Hedging My Bets

So I decided to start seeing movies late last year and early this year that looked like they would be nominated for best picture.  It turns out that I saw three of the nine nominated and was able to see two more. Since I still don't know who will win at the time of this post, I'll comment on the films compared to one another and when I eventually see all of them I will rank them properly.

12 Years A Slave (2013) - An amazing film.  Based on the memoir of Solomon Northup who was freeman living in New York state who was sold into slavery while traveling with other musicians.  As the title explains, he spent the next twelve years trying to survive and finally getting back to his family in the north.  Great acting by Chiwetel Ejiofor who I am sure will win best actor.

As this was the first of the five movies nominated from this year it is the best, but I do believe that this will win best picture.  If not, then it deserved to win best picture.

Gravity (2013) - One of the best science fiction movies I have ever seen.  A simple story about astronauts who have to get back to earth after a satellite exploded and is now spewing debris around the planet.  The reason it is so good is because it is so simple.  You can apply this story to anything else and it would still be a great film.  Replace outer space with the ocean and it would still work.  Except the special effects were great.

This isn't the best movie of the year, but will win all the technical awards.  Of the five I've seen so far it would be third and I don't see it going any lower than that.

American Hustle (2013) - A really good film very, very loosely based on the ABSCAM operation of the late 1970's.  Very funny in parts and really enjoyable.  Jennifer Lawrence is so good, so funny, if she doesn't win supporting actress it is a crime.  The acting was great, the costume and makeup terrific.  A great film to watch.

Is this the best picture of the year?  I would put it second since I felt that 12 Years A Slave was just a bit better, but there is a chance that this one could win best picture.

Dallas Buyers Club (2013) - A fictitious story based on real events.  It takes place in the mid 1980's during the rise of AIDS.  The main character gets diagnosed and eventually learns how to make a cocktail of herbs and vitamins that help keep his immune system strong, similar to what is done today.  He then starts selling them to people who have AIDS but since the FDA won't allow him, he starts a club where everything is free provided you pay a membership fee.  A great film that also reminds us how horrible the FDA is. Jared Leto is probably a lock for best supporting actor.

I would rank this film as fourth but just like Gravity, it will not go any lower.  It is a very, very long shot for best picture if 12 Years A Slave and /American Hustle cancel each other out, but the odds of that are very slim.

Nebraska (2013) - A cute story about a semi-senile old man who thinks that a piece of junk mail is a million dollar lottery ticket.  He keeps trying to walk from Montana to Nebraska so his youngest son decides to make a road trip out of it to try and bond.  Not a strong comedy, more of a dramedy (don't care if it's not a real word, it is now!) which somehow got Bruce Dern nominated for best actor.  I don't know how that happened.  If anyone deserved recognition it would have been Will Forte who was really great in his role, not sure how he got passed over for that.

This would be ranked fifth and possibly falling a bit lower compared to the other films.  It was a good film and falls in the top ten of the year, but it is not the best picture of the year.

Ranking The Best Pictures of the 2000's

Since I have closed out a decade now I decided to rank the ten best pictures like I just did with all the other best pictures since I have seen all eighty five of them.  I will also rank all fifty five of the films in another post as well.

10. The Hurt Locker (2009) – Another one of those films that years from now people will scratch their heads and say why did this win?  And anyone who was alive would shrug their shoulders and not have an answer.  Not really a good war film either but the only one, so far, to win based on the Iraqi war.

9. Chicago (2002) - If you enjoy musicals then you love this movie.  If you don't it ranks up there with having your toenails being pulled off.  It was based on the play and was the first musical to win in thirty four years but didn't start a new pattern thankfully.  The costumes were done well and it was a popular film especially that the county was still numb after 9/11.  Otherwise it will be forgotten as a top movie years from now.

8. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - A rather depressing movie about a poor orphan who ends up on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and can answer all the questions even though he has no education.  You find out that the reason why he knows the answers is based on usually a horrible tragedy in his life.  And his brother is a crime boss, or at least a wanna be crime boss and other sappy drama.  But it is in the standard Bollywood style so it is one that made it big in Hollywood. 

7. Million Dollar Baby (2004) - A solid Clint Eastwood film about a female boxer.  Well acted and took on a somewhat controversial topic, it has slowly lost it's significance as time goes on.  It did finally give a long overdue Oscar to Morgan Freedman.  It clearly won best picture, although The Aviator did give it a good run.

6. Gladiator (2000) - A film made in the classic action drama style like a 1950's epic movie.  A Roman general ends up on the run and becomes a gladiator.  I know I'm giving a very vague recap but it has been a few years since I've seen it and besides great costumes and some cool fight scenes it's a good movie that falls about the middle of the best picture pack for the decade.

5. The Departed (2006) - The one that finally got Scoresse the Oscar for best director and picture.  A very intense cop film that is a remake of a Hong Kong movie from a few years earlier.  This is not his best, there are at least a half a dozen better, but it's not his worst with an equal amount much worse.  It was a lifetime achievement Oscar, kind of like The Greatest Show on Earth but thankfully he isn't done making movies yet. 

4. Crash (2005) - A powerful drama that shows what you see on the surface is not always what is underneath.  Those who you think are racist are not and those who you think aren't really are.  A very good movie that reminds us that there are differences between races, nationalities, religions and not everyone will get along but we should judge on character. 

3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - This was more of an Oscar for the trilogy than specifically for this film, but it was worthy of it.  Only the second trilogy to have all films nominated for best picture.  Great special effects tied to a classic story and a rare feat for a sci-fi fantasy film to win.

2. A Beautiful Mind (2001) - A great bio-pic from the decade of bio-pics.  A powerful story of a genius who has hallucinations and develops a world of mystery that crashes around him.  Well acted and a good story that stays consistent in its story telling from start to finish.  One of the better films of the decade.

1. No Country for Old Men (2007) - A modern day classic, one of the best Coen brother's movie, a simple story that was told perfectly.  The acting is amazing, Javier Bardem is the most evil and creepiest villain of all time.  I consider almost of the Coen brother's movies to be the best of the year but this is one that will go down as one of the best of all time.  Clearly the top best picture of the decade.

The Other Francis Ford Coppola Movie Nominated in 1974

Yep, having The Godfather Part II wasn't enough for him that year, he had two of his movies nominated for best picture.  And I close out a decade and one more from last year.  But first another great movie from the great decade of the 70's.

The Conversation (1974) - A stylish interesting film about a surveillance expert hired to record a conversation in a public area and becomes obsessed with it trying to figure out it's meaning.  Add to the fact he's super paranoid and stumbles into something bigger than he could imagine.  Great acting by Gene Hackman and John Cazale and very well filmed.  The mood and style of the film helps the story.  A rare film but one worth watching.

And now 1974 is finish.  And obviously The Godfather Part II was the best film of the year.  After that it gets much more difficult.  While it could be a four way tie for second, I would have Chinatown as the second best.  Mainly because of great acting and little to do with the pedophile director.  The Conversation will be third but only by a nose.  Lenny falls into fourth even though it was very well done I had to rank it somewhere and it has been over twenty years since I've seen it.  Fifth is The Towering Inferno which was a cheesy disaster film, but a really really good cheesy disaster film.

The Reader (2008) - A strange film about a young man in 1950's Germany who has an affair with a woman twice his age and then disappears.  Years later in law school he finds out she was a concentration camp guard and he also figures out she can't read.  He finally figures this out from his memories of reading to her and then starts sending her books in prison.  Basically disguised as a soft core porn film, not much else to it.

And since the year, as well as the decade is done, time to rank it out.  I will make separate posts for the best pictures and for all fifty five.  But for now the best picture of the year was Milk.  It had the best acting and overall was better than the rest, but it wasn't a very strong year.  Second would be The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which had good acting but was great story and very good makeup.  The best picture winner Slumdog Millionaire would be third since it was an impressive Bollywood style film but not really a great picture.  Frost/Nixon is fourth a rather bland movie that only beats out The Reader from last place since they had better makeup.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012) - A somewhat confusing and badly directed film about the assassination of Osama Bin Laden.  Lots of torture scenes, unnecessary dialogue, more torture and eventually them killing him.  Not sure why it was nominated unless it was part of a confusing attempt with the re-election campaign.

