The Movie Blog

A Guide to the Ultimate Gentleman

2008-05-22T23:35:00-04:00

Welcome once again to The Movie Blog. The column dedicated to dead people, well, mostly. Actually, this week's column is, sadly, dedicated to a man who is deceased. This week I'm writing about one of my favorite movie stars of all time. As by the pictures on this page, I assume you know that I'm talking about Gregory Peck. Gregory Peck was never quite the Stewart, Wayne or Grant as far as stature goes, but I don't think there's ever been more of a classy person in movie history.

I remember seeing Jack Lemmon talk about Peck in a biography I taped a few years ago. When Peck won his one and only Oscar for To Kill a Mockingbird, Lemmon was also nominated for his film, The Days of Wine and Roses. Upon Gregory Peck hearing his name called for the Oscar he made his way to accept the award. On his way down, Peck stopped and put his hand on Lemmon's shoulder. In a moment of his ultimate glory Greg Peck stopped and thought of the feelings of one of his fellow nominees. It's that kind of integrity and humility that Gregory couldn't help but bring to the screen. He starred in many great movies, but I've selected a few that standout to me. So, here you have it, the guide to the ultimate gentleman, Gregory Peck -

Twelve O'Clock High

This, along with To Kill a Mockingbird, is said to include Peck's best acting. In this WWII drama, Peck plays a commanding officer over naval fighter pilots. He's sent in to fix a broken squad that is being run down from battle fatigue. In this film, Peck really for the first time sets himself on the level of the major actors of the day. He went from being a newcomer to an Academy Award caliber actor. I enjoy some of his later works more, but this is no doubt an essential Peck film. Not only because it was a landmark in his career, but Gregory does give a very strong performance. This is the first film I would say Peck was a man in. In earlier films such as The Keys of the Kingdom and Spellbound, Peck was a person coming into his own. In Twelve O'Clock High there's no doubt that Peck has grown into a dominate male actor.

The Gunfighter

In almost a reverse Jimmy Stewart, Peck in The Gunfighter plays a character older than he was in real life. Peck's character of Jimmy Ringo never has a defined age, but I would guess the idea was to have the character's age to be about 50. Gregory Peck was around 35 when The Gunfighter was released. Why the age difference is worth noting is that Jimmy Ringo is a weathered man. He's a famous gunfighter that has started to dread the life he has. Imagine Ringo as a serious version of the Waco Kid (what movie is that from?). At 35, Peck was still a relatively young man.

To be able to pull off a character as well as Peck does that is not only older, but one tired from life, is a pretty impressive achievement. The movie itself is a classic western. The Gunfighter is up there with any of the Ford/Wayne or Stewart/Mann westerns of the 1950's. Outside of Peck's career, the movie doesn't get much attention. I promise, it's deserves it.

Cape Fear

For those of you who haven't seen the Martin Scorsese remake, I will lay out the story. Peck plays a small town lawyer who got involved in a battery case that led to a man to going to prison for several years. When that man (Robert Mitchum) gets out of jail he proceeds to terrorize Peck and his family. The original Cape Fear belongs mostly to Mitchum. Looking over his career, there's no doubt the role of the ex-con set on revenge in Cape Fear was by far the best performance of his career. Yet, the reason I list this as a quintessential Gregory Peck movie is that the character Peck plays is the archetype of what Peck was known as. Peck in Cape Fear is a moral and honest man. He's a loving husband and father. That's who Gregory Peck, the movie star, was.

The Bravados

This is my "hidden treasure" of the bunch. The rest of the films listed would be on any highlight for Peck. The Bravados is a western (shocking, right?) that was made in the late 1950's. It's a story of a man who chases down who he believes killed his wife and baby. If you're a fan of 1950's westerns as I am, this is a very fun movie. There's no attempt at greatness here. It's simply an entertaining western. Like most male stars of the day, Peck made a lot of westerns. I would say The Bravados is the most enjoyable out of Peck attempts at the genre. Imagine Man on Fire, but 1950's style.

The Guns of Navarone

The Guns of Navarone would be kind of in the vein of The Bridge on the River Kwai. It's an ensemble cast that along with Peck includes David Niven and Anthony Quinn. The story is that a group of military "experts" that are sent to blow up huge cannons on the German occupied island of Navarone in WWII. If I were to make a list of the most entertaining movies ever (another column idea?), The Guns of Navarone might be on it. It's an action/war/adventure movie that's serious, but a lot of fun. The Gun of Navarone isn't quite as classic as The Bridge on the River Kwai, but it's defiantly in it's league. For all of you who are sick seeing Will Smith waste his talent and Jerry Bruckheimer pollute film, go rent The Guns of Navarone. This is how action movies should be made!

The Yearling

Classic movie from a classic novel! We all know the story of The Yearling,

but just in case, I'll clue you in. The Yearling is about a little boy that takes in an orphaned fawn. The boy sleeps, eats and breaths his pet, but eventually the deer gets to eating his family's crops. With the boy's dad (Peck) injured, the boy must protect the livelihood of his family. In short, the deer has to die. The little boy, played be Claude Jarman Jr., will always be what is remembered from the movie considering it's the boy's story. However, Gregory Peck is very charming in The Yearling. All Gregory Peck's does is love his child. It's a minimal performance, but I don't know if there's ever been a man who could play a loving father as well as Gregory Peck. With that said.....

