6/29/13 A Farewell to Arms, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, 1932
I have not hidden my lack of understanding regarding the Gary Cooper mystique, and after watching A Farewell to Arms, I still don't get it. Although to be fair, once you add Hemingway into the equation, the odds go way down for me to like anything. Maybe my problem is more with Hemingway, but I had my chance with critiquing Papa in high school, so on to the next thing. A Farewell to Arms is set in Italy, and Gary Cooper plays Frederic Henry, and ambulance drive and Helen Hayes as Nurse Catherine Barkley. Frederic and Catherine fall in love after just one evening together. Adolphe Menjou is Major Rinaldi, Frederic's well-meaning, but clueless and interfering friend, who is a doctor at the hospital where Catherine works. Catherine and Frederic are separated by Rinaldi, who does not approve of their relationship, not knowing that Catherine is pregnant. I tried to watch the movie with an open mind, but it was so hard, Catherine starts off as a seemingly independent-minded woman, but she loses that when she is smitten by Frederic's charms, she then becomes needy and lacking common-sense. The only person who seems to have any brains is Ferguson, a fellow nurse, who knows exactly what is going to happen to Catherine at the hands of Frederic. Frederic, to his credit, tries to find Catherine and goes to great lengths, rowing in the rain and dark and deserting his ambulance company, but he just seems clueless. One of the huge problems with this film may be connected to the transfer to DVD, but the sound was horrible (ironic, in that it won an Oscar for Best Sound) and I had to turn the volume on the television to 48 (normal for my bat-like hearing is 20-23), it was like watching tv with my mom. There were no subtitles, so I missed small bits of dialog. The movie also won for Best Cinematography, and there was some some nice use of shadow and light, for what that's worth. The movie was only 87 minutes long, but it seemed like days. It was a milestone though - only 725 movies left on the Academy list through 2012. Small victories.
File this under 'I told you so' - The Fugitive and The Poseidon Adventure
I have decided I am going to create a new sub-sub-genre of movies called 'I told you so' movies; self-evidently, these are movies where any of the characters could say to someone else in the movie 'I told you so' (they usually don't, but I do).
6/29/13 The Fugitive - Best Supporting Actor, 1992
The Fugitive is a little over 20 years old and I think it holds up pretty well. It stars Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble who is accused of killing his wife, and Tommy Lee Jones as U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (for which he won the Best Supporting Actor). To me it works best if you don't really think about it too much, I mean when Kimble jumps off a huge dam, and comes out barely scathed, I mean, really? Like I said, don't think too hard. The movie is based on the TV show from the 1960s, which in turn was loosely based on the Sam Sheppard case from Cleveland in the 1950s (see how shamelessly I slip in a Cleveland reference?). Kimble, in an early face off with Gerard tells the Marshal that he didn't kill his wife (I told you so moment). The movie follows Kimble as he tries to track down his wife's killer and Gerard as he chases Kimble, conveniently, always just moments behind. It's fun and entertaining, and a fun way to spend a Saturday night (or a rainy Saturday afternoon). It's a movie you can watch with the kids (if you're so inclined) as it's relatively tame regarding violence, sex (none, really) and language. It's also provides a historical reference to what us older folks remember as 'pay phones', and the cars (hardly an SUV in sight). This movie would have been very different if it had cell phones, or even smart phones, and in a post 9/11 world. I love Tommy Lee Jones, I think he's wonderful, but looking at the other nominees this year for Best Supporting Actor, I am not really so sure he should have won. Pete Postlethwaite who was incredible in the powerful film In the Name of the Father, Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List and Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, were all deserving, I didn't see John Malkovich in In the Line of Fire (my vote would be split between Fiennes and Postlethwaite). And, after just looking at the movies from this year, how the hell did Denzel Washington NOT get nominated for something for his role in Philadelphia? Anyway, rant over. Maybe this makes up for Tommy Lee Jones not winning for his role in Lincoln.
6/29/13 The Poseidon Adventure - Best Original Song, Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects, 1972
If you plan on a cruise in the near future, you may want to skip this movie, but if you are a fan of the disaster movies of the 1970s (Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, any of the Airport movies) then you will love this. It was done by the king of disaster films, Irwin Allen. The movie has a fabulous cast (typical of the genre) including Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Jack Albertson (maybe best known for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the TV series, Chico and the Man), Roddy McDowell and others. The S.S. Poseidon is on her last voyage, headed toward Europe on New Year's Eve and there have been pretty rough seas. Apparently before the movie begins, a representative of the ship's owners made some decisions that may have compromised the safety of the ship (this is your first I told you so moment). The ship is flipped over by waves resulting from an undersea earthquake, and when I say flipped I really mean flipped over upside down. Gene Hackman plays Reverend Scott who it seems has been banished for his radical theology, which seems to combine a type of manifest destiny with a heavy dose of free will (versus predetermination), and he leads a group of passengers to the 'top' of the ship against the orders of the purser. He butts heads with Mike Rogo, a police detective played by Ernest Borgnine, as they argue and debate about the best thing to do. Eventually Scott convinces this smaller group to go up and try to find the thinnest part of the ship to escape. The other passengers are reluctant to follow and decide to wait to be rescued (I told you so). Jack Albertson and Shelley Winters (who was nominated for another Best Supporting Actress award but lost to Eileen Heckart in Butterflies are Free, which I have not yet seen) play a married couple going to see their grandson in Israel. I enjoyed watching the two of them act together and the she is a wonderful bubby (grandmother), delivering some great self-deprecating lines. There is pretty much non-stop excitement, great effects and some definite surprises (and a few more I told you so moments). The movie won for the Best Original Song "The Morning After" which you do not hear in its entirety, and provides a bit of foreshadowing (I would have had it play the whole way through at the end of the movie, but nobody asked). Oh, in another shameless Cleveland reference, the single that was released was recorded in Cleveland. Every once in a while, The Poseidon Adventure is on television, but I wouldn't wait for that, go rent it or borrow it. It's a Friday night movie with some pizza and popcorn, and your friends so you can share the I told you so moments. I know a few friends will ask if it's okay for the kids. There are a few bodies that float or otherwise make an appearance, and that may be a little disturbing (although there is so much worse on television), the language is at a PG-13 level, and I would say the effects hold their own with today's technology, so yeah, I think 13 and older would be fine watching it. And, if you've seen Titanic (you've noticed I haven't gone out of my way to review that movie) then they can handle this for sure, and you don't have that soppy love story getting in the way of the action. Bon voyage.
6/29/13 The Fugitive - Best Supporting Actor, 1992
The Fugitive is a little over 20 years old and I think it holds up pretty well. It stars Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble who is accused of killing his wife, and Tommy Lee Jones as U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (for which he won the Best Supporting Actor). To me it works best if you don't really think about it too much, I mean when Kimble jumps off a huge dam, and comes out barely scathed, I mean, really? Like I said, don't think too hard. The movie is based on the TV show from the 1960s, which in turn was loosely based on the Sam Sheppard case from Cleveland in the 1950s (see how shamelessly I slip in a Cleveland reference?). Kimble, in an early face off with Gerard tells the Marshal that he didn't kill his wife (I told you so moment). The movie follows Kimble as he tries to track down his wife's killer and Gerard as he chases Kimble, conveniently, always just moments behind. It's fun and entertaining, and a fun way to spend a Saturday night (or a rainy Saturday afternoon). It's a movie you can watch with the kids (if you're so inclined) as it's relatively tame regarding violence, sex (none, really) and language. It's also provides a historical reference to what us older folks remember as 'pay phones', and the cars (hardly an SUV in sight). This movie would have been very different if it had cell phones, or even smart phones, and in a post 9/11 world. I love Tommy Lee Jones, I think he's wonderful, but looking at the other nominees this year for Best Supporting Actor, I am not really so sure he should have won. Pete Postlethwaite who was incredible in the powerful film In the Name of the Father, Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List and Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, were all deserving, I didn't see John Malkovich in In the Line of Fire (my vote would be split between Fiennes and Postlethwaite). And, after just looking at the movies from this year, how the hell did Denzel Washington NOT get nominated for something for his role in Philadelphia? Anyway, rant over. Maybe this makes up for Tommy Lee Jones not winning for his role in Lincoln.
6/29/13 The Poseidon Adventure - Best Original Song, Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects, 1972
If you plan on a cruise in the near future, you may want to skip this movie, but if you are a fan of the disaster movies of the 1970s (Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, any of the Airport movies) then you will love this. It was done by the king of disaster films, Irwin Allen. The movie has a fabulous cast (typical of the genre) including Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Jack Albertson (maybe best known for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the TV series, Chico and the Man), Roddy McDowell and others. The S.S. Poseidon is on her last voyage, headed toward Europe on New Year's Eve and there have been pretty rough seas. Apparently before the movie begins, a representative of the ship's owners made some decisions that may have compromised the safety of the ship (this is your first I told you so moment). The ship is flipped over by waves resulting from an undersea earthquake, and when I say flipped I really mean flipped over upside down. Gene Hackman plays Reverend Scott who it seems has been banished for his radical theology, which seems to combine a type of manifest destiny with a heavy dose of free will (versus predetermination), and he leads a group of passengers to the 'top' of the ship against the orders of the purser. He butts heads with Mike Rogo, a police detective played by Ernest Borgnine, as they argue and debate about the best thing to do. Eventually Scott convinces this smaller group to go up and try to find the thinnest part of the ship to escape. The other passengers are reluctant to follow and decide to wait to be rescued (I told you so). Jack Albertson and Shelley Winters (who was nominated for another Best Supporting Actress award but lost to Eileen Heckart in Butterflies are Free, which I have not yet seen) play a married couple going to see their grandson in Israel. I enjoyed watching the two of them act together and the she is a wonderful bubby (grandmother), delivering some great self-deprecating lines. There is pretty much non-stop excitement, great effects and some definite surprises (and a few more I told you so moments). The movie won for the Best Original Song "The Morning After" which you do not hear in its entirety, and provides a bit of foreshadowing (I would have had it play the whole way through at the end of the movie, but nobody asked). Oh, in another shameless Cleveland reference, the single that was released was recorded in Cleveland. Every once in a while, The Poseidon Adventure is on television, but I wouldn't wait for that, go rent it or borrow it. It's a Friday night movie with some pizza and popcorn, and your friends so you can share the I told you so moments. I know a few friends will ask if it's okay for the kids. There are a few bodies that float or otherwise make an appearance, and that may be a little disturbing (although there is so much worse on television), the language is at a PG-13 level, and I would say the effects hold their own with today's technology, so yeah, I think 13 and older would be fine watching it. And, if you've seen Titanic (you've noticed I haven't gone out of my way to review that movie) then they can handle this for sure, and you don't have that soppy love story getting in the way of the action. Bon voyage.