Seeing now five of the nine films, this one is fifth.  Argo is still first, Beasts Of The Southern Wild second, Life of Pi, Les Miserables and now Zero Dark Thirty.

Ranking the 85 Best Pictures

The time has come to rank the best pictures since I have seen them all at this time.  I’ll build suspense by naming them in reverse order and forcing you to have to scroll to the bottom to see what it was, not like you could have guessed.  So here are the eighty five best pictures that have won and how they rank.

85. An American in Paris (1951) – The one that started it all.  This movie is why I decided to start ranking the movies nominated against the best picture because this film won.  At the award ceremony people were shocked.  They gave Gene Kelly an honorary Oscar because they were afraid he wouldn't get recognition for his work in the film.  It beat out Quo Vadis, A Place In the Sun and A Streetcar Named Desire.  It is clearly the worst best film compared to the others that have won.     

84. Marty (1955) – Another horrible film that was nothing of a story.  A butcher has trouble asking a woman out on a date.  It is a boring film.

83. Gigi (1958) – A film that nearly breaks the creepy meter.  An adult man is lusting after a teenage girl who is to be his mistress but he wants her as his wife.  If it was remade today it would be the Neil Goldschmidt story.

82. Tom Jones (1963) – A mindless film about a man who seduces women in old England.  It beat out a number of other good films like America America, How the West was Won and Lilies of the Fields.  It was better than Cleopatra; I’m not insane you know.  But this was months after President Kennedy was assassinated so it won because it made everyone feel good.

81. Terms of Endearment (1983) – A terrible film from a rather terrible year.  The 80’s were not known for making good movies and this is a perfect example of one of them.  It’s a sappy tearjerker of a film that had the luck to come out at the right time.  Just like a team that finishes one game above five hundred but win’s their division, this is what you get.

80. Out of Africa (1985) – Talk about competing in a weak division, another example of a film that had no serious competition.  Very stylish but boring and tedious, a perfect example of what the 1980’s were like in Hollywood.

79. Chariots of Fire (1981) – The start of a long run of bad movies (see above) to come from the decade.  With the exception of Ordinary People and Gandhi, this film is typical of the type of film that won best picture during the decade.  A simple slightly boring movie about English runners in the 1924 Olympics doesn't rank well against the other movies over the past eighty five years.

78. The English Patient (1996) – The film that is a mystery until you figure it out and then you don’t care.  Very stylish and was among three other independent films nominated that year, but wasn't the best of them.  Not sure why it won but it hasn't held up over time and not that great of a movie.

77. Forrest Gump (1994) – The bane of the baby boomers.  A film that was pop art, all fluff with nothing substantive.  A film that in fifty years people will watch and unless they have a degree in late 20^th century pop culture will watch it and say what were you all thinking back then?  A feel good film for anyone born in the late 40’s or in the 50’s, a story about a mentally slow man who witnesses the major events of the late 20^th century but doesn't understand or appreciate it, just floats along.  It does prove that baby boomers are the evil generation though, so it did have some value.

76. The Hurt Locker (2009) – Another one of those films that years from now people will scratch their heads and say why did this win?  And anyone who was alive would shrug their shoulders and not have an answer.  Not really a good war film either but the only one, so far, to win based on the Iraqi war.

75. American Beauty (1999) - A film that comes close to Gigi on the creepy meter but not as bad.  But they use an original concept for the movie, showing that life in suburbia is not utopia.  <sarcasm> WOW </sarcasm>.  As you can see I'm learning some html, but how this was the best film was partially due to not having strong competition and, and, I can't think of much else.  It rounds out the top ten of the bottom of best films.

74. Chicago (2002) - If you enjoy musicals then you love this movie.  If you don't it ranks up there with having your toenails being pulled off.  It was based on the play and was the first musical to win in thirty four years but didn't start a new pattern thankfully.  The costumes were done well and it was a popular film especially that the county was still numb after 9/11.  Otherwise it will be forgotten as a top movie years from now.

73. Driving Miss Daisy (1989) - An aptly fitting film to close out the weak decade of the 80's.  A simple heartfelt drama about an old woman unable to drive and her son hiring her a driver.  She doesn't like or trust him but they eventually learn to become friends.  It's not a terrible film, but when compared to other films that won it's not that good.

72. Rain Man (1988) - Another typical 1980's film, although great acting from Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruse.  It did come from a weak decade and a very soft year so it really isn't much of a classic.  Simple drama about a man finding out he has a mentally disabled older brother and finding himself, and a lot of money, as they go across country.  It was the first movie that I saw in the theater before it won best picture so I was rooting for it back in 1989.

71.  Around the World in 80 Days (1956) - The other really bad decade in the history of the Academy Awards was the 1950's.  As you can see only fifteen into the list and this is the fourth movie.  There were a few powerful films to come from that decade, this is not one of them.  Victorian era, now steam-punk, style of film about Englishmen betting if someone can go around the world in eighty days when dial up was really slow and forget about streaming live video.  Nice film but I would recommend the remake with The Three Stooges instead.

70. Oliver! (1968) - The last of the musicals from an era when almost every Broadway play was getting a film adaption and most times winning best picture.  If you haven't figured it out, it is about Oliver Twist and it is a musical but it wasn't a great musical.

69. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) - The lifetime achievement award for Cecil B. DeMille.  This wasn't so much for the film, a nice story about Barnum and Balley's circus, but for all of his work over the years.  It is a bit sappy and silly at times but an overall good film.

68. All the Kings Men (1949) - Probably the last muckraking film to win best picture.  Based loosely on the life of Huey Long, it shows a politician's rise to power and how greed and bullets stopped him.  Especially the bullets.

67. Argo (2012) - The most recent winner which was a good movie but will not be a classic.  Well acted and an interesting story about the rescue of American hostages held up at the Canadian ambassador's house in Iran during the hostage crisis.  It may move up over time but for now it ranks near the bottom.

66. Shakespeare in Love (1998) - A fictionalized story about what Shakespeare was possibly thinking and doing while writing Romeo and Juliet.  A nice film but somehow beat out Saving Private Ryan which is rather confusing so it ends up further down.

65. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - A rather depressing movie about a poor orphan who ends up on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and can answer all the questions even though he has no education.  You find out that the reason why he knows the answers is based on usually a horrible tragedy in his life.  And his brother is a crime boss, or at least a wanna be crime boss and other sappy drama.  But it is in the standard Bollywood style so it is one that made it big in Hollywood.

64. The King's Speech (2010) - The loosely based story of King George and his stammer.  Except it's during World War II and he has to make radio speeches to keep people motivated.  A good drama that was well produced but not an exceptional film.  Not the best film of the year either in my opinion.

63. Platoon (1986) - Hollywood's attempt to wash away their guilt for treating Vietnam veterans like dirt after the war.  There was a popular movement in the mid 80's to finally recognize Vietnam vets including parades and movies like this.  Talk with a vet who served and they will tell you that this movie is pure fiction, not much of it based on reality.  It does have some strong acting and to date the last Vietnam War film to win best picture.

62. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) - At the time it was a very powerful movie, almost like the muckraking films of the late 1940's about a man trying to get custody of his child in a divorce.  Very well acted and helped change people minds that the mother automatically would get the child in a divorce, but has become a bit dated today.

61. Dances With Wolves (1990) - The first western, the true American film genre, to win in almost sixty years.  A well done film based on the end of the western expansion in the late 1800's and helped make westerns popular again.  But this beat out Goodfellas and causes it to slip down in the ranks since Goodfellas is one of the best gangster films of all times.

60. West Side Story (1961) - The great Broadway musical that had all the popular songs and dance scenes which made it very very popular.  But it doesn't hold up over time.  I don't think it held up when it came out fifty years ago.  But I do believe that the fight scenes are the most accurate emulating the Bloods and Crips.

59. The Lost Weekend (1945) - One of the most known muckraking films of all times.  Ray Milland as an alcoholic writer, sorry to be redundant, going on a binge when no one is around to keep tabs on him.  Powerful drama and cool hallucinations of attack bats but not strong enough to be in the top of the pack.

