The Working Title...

Ordinary People (1980)

2014-04-02T20:18:00.001-06:00

After their oldest child passes in a boating accident, the family tries to live a normal life and hide their grief. The younger son struggles to communicate with his parents and seeks therapy to deal with his emotions.

Well, Ordinary People was a good movie. Better than I had expected… because I had heard literally nothing about this movie before we started this blog. Mary Tyler Moore's inspired performance transformed her from the wholesome good girl from The Mary Tyler Moore Show to a biatch…… for real. It was fine… just pretty ordinary… get it? I don't have very much more to say. It was pretty forgettable, in the same vein to me as "Man For All Seasons" and "Cimmaron." I doubt we will watch this ever again but worth it the one time!

The title to this film seems rather uninspired at first, but it makes a lot more sense when you see the film. Essentially, this is the story of an upper-class family that is trying to pass as completely normal and “ordinary” despite the recent death of one of the children. They have a dysfunction that is much more subtle and simmering beneath the surface than, say, The Royal Tenenbaums in that the parents completely refuse to acknowledge and discuss the tragedy and how it is affecting their surviving son. Mary Tyler Moore’s fantastic performance of a mother hiding from the issue behind her status and social standing by adapting a cold and unsympathetic veneer is nearly as chilling and frustrating as Nurse Ratched. I’ve never thought of Timothy Hutton as a great actor; truth be told whenever I think of him I think of that odd Stephen Kind adaptation The Dark Half in which he plays a character and his own evil “twin” but Hutton is a revelation here that completely deserves his Oscar. I enjoyed seeing Judd Hirsch, aka Jeff Goldblum’s Dad from Independence Day as Berger the psychiatrist. I know he’s been in a number of other films but that’s always how I will remember him. I can definitely see where Good Will Hunting got some of its inspiration; I may have even only slightly mockingly said “it’s not your fault” several times during the climax. The greatest strength of this film is how it patiently metes out the details of the story for maximum impact. Actually there are many merits to this film, and much of it was even pretty memorable, but I can’t shake the feeling that this film would be somewhat obscure and unknown if it hadn’t won Best Picture. It seems like it would be a better play than a movie, and I prefer many of the other nominees from that year. David Lynch’s The Elephant Man is a truly fabulous film from a master director whose other works are sadly overlooked by the Academy, and let’s be honest, everyone prefers Raging Bull, the absolutely flawless Scorsese masterpiece that is now #4 on the AFI top 100. And where’s Ordinary People on that list? Yeah…

Elizabeth McGovern was a student at Juilliard during filming. The school permitted her to do the film on the condition that she leave for Chicago each Friday night and return on Sunday, filming only on Saturdays. It was the first time Juilliard had ever permitted a student to make a film during a school term.

Calvin "Cal" Jarrett: Don't admire people too much, they might disappoint you.

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

2014-03-10T19:19:00.001-06:00

Recently divorced Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) learns how to care for his young son until having to fight his ex-wife (Meryl Streep) in court to keep him.

This was an interesting movie. The topic of child custody was/is a very relevant issue with the increase in divorced spouses. Seeing the effects that it has on a young child is pretty hard to watch. Especially one as cute as Justin Henry who you can see later as the funny/douchy brother in Sixteen Candles with one of the best lines: "What the hell are you bitchin' about? I gotta sleep under some Chinaman named after a duck's dork." Just a little fun fact for you! Anyway, Kramer Vs. Kramer was a really great, real interpretation of repairing a broken family. There are moments when you can understand and relate to both Hoffman and Streep. Of course, you are meant to sympathize more with Hoffman. The best scene in the whole movie is Ted, his first day without his wife, trying to make French Toast for his son while frazzled, late, and stressed. Great scene. Overall, I was pretty surprised. The ending was uplifting and hopeful to the future of the Kramer family without being, as Tim says later, schmaltzy.

I had never seen this film prior to this blog as a form of (completely useless) silent protest as this was the film that famously beat Apocalypse Now, one of my top five favorite films for Best Picture. It actually turned out to be pretty good and manages to avoid much of the schmaltz and predictability of similar films. Hoffman and Streep both won Oscars for this film, surprising no one. I mean really, Streep has been nominated for Oscars like thirty times (and usually deserves to) and everything Hoffman is in from the late sixties to the eighties is gold and it’s a treat to see them in a movie together. Streep’s character is incredibly frustrating, albeit intentionally- she oscillates from “I don’t want this child” to “he’s my son, I love him and you can’t have him” about half a dozen times in this film but things turn out the way they probably should. The American Film Institute names this at the #3 courtroom drama of all time, after only To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men, although it is much less a courtroom film than a domestic drama about compromise, assuming new parenting roles under pressure and what the options are after the traditional family structure falls apart. It is very interesting to see the cultural differences as Hoffman’s character receives condescension from his boss for “lowering” himself by taking care of his child and allowing family obligations to get in the way of professional ambition. I feel (and I hope) that employers in the 21^st century would be more understanding and less constrained by gender stereotypes. While Kramer Vs. Kramer still does not hold a candle to Apocalypse Now, I have an appreciation for it and can recommend it to most. Plus, my silent protest is now over so you are now free to go about your normal life- pardon the inconvenience.

Dustin Hoffman planned the moment when he throws his wine glass against the wall during the restaurant scene with Meryl Streep. The only person he warned in advance was the cameraman, to make sure that it got in the shot. Streep's shocked reaction is real, but she stayed in character long enough for the director to yell cut. In the documentary on the DVD, she recalls yelling at Hoffman as soon as the shot was over for scaring her so badly.

Margaret Phelps: Joanna is a very unhappy woman and it took a lot of courage to walk out this door.

Ted Kramer: How much courage does it take to walk out on your kid?

The Deer Hunter (1978)

2014-03-08T20:22:00.002-07:00

The Deer Hunter follows the story of Michael, Steven and Nick, three young blue-collar workers and average Joes from Pennsylvania whose lives are forever changed by the Vietnam War.

I’m not going to lie, folks; it took us a long time to finally watch this one for the blog because I kind of scared Katie away from it by telling her it was fantastic but incredibly depressing. I’m glad we finally got to it however as it is easily one of the most intense, powerful and effective anti-war films ever made. This film has three distinct parts: the wedding/hunt, the war and the aftermath. The first time I saw this film I thought the first part with the wedding was incredibly long and drawn out but on repeat viewings it doesn’t seem so; it’s truly necessary to have the glimpse of the normalcy of their simple lives and to have that kind of relief before those lives are thrown into upheaval forever. Nothing is ever the same for the characters, even after they return home. The internment camp and the Russian roulette scenes are truly some of the most harrowing and suspenseful you will ever see in film- I know what’s going to happen, but those scenes remain as impactful and shocking for me as the first time. This film is significant for a myriad of reasons. Not only is it notable for Christopher Walken’s brilliant Oscar-winning performance, featuring a very authentic-looking thousand-yard stare, but it is also the equally fabulous John Cazale’s final performance. Cazale was only in five films before he died far too soon of cancer, and each one was a classic that either won or was nominated for Best Picture. This was also the film that catapulted director Michael Cimino into the spotlight, whose follow-up film to this entitled Heaven’s Gate was such an unmitigated financial disaster that it essentially ended the Western film genre and was responsible for the shift of creative control from directors to producers. Oddly enough, I hear that now that the dust has settled that it’s actually a pretty decent film but I’ve never seen it so it’s on my to-do list. Nevertheless, none of that diminishes the quality and reputation of The Deer Hunter, a true classic that everyone should see at least once.

So… this is probably the most stressful movie of all the movies. If they had an AFI top ten list for most stressful scenes, the Russian roulette scene(s) would be at the very top. And after watching this, Russian roulette was in like every single movie and/or television show. It was everywhere…even in Disney movies (just kidding… it wasn't but it felt like that). As Tim mentions, the movie really is set up into three parts. And after enduring the first two parts, it's really hard to watch the one of the final scenes. The final scene shows how the war has changed all of these hopeful young kids into weary young adults. This movie also shows a glimpse of how PTSD was not treated as a life-threatening mental illness. After some of the main characters are captured with guns held to their head, they are expected to go home and resume their forever changed lives. It's amazing how misunderstood and alone they seem. I can't say I loved this movie but it's an important film and it's a great one. I probably won't watch this too many more times and definitely not on a weeknight (because it's long and keeps me up worrying). I think I'll watch Tangled now.

John Cazale was very weak when filming began, and for this reason, his scenes were filmed first. Michael Cimino knew from the start that Cazale was dying from cancer, but the studio did not. When they found out, they wanted to replace Cazale. When Meryl Streep learned of their intentions, she threatened to quit if they did. Cazale died shortly after filming was completed.

Nick: I don't think about that much with one shot anymore, Mike.

Michael: You have to think about one shot. One shot is what it's all about. A deer's gotta be taken with one shot.

