Nashville New Releases - September 23, 2011

It’s that time of year again!  Fall is in the air, college football is on TV and almost every weekend another Oscar hopeful film comes out.  There are several new releases to the Nashville Area this week and one in particular that has some pretty serious Oscar implications. 

MONEYBALL

MONEYBALL is the one to watch this week; both in actually seeing the film as well as its progress throughout the 2011 awards season.  MONEYBALL stars Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymour Hoffman and is based on the true story of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s, and his avant-garde approach to building a successful baseball team.  The film is directed by Bennett Miller, who also directed the Best Picture nominee, CAPOTE.  Aaron Sorkin, Adapted Screenplay Oscar winner for THE SOCIAL NETWORK, had a hand in writing the screenplay for this film as well.  MONEYBALL premiered recently at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival to great reviews, including 3 ½ stars by Peter Travers.  Despite its early release, MONEYBALL has major Oscar potential and could very well be in the best picture race.  It’s also one of my most anticipated films of the year.

ABDUCTION stars the non-sparkly, but hairy TWILIGHT boy, Taylor Lautner, who plays Nathan, this guy who finds out he was abducted when he was little.  ABDUCTION at the moment has 29 reviews with a 7% on Rottentomatoes.  It’s directed by John Singleton and stars: Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello and Sigourney Weaver, though if you’re like me you’d rather be stuck in space with an alien than in a theatre watching this film.  With a poster that straight ganks the vibe from the BOURNE IDENTITY, ABDUCTION’s early reviews all site a niche in the teenage girl department.  Knock yourselves out, girls!

KILLER ELITE

If ABDUCTION isn’t intense enough for you, there’s always the yearly film in which Robert De Niro chops away at his once stellar career with a throw-away action/comedy flick.  This time it’s action, but the throw-away remains.  KILLER ELITE is directed by Gary McKendry stars Jason Statham, the go-to guy for action films and Clive Owen, another actor who we should keep an eye on lest he go off the deep end.

DOLPHIN TALE

If you’re looking for something tame (or lame) this weekend, DOLPHIN TALE is actually getting remarkably positive reviews this early; being hailed as one of the best family films released so far this year.  The film is inspired by the true story of a dolphin that lost its tale, yet with the help of some token characters in the film, learns to swim with a fake tail.  Dolphin Tale is directed by Charles Martin Smith and has an all-star cast including: Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson and Morgan Freeman.  DOLPHIN TALE will also be screened in 3D if only for the water to splash you when he jumps into the air.

Wizard of Oscar - 1964

Main Events

First Ford Mustang made

Martin Luther King, Jr. receives Nobel Peace Prize

U.S. Surgeon General reports smoking may lead to 

lung cancer

Beatles first appearance on Ed Sullivan show

Winner: My Fair Lady

Nominees:

 - Mary Poppins

 - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

 - Becket

 - Zorba the Greek

My Fair Lady ***1/2 out of ****

Director: George Cukor

Starring: Rex Harrison, Audrey Hepburn, Stanley Holloway, Gladys Cooper

Wins (12): Picture, Director, Actor (Harrison), Adapted Score, Sound Mixing, Art Direction (Color), Cinematography (Color), Costume Design (Color)

Nominations (8): Supporting Actor (Holloway), Supporting Actress (Cooper), Adapted SP, Film Editing

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Audrey Hepburn plays Eliza Doolittle, a poor Cockney girl who is the subject of a bet between to two linguistic experts, Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison) and Colonel Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White). The challenge is to uproot her from her upbringing in the poverty-stricken streets of London and to transform her appearance, behavior and dialect so that she is unrecognizable.  Higgins and Pickering have lots of fun together with the wager and care very little for the feelings of Eliza.  The acting is superb, (Rex Harrison won for Lead Actor) and the musical numbers are entertaining.  This is an epic film that has a running time close to 3 hours.  That doesn’t bother me much this time since the film is entertaining and well done.  The costumes are incredible.  My Fair Lady has some of the most extravagant movie sets I’ve ever seen.  The sets in night-time London are larger than life and intricately designed.  My Fair Lady is based on the Broadway musical, which is based on the Broadway play by George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion.  The film really gives off that “play” feel, but it’s not necessarily stagey because the sets are so humungous.  Still, one gets the feeling that one is watching a live production.  The exchanges between Pickering and Higgins are well played and humorous.  I can’t help but notice the close relationship between these two gentlemen.  They fawn over Eliza’s for the sake of the bet, but take no interest in her emotionally.  On the contrary, they are more impressed with each other.  Moreover, Higgins takes great delight in the opinion of his mother.  Coupled with the lack of chemistry between Henry & Eliza, I can’t help but come to the conclusion that Higgins and Pickering are in love; a subtle point very much alive in the film, I think.  Such a close relationship between two male characters in a non-obvious way is a common theme through the Best Pictures of 1964. 