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is simply one of the greatest movies ever made. Along with that, it's far and away the best movie of Gregory Peck's career and his finest performance. To Kill a Mockingbird is the story of a small town lawyer and his children. We follow Peck as he tries to guide his children with light through a dark world. Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch is one of the most endearing characters in movie history. He's a man of peace and intellect. The most memorable scene for most is when Atticus leaves a courtroom and all of the black people stand up as he walks out of a room having lost a case due to racism. My favorite scene is a little less known. After losing the case, Atticus goes to the family of his client. Upon leaving he is spit in the face by a man who doesn't agree with his choice to defend a black man. Atticus takes a step towards the man as if to fight back, but in calm reserve, he wipes off his face, and goes on his way. Atticus Finch had too much integrity to be brought down to the level of a racist. If there's one word that is resounding throughout Peck's film career and characters it's integrity.

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These are just a few selections I chose to write about. Peck starred in many other great movies such as Roman Holiday, Spellbound, On the Beach and many others. He was a great movie star and from all accounts, a great man as well. I hope some of you check out some of his great work! That's it for this week! Next week The Movie Blog will include the next "versus" column I will have written. I'm comparing two movies that are as classic and cool as can be! Next week I will give you The Sting vs. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid!

In the mean time, go rent a little movie named About Adam, starring Kate Hudson and Stuart Townsend. Great hidden gem!

Top 10 Perfomances: Actors

2008-05-22T23:33:00-04:00

This is The Movie Blog! In this week's edition you're getting part two of my series of "the best performances of all time". The reason I separated the performances of the men from the women would be because performances from the two sexes are almost a different medium. You expect different qualities from a female performance than a male one, and vice versa. Therefore, I spilt the idea into two columns. So, sitting here watching Sin City, I think now is as good of a time as any to complete the series.

10. Alec Guinness, The Bridge on the River Kwai

You could call The Bridge on the River Kwai the greatest action movie of all time and not be wrong. You will not find an action/adventure movie with any more quality. Director David Lean creates one of the most entertaining movies you will ever see, but perhaps the most special part of the movie is Alec Guinness' performance as the manic captive British officer who crosses line after line of what is considered collusion with the enemy in an attempt to create the perfect bridge for the Japanese army in WWII. You watch a man who has followed the code of perfection his whole life embark on a journey that eventually leads him to madness. While Alec is easily most famous for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars series, his greatest moment came in his Oscar winning performance as Colonel Nicholson, the most stubborn man in movie history.

9. Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca

This might have been the toughest selection on the list. Bogart has been called the greatest movie star of all time, and obviously what goes with that is a long list of great performances. Bogie's performance in Treasure of the Sierra Madre may very well be his best display of acting, but I just couldn't pick that one. The ultimate Bogie is Rick from Casablanca. It's a minimal performance, but Humphrey Bogart creates a character that is as iconic as any character ever. Rick is tough, decisive, smart, but deep down, he's a rank sentimentalist. In Casablanca, Bogart creates the ultimate anti-hero. When an actor can give a performance that becomes legend, that definitely merits being placed on a top ten list.

8. Charles Chaplin, City Lights

Most people tend to think of Charlie Chaplin as a funny goof. Well, those people have only seen him on montages. Charlie Chaplin was the first world-wide movie star, and without doubt, the brightest light of the silent era. With that, his greatest moment came about three years after sound began to take over the film world. In City Lights, Chaplin is "the tramp" as usual. In this tale the tramp falls in love with a blind flower girl. Unfortunately for the tramp, the blind girl gets the impression that he is rich when she hears the door of a rich man's car close after the tramp buys a flower from her. What's the tramp to do? To win her love he must be rich, right? There's your movie. We follow the tramp as he tries to find money in many hilarious ways (including the funniest boxing match ever). In his quest Chaplin is ultimately endearing to his audience, but is he to the flower girl? Those who have seen the movie know.

7. Tom Hanks, Saving Private Ryan

Everyone and their mother's favorite Tom Hanks performance is in Forrest Gump. Well, I can't disagree with that myself. Every time I think of Forrest Gump a

Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan

smile does dawn on my face, but it's not Tom Hanks' best. As Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan, Tom Hanks gives the rawest performance of his career. We see the horror of war through his eyes. He's a simple school teacher who serves his country in the biggest war of all time. Being an educated man, he's an officer in the army. Captain Miller must lead men into the gravest of situations and do so without a hint of uncertainty, despite being anything but certain. There's a scene in which when Miller's sitting by himself he begins to breakdown into tears. It may be the most moving scene of the last twenty years. Tom Hanks is the actor of our generation, and in Saving Private Ryan he gives us his greatest performance.

6. Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II

Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors ever, but he will always be remembered for his first big role as Michael Corleone in The Godfather. In the first Godfather Michael is brought into the world of organized crime when his father becomes too ill to run the business himself. Pacino is great in the first film as a young man who must take over a business filled with death. Yet, it's the second of the Godfather trilogy in which Pacino gives his greatest performance. In The Godfather Part One Michael becomes a man. In The Godfather Part Two we see Michael destroying himself and his family. Pacino plays a tyrant calmly, but seething with arrogance. While he orders the deaths of people close to him, along with the audience, he always believes he's doing the right thing. It's not until the last few minutes all of us, including Michael, realize the tragic course he's taken. It's morbidly beautiful to watch.