Oscar Winners and Our Thoughts

2014-03-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

This year's Oscars were pretty predictable. Ellen's hosting was pretty awesome. She cracks me up! It was interesting to see how poorly Kim Novak and Goldie Hawn have aged (with plenty of help from their surgeons) but Sidney Poitier, who I'm sure had no surgeons, was such a handsome older man. I'm a little bummed that there was no love for my favorite movie, Nebraska. I was surprised (pleasantly) that The Great Gatsby won two awards! But none for Leo. Poor Leo. He's going to be the next Peter O'Toole. Nominated for a million, winner of none. An unexpected win for Lupita Nyong'o, I thought Jennifer Lawrence had it in the bag but it was nice to see Lupita win. Both her, Jared Leto, and Cate Blanchett had great acceptance speeches. There were a few odd ones, the shining moment was the acceptance for documentary where the "lead" sang a cappella gospel music… granted I wasn't totally paying attention immediately before this, so maybe someone asked her to or there was a better reason than that… but it seemed pretty weird. All in all we had a blast predicting it. I mean the Oscars are basically our Super Bowl. We even went in on some local ballots with our guesses. We haven't heard anything yet but we are still hopeful we'll win tons of free movie tickets!!

Best Picture
Who we want to win: Nebraska/ The Wolf of Wall Street
Who we think will win: 12 Years A Slave / 12 Years a Slave
Winner: 12 Years a Slave

Best Actor
Who we want to win: Bruce Dern / Any of them except Bale
Who we think will win: Matthew McConaughey/ Matthew McConaughey
Winner: Matthew McConaughey

Best Actress

Who we want to win: Meryl Streep / Cate Blanchett
Who we think will win: Cate Blanchett/ Cate Blanchett
Winner: Cate Blanchett

Best Supporting Actor
Who we want to win: Jonah Hill/ Michael Fassbender
Who we think will win: Jared Leto/ Jared Leto
Winner: Jared Leto

Best Supporting Actress
Who we want to win: June Squibb / June Squibb
Who we think will win: Jennifer Lawrence / Jennifer Lawrence/Lupita Nyong'o
Winner: Lupita Nyong'o

Animated Feature
Who we want to win:  Frozen / Frozen
Who we think will win: Frozen /  Frozen
Winner: Frozen

Cinematography
Who we want to win: Gravity / Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity
Winner: Gravity

Costume Design
Who we want to win: The Great Gatsby / 12 Years a Slave
Who we think will win: American Hustle / American Hustle
Winner: The Great Gatsby

Directing
Who we want to win: Gravity/ Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity
Winner: Gravity

Film Editing
Who we want to win: Gravity / Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity
Winner: Gravity

Makeup and Hairstyling
Who we want to win: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Just so there can be an "Oscar Winning" Jackass movie / Dallas Buyers Club
Who we think will win: Dallas Buyers Club / Dallas Buyers Club
Winner: Dallas Buyers Club

Music: Original Score
Who we want to win: Her / Her
Who we think will win: Her / Gravity
Winner: Gravity

Music: Original Song
Who we want to win:  Let It Go/ Let it Go
Who we think will win: Let It Go / Let it Go
Winner: Let It Go

Production Design
Who we want to win: Her / Her
Who we think will win: Her / American Hustle
Winner: The Great Gatsby

Sound Editing
Who we want to win: Gravity /Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity
Winner: Gravity

Sound Mixing
Who we want to win: Gravity / Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity
Winner: Gravity

Visual Effects
Who we want to win: Gravity/ Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity
Winner: Gravity

Best Adapted Screenplay
Who we want to win: Before Midnight / The Wolf of Wall Street
Who we think will win:  Before Midnight/ 12 Years a Slave
Winner: 12 Years a Slave

Best Original Screenplay
Who we want to win: Nebraska/ Her
Who we think will win: Her/ American Hustle
Winner: Her

The Working Title honorable mentions.

Worst Pronunciation of a Name: John Travolta for Adelle Dazeeb (Idina Menzel….obviously)

Most Awkward Phone Sex with Dead Cat: Kristin Wiig in Her

Grossest, Dirtiest Rodeo Sex: Matthew McConaughey and anonymous dirty ho-bags in Dallas Buyers Club

Best Impromptu Song in a Film: Matthew McConaughey's free-styling in The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Prosthetics: Jonah Hill…. for teeth and penis… in The Wolf of Wall Street

Oscar 2013 Predictions!

2014-03-02T10:42:00.001-07:00

This year was a GREAT year for movies! Here are our predictions!

Best Picture
Who we want to win: Nebraska/ The Wolf of Wall Street
Who we think will win: 12 Years A Slave / 12 Years a Slave

Best Actor

Who we want to win: Bruce Dern / Any of them except Bale
Who we think will win: Matthew McConaughey/ Matthew McConaughey

Best Actress

Who we want to win: Meryl Streep / Cate Blanchett
Who we think will win: Cate Blanchett/ Cate Blanchett

Best Supporting Actor

Who we want to win: Jonah Hill/ Michael Fassbender
Who we think will win: Jared Leto/ Jared Leto

Best Supporting Actress

Who we want to win: June Squibb / June Squibb
Who we think will win: Jennifer Lawrence / Jennifer Lawrence/Lupita Nyong'o

Animated Feature
Who we want to win: Frozen / Frozen
Who we think will win: Frozen /  Frozen

Cinematography

Who we want to win: Gravity / Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity

Costume Design

Who we want to win: The Great Gatsby / 12 Years a Slave
Who we think will win: American Hustle / American Hustle

Directing
Who we want to win: Gravity/ Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity

Film Editing

Who we want to win: Gravity / Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity

Makeup and Hairstyling

Who we want to win: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Just so there can be an "Oscar Winning" Jackass movie / Dallas Buyers Club
Who we think will win: Dallas Buyer's Club / Dallas Buyers Club

Music: Original Score

Who we want to win: Her / Her
Who we think will win: Her / Gravity

Music: Original Song:

Who we want to win:  Let It Go/ Let it Go
Who we think will win: Let It Go / Let it Go

Production Design
Who we want to win: Her / Her
Who we think will win: Her / American Hustle

Sound Editing

Who we want to win: Gravity /Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity

Sound Mixing

Who we want to win: Gravity / Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity

Visual Effects

Who we want to win: Gravity/ Gravity
Who we think will win: Gravity / Gravity

Best Adapted Screenplay

Who we want to win: Before Midnight / The Wolf of Wall Street
Who we think will win:  Before Midnight/ 12 Years a Slave

Best Original Screenplay

Who we want to win: Nebraska/ Her
Who we think will win: Her/ American Hustle

Wolf of Wall Street (2013 Nominee)

2014-03-01T22:52:00.004-07:00

The Wolf of Wall Street is the true-life story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), a talented and ambitious but small-time stock broker that partners with Donny Azoff (Jonah Hill) to start the very successful Stratford-Oakmont, a brokerage firm that gained notoriety by gaining profits with penny stocks.

This movie was like Flight where you are watching it and you can't even believe that people can actually function with that amount of drugs in their system. The only thing different was, it was an [bleeping] blast! I mean it was funny but intense. Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio were awesome. Leo carried the movie but Jonah had all the best lines and his weirdo teeth are mesmerizing...you seriously can't look away. To add to the awesomeness, this was Rob Reiner's first film in almost ten years! My favorite line uttered by this brilliant man was: "Who the f**k has the god d*mn gall to call this house on a Tuesday night?" Classic. OH and by the way, this movie used the "F" word 506 times making it the film with the most "F" bombs ever. So if that word makes you sensitive…. you should just skip this one. Just in case you need proof: http://variety.com/2014/film/news/wolf-of-wall-street-breaks-f-word-record-1201022655/ttp://variety.com/2014/film/news/wolf-of-wall-street-breaks-f-word-record-1201022655/. Because the "F" word is the least of your problems. What you should be worried about is the prosthetic penis, near death by a piece of ham, candles in unusual place and all the blow and prostitutes that money can buy. That being said, it's a great movie about the rise and inevitable fall of Jordan Belfort. The amazing thing about the editing is this crazy, fast-paced film will make you think the editors were encouraged to snort some cocaine before they got to work. Seriously.

