The Lion King, Thelma and Louise, The Conversation and Hail, Caesar!

11/11/16 The Lion King, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, 1994 #86 BBC

I would hope that twenty-two years after the film was released (plus the theatrical musical) nobody really needs a synopsis of The Lion King. But, I could be presuming. So, the short version is that Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick are the voices) is the son of Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones), the king of the pride. Mufasa has a jealous and power-hungry brother, Scar (Jeremy Irons) who does not have much time for his young nephew, or anyone else for that matter. A stampede of epic proportions sets the scene for Mufasa's death, seemingly because of Simba, but really because of Scar (I hope I didn't ruin it for the five of you who have not seen the movie). Simba runs off and meets two of the craziest characters a person, or a lion, could ever meet: Timon, a meerkat (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa, a warthog (Ernie Sabella). Timon and Pumbaa become Simba's family and they make their way through the jungle together. The due also teach Simba about "Hakuna Matata" - no worries. Meanwhile, back in the pride, Scar is wreaking havoc and misery throughout the jungle, no hakuna matata there. The cast of characters is rounded out by Sarabi (Madge Sinclair), Simba's mother; Nala, Simba's friend and later wife; Zazu (Rowan Atkinson), a hornbill, who is Mufasa's right hand bird; Rafiki (Robert Guillaume), a wise mandrill, who is a shaman and provides blessings to the animals; and the three hyenas voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings. It seems to be a Disney trope to have one (or both) of the parents die early in the story; it seems to fast-track any character and story development. So, I'm sure grown-ups were not all that surprised when it happened, although they may not have been thrilled to have their kids watch it. It has characters that have become almost iconic, like Scar, Timon and Pumbaa (honestly, to me, Simba is kind of meh). And of course it has great songs by Tim Rice and Elton John, including "Can You Feel The Love Tonight, which won the Oscar for Best Original Song; "Circle of Life" and the previously mentioned "Hakuna Matata". I have no doubt that little kids all over the world are still being introduced to The Lion King as I write.

11/12/16 Thelma and Louise, Best Original Screenplay, 1991,  #81 BBC

Thelma and Louise is one of a very limited number of female buddy movies, right now, I'm having a tough time coming up with another one. This probably explains its place of reverence in feminist cinematic history. Thelma and Louise (Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, respectively) are supposed to just be going out for a long weekend, which then turns into the weekend from hell. Thelma is married to Darryl, who, while he isn't as enlightened as we would like, isn't a total jerk; Louise is in a relatively satisfactory relationship with Jimmy, who later goes out on a limb to help Louise and Thelma. At their first stop, Thelma meets Harlan, a fun-loving guy who doesn't take 'no' for an answer, and begins to sexually assault Thelma until Louise steps in, and lets him know what 'no' means. Unfortunately, that sets Detective Hal Slocumb (Harvey Keitel) on their trail. They have other adventures (or misadventures), including a sexy, but costly, encounter with J.D. (a very young Brad Pitt) a con-man trying to hitch a ride to anywhere, really. There is a bank robbery; the F.B.I. gets involved; a state trooper in the wrong place at the wrong time; and a very rude truck driver. Louise is clearly the more mature and worldly of the two women, with Thelma being painfully naive, and occasionally just plain dense (that may be harsh, but she ticked me off a couple of times); but as the movie goes on, Thelma comes into her own, and shows a lot of strength, and at times when Louise needs the support. Slocumb tries to build a rapport with the women, ostensibly to bring them in safe, but neither women believe they will be treated with any kind of understanding by the predominately male authorities. The first time I saw Thelma and Louise, it didn't resonate with me, but this time around, it did. It was serious when it needed to be, but it also had good banter between Davis and Sarandon who seemed like they really were friends. Roles like Thelma and Louise do not come around very often for women (perhaps a little more these days, but not enough), and I think that's why it is so popular with women, even today, at least as a cultural reference. I'm glad I watched it again.

11/14/16 Hail, Caesar!, 2016, not yet nominated

I don't know where to begin. Hail, Caesar! is a Coen Brothers film, which for me means I might like it, love it, or have mixed feelings. At this particular moment, I have mixed feelings. As with many Coen Brothers movies, there are several different plot lines, and sometimes they work and sometimes they just seem to be left hanging out there. Hail, Caesar! is set during the 1950s, the period of the big set epic pictures like Spartacus, Ben Hur, Quo Vadis, The Robe, etc., and movie star Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is working on just such an epic called Hail, Caesar! when he is kidnapped by a group of Communist supporters, including many screenwriters from Hollywood. Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) is a 'fixer' for Capitol Studios and he is responsible for finding Baird, but also for taking care of any other scandals that might affect the studio including aquatic star DeeAnn Moran's (Scarlett Johanssen) unplanned pregnancy; coaching Hobie Doyle, (Alden Ehrenreich) a young Western star in his first real dramatic acting role; and placating the dueling twin gossip columnists, Thora and Thessaly Thacker (played by Tilda Swinton). All of these story lines happen concurrently, and periodically, they cross over. As this is going on, Mannix is being wooed by Lockheed Corporation for a high level job, less stress, better hours and better pay. Oh yeah, there's also a story line with Channing Tatum and a German submarine. I was surprised by Tatum's tap dancing skills, seriously. That was a surprisingly great dance routine, worthy of a Gene Kelly movie. So, put all of these subplots in a movie, add the Baird Whitlock plot, and that's the movie. Was this of any value? Probably not. For that, I am sorry. How about, I sort of liked it? Does that help? You can't win them all, but if this is nominated for Best Original Screenplay, or Best Cinematography, then it's already taken care of.
 

11/15/16 The Conversation, 1974, #33 BBC, National Film Registry

The Conversation, written, directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, is a tense, psychological thriller with a lot nuance, driven primarily by the main character, Harry Caul, played by one of my favorites, Gene Hackman. Caul is a surveillance expert, and the movie follows him on one particular job that involves a young couple (Frederic Forrest and Cindy Williams), an older man (Robert Duvall) and a lot of fragmentary conversation. Caul spends the movie trying to piece together not only the conversation of the couple, but also tries to attach some kind of context to the situation. It's kind of like sitting on the train and picking up bits of conversations and trying to figure out what is really being discussed. I know I make up scenarios that may or may not be near the truth, or reality. Caul is a private, serious loner, and very paranoid. It must be hard to eavesdrop on people, perhaps hear things that are intimate, personal, and perhaps dangerous or illegal. This particular case seems to take its toll on Harry as we watch his paranoia increase as he thinks he is figuring out what the conversation is about. It is a little hard to believe that The Conversation was done by the same man who did Apocalypse Now (Coppola), but when I think that in The Conversation we watch the slow unraveling of Harry Caul and the same for Captain Benjamin Willard and Colonel Walter Kurtz, it doesn't seem so far fetched. I don't know why The Conversation is not talked about more as a great movie. If you are looking for a mystery/film noir movie with a stellar performance by Gene Hackman, I totally recommend The Conversation.