Behind the scenes on The Godfather

"I remember speaking to several Paramount executives, Jack Ballard in particular, who said that the movie was 'a fucking disaster.' I told him 'I'm going to contribute to the disaster.' I was met by Fred, and we went up into the Gulf+Western building at Paramount and looked at close to an hour of assembled footage, to give me an idea of what had been shot.

"I was not prepared for it. I was absolutely stunned by what I'd seen. It may be the best dailies I'd ever seen. I told that to Francis, and I could see a look of alarm on his face, like he had asked for the advice of a friend who was a little crazy -- because it wasn't what he had been hearing from everyone else.

"From there we went and had a couple of meetings. I had one brief meeting with Marlon, and at that meeting I remember him saying: 'Just once, I would like Vito Corleone not to be inarticulate.' I responded, 'In other words, you want him to talk?'  

Robert Towne tells of being drafted in to write for Coppola on The Godfather, from a new book The Annotated Godfather: The Complete Screenplay by Jenny M. Jones, which I'll be happy to accept as a Christmas present, even belatedly.

San Jose Mercury News - How one crime novel became a film classic

50 Greatest Rock Soundtracks of All Time

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From the folks at Conde Naste Media (they pub Vanity Fair and other snooty hooty shtuff):

The "Movies Rock" 50 Greatest Rock Soundtracks of All Time

Much to be discussed (and disgust, to be sure).




Cross-posted at Where The Vibe Is
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Jefe's Top Flicks

My turn!

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
101. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
102. METROPOLIS (1927)
103. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

Joe's Additions:
104. Being There (1978)
105. Captain Blood (1935)
106. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

nat’s Additions:
107. Clerks (1994)
108. Toy Story (1995)
109. Young Frankenstein (1974)

O’Tim’s Additions:
110. Withnail And I (1987)
111. Little Big Man (1970)
112. JFK (1991)

Looney's Additions
113. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
114. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
115. O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)

Jefe's Additions
116. Blade Runner (1982)
117. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
118. The Big Lebowski (1998)

Goes to show what a movie geek I am. There's only 10 on the top 100 I haven't seen, and only 1 (Captain Blood) on any of the additions I haven't seen. I'm most surprised by the fact that I haven't seen High Noon, because I own it! I bought the DVD about two years ago and haven't watched it yet. Guess it just moved to the top of my list.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Hark the herald, please to share the movie your holiday season would be incomplete without. For me it’s “Christmas Vacation”. Clark Griswold is the consummate family guy, full of holiday optimism on the quest for the perfect Christmas. I always tear up a little at the scene with Clark trapped in the attic, wrapped in a ladies turban and fur coat, watching old family movies.

And bonus, it was written by John Hughes.

Joy to the world!

Bogey Goes Batshit

It had been quite a while since I'd seen this. I think I was in my teens the last time, on late night TV. I had turned it on just as it started and surprised myself at watching enraptured all the way through. It was the first black & white movie I'd ever seen.

I remember being stunned that a moldy-oldy movie could be so good.

It finally came up in my Blockbuster queue and stunned me all over again.

For the few of you who don't know, it's about a couple down-on-their-luck Americans (Humphrey Bogart and Bob Curtin) stuck in Mexico who rent a spot in a flophouse and meet up with a grizzled old prospector (Walter Huston, director John Huston's father) who tells them about a gold deposit in the highlands.

This film really shows the range and true talent Bogey had. Early on he's the good guy, pitching in the extra funds needed to mount an expedition. But as the men slowly extract a fortune from the earth, greed and paranoia begin to set in. Bogey disintegrates from within and becomes his own disaster.

Seeing Bogart play Dobbs as a beggar at the beginning of the film (begging a few coins on several occasions from John Huston himself!) was jarring, after having seen him several times now in Casablanca, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, among others. He doesn't just go through the motions. He makes you believe he hasn't a friend in the world.

And his psychological collapse is played with incredible passion. You plead with the poor guy to pull himself together, but all he can do is fall and fall hard.

The other two fellas are brilliant as well. Bob Curtin as the decent, honest fellow plays it with clever understatement. He's not a stereotype, though, because while he's a good guy, he's not afraid to resort to violence to deal with a situation.

In fact, that too is part of the brilliance of this flick, in that all involved are, to some extent or another, flawed. They don't always make the right choices, and their morality is more wild west and therefore a little less recognizable today. Yet nothing of it seems out of place.

Much of this film was shot on location, something that wasn't much done in those days, but it makes the film that much immersive and exciting.

Anyway, loved it all over again, and you, my dear buds, should give it a shot again, or for the first time, as the case may be.

MeMeMy Turn

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
101. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
102. METROPOLIS (1927)
103. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

Joe's Additions:
104. Being There (1978)
105. Captain Blood (1935)
106. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)


nat’s Additions:
107. Clerks (1994)
108. Toy Story (1995)
109. Young Frankenstein (1974)

O’Tim’s Additions:
110. Withnail And I (1987)
111. Little Big Man (1970)
112. JFK (1991)

Looney's Additions
113. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
114. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
115. O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)

I'm a little shocked at what I haven't yet seen. Also a little amused at how many of those are stacked at the top of my Blockbuster queue. Amusingly, I have #37 in my travel bag (out of town for the night) right now.

There just isn't enough time in the day.

Dang I love these sorts of mememememeeees...

O' Tim's Top Flick Picks

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1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
101. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
102. METROPOLIS (1927)
103. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

Joe's Additions:
104. Being There (1978)
105. Captain Blood (1935)
106. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

nat’s Additions:
107. Clerks (1994)
108. Toy Story (1995)
109. Young Frankenstein (1974)

O’Tim’s Additions:
110. Withnail And I (1987)
111. Little Big Man (1970)
112. JFK (1991)

Not bad – 77 of the original 100 and all but one of the additions. Still, some of the “ain’t seens” have me, and I’m certain others who haunt this blog, saying, “I can’t believe I (you) haven’t seen that!” Like “Larry” and “Bull” (did that show in last spring’s Movie Madness?). The other thing on the ain’ts is that I haven’t heard of some – “The Best Years Of Our Lives” and “The Third Man” are two.