58. Cavalcade (1933) - Based on the Noel Coward play a rather boring story about a family in England from 1900 up to present day which was 1933.  It came out during the epic decade of the 1930's but was the weakest of the winners that decade.

57.  The Broadway Melody (1929) - The first film with sound to win best picture.  And that's all there is to it really.  A well done film about two sisters trying to make it on Broadway but besides the coolness of watching a film from the 1920's, there isn't much to it.

56. From Here to Eternity (1953) - A strong drama about the days leading up to Pearl Harbor on an Army base in Hawaii.  Good cast of actors that do a great job.  Not the best war film or best war best picture but a semi classic remembered for the love screen on the beach between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr.

55. The Sting (1973) - A quirky comedy from the other great decade for movies.  Not as strong as other films that decade but very stylish and was a good story with respectable acting.

54. The Great Ziegfeld (1936) - The biopic that honors the life of Florenz Ziegfield.  He was the biggest entertainer producer of the early twentieth century.  This film won because probably everyone who voted for it was either in the audience or on the stage of one of his productions.  He died about a few years before the film came out so it was going to win.  It is a good film from a great decade and a year of tough competition.  It's hard almost eighty years later to see how this film won but at the time it was big, but hasn't held up enough.

53. Million Dollar Baby (2004) - A solid Clint Eastwood film about a female boxer.  Well acted and took on a somewhat controversial topic, it has slowly lost it's significance as time goes on.  It did finally give a long overdue Oscar to Morgan Freedman.  It clearly won best picture, although The Aviator did give it a good run.  But it falls nearer to the middle of the best over all of best pictures.

52. Midnight Cowboy (1969) - The first rated X film to win and the only one since.  Not that it was a porno, but when the ratings first started an X film was what would be known as a NC-17 film today, a movie not for children.  It was at the time of the end of the self imposed censorship that movies had for the past thirty plus years.  As a result it took on themes that were not commonly shown in movies.  It was controversial at the time but more than forty years later it isn't any more.  It also went up against week competition that year but it helped usher in the 1970's and it share of gritty dramas and well told stories.

51. Wings (1928) - The first best picture winner for overall production, eventually changed the next year.  A nice film about a young man going off to WWI and a young woman from his neighborhood who volunteers as a medic to make sure he stays safe.  Does have a very young Gary Cooper in a bit part.  A classic film that is mainly known for winning the first Oscar and some nice footage of air crafts from the era.

50. Gladiator (2000) - A film made in the classic action drama style like a 1950's epic movie.  A Roman general ends up on the run and becomes a gladiator.  I know I'm giving a very vague recap but it has been a few years since I've seen it and besides great costumes and some cool fight scenes it's a good movie that falls about the middle of the best picture pack.

49. Braveheart (1995) - Based on the legends of William Wallace who in the late 1200's fought for Scottish independence from England.  He became a folk hero that is honored over seven hundred years later.  I once read a book about English history from the 1920's and the author spoke of how popular William Wallace is still in Scotland.  The film has some great war scenes and does have a good political message.  One of the better films of the decade.

48. Cimarron (1931) - The first western to win best picture.  Although technically it's not a true western film but showing the rise of Oklahoma from the late 1800's to modern day era late 1920's.  A good film for it's time which only got notice when Dances With Wolves won about sixty years later.

47. Amadeus (1984) - A rather good film about Mozart, although not very historically accurate but very well done.  One of the finer best pictures from the decade that produced some of the worst best pictures.  The costumes were great, very good acting and the soundtrack isn't too shabby either.

46. Rocky (1976) - The classic feel good root for the underdog film.  One of the better boxing movies that have been made and has become part of our popular culture, everything from running up a flight of stairs and celebrating or the theme to Rocky or "Yo Adrian".  But it should be remembered that it beat out Taxi Driver and Network so it falls in the middle since those two movies are miles above this one.

45. The Departed (2006) - The one that finally got Scoresse the Oscar for best director and picture.  A very intense cop film that is a remake of a Hong Kong movie from a few years earlier.  This is not his best, there are at least a half a dozen better, but it's not his worst with an equal amount much worse.  It was a lifetime achievement Oscar, kind of like The Greatest Show on Earth but thankfully he isn't done making movies yet.

44. Gentleman's Agreement (1947) - A powerful muckraking style film from the late 40's when antisemitism was still part of society.  Rather dated these days but made strong impact.  And it has Gregory Peck and Dean Stockwell so it is a classic but doesn't hold up over time.

43. The Sound of Music (1965) - The great musical falls in the middle mainly since it is a musical but it is a truly classic film.  Still popular these days even if the actress picked for Maria can't act her way out of a paper bag.  (Yes I made a timely joke that years from now people will be confused about it).  It comes from that era when plays were being made into musicals and everyone who loved the play gave Oscars to the films.

42. My Fair Lady (1964) - As proven here just a year earlier, another popular play that won best picture.  Actually a play by George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion which was nominated for best picture back in 1938, this is a musical that is very well acted and holds up years later.  The best spoof was from SCTV which you should watch if you can.

41. Ben-Hur  (1959) - Chariot races, lepers and religion, what more can you ask for?  A kind of Gentleman's Agreement of the Roman empire, this is a classic epic film.  Only reason why this one won an Oscar and not the original?  That one came out in 1925 and would have won if there was an Academy Award ceremony, but this is a great remake and still an exciting film to watch.

40. All About Eve (1950) - A strong drama from a relatively weak decade.  Well acted about a movie star who's assistant is out to steal her life and rather ruthless in her attempts.  Still holds up over sixty years later.

39. Rebecca (1940) - Hitchcock's only film to win best picture, even beat out another of his films that year.  Classic suspense with Laurence Oliver that is a very good movie.  Not one of my favorites but very popular and very well acted.

38. Going My Way (1944) - The happy go lucky film about a priest who creates mirth wherever he goes.  A standard Christmas classic with popular songs.  Bing Crosby won an Oscar and the film cleaned up pretty well.  Made at the end of WWII it is more of an uplifting movie for a nation at war, but still enjoyable today.

37. The Artist (2011) - A great movie that is a homage to the classic silent era of movies.  Only the second silent film to win best picture, or at least a 98% silent movie and one of the few black and white films to win over the past sixty years.  This film will become more of a classic as time goes on.  And besides being very stylish it's an enjoyable well acted film.

36. Grand Hotel (1932) - The amazing cast of this film rivals very few other best pictures or most movies made.  Similar to a modern day drama about multiple characters, all are in the Grand Hotel in Berlin and how they interact among one another.  The great Lionel Barrymore and his brother John, Gretta Garbo's "I vant to be alone", Joan Crawford and many others make this a classic film.

35. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) - The classic post WWII film about soldiers readjusting to civilian life.  Well acted and very powerful.  A film that no other movie could have beaten this year.  It's a film that shows a period of history through the eyes of Hollywood, although I don't know how accurate it was, it is still a great film.

34. The Bridge on the River Kwai - (1957) - The epic WWII film about an English Army unit having to build a bridge for the Japanese and then destroying it to help in the war effort.  Sounds confusing, don't worry.  It is a great movie even if it wasn't historically accurate.  One of the best from a rather weak decade.

33. The Apartment (1960) - The Billy Wilder dramedy that was one of the last black and white films to win best picture.  A well told story that has great acting and is still a good movie today even if the office layout has changed from what was common over fifty years ago.  One of the better best pictures of the decade.

32. Crash (2005) - A powerful drama that shows what you see on the surface is not always what is underneath.  Those who you think are racist are not and those who you think aren't really are.  A very good movie that reminds us that there are differences between races, nationalities, religions and not everyone will get along but we should judge on character.

31. The French Connection (1971) - One of the few action films to win best picture and deservedly so.  This helped define the gritty style of movies that became common during the 1970's which next to the 1930's produced some of the greatest movies of all time.  Not your typical Hollywood cops and robbers film either which makes it that much better.  And it gave me driving tips on how to get to work on time.

30. The Last Emperor (1987) - A stylish epic that doesn't get the recognition it deserves.  Made during a decade where most movies were bland and meaningless, this is one of the few that was very well done.  Based on the life story of the last emperor of China it shows his life as he grows up, deals with WWII and imprisoned under the dirge of communism.