Nowhere in Africa definitely takes you somewhere
6/25/13, Nowhere in Africa, Best Foreign Film, 2001
I have been trying to write this review for two days. I probably should have just done it while I was thinking about it, because it was really great in my head. Every time I start typing, it just sounds so trite or too gushy. I don't want to gush, but I really would like to express how much I appreciated the story arc and the character development and how wonderful the movie is, so here I go. The Redlichs are a German Jewish family who emigrate to Kenya to escape the ever-increasing oppression and marginalization of the Jews. Walter is an attorney, Jettel is his wife who is used to the upper middle class life they used to lead, and Regina is their daughter who at first seems afraid of her own shadow. The movie takes place between 1937-1947 and begins in Germany, but the majority of the time is spent in Kenya. Both countries are 'characters' in their own ways; Germany is the place of memory and family and where the family (at different times) yearns to return; Kenya is where they have to learn new languages and a culture, push past their own self-imposed limitations, and at different times consider it to be their home. You get the sense that Walter, more than his wife or the rest of their families, has an idea of what was in store for the Jews, and that's why he gave up being a successful (we assume) attorney to be a farm manager when he has no idea what he is doing. He gets Jettel and Regina out in time, but Jettel is really not prepared for this new life out in this strange world with strange people and strange language, and wants to go back home. Regina, who is perhaps 7 or 8, seems to be very skittish when she is in Germany, but quickly finds her legs and her inner explorer. It's important to keep in mind that while the family is in Kenya, relatively safe, if not inconveniences and occasionally displaced, their family in Germany is being subjected to stricter and harsher laws against Jews, ultimately some of them are sent to camps, others killed in other ways. Also, as a viewer in the 21st, I know what happened during that time, so every time Jettel cries that she wants to go back, I yelled at the television 'you cannot go back, they will kill you', but she didn't know that. All I will say is do not give up on Jettel, even though you may be very tempted to do just that.
The Redlichs interact with many different people, but Susskind, a fellow German Jewish ex-patriot, has more experience in Africa and often stops by with advice and guidance for Walter. Owour starts off the film by taking care of Walter during a malaria attack and stays as the cook and he teaches Walter Swahili. Owour and Regina bond almost immediately and Regina is an eager student of language and culture. Jettel and Owour do not get along very well in the beginning; Jettel does not understand the role of women in her new society (like getting water, which makes for a humorous scene) and Jettel refuses to learn Swahili and will only speak German to Owour, which he does not understand. Jettel and Walter save their money so they can send Regina to an English boarding school, so Regina now learns English and she also learns that as a Jewish girl, she and the other Jewish students are treated differently, excused from saying prayers, etc. This is probably the first time since being in Germany that her 'Jewishness' is addressed in a negative or pejorative way; her parents, like many other Jewish families, were not observant Jews, and considered themselves Germans first and Jews second. Despite this and some of the other challenges at the school, she does very well and the headmaster comments as such. Eventually, the British (Kenya is a British colony) round up all Germans, Jews and gentiles and intern them; Walter eventually joins the British army and Jettel takes over the farm they have been managing for a British soldier. Remember, this is the person who wanted to go back to Germany and refused to learn Swahili. Jettel develops her own bond with Owour and the farm workers, and Kenya. The irony is that as she is finding her place, Walter gets 'demobbed' from the army (the war has since ended) and he and the family can return to Germany so Walter can work as a judge in post-war Germany. It's an interesting role reversal. After her 'transforming experience', I really liked Jettel. The almost very last scene made me cry, it was poetry.
This little half-assed synopsis only scratches the surface, but I hope it's enough to get you interested. I have watched a lot of movies about the Holocaust, read books, etc., but I think is a unique way to include what happened without soldiers, ghettos and camps. It's an important element, it is the motivation for the Redlichs to leave Germany, but it is not the story. The evolution (I can't think of another word) of the Redlichs is the story; how they interact with the land, the people, the animals, is the story, and it seems like they are in the perfect setting. It's about relationships. The actresses who play Regina do a great job, it seems like they are really enjoying being in that location and climbing trees, etc. It reminded me of The Flame Trees of Thika which I saw on Masterpiece Theater years ago, and it's about a little girl growing up with her family in early 20th century Africa (Kenya, again, I think). It's hard to imagine being a little kid, moving away from your home to a place where most people do NOT speak your language, the food is different, the culture is very strange, and there you are. But, I think this shows how resilient kids can be, and they're tougher than we think and they can totally thrive given the right conditions. There is some nudity and sex (not much), so it's probably really not for kids, but if you can figure out a way to skip over those scenes, it might be (let me clarify, older teens, not little kids). It's a girl on an adventure (not enough of those stories). It's beautifully filmed, in a beautiful country. I've been trying to plan a trip to Africa (what do you mean it's a huge continent?), so maybe this will motivate me some more.
I've re-read this, I don't know if it gets the point across - SEE THIS MOVIE (five stars on Netflix, and I never do that), but I hope so. People tend to flinch when it comes to foreign films, maybe they seem too intimidating or snooty (and some are), but there are some great movies out there in languages other than English. I am actually going to do another 'Best of' list of some foreign films that I recommend.
I have been trying to write this review for two days. I probably should have just done it while I was thinking about it, because it was really great in my head. Every time I start typing, it just sounds so trite or too gushy. I don't want to gush, but I really would like to express how much I appreciated the story arc and the character development and how wonderful the movie is, so here I go. The Redlichs are a German Jewish family who emigrate to Kenya to escape the ever-increasing oppression and marginalization of the Jews. Walter is an attorney, Jettel is his wife who is used to the upper middle class life they used to lead, and Regina is their daughter who at first seems afraid of her own shadow. The movie takes place between 1937-1947 and begins in Germany, but the majority of the time is spent in Kenya. Both countries are 'characters' in their own ways; Germany is the place of memory and family and where the family (at different times) yearns to return; Kenya is where they have to learn new languages and a culture, push past their own self-imposed limitations, and at different times consider it to be their home. You get the sense that Walter, more than his wife or the rest of their families, has an idea of what was in store for the Jews, and that's why he gave up being a successful (we assume) attorney to be a farm manager when he has no idea what he is doing. He gets Jettel and Regina out in time, but Jettel is really not prepared for this new life out in this strange world with strange people and strange language, and wants to go back home. Regina, who is perhaps 7 or 8, seems to be very skittish when she is in Germany, but quickly finds her legs and her inner explorer. It's important to keep in mind that while the family is in Kenya, relatively safe, if not inconveniences and occasionally displaced, their family in Germany is being subjected to stricter and harsher laws against Jews, ultimately some of them are sent to camps, others killed in other ways. Also, as a viewer in the 21st, I know what happened during that time, so every time Jettel cries that she wants to go back, I yelled at the television 'you cannot go back, they will kill you', but she didn't know that. All I will say is do not give up on Jettel, even though you may be very tempted to do just that.
The Redlichs interact with many different people, but Susskind, a fellow German Jewish ex-patriot, has more experience in Africa and often stops by with advice and guidance for Walter. Owour starts off the film by taking care of Walter during a malaria attack and stays as the cook and he teaches Walter Swahili. Owour and Regina bond almost immediately and Regina is an eager student of language and culture. Jettel and Owour do not get along very well in the beginning; Jettel does not understand the role of women in her new society (like getting water, which makes for a humorous scene) and Jettel refuses to learn Swahili and will only speak German to Owour, which he does not understand. Jettel and Walter save their money so they can send Regina to an English boarding school, so Regina now learns English and she also learns that as a Jewish girl, she and the other Jewish students are treated differently, excused from saying prayers, etc. This is probably the first time since being in Germany that her 'Jewishness' is addressed in a negative or pejorative way; her parents, like many other Jewish families, were not observant Jews, and considered themselves Germans first and Jews second. Despite this and some of the other challenges at the school, she does very well and the headmaster comments as such. Eventually, the British (Kenya is a British colony) round up all Germans, Jews and gentiles and intern them; Walter eventually joins the British army and Jettel takes over the farm they have been managing for a British soldier. Remember, this is the person who wanted to go back to Germany and refused to learn Swahili. Jettel develops her own bond with Owour and the farm workers, and Kenya. The irony is that as she is finding her place, Walter gets 'demobbed' from the army (the war has since ended) and he and the family can return to Germany so Walter can work as a judge in post-war Germany. It's an interesting role reversal. After her 'transforming experience', I really liked Jettel. The almost very last scene made me cry, it was poetry.
This little half-assed synopsis only scratches the surface, but I hope it's enough to get you interested. I have watched a lot of movies about the Holocaust, read books, etc., but I think is a unique way to include what happened without soldiers, ghettos and camps. It's an important element, it is the motivation for the Redlichs to leave Germany, but it is not the story. The evolution (I can't think of another word) of the Redlichs is the story; how they interact with the land, the people, the animals, is the story, and it seems like they are in the perfect setting. It's about relationships. The actresses who play Regina do a great job, it seems like they are really enjoying being in that location and climbing trees, etc. It reminded me of The Flame Trees of Thika which I saw on Masterpiece Theater years ago, and it's about a little girl growing up with her family in early 20th century Africa (Kenya, again, I think). It's hard to imagine being a little kid, moving away from your home to a place where most people do NOT speak your language, the food is different, the culture is very strange, and there you are. But, I think this shows how resilient kids can be, and they're tougher than we think and they can totally thrive given the right conditions. There is some nudity and sex (not much), so it's probably really not for kids, but if you can figure out a way to skip over those scenes, it might be (let me clarify, older teens, not little kids). It's a girl on an adventure (not enough of those stories). It's beautifully filmed, in a beautiful country. I've been trying to plan a trip to Africa (what do you mean it's a huge continent?), so maybe this will motivate me some more.
I've re-read this, I don't know if it gets the point across - SEE THIS MOVIE (five stars on Netflix, and I never do that), but I hope so. People tend to flinch when it comes to foreign films, maybe they seem too intimidating or snooty (and some are), but there are some great movies out there in languages other than English. I am actually going to do another 'Best of' list of some foreign films that I recommend.
Joan Crawford as Mildred Pierce or How to Turn Your Child into a Spoiled Rotten Ingrate
6/22/13, Mildred Pierce, Best Actress, 1945
Some of you may have seen the recent mini-series of Mildred Pierce (2011) with Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce and Evan Rachel Wood; I saw that first and really liked it, so I was interested to see how the movie compared. Joan Crawford plays Mildred Pierce, a housewife who must fend for herself after her husband leaves (or is kicked out). Mildred has a side business baking pies, and then finds a job as a waitress. She is driven to work so hard because she wants to provide the best things for her two daughters, Veda and Kay. Kay is a happy-go-lucky kid, who is easily appeased. Veda, the older child, might be equated with a leech, an ungrateful leech at that; actually Veda (Ann Blyth, nominated as Best Supporting Actress) may have been the role model for all those Erika Kane-type characters in soap operas. Mildred is hard-working, seems to have a very good business sense, but when it comes to Veda, and eventually Guy Bergaron (Zachary Scott), she has no sense at all. Guy Bergaron is from a wealthy (or formerly wealthy) family, and has few scruples when it comes to accepting gifts of money from Mildred. Mildred's closest friend is the restaurant manager she met at her first waitressing job, Ida Corwin (Eve Arden, perhaps best known as the principal from Ridgemont High in Grease and Grease 2), who is wise-cracking, but protective of Mildred. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz, who also directed Yankee Doodle Dandy and Casablanca among many other classics. It seemed very much like it could have been directed by Hitchcock, it has that moody, noir atmosphere, but the acting is not as stiff as in Spellbound, which was released in the same year. Butterfly McQueen (who played the young maid, Prissy, in Gone with the Wind) plays Lottie, Mildred's housekeeper/baking assistant (I didn't think it was very clear, she is shown baking pies, but Veda treats her as a housekeeper/maid). Lottie provided some of the lighter moments in the movie, with her high voice and comedic delivery. It's probably the worst statement of the obvious, but because of the limitation of roles for black Americans in the early days of film (pretty much maids, butlers or slaves), a lot of talent was lost to stereotyping, and I think that's the case here for sure. I think overall the movie is worth watching if just to draw your own comparisons to the mini-series, but also to see Joan Crawford in a great role; I was annoyed by the way Veda seemed to get away with everything, but I guess that is part of the movie, and you have to give credit to Ann Blyth who was only 17 at the time of the film.