Mary Poppins  **** out of ****

Director: Robert Stevenson

Starring: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke

Wins (5): Actress (Andrews), Original Song, Original Score, Film Editing, Visual Effects

Nominations (13): Picture, Director, Adapted SP, Adapted Score, Sound Mixing, Art Direction (Color), Cinematography (Color) Costume Design (Color)

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Watching Mary Poppins takes me back to my childhood.  It’s great re-watching a film that I had seen so many times so long ago.  Little segments that mean little to the overall production are the very things that I had tucked away in my memory and which soared to the surface on this viewing.  Mary Poppins is based on a series of books from the early 30’s by P.L. Travers.  It’s impressive that a film which appeals so much to children can also appeal to the Academy in such a way that they would choose to nominate it as one of the best of the year.  Like My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins is set in London, but the tone and color palette have a more imaginative and creative element in comparison to the former.  From the canons on the roof to jumping into chalk pictures, Mary Poppins takes pleasure in its creativity.  The musical numbers are brilliant and the choreography is incredible (i.e. chimney sweeps).  Dick Van Dyke was left out in the cold without the nomination for supporting actor.  Julie Andrews won Best Actress for her portrayal as Mary Poppins and she is a pure delight on screen.  The film showcases one of the first and best uses of live action combined with animation.  I can’t help but compare Mary Poppins to the other film starring Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music, where here too she arrives on the scene to remedy the attitudes of unruly children.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb **** out of ****

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Starring: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott

Wins (0):

 Nominations (4): Picture, Director, Actor (Sellers), Adapted SP

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

It may take a few viewings, but once Dr. Strangelove really sinks in it clicks.  Dr. Strangelove is cold war, nuclear war-fare satire with some of the best acting I’ve ever seen.  Stanley Kubrick was not just a stylistic director.  You can tell with Strangelove that he got the most out of his actors.  Kubrick’s trademarks are apparent, but they take a backseat to the performances of the actors.  The cinematography is a stark black and white (mostly black) and is conducive to its bleak and minimal art direction.  Dr. Strangelove is the perfect combination of humor and truth.  It’s a humorous, yet real commentary on the cold war and the state of the world at that time.  Everything from              political mumbo jumbo in the war room discussions to the double-checks of the double-checks of the pilots in the bomber are funny because it’s real.  George C. Scott was completely snubbed out of a supporting nomination.  He gives one of the best comedic performances in movie history.  Not only should he have won, but he should have edged out Van Dyke (not nominated) for the win.  Peter Sellers earned his Lead Actor nomination by playing three separate characters.  The War Room scenes are solid gold.  The absurdity of the laws, bi-laws, policies and procedures combined with the absurdity of the politician’s and the general’s conversations are hilarious, yet eerily real.  The finale, of course, is Sellers part as Dr. Strangelove, himself.  Bravo to the Academy to nominate this for Best Picture.

Becket **1/2 out of ****

Director: Peter Glenville

Starring: Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, John Gieglund

Wins (1): Adapted SP

Nominations (12): Picture, Director, Actor (Burton), Actor (O’Toole), S. Actor (Gieglund), Original Score, Sound Mixing, Art Direction (Color), Cinematography (Color), Costume Design (Color), Film Editing

Rotten Tomatoes: 75%

Becket is another one of those long, adapted, medieval films based on real characters.  It’s adapted from a Broadway play and T.S. Elliot book, Murder in the Cathedral.  Becket is about the complicated relationship of Thomas Becket (Richard Burton) and his good, close friend King Henry II (Peter O’Toole).  Henry is increasingly constricted by the power that the clergy holds and makes Becket, his chancellor, Archbishop of Canterbury in an effort to gain some of that power.  Of course, his plan backfires and the 2 good friends are split apart. The film is sort of serious at times, but most of the scenes between Henry and Becket are light-hearted, humorous and a little gay.  Henry’s womanizing verges on silliness and provides a lot of the “fluff” of the film.  His wing man, Becket, looks on as a mother who takes pure delight in her unruly child.  However, I wouldn’t say that this film is quite as long-winded as those other period pieces that tend to last forever.  Perhaps it is the light nature of the film that helps it move along, but light-heartedness becomes a problem when the tone turns dark.  It becomes difficult for the audience to go from light to heavy.  However, I can see how this got the Best Picture.  It’s got the cast, the sets, the costumes, decent writing and acting.  After all, this is Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole we’re talking about.  Becket conforms to the gay theme of the year as Henry and Becket are two peas in a pod.  Henry as good as says several times how he loves Becket and weeps over his absence.  It’s an undertone that shows its true colors perhaps a little more blatantly than was intended.

Zorba the Greek  *1/2 out of ****

Director: Mihalis Kakogiannis

Starring: Anthony Quinn, Lila Kedrova

Wins (3): S. Actress (Kedrova)

Nominations (7): Picture, Director, Actor (Quinn), Adapted SP, Art Direction (B&W), Cinematography (B&W)

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

I may be in the minority here, but that in no way hinders me from disliking this film.  Anthony Quinn is Zorba and he follows a young man, Basil, who is moving to Crete to reopen his family’s coal mine.  Zorba and Basil have quite the relationship not at all unlike those of Higgins and Pickering or King Henry II and Becket.  They live in a small house together.  They tinker around in a small town where nothing seems to have anything to do with the story.  There are a couple of scenes where Zorba dances.  I can only assume this is important or acts as some kind of plot point or bond between the two men since the film ends with Basil asking Zorba to teach him to dance.  Verily, the film returns to the rebuilding and repairing of the mine, but it never really devotes itself to this.  Like the dancing, the mine subplot is throw-away.  Now and then subplots with secondary characters occur, but this only makes the clock tick ever longer.  Zorba the Greek can’t seem to focus on what it’s about.  It never stays on any concept long enough to mean anything.  It’s not about the dancing, the coal mine, or the relationship between the two men.  It’s a bad film.

