Lawrence of Arabia, 1962

Rated G

ZZzzzz…… The end.

Well, I guess I owe it to my readers (and by readers, I mean my mom and sister) to write a little more about the movie. It is the epic (and by epic, I mean 216 minutes long) autobiographical retelling of British Army officer T. E. Lawrence’s adventures in Arabia as he helps unite the tribes against the oppressive Turks during World War I. The Arabs embrace him because of his knowledge of politics and somewhat rebellious behavior. He becomes their hero, but in the end, he feels he failed his mission.

Obviously epic classics like this are long and I think the Academy actually likes them. But this movie didn’t need to be this long. I honestly don’t mind long movies, but when the plot isn’t moving along at a decent pace, or at least enough to keep my attention, then it needs to be edited down.

It is a “man’s film” in a few regards but more literally in that it is the only Best Picture winner that has credited roles for only men! The reviews I’ve read since watching it mentioned Lawrence’s repressed homoerotic tendencies and feelings for his Arab “blood brother” Sherif Ali (played by Omar Sharif from one of my faves “Funny Girl”). This apparently was lost on me… I did not pick up on his confused sexuality. I did think he had some pretty witty lines at times.

I read that the film’s movement was from left to right in order to convey a sense of forward movement on Lawrence’s journey. Unfortunately, this might have been a wasted effort since I didn’t notice it. I did notice the camels in the film though and wrote down a note to ask my hubby for a pet camel for my next birthday. And I will add that there were several shots of the desert that were breathtaking.

“Lawrence of Arabia” was up against “The Longest Day”, “The Music Man”, “Mutiny on the Bounty” (a remake of the original from 1935), and “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Peter O’Toole, who played Lawrence in this film, lost the Best Actor award to Gregory Peck from “To Kill a Mockingbird”. In my opinion, the whole movie should have lost the award to that film. Now, THAT was a classic. Book and movie both.

Alright, thanks Mom and Alli for reading this; I won’t waste any more of your time. I know how it feels since I recently lost almost four hours of my life.

Here’s a look at the real T.E. Lawrence and the Irish-born blue-eyed “hottie of the time” Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif from the film:

LESSONS LEARNED:

Drink caffeine before watching epics.

Pay better attention in history class so when watching historical films, things may sound familiar or click into place.

The Silence of the Lambs, 1991

Rated R

Roger Ebert calls this film a “horror masterpiece” and it was one of only two on my list of eighty-three movies that I REALLY didn’t want to see. I demanded that my husband watch it with me this last weekend during the day (and while the kids were napping , of course). It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I hate scary movies and I hate gore even more. Perhaps I expected worse because I see the kind of movies that are coming out nowadays that aim for shock-value and in-your-face gruesomeness. Overall, I thought it was a captivating movie. I didn’t think it was as suspenseful as reviews make it out to be, but that could be due to its time of release as well. I think “The Sixth Sense” and “The Others” were just as suspenseful. (I will note that when Clarice walks through Buffalo Bill’s house at the end, I was pretty freaked.)

In case you don’t know, this movie is based on yet another best-selling book, and is about a cannibalistic killer (Anthony Hopkins) and his relationship with FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodi Foster) as he begins to bargain with her for the clues she needs to catch a psychopathic serial killer on the loose.  Hopkins won Best Actor for his chilling portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter even though his character is actually on screen for only 16 total minutes!! His creepy stares and disturbing monologues set the tone for the whole movie though.

I can understandably see how this movie raised concerns and created outrages over sexism (both female and transgendered). I think it is pretty common now though that movies push boundaries, or overstep them completely, with regard to sensitive and controversial subjects.

I think this movie has a great title and a pretty cool movie poster. Although, I will admit that I didn’t notice until I looked closely at the poster that there’s an outline of a skull on the moth (nicknamed “Death’s Head Moth”). If that outline was actually shown in the movie when the insect specialist was dissecting it, I totally missed it. Other things I missed were the anagrams that Clarice figured out from Dr. Lecter- clues for people’s names. (Louis Friend into iron sulfide, which means fool’s gold… c’mon!)