Some of you may have seen the recent mini-series of Mildred Pierce (2011) with Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce and Evan Rachel Wood; I saw that first and really liked it, so I was interested to see how the movie compared. Joan Crawford plays Mildred Pierce, a housewife who must fend for herself after her husband leaves (or is kicked out). Mildred has a side business baking pies, and then finds a job as a waitress. She is driven to work so hard because she wants to provide the best things for her two daughters, Veda and Kay. Kay is a happy-go-lucky kid, who is easily appeased. Veda, the older child, might be equated with a leech, an ungrateful leech at that; actually Veda (Ann Blyth, nominated as Best Supporting Actress) may have been the role model for all those Erika Kane-type characters in soap operas. Mildred is hard-working, seems to have a very good business sense, but when it comes to Veda, and eventually Guy Bergaron (Zachary Scott), she has no sense at all. Guy Bergaron is from a wealthy (or formerly wealthy) family, and has few scruples when it comes to accepting gifts of money from Mildred. Mildred's closest friend is the restaurant manager she met at her first waitressing job, Ida Corwin (Eve Arden, perhaps best known as the principal from Ridgemont High in Grease and Grease 2), who is wise-cracking, but protective of Mildred. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz, who also directed Yankee Doodle Dandy and Casablanca among many other classics. It seemed very much like it could have been directed by Hitchcock, it has that moody, noir atmosphere, but the acting is not as stiff as in Spellbound, which was released in the same year. Butterfly McQueen (who played the young maid, Prissy, in Gone with the Wind) plays Lottie, Mildred's housekeeper/baking assistant (I didn't think it was very clear, she is shown baking pies, but Veda treats her as a housekeeper/maid). Lottie provided some of the lighter moments in the movie, with her high voice and comedic delivery. It's probably the worst statement of the obvious, but because of the limitation of roles for black Americans in the early days of film (pretty much maids, butlers or slaves), a lot of talent was lost to stereotyping, and I think that's the case here for sure. I think overall the movie is worth watching if just to draw your own comparisons to the mini-series, but also to see Joan Crawford in a great role; I was annoyed by the way Veda seemed to get away with everything, but I guess that is part of the movie, and you have to give credit to Ann Blyth who was only 17 at the time of the film.
D*mn, D*mn this Traffic Jam
6/22/13, Traffic, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, 2000
Sigh. I have 732 movies to watch, and I re-watch one unintentionally, that I didn't even like the first time (or apparently even remember seeing it). ARGH. Traffic is an adaptation of a British mini-series that I do vaguely remember seeing many years ago. I do like the self-inflicted irony of watching one movie called Crash and the other Traffic; that made me laugh. Don Cheadle was in both, and he never disappoints. Traffic is about drug trafficking between Mexico and the US, and features the soon-to-be-appointed US Drug Czar, Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), his wife, Barbara (Amy Irving - can someone please find some more movies for Amy Irving? I'm begging you), and his drug-addicted daughter, Caroline (Erika Christensen, who can now be seen on NBC's Parenthood, and who normally strikes me as very wooden, but she was good here); two Mexican cops, one played by Benecio del Toro (Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor (my pick was Joaquin Phoenix; who knows, maybe winning would have prevented him from getting all weird); Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman as two DEA agents; Catherine Zeta-Jones as the wife of a US-based drug dealer. I like the idea of telling a story and having all the different players on screen, and I think something like this should be a mini-series, not a 5 hour movie (sorry, mild hyperbole, it just seemed like that, maybe because I fell asleep and had to watch some of it over again, damn it). When I watched Crash earlier today, I didn't notice how long it was, but this one, oh, I noticed. I am surprised that Michael Douglas didn't get a nomination because this seemed so against the roles that he has become associated with, especially the Wall Street series. The movie follows several different story lines, the Mexican Cartel story, the Wakefield family story, and the Catherine Zeta-Jones/Cheadle & Guzman story. I got very annoyed at the little effect that was used in filming and that was using this grainy, yellow/amber filter or something for Mexico scenes; a blue filter used in the Wakefield family scenes; and normal filming for the remainder. Maybe on a big screen it was subtle, or perhaps there is some subliminal message we're supposed to get (cool blue, hot desert?), but it annoyed me. I am in the minority in my opinions on this film, but there you go. I would say watch Crash and don't get stuck in traffic. I am ending what has become the most parenthetical post thus far
Sigh. I have 732 movies to watch, and I re-watch one unintentionally, that I didn't even like the first time (or apparently even remember seeing it). ARGH. Traffic is an adaptation of a British mini-series that I do vaguely remember seeing many years ago. I do like the self-inflicted irony of watching one movie called Crash and the other Traffic; that made me laugh. Don Cheadle was in both, and he never disappoints. Traffic is about drug trafficking between Mexico and the US, and features the soon-to-be-appointed US Drug Czar, Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), his wife, Barbara (Amy Irving - can someone please find some more movies for Amy Irving? I'm begging you), and his drug-addicted daughter, Caroline (Erika Christensen, who can now be seen on NBC's Parenthood, and who normally strikes me as very wooden, but she was good here); two Mexican cops, one played by Benecio del Toro (Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor (my pick was Joaquin Phoenix; who knows, maybe winning would have prevented him from getting all weird); Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman as two DEA agents; Catherine Zeta-Jones as the wife of a US-based drug dealer. I like the idea of telling a story and having all the different players on screen, and I think something like this should be a mini-series, not a 5 hour movie (sorry, mild hyperbole, it just seemed like that, maybe because I fell asleep and had to watch some of it over again, damn it). When I watched Crash earlier today, I didn't notice how long it was, but this one, oh, I noticed. I am surprised that Michael Douglas didn't get a nomination because this seemed so against the roles that he has become associated with, especially the Wall Street series. The movie follows several different story lines, the Mexican Cartel story, the Wakefield family story, and the Catherine Zeta-Jones/Cheadle & Guzman story. I got very annoyed at the little effect that was used in filming and that was using this grainy, yellow/amber filter or something for Mexico scenes; a blue filter used in the Wakefield family scenes; and normal filming for the remainder. Maybe on a big screen it was subtle, or perhaps there is some subliminal message we're supposed to get (cool blue, hot desert?), but it annoyed me. I am in the minority in my opinions on this film, but there you go. I would say watch Crash and don't get stuck in traffic. I am ending what has become the most parenthetical post thus far
Thought-provoking and unsettling, but worth it - Crash
6/22/13, Crash, Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, 2005
Holy punch to the stomach, Batman. Crash reminded me of a really good roller coaster, it starts out pulling away from the start, pulls you slowly into a curve and up a hill, and then flings you around and down, puts you on a flat bit, and then throws another surprise at you. Imagine a ride like that for two hours. You'll either love it or hate it, I don't think there is an in-between. I think that's how people will view Crash. While 'love' is a very strange word to describe a movie like this, full of the f-word, racial epithets and prejudices, a challenge to preconceptions, I really liked this movie. There were at least three moments when I physically reacted to something that happened on screen, even talking back at one point (that I remember). I can't really give you too many details about the plot because watching it unfold, and part of what is compelling about this movie is the unpredictability, and yet also the eventual synchronicity (I'm not sure I'm using the word correctly, but it fits in my version of things) of everything. The timeline for the story is 36 hours, set in Los Angeles before Christmas time. People from all walks of life 'crash' together at different points throughout the story; the one thing is you do have to buy the premise that in a city as large as Los Angeles, all of these various people do connect, even tangentially. That's fine, I was willing to go along with that. Cops, district attorneys, shop owners, thieves, repairmen, TV directors, all meet up in some way in this day and a half, and all have to make decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives. You have to stay with this movie, and I strongly recommend that you withhold your judgments until the end, because you may come to a different conclusion by the time it's over. This movie has an incredible cast, and that may be one of my few complaints, the cast is so good, you want to see more of Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Esposito, Ryan Phillippe, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon and the others. You have to just watch and judge the characters based on what you see, and when you see it, so you may not have all the facts.Crash won for Best Picture, beating out Brokeback Mountain (which was my favorite to win), but now having watched it, I'm not as bitter as I was, although, I still think Brokeback Mountain should have won. 2005 was a great year for movies, and I think I saw almost every movie that was nominated, long before I developed my strange compulsion to watch all nominated films. Films that came out this year include Syriana, Capote, North Country, Walk the Line and more. Paul Haggis wrote and directed Crash, and he has written Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, among others. This is a hard movie to watch, but totally worth it, like Zero Dark-Thirty. For the record, this was another movie I marked 'not interested' on NetFlix and I have since gone back and given it another four-star rating.
Holy punch to the stomach, Batman. Crash reminded me of a really good roller coaster, it starts out pulling away from the start, pulls you slowly into a curve and up a hill, and then flings you around and down, puts you on a flat bit, and then throws another surprise at you. Imagine a ride like that for two hours. You'll either love it or hate it, I don't think there is an in-between. I think that's how people will view Crash. While 'love' is a very strange word to describe a movie like this, full of the f-word, racial epithets and prejudices, a challenge to preconceptions, I really liked this movie. There were at least three moments when I physically reacted to something that happened on screen, even talking back at one point (that I remember). I can't really give you too many details about the plot because watching it unfold, and part of what is compelling about this movie is the unpredictability, and yet also the eventual synchronicity (I'm not sure I'm using the word correctly, but it fits in my version of things) of everything. The timeline for the story is 36 hours, set in Los Angeles before Christmas time. People from all walks of life 'crash' together at different points throughout the story; the one thing is you do have to buy the premise that in a city as large as Los Angeles, all of these various people do connect, even tangentially. That's fine, I was willing to go along with that. Cops, district attorneys, shop owners, thieves, repairmen, TV directors, all meet up in some way in this day and a half, and all have to make decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives. You have to stay with this movie, and I strongly recommend that you withhold your judgments until the end, because you may come to a different conclusion by the time it's over. This movie has an incredible cast, and that may be one of my few complaints, the cast is so good, you want to see more of Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Esposito, Ryan Phillippe, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon and the others. You have to just watch and judge the characters based on what you see, and when you see it, so you may not have all the facts.Crash won for Best Picture, beating out Brokeback Mountain (which was my favorite to win), but now having watched it, I'm not as bitter as I was, although, I still think Brokeback Mountain should have won. 2005 was a great year for movies, and I think I saw almost every movie that was nominated, long before I developed my strange compulsion to watch all nominated films. Films that came out this year include Syriana, Capote, North Country, Walk the Line and more. Paul Haggis wrote and directed Crash, and he has written Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, among others. This is a hard movie to watch, but totally worth it, like Zero Dark-Thirty. For the record, this was another movie I marked 'not interested' on NetFlix and I have since gone back and given it another four-star rating.
Losing my head over a series of unfortunate events
Sorry, that was the best I could come up with after three days of thinking about it.
