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Gary Giddins recommended The Third Man (1949) in Movies (curated)

 
The Third Man (1949)
The Third Man (1949)
1949 | Thriller
8.0 (9 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"“In what ca-TEG-ory would you put Mr. James Joyce?” Or, for that matter, this film? Among other things, I’d call it the best gangster picture ever made. Orson Welles got the most mileage from it (including a radio spin-off that recast the swinish Harry Lime as a good-natured rogue), a renown I find difficult to fathom, given the superb ensemble work by Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard, Alida Valli, Bernard Lee, Wilfred Hyde-White, and a doctor who pronounces his name VINK-el. Carol Reed’s direction makes the most of every incident, and the whole package is tied up with one of the best musical scores ever."

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Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
1975 | Comedy

"I grew up mostly not having cable. Consequently, I watched a lot of reruns of British comedies that ended up on our local PBS station in Iowa: Are You Being Served, Red Dwarf, and Doctor Who, to name but a few. This educated me on the intricacies of British humor. [Holy Grail] is the funniest film I’ve ever seen, hands down. Irreverent, absolutely silly, witty, and smart. Plus, it’s set in Medieval times, which, as you can see from my first pick is also a sweet spot for me. If you don’t like this movie, we may not be able to be the best of friends."

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Brain on Fire (2016)
Brain on Fire (2016)
2016 | Drama
Casting, true story (0 more)
A look at mental health and wrongful diagnosis
Contains spoilers, click to show
Susannah Callahan, (played by Chloe Moretz). Becomes increasingly plagued by visions and voices in her head, as time goes on she becomes paranoid and violent also suffering seizures and tantrum like behaviour.
Locked away for everyone's safety as she is thought to have serious psychosis, she becomes catatonic.
A doctor who specialises in brain disorders comes along after a length of time and spots the wrongful diagnosis and that this young woman has a rare form of encephalitis.
Explained as one side of her brain being on fire.
This is well done and thoughtfully played around some difficult issues.
  
The Story of Doctor Dolittle (Doctor Dolittle, #1)
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"The first book that really made an impression was The Story of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofting. An English country doctor who lived in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh who was taught how to speak to animals by his parrot, Polynesia. His amazing household ranging from Jip, the dog and Whitey the white mouse to Dab Dab the duck who took over as housekeeper when the Doctor’s sister left in a huff because he would have animals in the house and she found mice nesting in her linen cupboard…Mum got it for me from the library – we could not afford new books. I read it at least twice before it had to go back. In fact I loved it so much that Danny (my grandmother, with whom Mum, my sister Judy and I went to live after war broke out and my father joined up in the army) gave it to me as a great treat for Christmas, 1944. It was one of the most exciting presents I remember – my very own book!"

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