I will pat myself on the back though for calling the switcheroo when Hannibal escaped. (Don’t rain on my parade if you did too though… I rarely can call those things, so I’m proud of myself). I also couldn’t help but notice how Jodie and Anthony didn’t really act together. They really were just taking turns talking straight into the camera (which did make for a more eerie effect).

“The Silence of the Lambs” was up against “Bugsy”, “JFK”, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”, and the “Prince of Tides”. I’ve only seen the last two on that list. This is one of three films in Oscar history that won the top five awards: picture, director, actor, actress, and screenplay. The other two films I’ve blogged about already: “It Happened One Night” in 1934 and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1975. Its win was memorable for a few reasons. It was the first time that a film from the horror genre won Best Picture. Also, because it was released in January (almost a year before the awards ceremony!), it was already on videotape by the time it won. Nowadays, that’s nothing since movies are released on blu-ray while they’re practically still in the theaters.

MEMORABLE SCENE:

This isn’t the type of movie that one has a favorite scene, but I did think the one pictured below was uniquely filmed. This was during the game of quid pro quo that Dr. Lecter started with Clarice. She asked him questions about Buffalo Bill (the serial killer) and he asked questions about her childhood. I found it interesting that when he answered her questions, he looked straight into her eyes. But after he asked her a question, he turned his head away while listening to her answer. Hmmm...

LESSONS LEARNED:

Don’t offer to help out a stranger if you’re alone in a dark area. That’s just common sense ladies.

Do not let fear get the best of you. Whether you’re scared of spiders, the dark, or the unknown, it’s not healthy to dwell on fear. Give it up to God and try to find peace.

The Lost Weekend, 1945

Not Rated

This Best Picture winner is a dark and serious look at alcoholism, especially for its time. It was the first film to tackle this rather taboo subject and take a realistic approach in analyzing the disease, instead of using a stereotypical “comic” drunk as in other previous movies. The story takes place over a period of five days (a lost extended weekend, so to speak) with a few flashbacks for clarification and character history. It follows Don Birnam who is a self-tortured alcoholic and an unsuccessful writer on his own account, over which he also tortures himself.

The screenplay was based on the best-selling novel with the same name but apparently a little different and less hopeful, “happy ending”. Birnam meets and falls in love with Helen St. James, a woman who after finding out his secret, stands by him to help him reform and encourages him to write a novel as a form of cathartic therapy. Birnam will go to any lengths to hide his addiction, even hiding bottles in his chandelier and hanging out of his window. After one particular and intense binge near the end of the film, Birnam hallucinates a disturbing image. The next morning, hung-over, he walks down the street to pawn his girlfriend’s animal print coat. I won’t tell you what he pawns it for… you’ll have to see it for yourself. (But I will say I was a little pleased to get the coat out of the picture- it was hideous and made Helen look like a linebacker.) When Helen comes into his apartment afterwards to save him, I didn’t know whether to think she was naïve, stupid, or smart. Nonetheless, I was satisfied with the way it ended.

This film brought a new awareness of alcoholism to society that audiences hadn’t seen on film before. It also had an impact on soldiers returning home from WWII who were struggling to adapt to civilian life after the hardships and trauma of war. Hopefully, family members and loved ones of those who suffer(ed) with this illness will not be disheartened by the intensity and depth of it, but instead, find some means of hope and perseverance.  

“The Lost Weekend” was up against “Anchors Aweigh” (a musical), “Mildred Pierce” (a film noir), “Spellbound” (a thriller by Hitchcock), and “The Bells of St. Mary’s” (the musical sequel to the Best Picture winner I’ve already blogged about: “Going My Way.”) It won four of its seven nominations, including Best Actor which was well deserved.

MEMORABLE LINES:

Near the beginning, Don Birnam cons his girlfriend and his brother into seeing a show without him while he sneaks off to a bar. The bartender tries to wipe away the water marks left on the counter from the shot glass and Don replies, “Don't wipe it away, Nat. Let me have my little vicious circle. You know, the circle is the perfect geometric figure. No end, no beginning.” That is obviously how he sees his addiction. There’s no way out. It’s who he is now. It’s hopeless.