6/15/13 Sleepy Hollow, Best Art Direction, 1999
Another Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration. This is the story of Ichabod Crane (Depp) in turn of the 18th century New York. Ichabod sets out for upstate New York to investigate a series of strange murders. He learns more about the unusual circumstances involving a headless horseman, also known as the Hessian (played by Christopher Walken). I'm starting to get used to Burton's style, so some things don't shock or bother me as much as they might have a few movies ago. However, saying that, I was a little surprised at the amount of blood splatter, and after a while, it almost seemed comical to me. All the gore (blood and headless torsos) is probably what earned it an 'R' rating, otherwise, with some slight changes, I would have thought that a PG-13 would have been appropriate. (so the 'family friendly' tags do not apply to this movie, but the next one). I liked it; Depp characterizes Ichabod rather well, I think bringing an earnestness to Ichabod, and a sensitivity as he tries to understand his past. There is always a danger in characters like this and what Jim Carrey does in A Series of Unfortunate Events (see below) to make it a caricature, and I think he deftly avoided that. Christina Ricci plays Katrina Van Tassel (Crane's eventual love interest), Miranda Richardson plays Katrina's step-mother, Lady Van Tassel and Michael Gambon (Harry Potter series, among others) plays Balthus Van Tassel, Katrina's father. I really like how Burton and his cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, light the sets; it really captures the atmosphere. Overall, I found the movie very visually appealing, and fun to watch; it won for Best Art Direction. I recommend it, and if you have an older child (14 and over), I don't think the movie will scar them (please note, I don't have my own children and I have not been able to experiment on my friend's son, but I don't think he would be upset by the movie); there is so much worse stuff out there, on television no less. But you should watch it first to make sure, and since there's a lot going on, you could probably watch it twice and see something new.
6/15/13 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Best Makeup, 2004
Just to show that I am not afraid to admit when I've made a mistake, I originally marked this on my Netflix as 'not interested' and after watching it, I gave it four stars. FOUR STARS I tell you, I liked it that much. I think I shied away from it because I've had mixed success with Jim Carrey movies, and I think the previews at the time just turned me off. Well, nine years later, I've changed my mind. I loved the movie, and I think kids will enjoy it as well because it has so many elements that connect with kids: adventure, adults who are more than slightly hopeless and clueless, danger, pretty cool effects, and books to be read after movie is over. The Baudelaire children (Violet, Klaus and Sunny) are orphaned after their family home inexplicably goes up in flames. Each child has a unique 'talent': Violet is an inventor (in my opinion a great role model for young girls), Klaus is a voracious reader with almost photographic recall, and Sunny has a propensity for biting and speaking in baby talk, but providing astute observations (I know this because she has subtitles). Mr. Poe (played by Timothy Spall) is responsible for the family estate and placing the kids with a suitable guardian. There was something about this that reminded me of one of my favorite Jerry Lewis movies (sadly, not an Academy Award winner) The Family Jewels, 1965. The children are placed with Count Olaf (Jim Carrey in one of three roles) who is an act-or, and very excited to be so close to the children's inheritance. You'll have to watch the movie lest I spoil it. I will say there are several cameo appearances that might seem gratuitous, but they worked for me (Dustin Hoffman, for one). Meryl Streep has a longer role as Aunt Josephine who re-defines neurotic. I enjoyed watching the kids figure their way out of different predicaments, dealing with the adults (including Billy Connelly and Catherine O'Hara). The set design is fantastical, very similar to Tim Burton's style. Jim Carrey can be very over the top, but I don't think he is here, or if he is (I could be wrong) then I think it works; this is an over the top movie, which requires 'big' acting and 'big' sets, while the children remain islands of calm. I don't know if that explains it or not, but if any of my friends want to watch this, I can clear my oh so busy calendar.
6/15/13 Sleepy Hollow, Best Art Direction, 1999
Another Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration. This is the story of Ichabod Crane (Depp) in turn of the 18th century New York. Ichabod sets out for upstate New York to investigate a series of strange murders. He learns more about the unusual circumstances involving a headless horseman, also known as the Hessian (played by Christopher Walken). I'm starting to get used to Burton's style, so some things don't shock or bother me as much as they might have a few movies ago. However, saying that, I was a little surprised at the amount of blood splatter, and after a while, it almost seemed comical to me. All the gore (blood and headless torsos) is probably what earned it an 'R' rating, otherwise, with some slight changes, I would have thought that a PG-13 would have been appropriate. (so the 'family friendly' tags do not apply to this movie, but the next one). I liked it; Depp characterizes Ichabod rather well, I think bringing an earnestness to Ichabod, and a sensitivity as he tries to understand his past. There is always a danger in characters like this and what Jim Carrey does in A Series of Unfortunate Events (see below) to make it a caricature, and I think he deftly avoided that. Christina Ricci plays Katrina Van Tassel (Crane's eventual love interest), Miranda Richardson plays Katrina's step-mother, Lady Van Tassel and Michael Gambon (Harry Potter series, among others) plays Balthus Van Tassel, Katrina's father. I really like how Burton and his cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, light the sets; it really captures the atmosphere. Overall, I found the movie very visually appealing, and fun to watch; it won for Best Art Direction. I recommend it, and if you have an older child (14 and over), I don't think the movie will scar them (please note, I don't have my own children and I have not been able to experiment on my friend's son, but I don't think he would be upset by the movie); there is so much worse stuff out there, on television no less. But you should watch it first to make sure, and since there's a lot going on, you could probably watch it twice and see something new.
6/15/13 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Best Makeup, 2004
Just to show that I am not afraid to admit when I've made a mistake, I originally marked this on my Netflix as 'not interested' and after watching it, I gave it four stars. FOUR STARS I tell you, I liked it that much. I think I shied away from it because I've had mixed success with Jim Carrey movies, and I think the previews at the time just turned me off. Well, nine years later, I've changed my mind. I loved the movie, and I think kids will enjoy it as well because it has so many elements that connect with kids: adventure, adults who are more than slightly hopeless and clueless, danger, pretty cool effects, and books to be read after movie is over. The Baudelaire children (Violet, Klaus and Sunny) are orphaned after their family home inexplicably goes up in flames. Each child has a unique 'talent': Violet is an inventor (in my opinion a great role model for young girls), Klaus is a voracious reader with almost photographic recall, and Sunny has a propensity for biting and speaking in baby talk, but providing astute observations (I know this because she has subtitles). Mr. Poe (played by Timothy Spall) is responsible for the family estate and placing the kids with a suitable guardian. There was something about this that reminded me of one of my favorite Jerry Lewis movies (sadly, not an Academy Award winner) The Family Jewels, 1965. The children are placed with Count Olaf (Jim Carrey in one of three roles) who is an act-or, and very excited to be so close to the children's inheritance. You'll have to watch the movie lest I spoil it. I will say there are several cameo appearances that might seem gratuitous, but they worked for me (Dustin Hoffman, for one). Meryl Streep has a longer role as Aunt Josephine who re-defines neurotic. I enjoyed watching the kids figure their way out of different predicaments, dealing with the adults (including Billy Connelly and Catherine O'Hara). The set design is fantastical, very similar to Tim Burton's style. Jim Carrey can be very over the top, but I don't think he is here, or if he is (I could be wrong) then I think it works; this is an over the top movie, which requires 'big' acting and 'big' sets, while the children remain islands of calm. I don't know if that explains it or not, but if any of my friends want to watch this, I can clear my oh so busy calendar.
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's The Man of Steel
6/16/13, The Man of Steel, no nominations yet
File this under planning ahead, because I do think this movie will be nominated for a few of the technical awards, like sound editing, costumes, visual effects, and I don't want to wait another 7 months to write my thoughts for this movie. I am not a huge Superman fan, even though he was created in by two young Cleveland kids in the 1930s, but it is Superman's 75th anniversary, and I am wearing my Cleveland roots on my sleeve these days. I had no idea what to expect, some of the early press was iffy, people were skeptical,
there was a lot of press about the costumes and if Henry Caville could pull it off. Well, this ain't my father's Superman, that's for sure, but I liked it. Christopher Nolan (The Batman trilogy) co-wrote the story, and it definitely had the darker aspect that was in Batman, more serious than the Christopher Reeve movie version or the George Reeves television series. I like the origin story told as the planet Krypton begins to self-destruct, and I loved Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Kal-El's (Superman) father. Michael Shannon, who has been in Revolutionary Road, Boardwalk Empire and Take Shelter among many, plays General Zod, the militaristic yin to Jor-El's scientific yang, and he doesn't back down for a second. Too often, superhero movies take too long to get some action on the screen, but that is not the case here, the action begins immediately as Krypton experiences a quick battle with Zod and his followers against the governing body of Krypton, and then as it implodes, all in the first fifteen minutes. Yay! The story of Clark Kent is told in flashbacks, usually as the grown up Clark Kent/Superman is unconscious or in a struggle. I prefer stories to be lineal, I think flashbacks can be an affectation and not very effective; I actually liked the story of his childhood told this way because then it didn't get bogged down in the holier than thou Jonathan Kent's preaching; a little goes a long way. Jonathan Kent is played by Kevin Costner, and I think a solid 30-40 minutes of him telling Clark to refrain from using his powers, would have gotten old. Henry Caville (The Tudors) plays Superman with a gravitas and subtlety that worked really well.I liked the new costume, although seeing it onscreen, I didn't get the big deal; I think the stories that have been put out on the internet about the lack of the red shorts was much ado about nothing. I do like a little sense of humor in my superheroes, perhaps not as irreverent as Tony Stark/Iron Man or Spider-Man, but a little something from the man would have been nice. The 'humor' if you will, came from Lois Lane (Amy Adams) as a no nonsense, Pulitzer-prize winning reporter (I think Margot Kidder would be proud). One of the interesting twists that seems to be occurring in superhero movies is that the issue of the 'secret identity' is not a huge deal, and doesn't play a huge role in the story, not like it has in the past. Lois Lane discovers that Clark Kent is the alien and has these super powers. She also 'meets' Jor-El and learns the secret of sending Zod and his crew back to the Phantom Zone. I think it was brilliant to keep Jor-El in the story. The fight/battle scenes are explosive and huge and exciting, and more than I thought they would be. I think they might have gotten the re-boot right, and there is definitely hints at another movie, and perhaps (please, please, please) a Justice League movie (I can get my humor from The Flash, Green Lantern, and the Green Arrow).
