Best Picture nominees:

1. The Divorcee (1930) I knew this was a pre-code movie, but the subject matter was still surprisingly explicit for its time.
2. 42nd Street (1933) The final performance was great, but I was really bored with everything leading up to it. Just not my kind of film.
3. Alice Adams (1935) Great performances, weak story
4. Naughty Marietta (1935)
5. Dark Victory (1939) Slow start, strong payoff.
6. Wuthering Heights (1939)
7. The More the Merrier (1943) I really enjoyed this, but I'm surprised it was nominated.
8. Anchors Aweigh (1945) Fun film, with some wonderful choreography and cinematography.
9. Born Yesterday(1950)
10. A Place in the Sun (1951) Good, but the performances and story feel very dated/simple now.
11. Picnic (1955) I think this is my least favorite William Holden performance.
12. Friendly Persuasion (1956)
13. The Nun's Story (1959)
14. Elmer Gantry (1960) A bit too over the top for me, but it works here.
15. America America (1963)
16. Funny Girl (1968)
17. Rachel, Rachel (1968)
18. Z (1969)
19. Sounder (1972)
20. Bound for Glory (1976) Pretty good, but it felt like an old TV movie.

10/20

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1. Rebecca (1940)
2. The Hustler (1961)
3. 8½ (1963)
4. Serpico (1973)
5. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
6. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
7. The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
8. The Color of Money (1986)
9. Down by Law (1986)
10. sex, lies, and videotape (1989)
11. Barton Fink (1991)
12. Three Colors: Blue (1993)
13. Chungking Express (1994)
14. Kicking and Screaming (1995)
15. Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
16. The Birdcage (1996)
17. The Limey (1999)
18. Gangs of New York (2002)

4/18

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.

Best Picture nominees:

1. The Divorcee (1930) I knew this was a pre-code movie, but the subject matter was still surprisingly explicit for its time.
2. 42nd Street (1933) The final performance was great, but I was really bored with everything leading up to it. Just not my kind of film.
3. Alice Adams (1935) Great performances, weak story
4. Naughty Marietta (1935) Nothing really special, but a fun film.
5. Dark Victory (1939) Slow start, strong payoff.
6. Wuthering Heights (1939) Some very strong performances.
7. The More the Merrier (1943) I really enjoyed this, but I'm surprised it was nominated.
8. Anchors Aweigh (1945) Fun film, with some wonderful choreography and cinematography.
9. Born Yesterday(1950)
10. A Place in the Sun (1951) Good, but the performances and story feel very dated/simple now.
11. Picnic (1955) I think this is my least favorite William Holden performance.
12. Friendly Persuasion (1956)
13. The Nun's Story (1959)
14. Elmer Gantry (1960) A bit too over the top for me, but it works here.
15. America America (1963)
16. Funny Girl (1968)
17. Rachel, Rachel (1968)
18. Z (1969)
19. Sounder (1972)
20. Bound for Glory (1976) Pretty good, but it felt like an old TV movie.

12/20

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Best Picture nominees:

1. The Divorcee (1930) I knew this was a pre-code movie, but the subject matter was still surprisingly explicit for its time.
2. 42nd Street (1933) The final performance was great, but I was really bored with everything leading up to it. Just not my kind of film.
3. Alice Adams (1935) Great performances, weak story
4. Naughty Marietta (1935) Nothing really special, but a fun film.
5. Dark Victory (1939) Slow start, strong payoff.
6. Wuthering Heights (1939) Some very strong performances.
7. The More the Merrier (1943) I really enjoyed this, but I'm surprised it was nominated.
8. Anchors Aweigh (1945) Fun film, with some wonderful choreography and cinematography.
9. Born Yesterday (1950) Judy Holliday was absolutely wonderful in this.
10. A Place in the Sun (1951) Good, but the performances and story feel very dated/simple now.
11. Picnic (1955) I think this is my least favorite William Holden performance.
12. Friendly Persuasion (1956)
13. The Nun's Story (1959)
14. Elmer Gantry (1960) A bit too over the top for me, but it works here.
15. America America (1963)
16. Funny Girl (1968)
17. Rachel, Rachel (1968) Well told story of a sheltered woman's (Joanne Woodward as Rachel) midlife crisis, and a strong directorial debut for Paul Newman.
18. Z (1969)
19. Sounder (1972)
20. Bound for Glory (1976) Pretty good, but it felt like an old TV movie.