I’m with Joe on the completes – can’t see needing another attempt at “An American In Paris.” My aversion to musicals may explain why I’ve never attempted “Singin’ In The Rain” despite the rants of its classicness.

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Top 100 Movies: The Meme, And I Ain't A Waitin' For A Tag!

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
101. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
102. METROPOLIS (1927)
103. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

Joe's Additions:
104. Being There (1978)
105. Captain Blood (1935)
106. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
My Additions:
107. Clerks (1994)
108. Toy Story (1995)
109. Young Frankenstein (1974)

Like Joe, I've only bolded the films I've seen in their entirety.

Top 100 Movies Meme.

This is a list of the "Top 100 Movies" (according to whom or by what standard, I don't know). The idea is to bold the ones you've seen, and add three more. I found it here, someplace. I've seen parts of some, but only bolded it if I saw the entire thing.


1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
101. THE CAINE MUTINY (1954)
102. METROPOLIS (1927)
103. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)

And my additions:

104. Being There (1978) 105. Captain Blood (1935)
106. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Well, it seems that out of 106 films, I've seen all but 37. Not bad, although I am surprised to see some of the classics that I haven't seen all the way through. In some cases, there's a reason (don't expect me to see Platoon any time soon) but in others, it's just a matter of getting around to it. I'll have to adjust that Netflix queue.

Normally I won't tag folks but this time, what the hell, I'll tag O'Tim.

The Christmas Movie You Really Shouldn't Miss.

Back when we were still doing that "watch one movie per month and then discuss it" thing (remember the month when we did that?) I claimed December as my own. I don't expect people to watch it and discuss, though I'd be damned charmed if you did, but this is a film you really, really should see. I wrote about it a year ago, but I don't know if any of you watched it. Since I did such a damn fine job of writing about it before, I'll just repeat that post. Let me know what you think of this movie, should you do yourself the favor of watching it.

It’s pretty easy to fall into a movie rut at this time of year. Most of the classics become a bit trite after a couple dozen viewings. I mean, Miracle on 32nd Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Story are all really great movies, but one can see enough of them. That is why, for the last few years, I’ve favored such holiday fare as The Bishop’s Wife, The Shop Around the Corner, and Die Hard (hey, there’s a Christmas tree RIGHT THERE!).

I have a new holiday favorite now, though.

Last night was the final session of the Hitchcock/Kubrick class I’ve been taking. We were scheduled to finish with Eyes Wide Shut, but since we won’t be meeting to discuss it (and because the professor was a little nervous about showing it in class) we decided to watch something else, and the professor felt very strongly about 2005’s Joyeux Noel. I am very happy with that decision.

Simply put, this was a magnificent film. I don’t want to spoil anything so I will be vague. The film takes place in the trenches during WWI. There are three groups in these trenches, the Germans, the French, and the Scots (it takes place before the U.S. joined in the fun). On Christmas Eve, the fighting has calmed and the soldiers can hear each other meagerly celebrating, and the film involves what happens as a result.

Since there are three nationalities involved, there are three languages, and much of the film is subtitled. I know that a lot of people think subtitles are annoying (and they can be) but I think that voices and lips that don’t match are worse. What struck me, though, is how different this film was from most Christmas fare. No cutesy Santa/Elf/Reindeer stuff. However, the war part of the movie is nothing like Platoon either. This is a film about real characters in a real situation, and how Christmas effects them all. Oh, and Paula- it has a kitty!

When it was finished, I knew I had just watched a genuine piece of art, a film that actually says something about people, Christmas, and war. If you’d like to see something truly meaningful and uplifting, watch this film.

I’ll bet you thank me after you do.

Field of Clover

Cloverfield

Call me a sucker. I want to see this movie. I want to see this movie so bad I'm willing to skip freakin' Christmas to have today be January 18. Sick, innit.

I dislike viral hype campaigns for the most part. Don't fake it, either show me an ad or don't, right?

Doesn't matter. This one's killing me. Either the campaign has been done right to get past my defenses or, more likely, my love of the big monster movies I grew up on has never truly faded away. Whatever the case, the guy who doesn't go to scary movies anymore is going to this one.

Don't call me on January 18. I'll be waiting in line.

Children of Men

Finally got to see this one on DVD.

Brilliant.

Not perfect, certainly. The novel is dense and a lot had to be left out, but it was masterfully done.

I have a thing about adaptations. I'm very forgiving if the net result is that the film evokes the same sort of awe and feeling that the novel did. To me this is what made The Lord of the Rings work so well. The same with Children of Men.

For those who haven't seen it, the film takes place in 2027, eighteen years after the last baby on earth was born. Sometime in 2009, pregnant women miscarried their children, then childbirth ended altogether. The world, of course, has become a cesspool. Britain has become an isolationist state, caging and deporting foreigners as illegals, "Fugees" (short for refugees.)

Clive Owen plays Theo, a 40-something bureaucrat who has pretty well lost all hope. The streets are filled with garbage. There is an oppressive police presence... in all, quite 1984-ish and quite well rendered. It is at once easy to identify with Theo and feel the hopelessness of the world. The terminal generation is here. We're all gonna die and be gone in the next 60 years or so.

Naturally, Theo is snatched from his insipid existence by an ex-lover who happens to lead a pro-foreigner group of subversives planning a future uprising. They need him to use his bureaucratic (and family) connections to secure traveling papers for a young woman in their care.

A pregnant young woman.