File this under planning ahead, because I do think this movie will be nominated for a few of the technical awards, like sound editing, costumes, visual effects, and I don't want to wait another 7 months to write my thoughts for this movie. I am not a huge Superman fan, even though he was created in by two young Cleveland kids in the 1930s, but it is Superman's 75th anniversary, and I am wearing my Cleveland roots on my sleeve these days. I had no idea what to expect, some of the early press was iffy, people were skeptical,
there was a lot of press about the costumes and if Henry Caville could pull it off. Well, this ain't my father's Superman, that's for sure, but I liked it. Christopher Nolan (The Batman trilogy) co-wrote the story, and it definitely had the darker aspect that was in Batman, more serious than the Christopher Reeve movie version or the George Reeves television series. I like the origin story told as the planet Krypton begins to self-destruct, and I loved Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Kal-El's (Superman) father. Michael Shannon, who has been in Revolutionary Road, Boardwalk Empire and Take Shelter among many, plays General Zod, the militaristic yin to Jor-El's scientific yang, and he doesn't back down for a second. Too often, superhero movies take too long to get some action on the screen, but that is not the case here, the action begins immediately as Krypton experiences a quick battle with Zod and his followers against the governing body of Krypton, and then as it implodes, all in the first fifteen minutes. Yay! The story of Clark Kent is told in flashbacks, usually as the grown up Clark Kent/Superman is unconscious or in a struggle. I prefer stories to be lineal, I think flashbacks can be an affectation and not very effective; I actually liked the story of his childhood told this way because then it didn't get bogged down in the holier than thou Jonathan Kent's preaching; a little goes a long way. Jonathan Kent is played by Kevin Costner, and I think a solid 30-40 minutes of him telling Clark to refrain from using his powers, would have gotten old. Henry Caville (The Tudors) plays Superman with a gravitas and subtlety that worked really well.I liked the new costume, although seeing it onscreen, I didn't get the big deal; I think the stories that have been put out on the internet about the lack of the red shorts was much ado about nothing. I do like a little sense of humor in my superheroes, perhaps not as irreverent as Tony Stark/Iron Man or Spider-Man, but a little something from the man would have been nice. The 'humor' if you will, came from Lois Lane (Amy Adams) as a no nonsense, Pulitzer-prize winning reporter (I think Margot Kidder would be proud). One of the interesting twists that seems to be occurring in superhero movies is that the issue of the 'secret identity' is not a huge deal, and doesn't play a huge role in the story, not like it has in the past. Lois Lane discovers that Clark Kent is the alien and has these super powers. She also 'meets' Jor-El and learns the secret of sending Zod and his crew back to the Phantom Zone. I think it was brilliant to keep Jor-El in the story. The fight/battle scenes are explosive and huge and exciting, and more than I thought they would be. I think they might have gotten the re-boot right, and there is definitely hints at another movie, and perhaps (please, please, please) a Justice League movie (I can get my humor from The Flash, Green Lantern, and the Green Arrow). |
| at the corner of Jerry Siegel and Lois Lane -Superman writer |
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| Joe Shuster - Superman artist |
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| in front of Joe Shuster's house, Glenville, Ohio |
Robin Williams steals the show - Aladdin
6/12/13 Aladdin - Best Music, Original Score, Best Music, Original Song, 1992
When Aladdin was released, I'm fairly certain I was not the target demographic, being old and crotchety even at 25, but I know I saw it somewhere at some point but the only memory I have is of the Genie (Robin Williams), so I decided I should watch it again. After watching it only 3 days ago, my main memory is still of Robin Williams. I don't think that's a bad thing, just that he is such a big personality that he's impossible to ignore. Aladdin is a young thief in Agrabah who falls in love with Princess Jasmine. Princess Jasmine's father, the Sultan has an adviser, Jafar, who has nefarious intentions for the sultanate and Princess Jasmine. Jafar also has an unhealthy desire to obtain a magic lamp, but needs Aladdin's help. Because Aladdin frees the genie from the lamp, the genie owes him three wishes. Of course, Jafar is not going to let Aladdin walk away (or fly away on the magic carpet) and he plots to trick the Sultan into allowing him to marry Jasmine. Jasmine is a very strong-willed and independent thinking girl and is less than thrilled with that proposition. The movie has many of the themes found in Disney films: talking animals (Jafar's parrot voiced by Gilbert Gottfried) or animals who are almost human in their empathy; an item that is usually 'static' that is animated and has a personality (the magic rug); a younger hero and/or heroine who succeed in spite of the adults around them; and wonderful music. I liked Aladdin; I didn't love it, and unlike other other movies, I don't need to watch it over again. But, again, I'm probably not the target demographic and I'm waaaay older than I was in 1992. Younger kids would probably enjoy it, and Princess Jasmine seems to have become somewhat of a favorite with young girls, and I love seeing strong role models for girls, so thumbs up there. The song that won the Oscar was "A Whole New World" is a good song, and represents the feeling of the movie and the characters. I get this one, whereas I did not understand "The Windmills of My Mind" from The Thomas Crowne Affair at all.The movie was made in 1992 almost 20 years before 9/11, and before we became much more aware of the cultures of the Middle East, so watching it now, and hearing the characters invoke 'Allah' as frequently as they do seemed disrespectful, whereas in 1992, there probably wasn't a second thought about it. Disney has often gotten criticism for cultural stereotypes in their movies, or a lack of cultural sensitivity. Being the optimist I am, I would like to think that the movie can be viewed as entertainment, but also perhaps used to further explore the culture it is supposed to be representing. I don't know if that's realistic, and I'm sure there are people who are like, it's just a fricking cartoon, dude. I don't expect a lot of realism in my animation, I mean, there's a flying carpet and a big blue genie, and I know that's not real, but I don't think it would hurt to try and be more aware of the stereotyping that's out there.
When Aladdin was released, I'm fairly certain I was not the target demographic, being old and crotchety even at 25, but I know I saw it somewhere at some point but the only memory I have is of the Genie (Robin Williams), so I decided I should watch it again. After watching it only 3 days ago, my main memory is still of Robin Williams. I don't think that's a bad thing, just that he is such a big personality that he's impossible to ignore. Aladdin is a young thief in Agrabah who falls in love with Princess Jasmine. Princess Jasmine's father, the Sultan has an adviser, Jafar, who has nefarious intentions for the sultanate and Princess Jasmine. Jafar also has an unhealthy desire to obtain a magic lamp, but needs Aladdin's help. Because Aladdin frees the genie from the lamp, the genie owes him three wishes. Of course, Jafar is not going to let Aladdin walk away (or fly away on the magic carpet) and he plots to trick the Sultan into allowing him to marry Jasmine. Jasmine is a very strong-willed and independent thinking girl and is less than thrilled with that proposition. The movie has many of the themes found in Disney films: talking animals (Jafar's parrot voiced by Gilbert Gottfried) or animals who are almost human in their empathy; an item that is usually 'static' that is animated and has a personality (the magic rug); a younger hero and/or heroine who succeed in spite of the adults around them; and wonderful music. I liked Aladdin; I didn't love it, and unlike other other movies, I don't need to watch it over again. But, again, I'm probably not the target demographic and I'm waaaay older than I was in 1992. Younger kids would probably enjoy it, and Princess Jasmine seems to have become somewhat of a favorite with young girls, and I love seeing strong role models for girls, so thumbs up there. The song that won the Oscar was "A Whole New World" is a good song, and represents the feeling of the movie and the characters. I get this one, whereas I did not understand "The Windmills of My Mind" from The Thomas Crowne Affair at all.The movie was made in 1992 almost 20 years before 9/11, and before we became much more aware of the cultures of the Middle East, so watching it now, and hearing the characters invoke 'Allah' as frequently as they do seemed disrespectful, whereas in 1992, there probably wasn't a second thought about it. Disney has often gotten criticism for cultural stereotypes in their movies, or a lack of cultural sensitivity. Being the optimist I am, I would like to think that the movie can be viewed as entertainment, but also perhaps used to further explore the culture it is supposed to be representing. I don't know if that's realistic, and I'm sure there are people who are like, it's just a fricking cartoon, dude. I don't expect a lot of realism in my animation, I mean, there's a flying carpet and a big blue genie, and I know that's not real, but I don't think it would hurt to try and be more aware of the stereotyping that's out there.
The Kings of Summer - a little movie with a big heart
6/9/13, The Kings of Summer, no awards yet, but wishful thinking, 2013
In theory, this blog is just for movies that have been nominated or won an Academy Award, but I have been known to throw in a random review of a recently seen movie. This movie gets a review all on its own because it was a really good movie, but also because it was filmed on my home turf in Ohio: Lyndhurst, South Euclid, Chagrin Falls, among others. So, for now, I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve (Ohio - the heart of it all). The fact that I saw it at my 'home' theater, The Cedar-Lee, made it even more special. The Kings of Summer is the story of two high school boys, friends since the beginning of time, and their new, odd, little friend who invites himself along, and their adventure in the woods, away from parents, rules and responsibilities. Joe Toy's dad, Frank, is a widower who is trying to get back in the dating scene, and who is constantly at odds with his son. Patrick Keenan gets hives from his parents who drive him crazy with their well-intentioned, but over-the-top, smothering of him. The three parents in the film are probably the most well-known of the cast: Nick Offerman plays Frank Toy; Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) and Marc Evan Jackson are Mr. & Mrs. Keenan. The Keenans have some of the films funniest moments; they would give me hives, too. Joe decides he has had enough of his father's bullying and controlling and after finding the ideal place in the woods, he asks Patrick to come with him to build a house and live, free from their parents. They are unexpectedly joined by Biaggio, who is...different, quirky, strange and in my book, should be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Biaggio just joins Patrick and Joe, they're really not even sure how it happened, but he earns his place in the triad. Through a series of events, Kelly, a girl that Joe likes, comes out to the hideaway, but falls for Patrick. This causes some hard feelings, and eventually, the trio go their separate ways, and Joe is really on his own. I like this movie because it doesn't make the teenage boys into the gross pigs that so many movies do, but takes advantage of the real quirks found in people and in relationships, and treats them with respect. It reminded me of Moonrise Kingdom where the parents were quirky and the kids functioned as the adults, if that makes sense, and the kids ran away to the wilderness. The music in both movies played a role in setting the mood, and was not intrusive like it can be sometimes. This is a small movie, but was shown at The Sundance Film Festival, so I hope that gives it some legs. Check it out at your local art house or college theater, if you can. It might be an offbeat choice for Father's Day, but I think you will like it. It will definitely balance out the rest of my super hero themed summer.
In theory, this blog is just for movies that have been nominated or won an Academy Award, but I have been known to throw in a random review of a recently seen movie. This movie gets a review all on its own because it was a really good movie, but also because it was filmed on my home turf in Ohio: Lyndhurst, South Euclid, Chagrin Falls, among others. So, for now, I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve (Ohio - the heart of it all). The fact that I saw it at my 'home' theater, The Cedar-Lee, made it even more special. The Kings of Summer is the story of two high school boys, friends since the beginning of time, and their new, odd, little friend who invites himself along, and their adventure in the woods, away from parents, rules and responsibilities. Joe Toy's dad, Frank, is a widower who is trying to get back in the dating scene, and who is constantly at odds with his son. Patrick Keenan gets hives from his parents who drive him crazy with their well-intentioned, but over-the-top, smothering of him. The three parents in the film are probably the most well-known of the cast: Nick Offerman plays Frank Toy; Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) and Marc Evan Jackson are Mr. & Mrs. Keenan. The Keenans have some of the films funniest moments; they would give me hives, too. Joe decides he has had enough of his father's bullying and controlling and after finding the ideal place in the woods, he asks Patrick to come with him to build a house and live, free from their parents. They are unexpectedly joined by Biaggio, who is...different, quirky, strange and in my book, should be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Biaggio just joins Patrick and Joe, they're really not even sure how it happened, but he earns his place in the triad. Through a series of events, Kelly, a girl that Joe likes, comes out to the hideaway, but falls for Patrick. This causes some hard feelings, and eventually, the trio go their separate ways, and Joe is really on his own. I like this movie because it doesn't make the teenage boys into the gross pigs that so many movies do, but takes advantage of the real quirks found in people and in relationships, and treats them with respect. It reminded me of Moonrise Kingdom where the parents were quirky and the kids functioned as the adults, if that makes sense, and the kids ran away to the wilderness. The music in both movies played a role in setting the mood, and was not intrusive like it can be sometimes. This is a small movie, but was shown at The Sundance Film Festival, so I hope that gives it some legs. Check it out at your local art house or college theater, if you can. It might be an offbeat choice for Father's Day, but I think you will like it. It will definitely balance out the rest of my super hero themed summer.
In honor of Father's Day - another look back
Father's Day is not until next week, but with my luck and habit of procrastination, I figured I should get this out in plenty of time. That way I can relax. Also, being back in Cleveland for a short break, I have not watched a single movie yet, although I have watched about 24 hours of Law & Order: SVU, in between visits to my favorite local eating establishments. There have been a lot of movies that my dad used to love, and sometimes he would inflict, I mean, share them with me. Sometimes we agreed and other times, not so much. So, while these may not be my favorites, they have a special meaning. Happy early Father's Day.