5. Paul Newman, Cool Hand Luke

How do you pick the best performance from Paul Newman? Has there ever been an actor with as many great performances? Actually, it's pretty easy to pick Newman's best performance. Paul's amazing in The Hustler and brilliant in Hud, but Cool Hand Luke is his best. "I have never planned a thing in my life!" That line from the movie describes the title character as well as anything. He's in prison for a nothing crime and he will be out in two years. So, why does he try escape at every turn? Because, why not? Cool Hand Luke is the coolest character ever that was not played by Steve McQueen. Cool Hand Luke is the man all men would like to be. Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke is a caged animal and he's determined to break free. Newman is ever so cool in the process. Being cool is a lot harder than simply breaking down and crying. Just ask Dustin Hoffman.

4. Henry Fonda, Once Upon a Time in the West

Henry Fonda, the poor man's Jimmy Stewart? I tend to look at him as such, but there's no doubt Hank Fonda was a great actor in his own right. Fonda always played the good guy, well, almost always. In Once Upon a Time in the West Henry Fonda may be the coldest man ever. When he's sent to scare a family out of their land for an expanding railroad, he exceeds his mission. As the character simply known as Frank, he kills the entire family, including the children. When his boss berates him for going beyond his order of just to frighten the family Frank offers "People are a lot more scared when they're dying!" From an actor who made his career as the good guy, it's a brilliant turn. Henry Fonda in West is

Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver

terrifying and it's his best performance. Anywhere else you will probably see Fonda's performance in The Grapes of Wrath selected as his best. While great, I'll take the hard edge Frank any day.

3. James Stewart, Vertigo

James Stewart is my favorite movie star ever! I don't think there's ever been an actor that had so much talent and movie star appeal at the same time. He was capable of being as entertaining as anyone and at the same time giving a brilliant performance. Imagine him as a mix of Tom Hanks and Sean Penn. Well, he's not as dark as Sean Penn, but you get to the point. In Vertigo, Stewart is his most brilliant as a retired police officer who has his affliction of vertigo used against him in a murderess plot. Never do you see James Stewart as raw and aggressive as when he's interrogating Kim Novak about the plot he was victimized by. In Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock unleashes James Stewart the actor. Stewart himself brings along Jimmy Stewart the movie star, and it's a brilliant concoction to witness!

2. Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver

When I wrote my past column, A Guide to the Greatest Living Director, Robert De Niro's performance as Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver is what inspired these set of columns. De Niro has given many brilliant and ground breaking performances, but none are as impacting as his offering as a crazed taxi driver. The picture on this page should show you the level of grit Taxi Driver has as a film. That film belongs Robert De Niro. Taxi Driver includes Cybil Shepard and Albert Brooks, but it's a one man show. Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver is as creepy and demented as any character you'll ever see. You will not connect with his character (at least I hope not), but you will be captivated by it. Only one performance have I seen is better.....

1. Marlon Brando, A Streetcar Named Desire

When I think of Marlon Brando I think of the most talented actor ever. Not De Niro, Pacino, Olivier, Stewart, Fonda, Hanks or Penn could match his talent. Sadly though, he wasted his talent. It came too easy to Brando. Yet, despite that he wasted his gift; he still managed to give the greatest performance by either an actor or actress I have ever seen. As Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, Marlon Brando simply changed the acting landscape in American cinema forever. Before acting was Laurence Olivier playing Hamlet or Clark Gable, but with one performance Brando brought the idea of a human being to the screen. Stanley is a man who beats his wife, abuses his friend and eventually rapes someone. Brando does what no one had done before him. He created more than just a character. Brando as Stanley Kowalski creates a human being. Full of rage, fear, hate, lust and everything else. In one performance Marlon Brando changed acting forever. Should I say it again?
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There you have it! That's it for this two part series. I hope you enjoyed the columns. I know I always love reading top ten lists. I promise it's not the last one I will do. In the next edition of The Movie Blog I will be remembering one of my favorite actors, Gregory Peck. I hope all of you read that one. See you in two weeks!

Top 10 Perfomances: Actresses

2008-05-22T23:30:00-04:00

As I'm sitting here watching What's New Pussycat? I realized two things. 1, Woody Allen is one of the greatest writers in movie history. 2, It's about time I wrote a new edition of Out of the Past. As you read in the title, this week I'm the picking the top ten greatest performances by female actors(or actresses as everyone calls them). The idea for this column came to me about two months ago went I wrote my guide to Martin Scorsese's catalog. You will notice that I'm not including any males in my selections because, well, that's for next time. So, here you have it -

10. Faye Dunaway, Network

Those of you who haven't seen many older films probably don't know that at one time Faye Dunaway was capable of giving as good of a performance as has ever been given. Sadly after she won her Oscar for Network she seemed to fade with a series of bad choices in roles, but one could argue from about 1965 to 1975 Faye Dunaway was the best actress around. In Network she plays a neurotic television executive and is hilarious, intimidating and flat out creepy in the process. So, despite that the majority of her acting career may have been mired in mediocrity, at least in Network, Faye Dunaway was one of the all time greats.