This next line is silly… A woman named Gloria (who reminded me an awful lot of Ana Gasteyer from Saturday Night Live) is flirting with Don at the bar. He jokes with her and she shoots back, “Don’t be ridic’.” I laughed out loud because I thought this was something the kids were saying just nowadays, but apparently not. (She has a few more lines too where she shortens her words like “don’t mench”; they’re pretty funny.)

This last one I’m paraphrasing because I can’t remember it verbatim. Don’s girlfriend Helen comes back to him even though he’s deliberately trying to scare her away and tells her to leave his apartment. She yells back, “Why? Because I’ve got a rival? You’re in love with it aren’t you?” I thought it was an interesting choice of words: rival. But that’s just what it is. The bottle is his top priority and gets his undivided attention. She has to find a way to beat it out for first billing in his mind and heart so she can start to really reason with him.

LESSONS LEARNED:

Don’t give up on loved ones. Don’t give up on yourself. Pretty self-explanatory.

Chicago, 2002

Rated PG-13

I am the proud owner of the DVD of this Best Picture winner and have seen it quite a few times. I considered it a treat to put it on today and dance around my living room. I remember seeing “Chicago” in the theater with my dear friend Beth, another musical theatre junkie like myself. I immediately bought the soundtrack. I often think one song is definitely my favorite, and then the next one comes on, and I say, “No, this is my favorite.” (I’ve still never had the privilege of seeing the stage version, so I can’t compare the two for you here.) But, needless to say, I was thrilled to hear this title announced as the winner when I watched the Academy Awards that year. I felt like it was a win for all musical theatre geeks and fans; a nod of approval and recognition so to speak.

In case you don’t know, the film is a screen adaptation of the mid-70’s stage hit made famous by dancer/director icon Bob Fosse. It tells the story of two spotlight-hungry singer/dancers (played by Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones) who are in the clink for murder in Chicago in the early 20’s. The only way to get out of their execution sentence is to hire the lawyer (Richard Gere) with the perfect record who can manipulate the media. He views trials (and the whole world) as show business. The women are rivals throughout the movie fighting for tabloid celebrity status and fame. They’re also “helped” along the way by the prison’s “Mama” (Queen Latifah) who pretends to work in their best interest for a small price. The adorable John C. Reilly plays the naïve and devoted husband to Roxie Hart (Zellweger). The musical drama is chock-full of witty lines and unbelievable dance numbers. I especially love how it was filmed: it jumps back and forth from the real-time actions of the story to “production” numbers. So it’s like you’re watching a stage show too. Brilliant.  

All of the actors I mentioned above were nominated for Oscars except for Gere, which I thought was a shame; he deserved a nomination just as much as everyone else. The stunningly beautiful and glowing Catherine Zeta-Jones walked up on the stage as the only winner wearing stilettos and looking about 9½ months pregnant.

A little mistake I heard when watching this time around… lawyer Billy Flynn is heard asking “This all happened on Lake Shore Drive?” I lived in Chicago for two years and I actually lived on Lake Shore Drive. The road wasn’t built until the 30’s and wasn’t renamed Lake Shore Drive until the 40’s. Oops.

It had been 34 years since a musical won this prestigious award. “Chicago” was up against “Gangs of New York”, “The Hours”, “The Pianist”, and “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”. I’ve seen all of these films except for “Gangs of New York”; even though my boyfriend Leonardo DiCaprio is in it, good friends who knew me told me I couldn’t handle the gore. I was ecstatic that “Chicago” won but will be perfectly honest in saying how surprised I was when it did. Those are some great movies to be up against, and movies about the Holocaust generally tend to win. It’s interesting to note that all five Best Picture nominees came out in the end of December, making them eligible by just two weeks. They also were all set in the past. “Chicago” won six of its thirteen nominations that night.

Another FABULOUS movie made this year that I just want to give a little credit to was “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. My husband (then boyfriend) dragged me to this film but I’m glad he did; I was hesitant to see it since I saw it starred an ‘N Sync member. (By the way, he still occasionally brings up that time as if to remind me that he has better movie-picking abilities than I do… “Remember ‘My Big Fat…’?”) I’ll admit it wasn’t contender material for the Best Picture award, but I do think audiences all over were pleasantly surprised with that film. (I am also the proud owner of that DVD.)