In the last few blogs, I’ve already claimed that Gravity is the most significant technical achievement and 12 Years a Slave is likely the most accomplished film of this year. But despite all of that, The Wolf of Wall Street is my favorite film of the year that I will certainly revisit the most often. I will admit right away that I am likely biased since I am a Scorsese disciple that would basically award all of his films with Best Picture, but it’s hard to argue when he proves himself time and time again as the greatest American film director alive at the very least. It seems that the controversy over this film was in high gear before it even came out, with many claiming that it glorified Jordan Belfort and his criminal activities and lifestyle instead of condemning it. Apparently these people do not fully grasp the concept of satire and did not see the same film I did; Scorsese is a master filmmaker that is capable of much more than just a this-or-that approach. Not one to settle into any one style or become stale with age, Scorsese still has many surprises even for his hardcore fans. Just when you think this is going to be another in the Goodfellas or Casino mold in which the protagonist breaks the fourth wall to explain how everything works, Belfort will interrupt himself to say something like, “you know it doesn’t really matter, the point is we made a ton of f$#!%@# money.” The Wolf of Wall Street will have you laughing uncontrollably before the guilt sets in that you are laughing at gullible but innocent lower-middle class people getting screwed, and that essentially you are cheering for the wrong team… unless you belong to that upper echelon of society, in which case you may not feel the guilt and are likely a part of the problem anyway. In the film’s first thirty minutes or so, you may find yourself shrugging off the controversy like it’s not that excessive, but by film’s end, you will have seen more drug use, nudity and profanity than in any R-rated film you can remember. DiCaprio’s fabulous performance, brimming with twitchy, drug-addled energy matches the material and easily earns another nomination and likely another disappointing loss for him. There are too many spectacular supporting performances to name them all, but one that truly deserves mention is Jonah Hill, up for his second Oscar this year. His shared scene with DiCaprio in which they are so high on Quaaludes that they are only capable of groaning and drooling at each other is the pinnacle of how pathetic their characters really are and is one of the riskiest and best scenes in any film this year. It’s fantastic to see Hill really bloom as an actor; the guy who professed himself the “Iron Chef of pounding vag” in 2007’s Superbad is now nominated for Oscars and appearing in Scorsese and Tarantino films, so miracles can happen. Some will find the ending to this film aggravating since Belfort’s consequences don’t seem to be proportional to the suffering he’s caused nor does he seem to truly change for the better, and they would be right. And therein lies the satire- that people that live in Belfort’s economic bracket can screw over their friends to get out of trouble, buy their way out of the same rules that everyone else has to play by and may even be elevated as heroes thanks to a society with dangerously misguided priorities. Who’s laughing now? Despite the fact that it will likely lose most if not all of its Oscar nominations due to the controversy, I predict that time will look very kindly upon this film. The fact that Scorsese could pull this off without mocking the audience and still make for an incredibly entertaining and fast-paced film makes it my favorite of the year.

Real-life Jordan Belfort appears in a brief role in the film's final scene, introducing his cinema stand-in Leonardo DiCaprio. As accurately portrayed, Belfort is now a motivational speaker who previously served 22 months in federal prison for stock fraud.

Jordan Belfort: Let me tell you something. There's no nobility in poverty. I've been a poor man, and I've been a rich man. And I choose rich every fucking time.

(I swear mom, it was impossible to find a quote without the "F" word…)

12 Years a Slave (2013)

2014-02-28T22:07:00.003-07:00

Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.

This ought to be an interesting blog post as Katie and my opinion wildly differ. This is my personal pick for Best Picture of the year, and outside of the vast technical achievements of Gravity is the most complete and accomplished film of the year. The film is also frequently hard to stomach and may have the least replay value of the nominees which will likely turn many people away. Steve McQueen impressed me incredibly with 2011’s Shame and he is rapidly establishing himself as a fearless, uncompromising voice. This film is already being called the Schindler’s List of slavery films and it’s hard to disagree as it presents such a definitive and multifaceted approach to the subject that it’s difficult to see how this will ever be topped. Instead of a protagonist that can’t comprehend his situation, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a very educated, free man that is thrust into the most degrading, humiliating circumstances simply because he put naïve trust in seemingly innocuous strangers. Nearly every character of this film represents a different aspect of the social strata of the time rarely investigated in many films. Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) demonstrates that not all slave owners were inherently evil but were locked into an economic system over which they had little control. The fabulous Oscar-nominated Michael Fassbender plays a character that acts out his frustrations towards slaves over being frequently emasculated by his wife in a male-dominated society. The inhumanity and complete lack of recognition of slaves as human lives is felt as never before in this film- the opening scene of this film shows a fellow slave silently influencing Solomon to give her sexual pleasure, a cry for help after an interminable time without being able to fear anything but numbness and fear before she turns away in weeping shame. I literally lost sleep over it the night I saw it and remained preoccupied and frustrated the next day over the conclusion. The film’s ending is not disappointing nor is it completely depressing or unresolved, but I wanted more closure, more justice, more satisfaction- and the fact that the ending didn’t and couldn’t give you that was merely its final stroke of brilliance. While it was not the most entertaining or most enjoyable film of the year and it will not sweep all of its nominations, I believe 12 Years a Slave has the deserved momentum to win Best Picture and secure an important place in history.

So of all of the movies this year this was my least favorite. Don't get me wrong, it's a great film but I don't see me watching it ever again. Like most movies based on slavery, it's not exactly easy material to watch after a long day at work. Tim and I disagree but I sort of felt like it was the male version of The Color Purple. The Color Purple is great and all but who wants to watch that? Maybe I'm totally wrong and I thought the performances were great but it just wasn't my deal. I think it's an important story that needs to be shared: a free man being abducted and forced into slavery was a new aspect. And the fact that it's based on a real story is pretty sick. I guess at the end the payoff was good but not as good as I wanted it to be. It was worth it once, but why would you put yourself through that again? However, as the movie came to it's conclusion, I did weep like a small child.

In order to better portray an alcoholic Michael Fassbender had his makeup artist paint his mustache with alcohol so that the other actors would react naturally to the smell as they would to a man who had been drinking heavily.

Solomon Northup: I don't want to survive. I want to live.

Philomena (2013 Nominee)

2014-02-27T21:26:00.003-07:00

A political journalist, Martin Sixsmith, picks up the story of Philomena's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.

Every year there seems to be one Best Picture nominee that is the independent underdog, the one that sort of sneaks in there that many may not have seen, and this year that film is Philomena. We had to go to some lengths to see this film; luckily, Katie and I were visiting my brother in Missoula to see a play he was in and it was showing a vintage theater downtown- you know, like one that serves alcohol and still has red curtains that part to reveal the screen. Unfortunately, we watched it in the smaller viewing room with a pretty small screen and there were lots of fizzes and pops during the movie. You could hear the whirring of the projector the whole time and the movie even stopped in the middle for a few minutes because someone forgot to switch the reel. It was one part charming and at least one part ghetto; I sometimes worried that I may be sitting in between Pee-Wee Herman and Travis Bickle, if you catch my drift. But anyway, I digress. We came to this film with little idea of the plot, and I anticipated a cute British comedy because of the posters but this is actually a pretty serious film with some frustrating issues and painful subject matter. Judi Dench is fabulous as always but the real surprise here is Steve Coogan. On top of a solid performance he has taken on writing and producing duties to produce a wonderful film and is up for several Oscars on Sunday. This was obviously a project he had a lot of passion for (he even read the script for Dench as her eyesight is reportedly beginning to fail her) and it’s wonderful to see that pay off. We have always been fond of him but we didn’t expect this out of him- I mean he’s the guy that exploded into a million pieces in Tropic Thunder and showed the whole world his junk in Hamlet 2. Much like Nebraska, a perfectly balanced tone of comedy and tragedy makes Philomena a less extravagant but equally worthy addition to this year’s Best Picture nominees.

To me, this movie was all about forgiveness. Dench's performance as the unwavering Catholic despite the fact that nuns stole her child. At times her devotion is upsetting to both Steve Coogan and the audience. You don't know if you want to slap some sense into Philomena or kick some nun ass. Philomena's search for her son is really an amazing story and it's even more amazing because it's based on a real story. I will tell you one thing, if you begin this movie thinking that Steve Coogan is Judi Dench's son, he's not… let's just get that out of the way. Like Tim said, it's so nice to see Coogan in a serious role… even though we're watching Hamlet 2 as we are writing this. Philomena is actually hard to watch but it's a beautiful story. Go rent it, it comes on March 3rd. How do I know this? Well, what Tim doesn't mention above is how psycho I got about seeing this movie. I'm not kidding you, when I went to Fandango.com to see the nearest showing and it was in Idaho. I was planning on making a trip… I even emailed the owners of the movie theaters in town trying to convince them to bring Philomena to theaters. Luckily, it worked out. But I wasn't going to give up! Just like Philomena!

There are flashbacks which are done with "home movies". Some of these were created for the film but some of them are from actual footage of her real son.

Philomena: And after I had the sex, I thought anything that feels so lovely must be wrong.

Martin Sixsmith: Fucking Catholics.

Nebraska (2013 Nominee)

2014-02-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

An father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his semi-estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.