This film is filled with shocking and miraculous moments. The director, Alfonso Cuaron, uses long stretches of real time to ratchet up the suspense, inducing breathtaking anxiety for the viewer. This real-time effect makes it even easier to suspend disbelief and be part of this horror of a future.

Some of the sequences are horrifying. The sight of a dilapidated elementary school (no children anymore, remember?) is heartbreaking. Yet in between there are several simply miraculous sequences. The scene where Theo finally realizes exactly who the young woman is and why she's important is simply amazing.

Some of the violence and the scenes of war and uprising are pretty raw, but this is a must see, even for the squeamish.

A note on the DVD extras... much of them are very interesting. However, the one where you have all of these experts almost raging on capitalism and espousing a turn (or return, depending on where you live) to communism is ridiculous, myopic, scare-mongering. Some good points they had to make were lost in their extremist reactions to what they were discussing. Obviously some folks need to spend some time in China, or look into the old USSR. That worked out well.

Anyway, a stunning film. Go rent it if you haven't seen it yet.

Brazil

I was adding to our Netflix list and I put Brazil on there.

I've always heard how polarizing it is. I'm a Python fan but not necessarily a Gilliam fan. I'd say of the films of his I've seen, 12 Monkeys is my favorite -- mostly by default. I've been more bewildered than entertained by his other stuff (the exception being Holy Grail but it was a co-directed effort so I kind of put it in another category). For example, I made my dad take me to see Time Bandits (I was nine) and I remember the whole audience just sitting there dumbfounded at the end, myself included.

So have you seen Brazil and what do you think? Does it grow on you? Do I need to have a certain expectation or preparation in mind when I sit down to watch it or should I just be open to "whatever?"

And if you don't have much to add on Gilliam/Brazil, what directors or writers do you just not get the appeal of?

1408

WTF? Least scary movie ever. Even less scary than The Blair Witch Project, which before 1408 was the least scary movie ever, and almost as boring. My four-year-old child was scarier than 1408 on Halloween. She was dressed as Cinderella.

Johnny Cusack, what has happened to you?

Deborah Kerr 1921-2007

Farewell, Deborah. It was wonderful getting to know you. Say "Hello" to Burt and Yul, and please help Joey find his way. He's always been a little goofy, y'know.

Three for the Price of Several Hundred.

I’m not a great film reviewer, more of a watcher type who likes to sink into the story and later get asked, what did you like about it, and answer, I dunno, it was cool. No, they ask, what did you really think? What did you think of that X character, or Y plot device, or the scene editing around Z? And I say, I dunno, it was pretty cool, I guess.

But this time is different. I had the chance to see not one, not two, but three movies on a transatlantic flight a couple days ago, and now is my chance to offer deep and insightful reviews of some of the movies now playing on one of the world’s most popular airlines. So, let’s get started.

By the way, this wasn’t one of those frou-frou airplanes with little flatscreens embedded in the seatbacks where you could choose your own channel, oh no. This was the good old fashioned kind with actual CRTs hanging from the ceiling, CRTs so mature and proven that every one featured a slightly different hue and brightness, adding a texture and colorful richness to the viewing experience that kids these days just can’t appreciate.

Anyway, first up was some flick about a bunch of teenagers in school uniforms running around waving magic wands at each other. There were a lot of special effects and earnest faces and wind blowing, and fiery stuff, and scads of scowling old duffers dressed up like medieval magistrates and some biddy in a pink housecoat looking either smug or pissed off, she must have been part cat. I never put on the headphones so it looked pretty stupid, but if I remember right the author of the book got richer than the Queen, so it must be pretty good. On the down side, I’m sure a lot of kids with round framed glasses have had the shit kicked out of them in 8th grade because of it.

An hour or so after it ended they started another one and this time I remembered to put on my headphones. It was called Evan Almighty and I promised to give it at least five minutes to catch my interest. It starred an enormously talented funny man whose name I forget who was a total dork with regards to his family, but they were the perfect loving family anyways, three good kids and a gorgeous, even-tempered wife who all looked with loving wonderment and patience on their adorably confusing patriarch. This was so incredibly realistic I was moved both to tears (except the air in the plane was too dry for that) and to remove my headphones at five minutes exactly. I glanced up now and then at the rest of it, and it was apparent the producers had seen The Santa Clause and decided to mix that idea with some typically Hollywood misinterpretations of the important of Scripture, turning the Bible into a comic book made just for laughs, except God played God just like in the original (which was actually pretty funny in parts), and He has a way of looking like He knows what He’s talking about, even if you can’t hear Him (which wasn’t a problem of faith, remember, I had the headphones off).

Then came movie number three, by which time I was delirious with dry air, unnaturally extended daylight, and far too many Diet Cokes. It was a stylish caper film that looked a lot like Oceans Eleven except it was called Oceans Thirteen, and since I never saw Twelve I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to watch it. Between blinks I caught glimpses of some very stylish actors mugging stylishly as they repartee'd with great apparent wit and style, and saw a lot of flashing casino lights, and there was an earthquake, and Al Pacino running around in a panic, and cell phones and a roulette wheel, and George Clooney bought a house at Lake Como and distorted the real estate market, but that part was a dream because I was there last Saturday (BRAG) and this was Tuesday, and then someone used a helicopter to steal a bunch of diamonds, and my Coke was warm and I really had to pee.

Well, there you have it. PJ, you need to join our club, because I know you can aspire to review movies almost as well as I can. All you have to do is believe.

It's Official.

NowhereLand

I shoot tomorrow.

P.S. I discovered I'm only two degrees from Kevin Bacon, and it's not for NowhereLand. I was in West of Here with Mary Stuart Masterson, who was in Digging to China with Mr. Bacon himself. So ha!

Sniff

Break out the hankies.

