|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Feb 2, 2009 14:39:46 GMT -5
Cool. This will give you a chance to catch up. ;D
I haven't seen 14 of them. From THE GODFATHER (1973) to the present, I own a big chunk of them on DVD. And quite a few from before '73.
Even though I don't always agree with the Academy's choices, there really are some excellent films on that list that all movie fans should see.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Feb 3, 2009 8:52:26 GMT -5
Alright, so to get things rolling, I watched the film that beat STAR WARS for Best Picture...
ANNIE HALL (1977)
Romantic comedy about a neurotic New York comedian (Woody Allen) and his equally neurotic girlfriend, wannabe singer, Annie Hall (Dianne Keaton).
Told in flashbacks, the film follows the course of their relationship from their first meeting to their breakup.
Allen often breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to the camera, and even uses animation and subtitles for a couple of scenes.
Hadn't seen this one since the early 80's when I was about 15 or 16. I definitely enjoyed it and appreciated it more now. Is it good? Yes, but it's not better than STAR WARS, imho. I don't think it's even the best Woody Allen film I've seen, and I've seen most of them, but it's definitely worth a look.
7/10
These are the four films that ANNIE HALL beat that year:
THE GOODBYE GIRL
JULIA
STAR WARS
THE TURNING POINT
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on Feb 4, 2009 11:19:37 GMT -5
Forrest Gump-1994
I've seen this one before, so it's not one that is new to me, but frankly, I just can't seem to get into it. It might be the increasing improbability of everything that happened (I just can't buy into a film that makes the lead a Superman, able to do Herculean tasks with no problem at all, yet has a hard time mastering simple ones) and this one just is so improbable that I can't suspend my disbelief all that often enough to get into it. I spent most of the time just rolling my eyes and saying "Yeah, like that's ever going to happen in real life" and to do it for as long as this one is, as it's really close to bordering on my time-limit for movies in one sitting, is another thing for me to this one. It does toss off some funny moments at times, and the Vietnam sequence does give me some action, but that's about it for me.
7/10
These are the four films that FORREST GUMP beat that year:
FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL
PULP FICTION
QUIZ SHOW
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Feb 5, 2009 8:34:24 GMT -5
Yeah, but slayrrr, I think you're taking the film too literally, it's a fantasy. Of course it would be ridiculous for one man to have all the run-ins with famous people that Gump has, and to influence them the way he does. Or how he accidentally keeps finding himself in those amazing situations over and over again. If the movie were a serious drama I'd be right there with you. Didn't you get that it was a fantasy when as a kid his leg braces just magically fall off when he's running and he never needs them again? I never read the book, but I think Gump is supposed to be an idiot savant, you know like Dustin Hoffman in RAIN MAN, he was very slow at most things, but was a wiz with numbers. The whole movie is improbable, but a fantasy. You suspend disbelief and go with it. You know, like zombies or vampires.  Having said all that, personally, I like FORREST GUMP, but I think the winner that year should have been either PULP FICTION or SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Hope you don't mind, but I edited your post at the end there to show the other four nominees that year. I'll be doing that for all posts in this thread, guys. |
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Feb 5, 2009 10:10:35 GMT -5
THE STING (1973)
In 1930's Chicago, two con men (Paul Newman & Robert Redford) team up to pull off a huge con on a mob boss (Robert Shaw) who had their mutual friend murdered.
Great art direction, music, and a plot that includes several twists and turns. The performances by the three leads, as well as the supporting cast, are a lot of fun.
I enjoyed it, and I would've liked to have seen Newman and Redford team up at least once more, but it's not one of my favorites. Of the nominees that year, I would've picked either THE EXORCIST, one of my all time favorites, or AMERICAN GRAFFITI.