9. Machiko Ky�, Rashomon

Machiko Ky� is without a doubt the least known actress on the list, but for fans of Akira Kurosawa, she's very memorable. Rashomon is a series of stories about a single story. The basis of the stories is that a newly married couple were traveling through the country side in feudal Japan and were attacked. The attack left the husband dead. Now how it happened is what the movie is about. You see three versions of the same event. One from each of the wife, attacker and the ghost of the husband. Machiko Ky� is the wife and plays virtually three different people in the stories. Each version has her being portrayed in a different light. Machiko takes a very difficult role and completes it with beauty. In my opinion, it's one of the most underrated performances of all time.

8. Katharine Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story

Katherine Hepburn is the most honored actress in movie history. She gave many great performances, but I have to go with her comic portrayal as a would be bride dealing with 3 suitors on the days leading up to her wedding as her best. The role in The Philadelphia Story could be said to have saved Hepburn's career. Released in 1940, The Philadelphia Story was a huge hit. The exact thing Hepburn's career needed after she been labeled "box office poison" by the media. It was believed in the 1930's that if Katherine Hepburn was in a movie no one would go see it. The

Bette Davis in All About Eve

Philadelphia Story proved all of Katherine Hepburn's critics wrong. She would go on to make hits for about another 40 years.

7. Anne Bancroft, The Graduate

Is there any more of an iconic female character in movie history than Mrs. Robinson? Mrs. Robinson is a bored housewife who decides to have an affair with a young college student. That becomes a problem when that young college student falls in love with Mrs. Robinson's daughter. Any performance that should be listed on a "greatest" list should be of a role that is owned by the performer who gave it. In plays across the globe many have tried to be Mrs. Robinson, but Anne Bancroft, in the performance of her career, will always be remembered for being the true Mrs. Robinson. Well, that and being married to that short guy that's kind of funny.

6. Bette Davis, All About Eve

"Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a very bumpy night!" That, one of the most memorable lines ever, was uttered by Bette Davis in All About Eve. Bette Davis plays a famous stage actress that must sit and watch as a one-time fan and title character, Eve Harrington(Anne Baxter), eclipses her star. Both Anne Baxter and Bette Davis were nominated for Oscars for their performances in All About Eve(both lost to Judy Holiday, who won for her performance in Born Yesterday). When Anne Baxter was asked about Bette's nomination she simply replied "the movie was entitled All About Eve wasn't it?". Well, Anne Baxter was right. The title of the movie was All About Eve, but any one who has seen the 1950 Best Picture winner knows it's all about Bette.

5. Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's

Audrey Hepburn gave some enchanting performances in her career, but none come close to being as fondly remembered as her portrayal as Holly Golightly. Director Blake Edwards' view of Holly in Tiffany's is about the nicest incarnation of prostitute you're likely to find. While the story of the movie may suffer from a little sugar coating, who wants to see Audrey Hepburn as a full on prostitute anyway? Despite her being so regal, Audrey's most famous role is that of a shallow and deeply flawed country girl. Even if Holly is a liar, thief and a prostitute you still fall in love with her. It's what Audrey Hepburn did best, make an audience fall in love for two hours.

4. Elizabeth Taylor, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Liz Taylor may have lost her mind about 25 years ago, but in her prime she was absolutely beautiful. With that, the best performance of her career came as a skanky wife of a broken down college professor. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is one of the original character driven

Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard

movies. Much like what you see in films like Closer today, Woolf is a look at people and their relationships. Every member of the four character cast was brilliant, but Liz stole the show with her performance as one of the nastiest characters in screen history!

3. Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard

I've heard people say that the best performances come when the actor brings truth to the role. Well, when Gloria Swanson plays a faded silent movie star in Sunset Boulevard you could say life was imitating art. Gloria Swanson's career was in it's heyday during the silent era, but sadly she didn't make the transition to sound very well. In hindsight, it doesn't really matter. The biggest achievement of her career came as the insane former movie star, Norma Desmond. Apparently she was ready for her close-up. Okay, that was a little cheesy.

2. Vivien Leigh, Gone with the Wind

This was the toughest selection I had to make on the list. Both Vivien Leigh's performances in Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire could easily hold a spot on the list. Originally I had selected Leigh's performance as Blanche DuBois from Streetcar, but the more I thought about the two roles, I realized Scarlet O'Hara beats Blanche. Scarlet is as famous of a character as Rick in Casablanca or Vito Corleone in The Godfather. No one besides Vivien Leigh could have ever been Scarlet. So, when thinking of the word "greatness" I came to the conclusion that as great as Leigh was on a Streetcar, she was just a little greater in the wind.