29. Titanic (1997) - An extremely popular film that was very well made, they certainly spent the money on it.  The story is a bit hokey and the dialogue is very weak but the special effects were great.  It was a very well produced movie that has become a classic already.

28. Annie Hall (1977) - The only best picture, so far, from Woody Allen.  A very funny comedy that is done so well that it isn't a farce or slapstick but very indelicately done.  A comedy classic that was during a decade that made great movies.  Even if you are not a Woody Allen fan (How dare you!) you still will enjoy this movie.

27. Gandhi (1982) - The grand epic that is an island in a sea of horrible movies.  One of the few best pictures of the decade that are in the top half of best picture winners.  A well done bio-pic about the life of Gandhi well acted and great cinematography.  One of those films that still stands up over time.

26. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - This was more of an Oscar for the trilogy than specifically for this film, but it was worthy of it.  Only the second trilogy to have all films nominated for best picture.  Great special effects tied to a classic story and a rare feat for a sci-fi fantasy film to win.

25. A Beautiful Mind (2001) - A great bio-pic from the decade of bio-pics.  A powerful story of a genius who has hallucinations and develops a world of mystery that crashes around him.  Well acted and a good story that stays consistent in its story telling from start to finish.  On of the better films of the decade.

24. Unforgiven (1992) - Partial lifetime achievement for all of the great spaghetti westerns and for being one of the best Westerns made.  When I saw this in the theater and saw Clint Eastwood fell off his horse I was amazed, as well as every other man in the theater, and knew why it won best picture.  A nice simple story acted really well and done perfectly.

23. The Life of Emile Zola (1937) - The great Paul Muni plays Emile Zola who was a 19th century French author.  This movie is great because of Paul Muni who was great in everything he did.  A classic from the classic era of Hollywood, a shame it doesn't get shown more often.

22. How Green Was My Valley (1941) - Even though this beat out Citizen Kane which is probably the best movie ever made, doesn't mean it was a bad movie.  Adapted from the novel about coal miners in Wales, it is a powerful drama that is a classic movie.  Was it worthy of a best picture Oscar can be debated, debate over, it shouldn't.  But since it won it does deserve it's proper recognition.

21. Mrs. Miniver (1942) - A great war drama made during WWII about England surviving at home during the war.  Well acted, strong message about war and life in crisis, an overall great movie.  And Greer Garson isn't too hard on the eyes either and a great actress as well.

20. In the Heat of the Night (1967) - The gritty drama that helped shape the style of movies during the next decade.  A great acted and well done film that deals with a murder investigation and racial tension.  On of the best pictures of the decade and a classic that is still popular today.

19. Hamlet (1948) - The classic Laurence Olivier interpretation that is amazing.  Probably the best Shakespeare film ever made, a great epic movie.  Granted it is a bit stuffy but the acting is great, the scenery terrific, just a great movie.

18. On the Waterfront (1954) - A great drama with an all star cast, the film is almost too good for this decade.  Some of the most well know lines and scenes are from this film.  Just one of those films that when it's on you have to watch.

17. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) - Such great acting makes this movie one of the best of all time.  It beat out eleven other movies that year to win and rightfully so.  What an old action adventure film was before the days of special effects.

16. Patton (1970) - One of the greatest war movies and bio-pics of all time.  The film is almost three hours long and you want it to go longer.  Very well acted, great war scenes, just a fantastic movie to watch.

15. Ordinary People (1980) - Clearly the best picture to win from the decade, but it still riles me that it beat Raging Bull.  Either way it is one of the best dramas to be made, a simple but powerful film that will stand the test of time.

14. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Based on the classic novel, the finest WWI movie made and one of the greatest war films as well.  Great acting, it follows the novel rather closely and is such a great film.  A classic that should be seen at least once in your life.

13. The Deer Hunter (1978) - Probably one of the best war movies ever made and one of the longest too. The opening wedding scene is the longest of any wedding scenes, the acting is great, a terrific film from an amazing decade.

12. No Country for Old Men (2007) - A modern day classic, one of the best Coen brother's movie, a simple story that was told perfectly.  The acting is amazing, Javier Bardem is the most evil and creepiest villain of all time.  I consider almost of the Coen brother's movies to be the best of the year but this is one that will go down as one of the best of all time.

11. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - When you think of an epic film this is what it should be.  Everything from the acting, the cinematography, the costumes, the war scenes, the dessert is just perfect.  Made during the era of epics this one is the one that is probably the best.

10. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - The best and only horror film to win best picture and one of only three movies to sweep the top five categories (picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay).  It is the last film to do so and as such it makes it one of the ten best best pictures of all time.  If you can pull that sweep it shows that you are one of the best.

9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Only the second film to sweep and one of the most intense dramas of the decade as well as all time.  Made at the peak of the modern classic era of films during the 1970's it is still as powerful today as it was almost forty years ago.  Clearly one of the best movies of all time.

8. It Happened One Night (1934) - And the first film to sweep and hold the title for over forty years.  A classic romantic comedy that is a classic from a great decade.  Not to mention it also beat out eleven other films that year being only one of two years that had twelve movies nominated.  It's a great film and all that it won puts it in the top ten, simple as that.

7. Gone with the Wind (1939) - One of the most known films and most popular of all time, this won beating out nine other movies in what has been called the finest year in film.  Still today it is considered a great film that is an all time classic.  Constantly quoted and spoofed too, it is clearly one of the ten best best picture winners.

6. You Can't Take It with You (1938) - The Frank Capra classic that is one of his finest.  A surpurb cast headed by the great Lionel Barrymore in my personal favorite role.  It's such an enjoyable well done movie that it will always be a classic.  It's a shame it doesn't get the same recognition as other movies from this era but it is truly one of the best ever made.

5. Casablanca (1943) - A classic, beloved and praised by many.  Although not one of my personal favorites, I do recognize how popular it is and how it has stood the test of time for over seventy years so it is in the top five of best pictures.

4. Schindler’s List (1993) - The most intense, most powerful, most incredible film that I could never watch again.  It is a hard depressing movie but one of the greatest ever made.  I avoided watching it for years because I knew it would depress me but it is a great film.

3. A Man for All Seasons (1966) - This is a perfect movie.  It is acted perfectly.  The costume, language and decoration are all perfect.  It is just a terrific movie.  And Paul Scofield earned his best actor Oscar after performing this on stage for years.  It is almost a bit of a lost film in that you rarely see it on television, but it the best of the decade.

2. The Godfather Part II (1974) - The greatest sequel to be made and the only one to win best picture.  Personally I like this one better than the first since there are two story lines about Vito Corleone and Michael Corleone going on at the same time in two different time lines.

1. The Godfather (1972) - And of course the greatest best picture of the past eighty five years is The Godfather.

85 Out Of 85

That's right I've seen every film that has won best picture.  At some point I will rank these movies before the next one is named, but for now I will talk about the last best picture I needed to see and two others that now put me at only twenty five more movies to go, for now.

Argo (2012) - Winner of best picture of the year, based on the CIA plot to rescue six Americans trapped in Iran back in 1979.  It is a dramatization and not fully accurate but a well done film that plays out as a suspense action thriller but from a dramatic way.  Not sure if that makes much sense but even though you know the ending, you still hang on the edge of your seat.

This makes the third film I've seen for the year and it currently stands as the best of the three with Beasts of the Southern Wild in second and Life of Pi third.

Les Miserables (2012) - The second version to be nominated for best picture, the first musical version of the famed Victor Hugo story.  Each version I've seen  focuses on different parts of the story.  I did see the play almost twenty five years ago so I don't remember how close the film is to the play.  As compared to other versions, not as good.  Granted I'm not much of a fan of musicals, but it gets a bit annoying after awhile.  That and being such a cheerful story makes it a film that I'm glad I've seen but don't need to see again.

As the fourth film from the year it settles nicely after Life of Pi for fourth place, soon to move lower.

Children Of A Lesser God (1986) - A romantic drama that is mainly based upon a deaf character and a teacher at a school for the deaf.  Typical 80's movie that really isn't much to watch.  Rather comical at times trying to make a bigger deal out of things that are really not that important.  But you have to have conflict to help the story along, and it does it, but not very effectively.  Acting was fine but nothing outstanding.  Marlee Matlin's Oscar for best actress was more for the fact that she wasn't an actress and kept up with the rest of the cast.

