The Kid

Considered one of Charlie Chaplin’s best films, The Kid also made a star of little Jackie Coogan, who plays a boy cared for by The Tramp when he’s abandoned by his mother, Edna (Edna Purviance). Later, Edna has a change of heart and aches to be reunited with her son. When she finds him and wrests him from The Tramp, it makes for what turns out be one of the most heart-wrenching scenes ever included in a comedy. Chaplin also directs.

Matt
Rating: 10 out of 10

This charming and endearing film made our list of Greatest Movies Ever Made, and for very good reason.

This is nothing short of a masterpiece, and while some argue it’s not Chaplin’s best film, it’s still a brilliant piece of film making. And this isn’t a film snob talking. I think anyone would appreciate this motion picture, even after it first showed in theaters more than 90 years  ago.

Chaplin wove a charming story of The Tramp and a small boy for whom he cares. They’re little grifters who steal and cheat to get by in a very impoverished world. The two obviously care a great deal for one another, and though no words are ever spoken out loud, the performances are phenomenal.

Chaplin was a once-in-a-generation talent, and “The Kid” is a wonderful example of his gift for storytelling and acting.

The Champ (1931)

Andy Purcell (Wallace Beery) is a washed-up, boozy boxer and compulsive gambler who travels from bout to bout with his adoring son, Dink (Jackie Cooper), in tow. But when Andy lands in a Tijuana jail, he realizes Dink’s welfare is at stake and sends him to live with his mother (Irene Rich). For his tour-de-force performance in the title role, Beery walked away with the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Matt
Rating: 8 out of 10

This is a film from 1931, and while some of the language and culture doesn’t translate, the excellent performances and storyline endure.

We’re given a familiar character in today’s films, a former champ, now aging, a drinker who tries to be a good father but repeatedly fails. It reminds me of Ricky “The Ram” in the masterpiece “The Wrestler.” We follow The Champ as he faulters, all while his adoring son, who idolizes, watches and cares for him no matter the lousy situation he’s put in, supports him through it all.

Wallace Beery delivers the definition of an understated performance, and the film is held together by the performance of his son, played with skill beyond his very young years by Jackie Cooper. While some things come off a bit corny, like people saying, “Gee wiz,” it’s easy to overlook. There’s a couple of timeline disconnections you couldn’t get away with today, but this film is a charmer with grit, real drama and characters you root for — despite their faults.

The Red Shoes

Fledgling ballerina Victoria (Moira Shearer) falls in love with brilliant composer Julian (Marius Goring) while they collaborate on a ballet that makes her a star. But overbearing company owner Boris (Anton Walbrook), jealous of their love, fires Julian and forbids Victoria from performing. Julian and Victoria wed, and his career takes off, but she longs for an opportunity to dance. When Boris makes an offer, she faces a heart wrenching choice.

Lauren
Rating: 8 out of 10

Roger Ebert tweeted that “The Red Shoes” was going to be on Turner Classic Movies and everyone must see it. So, if I must, I must. I DVRed it and every few days would look at the two-and-a-half-hour run time and think … tomorrow. Finally tomorrow came and I realized it wasn’t really two and a half hours, there were bumpers by Robert Osborne that ate up at least a half hour. Plus, as soon as it started I was hooked.

Set mostly on the stage and mostly in London it is perfect. A young composer and a young ballerina, both looking for stardom, work their way up to the top in a famous, driven ballet producer’s company.

When they perform “The Red Shoes” for the first time I was thinking how the special effects, although dated now, must have been amazing in 1948. The red ballet slippers appear on the ballerinas feet instantly, I know! amazing.

Although the dancing is beautiful it’s not really until the two young stars fall in love and the producer tries to put an end to it that the movie gets great. But it does get great. Thanks Roger.

Harry and Tonto

Ripping a page from John Steinbeck’s novel Travels with Charley, this bittersweet comedy follows an old codger named Harry (Art Carney) as he takes a cross-country trip with his cat, Tonto, as a companion. The film, which earned TV comedy veteran Carney a well-deserved best actor Academy Award, also features Ellen Burstyn, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Larry Hagman, Josh Mostel and Melanie Mayron. Paul Mazursky directs.

Matt
Rating: 9 out of 10

I’m really surprised this movie doesn’t have a bigger following. It’s truly timeless and deals with themes like broken family, love lost, aging, and the major changes in life — the ones that get us as lost as we need to,  so that when we find ourselves again, we are refreshed.

This takes Harry, played masterfully in an understated and precise role by Carney, on an absurd journey. In the hands of another actor, this could have been considered obsurb. But Carney’s delivery is so believable that we never question the present. It reminded me of “Forest Gump” in that respect — Tom Hanks was so good in the role, we never cared that he could run across America and back, then back again, win an Olympic gold medal, a Congressional Medal of Honor, and be an all-American football star.

Harry’s journey is much simpler, though it does take some emotional, funny and fasinating turns as he and his cat ,Tonto, journey from New York to Chicago and Los Angeles — he hitches a ride with a high-priced hooker, takes in a homeless girl, and ends up in prison for urinating in public. But the movie’s not about the traveling, it’s about the journey.