As a moviegoer for
more than 70 years, I’ve seen some great movies, some not so great, some really
bad ones, some trying but failing to be deep and meaningful, some reveling in
their shallowness. I was born the year The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind
were released. My mother started taking me to the movies shortly after that. I
saw some movies that were definitely not PG rated. I can still remember being
afraid of The Thing and delighting in An American in Paris.
Many times I disagree
with the critics. I don’t call them and tell him what I think of their reviews,
so now that there is an internet for anyone to babble on, I add my voice. I’m
sure there are many of you who will disagree with my assessments. Some of you
will agree. I hope to hear from all of
you.
I finish with the Oscars this month. There are still some
good films, but I think the quality is starting to decline, as you will see.
Silliness and boring are taking over.
1988: Rain Man. A slick Tom Cruise and
autistic Dustin Hoffman play brothers on a cross-country trip. Ray Liotta and
Tom Hulce as Dominic and Eugene do it much better.
1989: Driving Miss Daisy. This is a
feel-good movie starring Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy and Dan Aykroyd. Thin
story, but watchable.
1990: Dances With Wolves. Kevin Costner,
Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene and a cast of hundreds star in a good movie. I
hated it when animals were killed. There are epic proportions here.
1991: Silence of the Lambs. FBI trainee
Jodie Foster interviews cannibal Anthony Hopkins to find insights into another
serial killer. She bites off more than even he could chew. Creepy and
unsettling as this film is, it is mesmerizing.
1992: Unforgiven. This film is one of the
few Westerns to get an Oscar. It is deserved. Clint Eastwood is a retired
gunslinger who agrees to do one last job. The excellent cast includes Gene
Hackman, Morgan Freeman, Richard Harris and Jaimz Woolvett.
1993: Schindler’s List. This film as
directed by Steven Spielberg is a little sappy, but the story is so powerful
that it is worth watching. Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes star.
1994: Forrest Gump. I can find nothing
positive to say about this movie. It is just one of the most stupid movies I’ve
seen. No way does it deserve an Oscar. Tom Hanks and Sally Field should be
embarrassed.
1995: Braveheart. A blue-faced Mel Gibson
slices and dices his way through this bloody but boring film. It garnered five
Oscars. I can’t imagine for what.
1996: The English Patient. Talk about
boring. This movie is the most boring of this group of films. I think I
actually fell asleep for a few minutes. Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem
Dafoe, and Kristen Scott Thomas star, but who cares.
1997: Titanic. I did not see this film,
but the trailer wasn’t compelling. I know a lot of you loved it.
1998: Shakespeare in Love. Why was this
flimsy film even nominated? Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush and
(two minutes of) Judi Dench star.
1999: American Beauty. Finally we have a
film with drama, humor, anguish, forbidden love and tragedy. It won five
deserved Oscars. Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Chris Cooper and Thora Birch
star. Talk about having a mid-life crisis.
2000: Gladiator. Superhero Russell Crowe
suffers through many trials to finally succeed. I know it wasn’t a great film,
but I loved it. Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris and Connie Nielsen
costar.
2001: A Beautiful Mind. Now here is a
movie worth Oscar consideration. Russell Crowe is brilliant as a gifted
economist who happens to suffer from schizophrenia. You agonize along with his
wife, Jennifer Connelly, and friend, Paul Bettany.
2002: Chicago. Wow, and all that jazz. This
is a delightful film. Loved it. Stars include Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard
Gere, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, and Renée Zellweger.
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the
King. This is too silly a movie on which to comment.
2004: Million Dollar Baby. Clint Eastwood
and Hilary Swank star in a film about risk-taking and tragedy. Not great, but
okay.
2005: Crash. If I didn’t know that Paul
Haggis directed, I would have thought this was a Robert Altman film. Lots of
people crash into each other in this film with racial overtones.
2006: The Departed. Oh dear, what a mess
this film is. Let’s see, it’s trite, been done, silly, overdone. However, Jack
Nicholson is hilarious in a death scene.
2007: No Country for Old Men. Tommy Lee
Jones, Josh Brolin, Kelly MacDonald and Javier Bardem star in a thin, bleak
story. Bardem is great as the villain.
2008: Slumdog Millionaire. I tried
watching this but only made it through 20 minutes. No further comment.
2009: The Hurt Locker. This film is tense,
well-written, and well-acted, but an Oscar? Jeremy Renner, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes
and David Morse star.
2010: The King’s Speech. The Brits really
know how to do it right. This is a wonderful film. Colin Firth, Helena Bonham
Carter, Geoffrey Rush and Michael Gambon shine.
2011: The
Artist. Who knew that to get an Oscar all you had to do was go back to
silent films? This was a creative film with much going for it. Jean Dujardin
and Bérénice Bego dance beautifully. Uggie is a loveable star. James Cromwell
and John Goodman costar.
2012: Argo. I like Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin
and John Goodman, and there is much to like about this film. It does, however,
miss the mark. It was not as tense as it should have been and there was too
much “Hollywoodizing” --changing the facts, etc. I liked it as I was watching
but reflecting on it later, I found it wanting.
