Cinema-Scope

TOP MOVIES I RE-WATCHED IN 2011

2012-01-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

Last week I posted my list of top Older movies I discovered in 2011 (another great list idea inspired by Rupert Pupkin speaks - who has posted his own list just this week). This week is my top films I re-visited in 2011.

As an avid movie lover with a substantial collection - and now so many new ways to watch movies like Netflix streaming, TCM, etc. - I find myself constantly reviewing and revisiting movies, usually inspired by something that happened that day, or a discussion, or a theme or whatever inspires me to grab something off the shelf.

When I was working in motion picture development, a writer/director we were working with told one of my co-workers that the Oscars should be given out 10 years later to truly judge how well a movie has held up over time. That was such a great idea that I took up going back 10 years and revisiting titles in a mini-film fest, as well as every year on New Years e-mailing a select list of friends movies that are celebrating key anniversaries. I use 1977 as a starting point, and go back in 10 year intervals (with the exception of 25 as that is a milestone). I might start posting it to the blog, but it's usually pretty long.

This year, I was all over the place in my viewing, so never really got around to my usual methods of selecting theme festivals. Having been wandering around North America in an attempt to settle in a few locations (and have it not work out) over the previous 2 years my discs were all in storage so I pretty much entirely relied on Netflix, etc. As well, I have ended up (temporarily) living in a location that is very isolated from the sources where I would have access to some titles which further limited some of my access to titles.

Usually, my re-watching also corresponds with the titles that are released on Blu-Ray or DVD in a given year which will be obvious given most of my choices were new to Blu this year.

One web site I have been using to journal my movie watching is MUBI, which allows you to create lists which are available for viewing on your profile. Not every movie is listed in their database, but it's a fun way to share your movie watching habits with others.

So here are some films that I revisited this year and either re-fell in love with them, or found a new appreciation for.

THE PAPER (1994, Dir: Ron Howard)

I know many other film buffs do this as well, but I keep a watching log in order to keep track of what I have seen, where I saw it and when. So it was quite surprising to discover that I re-watched THE PAPER in 2011 on the same exact day that I viewed it for the first time in 1994 (November 19). Back then, I had recently moved to Los Angeles and rented it on VHS from a Blockbuster at the corner of Orange Grove and Sunset (being a poor film student at the time, I was limited to a small TV with built in VCR - my Laserdisc and theater system still in Canada). This year, I viewed it via Netflix instant streaming.

The first time I saw this movie I was completely underwhelmed and awarded it a 1 star rating of 4. This year however, I was completely taken in by the movie, the quirky characters, the fast pace and tone of the film and in the end, realized how much I missed Michael Keaton as a leading man.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the newspaper business is being quickly replaced by instant blogging, tweeting and instant news gratification that I have a new found respect for this movie. But really what I discovered was a well made film with great characters and some memorable moments like a fight scene between Michael Keaton and (of all people) Glenn Close. Also love the moment of Randy Quaid egging on Michael Keaton to yell "STOP THE PRESSES".

ACE IN THE HOLE a.k.a. THE BIG CARNIVAL (1951, Dir: Billy Wilder)

I have seen this movie a few times, and it still leaves an impression with each new viewing. Kirk Douglas in one of his best performances as an ousted big city news guy, creating a sensational story out of nothing in rural New Mexico to get himself back into the spotlight.

It's a movie that was way ahead of its time in theme and tone. It helps that the DVD is a gorgeous Criterion collection transfer.

KISS ME DEADLY (1955, Dir: Robert Aldrich)

Speaking of gorgeous Criterion collection transfers, one of their best releases of the year (and they had a REALLY good year) is this film noir gem. This is one of those prints that really sells the Blu-Ray format too - especially for an older black-and-white movie that many people think wouldn't be that big of a change in high definition but it felt like I was watching a new film print of this instead of an at-home digital format.

Oh yeah and the movie is amazing and holds up well. Film Noir is easily the most intriguing genre of films, and this is one of the top titles.

As you'll see below, Criterion had a really good Noir Blu-Ray year because there was also...

THE KILLING / KILLER'S KISS (1956 / 1955, Dir: Stanley Kubrick)

THE KILLING never fails to excite me no matter how many times I view it - and I hadn't seen it since 2006, so watching it here was like being introduced to an old friend who somehow looks better than they did when you first met them. That is of course thanks to the transfer which once again looked like a new film print rather than a digital disc format on a flat-screen TV.

As a bonus, Criterion includes KILLER'S KISS on the disc, a film I hadn't seen since I was in college, and the photography and shot composition in this film is simply outstanding. I almost viewed it again right after just because I was so taken with it.

Oh and one of the best extras is an interview with Sterling Hayden by French TV. It cracked me up, and he tells some great stories. Oh yeah and the cover art ranks as one of the best of the year.

Oh yeah so Criterion Collection...I'm not done with you yet because there is also....

SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957, Dir: Alexander MacKendrick)

This is a movie I can watch multiple times and still find new reasons to love it and this time round was no exception. It's a movie I revisit often, but it's so good that it still makes a list like this, and look out because it may end up again on the 2012 edition.

Populated with the most unlikable characters possible, uttering clever, biting dialogue and shot by James Wong Howe in glorious black-and-white that makes New York just come alive and not in a glamorous way - but it feels real, and dirty and congested and yes, I would live there in a heartbeat. A movie about ambition, and corruption and doing whatever it takes to gain power and prestige, you cheer for people who you should despise.

Ok so that has to be the last Criterion entry...right? WRONG!

TOPSY-TURVY (1999, Dir: Mike Leigh)

This movie isn't that old, but wow on this Blu-Ray release does it ever leap off the screen. It leaves any previous transfer in the dust!

This was a movie I haven't seen since release (where I saw it at the Mann Criterion theater on the 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica), and was excited when Criterion announced it for Blu-Ray release.

Seeing it again this way felt like seeing it for the first time. Mike Leigh just has this knack for capturing nuances in character and in production design. This movie has an artistic photographic quality that gives it the feeling of a 2 hour painting. I could easily turn the sound off and still be entertained (although the musical numbers are part of this movie's charm, so that's just an overall bad idea).

THE GREAT DICTATOR (1940, Dir: Charles Chaplin)

Told you it was a good Criterion year. Chaplin on Blu-Ray, need I say more? Great Criterion release has behind-the-scenes outtakes and again, the print is beyond gorgeous. Having also released MODERN TIMES, here's hoping Criterion gets around to releasing MONSIEUR VERDOUX.

APOCALYPSE NOW (1979, Dir: Francis Ford Coppola)

This Blu-Ray set came out the previous year, but I didn't really sit down and go through it until 2011. Easily one of the best Blu-Ray releases ever. Again, I felt like watching this movie on Blu-Ray was the closest thing to seeing it in a theater (which I still prefer and have done so on many occasions). This movie never gets old.

BLACK RAIN (1989, Dir: Ridley Scott)

I dusted off the Laserdisc player for this one night before heading off to Comic-con. I love the production design which reminds me a lot of BLADE RUNNER (which I think is intentional - given they're both directed by Ridley Scott). Most of all though, this was the movie that sold me on just how cool Michael Douglas is. BASIC INSTINCT enforced it, but man Douglas can play "on the edge" better than anyone else I know.

Watching now still felt very 80s, but in a good way.

BEN-HUR (1959, Dir: William Wyler)

There is nothing like seeing this movie in 70mm at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood (which I've done 4 times) nor when I saw it at the Academy theater and Charlton Heston spot before the movie (much deserved standing ovation, and again when he walked out of the theater during the intermission).

BEN-HUR is a movie of epic scope, and the chariot race still is breathtaking today - especially given the 100% lack of CGI. I usually hate it when people go on and on about how the art of movie making is dead thanks to CGI, but this is one case where the thrills are as real as the horses pulling the chariots wildly around the track.

Warner Home Video went to great lengths to restore this movie, and it shows. The presentation is outstanding (although I have to say THE TEN COMMANDMENTS from Paramount beats them in the packaging department. That box parts like the red sea and the discs are housed in tablets).

Movies like this deserve to be treated with respect, and this one has been.

ALIEN (1979, Dir: Ridley Scott)

ALIENS (1986, Dir: James Cameron)

How can you watch a scary movie or thriller multiple times yet still be on edge or excited even when you know what's coming next? ALIEN and ALIENS are prime examples of movies where I still get chills in moments I have seen dozens of times.

The entire sequence in ALIENS where the marines head into the depths of the compound only to be slaughtered, as well as the entire ending from the point where Ripley goes in after Newt (who has been grabbed by the Aliens) until the ending credits...well let's just say I received 2 phone calls and was so into the movie that I let them go to voice mail.

Both these movies are prime examples of expert filmmakers perfectly combining art with commercial movie making, and obviously having fun doing it. They know how to take the audience on a ride, and in the process made timeless classics that thrill again and again.

Not only did I watch each of the theatrical versions of these movies, but almost immediately viewed the director's cuts right after and still was fully engaged even though they were being viewed with their original counterpart back-t0-back.

Other key re-visits:

BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES (Blu-Ray)

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (Blu-Ray)

THE VERDICT (DVD)

QUIZ SHOW (DVD)

AMERICAN GRAFFITI (Blu-Ray)

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (Blu-Ray - another outstanding remaster)

FANTASIA (Blu-Ray)

FANTASIA 2000 (Blu-Ray)

JACKIE BROWN (Blu-Ray)

2012-01-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome...to 2012. No, not the Roland Emmerich disaster movie, the real 2012. Perhaps we'll live to see 2013...who knows, who cares.

So with an old year gone and a new year starting, it can mean only one thing - END OF YEAR MOVIE LISTS. Of course I will post my top movies released in 2011 soon (still have about 3 that I need to see before making it official. In fact, I don't even think I posted one last year - FOR SHAME). But my good friend over at RUPERT PUPKIN SPEAKS, who is the king of coming up with topics for movie lists has this idea for "top older films seen for the first time during 2011". This makes sense to me as watching all new movies would just be...boring.

Thanks to Netflix and TCM (although I cut down my cable to basic and no longer have TCM - which I may change back soon) and a myriad of catalog Blu-Ray made this a decent year for seeing movies. I feel 2012 is going to be even better.

I also am hoping to find the time to post a top movies re-visited list in 2011, and a year in soundtracks, but in the meantime, here is my list of top older films that I was introduced to in 2011.

CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA (1961)

TCM had this great month of Z-Grade drive-in monster movie programming, and many of those titles made this list. This one in particular though really caught my attention. It was just so bad it was great! Directed by none other than legendary B-filmmaker Roger Corman, this movie had a dry wit about it and never attempted to hide the fact that it is just bad bad bad. The narration alone is worth the price of admission. It just has to be seen to be believed. And check out the monster itself in this delightful still from the film.

Ok now I KNOW I have you hooked. Plot is that a gangster plans to take advantage of a revolution to steal some gold, kill off his inept (understatement) crew and blame it on a made-up sea monster. Trouble is, the sea monster is real. Oh and there is an undercover government agent on board trying to sort the whole mess out - and that agent is played by Robert Towne. YES, that Robert Towne, the one who wrote CHINATOWN among others. If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will.

VILLAGE OF THE GIANTS (1965)

Ok this one is just priceless. Also part of the TCM programming, this is a blatant "raging teenage hormone" movie to the extreme.

A VERY young Ron Howard creates a potion that makes things grow large. A bunch of delinquent teens - led by Beau Bridges - ends up digesting it, they grow to be giants and pretty much hold the town hostage. Imagine giant, horny teenagers running rampant. So it's up to good boy Tommy Kirk to liberate the town from these nasty giant teens.

Best part of the movie is when the Giants first appear at a teen beach party, start dancing, and one of the giant girls picks up a boy and essentially shoves him into her breasts as she dances. If you don't believe me take a look at the still just above this paragraph.

This was pure 60s corn all the way - with a great musical score.

IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (1958)

So there's the space mission to Mars (takes place in the "future" year of 1973) and a rescue team comes across the ship to find all the crew members murdered but one. He gets the blame for the deaths, but states a monster killed the crew.

They don't believe him, at first, that is until that same monster starts killing their crew making it obvious the survivor is telling the truth.

This could have been a very cheesy movie, but instead had some tense moments and the monster was pretty scary instead of looking cheap and unbelievable.

THE H-MAN (1958)

Tokyo never really gets much of a break. If it isn't Godzilla attacking, it's radioactive creatures created from Atomic bomb testing that turn dissolve people upon touching them. As usual, takes a while for the police to figure it out and when they do, they hunt the creatures down in - where else - the city sewer system.

For the outlandish plot, this was also a fairly decently made movie, that while it never takes itself seriously, comes off as being much better than it should be.

QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE (1958)

Great thing about this movie is that right after reading this write up, you can go to the awesome disc-on-demand WARNER ARCHIVE service and order a copy..right...now.

Typical male fantasy sci-fi movie. Male astronauts end up on Venus to find it inhabited only by angry (and beautiful) females who take them captive. The planet is run by an evil Queen who has designs on the captain of the mission (although he falls for Zsa Zsa Gabor, who is on their side) who wants to destroy earth. It seems all the men on Venus died in a recent revolt which left the Queen's face scarred (which she hides under a beautiful mask) which even our hero yet very shallow captain can't accept.

The astronauts and Venusian beauties start to hook up and make out, and in between smooching, overthrow the evil queen. Oh and funny how on a planet of amazon women, they all wear sexy mini-skirts. Who knew!

CABIN IN THE SKY (1943)

Eddie Rochester is a gambler who gets shot over a debt, and on his death bed is made an offer by both heaven and hell to either atone for his past sins and go to heaven, or end up in hell.

He has this wife who is the most honest and clean-living woman imaginable - with the name Petunia, and Eddie's conscience is torn between her and falling back into his old bad habits of gambling and loose women.

The all-African American cast in a movie from the 40s, great musical numbers and very edgy story with some interesting and very surreal moments make this a great watch.

NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (1940)

Great WWII thriller has a scientist and his daughter being rescued by a British officer (Rex Harrison) from the Nazi's who want him working on their side.

Great nail-biter with a fun ending involving a mountain cable car was directed by Carol Reed who had a great list of credits during his very prolific career including THE FALLEN IDOL, ODD MAN OUT, Academy Award winner OLIVER, OUR MAN IN HAVANA and of course the legendary THE THIRD MAN.

PERSONAL PROPERTY (1937)

I have this habit of reading Hollywood bios, then watching as many films from the individual's career as I possibly can before moving onto the next bio. 2011 saw me read a Jean Harlow bio which led me to this gem of a comedy.