Ok. I LOVE this movie. This was my favorite movie of the year, which yes, includes Frozen. I KNOW, RIGHT??? So why was this my favorite movie of the year? Well, for starters the beginning of the movie takes place (and was filmed) in Billings, Montana. I mean… I live here now, so that's pretty cool. Next, Bruce Dern's performance as the alcoholic dad is amazing! He is determined to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize which everyone in his family knows is a big hoax but regardless, they help him get there despite all of the ill feelings from the past. AND the wife, played by June Squibb, is the sassiest gal in all the land! She says things that will make your jaw drop to the ground. This movie is about crazy families doing the best they can and sticking together. But most importantly, I think my new job in hospice really enhances my compassion and understanding of an older man's last hoorah and this movie beautifully displays that. If you are watching it and you think you know how it's going to end, you don't. But don't fear! It's the perfect ending to this wonderfully crafted film. I would LOVE it if this movie won best picture but it probably won't. And I think Bruce Dern SHOULD win Best Actor but he probably wonIt's on DVD, so go rent it. Immediately.

I had first heard of Nebraska because of the Internet buzz surrounding Bruce Dern’s performance, so I guess I sort of assumed that it would be a great performance but the movie would just be meh. In a year full of them, Nebraska is the biggest surprise of the year- it’s incredibly funny, memorable and touching. Even though it seems like American Hustle is getting all of the attention for acting and screenplay, I feel like much of that attention is more deserving for Nebraska; I would love to see Bruce Dern and June Squibb win Oscars even if they don’t seem like the most likely choices. Seriously, all of Squibb’s dialogue is priceless and she says it perfectly. In one scene, she approaches a headstone in a graveyard saying, “There's Woody's little sister, Rose. She was only nineteen when she was killed in a car wreck near Wausa. What a whore!” We’ve been quoting this movie since we saw it and can’t wait to see it again, which makes this somewhat unique among this year’s nominees- it’s not like we’ve been giggling about the lines or quoting 12 Years a Slave. So seriously, don’t pay attention to those that may say this is boring or undeserving of awards attention and see this with as few spoilers as possible. It just may be the biggest surprise of the year for you, too.

Alexander Payne's fourth film set in his home state of Nebraska, after Citizen Ruth(1996), Election (1999) and About Schmidt (2002).

Kate Grant: I ain't fiddlin' with no cow titties. I'm a city girl!

Her (2013 Nominee)

2014-02-25T20:11:00.002-07:00

Theodore, A lonely writer, develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need.

First off, let me say how much I dislike Scarlett Johansson. I am seriously… She bugs me. She is typecast into the slutty, dumb roles and men just drool all over her…. blegh.. ANYWAYS, this year she has begun to change my mind. Her role in Don Jon was awesome (I recommend that film! Disappointed it got no love for screenplay from the academy). And her performance in this is quite good. She plays Samantha, the OS who Theodore falls in love with, which means it's just her voice. I was very impressed by the range of emotion she was able to convey and Joaquin Phoenix's relationship with her was so interesting and believable. It almost started to make sense. And yes the sexual aspect of this movie took some pretty odd turns, yet made the movie much more intriguing. There is a minor vocal part by Kristin Wigg that almost had me peeing my pants. It was super funny. I assumed the movie in general would be much more humorous than it was because it was actually pretty sad, yet hopeful. Highly recommended and a very unique and interesting take on where technology is affecting our relationships with people. If you like this, give quirky Lars and the Real Girl a shot- not as high budget but just as much heart.

It is so fantastic to see Joaquin Phoenix and Spike Jonze working again; the fact that it is working together is just a bonus for us. Spike Jonze is the genius behind the wonderfully quirky Being John Malkovich and the staggeringly original Adaptation, which has become one of my all-time favorite films. I feared that Phoenix would have a hard time finding work after his possibly brilliant but certainly frustrating I’m Still Here burned some bridges but his work in The Master was fantastic and it’s great to see him taking brave and difficult roles. Her portrays a future that seems frighteningly near in which human interaction is stunted by the operating systems that are permanently queued up in people’s lives- think of a weird combination of an IPad, being jacked into The Matrix and sitting in one of the hoverchairs in WALL-E all at the same time. Even the lead character’s job of dictating to a computer beautiful love notes from other people to other people to be reproduced to look handwritten seems like a real occupation in the not-too-distant future. Yet something about the performances, the script and the vulnerability of the characters makes this weird relationship really powerful. While there seems to be an obvious stigma about being “in love” with a computer, it’s hard to find it too weird in the 21^st century when their first dates together are a mirror image of what you see people doing in every cell phone commercial you have ever seen. Katie and I walked into this movie expecting a romantic comedy, and while it occasionally is (the CG avatar that Phoenix encounters in his video games is absolutely hilarious) this movie also hit me deep and sometimes could be a painful experience as it becomes clear that this evolved form of closeness may only lead to new forms of rejection. But it also left a deeper impact on me than several of the films that received more nominations or got more press. Her is ultimately a hopeful story of the triumph of humanity, and while it won’t be to everyone’s taste, it was one of my favorite and most thought-provoking of the year.

During some of the more emotional scenes, Amy Adams would sing songs from famous musicals like "Annie" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in order to cheer herself up. Eventually, Joaquin Phoenix would join in and they would sing together. However, they stopped after they saw Spike Jonze filming them.

Amy: I think anybody who falls in love is a freak. It's a crazy thing to do. It's kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity.

Gravity (2013 Nominee)

2014-02-24T21:58:00.002-07:00

Gravity is about Ryan Stone (Bullock) and her first trip to space. An accident occurs and she must find a way to make it back to Earth alone.

My first thoughts after seeing the trailer is theater for this movie were, “shit, this is really loud” and “this movie seems meant to be a showcase for neat 3D and little more.” What really piqued my interest was the tag at the end that said, “directed by Alfonso Cuaron.” This was the guy that made the titillating but impressive Y Tu Mamá También, helmed the arguably flawless Children of Men, and elevated the Harry Potter franchise to a level of artistry and adult appeal that it never looked back from. Then of course the reviews and word of mouth were impossibly good so I knew I had to see what the fuss was about, and we did in style- we checked it out on an oversized XD screen in 3D and not only was it easily on the same plateau of technological achievement as Avatar and The Life of Pi but it was one of the most immersive and memorable theater experiences I can remember… you know, except for the old guy in the theater that couldn’t remember where he was sitting and the wife shouting his name and rustling candy wrappers the whole time but at least they kept our feet on the ground, quite literally. I’m not a huge fan of the 3D thing but the 3D is this film was possibly the best I’ve seen, if not it’s at least as good as Avatar or Tron: Legacy. I’m also not the biggest Sandra Bullock fan (unless it’s Speed or Demolition Man as those films are unassailable to me), but her performance here is incredible especially when you consider that she was probably filmed in a giant can or on a green screen the whole time. The cinematography and creativity that went into the constantly changing camera angles were among the many fantastic achievements of this film, but is it really the Best Picture of the year or a landmark of storytelling? Probably not, and I doubt it will win Best Picture unless there is a split in the votes or this emerges as an underdog or popular choice but it will almost certainly sweep the technical categories and it has a very real shot at winning Best Director. There are those that will scoff at the science behind this film or call it overrated because of the many hyperboles that surround its reception, but make no mistake it is a truly memorable and unique film experience that reminds people of why they go to movies in the first place that will have a lasting impact on 3D and the films of the future.

Sandra Bullock alone for an entire movie. It's the Castaway of space. And shit just keeps happening and getting worse… and worse. It's very tense. The film looked so amazing and really was enveloping. For me, her performance was great and the special effects were outstanding but as a story telling device, I'm not sure. Parts of the story felt like they were looking at problems astronauts could come across in space and then wrote them all into the script AND THEN added like twelve others. It's a great movie but this movie was lower on my list as far as the other nominees are concerned. Worth a watch and actually super worth it in 3D on an obnoxiously large screen.

The off-screen voice of Mission Control is Ed Harris, who played real-life mission director Gene Kranz in Apollo 13 (1995) and John Glenn in The Right Stuff (1983).

Ryan Stone: I hate space!

Dallas Buyers Club (2013 Nominee)

2014-02-23T19:34:00.001-07:00

Blue-collar man Ron Woodruff lives a life of hard work and harder partying, including drug use and casual sex. This lifestyle catches up with him in the worst way when he is diagnosed with HIV and only given thirty days to live. Ron’s research into a cure leads him to discover that AZT, the drug most commonly used to treat his symptoms, is in fact still in the clinical trial stages in the US and does more harm than good. With the help of an uneasy partnership with Rayon, a transvestite with better contacts with AIDS patients due to his ties in the gay community, Ron imports and distributes more effective drugs that are not approved by the FDA.

This movie was an excellent tool for Matthew McConaughey to flex his acting muscles. But I'll let Tim elaborate on that. Dallas Buyers Club showed the struggle with AIDS patients trying to get drugs that were actually going to help instead of the (at the time) experimental doses of AZT. The movie begins with some pretty gruesome sex scenes and you think it's going to be another Philadelphia but it's more about healthcare. I find this to be an extremely relevant film with all the growing changes (not all for the better) with our current healthcare system. It's about getting the people the medicine and the care they deserve. The hoops that McConaughey jumps through just to stay alive are unbelievable, flying to foreign countries and dressing up in costumes. He starts the Dallas Buyers Club selling memberships, not drugs. Part of the membership is access to the drugs HIV and AIDS patients can actually use to delay the course of their disease. This movie was a hard pill to swallow but it is worth it. It's amazing that so many true stories are out there and how many have yet to be told.