Curious which unexpected movie moment brings you to tears without fail. Not the classically sad turn of events or empirically tragic twist, rather the scene or celluloid moment one wouldn’t expect to render you misty, but indeed gets to you evvvveeerrry time.

For me, it comes early in 1992's A League of Their Own where Shirley Baker cannot determine if she's made the female professional baseball league or is on the cut list since she can't read. Every time, and I'm talking real tears!

And you?

Wood Alert!

Right now, at 4:30PM EDT, Plan Nine From Outer Space is playing on TCM!

A Legend?

Photo grabbed from imdb.com

My morning paper contained a little blurb about Zsa Zsa Gabor and her recent surgery. The headline proclaims "Legendary Actress Recovering After Surgery." WHAT? When did she become legendary? She's the old-time version of Nicole Richie, for crying out loud. I checked imdb.com, and yes, she had a part in John Huston's Moulin Rouge, and a decent role in Lili, but most of her roles were in B movies or on TV, and in many of those TV appearances, she played herself. (Maybe they confused Gabor with Garbo, who really was legendary?!)

She really is more famous for being famous. Does that make her a legendary actress, or just an old, famous lady? And, oh, I hope she improves after this surgery. I don't wish her any ill will, after all.

NOTE: I posted this one on my own blog, too, but I felt it was open for discussion here with the rest of the film freaks!

Where the ef is the FFFC?

Hello.

Hello.

Is there anybody in there?

Let's pick a film, people and start the confab. I think we have a contendah in the post which follows. Call it our flick for October?

Hey, Let's!

Hey, y'all! Let's watch a movie together this month. Just because I feel like it.

I'll suggest three. You guys can gather around one, or someone else can suggest something better. When we reach a semi-consensus, we'll all just watch it and talk about it.

Here would be my suggestions:

Being John Malkovich
Waking Ned Devine
Romeo + Juliet

What say?

Having Fun at an Audition

I love shit like this. Michael Cera (see "Superbad" post below) blows his top in a mock audition for "Knocked Up." Funny stuff.

Hot Fuzz

The boys were sent to the video store with instructions to rent one DVD for two ninety nine and buy the first Jason Bourne movie if it happened to be available. They came back with three DVDs, one purchased (not the one I asked for), all for twenty six bucks. Their mother flipped her lid and sent them back to the store. They came back again with two movies rented. It was all rather comical.

So we sat around a fine home-cooked meal and watched this British police comedy. It is brilliant! High levels of action, unexpected twists and turns, and dry wit throughout. It is one of those movies where the main character is the only one who isn’t crazy in some way, and he’s questionable – so it’s believable in its way, but thoroughly hilarious. The direction and timing are outstanding too, using a lot of quick takes that merge scenes in creative ways that have you going “Wha-?” just in time for the next push. Also has its macabre side, and special effects fitting for any slasher film, and a delightfully evil Timothy Dalton ingesting the scenery as one of the many loons driving the main character round the bend.

Short version: Nick Angel is an over-the-top London cop who gets shifted out to the burbs because his arrest record is embarrassing the rest of the force. He discovers the perfect village maintains its reputation through the actions of its sinister neighborhood watch committee. The story never slows down or fails to get more and more absurd. It is just splendid all the way through. We were howling.

Bergman and Antonioni

I just realized no one posted anything about the fact that Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni died on the same exact day a couple weeks ago. Two of the best, ever.

Superbad

Some of my team and I were able to slip around the corner and go see Superbad this afternoon. I laughed my ass off. It was crass as hell, but as far as "high school rejects just wanna get laid" movies go, this was really, really funny. Lots of great acting, and a great script, but the highlight for me by far was Michael Cera. Anyone who's ever watched the most excellent Arrested Development knows him as George-Michael. His comedic timing is out of this world, and his character is absolutely believable as a slightly awkward high school senior who's horny as hell but still governed by a conscience. The movie pulls no punches with the over-the-top gags and language, but for this movie, it all works. A funny, funny way to spend part of a Friday afternoon!

Apocalypto

I knew going in it was a Mel Gibson production about the Mayans and that the dialog was in Mayan with subtitles. So I more or less expected a blood-soaked docudrama. What I got was a surprisingly good movie.

It took very little time for the subtitles and the “primitive” settings, under the power of the story, to transform into normality. The people and families of the village were like people and families everywhere – loving, quarrelsome, hard-working, their days filled with personality conflicts, moments of peace, and the teasing of children. But the disasters to come, as warned of in the title, were foretold in a subtle way by an old storyteller relating ancient tribal parables of the one creature, Man, who is never satisfied. I found the scene strangely moving.

The story is an adventure of capture and strange lands, of horror and a capricious mercy, of escape and pursuit, of loss and reunion. Good stuff. Go see it. From here, just a few of my own strange observations. May or may not include spoilers, don’t know yet. I’m just going to assume you’ve either seen it or don’t mind.

One wee detail really got to me. Got to me so much I hit the pause button and leapt out of my chair to wave my arms in front of my family and point it out. Our hero had been delivered at the last instant from the infamous Mayan sacrifice by a total solar eclipse. No, that’s not very original, but so what. Here’s the thing. Late that night, we see his wife and child, back home, awaiting his return, in the leaf-dappled shadow of a full moon.

Yeah. Guess I wasn’t supposed to notice.

I loved the inventive variety of costume and body-decoration the producers put the Mayan characters into, especially those in the great city, from the priests to the laborers. All classes were represented, all of them believable because all of them seemed to belong. Loved it.

We saw that the Mayans were suffering from failed crops and the appearance of having somehow poisoned their own environment, and were delving deeper and deeper into their peculiar depravity, feeding the blood-lust of their great god Kukulkan, to correct it. Of course that wouldn’t work, but I’m not sure what the lesson was supposed to be (if any). How did this essentially stone-age culture poison their environment? Dug too deep for building blocks and released some subterranean deposit of malodorous minerals? Tossed too many rotting human bodies into the water supply? This and the plaintive prayer of one of the captured village women to a favorite goddess, “Mother of Mercy” among other names, coupled with Mel Gibson’s well-known conservative Catholicism, led me to suppose there was some deeply Catholic allegory being presented here that I, at least, was doomed to miss.