West Side Story, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Musical Score, Best Cinematography - Color, Best Art Direction - Color, Best Costume Design - Color, Best Film Editing, 1961
I would say this is actually a family-affair movie, my mom loved it as much as my dad, and I love it too. My mom used to play the film soundtrack on the record player (Google it) and I knew the music before I knew the film. It's a modern day telling of Romeo and Juliet, where New York gangs take the place of the Capulets and Montagues, and New York City replaces Verona. Natalie Wood, who was downright depressing in Splendor in the Grass is a delight as Maria, whose brother is a member of the Sharks. Richard Beymer, played Tony, and he is associated with the Jets. Tony and Maria fall in love, the Sharks and the Jets rumble, they all sing and dance. The movie was nominated for 11 awards and won 10, that is an incredible achievement. West Side Story won for Best Picture, going up against Judgment at Nuremberg, The Hustler, Guns of Navarone. Best Director was shared by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (noted dancer and choreographer). George Chakiris won for playing Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, and Rita Moreno won for playing Anita, Bernado's girlfriend. One of my favorite songs is "America", it has great choreography and insightful, but fun, lyrics. It used to be shown on television every once in a while, but I have not seen it on in many years.This would be well worth getting from Netflix or the library. The movie is fairly long, but I don't think it seems that way because the story and music keep it moving. I'll have to see about getting it for my next visit to Cleveland to watch with my mom.
Star Wars, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, 1977
Another one my dad could watch over and over again. He had the trilogy (before it became an ongoing franchise). I happen to agree with him on this one, although I do not have the tolerance or patience to watch things more then twice, it was a groundbreaking movie. 1977 was a great year for movies (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Airport '77, Annie Hall). I don't know what to say about Star Wars that hasn't been said before, but the first time I saw it was in the theater, big screen, and we had no idea what to expect. I was forced to watch Star Trek growing up by my dad (in those days, you had one TV, no remote, and 4 channels, so it's not like I had options), but this was SOO much bigger than Star Trek, and the characters and sets were more developed, more complex. It was whack (as the kids say these days). Trying to keep all the different species straight was impossible the first time around; I'm still hopeless. I think that was the first time that the music of John Williams entered my consciousness, and perhaps the first taste of 'classical' music a lot of kids received and that really stuck with them. If, for some reason, you are one of the few people left in the galaxy that has not seen the original Star Wars trilogy, you should make it a movie weekend and watch all three (possibly all six if you're up for it, although the film technology is different, if you're a person who worries about that kind of thing).
Chicago, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, 2002
This had to be one of my dad's all time favorites, so much so, I bought him the DVD for Chanukah or a birthday or something, and he watched the damn thing probably near 1000 times. Well, I was in Minnesota, so I didn't have to watch it. I don't know exactly why he loved it, but he did, and that's good enough for me. It wasn't terrible, it just didn't really resonate with me. Maybe I'm not really a musical person. But it sure did clean up at the Oscars in 2003. It won for Best Picture, going up against Gangs of New York, The Hours, Lord of the Rings, and The Pianist, and personally it would have been hard to choose between The Pianist and Lord of the Rings, for me, but I wonder if the votes were split, and the voters opted for the musical over the otherwise very somber films (although Chicago has its serious moments as well). Catherine Zeta-Jones won for Best Supporting Actress. I actually liked the walk down memory lane at this year's Oscar's where they included a Catherine Zeta-Jones number in the medley of musicals. I mean, there was so little to like about the whole fiasco, it was nice not to roll my eyes. So, this gets a thumbs up for nostalgia reasons, and perhaps I will even watch it again.
I have mentioned previously that Miracle on 34th Street (also starring a young Natalie Wood) was a movie my dad shared with me. As a grown up now (chronologically, anyway), it is nice to have the memories of watching movies with my parents or listening to 'their' music. I have certainly formed my own opinions and likes and dislikes, but there is something lovingly familiar when the two worlds intersect. Happy Father's Day.
West Side Story, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Musical Score, Best Cinematography - Color, Best Art Direction - Color, Best Costume Design - Color, Best Film Editing, 1961
I would say this is actually a family-affair movie, my mom loved it as much as my dad, and I love it too. My mom used to play the film soundtrack on the record player (Google it) and I knew the music before I knew the film. It's a modern day telling of Romeo and Juliet, where New York gangs take the place of the Capulets and Montagues, and New York City replaces Verona. Natalie Wood, who was downright depressing in Splendor in the Grass is a delight as Maria, whose brother is a member of the Sharks. Richard Beymer, played Tony, and he is associated with the Jets. Tony and Maria fall in love, the Sharks and the Jets rumble, they all sing and dance. The movie was nominated for 11 awards and won 10, that is an incredible achievement. West Side Story won for Best Picture, going up against Judgment at Nuremberg, The Hustler, Guns of Navarone. Best Director was shared by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (noted dancer and choreographer). George Chakiris won for playing Bernardo, leader of the Sharks, and Rita Moreno won for playing Anita, Bernado's girlfriend. One of my favorite songs is "America", it has great choreography and insightful, but fun, lyrics. It used to be shown on television every once in a while, but I have not seen it on in many years.This would be well worth getting from Netflix or the library. The movie is fairly long, but I don't think it seems that way because the story and music keep it moving. I'll have to see about getting it for my next visit to Cleveland to watch with my mom.
Star Wars, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, 1977
Another one my dad could watch over and over again. He had the trilogy (before it became an ongoing franchise). I happen to agree with him on this one, although I do not have the tolerance or patience to watch things more then twice, it was a groundbreaking movie. 1977 was a great year for movies (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Airport '77, Annie Hall). I don't know what to say about Star Wars that hasn't been said before, but the first time I saw it was in the theater, big screen, and we had no idea what to expect. I was forced to watch Star Trek growing up by my dad (in those days, you had one TV, no remote, and 4 channels, so it's not like I had options), but this was SOO much bigger than Star Trek, and the characters and sets were more developed, more complex. It was whack (as the kids say these days). Trying to keep all the different species straight was impossible the first time around; I'm still hopeless. I think that was the first time that the music of John Williams entered my consciousness, and perhaps the first taste of 'classical' music a lot of kids received and that really stuck with them. If, for some reason, you are one of the few people left in the galaxy that has not seen the original Star Wars trilogy, you should make it a movie weekend and watch all three (possibly all six if you're up for it, although the film technology is different, if you're a person who worries about that kind of thing).
Chicago, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, 2002
This had to be one of my dad's all time favorites, so much so, I bought him the DVD for Chanukah or a birthday or something, and he watched the damn thing probably near 1000 times. Well, I was in Minnesota, so I didn't have to watch it. I don't know exactly why he loved it, but he did, and that's good enough for me. It wasn't terrible, it just didn't really resonate with me. Maybe I'm not really a musical person. But it sure did clean up at the Oscars in 2003. It won for Best Picture, going up against Gangs of New York, The Hours, Lord of the Rings, and The Pianist, and personally it would have been hard to choose between The Pianist and Lord of the Rings, for me, but I wonder if the votes were split, and the voters opted for the musical over the otherwise very somber films (although Chicago has its serious moments as well). Catherine Zeta-Jones won for Best Supporting Actress. I actually liked the walk down memory lane at this year's Oscar's where they included a Catherine Zeta-Jones number in the medley of musicals. I mean, there was so little to like about the whole fiasco, it was nice not to roll my eyes. So, this gets a thumbs up for nostalgia reasons, and perhaps I will even watch it again.
I have mentioned previously that Miracle on 34th Street (also starring a young Natalie Wood) was a movie my dad shared with me. As a grown up now (chronologically, anyway), it is nice to have the memories of watching movies with my parents or listening to 'their' music. I have certainly formed my own opinions and likes and dislikes, but there is something lovingly familiar when the two worlds intersect. Happy Father's Day.
Short Films from 2006 - a mixed bag
Best Live Action Short Film Winner and Nominees, 2006
It took me three days to finish the disk of live action and animated shorts. It was a very mixed bag, and after a few shorts, I needed a break before I sallied forth again. I'm glad I did watch them all, though.
The Mozart of Pickpockets was winner, and it was probably my favorite of all the shorts. It's a French film that features two down on their luck pickpockets masquerading as policemen. As one of their scams comes to a very bad end, Richard and Philippe find a little boy, around 5 or 6, who becomes very attached to them, and they grow fond of him, especially when they think he can be used in improving their pickpocket results. They try one scheme and it doesn't quite pan out the way they expected, so to make themselves feel better, they go to the cinema. Totally on his own, the little boy finds a new scam and things are looking up. But, and you knew there was a but coming, there is another twist and you'll have to watch it to see for yourself. I liked this short the best because compared with the others, it was fun to watch, not too depressing (At Night) and not too frantically annoying (The Substitute).
At Night is a Danish film set in the cancer ward of a hospital during the Christmas holiday. The three main characters have grown closer during their various stays at the hospital. It's a very somber forty minutes as we watch the girls coping with their diseases and dealing with their various family situations. It's not a bad film at all, just hard to watch sometimes. This was one where it would have been nice to see what this would be like as a full length film, to see how the relationships began and then watch them develop over time. The three actresses were really good, especially considering the demands of the roles.
The Substitute was the Italian entry, and I found it almost spastic in its presentation, and very annoying. The whole point of the film became 'clear' at the very end, and by that time, I was into another game of online solitaire and needed my first break in my viewing.
Tanghi Argentini is set in an office and Andre wants to tango so he can impress a woman he met online. His co-worker reluctantly begins teaching him (it is funny watching them practice moves in the office) and then it's the big night....It does not go quite as expected, but Andre is not deterred, he apparently meets another woman online who is into poetry. Lucky for him, he has a co-worker who writes poetry. It's kind of an interesting premise, and I haven't seen too many Belgian films, so it wasn't a total loss. This could have been an episode of The Office or something like that.
The Tonto Woman gave me pause and it took me about 10 minutes to get into the premise and the main characters. If you're watching a 90 minute movie, 10 minutes is great. When your movie is only 35 minutes, that's a long time to hook your audience. The woman of the title was held hostage by Indians for many years and tattooed across her face in the fashion of the tribe. She was rescued by her husband, but lives alone on the far end of her husband's property. A cattle rustler (I didn't quite catch his name) stops by her place and becomes interested in her and buys her a present. These attentions are not quite appreciated by her husband, but the rustler doesn't care, he is determined to bring the woman out of her shell and show her that she is attractive to him. That's where it started to get interesting, as the characters were allowed to develop and the rustler, played by Francesco Quinn (he looked a lot like Anthony Quinn, so I'm thinking there's a relationship) and he was really good, both convincing as a tough, cowboy, but also sensitive and caring. The ending was very good and had a nice little twist. Another one that could be expanded and flushed out.
Best Animated Short Film Winner and Nominees, 2006
Peter and the Wolf won for best short for 2006. As you might infer, the film relied on the classical piece by Prokofiev. The animation was pretty cool and well synced to the music, which is timeless. As in many animated shorts, there was no dialog, just the music. Out of the three animated shorts I was able to watch, I did like this the most, but nothing really jumped out at me. I may have just been in a hurry to finish the disk by this point.
Madame Tutli-Putli used stop-motion animation and detailing work that gave the animation a lot of texture, making it seem like 3-D. Madame Tutli-Putli is on a night train and mysterious and creepy things happen. I have to be honest, it was only 17 minutes, and I probably only watched about 9. I didn't care.
