The Oscar Race (1st Place: knarf)

[knarf]

oscar-race.jpg

[Mazer]

Congrats, knarf! That's some good movie watching.

Ben-Hur The chariot race was phenomenal; everything else paled in comparison. I just didn't get engaged by the rest of it, and it lost me just about completely for all of the scenes following the race. It was also kind of convenient how he learned a message of love and tolerance after he had already gotten his vengeance.

[bratzks]

Ben-Hur

[Batman]

Ben-Hur

I hardly knew Hur.

[Nunis]

Wings The stories with the females seemed tacked on, and too much time was spent on the Paris interlude - the bubbles were cute at first, but then became annoying. But I thought all of the footage of flying was great, and I got really into the story of the two men and the war - I actually stopped watching for awhile before the end, because I thought I could tell what was coming and I didn't want to see it happen.

Once again, I agree with Mazer. Loved the camaraderie between the two men, could have done without much of the love story. Exciting and gripping stuff.

[Mazer]

Can I please get a for Grand Hotel, reviewed with my resolutions.

[Nunis]

Can I please get a for Grand Hotel, reviewed with my resolutions.

[Nunis]

Driving Miss Daisy Liked it, didn't love it. It was a little too dry and predictable for my taste. Good performances by both leads though, and refreshing to see a movie where Morgan Freeman isn't just playing Morgan Freeman. I liked how their relationship developed, but it lacked any emotional punch for me in the end.

You Can't Take It with You A little silly at times, but a very good feel-good type of movie with lots of nice little touches and a great courtroom sequence. Very much what you might expect from a Capra/Stewart collaboration, and Lionel Barrymore was delightful. (Although, I find it very hard to just gloss over the fact that he really wasn't old enough at the time to be the grandfather he's portrayed as. His in-movie daughter is just eight years his junior. Weird casting there.)

[Mazer]

The Life and Death of Emile Zola I didn't like the first half hour, which was like the vignettes from Zola's rise, but once it got into the Dreyfus affair, I got intrigued. I think there were a lot of ideas they could have dealt with in more detail, but didn't, but I enjoyed it overall, and thought Paul Muni was great.

Also I'm having some difficulty tracking down Cavalcade. Anyone done it for this and wants to send me a hint?

[Nunis]

Also I'm having some difficulty tracking down Cavalcade. Anyone done it for this and wants to send me a hint?

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4562667/

[Mazer]

Much thanks. Better make some space and grab it.

[Mazer]

The Broadway Melody Just not engaging. There was an interesting potential strory there, but it resolved in the most uninteresting way possible - and in a way that just didn't seem true emotionally. The musical numbers were also boring, sadly.

[bratzks]

The Broadway Melody Just not engaging. There was an interesting potential strory there, but it resolved in the most uninteresting way possible - and in a way that just didn't seem true emotionally. The musical numbers were also boring, sadly.

updated

[alan smithee]

The Broadway Melody Just not engaging. There was an interesting potential strory there, but it resolved in the most uninteresting way possible - and in a way that just didn't seem true emotionally. The musical numbers were also boring, sadly.

updated

[bratzks]

The Broadway Melody Just not engaging. There was an interesting potential strory there, but it resolved in the most uninteresting way possible - and in a way that just didn't seem true emotionally. The musical numbers were also boring, sadly.

updated

wd

ty

np

lies

[alan smithee]

The Broadway Melody Just not engaging. There was an interesting potential strory there, but it resolved in the most uninteresting way possible - and in a way that just didn't seem true emotionally. The musical numbers were also boring, sadly.

updated

wd

ty

np

lies

[Mazer]

Ordinary People A masterclass in acting. Man, did Timothy Hutton look young. I kept flashing to Good Will Hunting in the therapy scenes, guess I saw them in the wrong order. Somehow though, the movie was less than I expected - I had thought that more would be exposed.

Also, when this gets updated, The Broadway Melody on my list is checked but not crossed off. Can that be fixed too? Much thanks.

[Nunis]

Also, when this gets updated, The Broadway Melody on my list is checked but not crossed off. Can that be fixed too? Much thanks.

[Agrajag]

58/82 (can't the icm guys add Sunrise to their list?)