Which makes the scene towards the end of a boatload of grim-faced men bearing down on the strand with crosses and swords and Bibles in hand rather more unsettling. Meant to be, of course.

And of course, as Jaguar Paw turned the party of hunters pursuing him into a hapless crew of city boys he was in turn pursuing, I was unable to keep from shouting, “It’s Rambo of the Jungle!”

Which reminds me, the leader of that party was ba-a-ad. He had the face and manner of a warrior, a man, a loving father and a true and pitiless professional. His outfit was the best. If a mountain lion ever comes around here and I kill it with my bare hands and boil the flesh off the bones, I’m thinking Halloween costume contests, man.

For all its Gibsonesque manly manliness, I really enjoyed this film. The drums that beat incessantly while people ran and ran and ran through the forest kept beating in my head for hours afterward. In fact I took them with me on my next run and while in the park bagged a disc golfer with a poisoned dart.

She is a...hairhopper

Bad move this weekend. Late Saturday night (in a fit of insomnia) I re-watched Saturday Night Fever. John Travolta in all his tight-panted, long limbed glory. Oh, and the dancing was good.

Today, we caught a matinee of Hairspray, so not as absolutely-John-Waters-fabulous as the 1988 movie of which the musical was based of which the movie was based, but a fun time none the less. But up on the screen, the Tony Manero of a just 24 hours previous became Edna Turnblad, no where near as divine as Divine.

I think an ovary dried up right there in a theater.

Psychoblogging

Science blog Neurophilosophy has an article on the psychology of the films of Alfred Hitchcock.

Extract:

Repression is one of the Freudian concepts which recurs in Hitchcock's films. According to Freud, "the essence of repression lies simply in the turning something away, and keeping it at a distance, from the conscious". Freud believed that traumatic memories, usually of childhood events, are repressed by the conscious mind; this is a defence mechanism which keeps the ego free of conflict and tension. These memories remain hidden in the subconscious, and manifest themselves in the neuroses and psychoses of the individual, when something induces the momentary retrieval of a repressed memory, triggering a neurotic or psychotic episode. One aim of Freudian psychoanalysis is the retrieval of these repressed memories from the subconscious, in the hope that confronting them will cure the patient's neuroses.

Most of us were probably first exposed to the general ideas of Freudian psychology in Hitchcock films, and they're still valuable tools in understanding the concepts.

Great endings

Entertainment Weekly has on their website a photo show of what they call "20 Perfect Movie Endings." Some predictable (Vertigo), some less predictable (Rushmore). If you don't feel like clicking & reading, here they are (I don't think they're ranked):

Sixteen Candles
Vertigo
Once
The Sixth Sense
Dr Strangelove
Cinema Paradiso
Rocky II
Before Sunset
The Seventh Seal
Rushmore
Gone With the Wind
Brokeback Mountain
The 400 Blows
Sideways
Casablanca
About A Boy
The Searchers
Big Night
Facing Windows
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Thoughts? Agreements? Omissions?

The Departed

I'm going to see this again, it was so good. Real good. The acting was tough, believable. Even though it was nothing like real life as I've experienced it, it was believable. I've never been anywhere near Boston and her Irish mobs and Irish cops so it could have been total bullshit but what do I care, it was believable. Tense, too, never knew what was going to go down next or just who was scheming what and where with whom.

Am I supposed to write a real review? Synopsis? Who's in it? You can get that anywhere. All's I'm telling you is it was good. Real good. And I think it was the first movie I'd seen where someone fell out of a tall building and splashed when they hit. *evil chortle*

Okay. Martin Sheen was good, as usual, and Alec Baldwin, well, you know. But Jack Nicholson, what a role for him. And Leonardo DiCaprio, for an Us Magazine regular he really can act. Matt Damon's no slouch, either, he's tops in certain types of roles. My hero, though, was Mark Wahlberg, just for being the right kind of asshole. And of course Vera Farmiga, who has amazing eyes. Oh, and eagle-eye props to Kristen Dalton for wearing a dress that fit really, really well.

Ocean's Eleven

Brad Pitt poses and George Clooney smirks in a caper film that tries hard to be stylish and has more holes in its plot than a rusted-out cheese grate. The movie does redeem itself slightly with a couple of explosions, but the other requirement for keeping my attention while Hollywood pretty-boys play to the camera was thoroughly missing, i.e. a fine or at least attractive female performer. There were a lot of fine clothes and a beautiful casino in this film, but I don't recall a single shot of a single attractive woman. The entire caper was run by men and the casino was run by men, so the casting director made up for this testosterone overload by selecting for the female part Hollywood's Least Interesting Woman, a wide-mouthed stick-figure who mostly stared emptily from within the folds of her ugly costumes. Anyone, absolutely anyone with more acting talent than Britney Spears would have been a better choice than Julia Roberts. Even Cameron Diaz would have been an improvement, and that is a painful admission indeed.

Of course, I don't need to have women in it to enjoy a film, no indeed. Only for a semi-stylish caper flick was this one lacking in that ingredient. Imagine a James Bond with nothing but men and, I dunno, Julia Roberts. Makes you sick, doesn't it? But apart from that, there were three fine actors who comported themselves wonderfully. Andy Garcia had clearly learned from his mentor Michael Corleone how to trust no one and operate a huge gambling operation with ruthless efficiency. Elliott Gould was nearly perfect as an overdressed elder of the Jewish mafia who had been shoved aside by an upstart Italian and wanted revenge. And Carl Reiner was a delight in every scene, playing his double role with total conviction, managing to be both humorous and awe-inspiring in every go.

