Brian wishes for me to add two movies to his top list:
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Guns of Navarone
I think we'll work in a few of our favorites, just to keep up the fun aspect of my little project!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Second on the list is the "last" show...
Movie Review #2: The Last Picture Show, 1971
Stark. Cold. Flat. These words describe the environment in which the movie's characters lived. Everything on the surface seems this way. Still and dead. The town, a fictional town in Texas in the 1950's, reminded me of my own small town upbringing. My first real job was as the local newspaper reporter in that same town, Marshall, Ill. I remember days where the biggest news was when someone walked in with the big tomato of the week!
The film starts slow...just like the town, but once you get into it, you understand that the life--the warmth--is in the characters, who are trying to break out of the sparse, bleakness that surrounds them. The main character, Sonny, is just a boy. This is a coming of age story, that is gritty...dirty...real. Shot in black and white, the movie shows a raw nature. It leaves nothing to the imagination, and deals with some difficult situations even for today's standards.
The best scene in the movie is where Sonny is at the lake, which they call the "tank," talking with the local pool-hall owner, Sam the Lion, who also happens to be the closest thing Sonny has to a father. As I said, the entire movie scenery is unbelievably flat. This scene shows the water blowing in the wind behind Sam, who starts talking to the camera. It is a very touching moment in the movie, where Sam shares a private, intimate memory with Sonny.
There are two things that stand out in this movie. The quiet nature of the main character, who takes almost the entire movie to find his voice, and the music. According to Wikipedia, this was the first movie to use a contemporary popular soundtrack--and now we know who to thank for the soundtrack to Footloose!
This movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won two. Although it was long, and we had to read subtitles because we are not very adept at using the VCR, it was worth the look. It wasn't what I thought it would be, and I'm not sure that it is appropriately named, but it definitely has me thinking of my own small town beginnings, and remembering what it was like to look down the street and see old, empty buildings with all the life worn out of them. I remember thinking that I couldn't wait to get out...and go do something, anything. This movie gave me a little life perspective.
The reference to the "last picture show" was directed to the closing of the local movie house. As the picture show closed, so did a chapter in the life of the town, its people and their innocence.
Just as a side note, I was very surprised by the role Cloris Leachman played, and humored by the goofy, lanky kid played by Randy Quaid. You can see already that he will be perfect for National Lampoon's Vacation movies!
Stark. Cold. Flat. These words describe the environment in which the movie's characters lived. Everything on the surface seems this way. Still and dead. The town, a fictional town in Texas in the 1950's, reminded me of my own small town upbringing. My first real job was as the local newspaper reporter in that same town, Marshall, Ill. I remember days where the biggest news was when someone walked in with the big tomato of the week!
The film starts slow...just like the town, but once you get into it, you understand that the life--the warmth--is in the characters, who are trying to break out of the sparse, bleakness that surrounds them. The main character, Sonny, is just a boy. This is a coming of age story, that is gritty...dirty...real. Shot in black and white, the movie shows a raw nature. It leaves nothing to the imagination, and deals with some difficult situations even for today's standards.
The best scene in the movie is where Sonny is at the lake, which they call the "tank," talking with the local pool-hall owner, Sam the Lion, who also happens to be the closest thing Sonny has to a father. As I said, the entire movie scenery is unbelievably flat. This scene shows the water blowing in the wind behind Sam, who starts talking to the camera. It is a very touching moment in the movie, where Sam shares a private, intimate memory with Sonny.
There are two things that stand out in this movie. The quiet nature of the main character, who takes almost the entire movie to find his voice, and the music. According to Wikipedia, this was the first movie to use a contemporary popular soundtrack--and now we know who to thank for the soundtrack to Footloose!
This movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won two. Although it was long, and we had to read subtitles because we are not very adept at using the VCR, it was worth the look. It wasn't what I thought it would be, and I'm not sure that it is appropriately named, but it definitely has me thinking of my own small town beginnings, and remembering what it was like to look down the street and see old, empty buildings with all the life worn out of them. I remember thinking that I couldn't wait to get out...and go do something, anything. This movie gave me a little life perspective.
The reference to the "last picture show" was directed to the closing of the local movie house. As the picture show closed, so did a chapter in the life of the town, its people and their innocence.
Just as a side note, I was very surprised by the role Cloris Leachman played, and humored by the goofy, lanky kid played by Randy Quaid. You can see already that he will be perfect for National Lampoon's Vacation movies!
Monday, September 5, 2011
One down, 99 to go!
Movie Review #1: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969
This movie was one that I thought I knew, but had never really watched. I only knew a few scenes—the famous bicycle one where Paul Newman rides around with Katharine Ross on the handlebars to the now iconic song of “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.”
