mulholland Falls" (1996) - Nick Nolte starred in this entertaining noir drama about a married Los Angeles Police detective investigating the murder of a high-priced prostitute, with whom he had an affair. The movie was directed by Lee Tamahori.