Robert Taylor returns to his stuffy upper-class family after a scrape with the law, and they throw him out on his own. His brother in particular really dislikes him. He comes across Jean Harlow who has her own problems (main one being she is deep in debt) and Taylor is asked by a sheriff to watch her until the debt is paid off.

Harlow of course wants nothing to do with him (and he is of course making an extreme play for her) but ends up having him impersonate her butler for a dinner party for her fiance's family which is - you guessed it - his family and his jerk of a brother is the fiance. Comedy ensues.

Harlow may have looked like a dumb blonde (with a body to die for), but most of her movies revealed a clever wit and spark that made her a better than average actress. This is one of those movies where she really shines beyond the whole "sexpot" or "bimbo" persona.

REPULSION (1965)

Very atmospheric and economical Roman Polanski movie which has a young woman alone in her apartment basically going nuts. Polanski at his finest!

THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE (1973)

Peter Yates directed this down and dirty 1970s noir about a con (Robert Mitchum) on the verge of going back to jail, informing on the mob to the police to keep himself from ending up back in the slammer.

A clever thriller that is worth repeat viewings and should be a part of any serious movie-lover's collection.

Z (1969)

This is one of those movies that I have been meaning to watch for ages, and I FINALLY got around to it in 2011.

Great dramatic thriller directed by Costa-Gavras filled with political corruption and plenty of twists and turns. Intriguing enough to inspire me to watch it twice within a period of 3 days. Why it took me so long, I have no idea.

Ok, that's it. Bring on 2012!

VETERAN'S DAY - TOP 11 WAR MOVIES (11/11/11)

2011-11-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

Besides being the much touted 11/11/11 (and the release day of the SKYRIM video game and HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 on Blu-Ray and DVD), today is first and foremost VETERAN'S DAY (REMEMBRANCE DAY in Canada).

Remembering those who risked their lives fighting and those that died so that we might be free should be a priority for everyone. Of course war is a hot topic for Movies, and Hollywood has turned out some great titles on the subject, on pretty much every war ever fought (sorry, the great battle of the Rebellion against the Empire doesn't count).

From the rah-rah World War II titles, to the controversial US involvement during the war in Vietnam, to a nation torn in the civil war, Movies have had war covered since the beginning of the medium.

In honor of the day, I have compiled a list of some of my favorite war movies of all time. It being 11/11/11, I have included...11 titles (and an honorable mention). Some are films everyone knows of and others not so much. I'll probably get yelled at for leaving off SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998), I have my reasons but that's a whole other topic entirely for another blog post. Also notably missing is GONE WITH THE WIND (1939), but that is not really a war movie as it is a movie set during wartime (of course that conflict being the Civil War), and it is just a small part of the greater epic.

Some great movies have been made about the other side's experience in wars as well such as Wolfgang Petersen's DAS BOOT (1981 - Nazi submarine) and Clint Eastwood's LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (2006 - Japanese Infantry). Here though I focus on the North American experience.

1. BAND OF BROTHERS (HBO Mini-series, 2001, Various Directors - World War II)

Ok I know, BAND OF BROTHERS is a TV mini-series but it is an HBO original, and let's face it HBO goes beyond the confines of TV and this series is a prime example of that.

Executive produced by Hollywood A-listers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, this 10 part series chronicles the exploits of E "Easy" Company (506th regiment of the 101st Airborne division) starting with their basic training right through to V-J day.

It has everything - D-Day, Operation Market Garden, invading Hitler's mountain retreat and even liberating a concentration camp - and packs quite an emotional punch. The ensemble cast which includes Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Donnie Wahlberg, Michael Fassbender to name a few, really nailed the material and sold the hardships, camaraderie and dangers of fighting in a major conflict - not to mention, protecting each other's back.

Followed up in 2010 with THE PACIFIC (obviously covering the battles in...the Pacific over those in Europe), BAND OF BROTHERS has held up over the 10 years since it first aired as a solid war story making this a must-see - actually a must OWN (a dual set of BOB and THE PACIFIC on Blu-Ray and DVD was released this past Tuesday). Full disclosure, I have not yet seen THE PACIFIC, something I plan to rectify and soon.

2. THE LONGEST DAY (20th Century Fox, 1962, Various Directors - World War II)

THE LONGEST DAY has quite possibly the greatest ensemble cast ever assembled (you'll find most of the titles I list have star-studded ensemble casts) for the big screen. Produced by Fox head Darryl F. Zanuck (during a period where he was not the Fox head), the cast boasts the likes of John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Sean Connery, Eddie Albert, Paul Anka, Richard Beymer, Richard Burton, Red Buttons, Fabian, Peter Lawford, Roddy McDowell, Sal Mineo, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, Rod Steiger, Robert Wagner - and that's just to name a few!

Based on the book by Cornelius Ryan, this is an ambitious movie - that completely works - chronicling the full events surrounding D-Day and the Allied invasion of Normandy. It not only covers the Allies, but the German side as well.

Casting aside, this movie is epic on every level, that not only boasts realism, but is full of heroic cinematic exploits that take it beyond the realms of entertainment.

3. THE THIN RED LINE (20th Century Fox, 1998, Directed by Terence Malick - World War II)

1998 was a big year for war movies. Spielberg's SAVING PRIVATE RYAN came out (and yes I know many of you think should be on this list as I mention above I have my reasons) and Terence Malick's THE THIN RED LINE which I think is the better movie of the two.

I often refer to THE THIN RED LINE as the anti-LONGEST DAY. Sure it's a different battle (Guadalcanal) but like THE LONGEST DAY this film features a long list of Hollywood A-listers which include Woody Harrelson, Nick Nolte, John Travolta, John Cusack, George Clooney, Sean Penn, Adrien Brody and more.

THE LONGEST DAY has huge battles and covers the D-Day invasion in great detail. In THE THIN RED LINE, the Guadalcanal battle is secondary to the inner feelings and thoughts of the individuals involved. Right from the beginning of the movie, you sense a feeling of loss and the internal struggles and confusion of men forced to deal straight on with the horrors around them. In fact, it starts with two soldiers who are AWOL - not exactly a heroic move.

Nature seems to be also in conflict with the soldiers in many parts of this movie (shots of soldiers fending off snakes in the grass for instance) and the outstanding Hans Zimmer score (EASILY his best work) and haunting voice over sets this movie apart from virtually any other war movie (let alone many other movies) ever made.

4. MEN IN WAR (United Artists, 1957, Directed by Anthony Mann - Korea)

MEN IN WAR is an emotional powerhouse of a movie, chronicling the march of a platoon during the Korean conflict, trapped behind enemy lines following a retreat, and just trying to survive.

The most haunting image from this movie is that of a catatonic Colonel (Robert Keith) whom a Sergeant (Aldo Ray) is more concerned about than the troops. Sitting with a blank stare and a cigarette barely hanging out of his mouth, this visual of the Colonel at once tells the tale of men broken by the horrors of war. A very quiet with a minimalist score by Elmer Bernstein, MEN IN WAR focuses on the inner struggles of men just trying to stay alive in the midst of overwhelming odds - much like THE THIN RED LINE but on a different scale.

5. THE DEER HUNTER (Universal, 1978, Directed by Michael Cimino - Vietnam)

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1978, THE DEER HUNTER is best known for the sequences that take place in a POW camp, and the Russian Roulette scenes involving Christopher Walken who took home the Best Actor in a Supporting role Oscar.

Also featuring Robert DeNiro, John Cazale, John Savage and Meryl Streep, men from a blue-collar Pennsylvania factory town go off to fight in Vietnam, end up experiencing all kinds of horrific treatment at the hands of their captors (see paragraph above) then struggle to re-integrate back into American life.

Gritty and raw, this movie never fails to impress me upon repeat viewings. One of the most powerful screenings was during a celebration of the Academy Awards 75th year, and the Academy screened all 75 Best Picture winners over the course of a year. I remember someone yelling "Bravo" loudly from the back of the theater several times during the credits, and I felt the same way.

6. BATAAN (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1943, Directed by Tay Garnett - World War II)

Set in the Phillipines, 13 men are given the task of blowing up an enemy bridge, then making sure it doesn't get rebuilt.

Claustrophobic and extremely suspenseful, the Black-and-White photography greatly enhances the tension of this movie. Oh yeah...and Ricky Ricardo himself (Desi Arnaz) is part of the cast.

7. WHERE EAGLES DARE (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1968, Directed by Brian G. Hutton - World War II)

Proof that not all war movies need to be serious or introspective. This is a rip-roaring action film that must NOT be missed taking full advantage of the World War II setting in a unique and interesting way.

Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood penetrate a Nazi fortress to rescue a captured American General, but there is so much more going on and it unfolds masterfully with great action sequences thrown in - like the one pictured above on a cable car (I think a scene from the 1979 OO7 picture MOONRAKER was inspired by this movie). I can't go into all the plot twists and turns, you're just going to have to witness those for yourself.

This movie is such a "guys" movie, and such a fun watch that repeat viewings are almost mandatory. Even mentioning it usually ends up in me watching it shortly after (yeah it'll probably happen tonight). In fact, the website TRAILERS FROM HELL featured it as their Wednesday entry this week as part of Clint Eastwood week.

8. PLATOON (Hemdale/Orion, 1986, Directed by Oliver Stone - Vietnam)

One of my favorite filmmakers, Oliver Stone is best known for his political movies like the masterpiece JFK (1991), and his Vietnam trilogy - PLATOON, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (see below) and HEAVEN & EARTH (1993).

Ok so many of you might wonder what set Charlie Sheen off this past year after his TWO AND A HALF MEN debacle? Well, perhaps it was the horrors of war because this Academy Award winner for Best Picture (and Stone won for Director) features the war in Vietnam as seen through innocent Charlie's characters eyes.

Commanded by two officers with differing view points (Willem DaFoe and Tom Berenger), volunteer Charlie finds himself caught between not only the war around him, but some fairly heavy moral conflicts as well.

PLATOON is another movie I can watch over and over, and still experience the power and personal experience of Oliver Stone (translating his own Vietnam war demons) of it every single time.

9. THE GREAT ESCAPE (United Artists, 1963, Directed by John Sturges - World War II)

Another "movie" movie where the war setting spawns great action sequences and a cinematic iconic image with a motorcycle jump over a fence that cemented actor Steve McQueen as a Movie Star.

Another ensemble cast from director John Sturges who also directed THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) including James Garner, Sir Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasence, Charles Bronson and James Coburn. Here we have POWs plotting a major escape from a Nazi camp thanks to an elaborate tunnel system (HOGAN'S HEROES can thank this movie for inspiration). McQueen is the rebel who has his own ideas of escape...and spends most of the movie in the camp prison-house in another cinematic iconic moment where he repeatedly throws a baseball against the wall.

Also notable from this movie is the ROUSING Elmer Bernstein score which easily makes my list of all-time favorite scores. The theme brash and bold, and will stick with you long after viewing. And yes, I am humming it now.

Note on the soundtrack - INTRADA has a 3 disc version of the score which includes an expanded version of it as well as the original soundtrack album remastered. A must for every soundtrack collector.

10. GLORY (TriStar, 1989, Directed by Edward Zwick - Civil War)

Matthew Broderick leads an all-black regiment (which includes Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington who won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar that year) into battle during a war where race was a pretty big issue (hello...slavery!).

Such a powerful movie, and Denzel just blows it out of the water. I also love the quiet moments between the battles - like Broderick staring out to sea and watching birds fly not having any idea of the death and destruction going on around them. It's such a peaceful and beautifully shot moment before the chaos of battle that is about to follow.

Another movie that has a memorable score, this time by James Horner. An emotional punch, this score easily ranks as one of Horner's best.

GLORY was one of the first laserdisc titles I ever purchased, and I still have that copy as part of my collection.

11. BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (Universal, 1989, Directed by Oliver Stone - Vietnam)

Excellent companion piece to Oliver Stone's PLATOON (see above), BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY is based on the autobiography of Ron Kovic, a patriotic all-American who is very ideal of American strength. Kovic, played excellently by mega-star Tom Cruise, goes to war and not only shoots and kills his own troops in back, but gets shot himself and is paralyzed.

Kovic returns to America to find himself increasingly disillusioned with everything around him, especially after time spent in the Veteran's Administration hospital where he is subjected to less than ideal conditions and treatment. He fights his disablement without success almost to the point of hurting himself further.

Kovic questions everything which takes his life on a very dark path, but finally he is able to clears his conscience and becomes that which at the beginning of the movie he despised, a war protester.

I love BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (which won Oliver Stone a second Academy Award for Best Director after PLATOON), because it's main focus is on the returning vets and their assimilation, rather than the war itself (which Stone covered so well in PLATOON). Way better than the material on which it is based, anyone who says Tom Cruise can't act, should take a look at this (along with JERRY MAGUIRE and MAGNOLIA). Oh yeah, and a great score by John Williams.

HONORABLE MENTION

Ok I wanted 11 titles, but this 12th one kept nagging at me, so I am listing an honorable mention.

THE BIG PARADE (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1925, Directed by King Vidor - World War I)

Yeah it may have gotten bumped from the main 11, but definitely worth mentioning.

Also:

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (Columbia, 1957, Directed by David Lean - World War II)

CONFESSIONS OF A WATCH-A-HOLIC - November 6, 2011

2011-11-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

Entering into the end of the year/holiday season, the selections for viewing increase greatly thanks to holiday blockbusters and of course the Hollywood Awards season kicks into high gear. But there are still plenty of other things to watch thanks to my own Blu-Ray and DVD shelf as well as Netflix and other sources which keep feeding my habit. Somehow I find time to eat and sleep....barely.

This past week I finally got around to re-visiting the JURASSIC PARK trilogy which was released on Blu-Ray from Universal Home Entertainment on October 25th. The prints were decent, and I hadn't seen any of these movies for quite some time.

I still enjoy the first JURASSIC PARK (1993) immensely and still had a bit of the awe of seeing the elaborate CGI dinosaurs for the first time. Steven Spielberg knows how to get that "wow" factor on screen, and the first JURASSIC PARK, for all its flaws and the fact that the effects that were once groundbreaking now seem a little dated (I have no problem with that) still does it for me.

With THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (1997), my nostalgic factor diminished somewhat with this viewing, although I still love the John Williams score which I think has some interesting themes and seems to be channeling the Max Steiner score for KING KONG (1933).

I had only seen JURASSIC PARK III twice (on opening night in 2001, then on an Academy screener a few months later) and remember not exactly hating it, but being lukewarm on it. Time seems to have favored that movie because while I still didn't love it, I felt like I appreciated it more this time through.