I recently got into a Facebook debate with a friend of a friend because he basically claimed that Matthew McConaughey was an illegitimate actor and I defended the hell out of him. Just a handful of years ago, with the exception of great turns in the criminally underrated Frailty and Tropic Thunder, I probably would have agreed with him. Good news for us, he finally seems to have gotten tired of starring in *ahem* “films” like Failure to Launch and Sahara. Since 2011’s The Lincoln Lawyer, virtually every performance and film he’s been a part of has been fantastic and it now seems that McConaughey is not only on a trajectory to win his first Oscar this year but also to be one of the best and bravest actors out there today. Dallas Buyers Club seems like a latecomer to the Oscar party that slipped under a lot of radars but it has a well-deserved place in this year’s race. The Best Actor category is filled with stiff competition, but McConaughey’s nuanced performance conveys an incredibly believable desperation to live as he faces misplaced homophobia, frustrating red tape and physical deterioration. His performance is not the only one that drives Dallas Buyers Club; Jared Leto’s gender-bending role which tops McConaughey’s in the realm of scary real-life weight loss is a lock for Best Supporting Actor. While I’m a bit disappointed that another McConaughey film Mud was not nominated for Best Picture this year, this film tells a compelling and important story with a surprising relevance as millions still struggle to get the medicine and healthcare that they need. McConaughey will likely be catapulted into a new stratosphere quite literally as he stars next in the untouchable Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi film Interstellar, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

Matthew McConaughey lost 47 pounds in assuming his role as an AIDS patient. Newspapers reported his new looks as "terribly gaunt" and "wasting away to skin and bones".

Rog: Who the hell's Rock Hudson?

Clint: He's an actor, dumbass. Haven't you seen North By Northwest?

Captain Phillips (2013 Nominee)

2014-02-22T21:06:00.001-07:00

Captain Phillips tells the true story of the 2009 hijacking of the US container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates.

To me, Captain Phillips should be entitled Why didn't Tom Hanks get a nomination?!?!?! His performance starts out good. And keeps getting better and better. The final scene is an actor's masterpiece. Very little words are even used in this scene but his acting is like too good. The movie was over and I looked at Tim like "What the crap did we just watch?" It was, to me, the most surprising film of the entire year. I started it under the impression that it would be your generic action film…. I WAS WRONG! See this movie. Until you do, you are doing yourself an injustice.

The trailers for Captain Phillips made it look like a solid but typical thriller so we didn’t catch this in theater because we didn’t expect it to be Best Picture material. We should’ve known better. Director Paul Greengrass has proven himself time and time before as a master with his expert handling of the Bourne sequels and United 93 and we should have expected that we were in for something special with Captain Phillips. The film’s characterizations go far deeper than good guys and bad guys- the pirates are products of their oppressive environment with little other opportunity to provide for themselves and their families; to them, it’s just a hard day’s work in a dog eat dog world. According to most reports, it turns out that the real Captain Phillips was much more arrogant and foolhardy than Hanks’ depiction, and I don’t even care because this film is all his. The tension is already nail-biting as the pirates approach, board the ship and search for the crew but the film doesn’t truly hit its peak until Phillips is trapped alone with the pirates in a lifeboat and the film hurtles toward its unforgettable climax. The last 20 minutes of Captain Phillips alone should have granted him a Best Actor nomination, but he was foolishly locked out of the most competitive of this year’s categories. Their loss--- nevertheless, Captain Phillips demands your time and is not to be missed. Suspense-wise, this film is this year’s Zero Dark Thirty and is easily one of my favorites of the year.

Tom Hanks claimed that all the interior lifeboat scenes were filmed inside a scale model that was actually on water at all times, resulting in him being vomited on by crew members in the cramped space.

UKMTO Officer: Maersk Alabama, you should alert your crew, get your fire hoses ready. Chances are they're just fishermen.

Captain Richard Phillips: They're not here to fish.

American Hustle (2013 Nominee)

2014-02-21T21:25:00.002-07:00

American Hustle is basically a 1970's version of The Sting (one of my favorite movies). Everybody's conning everybody up in here.

Thanks to a great trailer, an accomplished director that works real magic with actors and a solid all-star cast, I was very much looking forward to seeing American Hustle. My excitement was nearly killed by the inconsiderate couple behind us in the theater that talked all the way through the first 20 minutes before leaving anyway (bastards) but at least that means I can see it again and find something new. It turns out that the trailer only gave a small peek into what the film was about, which was a mostly pleasant surprise. There were some very inspired bits, such as trying to masque the very clearly Hispanic-looking Michael Peña as a Sheik, the scene-stealing Jennifer Lawrence as the mother of the year seemingly always about to burn the house down or any scene with Louis C.K. Yet while I wasn’t disappointed with American Hustle, I did find it to be one of the most overrated of this year’s Best Picture nominees. The cast was fantastic and they nailed the period settings and clothing but the film didn’t leave the same kind of impact on me as Russell’s last films Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter did. While most of its Oscar nominations were earned, I predict that it will not win many of them; actually one of the most impressive and crucial performances in this film is the one no one is talking about and that is Jeremy Renner. His "friendship" and subsequent falling out with Bale is the soul of the movie and as much as I love Christian Bale and was pleased to see him win for The Fighter, I wish his nomination for Best Actor had instead gone to Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips. An honorary Oscar should go to Bale’s epic comb-over for this film, which is basically a main character in its own right. In any case, I will definitely revisit American Hustle and will very likely enjoy it more the second time. Without the bastard couple commentary it may even become one of my favorites of the year.

I agree with Tim in saying that it was an overrated movie. I blame part of that on seeing the ball-busting 180miles an hour Wolf of Wall Street beforehand that made American Hustle seem slow and slightly tired. To me, there were two phenomenal performances. Jennifer Lawrence completely stole the movie and will likely get her a second Oscar. The other was not nominated. Louis C.K. has created a character so real, honest, sad and hysterical. Both Bale and Cooper had wonderful moments but, in my opinion, they have no chance of winning. Sorry boys. The only performance I was just whelmed with was surprisingly Amy Adams. Her constant fluctuation of accents really threw me. (AND yes, I know it's supposed to add to her character because she's been pretending to be many people that she doesn't even know who she is but it just seemed a bit lazy to me). The only thing that distracted me more than the accents was her nipples. Seriously. I know, in great detail, the shape of Miss Adam's nipples. It added to the movie sometimes but sometimes it was like… dude.. that's your whole nipple. I really liked this movie but I think I am desperately in need of a second viewing.

According to Christian Bale much of the movie was improvised. So, during the shooting of the film he noted to David O. Russell, "You realize that this is going to change the plot greatly down track." To which the director replied, "Christian, I hate plots. I am all about characters, that's it."

Rosalyn Rosenfeld: Life is ridiculous. And you know that I would never say anything bad about your father in front of you, but your father is a sick son-of-a bitch.

Danny Rosenfeld: Daddy's a sick son-of-a-bitch?

Rosalyn Rosenfeld: Don't repeat that... but yes.

Annie Hall (1977)

2014-02-08T10:00:00.004-07:00

Neurotic New Yorker Alvy Singer (played by Woody Allen, of course) traces what went wrong in his relationship with Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) as they face personality quirks and differences which eventually turn their love into merely tolerating one another.

My history with Woody Allen can be split into two parts: the era before I saw Annie Hall, and the era after I saw Annie Hall. Pre-Annie Hall, I hated Woody Allen. I mostly enjoyed Match Point but I thought Vicky Christina Barcelona was a huge waste of time with a couple solid performances… and that was basically all I had seen or wanted to see of him. I didn’t care about his neurotic New Yorker shtick that I didn’t understand anyway as a Montanan that has never been to NYC. However, I knew Annie Hall had won Best Picture and was supposed to be great, so I felt obligated to check it out one summer about five years ago with pretty indifferent expectations. And color me surprised, I absolutely loved it. I laughed out loud several times and caught many instances that this film was referenced in pop culture that I was previously oblivious to, and it helps that I was now at an age where his themes and stories are more relevant and comprehensible. Here was a work that was not only very funny and insightful but also very personal without being too self-indulgent (unless you are not a fan of breaking the fourth wall, in which case you will probably hate this film). Damn it, I thought, now I have to watch more Woody Allen movies. I still don’t love everything he does and he makes a movie nearly every year so I have a long way to go but I very much enjoyed Manhattan and Midnight in Paris (I'm still processing Blue Jasmine although I did like it and Blanchett's performance was fantastic) and have many more on my to-do list. Your suggestions are very welcome; until then, give Annie Hall a first try or a second spin and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. On a side note: the quote at the bottom of this post NEVER ceases to make me laugh- I can never believe it when he says it.