I selected this movie as the first, not because of a burning desire to see Paul Newman, but because the movie rental store did not have “Some Like It Hot,” which I had decided to rent first in honor of the near 100 degree temperatures that we had been experiencing. I also wanted to watch a movie that Brian would like for our first movie out of the 100 that we’re planning to view. As I am a huge old movie fan and Brian is not so much so, I thought I would try to make this as enjoyable for him as possible. So, as you can see, we will not be watching AFI's 100 Years 100 Movies list in order--or we would have started with "Citizen Kane."
I have to admit that I began this movie with the attitude of “I’m not going to like this as much as one of the old black and white movies we could be watching.” But, I was wrong. The movie opened with sepia-toned images of Robert Redford in an old west saloon...beautifully shot. There was tension from the start, and an unnatural quiet that heightens your visual senses.
However, the director takes you from the yellowish-brown tones of the old west into bright, colorful images, and you realize that this is not going to be the old standard shootem’ up western. Turns out we get to see the personal, real-life side of the western gunman—the human side. The movie is funny. It’s light hearted, and just when you think that it’s going to get serious—when it becomes clear that they are going to hunted down and killed—it doesn’t. I actually laughed out loud when Paul Newman declared that if the railroad would simply pay him the money that they are paying their hired guns, he’d stop robbing them!
The most beautiful scene in the whole movie is just a few moments long, and if you are not paying attention, you may miss it. During the bicycle scene, the camera is watching the couple ride through the countryside. At one point, the camera goes behind a fence, and you see the scene play out as if it is a roll of film…in slow motion so that you see each frame. The images and light are just perfect, and you understand that you and the camera are one—you are an outsider looking in on a moment in the life of Butch. The camera continues to take you on this journey throughout the film—always framing the shots, and showing you images, and telling the story visually as much or more than it does through the dialog.
If you haven’t seen this movie, or have not watched it in a very long time, I recommend that you give it a view. It shows up on the AFI’s movie list at #73.
One last thought before I post, does anyone else think that Robert Redford looks like Brad Pitt?
Welcome to My Movies, My Thoughts!
My Movies, My Thoughts
In an effort to get back into the habit of writing, and in preparation for working on loftier writing goals, I have decided to embark on a writing exercise that pairs my long love of movie watching with journaling. An English major by training and a movie lover by practice, I thought I’d start with what I know and love.
I invite you to join me on my journey. Watch the movies. Write about your thoughts: How does the movie make you feel? What does it make you think? What makes this movie stand out as one of the “best of” all time?
The List
After reviewing several “best of” movie lists, I chose as the focus of my little writing project the movies listed on AFI’s "100 Years 100 Movies, the 10th Anniversary Edition." I decided this list was most appealing in that it is composed of many movies that I have loved, and also ones that I have wanted to see but have never taken the time to watch. I will watch, review and write about each of the 100 movies on the list. I'm excited about this journey, partly because I'm not sure where it will take me!
The AFI list was originally completed in 1997 and updated in 2007. I am focusing on the revised list, however I may choose, from time to time, to add a movie from the original "100 Years" list. You may find the list of AFI’s movies by following this link: http://www.afi.com/100years/movies10.aspx . You may even download your own movie checklist to help you in checking movies off and rating them as you watch along with me! The AFI website also features other "100 Years" lists, including such lists as "100 Passions" and "100 Laughs," which I may choose to select from as well.
I make lists…lists for the normal things like groceries and supplies, as well as “to do’s” for work, but also for goals. One of my goals this year is to write my first book. If it’s on the list, then I’m going to do my best to check it off! Which is how I came to land on blogging…something I never really thought about doing before.
My “Best Of” Movie List
One of the first things that I did after I read the AFI list aloud to my fiancé Brian, was to begin writing my own favorite movie list…on a napkin at Mama Bear’s Pizzaria in Bloomington! Brian has agreed to watch all the movies with me, and as we love to see movies together, I’m glad to have a partner in my efforts.
The following is my list and Brian's—some are favorites from childhood—some are movies that are tied to a special time in our lives--others are simply the ones that we love to watch over and over:
Karen’s list:
Wizard of Oz (my favorite since the first time I watched it on television)
Sound of Music
Gone with the Wind
Shawshank Redemption
Brigadoon
Rear Window
Vertigo
North by Northwest
Harry Potter (all, but the first is the best)
Lord of the Rings (all)
Matrix (all)
Indiana Jones (all, but The Last Crusade is the best)
Miracle on 34th Street (the original)
Wurthering Heights
Quiet Man
Harvey
Brian’s List:
Shawshank Redemption
Forest Gump
Princess Bride
Driving Miss Daisy
Rocky
Caddyshack
Castaway
It’s a Wonderful Life
Dirty Harry
Groundhog Day
The Jerk
Smokey and the Bandit
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)