While the prints on the Blu-Ray weren't as stellar as other sets that have been released this year (BEN-HUR, TAXI DRIVER and CITIZEN KANE especially) which may be due to the original elements, the movies themselves are perfect for the Blu-Ray high definition format, and the sound mixes are fantastic.

The biggest release in theaters this week is TOWER HEIST from Universal which is directed by future Oscar producer Bret Ratner (RUSH HOUR, X-MEN: LAST STAND) and stars Ben Stiller, future Oscar host Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda and Matthew Broderick. I'm not the biggest fan of Ratner's work, but he's obviously doing something right because he has had a lot of success at the box office. A co-worker of mine in Toronto had (and probably still has) an extreme dislike of Ratner's directing style, so I know he won't be seeing this anytime soon. So Bill, if you're reading this....let me know.

The Trailer:

I just recently completed reading a biography on one of the coolest leading men in Hollywood history, Steve McQueen, and have been slowly re-watching his filmography.

Recently I re-visited THE TOWERING INFERNO, viewed ON ANY SUNDAY which is a documentary on Motorbike racing that he produced (and appears in briefly) and checked out the first season of his show that ran the late 1950s and early 60s for 3 seasons WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE. THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, THE GREAT ESCAPE and BULLITT are all sitting in a pile waiting to be viewed.

Before I get to viewing those however, I decided to re-watch Norman Jewison's 1968 THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR in which McQueen played a bank executive who orchestrated elaborate heists. This is a prime example of that McQueen cool that made him such a great leading man and the chemistry with co-star Faye Dunaway is electrifying. I forgot how great the chess game scene is. Oozing with sexual tension, it highlights the overall theme of McQueen as the cool criminal who has insurance investigator Dunaway breathing down his neck, ready to bust him when the opportunity arises - but still has no problem hopping into the sack with him.

This was a very exciting time in American cinema, and Jewison's experimentation with split screen and very cool jazz score by composer Michel Legrand sets this film apart. I should own this film but don't...yet. Thankfully it is available via Netflix instant streaming.

I count this as one of the few movies to be remade successfully, as the 1999 version with Pierce Brosnan in the McQueen role and Rene Russo in the Dunaway role is a solidly entertaining film in its own right.

The trailer:

The next movie on my agenda is a movie that I am embarrassed to say that I have somehow never seen. That is Joe Dante's 1981 Werewolf movie, THE HOWLING.

Don't ask me how I've managed not to see this film, it has been on my to-be-watched list forever, and last week during Halloween I realized when I was ordering the score for another Joe Dante film (EXPLORERS....which I will discuss in an upcoming soundtrack column I am planning on adding to the blog) that I still had somehow not seen this movie. Well, I plan to fix that - tonight.

I've always been a big fan of Dante's work - especially THE 'BURBS (1989), GREMLINS (1984), MATINEE (1993) and INNERSPACE (1987). INNERSPACE is a movie I try to revisit every year, and also has one of my favorite scores by Jerry Goldsmith (he and Dante were regular collaborators).

Any one who loves Dante's work should also check out the website TRAILERS FROM HELL, which he contributes too, and follow his twitter feed which is @Joe_Dante.

The Trailer:

From 1980s horror, to 1940s noir. BORDER INCIDENT (1949) has special interest to me in that it was directed by Anthony Mann, a director whose work I have been very interested in ever since I saw THE NAKED SPUR (1953).

There is an edge to Mann's work which make his films instantly stand out. Especially his work with actor James Stewart (the aforementioned THE NAKED SPUR as well as WINCHESTER '73 (1950), THE GLENN MILLER STORY (1954) and THE MAN FROM LARAMIE (1955) - which I plan to also view again soon) which bring out a dark side to an actor who is more known for his "aww shucks" all-American roles like HARVEY (1950) or MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939).

Other Mann titles worth checking out are EL CID (1961), THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1964 - and is amazing), STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND (1955) and a movie I think that anyone who loves good films should see, MEN IN WAR (1957). MEN IN WAR isn't easy to find. I have a rough VHS print, and also saw it at the Egyptian theater in Los Angeles thanks to the AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE in 2002, and is worth seeking out.

BORDER INCIDENT is available on DVD as part of the Warner Bros. Film Noir Collection Volume 5.

I couldn't find the trailer by itself, but did find this TRAILERS FROM HELL version which will highlight why that website is so great.

Another movie I am embarrassed to have never seen is GATES OF HEAVEN (1978), a documentary about a California pet cemetery (not like the Stephen King kind of course) and the people who bury their pets there.

Errol Morris is known for making off-the-wall documentaries like FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL (1997) - which I first saw at the Nuart theater in Los Angeles - and politically charged titles like FOG OF WAR (2003) and STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (2008).

Again, I couldn't find a trailer to add, but here is a clip:

I haven't seen TIME BANDITS (1981) in forever. So when I was hanging around the library today and saw the Criterion DVD staring at me from the racks, I couldn't resist (sadly the Blu-Ray is a general Universal release, not a Criterion, and is rated very poorly by most Blu-Ray experts).

Directed by Terry Gilliam, I have a fond memory of watching TIME BANDITS on network TV in 1984, and staying up past my bedtime to finish it (I know it was 1984 because I remember seeing ads for GHOSTBUSTERS about to come to theaters, so it must have been spring 1984, like April or May).

With this coming Friday being a holiday (at least where I live - not everywhere though), this will make perfect day-off viewing.

The Trailer:

Recently I purchased a book entitled M-G-M: HOLLYWOOD'S GREATEST BACKLOT by Seven Bingen. It chronicles the great history of the MGM studio backlot (which for the most part no longer exists or has been taken over by Sony Pictures) in Culver City, CA and goes through the history of each section and building and is a must read for any lover of Hollywood history.

Many times the author references the THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT series of movies which includes: THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT (1974), THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART II (1976) and THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT PART III (1994).

Each of these movies is a glorious walk down memory lane chronicling the rich history of the MGM Musical (and a few other genres sneak in as well). Featuring stars from the classic MGM roster, the history of the studio and in particular the Freed unit (named after MGM Musical producer Arthur Freed) the legendary Hollywood studio comes alive in this fantastic retrospective. I can almost guarantee that in the next few weeks, MGM musicals will be appearing frequently in my CONFESSIONS postings inspired by these viewings.

The Trailers:

This should keep me busy this week, but in addition I will be posting a TV-on-DVD edition of Confessions of a Watch-a-holic very soon.

CONFESSIONS OF A WATCH-A-HOLIC - October 28, 2011

2011-10-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

I have to say during my time as a movie development executive, I always had an admiration for writers. It is not easy getting motivated to sit down in front of a computer and well...write. Bloggers, I have the same respect for. Most bloggers have other obligations - jobs, families - yet some find the time to blog regularly. I have several friends who blog, and we have been discussing how life has been getting in the way of posting regular updates. Scroll down and you'll see how sporadic my posting has been over the past few years. Rupert Pupkin who used to regularly update his Netflix Instant picks has also found it difficult to keep up with posts. So here I am again, trying to get a regular posting flow going on this blog. I love doing it, so here we go again.

I have this co-worker, an editor, with whom I spend most of the day talking about movies that I love and am about to watch, and he recently suggested to me that I should have a regular blog post that is a "what I'm watching" update. Ok so it may not sound all that interesting for everyone - like who cares what I'm watching. Well if you're a hardcore cinema buff like myself or Rupert Pupkin or Citizen Robot, our watching lists and piles of movies to be watched (not to mention books to be read and video games to be played) can be categorized as a living organism that never seems to die, but grows on a daily basis to a point where there is no humanly possible way to watch everything in the queue in the amount of time allotted. Rupert and I spoke of the multiple purchases we make (I at least buy a minimum of a title a week, but 90% of the time, it's usually more), the Netflix wish list, DVR recordings, new release rentals and of course the films released weekly to movie theaters (here again I average at least one title a week, but more often than not two or more get seen).

Let's face it. For me, working in the entertainment business is not just a career and being a lover of all things cinema (and yes, even TV) is not just a hobby. Movies are a lifestyle for me which come in all forms, shapes and sizes - theatrical releases, Blu-Rays, DVD, Laserdiscs, VHS, Books, Soundtracks, etc., etc., etc.

So here it is, the first installment of what I am branding as "CONFESSIONS OF A WATCH-A-HOLIC" outlining my key viewing choices and why I have been inspired to watch them. I am hoping to keep this post going at least weekly - on the weekends when the new theatrical titles hit cinemas - and maybe even multiple weekly posts to cover a watching marathon that may happen at any time. This list will include feature length films, shorts, TV series and specials - whatever happens to be at the top of the viewing wish list at any given time. They may be inspired by a book I read, or a conversation I had, or an ad I saw, or from another movie that I have seen.

Ok enough with the epic preamble...you get the picture. Now onto the first list.

WEEKEND THEATRICAL RELEASES

It being Friday and all, there are new Theatrical releases in the market, and now we're starting to head into the holiday season so as that happens, the releases will increase as studios not only hit us up with holiday viewing options but also with prestige pictures that they need to sneak in for awards consideration. December is always a killer.

It's also Halloween weekend, and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 came out last week, and shockingly there aren't any big new horror titles this week.

I have to say I am psyched for PUSS IN BOOTS, a spin-off from the SHREK series featuring the cat character voiced by Antonio Banderas. The teaser trailer featuring him walking down a street with ladies swooning cracks me up every time I see it. And yes, I plan to see it in 3D.

This is my #1 pick out of the new movies this week. It's a family movie though...so a late show will be in order.

RUM DIARY is a movie that seems to have been in some mode of production for quite a while now, and here it is finally hitting the screen. I have been hearing some lackluster reviews, but always check things out for myself. I mean come on...it's Johnny Depp in another Hunter S. Thompson adaptation (the first of course being the great FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS - just typing that makes me want to run out and pick up the Criterion Blu-Ray which I will probably do tomorrow).

HOME ENTERTAINMENT

As I mentioned, it is Halloween weekend (it's on Monday), and I have been doing the yearly indulgence of watching horror films all week. I have enjoyed some Hammer classics like CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN which I have on VHS (which somehow made that film more awesome than I remember it. There's something about retro viewing on dead formats that can enhance the watching experience).

Of course my favorite horrors are the Universal monster classics, and I have two of them on tap for the weekend.

The first is BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935). Why not the 1931 original FRANKENSTEIN you ask? Well, don't get me wrong, I like that film a lot. But this sequel just was so well made it is more enjoyable than the first film. Especially notable is Franz Waxman's score which for a Monster movie is really a remarkable piece of work. And who can forget Elsa Lanchester's great performance which consists mostly of grunts. Such a great moment in the end of a great movie.

I own the Universal Monster Legacy series Frankenstein DVD set which contains all Universal classic movies that feature Frankenstein as a character. Love this set as it also came with a bust of Frankenstein (as well as Dracula and the Wolf Man which are the other two sets in the box).

Here's the trailer:

My second Universal classic horror viewing will be the THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) which features one of my favorite monsters, and again I love the score which accompanies the Creature's every appearance on screen.

Ok so not that scary of a horror movie, but come on...turn off the lights and get some great 1950s black and white photography and it's an amazing watching experience. I happen to have a couple copies of this film, one on Laserdisc and the other (again) in the Universal Monster Legacy series which contains all movies featuring the Creature. I'll probably just stick with the original...unless I find myself unable to sleep and another couple of hours on hand to kill.....

The trailer:

This week, Warner Bros. released a Blu-Ray (and DVD) collection of 37 TOM & JERRY cartoon shorts in a collection they have called the GOLDEN COLLECTION - VOLUME 1.

I have always liked Tom & Jerry cartoons, but preferred LOONEY TUNES and DISNEY shorts growing up. Now as an adult, I have learned to appreciate these cartoons more and more. I think it came from seeing many of them projected at the Academy theater in Beverly Hills as part of a Best Picture screening series celebrating 75 years of Oscar winners in 2001 and 2002. I was surprised as to how many Tom & Jerry shorts won Oscars...more so than even Looney Tunes.

Part of the astounding legacy that was the MGM studio system, but now included in the Warner Home Video Library, I saw a sneak peek of one of the restored shorts at this year's San Diego Comic-con which upgraded this title from a buy to a must-buy-on-release date. The shorts look and sound fabulous thanks to an awesome restoration by the Warner Bros. team who, let's face it, do not mess around with any of their catalog titles. Their management team seems dedicated to keeping catalog titles alive on Blu-Ray and DVD not only through mainstream releasing, but also the order-by-mail WARNER ARCHIVE service which supplies collectors with hard to find rare titles.

That should easily fill up my weekend. I'm still waiting for my JURASSIC PARK Blu-Ray trilogy to arrive from Amazon, but should have that next week. As I said earlier...the viewing pile never seems to shrink...but is always growing.

LIST MANIA - FAVORITE SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS

2011-07-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well my friend at RUPERT PUPKIN SPEAKS has done it again, another nostalgic idea for a list, in this case - favorite Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Ok so it's not cinema related, but TV, so the film snob in me is taking holiday to post this list. Then again, the 10 year old me couldn't exactly get out to the movie theater without some sort of parental assistance, so most of my time was spent in front of the television obsessing over shows like THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, KNIGHT RIDER, WONDER WOMAN, MASH, re-runs of THE TWILIGHT ZONE and my two all-time favorites - STAR TREK and THE A-TEAM (I believe I favored THE A-TEAM slightly over STAR TREK).

As Rupert mentions on his blog, Saturday morning cartoons were marketing tools getting me to ask my parents for the associated toys (seriously they even had a cartoon with a Rubik's cube), video games and also tie-ins for live action shows. I was a big fan of cartoons based on live-action shows that were already on the air (as you will see below) and all featured the same voice talent from their live-action counterpart in pretty silly situations. Like for instance the Duke boys raced Boss Hogg and Roscoe in the General Lee around the world for Uncle Jesse's farm. Laverne and Shirley joined the army, and their commanding officer was...well...a talking pig. The Happy Days gang ended up traveling through time with a cutie from outer-space. The list goes on.

Then you had your SCOOBY-DOO clones, teenagers solving mysteries with help from some sort of animal or creature (i.e. JABBERJAW, CASPER AND THE SPACE ANGELS or CAPTAIN CAVEMAN AND THE TEEN ANGELS).

And let's not forget the team ups. SCOOBY'S ALL-STAR LAFF-A-LYMPICS had all the Hanna Barbera characters competing in events. THE FLINTSTONES were popular, as was THE SHMOO so team them up and you have BEDROCK COPS.