FAVORITE SCENE:

My favorite scenes in this movie are like my favorite songs… always changing. I love them all. I love “Cell Block Tango” but couldn’t really find an appropriate picture to post here... If I had to choose another scene that I couldn’t take my eyes off of, it would be the finale when Roxie and Velma sing “All That Jazz”. (I’ve also included a couple cool pictures of those talented stars.)

LESSONS LEARNED:

Fame is fleeting. As Billy Flynn explains to Roxie in the film, “You can’t beat fresh blood on the streets… That’s Chicago.”

Razzle dazzle them. (A line from a song by Billy Flynn) I’d like to skew its meaning a bit and make you apply it to something you may find challenging or intimidating. Whatever it is, do it big, do it the best you can, and do it with some pizzazz. After all, “How can they see with sequins in their eyes?”  Good Luck… or rather, Break a Leg!

The Hurt Locker, 2009

Rated R

“The Hurt Locker” is the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner in Oscar history. I think that fact kind of explains my nonchalance about this movie. This was the first time my hubby and I saw this film. The story is about the risk-taking bomb-diffuser Staff Sergeant William James and his Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit in Iraq. William James thrives on the danger and adrenalin of his job. Therefore, he stresses out everyone around him, including those watching the movie. He’s the reckless cowboy who ignores orders but still ends up saving the day (a little too cliché I might add). Our hero is also the sentimental type since he keeps a box under his bed filled with stuff that almost killed him (as his squad member points out in the film, ‘it’s all stuff you can find at Radio Shack’). He also befriends a little Iraqi boy which ends in one particularly hard-to-watch scene. I had to look up what the “hurt locker” is and this is what the movie’s official website had to say: “In Iraq, it is soldier vernacular to speak of explosions as sending you to ‘the hurt locker’,” meaning a world of pain, physical or emotional.

This movie got a little flak from the media and even some veterans for its inaccuracies. (Apparently, the uniforms weren’t the right color among other things). Perhaps that’s why the movie poster boasts that it is “near-perfect” (which I think is a less than desirable phrase in advertising). I think the important thing to keep in mind though, is that this is after all a movie, not a documentary. Obviously, not all experiences in war are alike. In analyzing another phrase on that movie poster… I would hardly call it “ferociously suspenseful”. I’m about as big a gullible sucker you can get for suspense and even I was able to “call” some of the upcoming moments or scenes. Overall, it’s not the most riveting film I’ve ever seen but it is emotional and sparked some conversation between my hubby and me.

“The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.” This is the opening written quote in the movie. I’m sure there are those soldiers out there who would disagree with that statement, but this summed up our main character. After a brief time at home (with an ex-wife and daughter) at the end of his tour of duty, he discovers the truth about himself: he really just loves one thing. The ending did not sit entirely well with me. I understand that we need intelligent and experienced soldiers, especially ones particularly gifted or suited for difficult jobs. But at the same time, it hurts my heart to watch or hear about a soldier who has to leave his family. I ache for the spouse and children left alone.

This year, the Academy returned to its roots and chose to include ten films in the nomination for Best Picture. “The Hurt Locker” was up against “The Blind Side” (a very good movie in my opinion), “District 9”, “An Education”, “Inglourious Basterds”, “Precious”, “A Serious Man”, Disney/Pixar’s “Up” (which to me, didn’t live up to the hype), “Up in the Air”, and get this… “Avatar”: quite the range of films, no? Yep, one of the most expensive and highest grossing movies of all time, lost to one that didn’t even get released in all theaters. (“The Hurt Locker” grossed $14.7 million versus “Avatar’s” $720 million). Mind you, I didn’t see “Avatar”, but I surely thought it would win. “The Hurt Locker” did not win the coveted award at the Golden Globes or SAG Awards that year, but, for some strange reason, the dark horse emerged come Oscar time. It’s a little bizarre if you ask me. It won five other awards that night: Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Director (the first female to win EVER!). I thought Jeremy Renner, who played our hero William James, did a fine job acting and deserved his Best Actor nomination.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