This finishes 1986 and while it is typical of most years from the decade, with the exception of 1980, the films were good but nothing that would strike out as a classic.  Ranking them would put Platoon as the best picture, it was very well produced and was made at the right time in history.  People were starting to realize that they didn't treat Vietnam veterans that well and wanted to make it up to them.  Second is Hanna and Her Sisters because it is a Woody Allen movie and rather funny.  Not as good as his others, if so then it would have won or should have been the best picture.  Mission is third since it was a good film, more for it's cinematography than the story but worthy of being nominated.  Fourth is A Room With A View, standard Merchant Ivory movie which are good but somewhat safe and boring.  Last is Children of a Lesser God for being not as good as the other nominees.

Hitting My Goal Three Months Early!

That's right I have seen fifty movies so far this year, my goal was to watch on average a movie a week.  Didn't think I'd reach it so early.  And with movies I have taped and will be on this year, I may get to only twenty behind before the year is over.  Five more films and some more years completed.

For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943) - The Ernest Hemingway novel that was actually turned into a good screenplay.  This was mainly because of removing the unnecessary political commentary and telling the story.  Add to that Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman and a bunch of other good actors, you get a well done film.  Gary Cooper is an American in Spain during their civil war and is helping with gorilla tactics for the Republicans, mostly in blowing up bridges.  It's not a good film to watch to learn about the Spanish Civil War seeing how Hemingway mainly showed up when there was no fighting, shot a machine gun into the air and then went off and got drunk.  Read up on John Dos Passos who ended up changing his political philosophy after he got back or George Orwell who ended up writing 1984 from his own experiences of barely getting out alive.

And 1943 is closed, clearly Casablanca is the best film.  It may not be one of my top favorites, but it is one of the best films and most popular films ever made.  The rest are not as good as Casablanca, but most are very strong contenders for second place.  It was have to go to The Human Comedy for it's drama and it's moral building story which makes it more than a movie.  Third would be The More The Merrier as a very funny comedy with really good acting.  For Whom The  Bell Tolls is fourth for being a very good film.  And the top half is filled with The Ox-Bow Incident, one of the finer westerns that was made.  The bottom half starts with Madame Curie and the great acting team of Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon as sixth.  Seventh is Song of Berndette a bit heavy on the religion and a bit too long.  Eighth is In Which We Serve, another propaganda WWII nominated film but this time from England.  Ninth is Watch On The Rhine which was an decent movie, but not good enough to win.  And tenth is Heaven Can Wait a film that probably didn't need to be nominated.

Hugo (2011) - A Martin Scorsese historic drama loosely based on the later years of filmmaker Georges Melies but through the eyes of a young homeless orphan living in a train station.  The story was good, the special effects were amazing, it is a very stylish film that is worth watching.  Most directors have a good bin and a bad bin for films.  Scorsese also has the incredible bin for films like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, but this one falls into the good bin.

Although this is the eight film for the year with one more to watch, it is not better than The Artist, but is definitely in the top five and would have been nominated under the old structure.

My Left Foot (1989) - Somehow I never have seen this film until recently.  To be honest I didn't know much about the film, only seeing a clip during the Academy Awards and that Daniel Day Lewis won the Oscar for best actor.  It's based on the life story of Cristy Brown, a man who was born with cerebral palsy who could only control his left foot.  As a result he learned to do as much as you can with his foot including writing and painting.  While his life and death are very depressing, the film is positive, upbeat and shows his love of life.

This year was much better than the entire decade with the exception of 1980.  I would say that Driving Miss Daisy was the best film.  It wasn't a great film, but good enough to win best picture for the time it was made.  Second would be Born On The Fourth of July, which was supposed to be the sequel to Platoon, but wasn't as good.  Third would be My Left Foot which was much better than I thought, remember it was made in the 1980's so you have to understand my surprise.  Fourth is Dead Poets Society, another standard dry drama from the decade.  Last is Field of Dreams, a movie that was not very good but popular.  Quantity does not equal quality.

The Piano (1993) - A cheerful movie about a mute and her child sent to New Zealand as part of an arranged marriage from Scotland.  Film is missing lots of details, back story and gets very confusing at times.  Not very well directed either.  In fact I'm not sure why Holly Hunter won best actress, she didn't even speak.  Marlee Matlin had more dialogue when she won her Oscar.  And the best supporting actress to Anna Paquin because a Canadian girl put on a Scottish accent?  Overrated and not worth watching.

There is no contest here, Schindler's List was the best film.  It is an amazing film that I don't ever want to watch again, the last time I was depressed for days.  All the others combined are not even half as good.  Second would be The Fugitive mostly because I really liked the film and it was a good adventure movie, a genre that doesn't get nominated much.  Third would be In The Name of The Father, rather well acted and a solid film.  Fourth is The Remains of The Day, standard starchy Merchant Ivory film, but well done.  Fifth is The Piano, clearly securing the last spot.

Life Of Pi (2012) - Got to see a second movie from last year and more will be coming soon.  A very amazing film with great special effects.  Not sure why Ang Lee won best director, but I see why it won the technical awards, it deserved those.  It is the story of a young man who survives a shipwreck and trying to survive in a lifeboat with a tiger.  Watch it through to the very end and you will understand the symbolism of the movie, it's worth it.

While Life of Pi was a good movie, it wasn't as good as Beasts of The Southern Wild which is still currently in first place.

The Misery of Life, in Four Different Languages

And that can mean only one thing, I saw Babel. And a bunch of other films over the past two months that has got me up to 470 seen. Which is five short of my goal for the year, looking like I'll make my goal. But first to go over the movies seen recently.  

Babel (2006) -A drama that is taking place over the course of a few days on three different continents; North America, Africa and Asia.  Each of the different story lines have characters that are tied to one another, but it is not being told at the same time like Crash but out of sequence like Pulp Fiction.  It is well done and technically my second attempt to see it.  The first time was five years ago before I started the project, saw the first forty five minutes but stopped watching.  My wife was in intensive care and it was hitting a little too close to home for me.  Time has healed wounds and allowed me to enjoy this movie.  It is part of a trilogy, but I haven't seen the other two films Amores Perros and 21 Grams, so if I see them this might make better sense.

This now closes out 2006 and while it was a tough decision I will say that The Departed was the best film.  Although the Hong Kong original Infernal Affairs was a bit better, compared to the rest of the films it does just edge out the number two film.  And since Scorsese has been robbed almost a half dozen times, it is a life time achievement award like Cecil B DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth in 1952.  Second and only losing by a slim margin is Letters From Iwo Jima.  This is one of the finest films of the decade and should get more recognition that it currently does.  Babel falls into third safely, a good film but not best picture material.  The Queen is fourth carried by the great acting of Helen Mirren and Little Miss Sunshine was last and horrible and should have never been nominated.

Fanny (1961) - The musical that became a film adaption without the music.  Rather rare in this era, but the story of two young lovers who are separated and then when united their lives are changed since there is a child and they are no longer can be lovers.  A bit of a muddled romance story but fine acting from Charles Boyer.  Maurice Chevalier who is usually off the creepy-meter charts, toned it down for this one and wasn't too creepy only lusting after women who are adults.  Horst Buchholz and Leslie Caron play the young lovers and aren't too bad.  It's a nice family style film, something typical of this era.

And by seeing the 49th film of the decade it has now closed out 1961.  This isn't going to be easy but I will have to say West Side Story was the best picture.  I don't like musicals, but it is considered one of the best, even though it is campy and silly, still a great movie.  Judgement at Nuremberg is a solid second with the all-star cast and a good yet somewhat unrealistic historic drama.  Third place becomes a problem since the last three films are all good, but not good enough for the top two.  It's not easy but The Hustler will be third, The Guns of Navarone fourth and Fanny fifth.

Field Of Dreams (1989) - Why do popular films get nominated even though they aren't that good?  Oh wait, it was the 80's, very little was that good.  The feel good movie that thankfully today wouldn't get in the top ten of nominations, made at the right time.  If you are a baseball fan you can tolerate it.  A fantasy movie that makes you fell warm and fuzzy inside, which is good for a movie to do, but is it best picture material?  The academy though so and it was nominated.  Now I have seen it and one more movie off my list, not much more to talk about than that for this movie.