Speaking of THE FLINTSTONES, there are so many variations - THE FLINTSTONES COMEDY HOUR, BEDROCK COPS, PEBBLES AND BAMM-BAMM, THE FLINTSTONE KIDS, etc. that it's hard to keep track of them all. THE SUPER-FRIENDS also had variations, as did other shows.

Like most TV shows, these cartoons evolved. Characters had families and babies (PAC-MAN and PLASTIC MAN for instance), some shows like the HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS had the characters become super-heroes (this also happened to THE THREE STOOGES, etc.)

During the week you could not get me up in time for school, but on Saturday, I was up like clockwork at 6am and in front of the TV. Later in the 90s and 00s, I still got up and watched Kids WB shows - although maybe not quite so early.

Big omission here is the LOONEY TUNES hour, but let's face it, that's just a given that it was a big hit with me on Saturday morning not to mention that it was a show featuring theatrical shorts so I am sticking strictly to made-directly-for-TV titles.

Now of course my animation watching revolves around Disney XD and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, but I am a big fan of the Cartoon Network spin-off Boomerang which features classic cartoons.

Some of the titles I watched were re-runs from before my time (three of them) but since they were on and I watched them, they count.

As the motto for Boomerang goes "It's all coming back to you now", well it did at that as assembling this list was an absolute blast from the past.

So in no particular order, join me in a revisit to my well spent Saturday mornings in front of the TV.

BATTLE OF THE PLANETS

This show kicked some serious butt. G-Force in their bird like costumes, and the Phoenix, their plane that when it was time to go into battle mode lit up in flames. Also the intro was just awesome.

CHALLENGE OF THE SUPER-FRIENDS

How can you go wrong here? Take the core superheroes - Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, etc. - team them up and have them do battle with their villain counterparts - Cheetah, Brainiac, Lex Luthor, Toyman, Sinestro, etc. - who are also teamed up and hang out in a Darth Vader like HQ.

Getting rid of the Wonder Twins + Gleek from the earlier SUPER-FRIENDS cartoons, and stories that were a lot more geek-out inducing, this show had it all.

The opening alone gives me goosebumps. Finding it on YouTube to post here, I've played it like four times since then.

STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES

Cast from the original series (minus Chekov) here in full effect continuing the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.

Captain Kirk/Shatner animated. Need I say more?

SATURDAY SUPERCADE

Hey so you can play video games, and watch them in their individual shows. SATURDAY SUPERCADE was a cavalcade of Video game characters such as DONKEY KONG, Q*BERT, PITFALL, FROGGER, DONKEY KONG, JR., etc. in their own segments. No quarters required.

SUPER GLOBETROTTERS

The Harlem Globetrotters had their own cartoon show, then later became super-heroes. Most episodes ended with a high stakes basketball game.

PAC-MAN

Another video game adaptation, here we have Pac-Man important enough to have his own show with Ms. Pac-Man and later Baby Pac as well.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS

Forget the annoying series of recent movies (with a 3rd on the way this Christmas - in 3D at that) and let's go back to the Chipmunks when Alvin got them into loads of trouble and in between they sang high pitched versions of popular songs.

The intro is very catchy.

TRANSFORMERS

More than meets the eye. I mean come on....if you were male and growing up in the 1980s it was this or G.I. JOE or both. And the toys were just too darn cool.

Michael Bay did us all a solid by using Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime in his series of movies. That addition made me a little more receptive to the movies, more than I should be.

THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS

So there was this show called THE GHOSTBUSTERS which featured two dudes and an ape, so this show, based on the movie, had to add REAL to the title. Slimer became a friend/mascot to the Ghostbusters, and the show did a great job of emulating the characters from the movies (and happily, Winston Zeddemore had a lot more input in this than he did in those).

This show was more mid-80s, and I may have been getting to that point where I should have been slowing down on cartoons but heck no. IT'S GHOSTBUSTERS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!

GILLIGAN'S PLANET

Man those castaways just can't get a break. They build a spaceship, and end up stranded on a planet.

Voiced by the GILLIGAN'S ISLAND cast (all except Tina Louise who was desperate to distance herself from the show, so Dawn Wells did double duty as Mary-Ann and Ginger).

GODZILLA

He stomped on Tokyo, battled monsters from outer space and other regions, but yes even Godzilla can be domesticated. Group of scientists on a boat get in adventures, they need help, they call Godzilla who comes up and lends them a hand like a good dog.

Great intro, starts off serious...builds up...and then...well...Godzooki. It is a kid's show after all, but still, what a buzz kill.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

HULK SMASH!!! Later this show was joined up with SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS as a Marvel hour. I dug that version of Spidey. Didn't add to this list because another SPIDER-MAN makes the cut (see below). Rupert has it on his.

THE PLASTIC MAN COMEDY ADVENTURE SHOW

Plastic Man, now member of the Justice League, was another character who ended up with a few different shows - and yes, he gets married and Baby Plas enters the picture. I remember this show being very funny.

Oh and just so you know, it has comedy AND adventure. The title spells it out for you.

THE MORK & MINDY / LAVERNE & SHIRLEY / FONZ SHOW

Hey so remember when I mentioned Laverne and Shirley going into the army and being commanded by a pig? Well here is is. Yeah these were all separate shows at one point (except MORK I think), but the powers that be just combined the three shows into one. Notice from HAPPY DAYS only the Fonz gets billing. Well...we all know Ron Howard gets the last laugh in the form of an Oscar...so take that Henry Winkler.

Oh yeah...all original live-action counterpart voices including Penny Marshall and Robin Williams.

FONZ AND THE HAPPY DAYS GANG

The first of the Marshall shows to get animated, this one has the full Happy Days crew stuck on a time machine with a clumsy "space cutie" trying to get back to 1950s Milwaukee so they can get a malt at Arnold's.

The Fonz gets a dog that is just as cool as he is.

CAPTAIN CAVEMAN AND THE TEEN ANGELS

I seriously loved this show. When Captain Cavemen gave his trademark yell...yeah loved it. And no I didn't just do it myself....well...ok I did.

SCOOBY'S ALL-STAR LAFF-A-LYMPICS

I am a sucker for team-ups and cross overs (hey when Jessica Fletcher went on MAGNUM P.I. I was all over that). So here we have a show that featured almost all of the Hanna Barbera cartoon characters competing in events. The bad guys had their own team, and the other 2 teams had better sportsmanlike conduct.

THE DUKES

As I mentioned in the intro, the Duke boys (Coy & Vance in season 1 as it was made during the infamous Duke Boy strike, and Bo & Luke in season 2) are in the General Lee racing Boss Hogg and Roscoe P. Coltrane around the world for the deed to Uncle Jesse's farm. Seems like a lot of effort over such a small prize, but hey I didn't care. Hope they had their passports updated.

SPIDER-MAN (1960s edition)

I'm going to do something here I almost never do - admit that I'm a Canadian (albeit one that wishes he were American but that is another story for another blog).

My beginning cartoon memories are really from the mid-late 1970s and the 1980s, but this 1960s show got so much air play in Canada, that I think I saw every episode at least 40 times - probably more.

You see Canada has these (political soapbox here) annoying "cultural" laws that dictate TV stations must show Canadian content to protect its "cultural identity". This was a Canada/USA co-production, so it counted as such and therefore was on all the time.

I may not be the biggest fan of CanCon, but hey I was young, I didn't know. The theme song was cool, I dug the show. SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS was a lot cooler.

ROCKET ROBIN HOOD

Not sure how much airplay this got south of the border, but another one of those 1960s Canadian efforts that got a lot of airplay in Canada.

Ok I dug it. Some episodes were annoying and the animation was bad, but hey who cares.

FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS

Hey, hey, hey! Loved this show. And one of the coolest shows that had a message by the end, but so cool that you really didn't notice you were being taught something. Well, at least I didn't.

THE BEDROCK COPS

One of the many FLINTSTONES shows, this one featuring Fred & Barney as cops, teamed up with the ever-popular Shmoo. Don't ask me why I liked this...I just did. Ok so I'm a sucker for team-ups.

I also kind of dug the FLINTSTONES show that had them living next to Frank Frankenstone and his MUNSTERS-like family. Yeah Frankenstone and Fred, not the most ideal neighbors.

THE MIGHTY HERCULES

This show had so many annoying elements - yeah another one of those Canadian shows - but I don't know, I just got hooked.

Every episode was the same. The villain separated Hercules from his ring, almost defeats him, then he gets it, puts it on and kicks their butt.

There was this centaur...Newton I believe...most annoying animated character...EVER ("That's me, that's me!"). So why is this on the list?? Chalk it up to the Canadian "cultural" brainwashing.

CINEMA SPIRIT GUIDES

2011-04-23T10:38:00.001-07:00

Citizen Robot has come up with one of the best ideas for a movie list ever - but it's also proven to be the hardest. Her idea is to list our "Cinema Spirit Guides" - characters from movies that inspire and move us. The characters (not the actors) in the movies we would most like to be, and with whom we can relate to in some mystical way.

My list started out pretty simple - my top 5 sprung to mind almost immediately. But as I worked on it, more and more names presented themselves, hence my 5 quickly turned into 12.

So since I'm a guy, my characters all ended up to be men. There are a lot of strong female characters in the cinema that I admire, but sadly, Hollywood is notorious for giving females the shaft. Compare how many all-male cast movies there are compared to all female? I can only think of 2 (female) off the top of my head - and one is a remake of the other. That would be the George Cukor version of THE WOMEN and the Diane English remake. Female honorable mentions would be Joan Crawford as MILDRED PIERCE and I could probably cite 1 or 2 movies with Barbara Stanwyck, Elizabeth Taylor and Susan Sarandon.

Here are my guides - in order of preference.

1) Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. (Harrison Ford)

- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) - [Reluctantly]

"We named the dog Indiana!"

Not only does Indy's name instantly conjure up a feeling of adventure and daring-do, but he is one snappy dresser. The Fedora, the leather jacket, the satchel, and he carries a whip and knows how to use it. A female character like Catwoman can carry a whip and suddenly every male is a-twitter with sexual innuendos, but with Indy it just comes off as cool and macho and unique.

One of the things I appreciate the most about the Indiana Jones films - especially the first three - is how Indy is surrounded by these supernatural happenings and icons, but his character is firmly based in reality. After being dragged behind a truck, being shot and generally beaten to a pulp, we later see Indy with Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) on the ship (Bantu Wind), and he's hurting. Bruised all over, Marion touches him and he flinches. That would never happen to say Arnold or Sly (it is also one of the things I appreciated about Bruce Willis' Jon McClane character from DIE HARD). This is a guy who takes a beating and pays for it later - which makes when he keeps on going even more exciting knowing he is fighting through the pain and injuries.

Scholarly and conservatively dressed University professor by day, but once he's on the trail of an artifact, the rugged costume comes out and he stops shaving giving us the alter ego of adventuresome archaeologist - which probably is more true to his character than the day job.

Indy does it for the history. The artifacts make him "giddy as a school boy", and he will go to whatever lengths to make sure they end up in a museum. Belloq (Paul Freeman) from RAIDERS is his dark evil twin, out for power and possession. Not that Indy hasn't been lured by the almighty dollar. In INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, Indy goes after the "Fortune and Glory" and ends up essentially in hell - attacked an ancient cult, hearts being ripped out, ritual sacrifices, he gets possessed with some sort of mind altering drug, kids are whipped and beaten and used as slaves - you get the idea. Luckily when he returns to the village with the Sankara stones, he's back to the being the Indy who isn't driven by fame and fortune. Personally, I blame Willie.

Indy has a passion, and is in his element when pursuing that passion - literally leaving reality behind.

2) Jefferson Smith (James Stewart)

- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Who hasn't wanted to be a part of something big and exciting, then got involved in it only to find that it's a corrupt and cynical mess. Jefferson Smith believed in America, and the Government. He then finds himself in his dream job, a U.S. Senator, hired by a man he respects and admires, only to find that the entire system is corrupt and he is now a pawn and sent down the river for being idealistic.

Jefferson Smith will not be licked. He uses the powers of government to fight the corruption, and almost kills himself in the process. And here's the amazing part about this film - Jefferson Smith essentially loses. If it wasn't for the pang of guilt that drives Claude Rains to suddenly try and blow his brains out in the U.S. Senate, Smith was doomed.

The giddiness of Smith when he enters Washington DC and he starts pointing out all the landmarks and how excited they make him is a great scene. When I started working in Hollywood, I had the same reaction. Every day I walked the Walk of Fame or by the Chinese theater, or drove by the Hollywood sign and for the 6 years I drove onto the Warner Bros. lot for my job, I got a chill. I always imagined walking around that lot that at one point people like Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and Bette Davis once roamed in the exact same spot. When Warner decided to post a list of what films had been shot on each sound stage, I made it a point to go around and imagine that stage busy making those classic films I am fascinated with. In this, I could relate to Jefferson Smith.

To be able to keep and fight for your ideals and morals, that is what makes Jefferson Smith so great.

3) Rhett Butler (Clark Gable)

- Gone With the Wind (1939)

Frankly, he doesn't give a damn.

Rhett Butler is a man's man. He's tough, he's rugged, he's cool and he knows how to be a gentlemen, but not to the point where he would let a lady walk over him (although Scarlett comes pretty close). The fact that his closest friend is a prostitute...well...I am guessing he admires her for the fact that her cards are all on the table. She charges for sex and makes no bones about it.

Scarlett O'Hara is a strong-minded woman and Rhett's attraction stems from the fact that he sees her not only as almost an equal, but also a beast that can be tamed. Rhett though gets tired of Scarlett's constant yearning for the foppish Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) and finally walks out in that oh so classic scene right at the moment when Scarlett realizes she needs Rhett more than anything. Rhett knows when it's time to cash out.

4) Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner)

- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

- Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)

- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

There is a reason I am listing only STAR TREKs II-IV, and have Kirk listed as Admiral instead of Captain.

I always admired Captain Kirk from the 1960s TV show. He was brash and made decisions on the fly and solved problems so quickly and boldly, the opposition never knew what hit them.

That is TV....this is cinema.

Admiral Kirk is now an older man, bound by a desk job yet still yearning for the adventure days of yesterday that seem to be far behind him. His friends and colleagues all think the promotion was a mistake, and although he doesn't say it, he agrees.

This is a man who has never faced great loss, and when one of his youthful conquests comes back for vengeance - that would be of course Khan (Ricardo Montalban) a genetically superior tyrant whom he left stranded on a planet decades ago that became a barren wasteland and wiped out half his people - Kirk must face a decision from his past and experience loss on a level he has never been subject to.