It’s kind of hard to have a favorite scene in a movie about bomb explosions, but I did laugh out loud at this dialogue:

The EOD team is driving in the desert and discovers a stranded team of British military:

Team Leader: We have a flat tire, can you help us?
William James: Sure, yeah. You got any spares?
Team Leader: Well, we have spares, but we used up our wrench.
William James: How do you use up a wrench?
Team Leader: Well, the uh, guy over there with the red thing on his head, he threw it at someone.
William James: Ha ha! Alright.
Team Leader: Thank you. This is Chris. This is the wrench man.
William James: Hello, Wrench Man.
Sanborn (to Chris): You know you can shoot people here. You don't have to throw wrenches.
Chris: F*** off!

LESSONS LEARNED:

Bigger doesn’t mean better. This is in reference to the fact that this little low-budget, low-attended film beat out one of the most expensive and highest-grossing films to date.

Respect our soldiers. No matter what field or line of duty they are (or were) in, have respect for the courage it takes them to fight to defend our country. You may not agree with war, our troops’ placements, or even the soldier’s decision to fight, but nonetheless, these are our American citizens who are risking their lives for us. Pray for their safety. In fact, say a special prayer this Saturday (May 21^st – Armed Forces Day).

Tom Jones, 1963

Not Rated

Ridiculous. That’s my review of this movie. (I want to photoshop the phrase “except Amy” on the movie poster.) [Thank you Jen...]

First of all, have any of you even heard of it? I hadn’t. (I do know of a pop singer named Tom Jones who sang the song "Sex Bomb".... which is comically ironic considering the premise of this film.) "Tom Jones" is the second British film up to that date that won Best Picture that year over “America, America”, “Cleopatra” (with Elizabeth Taylor), “How the West Was Won”, and “Lilies of the Field” (with Sidney Poitier). Seriously, what happened this year Academy? Apparently, those epics didn’t stand a chance next to this bawdy comedy. Supposedly, it’s one of the most critically acclaimed and most popular movies of its time. Man, I did not get it then.

I’m trying to keep in mind how comedy has changed. What seemed daring and different back then, now seems boring and trite. But if you can understand that the audiences (both British and American) enjoyed this rough slapstick humor back then, it is pretty easy to see how future films like “Monty Python” were successes too.

So, I read it’s based on the “raucous” classic satire set in 18^th century England. The movie is about Tom Jones who is an illegitimate servant-born country squire who fancies the ladies… A LOT. But even when his mischievousness (swordfights and sexcapades) finds him at the end of the film on a hangman’s platform, there still is a happy ending. I found the plot to be a little hard to follow, but that could be that I subconsciously “checked out” after 30 minutes. I adore comedies; I guess I just prefer mine with more depth.

“Tom Jones” also won Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Musical Score (another win over which I’m seriously confused). I guess critics raved about its inventive cinematography and editing, but in my opinion, it all just made me nauseas at times. This movie is the only film in Oscar history that had three Best Supporting Actress nominations (though none won… and I’m not sure I could even point out those three actresses in the film).

Albert Finney played the “hero” Tom Jones in the film. I love Finney (because of his role as Ed Masry in "Erin Brokovich", but even more so because of his role as Daddy Warbucks in “Annie”). But even his fine acting couldn’t save this film from being an utter mess. I also recognized David Tomlinson in probably the shortest and lamest role of his career. (He played Mr. Banks in “Mary Poppins”, and was in just about every other British and/or Disney film you can think of).

FAVORITE SCENE:

None exists. But I found a picture of young Albert Finney so you can at least see what the movie looks like.

LESSONS LEARNED:

The Academy and the audiences must’ve been smoking something this year.

To steal the last line of the movie from the Narrator, “Tomorrow, do thy worst, for I have lived today.”

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 1975

Rated R

SPOILER ALERT: I don’t think I necessarily ruin it for people who haven’t seen the movie, but since I reference specific parts, consider yourself warned.