Even Pigeons Go To Heaven is about a miserly old man and the local priest who is trying to help free him from his money buy selling him a place in heaven. The Grim Reaper comes in near the end; let's say there is a little 'misunderstanding' and the priest gets a first-class ticket to the pearly gates. It was a pretty clever concept.
It took me three days to finish the disk of live action and animated shorts. It was a very mixed bag, and after a few shorts, I needed a break before I sallied forth again. I'm glad I did watch them all, though.
The Mozart of Pickpockets was winner, and it was probably my favorite of all the shorts. It's a French film that features two down on their luck pickpockets masquerading as policemen. As one of their scams comes to a very bad end, Richard and Philippe find a little boy, around 5 or 6, who becomes very attached to them, and they grow fond of him, especially when they think he can be used in improving their pickpocket results. They try one scheme and it doesn't quite pan out the way they expected, so to make themselves feel better, they go to the cinema. Totally on his own, the little boy finds a new scam and things are looking up. But, and you knew there was a but coming, there is another twist and you'll have to watch it to see for yourself. I liked this short the best because compared with the others, it was fun to watch, not too depressing (At Night) and not too frantically annoying (The Substitute).
At Night is a Danish film set in the cancer ward of a hospital during the Christmas holiday. The three main characters have grown closer during their various stays at the hospital. It's a very somber forty minutes as we watch the girls coping with their diseases and dealing with their various family situations. It's not a bad film at all, just hard to watch sometimes. This was one where it would have been nice to see what this would be like as a full length film, to see how the relationships began and then watch them develop over time. The three actresses were really good, especially considering the demands of the roles.
The Substitute was the Italian entry, and I found it almost spastic in its presentation, and very annoying. The whole point of the film became 'clear' at the very end, and by that time, I was into another game of online solitaire and needed my first break in my viewing.
Tanghi Argentini is set in an office and Andre wants to tango so he can impress a woman he met online. His co-worker reluctantly begins teaching him (it is funny watching them practice moves in the office) and then it's the big night....It does not go quite as expected, but Andre is not deterred, he apparently meets another woman online who is into poetry. Lucky for him, he has a co-worker who writes poetry. It's kind of an interesting premise, and I haven't seen too many Belgian films, so it wasn't a total loss. This could have been an episode of The Office or something like that.
The Tonto Woman gave me pause and it took me about 10 minutes to get into the premise and the main characters. If you're watching a 90 minute movie, 10 minutes is great. When your movie is only 35 minutes, that's a long time to hook your audience. The woman of the title was held hostage by Indians for many years and tattooed across her face in the fashion of the tribe. She was rescued by her husband, but lives alone on the far end of her husband's property. A cattle rustler (I didn't quite catch his name) stops by her place and becomes interested in her and buys her a present. These attentions are not quite appreciated by her husband, but the rustler doesn't care, he is determined to bring the woman out of her shell and show her that she is attractive to him. That's where it started to get interesting, as the characters were allowed to develop and the rustler, played by Francesco Quinn (he looked a lot like Anthony Quinn, so I'm thinking there's a relationship) and he was really good, both convincing as a tough, cowboy, but also sensitive and caring. The ending was very good and had a nice little twist. Another one that could be expanded and flushed out.
Best Animated Short Film Winner and Nominees, 2006
Peter and the Wolf won for best short for 2006. As you might infer, the film relied on the classical piece by Prokofiev. The animation was pretty cool and well synced to the music, which is timeless. As in many animated shorts, there was no dialog, just the music. Out of the three animated shorts I was able to watch, I did like this the most, but nothing really jumped out at me. I may have just been in a hurry to finish the disk by this point.
Madame Tutli-Putli used stop-motion animation and detailing work that gave the animation a lot of texture, making it seem like 3-D. Madame Tutli-Putli is on a night train and mysterious and creepy things happen. I have to be honest, it was only 17 minutes, and I probably only watched about 9. I didn't care.
Even Pigeons Go To Heaven is about a miserly old man and the local priest who is trying to help free him from his money buy selling him a place in heaven. The Grim Reaper comes in near the end; let's say there is a little 'misunderstanding' and the priest gets a first-class ticket to the pearly gates. It was a pretty clever concept.
Don't say I didn't warn you - movies to only see once (if you must)
Having watched a good many movies in my life, especially in the last year, I have to say, sometimes I just don't get it. Perhaps it's that the movies that were 'groundbreaking' forty years ago are dated and passe, or the timeliness of the story is doesn't resonate in a different era, or the stars of the movie don't carry the same heft today. I believe a great movie is timeless and a good story is a good story. Sometimes I over think things and I miss out on the whimsy; other times, I can't think that hard and don't get the IMPORTANCE of a film (Tree of Life, for example...what? two hours of my life I will never, ever get back - it didn't win, so I don't have to write about it, but because I care about you, stay away). So, here are some movies that I watched and kind of wish I hadn't. You may disagree, and that's okay.
Splendor in the Grass, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, written for the screen, 1961
When the premise is sexual repression - you just know it's not going to end well. Directed by Elia Kazan and starring Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty, I had high expectations. I thought I would watch this and say, 'That's a movie everyone should see'. Did you hear that? That was me not saying anything. I remember watching this while instant messaging with a friend and telling her how much I was not enjoying this movie. She asked why I didn't turn it off. Because, I have to see how it ends and if it gets better. It did not. Warren Beatty was more tolerable in this than he was in Shampoo, but he still didn't move my needle (I realize I am not his target demographic, but I just was not impressed). Natalie Wood is Deanie, a 'good' girl who likes Bud (Beatty). Bud finds another who is willing to sacrifice her goodness to be with Bud; while Deanie is assaulted and has a breakdown. Deanie and Bud do not get together, which is deemed to be a good thing.
Midnight Cowboy, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, 1969
Apparently, this was rated X, still an uncommon rating today (although I think NC-17 is the rating used now), so it was a big deal that it won two of the top awards. I don't even know how I managed to get through this movie, except I must have been making snarky comments through the whole thing. Ugh, painful. In 1969 it might have been groundbreaking, but for me, in the 21st century, I could have lived without it. But it's off the list.
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Best Supporting Actor, 1969
If the title doesn't make you run away, let me help you: RUN THE FRICK AWAY, HIDE YOUR CHILDREN. Got it? I voluntarily watched this because I read somewhere it was a classic. Great performances, blah blah. In all honesty, I fell asleep in the middle and woke up towards the end; I did rewind a little bit (yes, rewind, videotape). I just didn't care (this should be an actual rating on NetFlix). The story is about a dance marathon (one of those crazy things they did before the Wii, I guess). Sydney Pollack directed, and Jane Fonda, Bruce Dern, Red Buttons and others made up a great cast. I'm sure there is a deep metaphor for life and its struggles, but I'd rather watch Bergman, at least I can pretend to be sophisticated by watching a foreign film.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Best Art Direction, 2007
I'm sorry all you Johnny Depp fans, but this was unbearable to watch. Tim Burton has grown on me over the years, Helena Bonham Carter is good in so many things, and Johnny Depp and I have our moments, but not in this. I don't have any more to say because I fell asleep during this one too, and didn't rewind.
Splendor in the Grass, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, written for the screen, 1961
When the premise is sexual repression - you just know it's not going to end well. Directed by Elia Kazan and starring Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty, I had high expectations. I thought I would watch this and say, 'That's a movie everyone should see'. Did you hear that? That was me not saying anything. I remember watching this while instant messaging with a friend and telling her how much I was not enjoying this movie. She asked why I didn't turn it off. Because, I have to see how it ends and if it gets better. It did not. Warren Beatty was more tolerable in this than he was in Shampoo, but he still didn't move my needle (I realize I am not his target demographic, but I just was not impressed). Natalie Wood is Deanie, a 'good' girl who likes Bud (Beatty). Bud finds another who is willing to sacrifice her goodness to be with Bud; while Deanie is assaulted and has a breakdown. Deanie and Bud do not get together, which is deemed to be a good thing.
Midnight Cowboy, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, 1969
Apparently, this was rated X, still an uncommon rating today (although I think NC-17 is the rating used now), so it was a big deal that it won two of the top awards. I don't even know how I managed to get through this movie, except I must have been making snarky comments through the whole thing. Ugh, painful. In 1969 it might have been groundbreaking, but for me, in the 21st century, I could have lived without it. But it's off the list.
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Best Supporting Actor, 1969
If the title doesn't make you run away, let me help you: RUN THE FRICK AWAY, HIDE YOUR CHILDREN. Got it? I voluntarily watched this because I read somewhere it was a classic. Great performances, blah blah. In all honesty, I fell asleep in the middle and woke up towards the end; I did rewind a little bit (yes, rewind, videotape). I just didn't care (this should be an actual rating on NetFlix). The story is about a dance marathon (one of those crazy things they did before the Wii, I guess). Sydney Pollack directed, and Jane Fonda, Bruce Dern, Red Buttons and others made up a great cast. I'm sure there is a deep metaphor for life and its struggles, but I'd rather watch Bergman, at least I can pretend to be sophisticated by watching a foreign film.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Best Art Direction, 2007
I'm sorry all you Johnny Depp fans, but this was unbearable to watch. Tim Burton has grown on me over the years, Helena Bonham Carter is good in so many things, and Johnny Depp and I have our moments, but not in this. I don't have any more to say because I fell asleep during this one too, and didn't rewind.
Recap - Movies I could watch over and over (and have)
There are people who can watch movies over and over and over, I am usually not that person. Even before I started this project, with over 700 on the list, there are few movies I need or want to see more than once. However, the movies listed below are the exceptions to my self-imposed rule.
The Wizard of Oz, Best Original Score, Best Song, 1939
No question, 1939 was a fabulous year for movies: Gone with the Wind, Wuthering Heights, Beau Geste, and The Wizard of Oz to name just a few. The Wizard of Oz used to be an annual movie event for my family (this is before cable, where it's probably shown several times a year). Apparently I used to sit transfixed for the whole movie, barely moving. It has everything a great movie should have: great characters, music, a story that kids can totally relate to, scary scenes, and flying monkeys. I've lost track of how many times I've seen it, but I did have the opportunity to see it on the big screen, and that was the best viewing ever. I'm sure most of you have seen it, but if for some reason you have avoided it, you should check it out. Judy Garland (native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota) was Dorothy, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow (winner for Best Song) is such a part of the American psyche, it is almost imperative to hear it in its original context. Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr (as Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion) are forever in my memory. And, lastly, Cleveland native, Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch scared the hell out of my younger self. The film was nominated for several of the visual awards as well, but lost out to Gone with the Wind. That would have been a really tough vote to make, because they are both visual masterpieces, especially in hindsight, looking over 70 years ago and the lack of computer aided effects.
Bridge on the River Kwai, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay, Best Music - Score, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, 1957
This movie is a must see for film buffs and those interested in World War II. The movie is set during World War II in the Pacific theater in Thailand in a Japanese prison camp with mostly British soldiers. Alec Guinness (winner of Best Actor) is Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson, whose firm grip on the protections and rules in the Geneva Convention get him in trouble with the camp commandant. The prisoners are forced to work on a railroad bridge. Some prisoners try to escape, and one, an American, Shears (played by William Holden) There are a lot of things happening in this movie with the relationships between the colonel and his men, the colonel and the commandant, Shears and military command. Guinness is chilling as Nicholson and he is riveting until the very last scene. Most Americans, perhaps just most people today, are not familiar with the war efforts in countries like Burma and Thailand, so, while the movie is not 100% historical, there were camps in that part of the world at that time and the conditions incredibly harsh and brutal. Seeing this movie made me interested in learning more about it. Alec Guinness (perhaps best known to modern audiences as Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars or PBS audiences as George Smiley the Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy series) was one of the most amazing actors. I will watch any of his movies just to see him, luckily, many of them are Oscar winners. Bridge was directed by the legendary David Lean (Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Passage to India); this movie, and those listed above, are not short, 90 minute flicks. You have to make time for them. Lean sets the stage and tells a story, and unlike many movies that I lambaste for being too long and self-indulgent, Lean uses the time to bring the audience into the narrative.