FINAL VERDICT

Should Have Won:     Mary Poppins

 Mary Poppins is the more engaging, whimsical, creative and entertaining film nominated in 1964.  It’s the best film and should’ve won.  My Fair Lady was just too big of a film to not win.  1964 is an improvement upon the milquetoast year that was 1963.  We still have those huge, epic, long films, but they are at least mildly entertaining and engaging in this year.  As is not uncommon, all 5 Best Picture nominees were also nominated for Best Director.  4 of the 5 films take place in Europe and the 5^th film was directed by and starred 2 Brits.  Something interesting to note, all of the Best Picture nominees were adapted from a different source (Becket won for Adapted Screenplay).  It feels like the Academy was on an adaptation fix; something that dies out over the next few years.  Best enjoy the epics while they last because the film industry undergoes an epic transformation in the late 1960’s.  Goodbye the epic dominance and hello indies!  

The Belcourt Theatre Classic Film - September 9th & 10th

In the Nashville area, signs of fall are becoming more and more apparent.  With the beginning of a new season comes the ending of another.  The Belcourt Theatre’s fantastic summer program, Second Saturday Outdoor Cinema, comes to an end this Saturday, September 10^th at sunset when it will screen the 1960 classic Hitchcock thriller, Psycho.  As usual, this screening is free, open to the public and will be projected onto the wall of the Belcourt.  Be sure to grab a good seat in the parking lot and bring snacks!  There’s nothing quite like the programming of the Belcourt Theatre and I can’t think of a better way to say hello to the fall than watching this classic film outdoors.

Also playing at the Belcourt this Saturday and Sunday is 1940 classic film, The Grapes of Wrath directed by the legendary John Ford and stars Henry Fonda.  This is an epic, beautiful film based on the John Steinbeck timeless novel written just one year previously.  The Grapes of Wrath is one of the greatest films ever made and it’s always exciting to have an opportunity to see such a film on the big screen.  The Grapes of Wrath sits at #23 of the AFI Top 100 and currently resides in my own personal Top 100 as well.  It was nominated for Best Picture in 1939 and John Ford won the Oscar for Best Director.  Henry Fonda was nominated for Best Actor and Jane Darwell won for Supporting Actress.  There are only 2 screenings for this film and following the 7:00 screening on Sunday, join the crowd at Fido’s across the street for Cinematic Conversations.  My gut tells me the discussion is about John Ford/Henry Fonda collaborations.  See below for The Grapes of Wrath Screenings

Saturday 10^th – 1:55

Sunday 11^th – 7:00       - Cinematic Conversations at Fido’s following the screening

The Belcourt Theatre - September 9-15

It’s that time of year where the Nashville Area becomes more acquainted with the upper echelon of the 2011 films.  Thanks in large part to the Belcourt Theatre, we Nashvillians have exposure to some of the greater films out there.  This year is no different.


September 9-12, the Belcourt Theatre will screen a 4-day run of Project Nim, the critically acclaimed documentary about the chimpanzee, Nim, who was raised like a human child by a real family and subjected to lengthy, sketchy studies in the 1970’s.  Project Nim is sitting on a strong 97% on RottenTomatoes.com and an 83 on Metacritic.  The film’s reputation precedes it; performing well at many film festivals including Los Angeles, Edinburgh, Full Frame and Sidewalk Film Festival.  It’s directed by James Marsh, the Oscar winning director of Man On Wire.  Project Nim is one of the most talked about documentaries of 2011 and is sure to rack up some accolades come awards season.  We have only 4 days to catch this film at the Belcourt so mark your calendars for this one.  See below for Project Nim’s schedule at the Belcourt.

Friday  9          4:30, 8:25
Saturday 10      12:00, 4:30, 8:25
Sunday 11        12:00, 3:00, 5:00
Monday 12      3:00, 7:00

Also beginning Friday, September 9^th at the Belcourt Theatre is the British action/sci-fi/comedy, Attack the Block, about a gang of Londoners who come across a crash-landed alien.  As more of these creatures invade, the gang finds itself in an all-out street war with this group of misguided extra-terrestrials.  Attack the Block is directed by Joe Cornish (also screenwriter of the upcoming Spielberg film, The Adventures of Tintin) and is produced by the same guys who brought us Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.  Attack the Block does not yet have an end date at the Belcourt, but don’t procrastinate.  You very well may want to see it twice.  Attack the block is set to play this Friday, September 9 through next Thursday, September 15 at 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00 & 10:00.

