That actually sounds pretty cool as a movie title, but viewers had to settle with In The Bedroom. That and two others helped me reach the 394 mark meaning I only have 100 films left to see. Of course until next year when more movies are nominated, but unless I take a decade or two off, I'll always be in double digits or less (hopefully) of films to see.
In The Bedroom (2001) - What if you take a very slow moving script and mix up so-so actors with a few incredible acting performances? You get a film that is good, at times great and others like watching paint dry. The movie is about a young man in love with a divorced or soon to be divorced mother who's ex-husband, or soon to be ex-husband, ends up killing him. The parents are distraught, the guy is going to get a slap on the wrist and the parents can't live with that.
Why didn't this film win best picture? It's because if you take away Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson and Marisa Tomei this film would be horrible. The three of them were outstanding, the rest were no where in their league and it showed. The story creeps along at times and falls into the age old trap of making the "villain" inhuman at times to help justify the actions of the "heroes" of the film. A Beautiful Mind was clearly better done but the acting is very close.
The Human Comedy (1943) - Young Mickey Rooney and even younger Van Johnson and Donna Reed in a typical WWII film about life at home. Very similar to movies of this era during the war, at times more propaganda and education than entertainment. And while it is classified as a comedy, it is more dramatic and slightly depressing at times. The story is about a young man getting a job while his older brother is at war and his father has already passed on. Again as I've posted before, movies during WWII had no knowledge when the war would end, so the films are filled with hope and inspiration for the movie goers not to be depressed when they left the theater. It differs from films made after the war ended, then you can give a happy or sad ending, but people already know what the final result was.
This film is great more for the mood and the slice of time it portrays. It's a great example of using art to reflect a specific time and place in history. And the acting was great and the movie really does pull you in, it's a good story that is entertaining to watch. Yet it was matched up against Casablanca and ended up losing. It's only the seventh film I've seen that year, three more to go, but I would put it in the top three right up there with The Ox-Bow Incident.
Life is Beautiful (1998) - One of the few foreign language films to be nominated and win three Oscars. Roberto Benigni ends up in a concentration camp during WWII and tries to hid it from his child. Not as awkward as The Day The Clown Cried, but rather unrealistic. I wouldn't go as far to say it was disrespectful, but it is hard to make a comedy about such a depressing subject. While I admire the attempt it wasn't that good. I should also note that I didn't see the original version, the one I saw was dubbed. And while dubbed films have gotten a bit better over time, they still are not as good as a movie in the language it was filmed in.
I would like to compare it to the best picture of the year but this is one of the three years that I haven't seen the best film yet. And like 1985 I have now seen all the other films that were nominated and didn't win. So for now I can say that this wasn't the best film, Saving Private Ryan is still holding the top spot.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Did anyone ever really trust a Romanian Count before WWII?
And as you see in Watch On The Rhine you couldn't trust them during the war either. As well I added Room at the Top and Talk of the Town to my list, creeping closer to 400.
Watch On The Rhine (1943) - Bettie Davis and Paul Lukas who won best actor, are refugees from Europe at the start of WWII. They are committed Fascism fighters raising money to send back to Europe so they go back to Bettie Davis's family in Washington DC. And as my post title hinted, a Romanian count is living there spending all his time playing poker at the German embassy. He tries to sell Paul Lukas out, fails and is killed by Paul Lukas who takes all of his fundraising and flees back to Europe.
This film is more of a propaganda film, it was made during the war and without knowing how it will end (obviously) this film has a interesting characteristic to it. Like Mrs. Miniver a year earlier, movies about WWII made during WWII are more intense than those made after the war. But it did go up against Casablanca, so it wasn't the best film, but worthy of the top ten, even in the top five.
Room At The Top (1959) - English film from the new era of movie making that occurred in the late 1950's in England. A gritty drama about a man who will do whatever it takes to succeed right after the end of WWII. He keeps angling for a better job and looks to marry a rich man's daughter. Along the way he falls in love with a married woman who he promises to be with, but then goes with the rich girl. She gets drunk, dies in a car accident and he gets himself nearly beaten to death but is brought to the wedding on time and marries the rich girl he got pregnant.
It reminded me somewhat of A Place in the Sun, but not as good. That and you can't compare Laurence Harvey to Montgomery Clift, or the rest of the cast for that matter. Since this was the last film to see for 1959, and the 390 film I saw overall, here is the final verdict for the year. Ben-Hur is still the best picture, a classic epic. A Nun's Story would be second from fine acting from Audrey Hepburn, close third is The Diary of Anne Frank, depressing but still a great drama. Anatomy of a Murder gets fourth because Otto Preminger is a great director, with the exception of Skidoo, and Room at the Top fifth since it was a tough year.
The Talk Of The Town (1942) - A somewhat preachy movie that has an incredible acting team with Carey Grant, Jean Arthur and Ronald Colman about a man being framed for arson and murder. Carey Grant is the town anarchist and all around angry guy. He's framed for burning down the factory and killing a night watchman. He flees from jail and hides out at Jean Arthur's rental home who she is preparing for law professor Ronald Colman. While there he thinks Carey Grant is the gardener, gets into great philosophical discussions with him, all the while Jean Arthur is trying to get Ronald Colman to take up Carey Grant's case but wouldn't do it anyway since he is going to be nominated for the Supreme Court.
As you can guess it all works out for the best, but a good film anyway. It did lose to Mrs. Miniver and rightfully so.
Watch On The Rhine (1943) - Bettie Davis and Paul Lukas who won best actor, are refugees from Europe at the start of WWII. They are committed Fascism fighters raising money to send back to Europe so they go back to Bettie Davis's family in Washington DC. And as my post title hinted, a Romanian count is living there spending all his time playing poker at the German embassy. He tries to sell Paul Lukas out, fails and is killed by Paul Lukas who takes all of his fundraising and flees back to Europe.
This film is more of a propaganda film, it was made during the war and without knowing how it will end (obviously) this film has a interesting characteristic to it. Like Mrs. Miniver a year earlier, movies about WWII made during WWII are more intense than those made after the war. But it did go up against Casablanca, so it wasn't the best film, but worthy of the top ten, even in the top five.
Room At The Top (1959) - English film from the new era of movie making that occurred in the late 1950's in England. A gritty drama about a man who will do whatever it takes to succeed right after the end of WWII. He keeps angling for a better job and looks to marry a rich man's daughter. Along the way he falls in love with a married woman who he promises to be with, but then goes with the rich girl. She gets drunk, dies in a car accident and he gets himself nearly beaten to death but is brought to the wedding on time and marries the rich girl he got pregnant.
It reminded me somewhat of A Place in the Sun, but not as good. That and you can't compare Laurence Harvey to Montgomery Clift, or the rest of the cast for that matter. Since this was the last film to see for 1959, and the 390 film I saw overall, here is the final verdict for the year. Ben-Hur is still the best picture, a classic epic. A Nun's Story would be second from fine acting from Audrey Hepburn, close third is The Diary of Anne Frank, depressing but still a great drama. Anatomy of a Murder gets fourth because Otto Preminger is a great director, with the exception of Skidoo, and Room at the Top fifth since it was a tough year.
The Talk Of The Town (1942) - A somewhat preachy movie that has an incredible acting team with Carey Grant, Jean Arthur and Ronald Colman about a man being framed for arson and murder. Carey Grant is the town anarchist and all around angry guy. He's framed for burning down the factory and killing a night watchman. He flees from jail and hides out at Jean Arthur's rental home who she is preparing for law professor Ronald Colman. While there he thinks Carey Grant is the gardener, gets into great philosophical discussions with him, all the while Jean Arthur is trying to get Ronald Colman to take up Carey Grant's case but wouldn't do it anyway since he is going to be nominated for the Supreme Court.
As you can guess it all works out for the best, but a good film anyway. It did lose to Mrs. Miniver and rightfully so.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Does proving that a German Psychiatrist doodles mean him diagnosing you as a manic depressive invalid?
In the world of Frank Capra it sure does! I'm sure you've guessed by now that I have seen Mr. Deeds Goes To Town and two other classics including a strong eyebrow acting role from 1946. But first...
Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936) - The Frank Capra classic that won him his second best director for the 1930's. A typical Capra style like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or Meet John Doe, this time it's a small town poet from New England who inherits 20 million dollars from a long lost uncle and moves to New York City. Not only the typical fish out of water story, but everyone is out to con him from his money or to embarrass him in public. Yet as the hero he is not the bumbling fool people take him for and when he decides to give his money away they try to declare him insane. A unrealistic trial by the state, he wins over everyone and is the hero who gets the girl.
Is it sappy? Yes. Is it unrealistic? Yes. Is it a great movie? Yes. The story may be annoying at times, but Gary Cooper is great and you will enjoy every minute. As compared to The Great Ziegfield, as I've said before nothing was going to beat that movie because of what Florenz Ziegfield meant to the entertainment industry and he was missed.
The Smiling Lieutenant (1932) - A classic from before the self imposed censorship from the movie industry came about. A silly musical about an officer in the Austrian army winking at a visiting princess who is offended. Trying to avoid an international (or continental) incident, he has to be their escort while visiting Austria and ultimately has to marry her. Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins are comical and lustful in a well acted film. Even though I don't like musicals, the songs relate to the story, the songs are rather comical and the sexual situations are what you would seed about forty years later in films, not what you expect when you think of movies from the 1930's.
This is a great film, but you can't use basic movie math to compare it to the best picture of 1932, Grand Hotel, you will need to do movie calculus. In this case you would apply the Lionel Barrymore algebraic equation. Did Grand Hotel have Lionel Barrymore? Yes. Did The Smiling Lieutenant have Lionel Barrymore? No. The answer is Grand Hotel was the best film of 1932, it just as simple as that.
The Razor's Edge (1946) - Based on the W. Somerset Maugham's novel, where he is one of the main characters. Does that mean he's not real or it's not a novel???? And Tyrone Power's eyebrows, Gene Tierney, Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter and Herbert Marshall all make up an all star cast. About a WWI vet who decides to find himself by traveling around Europe and Asia and finds enlightenment in India starring at a mountain. In other words, he became a hippie after the war and traveled like a bum trying to become a zen master. Gene Tierney is shallow and loves him but wants the life of luxury in Chicago (joke's on her) and then becomes bitter when his eyebrows show up ten years later.
It was a very good movie, but nothing could beat The Best Years of Our Lives the year after WWII ended. I don't think Gone With The Wind could win, so there is no need to compare it but just say it was one of the better films for the year.
Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936) - The Frank Capra classic that won him his second best director for the 1930's. A typical Capra style like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or Meet John Doe, this time it's a small town poet from New England who inherits 20 million dollars from a long lost uncle and moves to New York City. Not only the typical fish out of water story, but everyone is out to con him from his money or to embarrass him in public. Yet as the hero he is not the bumbling fool people take him for and when he decides to give his money away they try to declare him insane. A unrealistic trial by the state, he wins over everyone and is the hero who gets the girl.
Is it sappy? Yes. Is it unrealistic? Yes. Is it a great movie? Yes. The story may be annoying at times, but Gary Cooper is great and you will enjoy every minute. As compared to The Great Ziegfield, as I've said before nothing was going to beat that movie because of what Florenz Ziegfield meant to the entertainment industry and he was missed.
The Smiling Lieutenant (1932) - A classic from before the self imposed censorship from the movie industry came about. A silly musical about an officer in the Austrian army winking at a visiting princess who is offended. Trying to avoid an international (or continental) incident, he has to be their escort while visiting Austria and ultimately has to marry her. Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins are comical and lustful in a well acted film. Even though I don't like musicals, the songs relate to the story, the songs are rather comical and the sexual situations are what you would seed about forty years later in films, not what you expect when you think of movies from the 1930's.
This is a great film, but you can't use basic movie math to compare it to the best picture of 1932, Grand Hotel, you will need to do movie calculus. In this case you would apply the Lionel Barrymore algebraic equation. Did Grand Hotel have Lionel Barrymore? Yes. Did The Smiling Lieutenant have Lionel Barrymore? No. The answer is Grand Hotel was the best film of 1932, it just as simple as that.
The Razor's Edge (1946) - Based on the W. Somerset Maugham's novel, where he is one of the main characters. Does that mean he's not real or it's not a novel???? And Tyrone Power's eyebrows, Gene Tierney, Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter and Herbert Marshall all make up an all star cast. About a WWI vet who decides to find himself by traveling around Europe and Asia and finds enlightenment in India starring at a mountain. In other words, he became a hippie after the war and traveled like a bum trying to become a zen master. Gene Tierney is shallow and loves him but wants the life of luxury in Chicago (joke's on her) and then becomes bitter when his eyebrows show up ten years later.
It was a very good movie, but nothing could beat The Best Years of Our Lives the year after WWII ended. I don't think Gone With The Wind could win, so there is no need to compare it but just say it was one of the better films for the year.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
It's been awhile.......
It's been awhile since I have posted and I have seen a bunch of movies. Nothing like taking a few days off to watch movies.
Darling (1965) - Julie Christie staring in her Oscar winning role, and besides that there wasn't much to this film. She was fantastic, the movie, eh. It's the story of a model who is bored with everything around her and chronicles her rise to royalty.
This means that I have finished 1965 and my mind has not changed, The Sound of Music was the best picture. As much as I don't like musicals, this is a really, really good one and a good film. Second is A Thousand Clowns for being such a great dramatic comedy. Doctor Zhivago in all of it's depression is third, Darling is fourth and fifth is Ship of Fools.
Foreign Correspondent (1940) - A Hitchcock film that competed against itself for best picture with Rebecca. It doesn't have the great Laurence Olivier, it has Joel McCrea. It's a spy thriller about a journalist who is sent to Europe and gets tangled up in a murder mystery conspiracy.
The film is a Hitchcock film, so it is good. Not as good as Rebecca, or other movies that year, but good suspense as you would expect from Alfred Hitchcock that doesn't disappoint.
The Long Voyage Home (1940) - Based on four plays by Eugene O'Neill about sailors on a ship in early World War II in the Atlantic. Directed by John Ford and staring John Wayne is all you need to know that this is a film worth watching. The stories blend into one another so that they are one film, but unless you knew the film was based on four different plays, the story seems a bit choppy.
