Gold and Lead

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.

Still some gold dust

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.

The golden age continues with some classics most of you will have seen or, at least, heard about. I enjoy revisiting these winners, and seeing the one or two I missed—usually with good reason.

1968: Oliver – I’m not sure how Dickens would feel about a musical version of his sad tale. But Oscar loved it by handing out six awards. Oliver Reed makes a good villain as does Ron Moody as Fagin. Some catchy tunes make this bleak story palatable.

1969: Midnight Cowboy – I haven’t seen the entire film, just bits and pieces. It doesn’t look like a film I would enjoy, so I have resisted it. Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight star.

1970: Patton – Loved this film. Great character study of a man obsessed with war. We were fortunate to have him available for WWII. George C. Scott refused the Oscar for Best Actor.

1971: The French Connection – Gene Hackman is a delight as “Popeye” Doyle. Good chase scenes. Lots of action. Roy Scheider and Tony Lo Bianco costar.

1972: The Godfather – What can I say? I doubt if any of you have not seen or heard about this film. Lots of blood and betrayal. Good acting and lovely music. Only negative I can find is that it glorifies a way of life that shouldn’t be glorified.

1973: The Sting – Any movie with Paul Newman and Robert Redford is a movie I will see. This one is just about perfect from beginning to end. Robert Shaw stars as the “mark.” The music is great. This film won seven Oscars, deservedly so.

1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – This film won the top five Oscars: picture, director (Milos Forman), screenplay, actor and actress. It is a powerful film that played on all my emotions.

1976: Rocky – This is a film I did not like. The story is trite, it is full of cheap sentimentality, and it is boring. I find it hard to believe that so many more films with the same characters were made.

1977: Annie Hall – Woody Allen and Diane Keaton in a romantic comedy. He’s--surprise--a neurotic writer; she’s an aspiring singer. But it all works to produce an entertaining romp. Tony Roberts and Paul Simon costar. The film won four Oscars.

1978: The Deer Hunter – Here’s another film I didn’t like. I know I’m supposed to, but alas it wasn’t to be. It was properly dark considering that it was about the Viet Nam war, but it failed to engage me. Ho Hum. Robert De Niro, John Cazale and Meryl Streep costar.

1979: Kramer vs. Kramer – This was an era of women trying to find themselves. The film is timely in that regard. I thought Dustin Hoffman should have won the lawsuit, but Meryl Streep prevailed.

1980: Ordinary People – Robert Redford’s first attempt at directing won him an Oscar for this intense film. Mary Tyler Moore’s favorite son has died. She is left with a son, Timothy Hutton, she doesn’t like. Donald Sutherland as the father is caught in the middle. I found myself hardly breathing during most of this film.

1981: Chariots of Fire – This is a really good feel-good film. Ben Cross and Ian Charleson portray runners competing for the British team for the 1924 Olympics. Who can forget the haunting music?

1982: Gandhi – Here’s another blockbuster with a terrific cast: Ben Kingsley in the title role, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard and John Mills. The only problem with this version of Gandhi is that other versions portray him as not quite so heroic. Who to believe?

1983: Terms of Endearment – From blockbuster to tearjerker. Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger star as mother and daughter who through their years together experience many emotions, but none as heartbreaking as the final one. Not a dry eye in the theater or in front of the television. Jack Nicholson stars as Shirley MacLaine’s love interest.

1984: Amadeus – Dry your eyes and get ready to smile. Who knew that Mozart, the megastar of music, was so appealing? Tom Hulce is adorable as the great composer. F. Murray Abraham plays a sort of villain.

1985: Out of Africa – Robert Redford and Meryl Streep shine in this golden film. Streep, as the author Karen Blixen, marries Klaus Maria Brandauer to get out of town. He moves them to Kenya. Having no love for her husband, she falls in love with big game hunter, Redford. Then the unthinkable happens. The film won seven Oscars.

1986: Platoon – Oliver Stone’s autobiographical film about Viet Nam. An idealistic soldier loses his stomach for war when he witnesses his comrades commit rape and murder. Tom Berenger, Willam Defoe and Charlie Sheen star.

1987:  The Last Emperor – This is a magnificent film with scope and good acting. John Lone is the emperor in the last years of the Ching Dynasty. Peter O’Toole plays his tutor. Joan Chen costars.