1. Maria Falconetti, The Passion of Joan of Arc

Maria Falconetti has one screen credit, and you guessed it, it's for The Passion of Joan of Arc. In the title role, Maria gives one the most touching portrayals you'll ever see. We see Joan while she's on trial as she faces torture and disenchantment from her God. We follow her from the court room to the torture chamber and finally to the stake where she is burnt alive. Maria Falconetti as Joan of Arc was the easiest selection on the list. The subject is very tragic and Maria makes you feel as if the tragedy is happening to you as well. It's a performance that is as moving as any I have ever witnessed. So moving it had to be #1!
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There you have it! Some college kid's ramblings about what he considers good movies. In two weeks I will be posting part two of this series. So look forward to Top Ten Performances: Actors in two weeks! Until then, go watch The Passion of Joan of Arc. I know very few of have seen it, if it any. I promise it's the greatest silent movie ever.

Ingmar Bergman Showdown

2008-05-22T23:27:00-04:00

Welcome to a column that you are probably the only person to have read! I actually hope at least some of you out there have seen these two movies. See, what I have here is the first of what I expect to be many "versus" columns. What we'll have are two comparable(somewhat) movies being stacked up against each other, and the jury(me) will pick the winner. For the inaugural edition I have picked two brilliant movies. They hail from one of the best countries for movies, Sweden. The two movies I've picked are considered to be the absolute best from the infamous, Ingmar Bergman. While Ingmar has done many great movies, when ever you hear his amazing career discussed people either pick one of two movies as his best. I give you The Seventh Seal vs. Wild Strawberries.

The Seventh Seal

This is probably the most famous movie from Ingmar Bergman. Our story is one of simply, death. The main story focuses on a Christian knight from the Crusades facing death. Not death as in the end of life exactly, but as in the angel of death. While strolling along a beach surveying his fallen fellow soldiers he meets death, but he is well aware that his time is up as well. Trying to avoid his ultimate fate, he challenges death to a chess match. The stakes are simple. The solider will remain alive as long as he can continue to win, but if he loses he must concede that he is dead. Yet, the solider's motives are not that of wanting to live, but rather to understand the point of all the madness he's seen.

The movie stars Max von Sydow as Antonius Block, the solider looking for borrowed time. Without a doubt the best role of his career. Never have I seen another movie in which Sydow comes across as so much of a leading man. It's without a doubt a very strong and commanding performance. The movie is simply stole by another actor though. Bengt Ekerot, who plays Death, creates one of the most iconic and chilling figures in movie history. Totally captivating in any scene he is in, and without a doubt has inspired just about any incarnation of the character of death in any film since. Played very simply, Ekerot is forever calm. In his portrayal of death he is never in doubt of the end result. He will take the solider's life. It's what he does. Bibi Andersson rounds out the supporting cast(all who want to live) in a very well acted movie.

The word that describes The Seventh Seal the best would have to be, twisted. The aspect of losing life is totally seen as almost a non-issue between the two main

characters. The solider wants to live, but not because he's afraid to die. He wants to know what all of us do, what's the point? No doubt there are other movies that look at death in satirical light, but I think it's the blending of humor, drama and the eventual horror we all face that makes The Seventh Seal so memorable. The film is what all of the greats are, an experience.

Wild Strawberries

If you haven't seen The Seventh Seal you've probably never even heard of Wild Strawberries. Mostly because Wild Strawberries is nowhere near the dramatic study of life and death that The Seventh Seal is. Except that's what the movie is about. One man's study of his life and legacy. Victor Sj�str�m stars as Professor Isak Borg. Isak begins the film setting out for a trip to receive an anniversary title at the university that he teaches. Along the way he reflects on his life. Visiting the sites of where he was a child, where he met his first love and the other moments of his life.

At the beginning we see a man who is cold and perhaps bitter at feeling his age and that his life is coming to a close. By the end of the movie you see a total transformation. The old man has come to peace with his life and the world. When remembering Wild Strawberries one word always tends to pop in my head. I always remember how touching the movie ultimately is. I don't think that at least in one point of the movie the viewer doesn't ask the same questions that Isak does. "Have I lived life?" By the end of the movie the answer for Isak is a pleasant yes. He didn't save the world or conquer it, but he did love. The movie isn't so much a view into a man's life, but rather a view into life itself.

And the Winner Is..... The Seventh Seal!

While I think I showed great admiration for both movies, I have to say that The Seventh Seal is the better of the two. Wild Strawberries, while great, is a simple movie. If I were to try to write this same column in 5 years without having seen either movie in that time I could do so on The Seventh Seal. It's a movie that sticks with you. I honestly wonder if I could recall much of Wild Strawberries. One of those movies you say "I remember liking it when I saw it.". The Seventh Seal just has edge to it. The images are more profound and the movie I would say is just more artistic. Either way you look at it, both movies are among the greatest ever made. The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries are intelligent movies for intelligent people. Are you worthy of watching them?

The Worst Mistakes in Oscar History

2008-05-22T23:23:00-04:00

The worst story I may have ever heard involving the Academy Awards would have to be when Will Rogers announced the winner for Best Director at the 1933 awards ceremony. When opening the envelope Rogers remarked "Well, well, well. What do you know. I've watched this young man for a long time. Saw him come up from the bottom, and I mean the bottom. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Come on up and get it, Frank!". Well, Frank Capra, who was nominated for his film Lady for a Day, started to make his way up the isle, but unfortunately for Capra, Will Rogers was referring to director Frank Lloyd whom was also nominated for his film, Cavalcade. Frank Capra was made to head back to his seat amongst jeers of "Sit down" being yelled at him. Capra called the walk back to his seat the "Longest, saddest, most shattering walk in my life".