This makes the ninth out of ten films for 1940, so I can't make an official assessment, but this one is up near the top.
State Fair (1933) - Staring Janet Gaynor, Will Rodgers and Lew Ayres, a non musical version of an Iowa family spending a week at the state fair and all of the drama, romance and comedy that comes with this. It's a light hearted film that is very enjoyable, very funny at times. To be honest I am glad I didn't see this movie when I was younger, I would not have understand it as a kid growing up in New York City. But I have been to state fairs and know what significance they hold, especially to people in rural areas.
It's not as serious as Cavalcade or other films nominated that year, so I can see why it didn't win best picture. But never-the-less a good classic film. See it before it falls apart even more and is lost forever.
The Thin Red Line (1998) - An all star WWII film about the battle of Guadalcanal. Very violent and gritty, good qualities of a war movie. A few too many characters makes it hard to follow the multiple story lines and to be honest Steven Spielberg did a better job with Saving Private Ryan. Some great acting though, but a rather long movie.
I still haven't seen the best picture of 1998, Shakespeare in Love, so this will sit in a holding comparison pattern. So far all the films I've seen make 1998 a very strong year.
Trader Horn (1931) - They don't make movies like this anymore, and probably for good reason. If you attempted to make a remake and keep the integrity of the original you wouldn't stop being sued. A "Many animals were harmed" disclaimer could also be used for this film. It's a story about a trader adventurer who ends up "saving" a white queen, a young girl who was taken from her missionary parents as a baby in Africa. From a standpoint on race it makes Birth of a Nation look like Remember the Titans.
Still the footage is amazing, it was filmed in Africa in the early 1930's. It's worth seeing it just for that. Doesn't come up to the level of Cimarron which was a bit of a mini epic, but still a good movie.
In Old Arizona (1929) - Don't mess with the Cisco Kid. Somehow Army sergeants from Brooklyn don't get this. The film is very old, one of the first major sound films. It's about Arizona before it was a state and how the Army is trying to track down the Cisco Kid who steals horses, gold, women, ham steaks and anything he gets his hands on. Typical Western storyline, action and scenery, but good enough to be one of the few Westerns to get nominated for best picture. It's hard to compare films from this time period to modern films, but there is something so cool to see a movie from over 80 years ago.
1929 was a mixed year, not counting that stock market thing. It was bad because President Coolidge left office, but my paternal grandmother was married that year which was good since further actions allowed me to post my ramblings on the Internet. I've only now seen two films from this year, so I still can't determine which was better, I'll leave it in second for now next to Broadway Melody which won best picture.
Blossoms in the Dust (1941) - A bio-pic about Edna Gladney, the woman who started the Texas Children's Home and Aid Society staring the beautiful Greer Garson. Not the most accurate portrayal, but most movies do take liberties. A very enjoyable movie, warm and heartfelt, makes you realize how tough it was to be an orphan back in the day. Things that we take for granted today were not the same ninety years ago. Does make you appreciate and honor those who work to get children adopted.
Now to try and compare this movie with the best picture of 1941 is a fruitless venture since the movie that won for best picture was NOT the best picture. This is the infamous year of Citizen Kane being snubbed, so the best that this film could do is second best, but so far seeing eight out of nine, it's falling in the middle.
Song of Bernadette (1943) - The story of a teenage girl who in the 1850's in France believed she saw the Virgin Mary and dug up a underwater well of mineral water. The film does do a good job to balance the religious overtones with reality. If you believe in the story as true then the film shows you it happened. If you question the truth the film also presents it from the logical perspective to show that it was circumstance and not a miracle. That is the sign of a good movie that can bring both sides together. Otherwise it is very, very long and you get the point rather quickly. Also France in the 1850's looks just as filthy as today, some things never change.
This film is good enough to be in the top ten of the year, but nowhere near to Casablanca.
The Right Stuff (1983) - The 385th film I have seen so far. The epic film based on the Mercury Seven and Chuck Yeager during the dawn of the space age. Star studded cast, good special effects, very well done movie. Reminds you how brave the first Astronauts were and how great of an American Chuck Yeager is.
Since I have now seen all films nominated for 1983 I can finally say that this was a very weak year for movies. As I posted before I considered this a year where all the films had a losing record. Well one film hit the .500 mark (or at least 9 and 7) which would be The Right Stuff. Not that it is a great film, but it is good and better than the others. Second would be Tender Mercies, mainly because of Robert Duvall and not because of the film. Third would be The Dresser, fourth is Terms Of Endearment and fifth is The Big Chill. Glad this year is over with.
Darling (1965) - Julie Christie staring in her Oscar winning role, and besides that there wasn't much to this film. She was fantastic, the movie, eh. It's the story of a model who is bored with everything around her and chronicles her rise to royalty.
This means that I have finished 1965 and my mind has not changed, The Sound of Music was the best picture. As much as I don't like musicals, this is a really, really good one and a good film. Second is A Thousand Clowns for being such a great dramatic comedy. Doctor Zhivago in all of it's depression is third, Darling is fourth and fifth is Ship of Fools.
Foreign Correspondent (1940) - A Hitchcock film that competed against itself for best picture with Rebecca. It doesn't have the great Laurence Olivier, it has Joel McCrea. It's a spy thriller about a journalist who is sent to Europe and gets tangled up in a murder mystery conspiracy.
The film is a Hitchcock film, so it is good. Not as good as Rebecca, or other movies that year, but good suspense as you would expect from Alfred Hitchcock that doesn't disappoint.
The Long Voyage Home (1940) - Based on four plays by Eugene O'Neill about sailors on a ship in early World War II in the Atlantic. Directed by John Ford and staring John Wayne is all you need to know that this is a film worth watching. The stories blend into one another so that they are one film, but unless you knew the film was based on four different plays, the story seems a bit choppy.
This makes the ninth out of ten films for 1940, so I can't make an official assessment, but this one is up near the top.
State Fair (1933) - Staring Janet Gaynor, Will Rodgers and Lew Ayres, a non musical version of an Iowa family spending a week at the state fair and all of the drama, romance and comedy that comes with this. It's a light hearted film that is very enjoyable, very funny at times. To be honest I am glad I didn't see this movie when I was younger, I would not have understand it as a kid growing up in New York City. But I have been to state fairs and know what significance they hold, especially to people in rural areas.
It's not as serious as Cavalcade or other films nominated that year, so I can see why it didn't win best picture. But never-the-less a good classic film. See it before it falls apart even more and is lost forever.
The Thin Red Line (1998) - An all star WWII film about the battle of Guadalcanal. Very violent and gritty, good qualities of a war movie. A few too many characters makes it hard to follow the multiple story lines and to be honest Steven Spielberg did a better job with Saving Private Ryan. Some great acting though, but a rather long movie.
I still haven't seen the best picture of 1998, Shakespeare in Love, so this will sit in a holding comparison pattern. So far all the films I've seen make 1998 a very strong year.
Trader Horn (1931) - They don't make movies like this anymore, and probably for good reason. If you attempted to make a remake and keep the integrity of the original you wouldn't stop being sued. A "Many animals were harmed" disclaimer could also be used for this film. It's a story about a trader adventurer who ends up "saving" a white queen, a young girl who was taken from her missionary parents as a baby in Africa. From a standpoint on race it makes Birth of a Nation look like Remember the Titans.
Still the footage is amazing, it was filmed in Africa in the early 1930's. It's worth seeing it just for that. Doesn't come up to the level of Cimarron which was a bit of a mini epic, but still a good movie.
In Old Arizona (1929) - Don't mess with the Cisco Kid. Somehow Army sergeants from Brooklyn don't get this. The film is very old, one of the first major sound films. It's about Arizona before it was a state and how the Army is trying to track down the Cisco Kid who steals horses, gold, women, ham steaks and anything he gets his hands on. Typical Western storyline, action and scenery, but good enough to be one of the few Westerns to get nominated for best picture. It's hard to compare films from this time period to modern films, but there is something so cool to see a movie from over 80 years ago.
1929 was a mixed year, not counting that stock market thing. It was bad because President Coolidge left office, but my paternal grandmother was married that year which was good since further actions allowed me to post my ramblings on the Internet. I've only now seen two films from this year, so I still can't determine which was better, I'll leave it in second for now next to Broadway Melody which won best picture.
Blossoms in the Dust (1941) - A bio-pic about Edna Gladney, the woman who started the Texas Children's Home and Aid Society staring the beautiful Greer Garson. Not the most accurate portrayal, but most movies do take liberties. A very enjoyable movie, warm and heartfelt, makes you realize how tough it was to be an orphan back in the day. Things that we take for granted today were not the same ninety years ago. Does make you appreciate and honor those who work to get children adopted.
Now to try and compare this movie with the best picture of 1941 is a fruitless venture since the movie that won for best picture was NOT the best picture. This is the infamous year of Citizen Kane being snubbed, so the best that this film could do is second best, but so far seeing eight out of nine, it's falling in the middle.
Song of Bernadette (1943) - The story of a teenage girl who in the 1850's in France believed she saw the Virgin Mary and dug up a underwater well of mineral water. The film does do a good job to balance the religious overtones with reality. If you believe in the story as true then the film shows you it happened. If you question the truth the film also presents it from the logical perspective to show that it was circumstance and not a miracle. That is the sign of a good movie that can bring both sides together. Otherwise it is very, very long and you get the point rather quickly. Also France in the 1850's looks just as filthy as today, some things never change.
This film is good enough to be in the top ten of the year, but nowhere near to Casablanca.
The Right Stuff (1983) - The 385th film I have seen so far. The epic film based on the Mercury Seven and Chuck Yeager during the dawn of the space age. Star studded cast, good special effects, very well done movie. Reminds you how brave the first Astronauts were and how great of an American Chuck Yeager is.
Since I have now seen all films nominated for 1983 I can finally say that this was a very weak year for movies. As I posted before I considered this a year where all the films had a losing record. Well one film hit the .500 mark (or at least 9 and 7) which would be The Right Stuff. Not that it is a great film, but it is good and better than the others. Second would be Tender Mercies, mainly because of Robert Duvall and not because of the film. Third would be The Dresser, fourth is Terms Of Endearment and fifth is The Big Chill. Glad this year is over with.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Oscar Results
My streak has been ended. For the past five to six years I have won, maybe a tie somewhere in there, but this year my wife won. Here are some interesting statistics:
92% is the combined correct picks, between us we got 22 out of 24 correct. The two we missed Best Editing and Live Action Short Film;
83% was what my wife got, 20 out of 24;
67% was my score, 16 out of 24.
Here is a breakdown of each category.
Visual Effects
Chris - Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Adam - Hugo
Winner - Hugo
Adam - 1
Chris - 0
This is one of the few that I got right that my wife didn't. My guess of Hugo winning the technical awards payed off.
Sound Mixing
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
Winner - Hugo
Adam - 2
Chris -1
Another of the five technical awards won by Hugo.
Sound Editing
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
Winner - Hugo
Adam - 3
Chris - 2
Looking pretty smart, ain't I? S-M-R-T!
Cinematography
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
Winner - Hugo
Adam - 4
Chris - 3
From what I've seen, this is going to be a very enjoyable film to watch.
Makeup
Chris - The Iron Lady
Adam - Albert Nobbs
Winner - The Iron Lady
Adam - 4
Chris - 4
This is one of the first gambles that I made that didn't work out.
Costume Design
Chris - Hugo
Adam - The Artist
Winner - The Artist
Adam - 5
Chris - 4
This gamble paid off, my theory was that The Artist will win most of the categories it's running for.
Art Direction
Chris - Hugo
Adam - The Artist
Winner - Hugo
Adam - 5
Chris - 5
This was a toss up, but one of the many technical ones that Hugo won. I was right on Costume Design, wrong on this one.
Film Editing
Chris - The Artist
Adam - The Artist
Winner - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Adam - 5
Chris - 5
What the? This is one of two that neither of us would have guessed. That includes the two guys who won the award. My only guess is that they wanted this film to get some recognition so this was the one award. They were the same ones who won last year for The Social Network, maybe they are in good with their crowd.
Music Original Song
Chris - The Muppets
Adam - The Muppets
Winner - The Muppets
Adam - 6
Chris - 6
Like I said, who is going to vote against The Muppets. Watching the two nominees my wife commented after they showed the song from Rio that it couldn't lose enough.
Music Original Score
Chris - The Artist
Adam - The Artist
Winner - The Artist
Adam - 7
Chris - 7
No-brainer on this one, it's a silent movie.
Writing Adapted Screenplay
Chris - The Descendants
Adam - The Descendants
Winner - The Descendants
Adam - 8
Chris - 8
I called this one, it was rather obvious. People wanted to recognize the film, this is one award that is commonly used. And I was right, it was the only award the film won all night.
Writing Original Screenplay
Chris - Midnight In Paris
Adam - Midnight In Paris
Winner - Midnight In Paris
Adam - 9
Chris - 9
I was glad to see this since Woody Allen is one of the greatest comedic filmmakers of all time. And of course, he wasn't there.
Short Film Animated
Chris - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Adam - La Luna
Winner - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Adam - 9
Chris - 10
These awards I consider to be the wild cards. There is no real way to know who will win unless you have seen all of the films and are involved in this community. Otherwise it is a pure guess and one I wasn't lucky on.
Short Film Live Action
Chris - Tuba Atlantic
Adam - Raju
Winner - The Shore
Adam - 9
Chris - 10
The only other category that neither of us was able to get right.
Documentary Short Subject
Chris - Saving Face
Adam - Incident in New Baghdad
Winner - Saving Face
Adam - 9
Chris - 11
Maybe I should have researched these a bit, but still they are a lottery and I guessed wrong. I've been lucky in the past, this year it went to my wife.
Best Animated
Chris - Rango
Adam - Rango
Winner - Rango
Adam - 10
Chris - 12
Back in the winning momentum, but still two behind my wife.
Best Documentary
Chris - Undefeated
Adam - Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Winner - Undefeated
Adam - 10
Chris - 13
Now I am in trouble, this is the last of the wild cards and I was 0 for 4, the wife was 3 for 4.