Franklin Theatre - September 9th - 11th

The Franklin Theatre is jam packed this weekend with movies for your viewing pleasure.  Busting right out of the gates, the Franklin Theatre wastes no time in providing continuous options for film lovers following a complete overhaul earlier this summer.  The Franklin Theatre is one of very independent arthouse theatres in the Nashville area.

SUPER 8 - Friday, September 9^th – 1:20 PM
J.J. Abram’s science fiction thriller centers around a group of teenagers sneaking out I in the middle of the night to make a film.  What they witness turns their attention to more important matters and puts them right in the middle of a real-life monster movie?  If you’re looking for a fun time at the movies, then this is it.  Super 8 is one of the more exciting and nostalgic films of the year.






WINNIE THE POOH – Saturday, September 10^th – 10:00 AM
Bring the whole family this Saturday morning at 10:00 AM where there will be a screening of the new Winnie the Pooh.  The film has received great reviews and currently sits at 91% on Rottentomatoes.com.  This is a perfect opportunity to make a memorable moment with the family.  Get the kids up early, grab some breakfast Merridee’s or the Franklin Mercantile Deli and catch this screening of Winnie the Pooh.  You’ll be home just in time for a long nap and the Alabaama/Penn State game.





 ANNIE HALL – Sunday, September 11^th – 4:00 PM
It’s “supposed” to rain this Sunday.  Would you like to know what Alvy Singer would do?  He would probably spend the day in a movie theatre.  To me, nothing sounds better than spending a rainy day indoors and watching one of the greatest films ever made.  What's more, you get to see it on the big screen.  Woody Allen directs and stars opposite Diane Keaton in the ultimate romantic comedy.  Annie Hall won the 1978 Oscar for Best Picture and it sits at #35 on the AFI Top 100.  What better way to wind down the weekend?

The Wizard of Oscar - 1963

Main Events

John F. Kennedy Assassinated

Doctor Who airs on BBC

Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream” speech

Marvel releases first X-Men comic

Winner: Tom Jones

Nominees:

 - America, America

 - Cleopatra

 - How the West Was Won

 - Lilies of the Field

Tom Jones *** out of ****

Director: Tony Richardson

Starring: Albert Finney, Susannah York

Wins (4): Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Score

Nominations  (10): Actor (Albert Finney), S. Actress (Diane Cilento), S. Actress (Edith Evans), S. Actress (Joyce Redman), S. Actor (Hugh Griffith), Art Direction (Color)

Rotten Tomatoes: 81%

With Tom Jones, I feel like there’s something below the surface that I’m aware of, but not totally getting.   The film jests at the idea of these period pieces that were so prevalent leading up to the mid-60’s.  It’s a convoluted story based on the classic novel by Henry Fielding, “The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling”.  At the estate of a Squire, Tom Jones (Albert Finney) is scandalously born the illegitimate son of two servants of the Squire.  They are fired and Tom is then raised as the Squire’s own son.  We follow Tom as he regularly gets into trouble, whores around and breaks the 4^th wall.  Amid all of his adventures, Tom pretty much ignores Sophie, (Susannah York) the one woman who really cares for him.  All in all, Tom Jones is fun and a decent film.  This is not a Best Picture, though

Favorite Scenes/Shots:  The scenes in which the characters are lavishly and messily feasting on fattening and greasy chicken legs; a wink at so many cliché scenes of feasts in films during that time.

Final Verdict: Should Have Been Nominated

America, America  *** out of ****

Director: Elia Kazan

Starring: Stathis Giallelis

Wins (1): Art Direction (B&W)

Nominations (4): Picture, Director, Original Screenplay

Rotten Tomatoes:  N/A

Elia Kazan directs a cast of virtual unknowns in this very independent film about a young Greek man, Stavros, as he travels to Constantinople to work with his father’s cousin in the hopes of gradually moving the rest of his family there.  However, Stavros’ own intentions are to make enough money to go to America.  As always, nothing goes as planned.  Travesty after travesty occur Stavros.  He is hoodwinked by shady characters and he himself does a bit of hoodwinking, as well.  America, America is 3 hours long and is a slow-burning and compelling story.  You can tell from watching that film that this is a passion project for Kazan, who was making it for himself.  It’s shot in a grainy black and white and there’s nothing fancy about it. 

Favorite Scenes/Shots:  Stavros being followed around by a deranged scoundrel that total screws Stavros over.  Stavros gets the last laugh, though

Final Verdict: Should Have Been Nominated

Cleopatra  *1/2 out of****

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison

Wins (4): Art Direction (Color), Cinematography (Color), Costume (Color), Visual Effects

 Nominations (9): Picture, Actor (Rex Harrison), Score, Sound Mix, Film Editing

Rotten Tomatoes: 38%

Cleopatra is a catastrophe directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.  The film was a disaster from the beginning and almost sent 20^th Century Fox into bankruptcy.  Cleopatra originally had a $2M budget, but ended up spending $44M on production ($320M 2010 equivalent).  The first 6 months of filming was completely unusable when the first director, Rouben Mamoulian, split.  What’s more, the film is awful and is over 4 hours long.  It drifts along without any real direction or point to the story.  It goes nowhere.  Cleopatra is basically the relationship of Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison) and Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) for the first half and then the relationship of Mark Antony (Richard Burton) and Cleopatra in the second half.  Cleopatra herself is an afterthought.