He later sacrifices everything in his life to save a friend in need - including his beloved Enterprise - and becomes an outcast criminal for it. Even then, he risks everything again to save the Earth, and becomes a hero while on his way to face the music for his earlier actions - which he was doing so voluntarily.

Admiral Kirk in these films also has not yet faced the badness that is STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER which is something we all had to deal with...sadly.

5) Han Solo (Harrison Ford)

- Star Wars (1977)

- The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

- Return of the Jedi (1983)

Ok so any surprise Han made the list? Han Solo is a figurehead for fanboys everywhere. I mean really...who wanted to be bland Luke Skywalker. No...Han was a rogue, a guy who didn't care about anything (or so it seemed) except his own neck. He also had a walking furry monster as a companion who carried a cool laser crossbow and was loyal only to Han.

Han shot first and asked questions later (a sticking point that is now ever present thanks to the change in the Greedo scene in the revised editions of the first film). He and Princess Leia were polar opposites, but Leia's tough facade was only masking what Han already knew...she was into him leading to one of the greatest cinematic love exchanges ever -

Leia: "I Love You".

Han: "I Know".

6) R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson)

- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Let's look past the fact that McMuphy is a criminal. We never see McMurphy do anything criminal, but here is a guy who has tricked his way into a psych hospital to get out of doing prison time - this is a clever guy. Not to mention...he may be a criminal but never at any point during this film do you dislike his character.

McMurphy knows a bum rap when he sees it, and he immediately realizes that his fellow ward-mates are not being treated with human respect. He treats them better than the hospital staff does - especially Nurse Ratched who is more dictator than nurse - and tries to give them their dignity back and in turn...well...I don't want to spoil it.

7) Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner)

- JFK (1991)

I am completely ignoring the fact that Jim Garrison is a real figure, and going off the movie character alone. The real Garrison has often been cited as being a bit of a kook while at the same time being praised as a crusader for asking more questions than anyone else - but more of a kook.

Costner's Garrison is less kook, more driven. Feeling that he and his fellow American citizens have been blatantly lied too, he obsessively pursues the truth to the point of bringing to light something that the government had closed the book on.

Questioning everything...that's what makes Garrison so great. That and his relentless search for the truth. Sure he makes mistakes, but in the end, the doubt is planted and questions are asked. A character that makes people think.

8) Colonel George Taylor (Charlton Heston)

- Planet of the Apes (1968)

Taylor begins the movie brash and arrogant (he verbally rides one of his fellow astronauts pretty hard) and ends up beaten, abused and treated like an animal by talking, militaristic apes.

Taylor may be a prisoner in this topsy-turvy world, but he finds allies and brings up evolutionary issues that the Ape government would rather keep hidden.

Even when he's beaten and stripped of his humanity, through it all Taylor fights to hold onto his dignity and never loses that fight.

9) J.B. Books (John Wayne)

- The Shootist (1976)

Books is a notorious gunfighter that has cheated death at every turn. Now he faces an enemy he can't beat - cancer.

(Spoilers)

Seeking to go out on a high note, he invites other gunfighters to take him on in a duel, but his instincts take over and Books survives, only to get shot in the back by a bartender.

Books makes no bones about who he is or what he has done. He's realizes he's at the end of his rope, and wants to go out on a high note. Who can blame him? Made even more poignant given that John Wayne was dying himself from cancer when this movie was made. A personal movie with a larger than life actor.

10) Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper)

- High Noon (1952)

So this gunfighter is released from prison and on his way to kill the newly married Marshall Kane. Kane is the reason he went to prison and and as a result, Kane also cleaned up a dusty western town. Kane has the chance to leave - alive - with his new, beautiful (Quaker) wife, but instead he stays to face his demons, abandoned by the very townspeople he risked his life to save with his wife begging him to leave with her the entire time.

A true hero, a man who risked everything for those who later betray him. He still stands up for them even when they openly abandon him in his most desperate time of need.

11) Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood)

- Dirty Harry (1971)

- Magnum Force (1973)

- The Enforcer (1976)

- Sudden Impact (1983)

- The Dead Pool (1988)

"Go ahead, make my day"

This is a guy whose bad side you don't want to be on. He does his job, and he does it by any means necessary even though his bosses like the results and frown on the methods. To them he's a dinosaur, using his gun instead of diplomacy. But the crooks Callahan takes down are animals on the loose.

Who needs a big gun, Callahan could probably kill with one of those mean squinty looks, and his awesome one liners ("...do you feel lucky, punk...", "A Man's got to know his limitations", you get the idea) just make him cool.

When Hollywood held a televised appeal for money after 9/11, the last person to appear on screen was Clint Eastwood. Looking kind of disheveled and angry, I could only think that the terrorists had to be shaking in their boots - Dirty Harry was coming for them.

12) Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner)

- Dances With Wolves (1990)

This is a guy who is so disillusioned that during a Civil War battle, he tries to get himself killed, but in the process becomes a hero.

Looking to get from it all, he requests a post on the frontier and ends up at a fort all by himself - well except for a wolf companion he names "Two Socks."

Dunbar gets mixed up with the Native Americans and soon finds himself adapting to their culture. (Spoilers) Of course his previous life catches up with him and things don't go so well.

Dunbar opens his mind to new ideas, and finds himself in something he probably never considered existing. He also sacrifices everything for this new life, and eventually (spoilers) sacrifices more to protect that way of life for others. He's a man without a country, but a man with convictions.

Honorable Mention:

William Wallace (Mel Gibson)

- Braveheart (1995)

THE UNITED STATES OF MOVIES

2011-04-21T17:21:00.001-07:00

My friend who writes the RUPERT PUPKIN SPEAKS blog, recently posted a movie list based on an idea he saw on another blog - which kind of resembles our previous GEOGRAPHIC MOVIES lists.

Here we have a trip across the greatest country in the world -The United States of America - with 50 movies for 50 states (and the Disctrict of Columbia thrown in the mix as well).

Given that The United States boasts the most popular motion picture industry in all the world (India's may be bigger, but let's face it - Hollywood is everywhere) a list like this only makes sense.

Not so easy though. While states like California and New York had hundreds of options to choose from, not so much from places like Delaware, North Dakota or Vermont.

So here it is...a motion picture trip across the greatest country in the world. U-S-A!!!!

ALABAMA - Forrest Gump (1994)

ALASKA - Insomnia (2002)

ARIZONA - Psycho (1960)

ARKANSAS - Sling Blade (1996)

CALIFORNIA - The Player (1992)

Given that Hollywood and Los Angeles are in California, only figures that it is also the most popular setting for motion pictures.

COLORADO - Red Dawn (1984)

CONNECTICUT - The Ice Storm (1997)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - All The President's Men (1976)

DELAWARE - Fight Club (1999)

Yes Wilmington Delaware looks strangely like Los Angeles, but the intended setting is definitely in the least movie set state of the union - Delaware. I mean come on, even WAYNE'S WORLD made fun of Delaware.

FLORIDA - The Palm Beach Story (1942)

GEORGIA - Gone With the Wind (1939)

The Yankees burn down Atlanta. Decades later, the Yankees beat the Braves.

HAWAII - From Here to Eternity (1953)

IDAHO - Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

ILLINOIS - The Blues Brothers (1980)

They were on a mission from God.

INDIANA - Hoosiers (1986)

IOWA - Field of Dreams (1989)

If you film it, they will watch.

KANSAS - The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Yes the most famous line may be that they are not IN Kansas anymore....but she's dreaming, so technically she's sleeping soundly in Kansas the entire movie...or is she?

KENTUCKY - Goldfinger (1964)

Operation Grand Slam = rob Fort Knox.

LOUISIANA - King Creole (1958)

The King of Rock and Roll goes to New Orleans.

MAINE - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Get busy living, or get busy dying...in Maine.

MARYLAND - Diner (1982)

Barry Levinson loves his hometown of Baltimore.

MASSACHUSETTS - The Verdict (1982)

Sidney Lumet - R.I.P.

MICHIGAN - Robocop (1987)

MINNESOTA - Juno (2007)

MISSISSIPPI - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Elizabeth Taylor - R.I.P. Hey notice both my recent R.I.P. tributes also feature the also deceased Paul Newman? Creepy.

MISSOURI - Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

MONTANA - A River Runs Through It (1992)

NEBRASKA - Election (1999)

NEVADA - Ocean's Eleven (2001)

NEW HAMPSHIRE - Lolita (1962)

NEW JERSEY - Atlantic City (1980)

NEW MEXICO - Ace in the Hole (1951)

NEW YORK - Ghostbusters (1984)

NORTH CAROLINA - Cape Fear (1962)

NORTH DAKOTA - Leprechaun (1993)

Yeah North Dakota...not so easy.

OHIO - Heathers (1988)

OKLAHOMA - True Grit (1969)

OREGON - The Goonies (1985)

PENNSYLVANIA - Witness (1985)

RHODE ISLAND - High Society (1956)

SOUTH CAROLINA - Glory (1989)

SOUTH DAKOTA - North By Northwest (1959)

TENNESSEE - Nashville (1976)

TEXAS - A Perfect World (1993)

UTAH - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

It's where Indy gets his fedora.

VERMONT - Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

Yes he goes to town, but he starts out in Mandrake Falls, Vermont.

VIRGINIA - The New World (2005)

WASHINGTON - Singles (1992)

WEST VIRGINIA - Night of the Hunter (1955)

WISCONSIN - The Straight Story (1999)

WYOMING - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

CINEMA BY THE NUMBERS

2011-04-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

Movies we like with numbers in the title, that is the latest list proposed up by the cinematic geniuses RUPERT PUPKIN SPEAKS and CITIZEN ROBOT.

Ok so the criteria is of course there has to be a number in the title, however I doubt sequel numbers count so anything like say STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN wouldn't cut it. However, there are a couple of sequels that I include that have numbers in the title outside of the sequel designation. Also cheated in couple of places in titles where ONCE and THIRD appear. Close enough as far as I'm concerned.

So here it is...the next in hopefully a long line of continuing movie lists...counting down from highest to lowest.

20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)

MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2004)

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1954)

One of my all time favorite movies. I had the luxury of seeing a great print of this projected at LACMA about 10 years ago.

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)

It's full of stars.

1941 (1979)

THE 400 BLOWS (1959)

ONE-HUNDRED-AND-ONE DALMATIANS (1961)

The cover of the box has 101, but I notice whenever listed anywhere online the 101 is spelled out.

THE HOUSE ON 92ND STREET (1945)

36 HOURS (1965)

36 HOURS is one of those movies I stumbled upon by accident, and have great admiration for. Great score as well. Well worth checking out.

THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (1944)

28 UP (1985)

25TH HOUR (2002)

21 GRAMS (2003)

TWENTIETH CENTURY (1934)

14 HOURS (1951)

This also made my Film Noir list.

THIRTEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING (2001)

APOLLO 13 (1995)

When I first saw APOLLO 13 I was left kind of cold. Over the years though this movie has grown on me and is now listed among my favorites.

TWELVE MONKEYS (1995)

12 ANGRY MEN (1957)

A great film and also fitting as an honor to director Sidney Lumet who died this past weekend.

OCEAN'S ELEVEN (2001)

The remake.

OCEAN'S ELEVEN (1960)

The original.

FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE (1978)

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)

Also made my alphabet list.

NINE QUEENS [NUEVE REINAS] (2000)

NINE TO FIVE (1980)

8 MM (1999)

I know a lot of people who dislike this movie, and it is flawed. I personally like the dark nature of the film and think Nicolas Cage is great in it.

EIGHT MEN OUT (1988)

Say it ain't so Joe, say it ain't so.

8 1/2 (1963)

THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957)

SEVEN SAMURAI (1954)

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960)

Only fitting to put the American re-envisioned SEVEN SAMURAI along with the original.

SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (1964)

THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)

He sees dead people.

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (1994)

BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989)

3 GODFATHERS (1948)

No list is complete without a film directed by John Ford.

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975)

THREE KINGS (1999)

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)

Third / three...close enough.

THREE AMIGOS (1987)

3:10 TO YUMA (2007)

I put the original on a previous list, so went with the (very good) remake here.

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967)

2 WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN (1962)

I have a great admiration for this film as well which serves as a kind of follow-up to THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. Available through the Warner Archive Disc-on-demand service.

TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA (1970)

TWO FOR THE ROAD (1967)

TWO-FACED WOMAN (1941)

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968)

Once / one. This film should be on any list no matter what the criteria.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984)

AIR FORCE ONE (1997)

I would vote for Harrison Ford for President. I understand he campaigned heavily on the "Han Shot First" proposition.

GODZILLA VS. MONSTER ZERO a.k.a. INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER (1965)

FILM NOIR - MY TOP PICKS

2011-04-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

Film Noir is a style of film making that is arguably one of the most artistic and critically scrutinized in cinema history. Extreme shadows, cities where danger and cynicism lurk around every corner, hard-boiled detectives willing to cross legal and moral boundaries to get the job done, femme fatales that can drive a man to murder merely by smoking a cigarette or tossing off a smoldering look.

Many associate noir with films (primarily crime films and thrillers) of the 1940s and 1950s. The dress-code included fedoras, trench-coats and evening dresses that are tight in just all the right places, the locale usually an urban center like New York or Los Angeles.

Thanks to books by author Raymond Chandler and later James Ellroy, the city of angels has taken on a fantastic noir persona. In a city of sunlight and celebrity lurk con-artists, rotten cops and every other sort of character you wouldn't want to be around for too long or else you'll end up sucked into their world, framed for something you didn't do, or even worse...a corpse.

Murder is always part of the noir game. Corpses seem to pop up in the most random of places, and the women...well...stay away from them because these femmes will often drive a man to murder. A typical noir plot involves a man killing for lust of a lady who almost always is just using her sexual power to get what she wants. I don't know about you, but I don't think I've met a woman who I'd literally kill for - although Rita Hayworth in GILDA would probably get me thinking about it very seriously. Or perhaps you end up in a small town, you're sure to find some sex-pot married to a schlub who would do anything for his wife - but she wouldn't think twice if that husband were to end up dead by nefarious means.

Noir made great use of black-and-white photography which brought out the sleaze and grime of the morally ambiguous world in all it's glory. Not to say that noir didn't make it into color films as well. Films like HOUSE OF BAMBOO or BLACK WIDOW made great use of color, and there are even better examples in my list below.