Golden Age

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.

The Next 20 Years of Oscar

These 20 years I consider the golden age of film. This list contains some of the greatest films ever made—all classics. If you want to fill in the gaps of your movie-going experience, I suggest you see these.

1948: Hamlet:  A classic film from a classic play with a classic cast took the honors this year. Laurence Olivier as Hamlet and Jean Simmons as Ophelia make this film come alive.

1949: All the Kings Men: This movie, loosely based on the life of Louisiana Governor Huey Long, stars Broderick Crawford, Mercedes McCambridge, John Ireland and Joanne Dru. Politics, power, corruption and betrayal make a fascinating character study.

1950: All About Eve: Fading actress (Bette Davis) hires aspiring actress (Anne Baxter) as her assistant, and a very bumpy ride ensues.  Gary Merrill, George Sanders, Marilyn Monroe and Celeste Holm costar. This film won four Oscars.

1951: An American in Paris: We have great singing and dancing in this film that stars Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Nina Foch and Oscar Levant. Kelly is a promising painter supported by gallery owner Foch. Along comes Caron as a lovely waif. Seven Oscars went to this film.

1952: The Greatest Show on Earth: Would you believe James Stewart as a clown? Anything can happen in this film based on the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus. Charlton Heston is the manager who holds things together for Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde and Dorothy Lamour.

1953: From Here to Eternity: This film earned eight Oscars and contains one of the all-time great love scenes—Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr rolling in the surf. We’re in Hawaii just before and during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra (won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role) and Ernest Borgnine also star.

 

1954: On the Waterfront: This may be Marlon Brando’s best film. He stars as Terry Malloy, a has-been fighter, who witnesses a killing. Powerful forces tell him not to testify, but the sister of the victim urges him to do the right thing. Starring are Rod Steiger, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb and Eva Marie Saint. The film won eight Oscars.

1955: Marty: This poignant film swept the Oscars. Butcher Ernest Borgnine  plays a mama’s boy who is shy and lonely. Will he ever find love? Betsy Blair co-stars.

1956: Around the World in 80 Days: David Niven, Cantinflas and half of Hollywood star in this delightful tale. Niven accepts a bet that he cannot go around the world in 80 days. Thus begins an adventure.

1957: Bridge on the River Kwai: Set in a Japanese prison camp in Burma during WWII, prisoners are ordered to build a railway bridge. They set to work to the tune of Colonel Bogey’s March. David Lean’s epic film stars Alec Guiness, William Holden and Jack Hawkins. The film won seven Oscars.

1958: Gigi: Leslie Caron is being raised by her courtesan grandmother to be the mistress of Louie Jordan. When she turns out to be a beautiful woman, Jordan wants to marry her. The grandmother is appalled. Maurice Chevalier sings: “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.”

1959: Ben Hur: The winner of 11 Oscars, this film stars a chariot race between Charlton Heston and Steven Boyd. Somewhere along the line, Jesus shows up for a cameo.

1960: The Apartment: Poor Jack Lemmon is forced by his boss, Fred MacMurray,  to make his apartment available for trysts. Shirley MacLaine is the love interest.

1961: West Side Story: I just saw this for the first time and, frankly, I was disappointed. The music was boring and the story trite. The dancing was very entertaining. Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer and Rita Moreno star. I don’t understand why it garnered so many Oscars.

1962: Lawrence of Arabia: This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Peter O’Toole as T.E. Lawrence, an English spy, who unites Arab tribes to fight against the Turks in WWI. Omar Sharif and Alec Guiness costar.

1963: Tom Jones: Albert Finney stars in a romp of a film. From orphan boy to thanking his secret birth for saving his life, he gallops through life bedding as many wenches as possible, including one he really shouldn’t have.

1964: My Fair Lady: Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn star in this familiar story. The film won eight Oscars.

 

1965: Sound of Music: Julie Andrews makes the hills come alive. A nice film, but not, I think, a great one. Christopher Plummer costars as the scion of the Van Trapp family.

1966: A Man for All Seasons: Henry VIII is looking for support to divorce his first wife. Paul Scofield, as Sir Thomas More, finds himself caught between his king and his church. Wendy Hiller and Orson Wells costar.