The costumes and set design is fantastic, but it all just culminates to a bunch of style over substance.  Much like other epic films from the 60’s and before, the sets are larger than life and the production design is pristine, but Cleopatra is filled with melodramatic acting and poorly written dialogue.  Cleopatra is the prime example of films that are heralded as masterpieces before filming is even complete and it’s the elephant in the room when you talk about how the film industry changed in the late 60’s.  I would wager that Cleopatra is the proverbial straw that broke the camels back.

Favorite Scenes/Shots: The battle scenes at sea.  The boat props are very silly.

Final Verdict:  Should Not Have Been Nominated

How the West Was Won   ***out of ****

Director: John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall, Richard Thorpe

Starring: Everyone and their mother, including Jim Stewart, John Wayne & Gregory Peck

Wins (3): Original Screenplay, Sound Mixing, Film Editing

Nominations (8): Picture, Score, Art Direction (Color), Cinematography (Color), Costume (Color)

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

This film is a spectacle.  How the West Was Won tells the story of the Prescott family from the early 1830’s through the 1880’s as they travel across the United States.  The film was shot in an extremely wide Cinemascope and it’s quite easy to tell.  Scenes that are meant to go in a straight line, like covered wagons being chased by horse-back Indians, tend to curve at the edges of the screen, but we get a very wide scope.  The film exists for this very reason.  The story progresses because of and in order to show off the cinematic technology at work, much like 3D is today.  I must say that How the West Was Won can absolutely stand on its own.  If it were shot in a normal format, then the story could easily hold up.  The film is over 2 ½ hours long and is split into 5 parts.  It was directed by 4 different directors including: John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall and Richard Thorpe.  The film is full of cameos that at times are a bit distracting, but not to the detriment of the film.

Favorite Scenes/Shots: Wide open shots not suffering form the curvature issue.  

Final Verdict: Should Have Been Nominated

Lilies of the Field  ***1/2 out of ****

Director: Ralph Nelson

Starring: Sidney Poitier

Wins (1): Actor (Sidney Poitier)

Nominations (5): Picture, S. Actress (Lilia Skala), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography (B&W)

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Homer, a handy man, has car trouble and breaks down in the desert and stops at a farm inhabited by German, Austrian and Hungarian nuns.  The film focuses on their relationship, including their different backgrounds and religions.  In exchange for a place to stay, Homer does work on their property and over time builds them a new church.  At night, Homer helps the nuns with their English.  Sidney Poitier became the first black actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor for his part as Homer.  The film is really about the relationship between Homer and these immigrant nuns.  All religious and all outsiders, they benefit from and find solace in each other.  This is a great little film and is the best of the nominated films.

Favorite Scenes/Shots: Night time language lessons

Final Verdict: Should Have Been Nominated

Other Films Not Nominated

Hud is a modern day Western (for that time) starring Paul Newman as Hud, a cowboy who works on his fathers farm in the day time and parties, drinks and sleeps with other men’s wives at night.  It’s a story of this cowboy and his damaged relationship with his father and the developing relationship with his dead brother’s son, Lonnie.  Both Lonnie and Hud are in love with Alma, their maid, played by Patricia Neal.  Paul Newman was nominated for Best Actor and Martin Ritt for Director.  Hud won for Cinematography black and white, Best Actress for Patricia Neal and Melvyn Douglas for Supporting Actor.  Hud is the best film of 1963 and it’s really a shame that it wasn’t nominated for Best Picture.

The Great Escape stars Steve McQueen in another strong alternative to the non-nominated films.  It’s based on the true story of POW’s in WW2 that relentlessly tried to escape from their prison camp.  The prisoners built 3 underground tunnels, one of which actually worked, and many escaped.  The inner-tunnel scenes are expertly designed and give that feeling of claustrophobia.  It’s a bit long, though.  One of the great things about this movie is the scenes of the building of and using the underground tunnels.  The tension of the escape scenes is executed nicely.

8 ½ is another film from this year that deserves mentioning.  Fellini got the director nomination, but not the Picture nomination.  This is heralded as Fellini’s masterpiece and is loved by the critics today.    Stylistically, it’s a beautiful film and may just be Fellini’s greatest work.  Fellini does things in 8 ½ that were never before done.  The film is perfect in this way.  However, it is so cumbersome to keep up with reality that it prevents me from enjoying the film as much as I could.  One of Fellini’s greatest strengths as a director was his ability to cast women.

The Birds

No.  Hitchcock’s most overrated film.  Unbalanced and too long.

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a fun, slap-sticky film about a dozen different people that all stop to help a dying car wreck victim who tells them where a buried treasure is.  They race toward the money while trying to not let the others know that they are doing so.  When the truth comes out, crazy things happen.  Vehicles get demolished, alliances are made, gas stations get destroyed and friends become enemies.  It’s endless mayhem.  It’s a Madx4 World is a pretty fun movie, but again, it’s long.  This film is creeping on 3 hours and that’s too long for a film like this.