Best Foreign Language
Chris - A Separation
Adam - A Separation
Winner - A Separation
Adam - 11
Chris - 14
Not much of a surprise here. Of course seeing the new Rassmussen polls we should be at war with Iran by the end of the week.
Best Supporting Actress
Chris - Octavia Spencer
Adam - Octavia Spencer
Winner - Octavia Spencer
Adam - 12
Chris - 15
Everyone knew this, if you didn't I would like to sell you a bridge.
Best Supporting Actor
Chris - Christopher Plummer
Adam - Christopher Plummer
Winner - Christopher Plummer
Adam - 13
Chris - 16
Would you like to buy a second bridge?
Best Actress
Chris - Meryl Streep
Adam - Viola Davis
Winner - Meryl Streep
Adam - 13
Chris - 17
This is the empty net goal. I had a feeling that I may be losing and would need a desperate attempt to try and tie or pull ahead at the end.
Best Actor
Chris - Jean Dujardin
Adam - Jean Dujardin
Winner - Jean Dujardin
Adam - 14
Chris - 18
Getting towards the end and it's looking all The Artists from here on.
Best Director
Chris - Michel Hazanavicius
Adam - Michel Hazanavicius
Winner - Michel Hazanavicius
Adam - 15
Chris - 19
The fourth out of five, rather obvious.
Best Picture
Chris - The Artist
Adam - The Artist
Winner - The Artist
Adam - 16
Chris -20
And the 84th best picture is The Artist.
92% is the combined correct picks, between us we got 22 out of 24 correct. The two we missed Best Editing and Live Action Short Film;
83% was what my wife got, 20 out of 24;
67% was my score, 16 out of 24.
Here is a breakdown of each category.
Visual Effects
Chris - Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Adam - Hugo
Winner - Hugo
Adam - 1
Chris - 0
This is one of the few that I got right that my wife didn't. My guess of Hugo winning the technical awards payed off.
Sound Mixing
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
Winner - Hugo
Adam - 2
Chris -1
Another of the five technical awards won by Hugo.
Sound Editing
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
Winner - Hugo
Adam - 3
Chris - 2
Looking pretty smart, ain't I? S-M-R-T!
Cinematography
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
Winner - Hugo
Adam - 4
Chris - 3
From what I've seen, this is going to be a very enjoyable film to watch.
Makeup
Chris - The Iron Lady
Adam - Albert Nobbs
Winner - The Iron Lady
Adam - 4
Chris - 4
This is one of the first gambles that I made that didn't work out.
Costume Design
Chris - Hugo
Adam - The Artist
Winner - The Artist
Adam - 5
Chris - 4
This gamble paid off, my theory was that The Artist will win most of the categories it's running for.
Art Direction
Chris - Hugo
Adam - The Artist
Winner - Hugo
Adam - 5
Chris - 5
This was a toss up, but one of the many technical ones that Hugo won. I was right on Costume Design, wrong on this one.
Film Editing
Chris - The Artist
Adam - The Artist
Winner - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Adam - 5
Chris - 5
What the? This is one of two that neither of us would have guessed. That includes the two guys who won the award. My only guess is that they wanted this film to get some recognition so this was the one award. They were the same ones who won last year for The Social Network, maybe they are in good with their crowd.
Music Original Song
Chris - The Muppets
Adam - The Muppets
Winner - The Muppets
Adam - 6
Chris - 6
Like I said, who is going to vote against The Muppets. Watching the two nominees my wife commented after they showed the song from Rio that it couldn't lose enough.
Music Original Score
Chris - The Artist
Adam - The Artist
Winner - The Artist
Adam - 7
Chris - 7
No-brainer on this one, it's a silent movie.
Writing Adapted Screenplay
Chris - The Descendants
Adam - The Descendants
Winner - The Descendants
Adam - 8
Chris - 8
I called this one, it was rather obvious. People wanted to recognize the film, this is one award that is commonly used. And I was right, it was the only award the film won all night.
Writing Original Screenplay
Chris - Midnight In Paris
Adam - Midnight In Paris
Winner - Midnight In Paris
Adam - 9
Chris - 9
I was glad to see this since Woody Allen is one of the greatest comedic filmmakers of all time. And of course, he wasn't there.
Short Film Animated
Chris - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Adam - La Luna
Winner - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Adam - 9
Chris - 10
These awards I consider to be the wild cards. There is no real way to know who will win unless you have seen all of the films and are involved in this community. Otherwise it is a pure guess and one I wasn't lucky on.
Short Film Live Action
Chris - Tuba Atlantic
Adam - Raju
Winner - The Shore
Adam - 9
Chris - 10
The only other category that neither of us was able to get right.
Documentary Short Subject
Chris - Saving Face
Adam - Incident in New Baghdad
Winner - Saving Face
Adam - 9
Chris - 11
Maybe I should have researched these a bit, but still they are a lottery and I guessed wrong. I've been lucky in the past, this year it went to my wife.
Best Animated
Chris - Rango
Adam - Rango
Winner - Rango
Adam - 10
Chris - 12
Back in the winning momentum, but still two behind my wife.
Best Documentary
Chris - Undefeated
Adam - Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Winner - Undefeated
Adam - 10
Chris - 13
Now I am in trouble, this is the last of the wild cards and I was 0 for 4, the wife was 3 for 4.
Best Foreign Language
Chris - A Separation
Adam - A Separation
Winner - A Separation
Adam - 11
Chris - 14
Not much of a surprise here. Of course seeing the new Rassmussen polls we should be at war with Iran by the end of the week.
Best Supporting Actress
Chris - Octavia Spencer
Adam - Octavia Spencer
Winner - Octavia Spencer
Adam - 12
Chris - 15
Everyone knew this, if you didn't I would like to sell you a bridge.
Best Supporting Actor
Chris - Christopher Plummer
Adam - Christopher Plummer
Winner - Christopher Plummer
Adam - 13
Chris - 16
Would you like to buy a second bridge?
Best Actress
Chris - Meryl Streep
Adam - Viola Davis
Winner - Meryl Streep
Adam - 13
Chris - 17
This is the empty net goal. I had a feeling that I may be losing and would need a desperate attempt to try and tie or pull ahead at the end.
Best Actor
Chris - Jean Dujardin
Adam - Jean Dujardin
Winner - Jean Dujardin
Adam - 14
Chris - 18
Getting towards the end and it's looking all The Artists from here on.
Best Director
Chris - Michel Hazanavicius
Adam - Michel Hazanavicius
Winner - Michel Hazanavicius
Adam - 15
Chris - 19
The fourth out of five, rather obvious.
Best Picture
Chris - The Artist
Adam - The Artist
Winner - The Artist
Adam - 16
Chris -20
And the 84th best picture is The Artist.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Picks for the 2011 Oscars
Normally my wife and I have our annual death match when it comes to picking the Oscars. This year she printed my ballot with her picks already there. This avoids the controversy many years ago when she looked at my ballot just before they started, erased her picks, copied mine and won. This is why I wouldn't show my picks until a few minutes before the Oscars started and would agree not to change our choices.
So here is what each of us will be rooting for, starting with the lower tier of course.
Visual Effects
Chris - Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Adam - Hugo
I have heard that Rise of the Planet of the Apes has amazing effects, but I think Hugo will win all of the technical awards. And you will see that we have picked many of the same films in most categories so I have to differentiate occasionally.
Sound Mixing
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
As I said on the previous award I am sticking with Hugo.
Sound Editing
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
Technical award, go with Hugo.
Cinematography
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
Another technical award, in my opinion, so again I'm going with Hugo.
Makeup
Chris - The Iron Lady
Adam - Albert Nobbs
I can see why The Iron Lady was nominated, Meryl Streep really looks like Margaret Thacher. But Albert Nobbs made Glenn Close look like a man. Only three nominated so one of us is right or we both lose.
Costume Design
Chris - Hugo
Adam - The Artist
This could be a toss up, but I think the Artist will win in almost every category it's nominated in.
Art Direction
Chris - Hugo
Adam - The Artist
At this pace one of us will be way into the lead or both desperately tied.
Film Editing
Chris - The Artist
Adam - The Artist
If you think a movie is going to win best picture, it's probably going to win film editing too.
Music Original Song
Chris - The Muppets
Adam - The Muppets
There were only two songs nominated and one of them is from The Muppets. Who would you vote for?
Music Original Score
Chris - The Artist
Adam - The Artist
If The Artist only wins one award it has to be this one. Hello, it's a silent movie! You have to have a good score.
Writing Adapted Screenplay
Chris - The Descendants
Adam - The Descendants
I think this will be the only award The Descendants will win. It's one of the biggest movies of the year but I think will lose in every other category and people don't want it to go away empty handed.
Writing Original Screenplay
Chris - Midnight In Paris
Adam - Midnight In Paris
Woody Allen is long overdue for another Oscar, and even though he won't be there, the buzz is that he is a shoe in for winning it.
Short Film Animated
Chris - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Adam - La Luna
No idea who will win, just a pure guess. There is no way to know who will win these, these awards are the wild cards. So I picked a different film to try and move ahead.
Short Film Live Action
Chris - Tuba Atlantic
Adam - Raju
I would have picked Tuba Atlantic because the name sounds so cool, so I had to settle for Raju. Again just a blind guess.
Documentary Short Subject
Chris - Saving Face
Adam - Incident in New Baghdad
No research done on this, so my guess is that something involving Iraq should get enough votes.
Best Animated
Chris - Rango
Adam - Rango
In a year with no Pixar films, this one seems to be the one mentioned the most likely to win.
Best Documentary
Chris - Undefeated
Adam - Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Besides having the coolest name of the other nominees, I fell asleep watching the Documentary Channel the other day. Just before I nodded off I saw the director of this movie being asked a question or something. Or did I dream that?
Best Foreign Language
Chris - A Separation
Adam - A Separation
I've heard that this is the one to beat. It's from Iran and seeing how our President will most likely declare war on Iran sometime in September when he is polling behind the Republican nominee, it's a good shot to win.
Best Supporting Actress
Chris - Octavia Spencer
Adam - Octavia Spencer
This is one of the most obvious ones to pick, she has won every award so far.
Best Supporting Actor
Chris - Christopher Plummer
Adam - Christopher Plummer
This is the other most obvious one to pick. I don't think he has ever won before so this will be more of a lifetime achievement award.
Best Actress
Chris - Meryl Streep
Adam - Viola Davis
I could be wrong here, but The Help is a very popular movie and it won't win much besides Best Supporting Actress.
Best Actor
Chris - Jean Dujardin
Adam - Jean Dujardin
The Artist will win the big awards, he won the Golden Globe, and most of all he was terrific.
Best Director
Chris - Michel Hazanavicius
Adam - Michel Hazanavicius
The Artist once again, although I have heard rumors of Martin Scorseese.
Best Picture
Chris - The Artist
Adam - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, just kidding, The Artist
The first time since 1960 a full black and white film will win and the first since 1928 for a silent film to win. That and I have already seen it. And I won't need to reorder my academy award list since it is in alphabetical order. Oh yea, and it's a great movie.
So here is what each of us will be rooting for, starting with the lower tier of course.
Visual Effects
Chris - Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Adam - Hugo
I have heard that Rise of the Planet of the Apes has amazing effects, but I think Hugo will win all of the technical awards. And you will see that we have picked many of the same films in most categories so I have to differentiate occasionally.
Sound Mixing
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
As I said on the previous award I am sticking with Hugo.
Sound Editing
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
Technical award, go with Hugo.
Cinematography
Chris - Hugo
Adam - Hugo
Another technical award, in my opinion, so again I'm going with Hugo.
Makeup
Chris - The Iron Lady
Adam - Albert Nobbs
I can see why The Iron Lady was nominated, Meryl Streep really looks like Margaret Thacher. But Albert Nobbs made Glenn Close look like a man. Only three nominated so one of us is right or we both lose.
Costume Design
Chris - Hugo
Adam - The Artist
This could be a toss up, but I think the Artist will win in almost every category it's nominated in.
Art Direction
Chris - Hugo
Adam - The Artist
At this pace one of us will be way into the lead or both desperately tied.
Film Editing
Chris - The Artist
Adam - The Artist
If you think a movie is going to win best picture, it's probably going to win film editing too.
Music Original Song
Chris - The Muppets
Adam - The Muppets
There were only two songs nominated and one of them is from The Muppets. Who would you vote for?
Music Original Score
Chris - The Artist
Adam - The Artist
If The Artist only wins one award it has to be this one. Hello, it's a silent movie! You have to have a good score.
Writing Adapted Screenplay
Chris - The Descendants
Adam - The Descendants
I think this will be the only award The Descendants will win. It's one of the biggest movies of the year but I think will lose in every other category and people don't want it to go away empty handed.
Writing Original Screenplay
Chris - Midnight In Paris
Adam - Midnight In Paris
Woody Allen is long overdue for another Oscar, and even though he won't be there, the buzz is that he is a shoe in for winning it.
Short Film Animated
Chris - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Adam - La Luna
No idea who will win, just a pure guess. There is no way to know who will win these, these awards are the wild cards. So I picked a different film to try and move ahead.
Short Film Live Action
Chris - Tuba Atlantic
Adam - Raju
I would have picked Tuba Atlantic because the name sounds so cool, so I had to settle for Raju. Again just a blind guess.
Documentary Short Subject
Chris - Saving Face
Adam - Incident in New Baghdad
No research done on this, so my guess is that something involving Iraq should get enough votes.
Best Animated
Chris - Rango
Adam - Rango
In a year with no Pixar films, this one seems to be the one mentioned the most likely to win.
Best Documentary
Chris - Undefeated
Adam - Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Besides having the coolest name of the other nominees, I fell asleep watching the Documentary Channel the other day. Just before I nodded off I saw the director of this movie being asked a question or something. Or did I dream that?
Best Foreign Language
Chris - A Separation
Adam - A Separation
I've heard that this is the one to beat. It's from Iran and seeing how our President will most likely declare war on Iran sometime in September when he is polling behind the Republican nominee, it's a good shot to win.
Best Supporting Actress
Chris - Octavia Spencer
Adam - Octavia Spencer
This is one of the most obvious ones to pick, she has won every award so far.