Nothing against Pitt and Clooney. Their banter was delivered well enough and they're handsome fellows, and I'm sure they're quite popular. Clooney made a great film in OBWAT (YKWIM), and Pitt, well, I've heard of him a lot so he must be somebody. But was this thing entertaining? Well, sure. I'm just glad I rented rather than bought it.

Balboa

Rocky owns a restaurant, Adrian is gone from cancer, and their son is all grown up. Late middle age is the opening theme for this movie, the tendency to look backwards, and an assertion that if the fire still burns within, you have to let it burn.

Rocky’s son was concerned that his father’s mid-life crisis would hurt him, hurt his dignity. But mostly he was afraid that it would make his own identity crisis even worse. His father set him straight. Told him he’ll never have his own life if he blames others for keeping him from it.

Rocky Junior turned around quickly and became his father’s biggest supporter. Steps, son of the new girlfriend, also turned out to be a nice uncomplicated addition to the cast. The new girlfriend, Marie, brought no complications either, only her simple supportive wisdom. (“Hey. Fighter’s fight.”) Even Rocky’s irascible brother-in-law Pauly was drawn into the story’s single stream. Towards the end of the film, nothing and no one mattered at all anymore but the final fight itself. So I guess the fight is what it was really about.

I found the opening scenes very moving. The director seemed to be in love with Philly at dusk in the cold seasons. Rocky’s visits to Adrian’s grave were sad and loving, in a simple sense, not too sentimental. The open-air market where Rocky stocked up for his restaurant was given the attention of a documentary. Rocky took repetitive turns through old memories and old scenes, reminders that on the one hand we can easily get caught ignoring the present by reliving the past, but on the other that as we get older, the future sometimes just hasn’t got a lot left in it. Maybe that’s just me. At any rate, there was a lot going on, but the end of the film left nearly all of it hanging, unresolved.

So was the fight really the point? The adversary was not the most likable boxer, but he turned out to be a decent sort. The venue was the usual over-flashed Vegas resort. The struggle in the ring was portrayed as an incredible display of courage by this somewhat crazy ex-champion, but those of us who’ve never gone toe to toe have to take their word for it. Fighting to the edge of consciousness while following strict rules in a ring isn’t very rational to me. But neither I guess is any sport, where survival skills are altered and morphed into pure contest. So to take the blows and still rise to take more, rather than run off to get better weapons and allies, is regarded as a mark of heart and heroism.

All right, I can dig that. But when it was over, and all those stirred-up emotions had been flattened somewhat by the predictable ending, I was left wondering what the point was. Sure, Rocky was in fabulous shape, and I can see benefits of being in similar shape when I’m pushing sixty myself. Rocky still had “something in the basement” that he had to get out one last time, and I can relate to that as well. But did he? Will he now be satisfied? Will his relationship with his son be healed? Will he find new love so he can move beyond Adrian? What about everyone else, Pauly, and Steps, and Punchy the dog? They were like decorations at this point. Why even have them?

The film was one ending scene too short. What that scene should be, I don’t know. But I still give Stallone a lot of credit. Rocky is not terribly smart, but he’s very likable, he has a undeniable sort of wisdom, when he could be pathetic (re-telling the same old fight stories to the same old customers at his restaurant) he isn’t, quite, he’s just doing what he thinks people want him to do. He’s consistent and believable and likable, and he’s got hella inspiring biceps, so I give Rocky Balboa an overall thumbs up.

(Blockbuster’s got this $1.99 per movie thing going on this week, so there may be more to tell. But already I feel like a schmuck burning up a whole evening to watch a movie, so I don’t know if I’ll get around to the six or so others that we brought home.)

I Hate Myself For Loving You...And Love Myself For Hating You

A list of films that I like very much, but that are held in disdain by many others. Sometimes I cannot even defend why I like these films; I just do. This is not an exhaustive list, and I invite your contributions!

Movies I Like That Are Hated By Others
Napoleon Dynamite - I love to watch films with goofy, offbeat humor.

The Waterboy - (Or perhaps most goofy Sandler comedies) - Adam Sandler is just so goofy in this film that I love to watch it, even though the story sucks.

Flashdance - Ok, I hated the whole "let's cut off our sleeves and collars" craze after the movie and Jennifer Beals' performance was akin to the cedar plank on my grill, but I still love to watch
Super Troopers - Hated by critics, but loved by me. Those goofy cops just crack me up.

Highly Revered Movies That I Don't Like
Million Dollar Baby - And it's not that I have a problem with the whole merciful killing thing, it's just that the movie devolved from a good fight flick into a depressing movie-of-the-week.

Titanic - UGH. Schlocky, cliched, tragic love story.

Rebel Without A Cause - SNORE, despite the excellent Dean and Mineo performances.

Laszlo Kovacs, cinematographer extraordinaire

.

The talented and prolific Laszlo Kovacs died Sunday at age 74. I can't really add anything to the media coverage and Internet except to say that he shot some of my favorite films:

Say Anything
Mask
Easy Rider
Ghostbusters
The Last Waltz
Shampoo
Freebie and the Bean
Paper Moon
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
What's Up, Doc?
The King of Marvin Gardens
Five Easy Pieces

More about the man:

IMDb entry

Wikipedia entry

story at NPR

article in Variety

It's sorta social.Demented and sad, but social.

In the spirit of Teacake's post which follows, best quote from an 80's John Hughes movie. Discuss.

It's gonna be real tough to pick just one.

"Uh, Dick? Excuse me, Rich?" - The Breakfast Club

So cheesy, so nonsensical, and yet... so beautiful.

Classics schmassics. Best movie line ever:

Nobody puts Baby in the corner.

Discuss.