I haven't seen all of 1989, so the current front runner of Driving Miss Daisy is still in the lead and don't think it may be bumped.  Certainly not after this movie.

Beasts Of The Southern Wild (2012) - The first of last year's nominated movies that I have seen and it was good.  It's a bit hard to follow at first but once it settles in it shows a great observation of the lives of the people living in the Louisiana bayou.  It's more from the observation of the main character a five year old child and her ill father as they deal with life and nature.  I have to say it was much better than I expected, although I didn't know much about it before I saw it which I think helped a lot.

This is the first film I've seen from 2012 and it was good.  So for now it is the front runner for the best picture of the year.

Elephant Man (1980) - The rather depressing biopic about the life of Joseph Merrick who was a seriously deformed man in 19th century England.  The film is not historically accurate, but it is very well acted.  John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins are great as well as the rest of the cast.  And being filmed in black and white adds so much to the film.  It makes it feel more realistic and helps you focus more on everything.  When a film like this is in color, so much effort would have to be put in makeup, scenery, clothing, etc.  But being black and white keeps you from being distracted with all that and allows you to watch the movie.  Very well done.  I'm surprised it's taken me this long to see it, but it was worth the wait.

Now I have seen four out of five films and this year is still the exception to the decade.  All the films nominated could have won any other year in the decade.  I am still troubled by Ordinary People being the best film, and it probably was, but Ragging Bull is so amazing.  I will wait to see the last film and then anguish over who was the best picture of this year.

True Grit (2010) - The great Coen brother's remake of the John Wayne western from over forty years ago.  Westerns in the late 60's and early 70's had lost their touch and became a bit softer and campier at times, the American westerns that is not to be confused with Spaghetti westerns from Italy.  This one was a bit grittier and darker than the original and in a way that makes it much better.  Fine acting and as always the Coen brothers do not disappoint.

 2010 is now closed out and the best film was Inception and it was robbed.  The academy does not give Sci-Fi movies their proper due.  Most are not worthy of being nominated, but the ones that are never get recognition.  And this is another example of that failure.  Second would be True Grit mainly because it is the Coen brothers and they make great films.  The Kings Speech, which did win best picture, is third.  It is a good movie but not a great movie.  Forth is Toy Story 3 which is a great movie for kids and adults.  I was really surprised how good it was.  Next is The Fighter, a film that in the old days when only five were nominated would get a nomination but wouldn't win.  The bottom half has The Social Network, a decent film that is more popular since everyone is on Facebook.  Seventh is The Kids Are All Right, only getting notice since it is involving a same sex couple.  You take that out of the equation and it wouldn't get nominated.  Black Swan which was a bad film but had good acting from Natalie Portman.  127 Hours is second to last, a very hard film to watch because it was a film that could of been shown in ten minutes.  Last is Winter's Bone, good acting from Jennifer Lawrence but again a film that was more of a waste of time.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) - The first Shakespeare movie adaption to be nominated for best picture.  All star cast including a very young Olivia de Havilland, rather young James Cagney, Dick Powell and others.  A rather confusing story, blame the author for that one, but one done very stylish.  So impressive that the Oscar for Cinematography was won by Hal Mohr as a write in vote, something that has never happened before or since.

And I have been dreading this, the first of two years that twelve films were nominated.  So here it goes.  The best picture was the one that won, Mutiny on the Bounty with Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, great action film that earned best picture.  Second is The Lives of a Bengal Lancer to stick with the action theme, staring Gary Cooper, can't go wrong with that.  Third is another Charles Laughton film Ruggles of Red Gap, a very funny movie that doesn't get a lot of notice.  Fourth is Les Meserables although the French version from a year before was better.  Fifth is Captain Blood another great action film.  Sixth is David Copperfield, normally lower down for Dickens being so stuffy but Lionel Barrymore is in it so that helps a lot.  Bottom half would include Broadway Melody of 1936 as seventh helped by Jack Benny.  Eighth is A Midsummer Night's Dream, it is Shakespeare after all.  Ninth would be Top Hat, sappy, predicable, not much of a film, but Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire blah, blah, blah.  Tenth is Naughty Marietta not much of a film but mainly a showcase of Jeanette MacDonald who was a great singer.  Eleventh is The Informant, which won Oscars and is considered a classic, but I found it to be slow and boring, sorry just didn't like it.  And last the twelfth film is Alice Adams which is an annoying film about an obnoxious young woman who has no appreciation of what the real world is like.

40 More To Go

That is for now, until next year when additional movies will be added to the list.  But at this pace I don't think I will ever be above forty films unless I take a lot time off.  And you can guess by now that I couldn't come up with a funny title about the first movie on the list as I usually do.

Secrets & Lies (1996) - An English drama about a young woman who was adopted looking for her birth mother.  The difference is that the birth mother is white and the daughter is black.  Very well acted and has the feel of an Edward Albee play, the characters trying to come to terms with the difficulties of their lives and their relationships with one another.  It does show the importance that open adoption plays in the lives of everyone involved and when an adoption is closed, as shown in the movie, the problems it causes later on in life.

This closes out the eighth year of the decade, but the importance of this year was the rise of the independent film.  Four of the five movies were from independent studios, only Jerry Maguire was produced from a major studio.  Even though an independent film won it was the wrong one and the best picture should have been awarded to Fargo.  The Coen brothers consistently make great movies and this is another year they were wrongfully passed over.  Secrets & Lies would be second as a good drama and an enjoyable story watching a mother and child create the relationships they never had.  I would put the best picture The English Patient in third, it was a stylish film, but it reminded me of Out of Africa in that it looked beautiful but you didn't care about the story.  When you finally understand what the film is about, you realize that you didn't really didn't need to know or even see it.  Shine is fourth as a good bio-pic but not good enough to be a best picture.  And Jerry Maguire is fifth, not because it wasn't a good film, but because, well alright it wasn't a good film.  It was a nice romantic drama, but shouldn't have been nominated.

Cries And Whispers (1973) - An Ingmar Bergman film that deals with the cheerful topic of a woman dying of cancer in the turn of the twenty century in Sweden and her sisters attempt to deal with this and each other.  The film uses flashbacks to show how each sister has made bad decisions in their lives and how they attempt to deal with them.  Very stylish, cold, artistic and intense, what you would expect from a Bergman film.  And if red is your favorite color you'll love this movie.  See it to understand what I mean.

And now 1973 is completed as well.  This was an interesting year in a interesting decade.  The movies nominated during the decade were films not usually seen for at least thirty years and while none were truly outstanding, none were bad.  The Sting was the best film, a good comedy-drama that fits the time it won, not the film obviously since it takes place in the 30's, but for the early 70's.  Second would be The Exorcist because it is one of the scariest horror films ever made and probably the only true horror film to be nominated.  This is a genre that is not recognized but often deservedly so since many of them are horrible, pun intended.  Third would be American Graffiti which was a simple film that was done well.  Cries and Whispers would be fourth, still a great accomplishment since very few foreign language films ever get nominated for best picture.  Fifth is A Touch of Class, a nice film but not good enough to win but worthy of a nomination.

The Bells Of St. Mary's (1945) - The first known sequel to be nominated for best picture, take that Godfather!  The happy go lucky Father O'Malley played by Bing Crosby is back to help a Catholic School move into a better building and to cure all the problems in society with a song.  Yes it is sappy, but it is a great feel good movie and you don't have to be religious to enjoy it.  A great acting performance from Ingrid Bergman makes it enjoyable and fun.

Figuring out this year is a bit of a challenge, none really stood out above the others.  I would agree with the academy and say that The Lost Weekend was the best film.  A hard edged look at a alcoholic and a film that is still powerful today.  Second would be Mildred Pierce from the wonderful acting of Joan Crawford, aka Lucille Fay LeSueur in her well earned best actress Oscar.  Third would be The Bells Of St. Mary's a warm fuzzy friendly film.  Right next to it in fourth is Spellbound, a good psychological Hitchcock thriller but not a best picture.  Fifth would be Anchors Aweigh a goofy musical but popular songs with popular actors.