Lawrence of Arabia, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, 1962
It's probably not an accident that this is another Oscar-winning David Lean film, which coincidentally also has Alec Guinness, this time in a supporting role. I think the first time I saw this was on the big screen in a re-release of the original director's cut. T.E. Lawrence was a real person who served in the British military during the First World War in the Middle East. Peter O'Toole plays Lawrence, and once you watch the movie, you will never forget those eyes. They are piercing, observing, mesmerizing, and aloof. O'Toole seems almost otherworldly as Lawrence becomes part of the Arab world. Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif have supporting roles, and Sharif, in particular, is incredible to watch (he was also in Dr. Zhivago). This movie is as vast as the Arabian desert, at almost four hours long, it has great action as Lawrence and his 'army' fight the Turks (in World War I, the Ottoman Empire/Turkey was on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary), and beautiful scenes of the desert. The score, by the inimitable Maurice Jarre helps tell the story, especially during the may periods of little or no dialog. I have read different things over the years about Lawrence and this movie. There are complaints that Lean did not cast Arabs in the main Arab roles (both Quinn and Guinness play leaders in the Arab world), and the O'Toole was not at all like Lawrence, and I could probably go on. But I won't because it is an amazing movie, perhaps not amazing history, but that is for another time. And while I will concede the movie is not a strict historical application, I think it does shed light on the complexities of what is going on in the Middle East today. I think that is the best thing an historical/biographical movie can do, make the viewer want to learn more (so, while people were focusing on the inaccuracies in Lincoln, they may have missed the point that people were discussing things that aren't discussed any more).
Cool Hand Luke, Best Supporting Actor, 1967
I don't know if I can really explain why this movie is so good and why I can watch it over and over, except two words 'Paul Newman'. Newman was nominated as Best Actor and lost to Rod Steiger in In the Heat of the Night; Steiger was good, no question, but I'm bitter, even 45 years later. Newman IS Luke, and he brings the defiance he showed in Hud and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Luke's relationship with George Kennedy (Best Supporting Actor winner) as Dragline starts out rocky but the bigger man eventually realizes that Luke is a worthy opponent, but a better ally. Luke's relationship with the Captain, Strother Martin, is not quite so cordial and results in one of the best lines EVER in filmdom, (right up there with Rhett Butler's 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn') 'What we've got here is failure to communicate'. Luke may be a prisoner, but he's a lovable scoundrel with a twinkle in his eye and a seemingly unbreakable spirit, even when he his put in the hot box. I root for Luke to escape every time, cheering him on to evade the bloodhounds on his trail. The thing I love about Newman is when he was on, he was on, you didn't see an actor, you saw him AS that person, whether he was Cool Hand Luke or Fast Eddy Felton.
Creature Comforts, Best Animated Short, 1989
I laugh so hard every time I see this short, in fact, I loved it so much, I actually bought it - on VHS. Creature Comforts tells the animals' side of the story of living in a zoo. It was done by Nick Ardman, the same genius who brought us Wallace and Gromit (there may be a whole post devoted to them since they have won several Oscars). The animals are interviewed on what it's like living in the zoo; some of them like it, some of them do not. My favorite is the jaguar from Brazil, although I love them all. The funniest are usually the observations of the baby animals. My only complaint is sometimes I cannot understand the words and my VHS does not have subtitles. But, that just gives me an excuse to watch it again; perhaps today. My version is on a collection of shorts, but I saw it first on a big screen as an opener to another movie. I don't know how Ardman's mind works, but I hope he keeps making shorts. They tried to make Creature Comforts into a weekly television series and it didn't work; I'm not sure why.
I get asked a lot where I get the movies to watch. I use Netflix, although I am so cheap I refuse to increase my subscription; I also use RedBox for more recent releases, especially if I get codes for free movies, the theater, of course, but mostly I use the Galaxie branch of the Dakota County Library System. Most of the older movies are free, even rentals are only $1.00. You can't beat it. Public libraries are the best community investments; they provide opportunities for education, community meeting places, many free resources including computer access. I love that my library has a line every Sunday before it opens. I love seeing kids dragging their parents inside to go get their favorite books or videos, and I love seeing a variety of cultures using the library. People keep saying libraries are obsolete. Call me naive, but I don't think they are. Support your local library.
The Wizard of Oz, Best Original Score, Best Song, 1939
No question, 1939 was a fabulous year for movies: Gone with the Wind, Wuthering Heights, Beau Geste, and The Wizard of Oz to name just a few. The Wizard of Oz used to be an annual movie event for my family (this is before cable, where it's probably shown several times a year). Apparently I used to sit transfixed for the whole movie, barely moving. It has everything a great movie should have: great characters, music, a story that kids can totally relate to, scary scenes, and flying monkeys. I've lost track of how many times I've seen it, but I did have the opportunity to see it on the big screen, and that was the best viewing ever. I'm sure most of you have seen it, but if for some reason you have avoided it, you should check it out. Judy Garland (native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota) was Dorothy, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow (winner for Best Song) is such a part of the American psyche, it is almost imperative to hear it in its original context. Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr (as Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion) are forever in my memory. And, lastly, Cleveland native, Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch scared the hell out of my younger self. The film was nominated for several of the visual awards as well, but lost out to Gone with the Wind. That would have been a really tough vote to make, because they are both visual masterpieces, especially in hindsight, looking over 70 years ago and the lack of computer aided effects.
Bridge on the River Kwai, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay, Best Music - Score, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, 1957
This movie is a must see for film buffs and those interested in World War II. The movie is set during World War II in the Pacific theater in Thailand in a Japanese prison camp with mostly British soldiers. Alec Guinness (winner of Best Actor) is Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson, whose firm grip on the protections and rules in the Geneva Convention get him in trouble with the camp commandant. The prisoners are forced to work on a railroad bridge. Some prisoners try to escape, and one, an American, Shears (played by William Holden) There are a lot of things happening in this movie with the relationships between the colonel and his men, the colonel and the commandant, Shears and military command. Guinness is chilling as Nicholson and he is riveting until the very last scene. Most Americans, perhaps just most people today, are not familiar with the war efforts in countries like Burma and Thailand, so, while the movie is not 100% historical, there were camps in that part of the world at that time and the conditions incredibly harsh and brutal. Seeing this movie made me interested in learning more about it. Alec Guinness (perhaps best known to modern audiences as Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars or PBS audiences as George Smiley the Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy series) was one of the most amazing actors. I will watch any of his movies just to see him, luckily, many of them are Oscar winners. Bridge was directed by the legendary David Lean (Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Passage to India); this movie, and those listed above, are not short, 90 minute flicks. You have to make time for them. Lean sets the stage and tells a story, and unlike many movies that I lambaste for being too long and self-indulgent, Lean uses the time to bring the audience into the narrative.
Lawrence of Arabia, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, 1962
It's probably not an accident that this is another Oscar-winning David Lean film, which coincidentally also has Alec Guinness, this time in a supporting role. I think the first time I saw this was on the big screen in a re-release of the original director's cut. T.E. Lawrence was a real person who served in the British military during the First World War in the Middle East. Peter O'Toole plays Lawrence, and once you watch the movie, you will never forget those eyes. They are piercing, observing, mesmerizing, and aloof. O'Toole seems almost otherworldly as Lawrence becomes part of the Arab world. Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif have supporting roles, and Sharif, in particular, is incredible to watch (he was also in Dr. Zhivago). This movie is as vast as the Arabian desert, at almost four hours long, it has great action as Lawrence and his 'army' fight the Turks (in World War I, the Ottoman Empire/Turkey was on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary), and beautiful scenes of the desert. The score, by the inimitable Maurice Jarre helps tell the story, especially during the may periods of little or no dialog. I have read different things over the years about Lawrence and this movie. There are complaints that Lean did not cast Arabs in the main Arab roles (both Quinn and Guinness play leaders in the Arab world), and the O'Toole was not at all like Lawrence, and I could probably go on. But I won't because it is an amazing movie, perhaps not amazing history, but that is for another time. And while I will concede the movie is not a strict historical application, I think it does shed light on the complexities of what is going on in the Middle East today. I think that is the best thing an historical/biographical movie can do, make the viewer want to learn more (so, while people were focusing on the inaccuracies in Lincoln, they may have missed the point that people were discussing things that aren't discussed any more).
Cool Hand Luke, Best Supporting Actor, 1967
I don't know if I can really explain why this movie is so good and why I can watch it over and over, except two words 'Paul Newman'. Newman was nominated as Best Actor and lost to Rod Steiger in In the Heat of the Night; Steiger was good, no question, but I'm bitter, even 45 years later. Newman IS Luke, and he brings the defiance he showed in Hud and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Luke's relationship with George Kennedy (Best Supporting Actor winner) as Dragline starts out rocky but the bigger man eventually realizes that Luke is a worthy opponent, but a better ally. Luke's relationship with the Captain, Strother Martin, is not quite so cordial and results in one of the best lines EVER in filmdom, (right up there with Rhett Butler's 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn') 'What we've got here is failure to communicate'. Luke may be a prisoner, but he's a lovable scoundrel with a twinkle in his eye and a seemingly unbreakable spirit, even when he his put in the hot box. I root for Luke to escape every time, cheering him on to evade the bloodhounds on his trail. The thing I love about Newman is when he was on, he was on, you didn't see an actor, you saw him AS that person, whether he was Cool Hand Luke or Fast Eddy Felton.
Creature Comforts, Best Animated Short, 1989
I laugh so hard every time I see this short, in fact, I loved it so much, I actually bought it - on VHS. Creature Comforts tells the animals' side of the story of living in a zoo. It was done by Nick Ardman, the same genius who brought us Wallace and Gromit (there may be a whole post devoted to them since they have won several Oscars). The animals are interviewed on what it's like living in the zoo; some of them like it, some of them do not. My favorite is the jaguar from Brazil, although I love them all. The funniest are usually the observations of the baby animals. My only complaint is sometimes I cannot understand the words and my VHS does not have subtitles. But, that just gives me an excuse to watch it again; perhaps today. My version is on a collection of shorts, but I saw it first on a big screen as an opener to another movie. I don't know how Ardman's mind works, but I hope he keeps making shorts. They tried to make Creature Comforts into a weekly television series and it didn't work; I'm not sure why.
I get asked a lot where I get the movies to watch. I use Netflix, although I am so cheap I refuse to increase my subscription; I also use RedBox for more recent releases, especially if I get codes for free movies, the theater, of course, but mostly I use the Galaxie branch of the Dakota County Library System. Most of the older movies are free, even rentals are only $1.00. You can't beat it. Public libraries are the best community investments; they provide opportunities for education, community meeting places, many free resources including computer access. I love that my library has a line every Sunday before it opens. I love seeing kids dragging their parents inside to go get their favorite books or videos, and I love seeing a variety of cultures using the library. People keep saying libraries are obsolete. Call me naive, but I don't think they are. Support your local library.
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