7/10
These are the four films that THE STING beat that year:
AMERICAN GRAFFITI
CRIES AND WHISPERS
THE EXORCIST
A TOUCH OF CLASS
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on Feb 5, 2009 11:41:52 GMT -5
Yeah, but slayrrr, I think you're taking the film too literally, it's a fantasy. Of course it would be ridiculous for one man to have all the run-ins with famous people that Gump has, and to influence them the way he does. Or how he accidentally keeps finding himself in those amazing situations over and over again. If the movie were a serious drama I'd be right there with you. Didn't you get that it was a fantasy when as a kid his leg braces just magically fall off when he's running and he never needs them again? I never read the book, but I think Gump is supposed to be an idiot savant, you know like Dustin Hoffman in RAIN MAN, he was very slow at most things, but was a wiz with numbers. The whole movie is improbable, but a fantasy. You suspend disbelief and go with it. You know, like zombies or vampires. Having said all that, personally, I like FORREST GUMP, but I think the winner that year should have been either PULP FICTION or SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Hope you don't mind, but I edited your post at the end there to show the other four nominees that year. I'll be doing that for all posts in this thread, guys. I didn't really see fantasy with it. It looked more like a drama to me. Mildly funny at times, but still a drama. I would've been able to suspend disbelief it it gave much evidence to support it, but that leg-brace thing just proves to me that it was meant to be a film with those situations simply for no real point. And I don't mind the edits, I wouldn't have known otherwise. |
|
raina
Junior Member
Posts: 77
|
Post by raina on Feb 7, 2009 12:25:24 GMT -5
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
It was nice to revisit this one again, I bought it awhile ago and hadn't gotten around to re watching it.
Certainly deserving of the win, its one of the best book to film adaptations I have seen. The film is smart, creepy as hell, well directed and wonderfully acted. Anthony Hopkins earned his Best Actor Oscar, despite not having a whole lot of screentime. His performance as serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter is chilling, fascinating and unforgettable. And Jodie Foster, as Clarice Starling, is every bit as good.
10/10
Films that Silence of the Lambs beat for the Oscar that year:
Beauty and the Beast
Bugsy
JFK
The Prince of Tides
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on Feb 8, 2009 11:30:08 GMT -5
Gandhi-1982
Good God, was this one massive. I think it's earned the honors (whether I want to admit to it or not) of being the longest movie I've ever sat through. That lead to most of the time trying to wonder whatever was on, but when I was paying attention to it (which was around the 80-90% mark, so I did watch a lot of it) it simply proved two things to me: this is so not the kind of movie I'd ever watch, or own, ever again and that the man's life was pretty interesting. It's just not my thing, which is certainly fine at times.
The length got to me, and the subject matter wasn't anything I'm used to, but I'll be nice to it, as befitting his personal beliefs:
8/10
These are the four films that GANDHI beat that year:
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
MISSING
TOOTSIE
THE VERDICT
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Feb 10, 2009 8:34:43 GMT -5
Raina, I completely agree with your comments regarding SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. I think both, BEAUTY & THE BEAST and JFK are excellent films, but I think the Academy made the right pick that year.
Slayrrr, I agree that length-wise, GANDHI is a "bladder-buster". To me, that's a very good film, but it's mostly about Ben Kingsley in the starring role. Just one of the all-time great performances.
Personally, I prefer E.T. and TOOTSIE, but we all know how the Academy feels about rewarding "popular films" over "serious art". Been meaning to rewatch THE VERDICT.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Feb 10, 2009 9:11:36 GMT -5
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
A hunter (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon a drug deal gone horribly wrong. Dead bodies, a pickup truck full of heroin and a satchel full of money. He takes off with the money and hot on his trail is Anton Chigurh, a seemingly unstoppable, emotionless, psychopathic killer. He's the Terminator with a bad hairstyle and an air gun. He even performs surgery on himself, like Arnie did in the original TERMINATOR. Javier Bardem is just stunning as Chigurh. Creepy as hell and you can't take your eyes off him.
Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones as the sheriff, are both excellent as well. One of the best by the Coen brothers and it definitely deserved to win over all it's competition that year, none of which impressed me all that much.
9/10
These are the four films that NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN beat that year:
ATONEMENT
JUNO
MICHAEL CLAYTON
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Feb 10, 2009 18:19:32 GMT -5
GIGI (1958)
Well, here's one I've always heard of, but had never seen before.