Steven Spielberg

I've been thinking about Spielberg recently, and thought I'd open it up for discussion here. Spielberg is inarguably one of the most accomplished and celebrated directors in the history of film. That's not to say he hasn't done some stinkers. That's also not to say he's on everyone's favorite list -- there are definitely people who, on the whole, aren't fans of his. However, I'd bet most everyone could look at his body of work (I'm talking as a director) and find at least one movie that, if you didn't love, you liked a hell of a lot.

So what's your favorite Spielberg movie and why?
Top five?
Least favorite?
Where does he rank for you in the pantheon of famous directors?

Round up the usual suspects

Definitely on-topic, the American Film Institute has issued an updated version of its 100 Best Movies list, and Casablanca is at Number Three, edged out of the Number Two slot by The Godfather.

I followed a link that followed a link, but it led me only here, to some fellow's blog. Still, he does reproduce the whole list and the previous one, which dates from 1998, so I don't know what else you would need. But if someone wants to add in the AFI link, feel free to make an edit.

In the interests of brevity, here's the Top Twenty from each list (links are to reviews of the films in question). My own comments after the listings:

NEW:

1. Citizen Kane (1941) (1)
2. The Godfather (1972) (3)
3. Casablanca (1942) (2)
4. Raging Bull (1980)(24)
5. Singin' in the Rain (1952)(10)
6. Gone With the Wind (1939)(4)
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)(5)
8. Schindler's List (1993)(9)
9. Vertigo (1958)(61)
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939) (6)
11. City Lights (1931)(76)
12. The Searchers (1956)(96)
13. Star Wars (1977)(15)
14. Psycho (1960)(18)
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)(22)
16. Sunset Boulevard (1950)(12)
17. The Graduate (1967)(7)
18. The General (1927)
19. On the Waterfront (1954)(8)
20. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)(11)


OLD:

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. Casablanca (1942)
3. The Godfather (1972)
4. Gone With the Wind (1939)
5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
6. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
7. The Graduate (1967)
8. On the Waterfront (1954)
9. Schindler's List (1993)
10. Singin' In the Rain (1952)
11. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
12. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
13. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
14. Some Like It Hot (1959)
15. Star Wars (1977)
16. All About Eve (1950)
17. The African Queen (1951)
18. Psycho (1960)
19. Chinatown (1974)
20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Those I'm at a loss to see why Schindler's List is included at all, let alone in the Top Twenty. The story of Oskar Schindler is a fine one, but the film, where it's not dull and static, is tacky and gimmicky, not at all in keeping with its subject. Likewise, what are Kwai and Some Like it Hot doing here? The African Queen? Who voted for that, Sheridan Morley?are all (except Schindler) gone by the time of the new list, which nevertheless stubbornly retains The Graduate (just because it launched Hoffman doesn't make it per se a great film) and It's a Wonderful Life. Billy Wilder stays in the rankings with Sunset Boulevard, which is a far better film than SLIH, and a better example of Wilder's work.

So what do you all think? Better now or then? Omissions? Howlers?

Casablanca Discussion

1. Rick and Lazlo are both portrayed as heroes, just different types of heroes. What are your perspectives on their similarities and differences? What are their motivations behind their heroism? Is one more heroic than the other? More courageous? How does Ilsa affect their heroism?

2. What makes Humphrey Bogart's performance in this movie so damn intriguing and powerful? Or, if you're not a fan of his performance here, why?

3. Any other performances jump out at you as stellar? Or the opposite -- anyone not carry his/her weight?

4. Do you agree with Sour Grapes, who posted in the comments two posts below that Casablanca is not an allegory, but merely a cheesy love story that pulls the right strings?

5. Why has this movie taken on a cult status, and why is it still loved by so many? Is it simply because of the romance, or the performances, or the film-making? Or is there more to it than that?

6. Were there any moments from a film-making perspective that made you take notice? In other words, any particular moments of cinematography, or lighting, or framing of shots, or use of shadows, or props/sets?

7. If this movie were to be remade today (heresy, I know!), and you were able to hand-pick the director and stars, who would they be and why? (let's go with the roles of Rick, Ilsa, Victor, Captain Renault, Ugarte and Sam)

"I Do's and Don'ts"

As June is an uber-popular month for weddings, and inspired by ew.com, the topic of discuss is, "The best, and worst, movie weddings".

My pick for best, Muriel's Wedding. I don't know which I love more, ABBA's "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" in place of the traditional wedding march, or the bridesmaid who left a "ring around the groom".

The worst? "My Best Friends Wedding". A snooze fest from start to finish, with the exception of the "I Say a Little Prayer" sing-along. Both female leads, absolute bores and the entire movie hung on a union I could care less about.

June Movie: Casablanca

Let's watch and discuss the winner of March Movie Madness! I'll post some thought prompters in a few days.

Slacking Off

Looks like most of us slacked off on last month's movie, Northfork. My copy is still sitting at home, unwatched. Sorry, Looney. Been one of those months. I still intend to watch it ASAP, and will contribute to the discussion thread below once I do.

It's time, however, for someone to name a new movie. Who wants to be up? First one to post, "Me! Me!" in the comments gets to choose this month's movie. Name your choice here in a new post on June 1.

Commentary Madness: Take Two

This post was inspired by a comment from Mr. Joe the Troll (not that he should get any credit for it, if there is a prize or sumpthin', 'K?). With his interest in film, I was kinda surprised that he had never listen to the commentary version of a movie. I asked around and discovered that a lot of peeps haven't--some are only vaguely aware that they exist.

(NOTE: I meant that them peeps are only vaguely aware that the commentary versions exist, not that them peeps are only vaguely aware that they, themselves, exist--you got that, right?)

Anyway, I just want to say that if yer at all interested in film making, or even just curious about a particular film, I highly recommend this product or service. As I mentioned earlier, the quality varies, but most have been very good--especially if the director and writers contribute. Anyway, to be more specific:

Mr. Joe the Troll wrote: "I knew those commentaries were there for SOMEBODY, I just had no idea who."