14/20

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Leftovers from the last few years:
The Conversation - 1974 - Francis Ford Coppola A little better than meh, but not my favorite FFC effort
Quiz Show - 1994 - Robert Redford
Eyes Wide Shut - 1999 - Stanley Kubrick
Bringing Out The Dead - 1999 - Martin Scorcese
AFI 100 Years 100 Movies 10th Anniversary List
The General - 1927 - Buster Keaton
All About Eve - 1950 - Joseph L Mankiewicz Bette at her best, now on "one of my favorites" list
Shane - 1953 - George Stevens
Intolerance - 1916 - DW Griffith
Nashville - 1975 - Robert Altman
Sophie's Choice - 1982 - Alan J Pakula

_________________
Welcome Winter

Best Picture nominees:

1. The Divorcee (1930) I knew this was a pre-code movie, but the subject matter was still surprisingly explicit for its time.
2. 42nd Street (1933) The final performance was great, but I was really bored with everything leading up to it. Just not my kind of film.
3. Alice Adams (1935) Great performances, weak story
4. Naughty Marietta (1935) Nothing really special, but a fun film.
5. Dark Victory (1939) Slow start, strong payoff.
6. Wuthering Heights (1939) Some very strong performances.
7. The More the Merrier (1943) I really enjoyed this, but I'm surprised it was nominated.
8. Anchors Aweigh (1945) Fun film, with some wonderful choreography and cinematography.
9. Born Yesterday (1950) Judy Holliday was absolutely wonderful in this.
10. A Place in the Sun (1951) Good, but the performances and story feel very dated/simple now.
11. Picnic (1955) I think this is my least favorite William Holden performance.
12. Friendly Persuasion (1956) Good, but it really felt like a few episodes of an old TV show.
13. The Nun's Story (1959)
14. Elmer Gantry (1960) A bit too over the top for me, but it works here.
15. America America (1963)
16. Funny Girl (1968)
17. Rachel, Rachel (1968) Well told story of a sheltered woman's (Joanne Woodward as Rachel) midlife crisis, and a strong directorial debut for Paul Newman.
18. Z (1969)
19. Sounder (1972)
20. Bound for Glory (1976) Pretty good, but it felt like an old TV movie.

15/20

_________________

Best Picture nominees:

1. The Divorcee (1930) I knew this was a pre-code movie, but the subject matter was still surprisingly explicit for its time.
2. 42nd Street (1933) The final performance was great, but I was really bored with everything leading up to it. Just not my kind of film.
3. Alice Adams (1935) Great performances, weak story
4. Naughty Marietta (1935) Nothing really special, but a fun film.
5. Dark Victory (1939) Slow start, strong payoff.
6. Wuthering Heights (1939) Some very strong performances.
7. The More the Merrier (1943) I really enjoyed this, but I'm surprised it was nominated.
8. Anchors Aweigh (1945) Fun film, with some wonderful choreography and cinematography.
9. Born Yesterday (1950) Judy Holliday was absolutely wonderful in this.
10. A Place in the Sun (1951) Good, but the performances and story feel very dated/simple now.
11. Picnic (1955) I think this is my least favorite William Holden performance.
12. Friendly Persuasion (1956) Good, but it really felt like a few episodes of an old TV show.
13. The Nun's Story (1959) Great performance from Hepburn.
14. Elmer Gantry (1960) A bit too over the top for me, but it works here.
15. America America (1963)
16. Funny Girl (1968)
17. Rachel, Rachel (1968) Well told story of a sheltered woman's (Joanne Woodward as Rachel) midlife crisis, and a strong directorial debut for Paul Newman.
18. Z (1969)
19. Sounder (1972)
20. Bound for Glory (1976) Pretty good, but it felt like an old TV movie.

16/20

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5/25

6. The Alamo (1960) - (2+47) - What a load of jingoistic, politically correct crap. I'm not sure exactly how the defenders of the Alamo felt, but I'm pretty sure this sanitized Hollywood version of war didn't even scratch the surface. And what was the deal with shoe-horning in Frankie Avalon? And for that matter, why try and throw in any humor? It's all wrong. Fuck it, I'm taking off another half-star.

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Robin: "Gosh, Batman, is there anything you don't know?"
Batman: "Oh yes, Robin. Several things, in fact."

Awesome. Damn, I wish I'd seen this version now.

You know, when you've loved and lost like Frankie has, then you, uh, you know what life's about.

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www.steelfrogblog.com

If I've got time, I'm going to try and catch the 2004 version with Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton and Luke Wilson. I understand it's a bit more historically accurate.

_________________
Robin: "Gosh, Batman, is there anything you don't know?"
Batman: "Oh yes, Robin. Several things, in fact."