The Cardinal is the 3rd film that was nominated for Best Director, but not Best Picture.  This film is a train wreck.  It’s about a priest’s journey to Cardinalship and everything about it is lackluster.  The lead actor, Tom Tryon, has no chops and looks uncomfortable throughout the whole film.  The Cardinal has absolutely no direction and I don’t understand how it was nominated for Best Director.  The story doesn’t flow.  The set design and costumes are decent, but a film about Catholicism has plenty to work with in this regard.  It must be quite frustrating for our young Cardinal that he is constantly surrounded by such beautiful women (Lynley & McNamarra).  John Huston’s very small part is the only silver lining in this ominous cloud.

FINAL VERDICT

Should Have Won: Hud

Should Have Been Nominated:

 - America, America

 - Lilies of the Field

 - How the West Was Won

 - Tom Jones

Not only is it a crime that Hud didn’t get a Best Picture nomination, but it should have won.  Hud is the only really solid film in 1963, with the exception of Lilies of the Field and 8 ½.  Overall, it was a disappointing year for film.

This was also a crazy year in that only 2 of the 5 Best Picture nominees were nominated for Best Director.  The 3 films with a Best Director nomination and no Best Director nomination were Hud (Martin Ritt), 8 ½ (Federico Fellini) and The Cardinal (Otto Preminger).  In the 65 years that the Best Picture and Director categories both nominated 5 films, only 6 of those years did only 2 films match between the two categories:  1954, 1955 1962, 1963, 1966, and 1995

That’s just 9%!  Interestingly enough, 3 of these 5 years were in the early to mid-60’s; a tell-tale sign of the changes to come in the movie industry.  Perhaps films were getting awarded with a Director nomination for their artistic value.  Perhaps this is a sign of a movement to a more independent style of films; a movement away from the big epics.  With the BP nomination of America, America and the Best Director recognition for 8 ½ and Hud, one can detect a movement in that direction.

The Help ***

The Help is a film based on the widely popular book written by Kathryn Stockett that centers on a couple of black maids in Jackson, Mississippi in the 60’s.  Director Tate Taylor makes a relatively smooth transition from book to film.  My expectations were not what you would call high.  In fact, I readied myself for a couple of hours of uneasiness and boredom.  However, the mere level of effectiveness to which the film was executed was enough to keep me engaged.  I fully expected a chick flick exploiting the touchy subject that is racism and a tear-jerker to boot.  It might have been all of those things, but not in an exploitative way.  There was some element of delicacy to which all of it was handled and it certainly didn’t go too far overboard on the hokey factor.  That is to say I was able to overlook it for my own good.  The Help was not nearly as corny and sappy as I was expecting it to be.  The idea of race from this perspective is a sensitive subject, but I believe the film isn’t naïve and tells the story without ignoring the elephant in the room and without shooting it, either. 

Perhaps the highest praise I can give the film is the performances of a loaded cast including: Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sissy Spacek and Octavia Spencer.  It’s no accident that the aforementioned stars are all females.  Indeed, there are very few males in the film.  This is a movie about women and for women as one can tell by the huge success of following that the book as garnered.  However, it doesn’t kick the males out of the theatre if they’re interested.

The Help has its issues.  It needs a good 20 minutes of editing.  The cuts are obvious.  There’s a storyline involving the love interest of Skeeter, played by Emma Stone, that if cut would make things flow more smoothly.  This relationship is not pertinent to the film and is slightly unbelievable due to the disastrous nature of their first date and the quick turnaround and subsequent chemistry between the two throughout the film.  Also, the quick nature of which the relationship itself ends further supports the weakness of the relationship itself.  Cut it.

All in all The Help is a success.  The acting alone is worth going for.  Viola Davis has a slight chance at 

Wizard of Oscar - 1962

WIZARD OF OSCAR BLOG

Current Events

President: John F. Kennedy

Height of Cold War: Soviet missiles detected in Cuba

U.S. established presence in Vietnam

John Glenn first American to orbit the Earth

Winner: Lawrence of Arabia

Nominees:

 - The Longest Day

 - The Music Man

 - Mutiny on the Bounty

 - To Kill a Mockingbird

Lawrence of Arabia ***1/2 out of ****

Director: David Lean

Starring: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn

Wins (7): Picture, Director, Original Score, Sound, Art Direction (Color), Cinematography (Color), Film Editing

Nominations  (10): Actor (O’Toole), S. Actor (Sharif), Adapted SP

Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

I’m not on the Lawrence of Arabia bandwagon.   It is quite unnecessarily 3 hours and 36 minutes long.  The film would benefit if only just a half-hour shorter in length, which could easily be attained if the lengthy segue shots of the desert were cut.  These shots, both frequent and long in nature, exist purely to emphasize just how big the desert is.  We get it.  The endless running time is a true homage to that.  However, the length is really the only negative thing I can say.  Technically, Lawrence of Arabia is a great film and I suppose I can begin to understand how it was voted Best Picture in 1962.  It fits the Best Picture criteria.  It was based on an actual person.  It starts off with the death of the main character and goes back to tell how this individual came to prominence.  It recounts history.  It involves war.  These types of films are what we call “Oscar Bait”.  At the end of the day, there are some over-indulgences that prevent me from appreciating it.