This movie is considered one of the greatest movies of all time. It is on the American Movie Channel’s Top 100 list and was even selected by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry. This was my first time seeing the movie and overall I thought it was good… I don’t think I’d carve out a time to watch it again though. I know it was based off the best-selling novel. Maybe because it wasn’t part of my high school’s required reading, I never got attached to it; I don’t know. And just to show you how clueless I was about this film, I thought it was a scary movie so I was hesitant to watch it. (Now I know, as my husband pointed out, I had it confused with “The Shining”.)

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” takes place in Oregon in 1963. The story follows Randall McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) who tries to get out of his prison work/sentence by claiming to be crazy. He gets checked into a mental institution and sits through group therapy sessions with other patients (most who are there voluntarily) lead by icy dictator Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). He is unaware, until later, that the prison sentence time doesn’t directly translate to his asylum time; he will be released when they feel he is fit. He thinks Nurse Ratched “plays a rigged game”; to show his views on conformity,  he plans and invokes some rowdy and rebellious behavior with the other patients. They look to McMurphy as their leader and start to experience some levels of self-worth because of him. The film ends tragically involving a suicide, a forced lobotomy, and a murder. The ‘one who [flies] over the cuckoo’s nest’, however, escapes.

After doing a bit of research about the film, I read that the asylum was a metaphor for the Soviet Union and the desire to escape. I also discovered the meaning behind the title of the novel/film… It is from a Mother Goose nursery rhyme:

…One flew east,
And one flew west,
And one flew over the cuckoo's nest.

McMurphy and Nurse Ratched are symbolized as the geese that fly in opposite directions and the one who flies above them all is the giant “deaf-mute” patient Chief.

Having a younger sister with a mental disability, this movie triggered a lot of personal emotions and reactions in me. I wanted to reach out and hug the patients during their therapy sessions whereas Nurse Ratched’s character made me shiver. The one credit I can give her character is that she remained calm (for the most part). The phrase, “you’re crazy if you’re arguing with a crazy person” comes to mind because I think she was trying to be even keel for those around her. But what the patients needed and wanted was some sensitivity, graciousness, and a damn human emotion occasionally. Obviously the ideas of electroconvulsive therapy and lobotomy send chills up my spine. It was so hard for me to watch when McMurphy was strapped down for his “treatment”. And tears welled up for me at the end when Chief held his new friend who was changed forever in his arms. It’s amazing to me to know that the scientist/doctor who invented the controversial lobotomy procedure was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1949.

Was McMurphy’s character insane? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t suffer from a personality or social disorder. Child Psychopathology was one of my favorite courses in college, and I have to refer back to my textbook’s definition of Antisocial Personality Disorder... I think one could strongly argue that he fits at least three of the seven qualifying criteria. However, McMurphy also has the ability to form meaningful relationships. He has the opportunity several times to escape, but he doesn’t; something keeps him rooted to the nest.

This film was the second film in Oscar history to win the top five coveted awards (Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Adapted Screenplay). (Refer back to my previous post on “It Happened One Night” as the first film to win those five.) It was nominated for nine awards and was up against “Barry Lyndon”, “Jaws”, “Nashville”, and “Dog Day Afternoon” for the Best Picture award. I’ve only heard of “Jaws”, but I haven’t seen it. I was a little surprised to learn that Louise Fletcher won Best Actress for her portrayal of Nurse Ratched. First, I felt it was more of a supporting role, but I also didn’t think her acting was all that spectacular. She was basically NOT acting…. or not acting like a human, anyways.

There are a few recognizable faces in the film including Christopher Lloyd and Danny DeVito, both who were good for a laugh or two. I didn’t realize that I watched a much older Nurse Ratched on the TV show “Private Practice” recently.

FAVORITE SCENE:

McMurphy  organizes a patient/orderly game of basketball. Chief just walks up and down the court. He either reaches up to dunk the ball thrown to him or he pushes the ball back out of the basket. It was a cute scene where you could see the camaraderie these men were beginning to feel.

LESSON LEARNED:

Question authority. But do so when appropriate and with respect.

Research your options for treatment. Unfortunately, this was not a luxury during this time. Thankfully, now, there are a slew of different treatments for disorders and disabilities (i.e. medications, therapies, assisted living facilities, etc.).