And don't think that noir hasn't made it into the modern age of cinema. A particular movie that has all the elements of a classic nor (with a hard R rating) in the 1990s (the title of which I don't want to reveal until you see it in my list) sparked a whole sub-genre of erotic thrillers that the decade became known for. And of course there is CHINATOWN (1974), one of the best noirs ever made.

Film noir has always been a style that has fascinated me. With the AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE holding its annual Film Noir festival recently, and with Rockstar games' upcoming L.A. NOIRE for PS3 and X-Box 360 coming on May 17th, I felt the time was right to rundown my favorite noir films. The great thing about the CINEMATHEQUE festival is that they try to show many films that are not yet available on DVD or even VHS. It is definitely worth checking out.

There are some significant titles that are absent from my list that I am sure will get the usual "where is it" criticism - like LAURA or THE BIG SLEEP. Don't get me wrong, I love those films but this list represents my true top picks. While the list is in no particular order, the films are somewhat ranked according to my admiration. Some films have comments, some do not. So without further adieu...

THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1947; Dir: Orson Welles)

This film has a lot of the key elements that makes Film Noir so great - a very convoluted plot, a guy in way over his head (because of a woman of course) and a classic finale in a hall of mirrors which is one of the greatest scenes in cinema history. Woody Allen paid homage to it in MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY. Throw all that in with the fact that THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI was directed by and starred Orson Welles, and it is a truly a brilliant film.

THE SET-UP (1950; Dir: Robert Wise)

Robert Wise may have directed THE SOUND OF MUSIC, but the hills here are alleyways and a boxing ring, and the only music being played is of a double cross. Robert Ryan plays a down-and-out boxer who hasn't won a match for ages. His manager has made a deal with a gangster by promising that the fix is in on Ryan's latest match - but because of Ryan's losing ways, nobody bothers to tell Ryan about it. True suspense, some great cut aways of spectators at the boxing match, and a fantastic swish pan moment in an alleyway (can't say why, is a spoiler) mixed with a great Jazz score, this is a film that not many may know about, but thankfully is available on DVD from Warner Home Video.

FORCE OF EVIL (1948; Dir: Abraham Polonsky)

A spellbinding film directed by a man who was later blacklisted for having supposed communist ties.

OUT OF THE PAST (1947; Dir: Jacques Tourneur)

Another convoluted story that the more confusing the plot gets, the more compelling the film becomes. Robert Mitchum's tough guy persona made him an ideal noir figure.

GUN CRAZY - a.k.a. DEADLY IS THE FEMALE (1950; Dir: Joseph H. Lewis)

This is a B-movie that is well worth a look at. Before BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967) there was this. Also available from Warner Home Video.

GILDA (1946; Dir: Charles Vidor)

Rita Hayworth as Gilda is a woman that would drive men to the edge. Associated with a dangerous gangster, and caught in a bizarre lover triangle that is destined for disaster. And who can argue with that black dress she wears during a key musical number. This film and the still above played a major role in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) as well as the Stephen King's novella it was based on.

NO WAY OUT (1950; Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz)

Outright racism comes to film noir. Not to be confused with the 1987 NO WAY OUT with Kevin Costner (which is another film I regard highly), noir favorite Richard Widmark is a racist thug who ends up in a hospital and under the care of doctor Sidney Poitier. Great movie and on DVD as part of the Fox Film Noir collection - another great series of DVDs which are must haves for any cinema lover.

CHINATOWN (1974; Dir: Roman Polanski)

THE quintessential modern noir. Can you see Hollywood in this day and age have an actor of Jack Nicholson's stature spend the majority of a movie with a huge bandage over his nose? They can barely stand to have superhero movies where the main hero wears a mask (see SPIDER-MAN 2 and count how many times Tobey MaGuire's mask comes off or is ripped up so you can see his face). Not only one of my top noirs, but also on my top 10 film list of all-time.

THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955; Dir: Charles Laughton)

This is a different kind of noir, with a creepy Robert Mitchum as a killer preacher chasing after a couple of kids. A must see, and also available in a great Blu-Ray edition from the Criterion Collection.

CRISS CROSS (1949; Dir: Robert Siodmak)

Burt Lancaster (who shows up in a few titles on this list) is an ex-con driven back into the crime game by who else...a woman (Yvonne DeCarlo). A movie that makes great use of downtown Los Angeles as a location.

SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957; Alexander MacKendrick)

Another unique noir also with Burt Lancaster about a columnist who kills with a pen rather than a gun, and the publicist who becomes his puppet (Tony Curtis) in a quest for power. Some of the greatest cinematic black-and-white photography by renowned cinematographer James Wong Howe. Also available on Blu-Ray from Criterion in a fantastic edition.

THE MALTESE FALCON (1941; Dir: John Huston)

Based on the novel by Dasheill Hammett, a crime writer in the vein of Raymond Chandler, this is what people come to know as a noir - a hard-boiled detective skirting the line of the law in a dark and intriguing plot. I always can't help but feel bad for poor Elisha Cook in this. Thankfully he gets a better rap in the STAR TREK episode COURT MARTIAL where he defends Captain Kirk who is charged for murder (like how I snuck a Trek reference in there?)

MILDRED PIERCE (1945; Dir: Michael Curtiz)

Recently remade as a mini-series for pay TV.

BRUTE FORCE (1947; Dir: Jules Dassin)

Burt Lancaster again in the list in prison, and at the mercy of Hume Cronyn, a brutal guard that will make you look at one of the harmless senior citizens in COCOON (1985) in a whole new light.

THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946; Dir: George Marshall)

Another typical noir feature is of returning vets coming home to a new dark and dangerous world. At least on the battlefield, they knew who the enemy was.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944; Dir: Billy Wilder)

This is the movie that best defines what I describe above where a woman drives a good man utilizing her sexual power over him, to commit a murder.

ACE IN THE HOLE a.k.a. THE BIG CARNIVAL (1951; Dir: Billy Wilder)

Not a movie one always would associate with noir, but fits the category nonetheless. The characters are all out for themselves, and a human life - treated with almost no respect - is their ticket to fame and fortune. Not to mention another example of a restless hot wife married to a good-natured schlubb who is pretty much doomed from the moment they said "I do".

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946; Dir: Tay Garnett)

Remade in 1981 with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange.

BASIC INSTINCT (1992; Dir: Paul Verhoeven)

Here it is, the movie I eluded to earlier - the movie that launched a myriad of erotic thrillers in the 1990s. This has all the key elements of a good noir - a cop on the edge with a dark history, a femme fatale with sexual power that no man can resist, atmospheric lighting and a great noir score by Jerry Goldsmith (who also scored the other 2 modern entries on this list - L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and CHINATOWN).

CROSSFIRE (1947; Dir: Edward Dmytryk)

THE STRANGER (1946; Dir: Orson Welles)

DAISY KENYON (1947; Dir: Otto Preminger)

FOURTEEN HOURS (1951; Dir: Henry Hathaway)

An entire movie with a guy on the verge of doing a nose-dive of a high rise. You'd think the premise would wear thin fast, but it does not. Fox Film Noir Collection.

CALL NORTHSIDE 777 (1948; Dir: Henry Hathway)

THE HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL (1951; Dir: Robert Wise)

FALLEN ANGEL (1945; Dir: Otto Preminger)

THE DARK CORNER (1946; Dir: Henry Hathaway)

NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947; Dir: Edmund Goulding)

THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942; Dir: Frank Tuttle)

MURDER MY SWEET (1945; Dir: Edward Dmytryk)

SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT (1946; Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz)

WHIRLPOOL (1949; Dir: Otto Preminger)

I re-visited this movie and liked it so much, I watched it twice in a week. The plot is kind of preposterous, but man is it great. Also a Fox Film Noir Collection entry.

KISS OF DEATH (1947; Dir: Henry Hathaway)

Remade in the 1990s with Nicolas Cage and David Caruso.

HOUSE OF STRANGERS (1949; Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz)

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997; Dir: Curtis Hanson)

You think it's a coincidence that Kim Basinger is a prostitute made up to look like noir fatale Veronica Lake? I think not!

THIEVES HIGHWAY (1949; Dir: Jules Dassin)

I just discovered this movie recently, and it is a gem.

BORN TO KILL (1947; Dir: Robert Wise)

THE KILLERS (1946; Dir: Robert Siodmak)

The Ernest Hemingway short story is the launching point for a great noir where the hero of the story (Burt Lancaster) dies in the opening scene.

THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950; Dir: John Huston)

Yes that is Marilyn Monroe, and easily one of the best heist films ever made. Sam Jaffe is truly creepy and another noir favorite - Sterling Hayden - is fantastic.

D.O.A. (1950; Dir: Rudolph Mate)

Remade in 1987 with Dennis Quaid.

THE NARROW MARGIN (1952; Dir: Richard Fleischer)

Takes place entirely in the confined environment of a train - a cop is trying to get a murder witness to trial, but of course the gangsters on the train have a different agenda.

A pretty competent remake came out in 1990 starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer.

THE LETTER (1940; Dir: William Wyler)

The opening scene of this is one of my favorites. How can you go wrong with Bette Davis charging out of a house unloading her full complement of bullets into a guy's back. You're sucked in from the moment the film starts.

WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950; Dir: Otto Preminger)

SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950; Dir: Billy Wilder)

She's ready for her close-up Mr. DeMille, and Billy Wilder's 3rd film on my list.

KISS ME DEADLY (1955; Dir: Robert Aldrich)

Coming soon on Blu-Ray from Criterion, KISS ME DEADLY is one of those noirs that makes all of the best-of lists. Quentin Tarantino pays homage to it in PULP FICTION.

THE BIG CLOCK (1948; Dir: John Farrow)

Funny how above I mention the 1987 NO WAY OUT which borrows it's plot from this ticking clock thriller.

KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952; Dir: Phil Karlson)

CLEOPATRA (1963)

2011-04-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

The recent passing of Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor had me do what I usually do when a celebrity passes away - I revist their work with a memorial "film festival" (as I am sure most other hardcore cinephiles do as well). Also, this weekend Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is dedicating a full day to Taylor's great career. Ms. Taylor was an icon of Hollywood of old, and her passing means that a generation of movie stars is almost completely gone (I'd say Mickey Rooney and Kirk Douglas are probably the remaining hold outs in that club).

One of my favorite Taylor movies is the infamous CLEOPATRA. Infamous in that it almost wiped out Twentieth Century Fox financially, as well as the beginning of the Elizabeth Taylor / Richard Burton relationship.

Yes the movie is flawed, but there is something grand in a classic Hollywood epic kind of way. It's over the tope in scale, and the Cinemascope screen is filled to the brim with exciting images that brings the movie alive. Made at a time when Hollywood was going through some changes, it may have almost bankrupt Fox, but every penny of that budget is up on the screen.

One need only reference the grand entry into Rome by Cleopatra. Ms. Taylor so encompasses that role that you can't argue that she is indeed a woman who brought down great leaders. It's also one of (in my honest opinion) Richard Burton's best roles.

Let's look at some random bits of information. Without CLEOPATRA there would be no dramatic intensity of WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF because Burton and Taylor would probably have not hooked up. There also would be no Century City Shopping Mall because Fox wouldn't have had to sell off their backlot (which is kind of a sad thing, although I really like that mall and the AMC Theater there is one of my favorites in L.A.). Without Century City - no iconic Nakatomi Plaza for DIE HARD or again the mall for the Apes to revolt in CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES - which I always think of when I'm there imaging Roddy McDowall as Caesar storming Macy's.

One of the best aspects of CLEOPATRA is Alex North's haunting score. Next to say A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and SPARTACUS, it ranks as one of his best works. He also underscored Taylor and Burton in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, and also scored a film I think is underrated, THE CHILDREN'S HOUR with Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner (directed by William Wyler). There is a 2 CD edition of the score to CLEOPATRA available from the soundtrack masters at Varese Sarabande that no collection should be without.

CLEOPATRA is not part of the Ms. Taylor retrospective on TCM this weekend as I believe the rights are held exclusively by FXM (Movies from Fox). It is on DVD in a splendid edition which sports a great multi-person commentary and extensive documentaries on the troubled production. Here's hoping that Fox one day sees fit to bring it to Blu-Ray.

CINEMATIC RAINBOW

2011-04-07T22:45:00.001-07:00

Yes I know another list, but these are just so fun to do. This one comes from CITIZEN ROBOT (and RUPERT PUPKIN SPEAKS has also created one), movies with colors in the title. A Cinematic so to speak.

THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW (1988)

Ok so I know it's not a color per say, but it does cover them.

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)

THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (1985)

HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941)

SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (1949)

ON GOLDEN POND (1981)

AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER (2002)

GOLDFINGER (1964)

THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980)

THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946)

THE CRIMSON PIRATE (1952)

MOULIN ROUGE (1952)

Went for the John Huston MOULIN ROUGE which is superior to the Baz Luhrmann 2001 film.

THE MAN WITH ONE RED SHOE (1985)

RED DAWN (1984)

THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE (1951)

RED RIVER (1948)

THE THIN RED LINE (1998)

THE RED SHOES (1948)

THE RED BALLOON (LE BALLON ROUGE) (1956)

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990)

WHITE HUNTER, BLACK HEART (1990)

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)

THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)

BLACK SWAN (2010)

BLACK RAIN (1989)

BLACK NARCISSUS (1947)

BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001)

THE BLACK HOLE (1979)

GEOGRAPHICAL MOVIES

2011-04-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

The Rupert Pupkin Speaks, Citizenrobot movie love/listmania continues! We've done the alphabet, and they've done movies with Colors in the title (I'm a little behind on that one). This time, our list of movies with geographic locations in the title. Cities, countries, etc.

Of course as you would expect, the most popular locations are New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Paris. I thought about grouping these together more, but here they are in no particular order.