Favorite Scenes/Shots:

Lawrence arrives back at the military base after a long journey through the dessert with his non-British friend.  They are extremely dirty and worn.  Lawrence orders himself and his friend lemonade as the other soldiers look on completely stunned.

Final Verdict: Should have been nominated.

The Longest Day **** out of ****

Director: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, Gerd Oswald, Darryl F. Zanuck, John Wayne

Starring: Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Kenneth Moore, Richard Todd, Red Buttons, John Wayne, Irina Demick

Wins (2):  Cinematography (B&W), Visual Effects

Nominations (5): Picture, Art Direction (B&W), Film Editing

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

The Longest Day is a fantastic and realistic war film.  I got the impression that the film exists more to education than to entertain, yet it does both.  The Longest Day does things in story-telling that I’m sure paved the way for later films.  For instance, the film will introduce a character via subtitles on the screen as the scene (and dialogue) progresses.  It’s all so nonchalant and subtle.  The film may not reference the title of this character again.  The Longest Day focuses on the events leading up to and occurring on D-Day (June 6, 1944) and is based on the novel by the same name written by Cornelius Ryan.  It gives an overview of those events and from what I understand is fairly accurate.  The film cuts back and forth through several storylines that unfold in several different countries throughout the film.  These storylines cohesively merge, although in separate locations, into one huge inter-related sequence of events that is still being remembered today.  I appreciated the fact that those scenes occurring in foreign countries used the native language of those countries with English subtitles; giving it a level of authenticity.  This too had to be something not too often done prior to this film.  The Longest Day employed up to 6 different directors.  It’s got an all star cast, but not once was I distracted by the cameos.  Rather, I was absolutely convinced of these characters.   The Longest Day is one of the best war films out there and provides a great history lesson.

Favorite Scenes/Shots: Parachute scenes.

Final Verdict: Should have been nominated

The Music Man *** out of ****

Director: Morton DaCosta

Starring: Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hacket, Ron Howard

 Wins (1): Adapt Score

 Nominations (6): Picture, Sound Recording, Art Direction (C), Costume Design (C), Film Editing

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

The Music Man embraces its play-like atmosphere by keeping that “stagey” appearance in every scene.  The set design is crafted incredibly and the cinematography gives us the feeling that these sets never end.  It definitely earned its technical nominations that year.  The song and dance numbers are pretty campy, but they are so well executed that one can look past that to see the true accomplishment and appreciate it.  This film too is pretty long clocking in at 2 ½ hours.  There are no real stand outs as far as great songs go, but all in all it’s a decent film.  However, it doesn’t belong in the Best Picture discussion.

Favorite Scenes/Shots:

The opening scene on the train where the salesmen sing along with the sounds of the train is a great scene.  It’s got a fantastic set that looks in at the side of the train from the outside as if the outer wall was removed.

Final Verdict:  Should not have been nominated

Mutiny on the Bounty  *** out of ****

Director: Lewis Milestone

Starring: Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Richard Harris

Wins (0):

Nominations (7): Picture, Original Score, Original Song, Art Direction (C), Cinematography (C), Film Editing, Visual Effects

Rotten Tomatoes: 69%

Mutiny on the Bounty is another attempt at adapting the classic novel written by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall in 1932 and which is based on an actual mutiny that occurred in 1789.  The story is of Captain William Bligh who treats his men horribly.  Bligh is played by Trevor Howard and the protagonist, Fletcher Christian, is played by Marlon Brando.  Brando took a good bit of criticism due to his poor British accent, but I didn’t think he was that bad.  The ship ventures off to a Pacific island where endless amounts of grass-skirted women dance to drums and stand side-by-side in the crystal clear water.  Lots of time in the film is spent on these types of shots and I couldn’t help but think it was to show off its cinematography, which used the Ultra Panavision 70 Widescreen process (first film credited to use this) and provides an incredibly wide aspect ratio.    Mutiny on the Bounty is just under three hours, but could have easily been edited into two hours.  It’s not necessarily a bad movie, but the fact that it is so long really takes away from the rest of the film.  Too much time is spent on the mundane.  One positive thing about the film is the beautiful and bright cinematography.  Films involving ships and oceans have opportunities to let the cinematography shine and Mutiny on the Bounty does so.  It’s problem is that it doesn’t know when to stop.

Favorite Scenes/Shots: Nothing really stands out.