[preening] Yep! They put them in just for ME!

"If I want to hear someone talk all the way through a movie..."

That ain't how it works--see, first ya gotta watch the movie w/o the commentary. Otherwise, you'll get lost, 'cause a lot of the time the soundtrack is turned way down so that you can hear the discussion ('til they say sumpthin' like, "Listen to the way the dialogue was purposely overlapped in this scene"). It's a Behind the Scenes thingy. With all that in mind, I usually watch the regular version after the commentary version as well.

I love the good ones 'cause I end up getting more out of the movie (fer ex: I may not have the frame of reference to "get" some theme in it), and because I enjoy learning about what's behind making films in general--directly from different peeps involved in the process.

I just borrowed The Aviator-- saw it a couple of years ago, and liked it, but found that I didn't remember a whole lot. I watched it again, and now have been watching the commentary version. First thing I heard was sumpthin' like, "Hi, I'm Martin Scorsese, director of The Aviator, and I'm going to share some of what went into the making of this movie." I thought, "Alrighty, this is gonna be a good one."

Now I'm interested in finding out more about Howard Hughes during the period of his twenties to his forties, but, more importantly I'm learning to watch movies on a different level, with greater appreciation. Mind you, I never studied film in school, and I find learnin' from the viewpoints of the movie makin' peeps themselves fascinatin'.

Then again, I'm weird that way.

"Good viewing choices, though. I love both of those films. [Mr. Roberts and Arsenic and Old Lace.]

Thenkyew--what do I win?

Stick a Fork in Me

Well, we all know I lurve Northfork. But what do you think? And do NOT read this post if you haven't seen the movie yet! Please!

Yes, this is it! This is the official discussion thread!

Here are a few things I'd like to hear about, for my part:

- Obviously symbolism is rife. What's your overall take?

- What is your theory about Irwin? (I was going to say more here, but I'd rather not color the conversation.)

- What about Happy, Flower Hercules, & Co.?

- What was the significance of the necessity of each family clearing out their dead relatives?

- Who were the government men? Did you attach any significance to their, erm, motivation for clearing the town of its last residents?

- Cinematography? Thoughts? I want to just launch into what I thought, but again, you first!

- Whose performance really stood out for you?

Well, there are a few conversation starters.

Anyone want to buy a house?

This is the perfect pad for a film fiend. Might take all your savings, though.

One Day More

Okay, one more day till discussion day! Hope everyone had a chance to watch it. I'll post an intro and some ideas tomorrow.

The May Pick - Northfork

Okay, here it is, the Filminati Pick for May

Northfork

I picked this for a few reasons.

1.) I think it's a very under-the-radar type of movie. It's a truly independent film, by the Polish Bros. (who also brought you the strange Twin Falls, Idaho. I'm hoping there are several of you who haven't yet seen it.

2.) It's very strange and different. I think that several of you will hate it. There is also a ton of symbolism and double meaning.

3.) I find it one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen, and it always elicits some tears for me.

So enjoy! I do hope you guys like it, and I hope we get some good discussion out of it!

Next Assignment?

So, what's the next assignment, folks?

Commentary Madness

So, anyway, last week I picked up a DVD of Mister Roberts at the library. It's one of my favorite movies, and I have the video (not the T-shirt, though... did I mention that my BIRTHDAY is April 23rd?)--it hadn't even been that long since I had last watched it, but I was most [excited] 'cause the DVD has a commentary by Jack Lemmon. (Love them commentaries!)

I made sure I had plenty of water, got Sir Harvey all settled next to me with his petite movie snack (uncooked veggie pasta), little Button Kitty jumped up on my lap, and we were READY! It started out well--I was getting a big kick out of listening to Mr. Lemmon's stories when I see, superimpose on a still playing movie: "To continue listening to the commentary, go to Select Scene and choose Scene 3."

I looked at Sir Harvey, and he looked at me, then we both looked at the kitty, but she was already asleep (her goal). I went to Select Scene and almost dislodged feathers and fur when the music blasted. I *hate* it when the menu music is much louder than the movie. I clicked on Scene 3, and we continued on our way. Harvey and I laughed, and Button--well, she kept on sleeping. And, then: "To continue listening to the commentary, go to Select Scene and choose Scene 5."

I was not pleased. Harvey threw a veggie pasta at the screen. Button almost woke up. I wondered if I really wanted to go through this, but was so enjoying the commentary, so I lowered the sound (damned if I can find a MUTE button on this remote), went to the menu, went to Scene Selection, chose Scene 5 and raised the volume. I had to do this about every two scenes. I get to the part where the nurses were sayin' they had to go back to the hospital, and... "In order to continue..."

I stopped myself from saying sumpthin' in front of little pitchers, clicked my way to the scenes, raised the volume, and there's Mister Roberts, gathering some of the crew around him to read them the letter about orders to a liberty port... [double-take] Having seen this movie a [koff!] few times, I knew that part of the movie was missin'... just a few minutes, but HEY! I rewound to where the nurses say they gotta go, and this time I saw the missing part... but the commentary was completely gone.

I was so [peeved] that that became the first time that I have ever put on Mister Roberts and did not watch it all the way through. That constant scene selection thingy is just plain crazy--and MEAN! Has this happened to anyone else with another movie? Has anyone happened to have watched a Mister Roberts commentary version that played through the whole movie? Why the heck would they do that? It... it just ain't fair!

Anyway, disgusted, Sir Harvey glided down to go Walk-About, Button complained piteously about not gettin' her full movie nap, and I brooded. Then I popped in "Arsenic and Old Lace", and we three cheered up in petite order. But, golly, I wish that I could hear the rest of Jack Lemmon's stories... in peace.