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.