That story alone would qualify as a horrible on any list, but this column is not about the stupidity of Will Rogers. What this column is about are the mistakes the Academy has made itself. In hindsight everyone's vision is 20/20, but some mistakes, as we all know, have been inexcusable in the history of the ultimate award in film. Listing every single award given that was either more deserved by another nominee or completely undeserved at all would take about 5 months worth of columns. I will not be doing that. Rather the selections I've chosen are the mistakes I find the most deplorable.

Shakespeare in Love as Best Picture

When I watched the 1998 Best Picture winner I thought it was a good movie. I remember thinking "ah, that was kind of cute". On the other hand, when I watched one of the five films Shakespeare in Love beat, well, I had a little different reaction. After I left the theater having seen Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan I was absorbed by the movie. The vision of war Spielberg

brought to the screen was unlike any I'd ever seen. Everyone knows that war is tragic, but no movie had ever shown the horror of war so completely as what I'd just witnessed with Saving Private Ryan. Ryan was an achievement in film that when you saw it you were watching history being made. Anyone who saw the movie knew it was movie of the year, and maybe of the decade.

Eventually we saw what boiled down to a war between two studios as to which one could promote their movie the best in hopes of securing the Best Picture Oscar. Miramax would eventually defeat Dreamworks when Shakespeare in Love went on to win over Saving Private Ryan. Even Harrison Ford, whom was presenting the award, was shocked by the choice. As was evident by his drab announcement. Saving Private Ryan was by far the most deserving of the five films nominated, but even fellow war movie and nominee, The Thin Red Line, was a superior film to that of Shakespeare in Love. Miramax bought the Best Picture award in 1998. What's a bigger mistake than allowing that?

Ignoring Foreign Language Films for Top Honors

While foreign films are normally more realistic or less by the numbers than the efforts from Hollywood, I still consider la la land to be the best supplier of movies in the world. Even with that said, countries such as Japan, Sweden, Russia, France and many others have produced films that rival the best of what Hollywood has ever put out. Directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Sergi Eisenstein and Federico Fellini have all made films that are as revered in film as any list of directors, but not one ever did win the award for Best Director. In fact, the highest awards ever given out to a Foreign language film have been for Best Actor and Actress(1998 for Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful and in 1960 for Sophia Loren in Two Women). The fact that films like Seven Samurai, Ugetsu, 8�, or even Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were denied the top award, despite being superior to films that took the award the same year, shows the attitude of "we always make them best" the Academy has. Sorry to tell this to the naked guy holding the sword, but no you don't.

Paul Newman's Nearly 30 Year Quest

Paul Newman was awarded the honorary Oscar in 1985 for his amazing body of work, 28 years after his first nomination in 1957(Best Actor for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof). When asked what it was like to finally have an Oscar, Newman offered "It's like chasing a beautiful woman for 30 years and one day she stops

and says... okay I'm tired". The next year Newman would win the award for Best Actor for The Color of Money. Many other actors, such as Peter O'Toole, have been extremely deserving of Oscars, but have failed to win one. Paul Newman is the owner of two statues, but the reason I select him out of all the constant Oscar losers is because it became part of his career. Paul Newman getting nominated and losing time after time had become a joke. For one of the finest actors ever to grace a movie screen, that's pathetic.

Citizen Kane

What do Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, The Godfather and Lawrence of Arabia all have in common? They are considered the absolute best movies in history. If you were making a top ten list of the greatest movies ever made they would all be on it. Yet, there's another way all of these films are linked. Each one was the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Picture. While these films are always mentioned as the cream of the crop, one film in particular is right there up with them. Citizen Kane was Orson Welles first film and the #1 selection on AFI's 100 greatest movies list. Yet, the film failed to win the Best Picture Oscar. Instead, the Academy picked How Green was My Valley as the best film of 1941. While I consider 1931's Cimarron as the worst Best Picture of all time, the Academy may not have a worse blunder than failing to award what may very well be the best movie ever made it's top honor.

Dishonorable Mentions - LOTR: Return of the King sweep, Ordinary People as Best Picture, Forest Whitaker beats Peter O'toole, Richard Burton's Oscar-less career
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Despite all of the four horrible missteps I listed in the Academy's past, I feel each year the Oscars are meaning less and less. While I may not like the idea of overlooking someone for decades at least it made the award worth something. Now we see the guy from Booty Call and the girl from Legally Blonde winning on their first nomination. Hey, both were great in their movies, but how do you justify not giving Peter O'Toole a competitive Oscar ever and then give one to someone on their first truly serious role? Within in the next 10 years I look for the Oscars to be about as relevant as the Grammy awards.

Oh well, writing about foreign films earlier in the column made me nostalgic for them. With that, I've decided on what you will see next from me. The next Movie Blog will be about Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. Hopefully everyone reading this knows who that is. Until then.....