1967: In the Heat of the Night: Sidney Poitier is a northern detective stuck in the deep south when a murder occurs. He finds himself helping a racist sheriff, Rod Steiger.

The First 20 Years of Oscar

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.

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.

It’s Oscar time. I’m sure all of you know who he is. He is a 13.5-inch, 8.5 pound statue of gold-plated  beauty. Oscar’s design is of a knight in the art deco style; he is holding a crusader’s sword and is standing on a reel of film with five spokes. He is awarded to those who excel in all aspects of movie making. There are several theories of how he came by his name. Unfortunately, none can be proved. He is what he is.

The best movies of the first 20 years:

5/16/29: Wings:  Clara Bow, Richard Arlen and Gary Cooper star in this story of World War I fighter pilots. Given the technology of the times, it is very well done. It holds up nicely to today’s films.

4/3/30: The Broadway Melody of 1929: Two sisters, Anita Page and Bessie Love, head to New York to make it on Broadway. Charles King plays the hero, but the story doesn’t end well.

11/5/30: All Quiet on the Western Front: Lew Ayres is a young German soldier on the front line. This is a powerful anti-war film based on novel by Erich Maria Remarque. There have been remakes, but I much prefer this version.            

11/10/31: Cimarron: Yee haw. The great Oklahoma land rush of 1889 provides the backdrop for this film starring Robert Dix and Irene Dunne. The Edna Ferber novel provides the engrossing story.

11/18/32: Grand Hotel: If Greta Garbo really wanted to be alone she should have stayed away from this hotel. John Barrymore, Joan Crawford and many other stars shine in a collection of stories that take place in a Berlin hotel.

3/16/34: Cavalcade: I wasn’t able to find a copy of this film to watch. Clive Brook and Diana Wynard star in an adaption of a Noel Coward play about two English families in the years 1899-1933.

2/27/35: It Happened One Night: This is truly a classic film to be enjoyed by most everyone. Clark Gable, newspaper man, and Claudette Colbert, socialite on her way to elope with gold-digger boyfriend, meet and sparks fly.

3/5/36: Mutiny on the Bounty: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable and Franchot Tone star in this classic true story of mutiny at sea. Many remakes, but this version did, after all, win an Oscar.

3/4/37: The Great Ziegfeld: Based on the true story of the great impresario Flo Ziegfeld, this film is a joy to watch. Playing the title character is William Powell and our favorite costar Myrna Loy. Fanny Brice and Louis Rainer round out the cast.  Rising from carnie to Broadway darling, Ziegfeld lived the American Dream.

3/10/38: The Life of Emile Zola: Paul Muni plays the French writer who exposed the social ills of his day, including the Dreyfuss case.

2/23/39: You Can’t Take it With You: The legendary Frank Capra directs this adaption of the George S. Kauffman/Moss Hart play about the course of true love. Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, and James Stewart star.

2/29/40: Gone With the Wind: What could I possibly say that hasn’t been said before?

2/27/41: Rebecca: Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and George Sanders star in Hitchcock’s only film to win an Oscar. It is a haunting tale.

2/26/42: How Green was My Valley: This is a lovely movie about Welsh coal miners. Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, and Roddy McDowell star in John Ford’s film.

3/4/43: Mrs. Miniver: Greer Garson plays the strong wife of Walter Pidgeon during WWII. She manages with cool aplomb through tragedy.

3/2/44: Casablanca: This is another film that needs no explanation. How many times have you seen it?

3/15/45: Going My Way: The great crooner Bing Crosby plays a priest who is sent to a parish to care for Barry Fitzgerald, an aging, curmudgeon of a priest. A charming little movie.

3/7/46: The Lost Weekend: Billy Wilder directs Ray Milland and Jane Wyman in this film about a man left alone for a weekend who goes on a granddaddy of a binge.

3/13/47: Best Years of our Lives: Three WWII veterans return home to pick up the pieces of their lives, with varying results. Dana Andrews, Frederic March, Harold Russell, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright and Hoagy Carmichael star in a film that tries to show what is was like.                    

3/20/48: Gentleman’s Agreement: A reporter, Gregory Peck, starts a series on anti-Semitism by posing as a Jew. The results are dramatic and dangerous. Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield and Celeste Holm costar. This film haunted me for years. When I saw it as a young girl, I had not heard of anti-Semitism.