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Thursday, May 7, 2015

Thursday Movie Picks #43: Work Place Movies




Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share three movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple simple: Each week there is a topic for you to create a list of three movies. Your picks can either be favourites/best, worst, hidden gems, or if you're up to it one of each.For further details visit the series main page here.
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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Work Place Movies

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Before I start with my picks, here are my own criteria as to what are considered to be work place movies: A majority of the story must take place at the work place (office, store or whatever) and a majority of the interactions and relationships are with colleagues.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Does this movie need any introduction? I'm sure just about everyone has seen this right? You don't even have to care about all the fashion stuff. After all it is just about a young woman trying to find her footing in the working world, starting out in a publication she doesn't quite care for at first and becoming subordinate to one of those demanding scary bosses that constantly gives that look of annoyance and disappointment over everyone supposed incompetence.

Empire Records (1995)
Are there anymore record stores out there or have they all pretty much died out by now? Empire Records takes place mostly over a day at the store as its dedicated employees scramble to try and save the store. I sort of love this movie because of the 90s and the record store nostalgia. I used to think working at a record/video/book store would be fun because you'd be surrounded by other individuals who are interested in the same things, well at least that's what movies and TV tell you right? Wrong; most don't know anything about what they're trying to sell beyond how many copies they have in stock because everyone's just there to get by.

Morning Glory (2010)
I found this to quite a charming drama/comedy. Rachel McAdams plays a young television producer hired to produce a struggling morning show. Morale in her new team is very low due to ratings pressure and her job is made more challenging by hosts that just don't get along putting a dark cloud over the morning show. Don't worry all is well by the end, and it interesting to see all the wrangling done to have that chirpy perky show every morning.

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 So that's it...my three picks. What three movies made your list today?

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19 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 7, 2015 at 12:35 AM

    All three of these are great picks! I almost went with Devil Wears Prada myself. I have a feeling that will have a big showing tomorrow.

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  2. UnknownMay 7, 2015 at 6:57 AM

    I haven't seen any of these movies, but this is a great topic. :-)

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    1. WandererMay 13, 2015 at 5:00 PM

      Not even The Devil Wears Prada? It's a good comedy.

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  3. DellMay 7, 2015 at 7:31 AM

    Oh man! So happy to see Empire Records. Really enjoyed that movie. Not the biggest fan of The Devil Wears Prada, but Streep was amazing in it. Haven't seen your last pick. Great choices!

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  4. Big Screen Small WordsMay 7, 2015 at 7:36 AM

    Great picks! Enjoyed Devil Wears Prada and Morning Glory, haven't seen Empire Records.

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  5. joel65913May 7, 2015 at 11:38 AM

    I like all three of your choices. Morning Glory is paper thin but helped mightily by the three main stars. Streep powers Prada but Emily Blunt is also terrific as Hathaway's competitor. Empire Records is full of nostalgia for the sadly vanished record stores and full of recognizable faces. Having worked in a book store, that also sold music, I can only agree halfway with your assessment that no one knew anything about the merchandise. We had some employees who weren't readers but mostly everybody had some style of writing they were interested in and were able to talk to the customers about. Perhaps it depends on who does the hiring, my boss didn't disqualify anyone because they weren't regular readers but she leaned heavily towards those that did if a decision had to be made between two possible hires.

    My three for the week:

    Soapdish (1991)-It's high time for hilarity on the set of "The Sun Also Sets". Taking place mostly in the offices and sets of the soap with a cast that any show would kill for this shows the day by day insanity that sometimes goes on behind the scenes. Kevin Kline, Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Shue, Robert Downey, Jr., Carrie Fisher, Kathy Najimy and Teri Hatcher are all brilliant in parts large and small but the two true standouts are Sally Field as Celeste Talbert, the rapidly unspooling America's Sweetheart and Cathy Moriarty as grasping diva Montana Moorehead, she's positively unhinged.

    Desk Set (1957)-Tracy & Hepburn comedy set right at the dawn of the computer age. Kate is the head of a reference department for TV network when efficiency expert Spencer shows up with a proposal to install an electronic brain, as computers were referred to at the time, it takes up an entire room!. They spar and do the dance they do so well as they circle each other. One of their best with a delightful, peppery performance by Joan Blondell in support.

    Executive Suite (1954)-When the head of a large furniture manufacturing firm dies suddenly his vice-presidents scramble to see who will assume the presidency. A sharp drama of corporate maneuvering with an all-star cast including William Holden, Fredric March, June Allyson, Shelley Winters and Barbara Stanwyck.

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    1. WandererMay 13, 2015 at 5:15 PM

      Well I didn't say all, there are always a handful of staff that do know their stuff well. Once saw, a few years ago, a staff at a record store looked blankly at a customer when asked if they had stock of the new album by a very very popular 80's singer. You could see the name of the singer doesn't register at all in the staff's mind. You don't really have to interest in something to know at least just by name some of the big names in a genre. Anyway...I digress...hey do you use to work for Borders?

      As usual, I haven't seen your picks. Just haven't been watching a lot of the older stuff...they are much harder to find.

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    2. joel65913May 13, 2015 at 10:46 PM

      Well it was the Waldenbooks arm of Borders until they made the mistake of blending the two together. I have also been in stores and gotten the blank look, it's both frustrating and incredible that someone could work somewhere and be so disconnected from what they are there to sell.

      It is tougher to find some of the older titles but Soapdish is from around the same time as Empire Records so should be more accessible hopefully. Also because of the pair’s fame most of the Tracy & Hepburn titles are usually available or they get shown more. I’ve found so many new titles through the series and I love older films so I try and highlight them if they fit the theme for variety’s sake and so that they might be discovered by the curious.

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  6. Brittani BurnhamMay 7, 2015 at 7:40 PM

    Great picks! I love Devil Wears Prada and Empire Records. I've always been annoyed that Renee Zellwegger singing SugarHigh was never released on the official soundtrack. I haven't seen morning glory.

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  7. AnonymousMay 7, 2015 at 9:38 PM

    Love love love Empire Records!

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  8. .May 7, 2015 at 10:06 PM

    Empire Records is the only one I haven't seen in your picks, but it's been on my to watch list for a while now.

    I haven't seen The Devil Wears Prada in it's entirety for a few years now because I was one of the many people put off with Anne Hathaway before and after her Oscar win, but I used to watch the movie all of the time. It was a favorite... ):

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    1. WandererMay 13, 2015 at 5:20 PM

      Really?..I think she's alright...she wasn't like one those that hog the limelight was she?

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  9. MyerlaMay 7, 2015 at 11:08 PM

    Haven't seen any of your picks. I'm guessing Ford plays the grumpy role in Morning Glory and does it well? He looks convincingly grumpy in the poster.

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    1. WandererMay 13, 2015 at 5:21 PM

      Haha yes...he's typrecast as those a lot.

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  10. DanielMay 8, 2015 at 4:20 AM

    LOVE Devil Wears Prada, really liked Morning Glory (totally underappreciated), and honestly don't recall Empire Records all that much - I saw it so long ago!

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    1. WandererMay 13, 2015 at 5:22 PM

      I know right! Morning Glory is a nice light fun watch.

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  11. Katie HoganMay 9, 2015 at 6:09 AM

    Love Empire Records, such a great store, its stands on its own. As you said, its about the nostalgia, the records, the music. I know of one record store near me, still going strong, so maybe theres hope.

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    1. WandererMay 13, 2015 at 5:24 PM

      I think if they have a niche, they'd survive. Nowadays it is the independent stores that have a better chance of staying alive and its the chain stores that are being eaten by the online stores.

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