Best Supporting Actor
Chris - Christopher Plummer
Adam - Christopher Plummer
This is the other most obvious one to pick. I don't think he has ever won before so this will be more of a lifetime achievement award.
Best Actress
Chris - Meryl Streep
Adam - Viola Davis
I could be wrong here, but The Help is a very popular movie and it won't win much besides Best Supporting Actress.
Best Actor
Chris - Jean Dujardin
Adam - Jean Dujardin
The Artist will win the big awards, he won the Golden Globe, and most of all he was terrific.
Best Director
Chris - Michel Hazanavicius
Adam - Michel Hazanavicius
The Artist once again, although I have heard rumors of Martin Scorseese.
Best Picture
Chris - The Artist
Adam - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, just kidding, The Artist
The first time since 1960 a full black and white film will win and the first since 1928 for a silent film to win. That and I have already seen it. And I won't need to reorder my academy award list since it is in alphabetical order. Oh yea, and it's a great movie.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Is it necessary to see a silent film in a THX theater?
Saw The Artist this weekend in the theater that had THX sound. The music was good (translation: loud) but the moments of silence sounded just like silence! Besides going to the wonderful Cornelius 9 theater, got to see a bunch of movies this weekend.
The Artist (2011) - This is a great movie. Done in the style of a classic silent film, it's about an actor who doesn't want to accept that sound is replacing silent movies. It is also a throwback to the classic film era with touches of A Star is Born, Asta from the Thin Man series and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. I'm sure there are many others, I'll need to watch it again closer to find more references.
Will this film win best picture? I hope so for a number of reasons. Besides it being the top runner currently and I plan on picking it on my ballot (see this post for an explaination), I hope that it will get people to become more interested in older films from the 1930's and the silent era. That and it would only be the second time that I saw a film that won best picture in the theater before it won, last time 1988.
Cleopatra (1934) -The Cecil B. DeMille epic with Claudette Colbert as Cleopatra. The old story of Julius Ceasar saving the queen after concurring Egypt and then tries to marry her. Just before the wedding he goes to a knife party, but since he is the last to arrive the party goers follow tradition and stab him to death. Mark Anthony, angry that he wasn't invited, blames Cleopatra, wants to kill her, instead falls in love with her, goes back to Egypt and then tries to fight the entire Roman army himself. He comes very close, no not really, and Cleopatra allows her pet snake to bite her. This was told in about an hour and forty minutes, seventeen hours less than the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton remake about thirty years later.
A grand film, done well for the time. Today you would have more special effects and more elaborate sets, but enjoyable, much more than the remake. Not as good as It Happened One Night, but good enough to be in the top twelve.
Black Swan (2010) - About every thirty years a film with ballet in the storyline gets nominated (Red Shoes 1948, The Turning Point 1977) so I would get ready in about 2039 for the next ballet film to be nominated. More of a suspense film about a dancer getting the lead role in Swan Lake and her losing her mind trying to get ready for the part. Has elements of American Psycho where you are not sure what is reality or fantasy, but doesn't leave it up to the viewer which in a way weakens the film. Natalie Portman was exceptional and earned the best actress award.
I heard that this film wasn't very good, I would disagree. It wasn't as bad as 127 Hours but not as good as The Kings Speech.
The Lion in the Winter (1968) - A story about a disfunctional family getting together for Christmas. The twist is that it is 1183 and the family is King Henry II's. He allows his wife out of jail to see the King of France and invites his three sons who are all vying for being the next king. Epic style drama, drags a bit, good screenplay and strong acting. Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn who won half best actress, Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton's first film.
Since I have seen all films from 1968 now I can give a final analysis. I saw Oliver when I was a teenager so it's not fresh in my memory as some of the other movies from this year. But seeing how it was a musical and awarded in a socially tough time, I can see why it won. In a tie for second would be The Lion in the Winter since it has epic quality and Rachel Rachel since it was the standard of what would win during the 1970's. Romeo and Juliet is in fourth place because you can't put Shakespeare in last place, and Fanny last.
Viva Villa (1934) - Wallace Berry as Pancho Villa, it doesn't get better than this. Not sure how accurate but he plays the part like he was the John Gotti of Mexico. The story of how he took his bandits and fought in the Mexican Revolution, how he had to flee to Texas and then how he came back to overthrow the government once again.
No comparison to It Happened One Night, but very enjoyable.
The Gay Divorcee (1934) - Whole lotta of 1934 going on this weekend and this is film 375. Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, the cast of regulars, typical story of mistaken identity. And they always find a way to get Fred Astaire to dance, just like a Jim Brown film always found a way to get him to run. Not much on plot but a grand musical that I like to call escape from the failing of the Roosevelt economic policies.
A good film, good enough to be part of the top twelve, not good enough to bump off It Happened One Night.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
I wonder how many times did Gene Kelly accidently step on the mouse during rehearsals?
Of course Jerry aka Itchy has had worse from Tom aka Scratchy, so I'm sure he was a professional. Along with Anchors Aweigh I also saw Love is a Many-Splendored Thing and finally getting me back to 75% after adding this years nine movies dropped me down by two percent.
Anchors Aweigh (1945) - A standard light hearted musical done well. Staring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra as two Navy sailors who get a four day pass in Hollywood after earning the Silver Star. Somewhat comical and clever and as someone who really doesn't like musicals, I didn't hate this film. It's not going to make my top 100, but it is a very good film. If you love musicals then this is a film for you.
This lost to The Lost Weekend, no pun intended, and understandable so. Even though it was around the end of WWII, The Lost Weekend is such a powerful movie that few others could beat it. This could have won in the 1950's, but it came out when it did. I've seen three from 1945 and while this sits in third, it is only slightly edged out by Mildred Pierce.
Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) - A slow moving love story about a half Chinese half English woman who is a doctor in Hong Kong in the late 1940's. Did I mention it was slow? Compared to modern films where there is instant gratification, this film very gradually moves along and tells the story of the heroine falling in love with a American corespondent. Great acting by Jennifer Jones and William Holden, not much beyond that, but they have great chemistry together.
Overall it could have been told in 15 minutes, but the extra 85 minutes allowed some nice cinematography and the theme song played a few times. Not a terrible film, but an above average film. Which is why it is a thousand times better than Marty. So now Marty which was in third place, since I had seen three films from that year, goes to fourth, soon on it's way to last place.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Apparently it's Illegal to impersonate a Gondolier in Italy
And when arrested by all means don't make fun of the police officer. Got around to seeing a few more movies on my list, one of them as the title suggests was Top Hat. Things were tough during Mussolini, wonder if they have eased that restriction?
Top Hat (1935) - Film number 365 was the famous Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers musical that featured Cheek to Cheek. Realized that Edward Everett Horton was the narrator for Fractured Fairy Tales on Rocky and Bullwinkle years later after saying to myself, why do I know that voice? The film is basically a dance film that they built a script around. Just as it was described in the Robert Altman film The Player, they take two stars and let the film write itself. The plot is based on mistaken identity, no different than any sitcom, think Three's Company. It's the type of movie that someone would go to in 1935 to forget about the failed economic policies of FDR. Great dancing scenes but the rest of the script has jokes that fall flat and lots of unrealistic conflicts. Otherwise it is a great film if you enjoy grand dance scenes.
Was it the best film of the year, no far from it. But it is a classic.
Libeled Lady (1936) - This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. And not just funny for 1936, great comedy from very talented actors and actresses and a great script. Staring Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, this film is terrific. Its defined as a screwball comedy about a newspaper that publishes a false story about a socialite played by Myrna Loy and the newspaper editor played by Spencer Tracy trying to do damage control. He brings in William Powell to help create a real scandal with Myrna Loy and forces his girlfriend played by Jean Harlow to marry William Powell. The chemistry is great, enjoyable all the way through, really a great film.
Should this film won best picture? As I have posted before, The Great Ziegfeld must have had a powerful emotion over the academy voters. 1936 is the starting point of a great run of excellent years in Hollywood, peaking in 1939. I have now seen eight out of ten films from this year and all of them have been great. I wasn't alive then and so I can only imagine that nothing was going to beat The Great Ziegfeld.
Witness for the Prosecution (1957) - From the Agatha Christie play staring Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, Tyrone Power and his eyebrows. A murder mystery done from the courtroom setting. Great acting by Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power's eyebrows. But the movie moves like a typical English mystery, about the same speed as my grandmother would drive in the 45 mph lane. A suspenseful film that's good, not the greatest ever, but worth watching.
Could this have beaten The Bridge on the River Kwai, no who are you kidding?
Top Hat (1935) - Film number 365 was the famous Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers musical that featured Cheek to Cheek. Realized that Edward Everett Horton was the narrator for Fractured Fairy Tales on Rocky and Bullwinkle years later after saying to myself, why do I know that voice? The film is basically a dance film that they built a script around. Just as it was described in the Robert Altman film The Player, they take two stars and let the film write itself. The plot is based on mistaken identity, no different than any sitcom, think Three's Company. It's the type of movie that someone would go to in 1935 to forget about the failed economic policies of FDR. Great dancing scenes but the rest of the script has jokes that fall flat and lots of unrealistic conflicts. Otherwise it is a great film if you enjoy grand dance scenes.
Was it the best film of the year, no far from it. But it is a classic.
Libeled Lady (1936) - This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. And not just funny for 1936, great comedy from very talented actors and actresses and a great script. Staring Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, this film is terrific. Its defined as a screwball comedy about a newspaper that publishes a false story about a socialite played by Myrna Loy and the newspaper editor played by Spencer Tracy trying to do damage control. He brings in William Powell to help create a real scandal with Myrna Loy and forces his girlfriend played by Jean Harlow to marry William Powell. The chemistry is great, enjoyable all the way through, really a great film.
Should this film won best picture? As I have posted before, The Great Ziegfeld must have had a powerful emotion over the academy voters. 1936 is the starting point of a great run of excellent years in Hollywood, peaking in 1939. I have now seen eight out of ten films from this year and all of them have been great. I wasn't alive then and so I can only imagine that nothing was going to beat The Great Ziegfeld.
Witness for the Prosecution (1957) - From the Agatha Christie play staring Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, Tyrone Power and his eyebrows. A murder mystery done from the courtroom setting. Great acting by Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power's eyebrows. But the movie moves like a typical English mystery, about the same speed as my grandmother would drive in the 45 mph lane. A suspenseful film that's good, not the greatest ever, but worth watching.
Could this have beaten The Bridge on the River Kwai, no who are you kidding?
Monday, January 30, 2012
Don't Mess with Israel
Saw another three films. You should be able to guess from the title that one of them was Munich. Also the original Heaven Can Wait, which is not the same as the sequel which was another film redone, I'll explain when I get to it. And not to forget Captain Blood, that's why I'm running around with a sword today, not because of my overdose of meth.
Munich (2005) - The 362nd film was also the last film I needed to see for 2005 making that the 25th year I have completed. The film is a historic drama based on the events at the 1972 Olympics when Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists and the Israeli government developing a secret opps group to kill the organizers of the attack. It's loosely based on one of the people involved with the assassinations, but it truly can't be confirmed. Like Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, there is no way to disprove Chuck Berris's claim of being a CIA agent, the same is with Munich. There is no way to confirm the validity of the film, but it still was a very well done drama. It follows a team as they hunt down the terrorists throughout Europe and their cold blooded assassinations of them. Great action and once again reminding you that Israel is a country you don't want to mess with.
Now that I have seen all films from 2005 I can confirm that Crash was the best with Munich coming in as a close second, mainly since the film dragged a bit but still had a great ending. If you match Crash with Munich they both appear to be as equally good but as you go further into each film Crash just comes out slightly better. Third would be Capote, mainly due to Philip Semour Hoffman. Fourth is Brokeback Mountain and last is Good Night, and Good Luck. that is good luck trying to watch it without your eyes bleeding.
Heaven Can Wait (1943) - Here is my confusion, there is a 1978 film nominated for best picture called Heaven Can Wait but its based on Here Comes Mr. Jordan and not the original Heaven Can Wait which is a different movie. This would be like if I decided to remake Apocalypse Now but call it Raiders of the Lost Ark. Then once you find out that it was co-written, directed and produced by Warren Beatty, you realize that he is an idiot.
The Heaven Can Wait from 1943 is about a man who just died and is with Satan in his fancy art deco office making his point that he is supposed to be there. Satan is not sure and hears his life story. Turns out he was a womanizer who stole his wife from his cousin, always cheated on her, kept chasing women after she dies, salt of the earth type. And then Satan tells him that he belongs in heaven and not hell. My guess is that the screenplay wasn't written by a council of ministers or the Catholic Church. Does have Don Ameche and that old Technicolor that looks like footage from the 1939 World Fair.
A cute film, not bad, but compared to Casablanca? Nowhere in the same class.
Captain Blood (1935) - The classic swashbuckling film with Errol Flynn as Captain Blood, a mild mannered doctor who is arrested for treating a revolutionary in late 1600's England and sent to the Caribbean as a slave. This is the first half of the film, he escapes with his crew when the Spaniards attack, steal their ship and becomes a pirate. An honorable pirate who fights Basil Rathbone for the always beautiful Olivia de Havilland. You know Basil is evil because he has a French accent and a thin mustache. Great battle scenes, sword fights and not stop action. Still holds its own after all these years. But to go against Mutiny on the Bounty, another sailing film, it couldn't win. That and Mutiny on the Bounty was better.
Munich (2005) - The 362nd film was also the last film I needed to see for 2005 making that the 25th year I have completed. The film is a historic drama based on the events at the 1972 Olympics when Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists and the Israeli government developing a secret opps group to kill the organizers of the attack. It's loosely based on one of the people involved with the assassinations, but it truly can't be confirmed. Like Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, there is no way to disprove Chuck Berris's claim of being a CIA agent, the same is with Munich. There is no way to confirm the validity of the film, but it still was a very well done drama. It follows a team as they hunt down the terrorists throughout Europe and their cold blooded assassinations of them. Great action and once again reminding you that Israel is a country you don't want to mess with.
Now that I have seen all films from 2005 I can confirm that Crash was the best with Munich coming in as a close second, mainly since the film dragged a bit but still had a great ending. If you match Crash with Munich they both appear to be as equally good but as you go further into each film Crash just comes out slightly better. Third would be Capote, mainly due to Philip Semour Hoffman. Fourth is Brokeback Mountain and last is Good Night, and Good Luck. that is good luck trying to watch it without your eyes bleeding.