Final Verdict: Should not have been nominated

To Kill a Mockingbird  **** out of ****

Director: Robert Mulligan

Starring: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, Robert Duvall

Wins (3): Actor (Peck), Adapted SP, Art Direction (B&W)

Nominations (8): Picture, Director, S. Actress (Badham), Original Score, Cinematography (B&W)

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the greatest movies ever made.  Based on the book by Harper Lee, the film already has a great story to go on.  It helps that the casting is perfect and Robert Mulligan’s direction could not have been better.  This is Gregory Peck’s greatest performance (he won the Oscar) and the authenticity of the southern dialect in the film keeps it real.  In fact, this film gives a strikingly accurate depiction of life in the South during that time period.  This is quite often performed as a play and you get that sense in some scenes, but the film doesn’t hold itself to that.  It goes bigger when it needs to, but effectively uses that stage feel when it benefits the film.  One of best things about To Kill A Mockingbird are the children, Dil, Scout, played by Mary Badham and nominated for Supporting Actress, and Jem, played by Phillip Alford.  The idea of innocent kids running around, playing hard and getting into shenanigans strikes a chord with me.

Favorite Scenes/Shots: All scenes with the kids being kids.  The infamous courtroom scene. 

Final Verdict: Should have been nominated.

Other Films Not Nominated

Lolita **** out of ****

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Starring: James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon, Peter Sellers

Wins (0):

Nominations (1): Adapted SP

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

Lolita is a very entertaining film considering it’s about a man, Humbert, so infatuated with a young girl, Lolita, played by Sue Lyon, that he marries her mother so that he can be near her.  The mother, played by Shelley Winters, is deprived of affection and attention and turns to Humbert, played by  James Mason, to fill the void. There’s also the mysterious purpose and presence of Clare Quilty, who is played by Peter Sellers.  It’s a fascinating and enjoyable film, even if the subject matter is disturbing.  However, it is very impressive how Kubrick keeps the film at a slightly comedic level and doesn’t veer too far over into seriousness.  I’m sure that was a complicated task to undertake, but it’s executed brilliantly.  Lolita is early Stanley Kubrick and doesn’t contain much of the signature style that one finds in his later films.  It’s great to see a legendary director’s early work for perspective on how he’s developed over time.  Lolita isn’t without style, though.  It is a great film and one that belonged in the Best Picture race.

Favorite Scenes/Shots: The very first scene, Humbert tours the house, but is unsure of whether he wants to rent a room until he spots Lolita sunbathing in the backyard.  His intentions are immediately clear.  Peter Sellers pops up now and again in this film and creates a sense of paranoia in Humbert and humor in the audience.

Final Verdict: Should have been nominated instead of The Music Man.

The Miracle Worker **** out of ****

Director: Arthur Penn

Starring: Anne Bancroft, Patty Duke

Wins (2): Actress (Bancroft), S. Actress (Duke)

Nominations (5): Director, Adapted SP, Costume Design (B&W)

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

The Miracle Worker is a truly wonderful film with exceptional acting and direction.  From the first scene to the last, every performance, whether over-dramatic or subtle, is perfectly done.  The darker lighting creates an ominous mood for the audience as we embark on a very trying period of time in which the teacher, Annie Sullivan, played by Anne Bancroft, struggles with the deaf, blind and dumb, Helen Keller, played by Patty Duke.  Bancroft and Duke both won Oscars for Lead and Supporting Actress, respectively.  This film, like so many others from this year, has that play feel and it works just as well as the best of them.  

Favorite Scenes/Shots:

The opening scene where Helen’s parents see how she has become unresponsive is both an intense and stylistically melodramatic scene.  The scene where Anne Sullivan attempts to make Helen eat from the table like a normal person is exhausting with the slightest hint of slapstick.   One can see just how physically demanding the parts for these to women were in this scene.

Final Verdict:  Should have been nominated instead of Mutiny on the Bounty

FINAL VERDICT

Should Have Won:    To Kill A Mockinbird

Should Have Been Nominated:

 - The Longest Day

 - Lolita

 - The Miracle Worker

 - Lawrence of Arabia

For me, this is no contest.  To Kill a Mockingbird is both one of the greatest books ever written and films ever made.  It does and will continue to stand the test of time.  It seems to exist in several different genres.  It’s a courtroom drama, it deals with race, it’s a depiction of life in the South and it’s based on a play.  It is a perfect film.  At the time I can only assume that Lawrence of Arabia was just larger than life.  Come to think of it, if these films were to come out today, I bet Lawrence of Arabia would still win.  It’s Oscar Bait through and through.  But for me, To Kill a Mockingbird leaves the other films in the dust.

1962 was a pretty good year for film.  There were no real duds.  This is reiterated by the fact that 2 of the 5 Best Director nominees did not receive a Best Picture nomination, which rarely happens, but just goes to show the high level of filmmaking from this year.  There are several other films from 1962 worth mentioning.  Gypsy, directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Natalie Wood is a Broadway musical adaptation that is slightly below average, but somewhat enjoyable.  David & Lisa is an entertaining film, though not meant to be, directed by Frank Perry, who was nominated for director.  It’s a very small, independent film based on a novel about a young man and woman in a mental hospital.  Divorce, Italian Style is a great Italian comedy starring Marcello Mastroianni and directed by Pietro Germi, who was also nominated for director.  A man is in love with his cousin and concocts a plan in which.  This is an engaging film and I can’t help but be reminded of Woody Allen.   If there were 6 nominees, Divorce, Italian Style would be on there.