A Guide to the Greatest Living Director

2008-05-22T23:19:00-04:00

Welcome once again to The Movie Blog. Having a week long flu sets you back I'm telling you. Anyway, enough with me, let's talk about who, in my opinion, is the greatest living director. In case you haven't read my last column(Top 10 Love Stories of All time) I'm talking about Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese(or Marty as I will refer to him), has been quoted as saying that he believes that Heat and Collateral director Michael Mann occupies the title I'm placing on him. There's no doubt Michael Mann is an excellent director. He's one of the few directors out there that I will go see whatever he puts out, but when you look at the two directors list of films next to each other it's a little one sided. Michael Mann has some good movies, and a couple of great ones. Martin Scorsese has a lot of great movies, and a couple of good ones. There's a difference there if you can read. So, as the title suggests, here's a guide to Martin Scorsese's great movies.

Mean Streets

The movie that started it all. Means Streets marks the first collaboration of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Maybe the most revered director/actor relationship in movie history. Mean Streets also marks Scorsese's first great gangster movie. While his later films would focus on the larger side of organized crime, Means Streets is about a small time hood(De Niro) and the friend that tries to keep him out of trouble(Harvey Keitel). Not as solid as some of his later works in the genre, but Mean Streets was the first movie, at least in America, to display such extreme violence with style. Mean Streets is not Martin Scorsese's masterpiece, but it is the movie that started what would become his niche.

The Aviator

Okay, this probably the one that's going to have people yelling at the screen the most. Well, if you if don't like, get your own column. As like most males after watching Leonardo DiCaprio in 1997's Titanic I kind of had the Orlando Bloom affect. You know, the guy who is just so romantic and attractive that women swoon, and us guys are going "I'd kick his ass!". Slowly, but surely my opinion of Leo started to change the more I saw of him. He totally kicked my ass with his performance in this movie. I could see what Marty had seen in this kid. Despite his earlier

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator

teen idol turn he has edge. I think that's what makes this biopic about Howard Hughes so remarkable. The Aviator has the enderingness(is that a word?) that all biographies must have. Despite how Hughes treats people as objects, you see his soul. You see that he's a man with problems, but he becomes our man with problems. Marty keeps the movie from going too sentimental with showing Hughes' mistakes and breakdowns so brutally. Martin Scorsese doesn't pull punches.

Taxi Driver

I have an idea for a future column. The idea is a list of the greatest performances in movie history. No doubt if and when I write that column Robert De Niro's performance as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver will be one of them. While this movie is a hallmark of Marty's career, it's the Robert De Niro show. Taxi Driver is a one man movie. Credit has to be given though to the brilliant rawness that Scorsese brings to this movie. De Niro is the show with his brutal and creepy performance of man who is drowning in the world of inner city sleaze, but Martin gives him the ultimate stage. I don't think any director in history could've done it better.

After Hours

Alright, this is not a quintessential Scorsese movie, but I just love it. It's a crazy movie about a guy and his misadventures one night in New York. It's so odd and hilarious. I doubt you can find this to rent at Blockbuster, but if you have Netflix I recommend placing it at the top of your list. It's just a fun and crazy ride.

The Departed

My movie of the hour! The Departed is the best movie I've seen since Saving Private Ryan. That almost 10 years! Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of the rawest and in an odd way endearing performances I've ever seen. While the film is a remake of a film named Infernal Affairs(that is great in it's own right), Scorsese takes it to another level. In The Departed you see the much more tragic side of the road the characters are on. Marty's astounding direction creates a world where each character is damned. I guess Leo is your hero, but when you see the movie you would never believe it. He's just a kid who was searching for some purpose. When he accepts the job of being a mole in the mob he becomes consumed with the realization that any minute he could die if he's discovered. I feel I was touched by Leo's performance as just about any I've ever witnessed. Martin Scorsese moves all these pieces together until it's a more than a movie, it's an experience. The Departed is such a great story of tragic loss that

Robert De Niro in Raging Bull

it's as if it was written by Shakespear.

Raging Bull

Where do you start? Martin Scorsese's ability to show a character with warts and all but still have the audience feel for that character may be unmatched with Raging Bull. Raging Bull is a biopic about a boxer named Jake La Motta. I remember hearing once that the real La Motta was thought to have fought as if he didn't think he deserved to live. That's a very strong statement. Scorsese brings us a man who is as tortured as can be. Jake La Motta is a man who has an unbelievable will to be the best boxer in the world, but when life doesn't allow for that to be possible his drive leads to the destruction of his life. It's a vicious journey to watch.

Goodfellas

Goodfellas is Martin Scorsese's ultimate masterpiece. This is a movie that no doubt rivals The Godfather as the greatest mob movie ever made. We are brought into the world of the mafia by Henry Hill(Ray Liotta). We see his character grow up with organized crime. The narration from Hill's character is the tightest I've ever seen. The key to the film's greatness is the complete focus of Martin Scorsese's direction. Nothing is shallow. Every character is more than one dimensional. It's as if you're not just seeing a story unfold, but that you are peering into the character's world. There is not one director in history that I believe could have made Goodfellas better than Martin Scorsese. Often described as perfectionist, Marty creates characters and a story with life. Has it ever been done any better?
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Along with Michael Mann, there's plenty of great directors still alive(Ingmar Bergman doesn't count). Steven Spielberg can be as good as anyone when he has the right script. Clint Eastwood is proving to be a better director than he was an actor. There's probably a few others I could name, but none have both the catalog of great films and consistency of Martin Scorsese. The man is a living legend in film and rightfully so. If you were to make a list of the defining films of the last 30 years at least 5 on the list would be from Marty. Writing this column has been truly awe inspiring. Looking at Scorsese's career as a whole leaves you extremely impressed. Compared to the era of movies I will normally write about, today we lack the sheer amount of genius directors that we saw in the past. Yet, despite the current movie landscape there's still one name out there that I would put along side the likes of Ford, Wilder, Kurosawa, Lean etc. That name is Martin Scorsese.