Heaven Can Wait (1943) - Here is my confusion, there is a 1978 film nominated for best picture called Heaven Can Wait but its based on Here Comes Mr. Jordan and not the original Heaven Can Wait which is a different movie. This would be like if I decided to remake Apocalypse Now but call it Raiders of the Lost Ark. Then once you find out that it was co-written, directed and produced by Warren Beatty, you realize that he is an idiot.
The Heaven Can Wait from 1943 is about a man who just died and is with Satan in his fancy art deco office making his point that he is supposed to be there. Satan is not sure and hears his life story. Turns out he was a womanizer who stole his wife from his cousin, always cheated on her, kept chasing women after she dies, salt of the earth type. And then Satan tells him that he belongs in heaven and not hell. My guess is that the screenplay wasn't written by a council of ministers or the Catholic Church. Does have Don Ameche and that old Technicolor that looks like footage from the 1939 World Fair.
A cute film, not bad, but compared to Casablanca? Nowhere in the same class.
Captain Blood (1935) - The classic swashbuckling film with Errol Flynn as Captain Blood, a mild mannered doctor who is arrested for treating a revolutionary in late 1600's England and sent to the Caribbean as a slave. This is the first half of the film, he escapes with his crew when the Spaniards attack, steal their ship and becomes a pirate. An honorable pirate who fights Basil Rathbone for the always beautiful Olivia de Havilland. You know Basil is evil because he has a French accent and a thin mustache. Great battle scenes, sword fights and not stop action. Still holds its own after all these years. But to go against Mutiny on the Bounty, another sailing film, it couldn't win. That and Mutiny on the Bounty was better.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Dinner with Nck and Nora and Asta
Got around to seeing the classic comedy The Thin Man, finally. All I knew of this film previously was Asta and that's because its a common clue in crossword puzzles.
The Thin Man (1934) - The 361st film I've seen so far. Staring William Powell, Myrna Loy and a young Cesar Romero. Also has Nat Pendleton who stared in many of the Dr. Kildare films as the oaf orderly who always gets Lionel Barrymore angry at him. The film is a murder mystery, but a great comedy. Really funny throw away lines, sight gags and William Powell and Myrna Loy have great chemistry, they look and act like a married couple.
I've now seen almost half of the films nominated for 1934 and have been lucky to see three great comedies (It Happened One Night, The Thin Man and Here Comes The Navy). There are two types of comedy films, films that are relevant to their time making fun of pop culture and films that have lasting comedic value. This is one of them. Seventy five years later and you are still laughing makes it one of the top films of that year. Not good enough to beat out It Happened One Night, but definitely in the top three right now.
The Thin Man (1934) - The 361st film I've seen so far. Staring William Powell, Myrna Loy and a young Cesar Romero. Also has Nat Pendleton who stared in many of the Dr. Kildare films as the oaf orderly who always gets Lionel Barrymore angry at him. The film is a murder mystery, but a great comedy. Really funny throw away lines, sight gags and William Powell and Myrna Loy have great chemistry, they look and act like a married couple.
I've now seen almost half of the films nominated for 1934 and have been lucky to see three great comedies (It Happened One Night, The Thin Man and Here Comes The Navy). There are two types of comedy films, films that are relevant to their time making fun of pop culture and films that have lasting comedic value. This is one of them. Seventy five years later and you are still laughing makes it one of the top films of that year. Not good enough to beat out It Happened One Night, but definitely in the top three right now.
78% Accuracy
I guessed 7 of the 9 films that were nominated for best picture of 2011. The two that I missed are ones that nobody would of guessed, they came out of left field. So the films I picked were:
The Artist
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
Midnight In Paris
Moneyball
War Horse
and the two that were not on my list:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Tree Of Life
Seeing how there are nine films and not the maximum of ten, leads me to believe that there won't be much competition this year for best picture. Will a 51 and 84 year drought be broken? Can Woody Allen win a fourth Oscar? Why was Albert Brooks snubbed for supporting actor?
I'll post my predictions a few hours before the award ceremony. This is because the love of my life, my beautiful wife, have a fierce competition every year when it comes to picking the Oscars. It first started as a fun competition but now has grown into civil war. The winner used to get great prizes, never mind you what they were, but it grew more into moral superiority as all marriages do. But since she does read this blog, I won't give her any clues, otherwise I might lose.
If you are reading my wonderful wife, I'll give you one clue: The Muppets have a 50-50 chance of winning best song.
The Artist
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
Midnight In Paris
Moneyball
War Horse
and the two that were not on my list:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Tree Of Life
Seeing how there are nine films and not the maximum of ten, leads me to believe that there won't be much competition this year for best picture. Will a 51 and 84 year drought be broken? Can Woody Allen win a fourth Oscar? Why was Albert Brooks snubbed for supporting actor?
I'll post my predictions a few hours before the award ceremony. This is because the love of my life, my beautiful wife, have a fierce competition every year when it comes to picking the Oscars. It first started as a fun competition but now has grown into civil war. The winner used to get great prizes, never mind you what they were, but it grew more into moral superiority as all marriages do. But since she does read this blog, I won't give her any clues, otherwise I might lose.
If you are reading my wonderful wife, I'll give you one clue: The Muppets have a 50-50 chance of winning best song.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Two more from the 40's
Got around to watching two more films a few days ago. It so happened that they were from the 1940's, one was the oldest film on the DVR and now all films taped in October are done. The other was three hours long and it's much easier to watch it on a Sunday than during the week. I hate splitting up a movie over two, sometimes three days. I would rather watch it in one sitting, even if I pause it, I hate waiting to the next day to finish a film.
The Little Foxes (1941) - The 359th film was an adaption of Lillian Hellman play based on a southern family in the early 20th century who is slipping financially. Terrific acting by Bettie Davis, Charles Dingle and Patricia Collinge. The story has each sibling fighting each other for power and money. The film is well done, great costumes, felt that the script was a bit dry and dragging at times. Otherwise a good film. Not as good as Citizen Kane, or How Green Was My Valley, but worthy of Oscar nominations.
Since You Went Away (1944) - Film number 360 was a standard WWII drama, kind of an American version of Mrs. Miniver. Claudette Colbert is a mother who's husband has just gone off to war and it shows how she keeps her family together. Even has the great Lionel Barrymore in a cameo piece, who's on the screen less than two minutes, but you won't forget him. Joseph Cotton, Shirley Temple, Jennifer Jones, Robert Walker and even Agnes"Endora" Moorehead. A full all-star cast. While most period films usually don't keep relevance over time, like Forest Gump, this film really makes you fell like it's 1943. I didn't live during that time, but the feeling you get from watching this movie is that you are there with them. Someone commented that this film is so good you don't want it to end, I have to agree. Even though it's three hours, it goes very fast. I would say almost as good as Going My Way, maybe even better. Still got two more films to compare to, I'll have to wait until then.
The Little Foxes (1941) - The 359th film was an adaption of Lillian Hellman play based on a southern family in the early 20th century who is slipping financially. Terrific acting by Bettie Davis, Charles Dingle and Patricia Collinge. The story has each sibling fighting each other for power and money. The film is well done, great costumes, felt that the script was a bit dry and dragging at times. Otherwise a good film. Not as good as Citizen Kane, or How Green Was My Valley, but worthy of Oscar nominations.
Since You Went Away (1944) - Film number 360 was a standard WWII drama, kind of an American version of Mrs. Miniver. Claudette Colbert is a mother who's husband has just gone off to war and it shows how she keeps her family together. Even has the great Lionel Barrymore in a cameo piece, who's on the screen less than two minutes, but you won't forget him. Joseph Cotton, Shirley Temple, Jennifer Jones, Robert Walker and even Agnes"Endora" Moorehead. A full all-star cast. While most period films usually don't keep relevance over time, like Forest Gump, this film really makes you fell like it's 1943. I didn't live during that time, but the feeling you get from watching this movie is that you are there with them. Someone commented that this film is so good you don't want it to end, I have to agree. Even though it's three hours, it goes very fast. I would say almost as good as Going My Way, maybe even better. Still got two more films to compare to, I'll have to wait until then.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
My Oscar Predictions
Since whatever gets nominated I will need to watch, I guess it's a good idea to try and predict which films will be nominated for best picture. In the past I wouldn't pay attention but just going on what was advertised in late December as a big movie and not think about it until they were announced. Seeing how I am doing a blog now and my goal is to see every film nominated for best picture, I have been watching a bit more closely this year.
Since 2009 the rules have been changed allowing up to ten films that can be nominated. There will always be a minimum of five, but it doesn't have to be ten. A film needs to get a minimum of five percent to be eligible. The academy sends out ballots in late December allowing voters about two and a half weeks to vote. They take a week and a half to tabulate and will be making the announcement this year on Tuesday January 24th. Beginning of February ballots are mailed, about three weeks to get them in and at the end of the month the big show.
My guess is that there will be ten nominees this year, there appears to be enough good films out there to garner enough votes to make the threshold. I should mention that I have not seen any of these movies since I prefer to watch films in the comfort of my house as opposed to going to a movie theater. The only film I did see in the theater last year I know won't be nominated, Atlas Shrugged Part I, but I'm glad that at least it was made.
The following I am very confident will be nominated:
The Artist
The Descendants
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
All of these have been nominated for other awards, The Artist and The Descendants both winning Golden Globes for best Musical/Comedy and best Drama. Hugo is Martin Scorsese so he will also get a best director nod as well. Midnight in Paris is Woody Allen so he will also get a best screenplay nod as well, not too sure if he will get a best director, but just might. Moneyball has been mentioned as one of the best films of the year, it seems like a natural fit.
The remaining films on the list are a bit of a guess:
50/50
Adventures of Tin Tin
The Help
J. Edgar
War Horse
I don't think any of these will win, but they will get enough votes to put them on the ballot. I know 50/50 is a film about someone dealing with cancer, that will tug heartstrings and get nominated. There is always a kids film on the list, seeing how Adventures of Tin Tin won the Golden Globe, seems like a good guess. The Help I'm rather confident it will get in the top ten and very confident it won't win. J. Edgar is a bio pic, usually good for a nomination, and is a Clint Eastwood film which may get him a best director possibly. I would be confident that Leonardo DiCaprio will get a best actor nomination. War Horse is a Steven Spielberg movie, so it will get a nomination based on that I believe.
In a few days I'll know how correct I am, and then try to figure out who will win.
Since 2009 the rules have been changed allowing up to ten films that can be nominated. There will always be a minimum of five, but it doesn't have to be ten. A film needs to get a minimum of five percent to be eligible. The academy sends out ballots in late December allowing voters about two and a half weeks to vote. They take a week and a half to tabulate and will be making the announcement this year on Tuesday January 24th. Beginning of February ballots are mailed, about three weeks to get them in and at the end of the month the big show.
My guess is that there will be ten nominees this year, there appears to be enough good films out there to garner enough votes to make the threshold. I should mention that I have not seen any of these movies since I prefer to watch films in the comfort of my house as opposed to going to a movie theater. The only film I did see in the theater last year I know won't be nominated, Atlas Shrugged Part I, but I'm glad that at least it was made.
The following I am very confident will be nominated:
The Artist
The Descendants
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
All of these have been nominated for other awards, The Artist and The Descendants both winning Golden Globes for best Musical/Comedy and best Drama. Hugo is Martin Scorsese so he will also get a best director nod as well. Midnight in Paris is Woody Allen so he will also get a best screenplay nod as well, not too sure if he will get a best director, but just might. Moneyball has been mentioned as one of the best films of the year, it seems like a natural fit.
The remaining films on the list are a bit of a guess:
50/50
Adventures of Tin Tin
The Help
J. Edgar
War Horse
I don't think any of these will win, but they will get enough votes to put them on the ballot. I know 50/50 is a film about someone dealing with cancer, that will tug heartstrings and get nominated. There is always a kids film on the list, seeing how Adventures of Tin Tin won the Golden Globe, seems like a good guess. The Help I'm rather confident it will get in the top ten and very confident it won't win. J. Edgar is a bio pic, usually good for a nomination, and is a Clint Eastwood film which may get him a best director possibly. I would be confident that Leonardo DiCaprio will get a best actor nomination. War Horse is a Steven Spielberg movie, so it will get a nomination based on that I believe.
In a few days I'll know how correct I am, and then try to figure out who will win.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Vicki Lester? Vicki Lester. Vicki Lester!
As you can guess from the title I just watched A Star Is Born. I have an update of four films that I have just recently seen, I'll start with the 1937 classic.
A Star Is Born (1937) - This is film number 355 I have seen of the 485 nominated so far. This is the original version that was remade two times later. I haven't seen the others but I vaguely remember the 1970's one with Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, I think it was a musical or probably had some singing. All I can remember was that I think it was on channel 4, Kris Kristofferson had his shirt off and I think he fell of a motorcycle. Not sure if that was in the film and don't plan to verify it any time soon. I know Babara Streisand is a talented actress and sings well, but I did see Prince of Tides and that is enough of her for a long time. Kris Kristofferson was a singer who became an actor or the other way around, but not that great ether way. He was good in Heaven's Gate except when he looks like 50 at his college graduation.
The film is a classic Hollywood success story of a girl from the mid-west going to Hollywood and becoming a star. The film is in technicolor so it has that faded retro look of old WWII films done in color. Janet Gaynor is the bright eyed young woman who wins her way into the arms of Fredrick March, a leading actor who is a massive drunk. Am I crazy or did Fredrick March look like a young Robert Duvall? Also the great Andy Devine who was a staple in many westerns and some classic John Wayne movies. And not to forget Adolphe Menjou whom I had not seen before I stated this project, but I am beginning to see in many of the films I have been watching, and he was a great actor.
This is from a very different time, a time when the media didn't cover all the mishaps of actors. The studios would pay off police and the newspapers to keep their actors from public embarrassment. Not saying this was better or worse than today, just different. Lionel Stander, mostly known for the butler on Hart to Hart in the 1980's plays the studio publicity director who has to clear these things up.