Oddly enough, I really identify with Woody Allen in this movie. His constant nervous twittering that seems to go on forever about every single neurotic thing he's ever thought in his whole life….. I mean seriously. Is this me? Both Diane Keaton and Woody Allen are wonderful. Their awkward, yet charming interactions are so marvelous. I don't really have too much to say about this movie, I just really like it and liked seeing another "rom com" in the mix. The only other ones were It Happened One Night, Marty, and The Apartment. Annie Hall is in great company!

The passerby Alvy refers to as "the winner of the Truman Capote look-alike contest" is in fact Truman Capote, who appears uncredited.

Alvy Singer: My grammy never gave gifts. She was too busy getting raped by Cossacks.

Rocky (1976)

2014-02-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

Rocky Balboa, a smalltime boxer working for pocket change becomes a working-class hero when he is given a shot at the heavyweight champion title against Apollo Creed.

I grew up in a household with a huge movie collection because my father worked from home when I was young and used movies kind of like audio books to accompany his work. Dad’s collection consisted mostly of sci-fi and the one-man army action schlock of the 80’s and 90’s (which I still regard as a guilty pleasure), and yet out of all of them some of the films I watched the most often at that age were the Rocky films, especially Rocky IV. I mean c’mon! Lundgren was the biggest, scariest dude ever with a punch that could wipe out buildings and there were like seven montage scenes that pumped me up beyond reason and James Brown and Paulie’s really weird, completely unnecessary robot! Okay, I’ll admit that the sequels would get pretty silly, making it sometimes difficult to remember how fantastic and uplifting the original Rocky film is. This really is the ultimate crowd-pleasing underdog film of all time with really incredible performances (this film received four acting nominations) propelling charming characters. It’s really a film about people that have been told they are nothing their whole lives working hard to make themselves into something; Rocky’s infectious charm and confidence in asking Adrian on a date leads her to assert herself to her oppressive, self-loathing brother Paulie who finds his calling on Rocky’s team. A large part of what makes this film so inspiring is how it mirrors the real life of previously unknown Sylvester Stallone. After starring in a variety of second-rate thrillers and even some soft-core porn, Stallone wrote the screenplay to Rocky which against all odds received ten Oscar nominations and would ensure a decades-long career. Stallone would write and direct nearly every Rocky film (save the original and Rocky V), including the surprisingly excellent and necessary Rocky Balboa. I used to be upset that Rocky beat Taxi Driver as Best Picture as I am an avid Scorsese enthusiast, but I think I get it now: at the end of Taxi Driver, you kind of feel like shit and at the end of Rocky, you feel awesome. That’s the lasting legacy of Rocky, which continues to make people feel awesome decades later.

I liked Rocky but I will never like Rocky as much as Tim. I'm really glad I've finally seen it because there are so many pop culture references to it. When I was in the Czech Republic in college, our group went to a puppet theatre. There we got to see the theatre space and play around with puppets that were all so unique and different. When we were done, they brought us back into the theatre and performed a scene with puppets from Rocky V. It was in Czech so all I could make out was, "ADRIAN!" but it was hilarious. I think it's probably funnier now that I know what it's about…I mean…. it's Rocky. Everyone knows what it's about…but you know what I mean. A few months ago, Tim's 7th and 8th grade band performed the Rocky theme and he was talking to the audience about how fun Rocky was to perform. Then he said, "I showed them part of the movie. Don't worry… just the training montage……..no blood." It was pretty funny. And the movie was a great film about the awkward, yet deserving underdog.

When shooting the scenes in the meat-locker where he punches the slabs of beef, actor Sylvester Stallone punched the meat so hard for so long that he flattened out his knuckles. To this day, when he makes a fist, his knuckles are completely level.

Adrian: Why do you wanna fight?

Rocky: Because I can't sing or dance.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

2014-02-01T18:42:00.001-07:00

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" based on the book by Ken Kesey is about a convict, McMurphy (Nicholson) who pleads insanity to avoid jail. Once inside, he rallies the wards together to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched.

I’ve heard that this book, much like The Great Gatsby or The Catcher in the Rye, is not considered required reading in more and more High Schools which is truly a shame because I love all of those books. As a fan of Jack Nicholson even at an early age (I mean c’mon, he was The Joker many years before Ledger), I had seen the film prior to reading the book and may have been biased towards liking it. I understand that author Ken Kesey did not enjoy how this adaptation was handled because the shift of narrator from Chief to McMurphy diminishes Chief’s schizophrenic perceptions and significance in the story to make it into a starring vehicle for Nicholson, which is admittedly true. After all, Nicholson had cut his teeth on similarly-themed anti-establishment films like Easy Rider, The Last Detail and Five Easy Pieces and this film was perfect for him, leading to his first Oscar win. All that being said, this is still a fantastic film that keeps much of the book’s impact intact and perhaps even improves upon it in certain ways. This film is also notable for early appearances by Danny Devito, Christopher Lloyd, Vincent Schiavelli and the incredible introduction of character actor Brad Dourif, who would become the voice of Chucky and Wormtongue from the Lord of the Rings films. And how could we forget Louise Fletcher’s Oscar-winning turn as Nurse Ratched, a character who will have you yelling at the TV more than McMurphy over the baseball game. A perfect blend of humor, tragedy and social commentary, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest will stay with you forever.

No character in the history of the world will make you want to punch people square in the face quite like Nurse Ratched. (The only one notably close is Professor Umbridge from the "Harry Potter"series….) Louise Fletcher's performance is outstanding. The book was one I really enjoyed reading in High School. For those of you who know me, you know I could be quite a pill if forced to read something I wasn't totally interested in. I would read it… but my opinions would not be hushed. With "Cuckoo's Nest," I could hardly put the book down. Adding to Tim's earlier comment with the shift in narratives between Chief and McMurphy, if Chief had been the narrator of the film with all of his personalities, I think it would've taken away from the main plots of the film. Plus, the moment of the film when you realize the story is about the Chief makes his story much more powerful. Great movie! Great acting!

Louise Fletcher was so upset with the fact that the other actors could laugh and be happy while she had to be so cold and heartless that near the end of production she removed her dress and stood in only her panties to prove to the actors she was not "a cold-hearted monster".

McMurphy: [about shock treatments] They was giving me ten thousand watts a day, you know, and I'm hot to trot! The next woman takes me on's gonna light up like a pinball machine and pay off in silver dollars!

The Godfather Part II (1974)

2013-11-09T18:36:00.003-07:00

The saga of the Corleone family continues as the story of young Vito Andolini growing up in early 20^th century Sicily and New York is juxtaposed with Michael Corleone in the 1950’s as he expands the family business into Las Vegas, Cuba and Hollywood.

Well, we’ve finally arrived: this is my favorite film of all time. “Whoa, you mean you like Part II more than Part I?” Absolutely. With a bigger budget, more studio support and the confidence and audacity to bring an even more ambitious film to the screen, The Godfather Part II is the definition of lightning striking twice. The parallel telling of Vito seizing the American Dream by the throat as his youngest son Michael is tearing it apart decades later makes this uniquely American story a tragedy of Greek proportions. As Michael fools himself into thinking his family will be legitimate in a matter of years, he has become so out of touch with his Italian roots that the band hired to play music for his son’s first communion does not know any traditional Italian music. Michael’s increasing isolation and paranoia is evidenced by the completely locked-down Corleone compound he has built for himself and his need to completely eliminate his enemies- it would seem that the destruction of the Five Families at the conclusion of the first film merely scratched the surface of Michael’s bloodlust that his father would have never allowed.

In addition to absolutely flawless direction, writing and cinematography, this film features the finest ensemble acting you will ever see. While it’s criminal that Pacino did not win an acting Oscar for this film, nearly the entire cast was nominated including wins for De Niro and Gazzo. De Niro perfectly recreates and reinvents the gravitas and mannerisms of fellow winner Brando for the same character, and Gazzo’s scene at the prison with Duvall before his demise is just as chilling as the Judas kiss between Michael and Fredo. Cazale brings a vulnerability combined with a simmering under the surface that makes all of his scenes incredibly powerful- his declaration of frustration over his station in the family and his subsequent banishment by Michael is one of the greatest scenes in any film.

While the climax of the film mirrors the more action-packed baptism finale of the original Godfather, this ending is the quiet knife that is far more intimate and ultimately much more destructive to Michael’s already-dwindling spirit. Despite his mother’s claims that one cannot truly lose their family, Michael commits the ultimate sin after her death which ensures that his family and his soul will be forever shattered. The final shot of an aging Michael alone in a park contemplating his choices and his mortality while the leaves fall around him is one of the most memorable and powerful in all of cinema. Those that prefer the original Godfather will claim that it’s the original and it has Brando and more memorable quotes so it has to be better, but I feel that this film has more room to breathe and tell it’s story without establishing the characters and the traditions or rules of the Mafia- essentially, the original Godfather is necessary for this film’s greatness but Part II also makes Part I better. 1990’s controversial and less-appreciated The Godfather Part III is actually an excellent character study of Michael, and him coming to grips with the consequences and inevitability of his choices despite his efforts to redeem himself. I highly recommend it to everyone despite a more negative reputation; nevertheless, The Godfather Part II remains for me the heart and backbone of the greatest trilogy of all time and the finest film I have ever seen.