Musical about Gaston, a rich playboy, bored with upper class Parisian society, who falls for Gigi, a young courtesan-in-training. Typically, it starts out as a platonic friendship, but when Gaston notices that the tomboyish Gigi has matured into a woman, need I say more?
The songs are clever, a couple of them are classics, and Leslie Caron as Gigi was a cutie, but I found it too similar to the superior MY FAIR LADY.
5.5/10
These are the four films that GIGI beat that year:
AUNTIE MAME
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
THE DEFIANT ONES
SEPARATE TABLES
I guess I would choose THE DEFIANT ONES as my favorite nominee of that year, even though I haven't seen it in years. Wasn't crazy about ...HOT TIN ROOF and I've never seen the other two.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Feb 11, 2009 13:02:57 GMT -5
THE APARTMENT (1960) Funny Billy Wilder movie that surprisingly also features some darker moments. Jack Lemmon stars as C.C. Baxter, a clerk in an insurance company. Trying to quickly advance up the corporate ladder, he agrees to let co-workers use his apartment for their extra-marital flings. When his boss (Fred MacMurray) finds out, he promotes Baxter, in exchange for letting him use the apartment as well. Problem is, Baxter finds out that his boss' mistress is Fran (Shirley MacLaine), a pretty elevator operator that Baxter likes too. Jack Lemmon really was one of our finer actors. Playing the befuddled type of character almost better than anyone back then. MacLaine and MacMurray are also excellent. 8/10 These are the four films that THE APARTMENT beat that year: THE ALAMO
ELMER GANTRY
SONS AND LOVERS
THE SUNDOWNERSI guess as of right now, THE APARTMENT gets my vote too. I've now seen it twice, but I've never seen any of the others. 
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on Feb 12, 2009 11:14:38 GMT -5
Terms of Endearment-1983
Hmm, what can I say about this one? So hard for me to really get into this one, the complete opposite of what I watch that I sat there most of the time, not really bored, but just trying to figure out why I was watching it. There wasn't a whole lot of points that I usually watch these movies for, as I didn't really laugh at it, there wasn't a whole lot of bodies blasting apart, nothing blew up and no one got naked, just scene after scene of people acting. I can't say I had the urge to turn it off, but it just wasn't for me.
5/10
These are the four films that TERMS OF ENDEARMENT beat that year:
THE BIG CHILL
THE DRESSER
THE RIGHT STUFF
TENDER MERCIES
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on Feb 13, 2009 10:10:29 GMT -5
...there wasn't a whole lot of bodies blasting apart, nothing blew up and no one got naked, just scene after scene of people acting. 5/10 LOL! Yeah, I can't stand when actors just "act" either. ;D ALL THE KING'S MEN (1949) Chronicles the rise of a southern politician who starts out with the best of intentions, but is corrupted as he rises in power. Broderick Crawford gives a great performance as Willie Stark the politician, and won the Oscar that year for Best Actor. The movie was decent, but I found myself getting bored from time to time. Interesting to note that his co-star Mercedes McCambridge, who plays his aide, and also won for Best Actress, would later gain cult status as the voice of the demon in THE EXORCIST. 6/10 These are the four films that ALL THE KING'S MEN beat that year: BATTLEGROUND
THE HEIRESS
A LETTER TO THREE WIVES
TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH Haven't seen any of the others. |
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on Feb 14, 2009 11:14:38 GMT -5
Patton-1970
What's this? A Best Picture winner I've seen before this year? The hell you say. Yes, this is one I've actually seen before (ok, maybe Forest Gump isn't exactly new either) but considering it's age, wasn't likely to happen. Still, this one was a lot of fun when I first saw it and still holds up rather well. Since it was just starting to get into the big, epic scope of 70s action films, this one manages, for me at least, to coast on it's action scenes pretty much for most of the running time. The African desert battle is one of the most impressive ones I've ever seen, and still holds up well, as does the battles at Corsica and the final one during the Battle of the Bulge. Sure, it gets "acty" during the middle, and it does get a little long-winded with it's length, but it's still not enough to really knock it down for me.
8.5/10
These are the four films that PATTON beat that year:
AIRPORT
FIVE EASY PIECES
LOVE STORY
M*A*S*H
|
|