Ugh... 3.5 months of films to catch up on... Oscar Winners first:

In the Heat of the Night DVD
Who knew this was a murder mystery? I always thought this was just the "They call me Mr. Tibbs!" film about racism in the deep south. The story was really well written, but Poitier and Steiger are the reasons to watch this film. Both are fantastic as they play against each other. While the title song was good, I wasn't a fan of some of the other music throughout--was distracting.

Patton DVD
One of the only things I recall from this film is the tour-de-force performance from Scott. The story is just a jumble of battles and war rooms and talking, but Scott's portrayal of the general was ingrained into my brain--simply fantastic!

My Fair Lady DVD
Was a bit taken aback as the film started and Eliza wasn't played by Julie Andrews... I always thought this was Andrews and Harrison, as was the Broadway recording. I was pleased to see Hepburn in the role (pleased to see her in any role) but was distracted by some of the dubbing for her singing. Plus, the film definitely could have used some editing--never saw the musical on stage, but as a film it feels a tad bloated.

Dances With Wolves DVD
Speaking of bloated, this definitely could have used a little more editing-236 minutes? Really?! Because of 2 scratched discs, and the four-hour running time, it took me over a week to watch. It was pretty good, however, I don't know if I'd ever be able to do it in one sitting.

The Last Emperor DVD
I loved the way the story is told, folding back on itself. The Chinese history lesson was interesting, but nine Oscars? Really?! Not quite sure it's that good... Although I just looked at competition and see there wasn't much--I think I enjoyed Broadcast News a bit more overall.

Driving Miss Daisy DVD
Tandy & Freeman are perfect here, playing against one another. It definitely didn't end as I expected it to--in fact much of the movie went against what I expected (I realize I never knew much more than black man drives white woman around--didn't even realize the time period it was set in).

The English Patient TV
There are some good stories here, but ultimately it's too long with too many subplots (for me). I absolutely loved Sayid's last defusing scene--so much tension--however, much of the rest of the film was just ephemera. I will admit, the acting was all pretty good.

Terms of Endearment TV
This didn't really pack the emotional punch I expected. Loved Winger, Lithgow & Nicholson; MacLaine was good most of the time, but irritating at others. While, I'll admit that the score was a well-written piece of music, it was completely over the top and overused--it actually pissed me off each time it swelled.

Chariots of Fire DVD
Did not get this. It's a decent film, but Best Picture really? I mean it was just a film about a bunch of guys running (or in one case not). I'd prefer it if Raiders or even the unseen (by me) On Golden Pond had won it.

All Quiet on the Western Front DVD
Now here's a Best Picture! It was absolutely heartbreaking and still holds up almost 80 years later (with a still timely message even). I was surprised by how little I remember from the book (little more than the very ending) and now question if I actually ever read this.

[Agrajag]

59/82

The Best Years of Our Lives DVD
What a fantastic piece of film! There is some great acting here; I enjoyed Andrews a bit more than March but loved Russell's performance (he really deserved those two Oscars). I can't believe this film came out in 1946--I always thought more separation was needed to make good films about a historic event (i.e. most of the Iraq-war movies from the past 8 years sort of fail). Wonderful set of stories that are each distinct, yet interlock really well.

[Agrajag]

60/82

Oliver! DVD
This is a little embarrassing, but I watched about half of Act II before realizing my error and flipping the double-sided disc over and watching the beginning. I felt a little lost as I watched Act II first, but felt worse after slodding through Act I. The relationships I inferred from being thrown in halfway through, I now had to watch play out in what seemed like half speed. The whole thing felt quite bloated, and that little twerp who played Oliver was annoying to look at AND listen to... There were some good songs throughout (some I never realized came from this) but overall it's not one of my favorite musicals...

[bratzks]

updated

[Mazer]

Can I also get a for Patton, watched and reviewed as part of my 2009 resolutions? Thanks.

[bratzks]

Can I also get a for Patton, watched and reviewed as part of my 2009 resolutions? Thanks.

[Mazer]

Figured this weekend was a good time to get back to this.

Cavalcade Took me a long time to actually get through this. Felt like it was just running through a checklist of the major events of the start of the century. But because not enough time was spent on the characters, I didn't really care how these things were affecting them. I liked the idea of having the "upper class" family as well as the former servants, but would have liked it better if they'd done something more with it.