I don't really have very much to add. I think I really like part one better but part two is pretty darn good too. Now that I've seen the Godfather (all three parts) a lot more references in many movies make so much sense to me. Since watching it, I have noticed that references for this film are everywhere! We see mirrors in plot in many modern ways. If you have time, I wrote a post about how Arrested Development is basically humorous, non-violent Godfather that you might find interesting… however, I understand you just read quite a bit about the film already!!! http://katie-wolf.blogspot.com/2011/10/godfather-meets-arrested-development.html

Originally the actors in the flashback scenes wore pants with zippers. One of the musicians pointed out that the zipper had not been invented at that time, so some scenes had to be re-shot with button-fly trousers.

Michael Corleone: There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

The Sting (1973)

2013-11-03T18:40:00.004-07:00

In 1930s Chicago, a young con (Redford) teams up with Henry Gondorff, the master of deceit, to swindle an evil Irish banker, Lonnegan.

This is one of my very favorite movies. It's wonderful! The twist and turns keep you guessing until the very end, even if you've seen it before! The movie does get a little dark in places BUT it's mostly just a great time. The cons keep on coming. My favorite part is when two of the guys working for Neuman and Redford go into an office building dressed as painters. They kick the gentleman working in the office out because they say they will paint it. They change their clothes from painter to businessman, change around some photos around and viola! They have a seemingly legit office space. Once Lonnegan sees that they are legit, the two con men bail leaving the room half painted for the poor office guy to return to. It's just a really well thought out film. The Sting has been a Wolf Family classic, so much so that my brother Josh could be heard playing the film's theme, "The Entertainer" on the piano at all hours of the day. I can still hear it when it's really quiet….

What a pleasure it is to see the perfect chemistry of Newman and Redford back together again for The Sting. This is like the original Riggs and Murtaugh or the best example of a “buddy movie” I can think of, second only to their own Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Everyone seems to remember the lighter-hearted moments and the toe-tapping score of Scott Joplin’s ragtime but I had almost forgotten that there are some intense moments, too. Robert Shaw’s Doyle Lonnegan is a scary dude that kills several people- it’s a little like his later Jaws character except without humor or charm and extra helpings of crazy. Several humorous double-crosses and tricks between cops and robbers lead to the big con, a very satisfying, surprising and enjoyable conclusion that ensures this film’s classic status. I’d say more, but I don’t want to spoil the surprises and the fun of this great film.

Just prior to Elizabeth Taylor's presentation of the Best Picture Oscar for this film, the streaker Robert Opel darted across the stage as David Niven was introducing her. (see photo above)It was this incident (among others) that inspired singer Ray Stevens to write the song "The Streak" that went to the top of the US charts the month after the awards.

Luther: How much did you lose?

Johnny Hooker: [winces] All of it.

Luther: In one damn night? What are you spraying money around like that for, you could've been nailed.

Johnny Hooker: I checked the place first. There were no dicks in there.

Luther: But you're a con man! And you blew it like a pimp!

The Godfather (1972)

2013-10-05T21:01:00.002-06:00

If you need a plot summary for The Godfather, I pity you. Nevertheless, here it is: Don Vito is the head of the Corleone crime family in New York. His youngest son Michael returns from the war to attend his sister Connie’s wedding but vows never to be a part of his family’s criminal organization. When Vito refuses to be a part of drug trafficking, he is nearly killed and Michael steps in to fulfill and seal his fate as the doomed heir to the Corleone family legacy.

I still have a photographic memory of watching a preview of The Godfather trilogy on my Dad’s VHS of Star Trek: First Contact and being completely fascinated by it. So I asked for the trilogy on VHS and received it on my birthday during a family reunion in Minnesota when I was about 13 or 14. While everyone was off doing other things, I started the first film and was awestruck not only at the film but how my family member seemed to congregate one by one until almost all of us were watching it after the first hour. It’s been said many times before, but everything seems to perfectly fit in this film that crosses all demographics and would become the golden standard of crime dramas for all time. The Godfather has become so embroiled in American pop culture that you likely know several lines and plot points even if you’ve never seen it, and if you haven’t, it’s in your best interests not to admit it for the verbal badgering you will likely receive. The flawless writing, structure and performances combine to make a film that even bests its own source material; the screenplay wisely eschews some irrelevant material about Sonny’s mistress and her doctor from the book, some of which would be cleverly worked into Part III. There’s not really anything more to say about this incredibly rich and beautiful film without forcing in a tired quote, so I’ll just leave it at this: It’s The Godfather. See the damn thing already.

Everybody loves big romantic gestures, like Lloyd Dobbler in "Say Anything" holding the speaker up outside Ione Skye's window or when Harry runs to Sally during the New Year's Eve party in "When Harry met Sally" to tell her how much he loves her. Well, all I had to do was watch all three Godfather films in one day and my fate was sealed. How better to woo a man than to watch his three favorite movies? For Tim Pipinich, there really isn't. I really liked the Godfather. Before Tim, I didn't see myself watching it after hearing that a real horses head ends up in an enemy's bed in the movie (sure, it's a spoiler but you should know aHEAD of time!! Get it... a HEAD??) It's an amazing movie with outstanding performances. There is this really interesting theory about how oranges are present whenever something bad is about to happen in the trilogy. I do love me some symbolism, intentional or not. Interested? Check out this link! http://www.jgeoff.com/godfather/oranges.html

For the scene where Clemenza is cooking, Francis Ford Coppola originally wrote in the script, "Clemenza browns some sausage". Upon seeing this, Mario Puzo crossed out "browns" and replaced it with "fries", writing in the margin, "Gangsters don't brown."

Peter Clemenza: Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

The French Connection (1971)

2013-09-15T19:30:00.001-06:00

Alcoholic but dedicated New York police officer “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) and his partner Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) find themselves pursuing one of the biggest narcotic smuggling rings in the world when refined Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) attempts to facilitate major heroin shipments to New York from France.

Following the example set by In The Heat of the Night, The French Connection explores the gritty, seedy parts of urban life propelled by William Friedkin’s brave, pull-no-punches direction that elevates what could have been an exploitative thriller into art. This may be the only balls-to-the-wall action movie to win Best Picture; it’s fraught with foot chases and a righteously famous car chase that is one of the best you will ever see. The handheld camerawork (many years before Jason Bourne) brings an element of urgency and excitement to the film rarely seen before, and the acting and attention to detail are so authentic you would swear that a documentary is unfolding in front of you. After some minor TV appearances and a brief but memorable breakout performance in Bonnie and Clyde, Gene Hackman’s Oscar-winning performance would make him a big star for the next several decades. He hasn’t been in a film since 2004, and I really wish he would come back soon. To be completely honest, I think that fellow nominee A Clockwork Orange is a better film that lost over being too gratuitous and ahead of its time for many people and that Dirty Harry from the same year is arguably more intense and powerful. But there’s no denying The French Connection and its far-reaching influence on virtually every cops and robbers drama in film or TV today.

First time seeing this film as well and it is very evident that many action films used this as a template. The chase scene in particular was very suspenseful. So suspenseful that it actually caused a real unplanned car accident. Gene Hackman is basically trying drive thru traffic in New York and beat the subway system to catch a perp at the next stop. Needless to say, he was driving like a maniac. Throughout this whole movie you are wondering if Gene Hackman is really the good guy. He's definitely a loose cannon and while he has good cop moments, he also has some shitty cop moments. The ending is what makes the movie a game changer. It ends so much differently than you would expect. When it's over, you'll be scratching your head but it leaves you thinking about Hackman's morality. At the end of the day, he's not really a good guy and he might not even be a good cop. It's pretty unexpected and interesting. I recommend it! Definitely worth a watch or two.

The car crash during the chase sequence, at the intersection of Stillwell Ave. and 86th St., was unplanned and was included because of its realism. The man whose car was hit had just left his house a few blocks from the intersection to go to work and was unaware that a car chase was being filmed. The producers later paid the bill for the repairs to his car.

Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle: Now I'm gonna bust your ass for those three bags and I'm gonna nail you for picking your feet in Poughkeepsie.

Patton (1970)

2013-09-02T17:25:00.005-06:00

This film tells the story of General George S. Patton, tank commander and controversial military genius during his WWII career, including the invasion of Europe and the end of the Third Reich.