Overall it is a great movie. It's listed as a drama but it very much like a comedy with great throw away lines and funny scenes. Much better than I though it would be, but still not as good as The Life of Emile Zola, but close.
Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) - The second film I saw was Broadway Melody of 1936, doesn't look like it was a sequel of the 1929 Best Picture, just a standard depression era film. Full of songs, dance scenes and great costumes, this was the type of movie you would go to see and forget the failings of the incompetent Roosevelt economic policies. Even though it is a musical, I was surprised to see Jack Benny as one of the lead actors, and he made it worth watching.
Just like A Star is Born, this too is from a different time. Jack Benny is a newspaper reporter who constantly is attacking Robert Taylor who is producing a new Broadway play. How does he handle this, he goes to Jack Benny's office and beats him up after each article is negatively written about him. Try and see that happen today. And how does the editor of the newspaper handle this, he gives Jack Benny a raise for being so hated. Yep, a different time.
Otherwise there isn't much plot except for making up a famous singer to fool the producer who's high school sweetheart then pretends to be. It is neat to see Buddy Ebsen tap dancing, man was he tall. Doesn't match up to Mutiny on the Bounty at all, but it does have the big musical finale that is expected.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) - How did I get stuck with another musical? Simple, I watch movies in the order that I tape them. The oldest film on the DVR after Broadway Melody of 1936 was this one. A movie from a simpler time in Oregon, when a trapper could go to town and trade his pelts for flour, molasses and a wife. The film also shows that marriage by capture is the only way to get a wife. Just kidnap the woman you want, keep her on your farm until the pass melts and when her family arrives she won't want to leave. Just like real life, except that you'll be in jail for the rest of your life.
Lavish dancing scenes, obviously from ballet dancers dressed as woodsmen, but rather comical at times. Not a great film, especially when compared to On The Waterfront, but what you would expect from the 1950's.
Bound for Glory (1976) - I jumped on the list and watched Bound for Glory right after it taped, mainly since it was the last film of 1976 that I need to see. The Woody Guthrie story as preformed by Kung Fu David Carradine and Melinda "You'll shoot your eye out" Dillon, the mom from A Christmas Story.
The film covers the late 1930's part of Woody's life, years before Arlo was born, as he leaves Texas to go to California and becomes a folk music star. You could watch this film and see that he was an artist who wanted to perform his music how he wanted. You can also see that he was an adulterer who would abandon his family and sabotage his career when things would be going good for him. Lot of well known music and does drag on pretty long, but most films of the 1970's were longer than usual.
To make a final comparison of 1976, the best picture was Network. A film that 35 years later is still relevant and such a great drama. Right up next to it in a very close second is Taxi Driver, a powerful, intense, gripping movie that is so good. Solidly in third is Rocky, a good movie that could have won other years, say 1983, but not this year. Forth is All The President's Men about Watergate and fifth would be Bound for Glory. Not because it was bad, but it went up against four really good films.
A Star Is Born (1937) - This is film number 355 I have seen of the 485 nominated so far. This is the original version that was remade two times later. I haven't seen the others but I vaguely remember the 1970's one with Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, I think it was a musical or probably had some singing. All I can remember was that I think it was on channel 4, Kris Kristofferson had his shirt off and I think he fell of a motorcycle. Not sure if that was in the film and don't plan to verify it any time soon. I know Babara Streisand is a talented actress and sings well, but I did see Prince of Tides and that is enough of her for a long time. Kris Kristofferson was a singer who became an actor or the other way around, but not that great ether way. He was good in Heaven's Gate except when he looks like 50 at his college graduation.
The film is a classic Hollywood success story of a girl from the mid-west going to Hollywood and becoming a star. The film is in technicolor so it has that faded retro look of old WWII films done in color. Janet Gaynor is the bright eyed young woman who wins her way into the arms of Fredrick March, a leading actor who is a massive drunk. Am I crazy or did Fredrick March look like a young Robert Duvall? Also the great Andy Devine who was a staple in many westerns and some classic John Wayne movies. And not to forget Adolphe Menjou whom I had not seen before I stated this project, but I am beginning to see in many of the films I have been watching, and he was a great actor.
This is from a very different time, a time when the media didn't cover all the mishaps of actors. The studios would pay off police and the newspapers to keep their actors from public embarrassment. Not saying this was better or worse than today, just different. Lionel Stander, mostly known for the butler on Hart to Hart in the 1980's plays the studio publicity director who has to clear these things up.
Overall it is a great movie. It's listed as a drama but it very much like a comedy with great throw away lines and funny scenes. Much better than I though it would be, but still not as good as The Life of Emile Zola, but close.
Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) - The second film I saw was Broadway Melody of 1936, doesn't look like it was a sequel of the 1929 Best Picture, just a standard depression era film. Full of songs, dance scenes and great costumes, this was the type of movie you would go to see and forget the failings of the incompetent Roosevelt economic policies. Even though it is a musical, I was surprised to see Jack Benny as one of the lead actors, and he made it worth watching.
Just like A Star is Born, this too is from a different time. Jack Benny is a newspaper reporter who constantly is attacking Robert Taylor who is producing a new Broadway play. How does he handle this, he goes to Jack Benny's office and beats him up after each article is negatively written about him. Try and see that happen today. And how does the editor of the newspaper handle this, he gives Jack Benny a raise for being so hated. Yep, a different time.
Otherwise there isn't much plot except for making up a famous singer to fool the producer who's high school sweetheart then pretends to be. It is neat to see Buddy Ebsen tap dancing, man was he tall. Doesn't match up to Mutiny on the Bounty at all, but it does have the big musical finale that is expected.
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) - How did I get stuck with another musical? Simple, I watch movies in the order that I tape them. The oldest film on the DVR after Broadway Melody of 1936 was this one. A movie from a simpler time in Oregon, when a trapper could go to town and trade his pelts for flour, molasses and a wife. The film also shows that marriage by capture is the only way to get a wife. Just kidnap the woman you want, keep her on your farm until the pass melts and when her family arrives she won't want to leave. Just like real life, except that you'll be in jail for the rest of your life.
Lavish dancing scenes, obviously from ballet dancers dressed as woodsmen, but rather comical at times. Not a great film, especially when compared to On The Waterfront, but what you would expect from the 1950's.
Bound for Glory (1976) - I jumped on the list and watched Bound for Glory right after it taped, mainly since it was the last film of 1976 that I need to see. The Woody Guthrie story as preformed by Kung Fu David Carradine and Melinda "You'll shoot your eye out" Dillon, the mom from A Christmas Story.
The film covers the late 1930's part of Woody's life, years before Arlo was born, as he leaves Texas to go to California and becomes a folk music star. You could watch this film and see that he was an artist who wanted to perform his music how he wanted. You can also see that he was an adulterer who would abandon his family and sabotage his career when things would be going good for him. Lot of well known music and does drag on pretty long, but most films of the 1970's were longer than usual.
To make a final comparison of 1976, the best picture was Network. A film that 35 years later is still relevant and such a great drama. Right up next to it in a very close second is Taxi Driver, a powerful, intense, gripping movie that is so good. Solidly in third is Rocky, a good movie that could have won other years, say 1983, but not this year. Forth is All The President's Men about Watergate and fifth would be Bound for Glory. Not because it was bad, but it went up against four really good films.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
2000/2010's
The last of my summary posts. The 2000's is a decade where films are more professional than ever. Special effects are the best they've ever been. The movies are as good as the 90's, a bit better I would say, so it looks like there is a continuous upward trend in quality. So far the 2010's have continued the trend and there is a good chance we will catch up to the 1970's one day soon, I hope.
And here is the last of what I've seen so far. Look close, there may just be a bio-pic hidden in there.
2000
Films I have seen - Gladiator (Best Picture), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, Traffic
Films I have not seen - Chocolat
Analysis - Gladiator is a action drama in the epic style of Spartacus or other Roman era films, great fighting scenes. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is the first martial arts film to be nominated and much better than the cheesy low budget films that are common to this genre. And great special effects too. Erin Brockovich is a nice drama bio-pic based on the true story of a woman who helped a community that was effected by polluted ground water. Traffic is an attempt to be like Magnolia in telling multiple stories about the drug war, but is still a good drama. It jumps a bit too much, but very interesting in the color tinting that is used for each story line.
Verdict - Gladiator was better, it had the epic feel, looked better than the rest, but overall not a week year from what I have seen.
2001
Films I have seen - A Beautiful Mind (Best Picture), The Fellowship of the Ring, Moulin Rouge!
Films I have not seen - Gosford Park, In the Bedroom
Analysis - A Beautiful Mind is a powerful drama about the life of John Nash and his bouts of insanity. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first in the Lord of the Rings series and a great fantasy film with great special effects. Moulin Rouge is a flaming cat turd that is unwatchable. Using popular music in a 1890's setting is obnoxious. Even though they used Nirvana, it is a horrible film. That is unless you are a 14 year old girl, then this is the greatest movie ever made.
Verdict - Of what I've seen, A Beautiful Mind is the best of the three, a depressing drama, but a very good film.
2002
Films I have seen - Chicago (Best Picture), Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Two Towers, The Pianist
Films I have not seen - None
Analysis - Chicago is a movie version of the famous musical. If you like the musical then you liked the film. If you don't like musicals then you would rather have your toenails removed. Gangs of New York is a powerful epic by Scorsese that is one of his best. The Hours is an interesting film based on the life of Virginia Wolfe and people who are effected by her writing in two different time lines. Nice stylish film and very good acting, but since I haven't read Virginia Wolfe I don't think I appreciated it enough. The Two Towers is probably the best of the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings, same as the last one, just them further on in the journey. The Pianist is a bio-pic about Wladyslaw Szpilman and how he survived in Poland during WWII. It is a Roman Polanski film, but since he has spent some more time in jail and suffered a bit, I was able to watch this film. A more interesting subject would have been about Wilm Hosenfeld, the German officer who saved Szpilman.
Verdict - Once again Martin Scorsese was cheated out of best director and best picture. I can only guess that after 9/11 a movie such as Chicago, like Tom Jones after President Kennedy assassination, could win. I would put Gangs of New York as the best picture, The Two Towers as a very close second, The Hours, The Pianist and Chicago far last.
2003
Films I have seen - The Return of the King (Best Picture), Lost in Translation, Master and Commander, Mystic River
Films I have not seen - Seabiscuit
Analysis - The Return of the King is the last of the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. Lost in Translation was an interesting drama with Bill Murray playing one of his finest, or only finest, dramatic roles of a actor making a commercial in Japan and his mid-life crisis. Master and Commander is a great action film in the style of swashbuckler colonial era boating films, as if there is a genre for that? Great acting, keeps you interested all the way through. Mystic River is a powerful drama with great acting by Sean Penn and Tim Robbins of a community dealing with a murder and other skeletons in closets.
Verdict - The Return of the King was given an overall Oscar for all three of the movies and to be honest, I understand why. It wasn't the best of the trilogy but it was a very good film that deserved to win.
2004
Films I have seen - Million Dollar Baby (Best Picture), The Aviator, Ray, Sideways
Films I have not seen - Finding Neverland
Analysis - Million Dollar Baby is a intense drama and a very depressing film about a female boxer. It is a Clint Eastwood film and his quality is generally very good, this time is no exception. The Aviator, another well done Scorsese film, is based on the life of Howard Huges. Great acting by Leonardo DiCaprio, worth watching. Ray is another bio-pic about the life of Ray Charles, great acting by Jamie Fox who won the best actor for the role. Sideways is a dramatic comedy about a man's passion for wine and his attempt to fix his life. Interesting film but not great.
Verdict - While The Aviator was very stylist and well done, Million Dollar Baby was the best overall film. It finally got Morgan Freedman his long overdue Oscar that Tom Hanks stole from him ten years earlier.
2005
Films I have seen - Crash (Best Picture), Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night Good Luck
Films I have not seen - Munich
Analysis - Crash is a powerful movie that deals directly with racism in our society, great drama, follows the Magnolia style of jumping between multiple story lines. Brokeback Mountain is a love story about two people who can't be together because of the obligations they have in their lives, so they can only be together on vacation. Sounds like Same Time, Next Year, right? So why was this film nominated, because the the main characters are men. Otherwise from that it is just another romance film. If it was a story about a man and a woman, would it had been nominated for best picture? Capote is another bio-pic, rather popular during the early party of the decade, about Truman Capote doing research for In Cold Blood. Not a great film but perfect acting from Philip Seymour Hoffman who easily won the best actor Oscar. Good Night Good Luck was a failed attempt to show Edward R. Murrow smearing and attacking Senator Joseph McCarthy that just falls flat.
Verdict - Thankfully the academy got it right this year, Crash was the best and nothing came close of what I've seen so far. I'm rather confident that Munich won't be better, but I'll know for sure when I see it.
2006
Films I have seen - The Departed (Best Picture), Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen
Films I have not seen - Babel
Analysis - The Departed is a exact remake, with the exception of the ending, of a Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs. Not Scorsese's best, good acting with an all star cast though. Letters from Iwo Jima is a fascinating film about WWII but from the side of the Japanese army. Really makes you respect what a powerful enemy we were fighting back then. Little Miss Sunshine is a waste of time that goes nowhere very slowly about parents taking their child a beauty pageant. It shows just how dangerous it is to give everyone a participation trophy or play sports without points or without winner and losers, this film is not best picture worthy. The Queen is a dry drama about Queen Elizabeth during the death of Princess Diana. If you are caught up in the soap opera of the royal family, then this is a great film. If you are like any normal American and don't care what a bunch of tyrants do in another country, then this is like watching paint dry.
Verdict - While I have seen about half of Babel, I never saw the end so I will wait to give a full assessment until then. Letters to Iwo Jima was the best movie, but because it is practically a foreign film, spoken in Japanese with subtitles, it wouldn't win. And this is a shame. But the academy wanted to make it up to Martin Scorsese for missing out on Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Gangs of New York, and others and gave The Departed the Oscar. Martin Scorsese deserves an Oscar, many Oscars, but not for this film.