Ride of Terror Showdown

2008-05-22T22:19:00-04:00

Well, it's now May and that means one thing. The NBA Playoffs are going to be rocking, so I won't be really watching much else. This week I have a great face off. Both films deal with monsters and vacation destinations! This time around The Showdown brings you a summertime blockbuster death match. It's Jurassic Park vs. Jaws!

Jurassic Park

I remember seeing an interview with Steven Spielberg where he said he wondered if him concentrating on Schindler's List while simultaneously making Jurassic Park would make the later not scary enough to frighten your grandma. Well, I don't know if I would say the movie was all that scary, but it was absolutely entertaining. JP was so much of a hit that they're now working on a forth installment. Both Jurassic Park and Jaws could be called the definition of "blockbuster". Both films were massive successes when they were released, and were followed by several sequels. Though, its Jurassic Park that I can say I contributed to the success. When I was about eight my mom took me to see this in one of those cheap two buck theaters. My brother and I had been dying to see it and so my mom finally broke down and took us to see the movie. It wasn't the cost of going to the movies I think she objected to, but rather the fact that Jurassic Park is about dinosaurs that eat people. With me being eight, she obviously had some reservations. Well, all turned out okay because I've yet to reenact what happens in Jurassic Park.

It's the entire idea of Jurassic Park that Steven Spielberg will be most remembered for. Whether it is with time travel, amazing adventures or bringing dinosaurs back into existence, a large portion of Steven Spielberg's legacy will be about bringing dreams to the screen. I think that's what so many like about this film. As kids we all were taught about these massive creatures that were here many years before us(No, we didn't ride them.) and we all wondered what they were really like. Jurassic Park allows us to

get the best view of dinosaurs we'll ever have, or at least what we think they would've been like. Now, for those of us that have seen the movie, well, it doesn't exactly stay all peaches and cream. One thing we were taught in grade school was that a lot of these creatures liked to eat other creatures. Considering most dinosaurs were stronger, faster and much bigger than any of us a lot people in the movie tend to run really fast and scream a lot. So, you have a vacation resort where you can see real life dinosaurs, but everything goes horribly wrong. That's about as "summer blockbuster" as you can get.

Jaws

What's the line? Jaws did for swimming what Psycho did for showers? Both films play on us in some of our most vulnerable states. In the shower we have no real awareness of what or who is outside of the curtain. When we're swimming we can't really see what's below us. We know that anytime we swim in the ocean or a river that we're sharing the water with some dangerous creatures. Well, Jaws only picks on one creature, a shark. The movie tells the story of a small beach community terrorized by a man-eating shark. From the theme to "We're gonna need a bigger boat." this is such an iconic movie. It virtually made Steven Spielberg and holds a place as one of the best terror films of all time. I don't know if it deserves all the placing on the top 100 lists it receives, but if you make a list like that, it's a film that must be considered.

I was recently thinking about how much of a perfect popcorn movie Batman Begins is. Its characters have depth, the actors have talent, the action is entertaining and, while the story is far fetched, it's just so well told. Jaws may be the first of that pack of the big popcorn movie. None of the hero characters are the tall, dark and handsome stereotype that some movies fall into. With actors like Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Schneider you know that acting talent will be there. As far as the action being entertaining, the

last twenty minutes of the shark all but destroying our heroes' boat, it can stand up to any action sequence in movie history. All of this is tied together with a fairly well constructed and tight film from Spielberg. There were huge summer box-office movies before Jaws, but I think this might be where the definition of what constitutes the big summer movie today started. This was released on June 20th 1975. So, it's right in there for the target few months of May, June and July. When the weather is nice and you just want to go see some fun fluff. There's a reason why they release Spiderman and Shrek in those months and not The Departed or American Gangster.

Winner - Jaws

I was all set to deliver the upset by picking Jurassic Park. When I thought about writing this column I automatically thought I would choose JP, but then something bad happened. I rented both and watched them. Jaws is simply the superior film. Jurassic Park has the better visuals, but Jaws has the build up of not seeing the shark until the last twenty minutes. One of the biggest differences I noticed was in the dialogue. Both films have plenty of cheesy one-liners, but Jurassic Park's collection were just a little too far over the top. Plus, despite all the cool violence with the dinosaurs, nothing in Jurassic Park tops when the shark eats Robert Shaw! He's screaming and screaming until the shark crunches down on his chest. Man, I don't care how many brutal and violent movies I've seen, that scene always makes me a little uneasy. Jaws is just the better movie folks! It proved me wrong.

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This was the first of The Showdown series here at The Movie Blog. There will be more.