The Big House (1930) - The Irving Thalberg classic prison movie.  A great action film with an amazing performance by Wallace Beery.  Shows you that over eighty years ago being in prison still sucked.  Everyone is in a gang and out to take one another down, and those who may have been innocent on the outside once inside take to violence and backstabbing as a way to survive.

To determine if this was the best film of the year I will hold off since I got to see the last film nominated from this year.  Yes TCM showed them one day after the other.

The Divorcee (1930) - Another pre-code classic as my 463rd film.  A slightly dated story about a woman who finds out on her third anniversary that her husband had an affair.  He goes away on business so she returns the favor.  They divorce and shows how it effects their lives as they get involve in other relationships.  Today a film like this would be rather common, but from 1930 is a rarity and very well done.  Norma Shearer is terrific and earned a best actress Oscar for her role.

Now I can close out 1930 and without a doubt All Quiet On The Western Front was the best picture.  It is one of the best war films of all time, and WWI films ranking up there with Grand Illusion and Paths Of Glory.  Second would be The Big House a great action film.  Third would be The Divorcee a great drama.  Fourth is Disraeli, not as good but rather well done.  And last is The Love Parade which was very popular as most musicals were in that time, but still not a substantial movie.

I Wonder If Tennis Balls In The 16th Century Had That Yellow Fuzz On Them As Well?

As they say, there is nothing harder than buying a gift for a king, especially if you are French.  But if you've seen Henry V as I have, you'll know how it ends up.  And add another British film and one set in England to help me close out three more years as I start to move toward five hundred films seen.

Henry V (1946) - The Laurence Olivier classic made during WWII to inspire and motivate England to win the war.  The acting was amazing, the battle scenes amazing as well, everything was done so well, and the famous speech given before they go to war has always been my favorite.  I saw the remake when I was younger and that night when I was talking to my father mentioned how powerful that speech was and he began to recite it from memory.  My father is a very intelligent man,, very well read, but it just threw me how he just had that stored.  See either one but if you have a choice pick this one, it is so much better.

And this too finishes 1946, and it wasn't easy but The Best Years of Our Lives was the best film.  You have to remember that this movie came out a year after WWII ended.  And it was a really good drama.  That combination made it the best film and I have to agree.  Second is the Frank Capra classic It's A Wonderful Life with my all time favorite actor Lionel Barrymore and Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and so on.  Third will be Henry V a classic in it's own right.  The last two do not match the top three but I would rank The Razor's Edge just ahead of The Yearling.  Both are good films but not best picture films.

Separate Tables (1958) - A rather boring adaption of the Terence Rattigan plays about people who are at an English seaside hotel, most are permanent residents with Rita Haywood dropping in as a guest.  Think of it as Fawlty Towers but not funny or interesting in any way.  David Niven was good, he did win the Oscar for best actor, but it wasn't much of a role.

And now 1958 is done as well.  It was not a very strong year for movies and I don't agree with the Academy.  The best film of the year should have been Auntie Mame, only as compared to the other nominees.  Rosalind Russell is great, the film is enjoyable, better than the other four.  Second would be Cat on a Hot Tin Roof since it does have Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman who make it watchable.  Third would go to The Defiant Ones, a well acted drama, but not that well.  Separate Tables is fourth and last is the creepy Gigi.

An Education (2009) - A film based on the teenage years of Lynn Barber in early 1960's London.  She falls for an older man, drops out of school, finds out that he's not who he claims to be and then tries to get her life back in order.  Not that great but not a bad film, some good acting from Olivia Williams and a few others.

This will now start becoming a common occurrence, but this too finishes another year.  This was the first year since 1943 when more than five films were nominated, and out of the ten films that received best picture nominations, the best film was A Serious Man.  While it's not the best Coen Brother's film they have made, it is still good and better than the rest.  Second is Precious, a really good film that could be argued as the best film, but I love the Coen's movies so much it would be too difficult.  Third is The Blind Side, good acting from Sandra Bullock, something that is rather rare in many of her films.  Fourth is District 9, it is so rare to see a Sci-Fi film nominated, and they never win.  In fifth place is the Oscar winner The Hurt Locker because it's not that good of a movie, it's not a best picture.  Sixth is Up, a good Pixar movie, only the second animated film to be nominated.  Seventh is An Education, which would not be nominated in the past when you only had five movies.  I put Up In The Air eight only because I watched it right after I was laid off and it put a bitter taste in my mouth.  It is a better film that eight, but it will always be a hard film for me to watch.  Ninth is Avatar which had great special effects, but they ran out of money when it came to hire someone to write a script.  And tenth is Inglourious Bastards because it had good acting, but was too campy to be a serious contender for best picture.

450 And Counting

I have moved past the 450 mark and have closed out a few more years as well.  I should be able to reach my goal of 475 by the end of the year, still on pace to do that.

Hold Back The Dawn (1941) - Charles Boyer and the beautiful Olivia de Havilland star in a romance about a European wanting to marry an American woman so he can become a US citizen.  Think Green Card but fifty years earlier.  Charles Boyer woos Olivia de Havilland and gets her to marry him, only to find out that he is using her but he has fallen in love with her.  She storms off across the Mexican border and gets into a car accident.  Does it have a happy ending?  It was made in 1941, what do you think.

This is a great movie in a year with lots of good movies.  But seeing how the best picture of the year wasn't the best picture, this would have to compare to Citizen Kane.  And there are only four or five movies ever made that could do that and this isn't one of them.  But nevertheless still a very good movie.

In Which We Serve (1943) - Noel Coward did almost everything except the lighting and building the sets.  A cheerful story about a English destroyer ship being sunk by the Germans in WWII and told in flashbacks of the survivors who are floating in the Atlantic dodging bullets.  Standard WWII drama, more propaganda than movie, but powerful enough to be a good film.  Movies like these were made partly for entertainment but mostly to fill people with hope and inspiration.

This is now the ninth film, out of ten nominated for the year, the last year until 2009 that had more than five.  While it was a good movie, it lost to Casablanca.  Do I need to say any more?

Alfie (1966) - What's it all about?  Not much really.  In fact the well known song was added for the US release and put over the closing credits.  The story of a young man who is a womanizer and how he uses women with the main character breaking down the fourth wall and offering his own narration.  Michael Caine is really good, the only reason to watch.  And Shelly Winters too, but she's only in like three scenes.

This now closes out the year and A Man For All Seasons is clearly the best film, better than all the others combined and doubled.  Second would be Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, a very intense powerful drama, try reenacting it at your next dinner party.  Third would be The Sand Pebbles, an almost epic.  Very close in fourth is The Russians Are Coming and fifth is Alfie.

The Fighter (2010) - The true story of boxer Micky Ward, or at least as close as Hollywood can get.  It covers his career in the late 90's as he is trying to get the welterweight championship, dealing with his drug addicted brother former boxer Dicky Eklund, his crazy family, and everything else that can happen outside of Boston.  Very well acted, fight scenes weren't too bad, but no Raging Bull.

This too is the ninth film leaving only one left which could be a game changer since it is a Coen Brother's film.  But for now I will stick with Inception being the best but The Fighter is in the top five for now.

Our Town (1940) - A film adaptation of the Thornton Wilder play about the life in a small New England town at the turn of the 20th century.  It's different than the play in that they use scenery and props and the ending is different.  William Holden as a teenager still looks too old for the part.  Not a very complex film but does offer a valuable message that life is worth appreciating every day and everything that happens.

This now closes 1940 and a tough task of ranking is upon me.  Just like 1938, this year is on the down side of the peak of 1939 which means it was a great year for movies.  Rebecca was the best film, a great job by Hitchcock and Lawrence Olivier.  After that would be Kitty Foyle from the amazing acting from Ginger Rogers.  Third is The Philadelphia Story another classic.  All This, And Heaven Too is fourth from strong acting by Bettie Davis.  Fifth is the Long Voyage Home, another great John Wayne film.  The bottom half would go The Grapes of Wrath which I wish was more like the novel but they ended the film too soon in an attempt to try and give it a happier ending.  A bad mistake that makes it sixth.  Seventh is Foreign Correspondent another Hitchcock film but not as good as Rebecca.  Eighth is Our Town, a nice film but not much more than that.  Ninth is The Letter which to be honest was not that great of a film and didn't necessarily need to be nominated.  And last is The Great Dictator, I am starting to think that Charlie Chaplin in his later years was seriously overrated.