2007
Films I have seen - No Country for Old Men (Best Picture), Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood
Films I have not seen - None
Analysis - No Country for Old Men is one of the best movies I have ever seen, the best of the decade. The Coen brothers nailed this one on the head. A simple, but very well acted and told story about a man who finds money after a botched drug deal and his attempt to escape with the money. Javiar Bardem is so amazing, so great as the villain in this film, just terrific. Atonement is a drama that takes place in England in the 30's and during WWII. Never gains traction even with the amazing ten minute (or something in that time frame) continuous shot of the beach at Dunkirk. Juno is a clever comedy drama about a teenager deciding to carry her baby through to term. Michael Clayton is a suspenseful drama about a lawyer who people are trying to kill or something. Too many plot twist and turns gets annoying and fast. There Will Be Blood is a great drama about an Oil Baron and his rise to power.
Verdict - No question here. Nothing, even if you combined the remaining films together twice, would come anywhere close to No Country for Old Men. Second would be There Will Be Blood. Third would be Juno. Fourth is Michael Clayton and Atonement is fifth.
2008
Films I have seen - Slumdog Millionaire (Best Picture), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk
Films I have not seen - The Reader
Analysis - Slumdog Millionaire is a very, very depressing movie about a young man who is on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Even though he is uneducated, all of the horrible events in his life help him answer the questions. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is based on a F. Scott Fitzgerald story about a man who is born looking like an 84 year old man who gets younger as he ages. Very good acting by Brad Pitt and amazing makeup and special effects. Frost/Nixon is based on the David Frost interview of Richard Nixon after he resigned as President. A bit slow and boring at times. Milk, another bio-pic, about Harvey Milk and his assassination.
Verdict - Of the four, nothing really climbs to the top so I'll go with Slumdog Millionaire and agree with the academy. Note that this is the last year of only five nominees.
2009
Films I have seen - The Hurt Locker (Best Picture), Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air
Films I have not seen - An Education, Precious
Analysis - The first year since 1943 when more than five films could be nominated for best picture. The Hurt Locker is a badly done war film about soldiers in Iraq dismantling bombs. Avatar is the big budget film with amazing special effects. Too bad they ran out of money and couldn't hire someone to write a screenplay. The Blind Side, another bio-pic about a homeless boy who is taken in by a loving family and taught how to play football. Not the best film you will ever see, but enjoyable and worth watching. District 9 is a sci-fi film about aliens who have landed on earth and are currently quarantined in South Africa and how their community is a ghetto. Inglourious Basterds is a horrible film with one exception, Christoph Waltz does a great acting job and earned best supporting actor. A Serious Man is a funny Coen brother's film about a physics professor dealing with his life falling apart. Up is a Pixar film that is so well done as a cartoon, you don't think of it as just a cartoon, but an interesting fantasy about a balloon trip to the lost jungles of South America. Up in the Air is a drama about a professional who fires people and his attempt to find love and happiness. If you have ever been laid off, don't watch this film. I tried to watch it right after I was laid off and got five minutes into it and had to stop. I waited until I finally got a job and it was still difficult to watch.
Verdict - The Hurt Locker was not the best film, that should have gone to A Serious Man. Maybe because No Country for Old Men won two years earlier it didn't get it, but the academy messed up in my opinion. I know there was a desire to give an Oscar to an Iraqi war film but they should have waited until a good one came along.
2010
Films I have seen - The Kings Speech (Best Picture), 127 Hours, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, Toy Story 3
Films I have not seen - Black Swan, The Fighter, True Grit, Winter's Bone
Analysis - The Kings Speech, don't be surprised but another bio-pic, about King George the stammer trying to learn how to give a radio address without stammering. 127 Hours is a painful film about a mountain climber who gets his right arm pinned under a rock and has to cut it off. This film could have been 25 minutes, not over 90. He gets his arm stuck and for an hour that's all there is! I feel bad for the guy losing part of his arm but at the same time you see he was a daredevil who got was coming to him. Inception is one of the finest sci-fi films that gets you thinking after it's done. The idea that dreams can be controlled and to go layers of dreams within dreams is an amazing concept. The Kids Are All Right is a film about a couple who's children seek out their birth father. The twist is that they are two women and one of them has an affair with him. Nothing great about this drama just that because it wasn't a man and a women was the only reason why it was nominated. The Social Network, get this another bio-pic, about Facebook. It was popular because there are 12 billion people on Facebook, but it was a very good film with good acting and the story flow goes good jumping back and forth with different time lines. Toy Story 3 is another Pixar film that is again so well done it's like watching a regular film but with animated actors. Even if you haven't seen the first two films you can still watch and enjoy this one.
Verdict - The Kings Speech was a great film but I really like Inception the best so far.
And here is the last of what I've seen so far. Look close, there may just be a bio-pic hidden in there.
2000
Films I have seen - Gladiator (Best Picture), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, Traffic
Films I have not seen - Chocolat
Analysis - Gladiator is a action drama in the epic style of Spartacus or other Roman era films, great fighting scenes. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is the first martial arts film to be nominated and much better than the cheesy low budget films that are common to this genre. And great special effects too. Erin Brockovich is a nice drama bio-pic based on the true story of a woman who helped a community that was effected by polluted ground water. Traffic is an attempt to be like Magnolia in telling multiple stories about the drug war, but is still a good drama. It jumps a bit too much, but very interesting in the color tinting that is used for each story line.
Verdict - Gladiator was better, it had the epic feel, looked better than the rest, but overall not a week year from what I have seen.
2001
Films I have seen - A Beautiful Mind (Best Picture), The Fellowship of the Ring, Moulin Rouge!
Films I have not seen - Gosford Park, In the Bedroom
Analysis - A Beautiful Mind is a powerful drama about the life of John Nash and his bouts of insanity. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first in the Lord of the Rings series and a great fantasy film with great special effects. Moulin Rouge is a flaming cat turd that is unwatchable. Using popular music in a 1890's setting is obnoxious. Even though they used Nirvana, it is a horrible film. That is unless you are a 14 year old girl, then this is the greatest movie ever made.
Verdict - Of what I've seen, A Beautiful Mind is the best of the three, a depressing drama, but a very good film.
2002
Films I have seen - Chicago (Best Picture), Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Two Towers, The Pianist
Films I have not seen - None
Analysis - Chicago is a movie version of the famous musical. If you like the musical then you liked the film. If you don't like musicals then you would rather have your toenails removed. Gangs of New York is a powerful epic by Scorsese that is one of his best. The Hours is an interesting film based on the life of Virginia Wolfe and people who are effected by her writing in two different time lines. Nice stylish film and very good acting, but since I haven't read Virginia Wolfe I don't think I appreciated it enough. The Two Towers is probably the best of the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings, same as the last one, just them further on in the journey. The Pianist is a bio-pic about Wladyslaw Szpilman and how he survived in Poland during WWII. It is a Roman Polanski film, but since he has spent some more time in jail and suffered a bit, I was able to watch this film. A more interesting subject would have been about Wilm Hosenfeld, the German officer who saved Szpilman.
Verdict - Once again Martin Scorsese was cheated out of best director and best picture. I can only guess that after 9/11 a movie such as Chicago, like Tom Jones after President Kennedy assassination, could win. I would put Gangs of New York as the best picture, The Two Towers as a very close second, The Hours, The Pianist and Chicago far last.
2003
Films I have seen - The Return of the King (Best Picture), Lost in Translation, Master and Commander, Mystic River
Films I have not seen - Seabiscuit
Analysis - The Return of the King is the last of the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. Lost in Translation was an interesting drama with Bill Murray playing one of his finest, or only finest, dramatic roles of a actor making a commercial in Japan and his mid-life crisis. Master and Commander is a great action film in the style of swashbuckler colonial era boating films, as if there is a genre for that? Great acting, keeps you interested all the way through. Mystic River is a powerful drama with great acting by Sean Penn and Tim Robbins of a community dealing with a murder and other skeletons in closets.
Verdict - The Return of the King was given an overall Oscar for all three of the movies and to be honest, I understand why. It wasn't the best of the trilogy but it was a very good film that deserved to win.
2004
Films I have seen - Million Dollar Baby (Best Picture), The Aviator, Ray, Sideways
Films I have not seen - Finding Neverland
Analysis - Million Dollar Baby is a intense drama and a very depressing film about a female boxer. It is a Clint Eastwood film and his quality is generally very good, this time is no exception. The Aviator, another well done Scorsese film, is based on the life of Howard Huges. Great acting by Leonardo DiCaprio, worth watching. Ray is another bio-pic about the life of Ray Charles, great acting by Jamie Fox who won the best actor for the role. Sideways is a dramatic comedy about a man's passion for wine and his attempt to fix his life. Interesting film but not great.
Verdict - While The Aviator was very stylist and well done, Million Dollar Baby was the best overall film. It finally got Morgan Freedman his long overdue Oscar that Tom Hanks stole from him ten years earlier.
2005
Films I have seen - Crash (Best Picture), Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night Good Luck
Films I have not seen - Munich
Analysis - Crash is a powerful movie that deals directly with racism in our society, great drama, follows the Magnolia style of jumping between multiple story lines. Brokeback Mountain is a love story about two people who can't be together because of the obligations they have in their lives, so they can only be together on vacation. Sounds like Same Time, Next Year, right? So why was this film nominated, because the the main characters are men. Otherwise from that it is just another romance film. If it was a story about a man and a woman, would it had been nominated for best picture? Capote is another bio-pic, rather popular during the early party of the decade, about Truman Capote doing research for In Cold Blood. Not a great film but perfect acting from Philip Seymour Hoffman who easily won the best actor Oscar. Good Night Good Luck was a failed attempt to show Edward R. Murrow smearing and attacking Senator Joseph McCarthy that just falls flat.
Verdict - Thankfully the academy got it right this year, Crash was the best and nothing came close of what I've seen so far. I'm rather confident that Munich won't be better, but I'll know for sure when I see it.
2006
Films I have seen - The Departed (Best Picture), Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen
Films I have not seen - Babel
Analysis - The Departed is a exact remake, with the exception of the ending, of a Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs. Not Scorsese's best, good acting with an all star cast though. Letters from Iwo Jima is a fascinating film about WWII but from the side of the Japanese army. Really makes you respect what a powerful enemy we were fighting back then. Little Miss Sunshine is a waste of time that goes nowhere very slowly about parents taking their child a beauty pageant. It shows just how dangerous it is to give everyone a participation trophy or play sports without points or without winner and losers, this film is not best picture worthy. The Queen is a dry drama about Queen Elizabeth during the death of Princess Diana. If you are caught up in the soap opera of the royal family, then this is a great film. If you are like any normal American and don't care what a bunch of tyrants do in another country, then this is like watching paint dry.
Verdict - While I have seen about half of Babel, I never saw the end so I will wait to give a full assessment until then. Letters to Iwo Jima was the best movie, but because it is practically a foreign film, spoken in Japanese with subtitles, it wouldn't win. And this is a shame. But the academy wanted to make it up to Martin Scorsese for missing out on Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Gangs of New York, and others and gave The Departed the Oscar. Martin Scorsese deserves an Oscar, many Oscars, but not for this film.
2007
Films I have seen - No Country for Old Men (Best Picture), Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood
Films I have not seen - None
Analysis - No Country for Old Men is one of the best movies I have ever seen, the best of the decade. The Coen brothers nailed this one on the head. A simple, but very well acted and told story about a man who finds money after a botched drug deal and his attempt to escape with the money. Javiar Bardem is so amazing, so great as the villain in this film, just terrific. Atonement is a drama that takes place in England in the 30's and during WWII. Never gains traction even with the amazing ten minute (or something in that time frame) continuous shot of the beach at Dunkirk. Juno is a clever comedy drama about a teenager deciding to carry her baby through to term. Michael Clayton is a suspenseful drama about a lawyer who people are trying to kill or something. Too many plot twist and turns gets annoying and fast. There Will Be Blood is a great drama about an Oil Baron and his rise to power.
Verdict - No question here. Nothing, even if you combined the remaining films together twice, would come anywhere close to No Country for Old Men. Second would be There Will Be Blood. Third would be Juno. Fourth is Michael Clayton and Atonement is fifth.
2008
Films I have seen - Slumdog Millionaire (Best Picture), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk
Films I have not seen - The Reader
Analysis - Slumdog Millionaire is a very, very depressing movie about a young man who is on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Even though he is uneducated, all of the horrible events in his life help him answer the questions. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is based on a F. Scott Fitzgerald story about a man who is born looking like an 84 year old man who gets younger as he ages. Very good acting by Brad Pitt and amazing makeup and special effects. Frost/Nixon is based on the David Frost interview of Richard Nixon after he resigned as President. A bit slow and boring at times. Milk, another bio-pic, about Harvey Milk and his assassination.
Verdict - Of the four, nothing really climbs to the top so I'll go with Slumdog Millionaire and agree with the academy. Note that this is the last year of only five nominees.
2009
Films I have seen - The Hurt Locker (Best Picture), Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air
Films I have not seen - An Education, Precious
Analysis - The first year since 1943 when more than five films could be nominated for best picture. The Hurt Locker is a badly done war film about soldiers in Iraq dismantling bombs. Avatar is the big budget film with amazing special effects. Too bad they ran out of money and couldn't hire someone to write a screenplay. The Blind Side, another bio-pic about a homeless boy who is taken in by a loving family and taught how to play football. Not the best film you will ever see, but enjoyable and worth watching. District 9 is a sci-fi film about aliens who have landed on earth and are currently quarantined in South Africa and how their community is a ghetto. Inglourious Basterds is a horrible film with one exception, Christoph Waltz does a great acting job and earned best supporting actor. A Serious Man is a funny Coen brother's film about a physics professor dealing with his life falling apart. Up is a Pixar film that is so well done as a cartoon, you don't think of it as just a cartoon, but an interesting fantasy about a balloon trip to the lost jungles of South America. Up in the Air is a drama about a professional who fires people and his attempt to find love and happiness. If you have ever been laid off, don't watch this film. I tried to watch it right after I was laid off and got five minutes into it and had to stop. I waited until I finally got a job and it was still difficult to watch.
Verdict - The Hurt Locker was not the best film, that should have gone to A Serious Man. Maybe because No Country for Old Men won two years earlier it didn't get it, but the academy messed up in my opinion. I know there was a desire to give an Oscar to an Iraqi war film but they should have waited until a good one came along.