NASHVILLE (1975)

VIVA LAS VEGAS (1964)

VIRGINIA CITY (1940)

TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)

TOMBSTONE (1993)

TOKYO DRIFTER (1966)

THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD (1995)

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)

TALES OF MANHATTAN (1942)

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (1993)

SAN FRANCISCO (1936)

SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949)

RIO GRANDE (1950)

THE RUSSIA HOUSE (1990)

RAISING ARIZONA (1987)

THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (1985)

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)

PHILADELPHIA (1993)

NEW YORK STORIES (1989)

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO (1991)

THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN (1984)

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)

MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON (1984)

MISSISSIPPI BURNING (1988)

MIAMI VICE (2006)

MEMPHIS BELLE (1990)

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944)

MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY (1993)

MANHATTAN (1979)

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (2006)

LEAVING LAS VEGAS (1995)

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)

LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972)

L.A. STORY (1991)

THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND (2006)

THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1947)

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997)

KEY LARGO (1948)

KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL (1952)

KANSAS CITY BOMBERS (1972)

JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)

IN BRUGES (2008)

IF IT'S TUESDAY, THIS MUST BE BELGIUM (1969)

GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM (1987)

GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002)

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998)

FARGO (1996)

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981)

ESCAPE FROM L.A. (1996)

DODGE CITY (1939)

DOC HOLLYWOOD (1991)

COMING TO AMERICA (1988)

CHICAGO (2002)

CASABLANCA (1942)

CANADIAN BACON (1995)

BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984)

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN PARIS (1997)

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981)

THE ALAMO (1960)

A PASSAGE TO INDIA (1984)

3:10 TO YUMA (1957) and (2007)

4 FOR TEXAS (1963)

JUST BECAUSE

2011-04-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed doing the Cinematic ABCs, but almost lost a friend over my choice for the letter Q. Not that he objects to THE QUIET MAN, he was just...confused how I could pick it over a certain other movie.

Brian over at Rupert Pupkin Speaks got so into this he did a second list which you should check out. I also had a lot of "second choices" so maybe later will revisit this with a second alphabet.

In the meantime, Geoff...this one is for you.

Q is for QUIZ SHOW

MY CINEMATIC A,B,Cs

2011-04-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a good movie list? And what better way to re-start the blog (yeah I know, I haven't posted in a while. Blame life!)

My friends and fellow cinema-lovers Sherrie at Citizenrobot and Brian who writes the Rupert Pupkin Speaks blog (both worthwhile Twitter follows btw @citizenrobot and @bobfreelander) came up with the idea of a favorite movie for every letter of the alphabet.

So here is my go at it. And by all means, if have your own cinema alphabet to post, forward the link!

And btw....X wasn't easy.

A is for Anatomy of a Murder

B is for Brute Force

C is for Casino

D is for Double Indemnity

E is for Escape From New York

F is for The French Connection

G is for Gunga Din

H is for The Hustler

I is for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

J is for JFK

K is for Kiss Me Deadly

L is for La Dolce Vita

M is for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

N is for The Night of the Hunter

O is for Once Upon a Time in the West

P is for The Professionals

Q is for The Quiet Man

R is for Rio Bravo

S is for Sweet Smell of Success

T is for The Ten Commandments

U is for Unforgiven

V is for The Verdict

W is for Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

X is for X2: X-Men United

Y is for Young Frankenstein

Z is for Zulu

GREED IN 3D

2010-04-10T11:42:00.001-07:00

Although not surprised, I am ashamed of theater owners right now. With 3D movies bringing in record audiences – see AVATAR and ALICE IN WONDERLAND's box office totals for examples – theater owners suddenly got the bright idea to raise the price of the 3D movie premium dramatically. So now instead of $3 you could be paying up to $5 extra to have the movie pop out at you. Audiences want the big picture, but they also tend to stay away when the price starts going up. Do theater owners really want to drive their audiences out of their cinemas and back into the living room?

The extra charge affected the box office take for Dreamworks Animation's HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, a family-friendly animated feature that performed under expectations on its opening weekend. Ok so say you're a family of 4, money is tight and you want to take the kids out to see a movie. In that scenario, paying the extra $$$ which really adds up when you factor in that with kids you are probably going to be hitting the concession stand pretty hard as well. Now you've just driven away the target audience for a big family friendly movie (which are often hard to come by) and let's face it, these days American families are struggling to make ends meet.

The charge also came right before Warner Bros.' CLASH OF THE TITANS hit 3D screens, a film which has been blasted for its poor 3D conversion as it was a 2D movie that Warner Bros. decided to convert to capitalize on the 3D craze only a few months before it came out (greed strikes yet again). Critic Roger Ebert enjoyed the movie in 2D, but thought otherwise of the 3D version – a common thread that I have been seeing from many critics. So now audiences can watch a crappy looking 3D movie and pay more for the privilege of doing so (although it didn't hurt CLASH's opening weekend totals as it took over $65 million). I personally noticed the price increase when I went to see ALICE IN WONDERLAND (it was $3.50) then later saw that my cousin had paid $4 extra to see CLASH OF THE TITANS in 3D. That is 2 price increases within a 3 week period.

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about how I was impressed by the fact that 3D was re-energizing movie going, and leave it to human greed to ruin a good thing by jacking up the price. I'm pretty sure that people are going to notice that their 3D movie ticket has suddenly gone up as much as $2, especially in our current down economy. So I take it that theater owners would rather have fewer seats filled at a premium price rather than more or all of their seats filled at a lower price.

In early 2009, Netflix made a similar move by raising the price of a membership if renting Blu-Rays was involved ($1 - $4, depending on the amount of discs out at a time). This move came at a time when Netflix was enjoying soaring popularity during the worst months of the recession. However Netflix backed it up by stating that they were using the extra money to purchase more Blu-Ray discs, making the wait times for Blu-Ray titles shorter thanks to more availability therefore not losing very many customers. So what are theater owners going to be using their newly earned $$$ for?

The studios are frequently fighting back in terms of their promised "windows" which is the amount of time between which a movie is released theatrically and when it is released for home viewing (Blu-Ray, DVD, VOD, etc.). Recently, Disney shortened the theatrical window for ALICE IN WONDERLAND by a couple of weeks which irked some theater chains in Europe who then threatened to not show the movie. Judging by the box office take that would be a loss for theater owners because suddenly their cinema would be lacking the big hit that everyone wants to see which would result in driving their customers away to a theater that is showing it. Customers don't care if a theater is boycotting a title; they just want to see the movie. Theater owners are scared thanks to the online streaming revolution and increased rise in piracy, they see their audience numbers dwindling so it doesn't make sense then to turn around and gouge their already fragmented customer base by raising their prices so dramatically. Customers already have a beef with regular 2D prices, let alone paying an extra $5 for 3D. Perhaps theater owners think that 3D is indeed a fad that will gradually disappear over time and they want to recoup the large investment that is necessary to convert a screen to handle the 3D process. Of course by raising the price, they could be creating their own doom and quickening the pace for its arrival.

I missed CLASH OF THE TITANS opening weekend and am planning to go see it today – in 2D. I had originally intended to do so anyway thanks to the 3D conversion issue, but I am unsure that if the movie had been made with 3D in mind whether or not I would pay the extra $$$. This is coming from a guy who likes to see a movie in the best possible format regardless of how much it costs.

THE BUSINESS - KCRW - The Present and Future of Home Entertainment

2010-04-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind this week thanks to travel and other issues so this episode of THE BUSINESS is from last week, but it pretty much ties into everything I have been blogging about recently concerning the vast changes in the Home Entertainment business.

Great to hear VIDIOTS, a specialty video store in West Los Angeles, get a spotlight here. They along with EDDIE BRANT'S SATURDAY MATINEE (in North Hollywood and profiled recently on TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES), LASER BLAZER (on Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles - near the Westside Pavilion and a BEST BUY store at that) and ROCKET VIDEO (at Melrose and La Brea in Hollywood) are the few remaining "mom and pop" video stores that somehow have survived the juggernaut that is Netflix.

I'm very interested in VIDIOT's idea of an in-store "film school" mentioned in this episode.

The Link to the episode:
Digital Future, Video Past - The Business on KCRW

The Business - KCRW - A Discussion with UP Composer Michael Giacchino

2010-03-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

This week's episode of THE BUSINESS is great (usually is though) thanks to a discussion with Academy Award winning composer Michael Giacchino (UP), and covers the scoring session for an episode of LOST.

The Link:

The Business - KCRW

CLEARPLAY – KEEPING MOVIES CLEAN?

2010-03-19T15:17:00.001-07:00

Recently my cousin purchased a DVD player that has Clearplay technology. I had heard of this in passing, but have never seen it in action until recently.

Clearplay is a DVD filtering system that is designed primarily for parents to block out objectionable material from movies or TV shows that they are uncomfortable with their children (or themselves for that matter) seeing, making even the most R rated of films "family friendly". There are several options as to what can be blocked like crude jokes, racial slurs, foul language, violence, sex, and within each option is a degree in that can dictate just how much content is filtered out – least, medium, most or not at all. The filters are downloaded off the Internet that is connected with a subscription based service that provides files by movie title, and the filter is then downloaded onto what they call a "filterstick" (which is really a fancy name for a USB Flash Drive) that then is connected to the DVD player, transferring the data into the machine and then the filters can be altered from there.

To give the player a test run, we watched Sony's DISTRICT 9. The filter settings are automatically set to the highest levels (of which we were unaware) so it ended up cutting quite a bit out. Harsh language was blanked out, but the scene played on, there were several jump cuts and full action scenes were skipped for violence and so on. I had seen the movie before when it first came out which made this a perfect test film for me. The system seemed to be pretty thorough, although there were a couple of glitches like when in one scene where a character drops an "f bomb", his voice was blanked out but a subtitle underneath containing the "offending" word remained. So obviously while thorough, Clearplay is not fool proof. Also of note from this viewing is the fact that when I first saw DISTRICT 9 in the cinema, I was quite oblivious to the amount of swearing during the picture, but the constant blanked out moments thanks to Clearplay made me more aware of just how much the film contained. A question of whether I am completely desensitized, or the system by blanking out the words, brings more attention to them.

Back when I was younger and watching movies with the family, a scene that had "adult" material would happen and my parents would instinctively hit the fast forward button. Clearplay in essence is that fast forward button which skips over the questionable material before it even has a chance to happen.

So could this system be considered a form of censorship? Censorship comes down somebody else cutting or not allowing "offending material" based on their own "moral" system, and then enforcing that system on others. Yes, some children may have that happen because their parents don't want them seeing certain things, but at the same time this is a system that is designed for individual home privacy, and not for a mass audience. The film itself in its original version is still available, the filters are all optional and at the viewer's discretion. Personally, especially in families with younger children, I think this is a viable option. Just because a movie is R Rated doesn't exactly make it bad, it just contains things that perhaps younger children should not be exposed to but still deserves to be watched. One of the biggest things that has been happening in cinema the last few years has been how the studios have been fighting to make more PG-13 movies out of films that in the past would have been rated R to get more theater seats filled. LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD is a prime example, the first 3 films in the series were rated R, and this the fourth in the series was PG-13. It also could be considered an example against because the movie itself was terrible, but then again so was the R rated DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (a.k.a. DIE HARD 3).

Then again cutting some of this material out of the film could seriously alter the message of the movie. Take for instance BASIC INSTINCT. You pull all the sex out the movie (although somehow I doubt a movie like this would even bother being made available with a Clearplay option) and the whole tension of the movie is lost. I have a blog post coming up about BASIC INSTINCT in a series I am planning to do on "game changers" (more on that later) but the entire movie revolves around Michael Douglas' character doing everything that is bad for him – everything that would be filtered by Clearplay – and that would completely take away all the complexity of his character and the story as well. Granted someone who is offended by sexual material shouldn't be watching BASIC INSTINCT in the first place.

There were some questionable filter options available as well like "dishonoring the flag", "dishonoring parents" and "mushiness" which are well…taking it way too far. So with "dishonoring parents", does that mean all the crucial scenes where James Dean is in conflict with his father (played by Jim Backus) in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE would be removed, therefore removing the very heart of the movie? Or in a film that features anti-war or civil rights protests like say in BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY that contain a shot of a protester burning the flag would be removed? These seem like really outlandish options and are definitely taking the idea of cleaning up "offensive" material way too far.

Films are a reflection of the world around us, whether it's good or bad. People smoke, they swear and they do despicable things, and films are a way of showing us – even sometimes in a fantastical or hyper-realized setting – all aspects of ourselves and culture. I am not the biggest fan of foul language, but there are classic movie quotes where the profanity just adds to the complexity of the line or film, while there are others where it is completely overused unnecessarily – but I'll still watch those films either way. The first DIE HARD for instance almost turns profanity into an art form. I also get upset at those individuals who want smoking banned from films completely. While yes, I can see positive images of children smoking being not good, showing some characters smoking – like say a working class factory worker or mobster or say all the characters in AMCs MAD MEN who true to their era are chain smokers – is true to the character and not meant as an advertisement for cigarettes. There are definitely arguments for and against and those that are for could get labeled as "ultra-liberal" and those against as "ultra-right-wing". I personally prefer those people in between who don't try to make arguments that really can't be won.

Personally I would never use a system like this. I am a firm believer in seeing movies exactly the way they were meant to be seen – in the proper aspect ratio (meaning letterboxed, etc.), uncut and unedited with even all the "dirty" parts left in. I will never ever watch a movie on a channel where the movie is interrupted by commercials – it's why I watch almost all TV programs on DVD because commercials are annoying. All these are key reasons why TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES is the best station on TV – a great selection of the best movies ever made, uncut, commercial free and displayed the exact way they were meant to be shown with proper letterboxing where applicable. But then again, that is just me. I know there are people out there who hate letterboxing, and go out of their way to find "full screen" editions which employ the "pan and scan" method, which compresses a widescreen frame into the regular 4x3 TV shape by panning and scanning to and from what is seemingly the most important action on the screen to keep the story intact. Directors understandably hate this because it ultimately alters their vision (and so do I).

For my cousin though, the Clearplay system is a good option. She is a movie lover with impeccable film taste - as is her 16 year-old daughter (and anyone who knows me, is aware I like to brag about my amazing 16 year old second cousin…so yes, here is yet another opportunity for that – bear with me here) - and her TV DVD shelf is one of the best collections I have ever seen. In fact, my cousin absolutely HATES people who talk during the movies and it's almost an obsession with her in fact, and in my opinion, a great and very healthy one (movie talkers suck to put it bluntly). However, there are things in films that make her uncomfortable, not to mention she also has 2 teenage daughters in the house. The same goes for my second cousin (the aforementioned 16 year-old) who happens to LOVE horror films and while she has no problem with violence or gore, she is not a big fan of sexual content, and horror just happens to be the genre that features that pretty prominently. She also has such amazing film insight – she can predict everything from actions to lines before they happen, and can breakdown plot lines and subtext better than most people older than she is (she once told me in a sentence why the TWILIGHT series ultimately fails while most other people her age are obsessing over it and have no idea how truly bad it is). The family bragging is here for a reason, to make clear that my cousins are avid film and TV viewers and want to see as much as they possibly can and are not out to condemn material. For them Clearplay has opened up a whole new world of viewing possibilities. Movies that they may have been uncomfortable watching before are now an option. I've had people in various circles actually criticize me to my face and also to my parents for my choices in viewing (which is just about everything – except porn that is) as well as my choice to work in the entertainment industry. Those people will condemn movies they have never even seen without giving them a second thought. That is extremely narrow-minded. My cousins on the other hand, want to give movies – almost all movies – a chance. Yet at the same time, they know what they like, and they know what their comfort zone is. And before anyone gets it in their head to make any comments about my awesome cousins, they as well thought that the options "dishonoring the flag", "dishonoring parents" and "mushiness" and some other aspects of Clearplay were carrying things way too far.