_________________
It's such a fine line between stupid and clever.

Best Picture nominees:

1. The Divorcee (1930) I knew this was a pre-code movie, but the subject matter was still surprisingly explicit for its time.
2. 42nd Street (1933) The final performance was great, but I was really bored with everything leading up to it. Just not my kind of film.
3. Alice Adams (1935) Great performances, weak story
4. Naughty Marietta (1935) Nothing really special, but a fun film.
5. Dark Victory (1939) Slow start, strong payoff.
6. Wuthering Heights (1939) Some very strong performances.
7. The More the Merrier (1943) I really enjoyed this, but I'm surprised it was nominated.
8. Anchors Aweigh (1945) Fun film, with some wonderful choreography and cinematography.
9. Born Yesterday (1950) Judy Holliday was absolutely wonderful in this.
10. A Place in the Sun (1951) Good, but the performances and story feel very dated/simple now.
11. Picnic (1955) I think this is my least favorite William Holden performance.
12. Friendly Persuasion (1956) Good, but it really felt like a few episodes of an old TV show.
13. The Nun's Story (1959) Great performance from Hepburn.
14. Elmer Gantry (1960) A bit too over the top for me, but it works here.
15. America America (1963)
16. Funny Girl (1968) Great show performances, but the rest of the story doesn't measure up.
17. Rachel, Rachel (1968) Well told story of a sheltered woman's (Joanne Woodward as Rachel) midlife crisis, and a strong directorial debut for Paul Newman.
18. Z (1969)
19. Sounder (1972)
20. Bound for Glory (1976) Pretty good, but it felt like an old TV movie.

17/20

_________________

1. Rebecca (1940)
2. The Hustler (1961)
3. 8½ (1963)
4. Serpico (1973)
5. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
6. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
7. The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
8. The Color of Money (1986)
9. Down by Law (1986)
10. sex, lies, and videotape (1989)
11. Barton Fink (1991)
12. Three Colors: Blue (1993)
13. Chungking Express (1994)
14. Kicking and Screaming (1995)
15. Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
16. The Birdcage (1996)
17. The Limey (1999)
18. Gangs of New York (2002)

8/18

_________________
.

1. Rebecca (1940)
2. The Hustler (1961)
3. 8½ (1963)
4. Serpico (1973)
5. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
6. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
7. The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
8. The Color of Money (1986)
9. Down by Law (1986)
10. sex, lies, and videotape (1989)
11. Barton Fink (1991)
12. Three Colors: Blue (1993)
13. Chungking Express (1994)
14. Kicking and Screaming (1995)
15. Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
16. The Birdcage (1996)
17. The Limey (1999)
18. Gangs of New York (2002)

10/18

_________________
.

23. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - (1+ 43) - Downey, Kilmer and Monaghan are all great in this. Fast-paced with some great dialogue. It was a lot of fun to watch.

_________________
Robin: "Gosh, Batman, is there anything you don't know?"
Batman: "Oh yes, Robin. Several things, in fact."

Leftovers from the last few years:
The Conversation - 1974 - Francis Ford Coppola A little better than meh, but not my favorite FFC effort
Quiz Show - 1994 - Robert Redford Found it a bit boring actually.
Eyes Wide Shut - 1999 - Stanley Kubrick
Bringing Out The Dead - 1999 - Martin Scorcese
AFI 100 Years 100 Movies 10th Anniversary List
The General - 1927 - Buster Keaton
All About Eve - 1950 - Joseph L Mankiewicz Bette at her best, now on "one of my favorites" list
Shane - 1953 - George Stevens
Intolerance - 1916 - DW Griffith
Nashville - 1975 - Robert Altman
Sophie's Choice - 1982 - Alan J Pakula

_________________
Welcome Winter

Cabaret (1972) - . Liza definitely earned her Oscar here as did Joel Grey. It was a great way to tell a story.

_________________
Robin: "Gosh, Batman, is there anything you don't know?"
Batman: "Oh yes, Robin. Several things, in fact."

Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) - . This film really stood up well considering it's 75 years old. I had previously seen both Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait and Chris Rock's Down to Earth and while I still think Heaven Can Wait is the best of the three, the original isn't far off in second.

_________________
Robin: "Gosh, Batman, is there anything you don't know?"
Batman: "Oh yes, Robin. Several things, in fact."

Shane (1953) - . I swear to God, if I had been Shane I might have had to shoot the most irritating kid in the west if he had said my name one more time.

_________________
Robin: "Gosh, Batman, is there anything you don't know?"
Batman: "Oh yes, Robin. Several things, in fact."

'tis the season.

Good luck!

_________________

All That Jazz (1979) - . The influence of Fellini's 8 1/2 seems obvious, but this is a wonderful film in its own right. Great dancing and a great vision realised by Fosse.

_________________
Robin: "Gosh, Batman, is there anything you don't know?"
Batman: "Oh yes, Robin. Several things, in fact."