2010
Films I have seen - The Kings Speech (Best Picture), 127 Hours, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, Toy Story 3
Films I have not seen - Black Swan, The Fighter, True Grit, Winter's Bone
Analysis - The Kings Speech, don't be surprised but another bio-pic, about King George the stammer trying to learn how to give a radio address without stammering. 127 Hours is a painful film about a mountain climber who gets his right arm pinned under a rock and has to cut it off. This film could have been 25 minutes, not over 90. He gets his arm stuck and for an hour that's all there is! I feel bad for the guy losing part of his arm but at the same time you see he was a daredevil who got was coming to him. Inception is one of the finest sci-fi films that gets you thinking after it's done. The idea that dreams can be controlled and to go layers of dreams within dreams is an amazing concept. The Kids Are All Right is a film about a couple who's children seek out their birth father. The twist is that they are two women and one of them has an affair with him. Nothing great about this drama just that because it wasn't a man and a women was the only reason why it was nominated. The Social Network, get this another bio-pic, about Facebook. It was popular because there are 12 billion people on Facebook, but it was a very good film with good acting and the story flow goes good jumping back and forth with different time lines. Toy Story 3 is another Pixar film that is again so well done it's like watching a regular film but with animated actors. Even if you haven't seen the first two films you can still watch and enjoy this one.
Verdict - The Kings Speech was a great film but I really like Inception the best so far.
Monday, January 9, 2012
1990's
The 1990's was a decade that got a great jump out of the gate and then stumbled a bit before the finish line. Still much better than the 1980's but not as good as the 1970's. Various genres won as best picture during the decade making it a pot luck of films, but very enjoyable ones.
So here are the 1990's, whatever.
1990
Films I have seen - Dances With Wolves (Best Picture), Awakenings, Ghost, The Godfather Part III, Goodfellas
Films I have not seen - None
Analysis - Dances With Wolves is a modern western that helped make the genre popular again, at least for the first half of the 90's. A simple story about a Civil War veteran who takes an outpost in Indian territory and then leaves the army and joins their tribe. Awakenings is based on the story of a doctor who found a temporary cure to sleepy sickness, good acting. Ghost is a sappy love story but very popular even if the acting wasn't good. I didn't see it under the best circumstances so I was a bit biased when I saw it but twenty years has soften me a bit, but not much. The Godfather Part III could have been great but it just fell short. It felt rushed, needed more polish, was not at the level of the first two. Still a great movie in it's own right but if the second matched the first or even exceeded it then the third part would have to be the greatest movie ever made, and it wasn't. Goodfellas is another great Scorsese film that once again got passed by. A great gangster film in the same class as The Godfather trilogy.
Verdict - This is only the second time a western won best picture, the first since 1931. Dances With Wolves is a grand epic and was well done, even if it was a bit too long and would fall off the wheels when the VHS tape would be rewound. They had to design a special VHS case for the film. Its not the best western ever made but it was done at the right time and earned best picture. Goodfellas is a close second and a shame that it didn't win but is now a modern classic. The Godfather earns a third place nod, mostly because of the first two. Awakenings is fourth and Ghost is last.
1991
Films I have seen - Silence of the Lambs (Best Picture), Beauty and the Beast, Bugsy, JFK, The Prince of Tides
Films I have not seen - None
Analysis - Silence of the Lambs is one of the most terrifying, best acted, suspenseful films ever made. The acting between Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins is so powerful, some of the finest ever. This is one of the best films ever made. Beauty and the Beast was a great Disney film, even though it was a cartoon it was a good story. This film made people realize that good movies can be animated. I have listened to this movie over three hundred times when I worked in a video store, I can still recite all the lines, unfortunately. Bugsy is a sloppy Warren Beatty film about the gangster Bugsy Malone. The guy was an animal and built a casino in Las Vegas, acting was cheesy too. JFK was Oliver Stone using every theory about President Kennedy's assassination, all of them, the serious ones and goofy ones, and put them in one movie. Does have an all star cast and got people questioning the assassination again. The Prince of Tides is a silly sappy unrealistic movie that is comical even though it isn't supposed to be. Also sends a warped message that cheating on your wife is how to save your marriage.
Verdict - Only the third and currently the last time a film swept best picture, actor, actress, director and screenplay, and rightfully so. Silence of the Lambs is the best picture of 1991 and the 1990's. Beauty and the Beast is second mainly because it helped bring animation into a new level of recognition. Third is JFK only because it was slightly better than the bottom two. It's almost a tie for worst for 1991 but Bugsy slides into fourth and The Price of Tides last.
1992
Films I have seen - Unforgiven (Best Picture), The Crying Game, A Few Good Men, Howards End, Scent of a Woman
Films I have not seen - None
Analysis - Unforgiven is one of the most dramatic westerns I have ever seen. It shows what happens after the gunslinger hangs up his guns and moves on with his life. Great acting, scenery and a simple story done well. The Crying Game is a bizarre mystery that will surprise you if you don't know the story. Gets kind of bloody and little unnecessary violent at times. A Few Good Men is a strong military drama with great acting with the exception of Demi Moore. She could have been replaced with a box of laundry detergent and it would have been a better actress. Howards End is a Merchant Ivory typical production, Victorian era drama that when you have the patience is an enjoyable film to watch. Unlike Scent of a Woman which was almost unwatchable. Al Pacino won the Oscar for best actor, when he truly should have won best supporting actor for Glengary Glen Ross where he was amazing.
Verdict - When I saw the scene when Clint Eastwood fell of his horse I gasped, along with every other guy in the theater, and said to my wife who was my girlfriend at the time, "Oh my god, Clint Eastwood fell off his horse!". She didn't understand why I was so shocked. If you understand why I was shocked then you understand why this film was the best picture, if you don't then I can never explain to you why it deserved to win. I would put Howards End second, A Few Good Men third, The Crying Game fourth and Scent of a Woman fifth.
1993
Films I have seen - The Fugitive, In the Name of the Father, Remains of the Day
Films I have not seen - Schindler's List (Best Picture), The Piano
Analysis - Only the second of three years where I still have not seen the best picture. The Fugitive is a good action film taking the classic TV series and making it into one film. In the Name of the Father is a slightly gritty drama about accused IRA terrorists being sent to jail and their attempt to prove their innocence. Remains of the Day is another Merchant Ivory film that is very stylish, but can run on too long.
Verdict - Since I haven't seen Schindler's List, which I know will be very depressing, I would put The Fugitive as a temporary top film and Remains of the Day second for now.
1994
Films I have seen - Forest Gump (Best Picture), Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pulp Fiction, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption
Films I have not seen - None
Analysis - Forest Gump is a big budget film that is the movie equivalent of cotton candy. It's sweet but has no nutritional value and eating too much of it gets you sick to your stomach. This is a film to make Baby Boomers feel good about themselves. Lots of popular music, reenactments of famous late 20th century historic moments and a main character who is too stupid to realize anything that goes on around him. If you show this film to someone fifty years from now, unless they lived during the 1950's through to the 1980's or have a doctorate in late 20th century American popular culture, they would have no idea what this film was about. Practically every joke and cultural reference would go over their heads. It was a popular movie for its time that is becoming less and less relevant each day. Four Weddings and a Funeral was a cute romantic comedy, but not much more. Pulp Fiction helped bring back independent films and the type of film that was common during the early 1970's. Although it is criticized for being too violent, which is can be at times, and for the stories being told out of sequence, it is an amazing film. It is one of the first major films to show the villain or evil character full. Usually the villain has a bad accent and you don't know anything about them, just that they kill. Here you see them as real people having emotions. They engage in conversations about things normal people would. This film opened the door for a lot of small budget and small production companies to make moves. Granted most of them have been terrible, but a few good ones have shown up and they can thank Pulp Fiction for paving the way. Quiz Show is an attempt to do a dramatic bio-pic but just falls flat. Shawshank Redemption is one of the finest movies ever made, top 5 of all time. A simple story that is such a powerful drama and so well acted and told, it is a classic. Where Forest Gump is the movie equivalent of cotton candy, this is the movie equivalent of filet minon. And if you show this film fifty years from now, unlike Forest Gump, people will understand the story since it is timeless, and say how great this movie is. And why didn't it win best picture.
Verdict - Years ago I worked with someone in a video store who would always say that the movie that makes the most money each year should win best picture. I disagreed and said you need to separate quantity from quality. After Forest Gump won he refused to make that argument any more. Shawshank Redemption was robbed, plain and simple. It was the best picture of 1994 and I am not alone on this point, many people agree. Pulp Fiction is second because of the influence it had on the movie industry. Third is Forest Gump because it is a big budget film and had good costumes and special effects. Four Weddings and a Funeral is fourth and Quiz Show is fifth since it could have done better.
1995
Films I have seen - Braveheart (Best Picture), Apollo 13, Babe, Sense and Sensibility
Films I have not seen - Il Postino
Analysis - Braveheart is an epic historic war action drama (enough genre's for you huh?) that is a really good movie. Great message about fighting for you land and your freedom. Apollo 13 was much better than I though it would be. The story was told well, the acting was great and it flowed very smoothly. Tom Hanks should have got his Oscar for this film and not Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Babe is a nice cute kids movie that I'm guessing was popular enough to reach the top five. Sense and Sensibility is another of the Victorian era/style dramas that was popular in the early 90's. If you like those films this was great, if you don't then it's just another boring film.
Verdict - Braveheart was the best of all of them, with Apollo edging into second for now slightly above Sense and Sensibility.
1996
Films I have seen - The English Patient (Best Picture), Fargo, Jerry Maguire, Shine
Films I have not seen - Secrets & Lies
Analysis - This was the year of the independent film. Four of the five nominees came from, at the time, smaller production companies where normally most if not all would come from major Hollywood studios. Pulp Fiction in two years helped change this. The English Patient is a love story, bit depressing, that is a mystery that unfolds as you watch the film. Very well done with makeup, scenery, acting, screenplay and keeps you involved throughout the entire film. Fargo is another great Coen brother's film that too has great acting, storytelling and they even have the nerve to fool you in thinking it was based on a true story. These men are geniuses. Jerry Maguire, the only major studio film, is a typical love story about a man who cares so much about his work that he loses touch with the human element of life, blah, blah, blah. I'm sorry, but people who are dedicated to their careers are not as comically unbalanced as they are in the movies, this film is a joke. Shine is a interesting story, a bio-pic about David Helfgott the famous pianist and his mental illnesses that effect his life and career. A rather good film with some really good classical music.
Verdict - At the time I didn't care what won as long as it wasn't Jerry Maguire. I was happy to see independent films in competition and one of them winning. The English Patient is the best film, only edging out Fargo just slightly because it was a slightly grander film. Fargo is one of the Coen brother's best, but not their greatest. But of course even the worst Coen brother's film is still much better than most other directors good films.
1997
Films I have seen - Titanic (Best Picture), As Good as it Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, L.A. Confidential
Films I have not seen - None
Analysis - Titanic is the grand epic of the infamous ship, but told as a love story. Great special effects, great scenery, so-so acting, horrible script, but overall still a great movie. As Good as it Gets is a film that really doesn't tell much of a story, just a bunch of strange people somehow becoming interwoven in each other lives. Jack Nicholson is really good and earned best actor. Helen Hunt was good and I guess probably earned best actress. Greg Kinnear was horrible and helped drag the film down. The Full Monty is a quirky film about a bunch of unemployed factory workers who decide to make money stripping. Not much more than that. Good Will Hunting is an interesting film that was very well written, pretty good acting and was a solid film. L.A. Confidential is an attempt to be a gritty cop drama that falls flat and gets muddled at times.
Verdict - Titanic was the best film, it was bigger and grander than all the other combined. I would put Good Will Hunting in second and a three way tie for third for the remaining since none of them are that good and it is too hard to try and figure out who is slightly better or worse than one another.
1998
Films I have seen - Elizabeth, Saving Private Ryan
Films I have not seen - Shakespeare in Love (Best Picture), Life is Beautiful, The Thin Red Line
Analysis - This is the last year where I have not seen the best picture winner, not that I don't have a good excuse. I have a copy of the movie on VHS sitting on the VCR, but since I have a DVR, that's all I ever watch. It seems to be more fun to try and watch it after I tape it. But I am getting very caught up and when the DVR gets to 70 to 75% empty, maybe I'll pop it in. Elizabeth is the historic drama of the same Queen of England, pretty neat opening scene of them burning Protestants, but gets a bit boring after that. Saving Private Ryan is a epic WWII film that has the most intense opening scene of DDay I have ever seen. Good acting but the story seemed a bit unrealistic or silly in a way. During a major battle lets pull a bunch of soldiers to risk their lives, to tell one to go home and then risk his fellow soldiers lives? Great acting by Tom Hanks who ruined it by getting two he didn't deserve years before and now gets overlooked.
Verdict - I still have to see the majority of films nominated this year, Saving Private Ryan will hold the top spot for now.
1999
Films I have seen - American Beauty (Best Picture), The Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, The Insider, The Sixth Sense
Films I have not seen - None
Analysis - The secret to winning is not to put "The" in front of your film title. American Beauty is a drama about how life is frustrating and living in the suburbs is not utopia. Like a I needed a film to tell me that. Life is hard all over no matter where you live. I found this film hard to watch the first time, turned it off after about twenty minutes. I only watched it once I started my project to see all of the films that won best picture. The Cider House Rules is a drama that's not bad but never seems to become great. An orphan who could be a doctor decides to go and pick apples instead. The Green Mile is another adapted Stephen King short story about a prison in Maine. Not as good as Shawshank, but an interesting story about a healer put on death row and how he effects all around him. Very enjoyable and well acted. The Insider is a long, boring, long movie about the man who revealed that smoking is harmful to your health. He was also going to reveal that falling off a fifty story building would kill you when you land on the sidewalk, but the film didn't have enough time. The Sixth Sense is a great suspense film that you don't want to know the ending if you haven't seen it.
Verdict - None of these were really outstanding films, but none of them were really that bad either. I can see why American Beauty won and would tend to agree, but I could see why The Green Mile could have won. The Sixth Sense could have had a chance but not that strong, so it would come in third behind The Green Mile. The Cider House Rules falls safely into fourth and The Insider last.
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