What shouldn't be read into this entry is a firm argument for or against Clearplay – please note that I am not including a link to the company website for that very reason. I am just presenting what is an available viewing option. My stance would definitely be a lot more defined against if say Clearplay became standard on all DVD or Blu-Ray players. As it is now, it's a niche system that has to be purchased specifically and the filters have to be subscribed too. Making this standard on all players or TVs would definitely not be acceptable. In the past when a video store (and I think mail order system) in Utah was shut down because they were altering the movies themselves and the option to watch the movie in its uncut version was unavailable, or back when Blockbuster was demanding that an R rated version of SHOWGIRLS be made available to them because they once (not sure if they still do) had a corporate policy of never stocking NC-17 or X rated material in their stores – that to me is infinitely worse than this. I also don't think the studios should care because their product is still on the shelf and being sold as is, it's just a private viewing choice made in individual's homes and not a mass forced viewing alternative which would be 100% unacceptable. It's like movies getting cut for broadcast television; just in this case the viewer gets to choose what is being cut out – and NO COMMERCIALS.

Clearplay may not be for everyone; however it is definitely another option for a society of consumers who are becoming more and more demanding when it comes to being entertained.

THE VIDEO STORE – FOLLOWING VHS CASSETTES INTO OBSCURITY?

2010-03-18T19:46:00.001-07:00

Back when I was in high school, and during college, I did what most Cinephiles of my generation did – I pulled a Quentin Tarantino and worked at a Video Store. In fact I was a Video Store employee at 4 different places for a combined total of almost 8 years, although none of those stores was a Blockbuster.

I bring this up because the video store is officially becoming a dinosaur and even more so now as it seems the number 1 video chain is crumbling. Thanks to online service NETFLIX and now Redbox Kiosks which you can find at places like Wal-Mart, McDonalds or your local grocery store, the "brick and mortar" video store is facing possible (probable?) extinction – at least the video store that we all grew up with. The #2 store behind Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, had their parent company – Movie Gallery – file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this past February. This was their second bankruptcy filing, their first being one that occurred in 2008 and right now, the future looks pretty grim for Blockbuster as well.

To combat Netflix and Redbox, Blockbuster has been doing everything they can to stay alive. They have tried to emulate the Netlix mail order service with TOTAL ACCESS which features the added bonus that you can switch out a certain amount of movies at your local store for instant access. They eliminated late fees, only to then reinstate them last month. They are also closing most of their stores across the United States, and replacing them with kiosks, much like the Redbox ones. I'm not sure if this has been affecting Canadian Blockbusters as Netflix is not in Canada, and the Canadian mail order DVD service – Zip.ca – isn't nearly as well known (or for that matter really any good…in fact, it's a disaster).

Earlier this year, Netflix and Warner Bros. announced that new WB releases would not be available for rental on the service for 28 days after their initial release. The same deal was later struck with Redbox. This move was made in an effort to bolster sagging disc sales, as well as boost video-on-demand. New release renters make up a small portion of Netflix customers, where the majority tends to favor older, catalog titles. Not to mention that by brokering this deal, this has given Netflix access to more titles for their online streaming service, which is growing by leaps and bounds. I really don't know how this deal benefits Redbox really. Pundits expect that the same deal will be made with most – if not all – of the other studios. Right after this deal was announced, Blockbuster made a statement that this couldn't have happened at a better time. While not only having titles in-store for sale, they also stand to be the only outlet for new releases.

This week though, Home Media Magazine is reporting that Blockbuster is in some serious trouble. Cornering the market on new release rentals and reinstating late fees are not going to be enough to save it. Facing probable Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Blockbuster stands at the abyss – a place they really have been for several years now. While I'm not at all surprised (in fact it is a shock they have lasted this long) I have to say that I am impressed with Blockbuster's tenacity in trying to adapt to consumer's changing needs while battling their new, and much stronger, rivals (Netflix and Redbox). However Netflix just came out of the gates swinging by not only changing the whole idea of convenience with customers getting titles delivered directly to their mailbox quickly and efficiently, but by still being on the cutting edge of meeting consumer needs with their instant streaming service which is not only available online, but is now accessible on several Blu-Ray players, internet-ready TVs as well as Sony's Playstation 3, Microsoft's X-Box 360 and I believe (if not now, soon) Nintendo's Wii video game consoles. Netflix is now everywhere and has all the appearances (and it really is) a forward thinking, future ready company (not to mention that a friend of mine who works for the U.S. Postal Service tells me that Netflix is practically the only thing keeping the Post Office busy these days) while the big blue Blockbuster symbol just looks like a crumbling symbol of a bygone day. Meanwhile Redbox capitalizes on those who want their movie rentals cheap and convenient ($1 per night) and takes advantage of the impulse shoppers at the big box stores and chains where they are generally found.

I kind of miss the idea of going to the Video Store on a Friday night and browsing through titles (not to mention I buy an awful lot of movies so the need to rent is sometimes unnecessary) and although I still try to do it every so often – especially visiting unique and more eclectic stores – I too have fallen prey to the allure of Netflix. I am a firm believer in the Netflix model – and at first, I fought it, but now a Netflix membership for me is almost as essential as a home phone line.

Needless to say, a lot of my early film education was gained by working at video stores, and I will be sad to see them go.

Producing the Oscars - The Business on KCRW

2010-03-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

Producing the Oscars - The Business on KCRW

OFF THE SCREEN - 3D CINEMA

2010-03-15T15:58:00.001-07:00

A few years ago, Jeffrey Katzenberg (for the few that still may not know who he is, he is the co-founder of DREAMWORKS, SKG and CEO of DREAMWORKS ANIMATION) made a bold proclamation that 3-D would save the movie industry. Was he right? Mr. Katzenberg knows a thing or two about cinematic success like when he was the head of Disney feature films and he was responsible for revitalizing their feature animated film division which included hits like THE LITTLE MERMAID, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN and THE LION KING. Not to mention that recent box office returns would suggest that yes, he indeed was correct.

Jeffrey Katzenberg

Box office figures are up in general, but if you look at the statistics for a movie that is released in both regular 2D and in 3D, even with the premium that is added to the 3D ticket price ($3 is the average) the 3-D showings end up with more people in seats. Most of the studios are now taking movies that were going to be released in 2D, and converting them for 3D screens as well (Warner Bros.' CLASH OF THE TITANS, due out in April, is one such film as was Disney's recent ALICE IN WONDERLAND release). The argument can easily be made that 3D is not going away anytime soon.

The cinema has always been a breeding ground for sweeping technical changes. The late 20s/early 30s saw the advent of sound, there was Technicolor, and then in the 50s Cinema-scope intended to give the movies a "big picture" event feeling by widening the screen and hopefully prying viewers away from their new small square TV sets. Sound then became Dolby stereo in the 80s and then DTS digital in the 90s, a decade which also marked the coming of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) which revolutionized special effects. Outside of holographic movies, digital 3D seems like the next logical step.

The idea of 3 dimensional movies is not a new one. It first appeared in the 1950s, usually with science fiction or horror movies (CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON for instance), and required that viewers wear cardboard glasses with a red and a blue lens that made the images seemingly pop off the screen. Kind of clunky and even with a slight resurgence in the 1980s with movies such as FRIDAY THE 13^TH PART 3 and JAWS 3-D, it really never caught on as more than a passing fad.

Then IMAX stepped into the picture. IMAX can easily be included among the technological leaps l listed above – again most people know this but just in case, it is a large film format that projects on a screen several stories high and for the most part when introduced, was found in museums and science centers with educational-like subject matter. IMAX slowly made its way into regular Cineplexes (one of the first big commercial made-for-IMAX films was Disney's FANTASIA 2000) and eventually started presenting 3D movies which still require glasses to make the effect work, however the glasses are sturdier and don't have multi-colored lenses. When Hollywood movies (Warner Bros. particularly which I think really started in earnest with THE MATRIX RELOADED) started being presented on IMAX screens, it wasn't long before 3D started showing up in them as well. I believe the first feature length commercial film to be in IMAX 3D was Robert Zemeckis' THE POLAR EXPRESS (again Warner Bros.), and then later both SUPERMAN RETURNS and HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX both included 3D sequences (however the films themselves were not entirely in 3D). The effect was truly amazing. A very big screen with the movie literally popping out at you in digital 3D glory, it was (and still is) truly worth paying the extra money for.

The next step was of course to bring digital 3D into regular cinemas. At a cost of about a couple of hundred thousand dollars, a regular cinema screen can be converted into digital 3D thanks to the Real 3D Theatrical System (Disney, as they usually do, has branded all their 3D movies as presented in "Disney Digital 3D", keeping up that idea that the magic comes to you directly from the Disney factory). Now there are thousands of 3D screens across the United States and Canada, and increasingly every weekend, new 3D film releases. While in the past a 3D release generally enjoyed multiple screens for long periods of time, now with all the new titles coming out it's becoming quite a battle for the studios to hold onto those screens which of course (again thanks to the $3 premium) bring in larger box office grosses.

Real 3D Glasses

So why has 3D become so popular again now? Could it be thanks to the economic crash from the past couple of years that audiences are craving escape more and more, and the 3D world offers a whole new way to immerse oneself into the movies' promise of make-believe? Or is it that movies themselves, thanks to mediocre titles and an over abundance of technology that just seems to have taken the fun out of it, have lost their "wow" factor? My guess would be a little bit of both, but I want to focus specifically on the second point.

As great as CGI is, I fear that it has taken some of what I like to call "the wow factor" out of the movies. Effects are so sophisticated now, and the majority of films being released not only utilize them, but are almost jam packed with effects from opening to ending credits (in many cases, like 300, SIN CITY, AVATAR or STAR WARS - EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH, entire movies have been shot using green screen with digital effects replacing actual locations) that when the next big trailer hits, and they show some CGI creature or big action moment it almost feels like a "yeah, yeah whatever" factor sets in. I am going to reference the trailer for the aforementioned CLASH OF THE TITANS as a prime example. At the end of the trailer, Liam Neeson belts out the line "RELEASE THE KRAKEN" which is followed by a scene of a large CGI creature wreaking complete havoc. Years ago, that moment might have given me chills, but again thanks to all the CGI creatures that have been in the movies – especially over the last 10 years (LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy anyone?), this supposedly awe inspiring bit of coolness is met with ambivalence. CLASH OF THE TITANS has been converted to a 3D movie, and the idea of seeing that creature bursting off the screen has made me a little more excited for that movie (granted, I was already looking forward to it).

This brings me of course to last year's super-blockbuster AVATAR. By now everyone has probably heard about James Cameron's journey to make AVATAR, and his 15 year wait for the technology to become available. The super-expensive process used to shoot the movie in 3D was created specifically to make AVATAR a reality which now it is officially the highest grossing movie of all time (and is still raging on in theaters) beating out Cameron's own 1997 TITANIC for the top spot. AVATAR on its own is a below average movie, and had it been in 2D only I highly doubt that it would be enjoying the financial success that it is having right now. However, the 3D world of AVATAR is so immersive, it really does capture that aforementioned "wow factor" and audiences have been backing it up. I saw the first 20 minutes screened at last year's San Diego Comic-Con – in 3D – and was completely absorbed by how the technology really made the world come alive. While the movie itself was a letdown, I still found myself torn between my technical appreciation of the film and the fact that it's just not a very good movie. In fact, the 3D in AVATAR made such an impact, that the extremely high-brow film publication FILM COMMENT (which is one of my favorite film magazines btw) even devoted space about it in their January/February 2010 issue, basically caving into the idea of 3D and the fact that it is here to stay as a valid artistic and commercial choice.

What AVATAR proves, as well as Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND – which also a 3D release which took in over $116 million in its opening weekend and another $62 this past weekend – is that audiences will fill theater seats if you give them a reason too, and 3D may just well be that added incentive. Of course the movie still has to back it up, I mean people aren't going to flock to say a dud like BASIC INSTINCT 2 (although the cheese factor might draw some people – imagine the possibilities if Paul Verhoeven's SHOWGIRLS had been in 3D?) even if it's in 3D but people still want bang for their buck, and the big picture still rules the day which is becoming more and more prevalent considering what movies are succeeding these days.

In 1992, a review for Ron Howard's FAR AND AWAY in ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY boldly stated that the days of the "epic movie" are gone – this was of course followed by several epic movies that proved that statement to be dead-on-arrival (BRAVEHEART or TITANIC anyone?). 3D in many ways is an extension of the idea of the epic. Like Cinema-Scope did in the 1950s, it has expanded the viewing experience to a new frontier – that is, in the viewer's lap. What was once found mainly in science centers or theme park rides is now available at your local Cineplex for that popular movie you really want to see.

Now of course, 3D is about to enter the home market with Samsung's 3D TV set and 3D Blu-Ray player (the Playstation 3 which ha Blu-Ray playback capabilities is already 3D compatible thanks to an upcoming firmware update) employing the same technology as digital cinemas. Fox has also just announced that ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS is to be the first movie Blu-Ray 3D release (I believe also this year's WORLD CUP Soccer competition is not only slated to be released as a 3D Blu-Ray but also BROADCAST in 3D). Once the spectacle is available at home, will that again alter the "wow factor" of the theater going experience? While yes, home screening rooms have eaten into box office profits over the years (especially for smaller and mid-range movies), I still think that audiences no matter what still crave that experience of going out for the evening (or matinee) and taking in the latest offering from Hollywood. It only makes sense too that people will want to relive that same experience at home. The whole idea of home entertainment – especially for Cinephiles – has always been trying to recapture that theatrical experience as much as possible. It will be interesting to see just how home-based 3D entertainment catches on beyond the hard-cores that are known as "early adapters" (many of whom are now stuck with defunct HD DVD players thanks to Blu-Ray winning the high def format war).

Of course I'm still a firm believe that content is king, and while I do enjoy 3D - UP and CORALINE are particular titles that I thought used the process extremely well – I will still go to see movies on a big screen with an audience even if it's just regular 2D, and am under no belief that a film NEEDS to be presented in 3D to succeed. It's a nice bonus though. Long live the cinema!