The Front Page (1931) - A Howard Hughes film about news reporters in Chicago all trying to one up one another and involving a escaped murderer just before his execution.  Well acted by Pat O'Brien and another great acting performance for Adolphe Menjou who is just so natural in everything he did.  The more films I see him in the more I realize how great of an actor he was.  Rather funny in parts, interesting to see a snapshot of life from over eighty years ago.

While this is the fourth out of five movies for this year, I am not sure if I will be able to see East Lynee anytime soon since it is in very bad shape and I believe there is only one copy at UCLA.  So while I cannot officially close out this year I still see Cimarron as the best, The Front Page second, Trader Horn is third and Skippy sits at fourth.

The Quiet Man (1952) - The John Ford classic that took years to finally make and they did in the intense Technicolor of the time.  John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara and the normal cast of John Ford regulars are in Ireland sometime in the early part of last century as John Wayne returns to Ireland to buy the home he was born in.  Along the way he deals with the conflicts of rigid societal rules that creates one problem after another.  It reminds you once again why the US is better than any other country in the world, especially any nation in Europe.

It is a great film, but is it the best for the year?  Seeing how I saw the last movie I need to see for this year I will hold off to later in the post to rank the five films from this year.

Twelve O'Clock High (1949) - A great WWII film about the US Air Force in England 1942 flying bombing missions against the Germans.  They used real footage from the war, it has been called one of the most accurate films from former veterans.  Gregory Peck is a general who takes over a command to get them motivated and productive, which of course he does, and how they used that as a weapon of force against the nazis.

Another year is completed, I think this is going to become a more common trend from now on.  While it was a weak year for nominated films I will stick with the academy and agree that All The King's Men was the best picture.  It sticks with that theme of the late 40's of social conscious movies like The Long Weekend and Gentleman's Agreement.  Second would be Battleground since it was an amazing war movie.  A near tie for third but The Heiress pulls ahead from great acting from Olivia de Havilland and Montomery Clift putting Twelve O'Clock High right after it.  And last, almost sixth is A Letter to Three Wives, a movie that probably should have not been nominated.

Moulin Rouge (1952) - A John Houston directed film about Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and his life in Paris in the late 19th century and my 455th movie.  Jose Ferrer plays Toulouse-Lautrec with trick photography, props and walking on his knees but does an amazing job.  Zsa Zsa Gabor was horrible, but what else do you expect.  I have to say that I was concerned about seeing this movie since I have seen the 2001 remake which was a flaming cat turd.  Thankfully it wasn't anything like the horrible remake, this film covers Toulouse-Lautrec's life, the music is from the time period, not crappy songs from the 1970's, a good story and somewhat good acting.  I am glad I did not see this verson first otherwise I would hate the Baz Luhrmann pile of garbage even more, which I don't think is possible.

So now I can properly close out this year and for the second year in a row the academy messed up and gave the best picture to the wrong film.  The best film clearly was High Noon. There are few westerns that rank up to the level of this film.  There are few films in general that rank up to this classic.  Second would be The Greatest Show On Earth which was more of a life time achievement award for Cecil B. DeMille.  Third would be The Quiet Man, it is John Ford and John Wayne, that automatically will always keep it out of last place.  Fourth was Moulin Rouge since it was much better than I though it would be.  Fifth is Ivanhoe, a good film but no where near as good as the other four.

The End Of The First Year

Somehow I have seen all of the best pictures that were nominated for production for 1928.  But as you move towards seeing 450 movies it was bound to happen.  I've also seen the nominees for best picture in unique and artistic production as well, the only year they had that category.  I will cover all of them in my assessment of 1928.  As well as a few more films that closed out some more years.

The Racket (1928) - A Howard Hughes production about a police captain who is honest is sent out to the "sticks" when he stands up to the local mob boss.  Very well done, well acted and covering topics that were self censored years later by Hollywood.  The quality is amazing, they have fixed the film so that 85 years later it still looks almost new.  A great film that could be made today.

Here is the part that I have been dreading for sometime, which movie is the best of 1928.  I'll start with the nominees for unique and artistic production where you had Sunrise a classic that won by F.W. Murnau, Chang: A Drama Of The Wilderness about villagers in Siam dealing with elephants and just life in general and King Vidor's The Crowd.  Of those three, all amazing films I think The Crowd should have won but was badly edited by the studio, especially the ending.  For the best produced films Wings was the best movie, the main reason is the airplane footage was terrific.  Second would be The Racket for it's gritty portrait of crime in the 1920's and third Seventh Heaven, still a great movie.

Three Coins In The Fountain (1954) - Romantic film of the 1950's, very stylish in the way it was filmed and well acted although most of the actors and actresses were not major stars.  A story of three young women who are working in Italy and the romances they find themselves in.  Cinematography is incredible, the music was very nice, the story was good.

This makes four out of five for this year and On The Waterfront is still the best film of the year.  I would put this movie third after The Caine Mutiny since the story was better than I though it would be, but not as good as the other two above it.

Winter's Bone (2010) - Should you make a movie if information you find out at the end of the movie meant you didn't have to watch the entire film to understand what it means?  Here is an example, if I told you in The Godfather in the opening wedding scene that Michael Corleone would kill Carlo the groom at the end of the film would it make sense to you?  Winter's Bone is the opposite of this.  This film could have been done in twelve minutes.  There is one reason that saves this film and it was the incredible acting performance of Jennifer Lawrence.  Otherwise there was no reason to make this film.

This being the eight film of ten for the year it is clearly down in the bottom of the pack.  Not as bad as 127 Hours but pretty close.  Inception is still my lead for the best film of the year and it may just stay that way.

Wake Island (1942) - A somewhat fictionalized account of the battle of Wake Island mainly since the battle was still going on while the film was being made.  Right after Pearl Harbor Japan started attacking Marines stationed on Wake Island.  The film shows the brave soldiers as they defend the island.  This is another WWII film made during the war so it is more propaganda than showing an entertaining movie.  Nevertheless it is still a good film even if it didn't get all the fact correct.

This closes out 1942 another great year of movies.  This is going to be a tough year but Mrs. Miniver was the best film of the year.  Now it gets very difficult but the rest in order would be Kings Row, Ronald Reagan in one of his finest roles; The Talk Of The Town, great acting performances; Random Harvest, Greer Garson in a another great film and Ronald Coleman; Pride Of The Yankees, could be higher and has Gary Cooper but does have the yuckies the worst team in baseball which dropped it at least two places; Yankee Doodle Dandy one of James Cagney's most well know roles; The Magnificent Ambersons another great Orson Wells film but not his best; The Pied Piper a rather good WWII film, but not as good as Mrs. Miniver; Wake Island, see review above and 49th Parallel which wasn't that good, but still better than some year's best pictures.

Barry Lyndon (1975) - My 446th film and an epic Stanley Kubrick movie.  Ryan O'Neal is an Irish man who falls into military fame and nobility but not very well acted.  You could have got at least a dozen better actors.  It looks as beautiful as any other Kubrick film, but drags on a bit long.  Think O Lucky Man! but based in the 18th century.

And this too closes out 1975, a very interesting year for movies.  The 1970's besides the 1930's is one of the best decades of Hollywood movies.  One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is clearly the best film since it is historically only one of three to sweep all the major awards of best picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay.  That and it is one of the most powerful films you will ever see.  Second is Dog Day Afternoon another amazing drama that is so well done.  Continuing with amazing dramas you have Nashville as the third best, a great Robert Altman movie with an all star cast.  Jaws falls into fourth only because what it lead to for the 1980's.  It was a great action film but because it was one of the first "blockbuster" movies it set the pattern that Hollywood started to follow after Heaven's Gate and almost ruined Hollywood.  Not that Jaws is a bad film, but what it did to the movie industry, even if accidental, causes it to be in fourth.  And Barry Lyndon is fifth, not one of Kubrik's best but still a good film that was worthy of being nominated.