Half biopic and half war movie, Patton is a great film that is more interesting and entertaining than I remembered. Scott’s charismatic Oscar-winning performance is fantastic, even if he spends the majority of it calling everyone a bastard or a son of a bitch. In many ways, Patton the man feels like the opposite of Best Picture compatriot D.H. Lawrence of Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence was a reluctant and self-conscious man that never wanted to be an icon. Patton conversely wants the heroic spotlight as often as possible (I mean seriously, he fires a revolver at a fighter jet and made Nicholson’s Joker firing at the Batwing look like a pansy) and believes through reincarnation that he has been a warrior through the ages. His arrogance rubs some people the wrong way and he finds himself in the wrong decade when he faces immense fallout after kicking a “coward” out of a military hospital, and Patton’s faults and rude awakening at the changing of the times are the soul of this great film, even if it feels more like a throwback to films of decades past than a film of it’s own time. Even so, I highly recommend you check it out… you bastard.

Patton. I was very self-conscious on how to say it. PaTTon, Pa'en (like cockney style), Paddon, I don't know. It was hard for me. I'm not going to lie, I also was sick of war movies. I dislike Oliver! but at least that was a change from all the war movies. Because of this, it took a while for us to get to this movie. I simply needed a war break. This was a very good movie that started with the iconic scene of George Patton standing in front of an American flag, calling people bastards and giving them a memorable pep talk. So any time you see a pep talk in front of a flag (a humorous looney tunes episode comes to mind), you know where it comes from. Patton also disliked or mistrusted anyone who wasn't american. He's not a man who enjoys diversity and that leads to his demise. I'm not sure if I'll watch it again but it was definitely worth viewing once.

The movie begins without showing the 20th Century Fox logo, or any other indication that the film is starting. At military bases across the U.S., theater owners reported that soldiers in the audience would often stand up and snap to attention when they heard the movie's opening line ("Ten-hut!"), assuming it to be a real call to attention.

Patton: Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

2013-08-31T17:52:00.001-06:00

Cowboy wannabe Joe Buck (Jon Voight) comes to New York to be a hustler only to become a victim of the city’s unsympathetic, dog-eat-dog sensibilities. These qualities are mirrored and refracted by streetwise transient Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), whose relationship with Buck grows as Buck’s very troubled backstory unfolds.

This is the first and only X-rated film to win Best Picture, and while it’s pretty tame and easily in R-rated territory by today’s standards, this film remains a very tough pill to swallow. The plot summary reads like a relatively standard “two people from different sides of life find common ground and become friends against all odds” but there is far more depth and less conventionality to be found. Even if there wasn’t, this film is less a showcase of plot than of acting, and Voight and Hoffman deliver some of the best you will ever see. There’s no guarantee of a happy ending or that the characters will be made better by their situation, and the outcomes for Buck and Rizzo are not equal or fair. The first time I saw this movie, I was only 14 or 15 and far too young to appreciate it or detect the nuances. While it occasionally falls victim to the ‘60’s (like the overlong Warhol party scene), Midnight Cowboy is even today a brave, unique and unforgettable film that brought themes of homosexuality to the Academy Awards decades before Brokeback Mountain. Everyone deserves to see this film, and although it can be a road with rough terrain, the journey is worth it.

This was my first time seeing this movie and I didn't really know what to expect. The first hour is a silly, optimistic comedy about this bright-eyed country boy going to score some rich cougars in the big city. Sounds great, right? Well I think he goes to New York with about $60.00. Clearly that doesn't last very long. There is even a scene where Buck actually gives the woman he slept with $20.00 for a cab... Not super lucrative. The second half of the movie really changes things up and it gets pretty real when they have to squat in a condemned building just trying to get by. However, it still maintains some humor throughout. I agree with Tim, pretty tame for an R rated movie but groundbreaking at the time. Highly recommended!

In one particular scene, Ratso and Joe get into an argument over cowboys. Ratso states that "Cowboys are fags!" Joe's response is "John Wayne is a cowboy! Are you calling John Wayne a fag?" Coincidentally, Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight were nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for their roles as Ratso and Joe, respectively. They lost out - to John Wayne for his role in True Grit.

Ratso Rizzo: I'm walking here! I'm walking here!

Oliver! (1968)

2013-08-13T19:08:00.000-06:00

This musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist is about an orphan who is constantly hungry. He asks for some more gruel at the orphanage. They kick him out. Then he picks a pocket or two with the help of the Artful Dodger.

First, this movie BEAT Funny Girl! What the heck? This in no way, shape, or form compares to the quality in Funny Girl. FG is much more polished. AND BARBRA! She's brilliant!! Her single performance in FG is better than the entirety of Oliver! So why do I dislike Oliver!? WELLLL first of all, the musical is bogus. The book is not a fun, light book. It's depressing. Trying to make a fun musical about orphans is weird but in the last thirty minutes shit gets real. I mean dying whores real! It really is the most bipolar musical. Annie really takes this idea and perfects it. I mean it's a hard knock life but the end of Annie is so happy. ANd it's just too cute to be sad. Oliver! just ends... and not with an exclamation mark. Before you think that I am ripping Oliver! to shreds, I was in this play. AND I had to listen to the music every day for one whole summer. I mean, I was the Rose Seller... VERY VERY important! Jeeeeez! And if you are ever bored and want to try and find a video online with me doing an Oliver meets Elephant Man impression, I'm pretty sure it's why Tim fell so deep in love with me...

Where to begin? First of all, Oliver! is a perfectly okay film but the show itself is doomed at the drawing board. Most of the works of Charles Dickens don’t seem to lend themselves well to musicals and even in the narrow realm of musicals about beggars are there many better options, like Annie or The Newsies. Sure, these may be the happiest poor people since Burt in Mary Poppins but of course they’re hungry; think of all the calories that are needlessly burned by all that singing and dancing. Katie’s claim that this film is bipolar is best represented by how the fun and jaunty “Oom-Pah-Pah” song is almost immediately followed by Nancy being beaten to death by Sikes. The chase for Sikes goes on about ten minutes too long and oddly feels like the end of Frankenstein with all the torches and yelling. All this aside, there is one upsetting fact that ruins the whole film: Mark Lester, the child who plays Oliver, did not do his own singing in the film because he couldn’t carry a rhythm or a tune. He was overdubbed by the daughter (!?) of the music arranger/supervisor of the film. So this kid was cast as the titular character of a musical, stepping over the dozens of talented boys in the cast and they couldn’t even overdub him with one of those kids. Once you know this fact, you can’t ignore how Oliver’s thin singing voice is a girl and the movie is ruined. There may be a reason why a musical didn’t win Best Picture for 34 years after this. Ultimately, this film is more memorable but also far more frustrating than Gigi and I will be hard pressed to watch it again.

The first film with an MPAA rating to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Oliver Twist: Please sir, I want some more.

In the Heat of The Night (1967)

2013-08-11T15:29:00.004-06:00

In the small town of Sparta, MI, a wealthy and important local businessman is found dead in the middle of the street. Detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) of Philadelphia, on his way out of town from visiting his mother, is arrested for the crime simply because he is a black man with money. Tibbs’ name is quickly cleared but his boss and his pride demand that he stay and lend his expertise to local police chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger). As the compelling case is revealed, Tibbs is forced to confront not only the prejudices of southern United States and Gillespie but also his own.

Since we started this blog, I couldn’t wait to arrive here because Katie had never seen this film and it is one of my all-time favorites. On top of being a powerful character study and just a great suspenseful mystery, In the Heat of the Night is a relevant character study and parable about discrimination that makes fellow Best Picture nominee Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner seem quaint. That film was considered a “big deal” because a black man is involved in an interracial relationship- imagine the gasps that came from an audience in 1967 in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement when Tibbs is slapped by a plantation owner and Tibbs slaps him back. That scene alone brings my jaw to the floor every time and ensured that this film had no plans to make its impact quietly. The grainy cinematography that lays bare the gritty, urban landscape defined the cinematic look of the ‘70’s and would become standard in many of the finest films of the next 15 years. This film would spawn a sequel and a TV series but nothing could ever recapture the power of the original, which still stands as one of the greatest films of all time.

This was my first viewing of the movie and anytime it would come up in conversation, Tim would get so excited. "AHHH SOOO AMAZING!! AHHH AHHH!" Right before we started the movie, Tim was hoping he hadn't ramped it up too much. AND he hadn't. It's a damn good movie. The slap that Tim talks about it without a doubt the climax of the movie. When Mr. Tibbs leaves, the plantation owner is on the verge of tears because of two very important things. 1. Poitier packs a man-sized slap. 2. This man's whole way of life is over and that slap made him see that real quick. I don't think I will ever love this movie as much as Tim but it I did really enjoy it!

According to Sidney Poitier, Tibbs' retaliation slap to Endicott was not in the original script nor in the novel on which the film is based. Poitier insisted that Tibbs slap Endicott back and wanted a guarantee that the scene would appear in all prints of the film. According to Stirling Silliphant, the slap was in the original script though not in the novel.

Virgil Tibbs: They call me MISTER Tibbs!