Best Picture nominees:

1. The Divorcee (1930) I knew this was a pre-code movie, but the subject matter was still surprisingly explicit for its time.
2. 42nd Street (1933) The final performance was great, but I was really bored with everything leading up to it. Just not my kind of film.
3. Alice Adams (1935) Great performances, weak story
4. Naughty Marietta (1935) Nothing really special, but a fun film.
5. Dark Victory (1939) Slow start, strong payoff.
6. Wuthering Heights (1939) Some very strong performances.
7. The More the Merrier (1943) I really enjoyed this, but I'm surprised it was nominated.
8. Anchors Aweigh (1945) Fun film, with some wonderful choreography and cinematography.
9. Born Yesterday (1950) Judy Holliday was absolutely wonderful in this.
10. A Place in the Sun (1951) Good, but the performances and story feel very dated/simple now.
11. Picnic (1955) I think this is my least favorite William Holden performance.
12. Friendly Persuasion (1956) Good, but it really felt like a few episodes of an old TV show.
13. The Nun's Story (1959) Great performance from Hepburn.
14. Elmer Gantry (1960) A bit too over the top for me, but it works here.
15. America America (1963)
16. Funny Girl (1968) Great show performances, but the rest of the story doesn't measure up.
17. Rachel, Rachel (1968) Well told story of a sheltered woman's (Joanne Woodward as Rachel) midlife crisis, and a strong directorial debut for Paul Newman.
18. Z (1969)
19. Sounder (1972) Beautifully told story of childhood in a terrible time.
20. Bound for Glory (1976) Pretty good, but it felt like an old TV movie.

18/20

_________________

Best Picture nominees:

1. The Divorcee (1930) I knew this was a pre-code movie, but the subject matter was still surprisingly explicit for its time.
2. 42nd Street (1933) The final performance was great, but I was really bored with everything leading up to it. Just not my kind of film.
3. Alice Adams (1935) Great performances, weak story
4. Naughty Marietta (1935) Nothing really special, but a fun film.
5. Dark Victory (1939) Slow start, strong payoff.
6. Wuthering Heights (1939) Some very strong performances.
7. The More the Merrier (1943) I really enjoyed this, but I'm surprised it was nominated.
8. Anchors Aweigh (1945) Fun film, with some wonderful choreography and cinematography.
9. Born Yesterday (1950) Judy Holliday was absolutely wonderful in this.
10. A Place in the Sun (1951) Good, but the performances and story feel very dated/simple now.
11. Picnic (1955) I think this is my least favorite William Holden performance.
12. Friendly Persuasion (1956) Good, but it really felt like a few episodes of an old TV show.
13. The Nun's Story (1959) Great performance from Hepburn.
14. Elmer Gantry (1960) A bit too over the top for me, but it works here.
15. America America (1963) Several distinct chapters, slower ones early on, but it finishes strong.
16. Funny Girl (1968) Great show performances, but the rest of the story doesn't measure up.
17. Rachel, Rachel (1968) Well told story of a sheltered woman's (Joanne Woodward as Rachel) midlife crisis, and a strong directorial debut for Paul Newman.
18. Z (1969)
19. Sounder (1972) Beautifully told story of childhood in a terrible time.
20. Bound for Glory (1976) Pretty good, but it felt like an old TV movie.

19/20

_________________

Best Picture nominees:

1. The Divorcee (1930) I knew this was a pre-code movie, but the subject matter was still surprisingly explicit for its time.
2. 42nd Street (1933) The final performance was great, but I was really bored with everything leading up to it. Just not my kind of film.
3. Alice Adams (1935) Great performances, weak story
4. Naughty Marietta (1935) Nothing really special, but a fun film.
5. Dark Victory (1939) Slow start, strong payoff.
6. Wuthering Heights (1939) Some very strong performances.
7. The More the Merrier (1943) I really enjoyed this, but I'm surprised it was nominated.
8. Anchors Aweigh (1945) Fun film, with some wonderful choreography and cinematography.
9. Born Yesterday (1950) Judy Holliday was absolutely wonderful in this.
10. A Place in the Sun (1951) Good, but the performances and story feel very dated/simple now.
11. Picnic (1955) I think this is my least favorite William Holden performance.
12. Friendly Persuasion (1956) Good, but it really felt like a few episodes of an old TV show.
13. The Nun's Story (1959) Great performance from Hepburn.
14. Elmer Gantry (1960) A bit too over the top for me, but it works here.
15. America America (1963) Several distinct chapters, slower ones early on, but it finishes strong.
16. Funny Girl (1968) Great show performances, but the rest of the story doesn't measure up.
17. Rachel, Rachel (1968) Well told story of a sheltered woman's (Joanne Woodward as Rachel) midlife crisis, and a strong directorial debut for Paul Newman.
18. Z (1969) Very engaging, loved all the moving pieces.
19. Sounder (1972) Beautifully told story of childhood in a terrible time.
20. Bound for Glory (1976) Pretty good, but it felt like an old TV movie.

20/20, done!

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