From Here to Eternity, 1953

Not Rated

“From Here to Eternity” is based on an 859-page best-selling and controversial novel about Army life on a Hawaii military base just prior to the surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor. Apparently, the book is quite explicit on different levels, so the movie script had to be changed and edited.

The book and film’s title comes from a line from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “Gentleman Rankers”: “damned from here to eternity.” A gentleman ranker is a soldier who is qualified by either experience or education to be promoted to officer but chooses to remain a soldier. That description can apply to almost every main character in the film, if not directly, than symbolically, and because of that they have damned themselves or their relationships.

Deborah Kerr plays the part of a neglected captain’s wife who has been cheated on, so in return is also adulterous. She starts a secret relationship with Burt Lancaster’s character who is a sergeant who even after her pleading refuses to accept a promotion that would relocate him. I remember Kerr from “An Affair to Remember” and “The King and I”. I never really warmed up to her character in this film; I think she has an affinity for playing somewhat cold characters.

Montgomery Clift plays ex-boxer Robert Prewitt who is the best bugle player in the corps (but has possibly the worst posture I've ever seen). He refuses to box again for the army since the last time he did, he rendered a man blind. He is a stubborn man and won’t succumb to the conniving schemes attempted to get him to change his mind. With his stubbornness though is a strong bond and loyalty for friends. He falls for Donna Reed’s character who works in what is basically a whorehouse off base. Of course, I recognized her from one of my favorite Christmas classics “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I wasn’t as big a fan of her character in this film however… She’s quite selfish and deluded. Even the end left my sister and I wondering… Was she lying about the death of her “fiancé” because she was misled or because she was fantasizing since she apparently had no pride?

Frank Sinatra, whom I’ve always been a fan of, plays the part of Italian-American Angelo Maggio who has a brotherly bond with Prewitt. I thought he was excellent in this role and deserving of his Academy Award. His character is also quite stubborn which unfortunately leads to his demise near the end.

I couldn’t help but think of the more recent movie “Pearl Harbor” from 2001. That also is the story of romance on an Army base. While I am a fan of that movie, I will admit, I don’t think they got the vernacular and overall way of life correct of the ‘40s. I will applaud them on their authentic re-creation of the attacks though.

“From Here to Eternity” was up against “Julius Caesar”, “The Robe”, “Roman Holiday”, and “Shane”. It won 8 of its 13 nominations with Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed taking home character awards (their firsts and only). Only because I am fixated on anything Disney, I will include this bit of trivia for you from this year’s award ceremony: Walt Disney achieved a milestone as the individual with the most Oscar wins (4) in a single year. He won in four categories: Best Cartoon Short Subject: Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, Best Documentary Short Subject: The Alaskan Eskimo, Best Documentary Feature: The Living Desert, and Best Two-Reel Short Subject: Bear Country.

I post the original movie posters at the beginning of my posts, so I thought I would include this famous scene shot here. This is the more recognizable cover now on DVDs and posters. I’m not much of a water baby, but to me this is anything but sexy and romantic…

And here’s what Deborah Kerr said about shooting it:

“It had to have rocks in the distance, so the water could strike the boulders and shoot upward — all very symbolic. The scene turned out to be deeply affecting on film, but, God, it was no fun to shoot. We had to time it for the waves, so that at just the right moment a big one would come up and wash over us. Most of the waves came up only to our feet, but we needed one that would come up all the way. We were like surfers, waiting for the perfect waves. Between each take, we had to do a total cleanup. When it was all over, we had four tons of grit in our mouths—and other places.” — Deborah Kerr

Sorry Deborah, it may be a generational thing, but I wasn’t “deeply affected” by the scene.

Probably the most touching scene for me was the one when Prewitt played the bugle in memory of his friend and fellow soldier Maggio. (Unfortunately, I couldn’t find this scene shot online.) I never gave the bugle much attention and didn’t realize that the note-playing all comes from the placement of the tongue.

Another scene that mesmerized me was when the Japanese planes first started flying over the base. The soldiers are caught in such a state of panic that they are in the large grass courtyard literally running in every direction. The scene was shot from the angle of a plane overhead and they looked like ants scattering after their hill is kicked in. (Sorry, I was unable to get a picture of that scene either.)

But I have included comments about the fashion seen in this movie by my sister and guest blogger, Alli:

High waists are probably the iconic image that comes to mind when thinking about 1940s swimwear, as demonstrated in the famous beach scene from this movie. The belly button did not see sunlight until the 1960s when it became the navel of fashion, literally, with cropped tops. It is my guess that since belly buttons are mostly hidden in today’s haute couture, there is a rising attraction to retro swimsuits with flattering high-waists, halter straps, sweetheart necklines, and skirt bottoms.
For history: http://www.vintagedancer.com/vintage-retro-1940s-and-1950s-swimsuits-history-and-shoping-guide/
For shopping: http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModCloth/Womens/Swimwear and http://www.popinaswimwear.com/.

Gigi, 1958

Not Rated

I had the pleasure of watching this film with my sister who is visiting for part of the summer. Being two French girls who enjoy musicals, we thought it would be appropriate to see it together. Neither of us was very invested in the first half and we were probably too critical. But, we did enjoy the second half more the next day.

Leslie Caron plays the courtesan-in-training Gigi. (I’ll be watching the film that made her famous later: Best Picture winner “An American in Paris”.) She takes lessons from her great Aunt Alicia, whose bedroom looked like the inside of a Victoria’s Secret store circa 1999.

Louis Jourdan plays the rich playboy Gaston Lachaille. (I wondered if Disney chose that name for the archetypal good-looking and sought-after playboy/villain of “Beauty and the Beast” because of this movie.) He proclaims that everything “is a bore.” He’s especially bored with women, hence the playboy reputation. Side note: I was going to knock the romantic leads’ French accents until I read online that they were indeed born in France. Oops. =/

Honoré Lachaille, Gaston’s uncle and influential guide to the ladies, is a consummate playboy and reminded me a bit of Hugh Hefner. He’s most known for his opening song “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” (which I had no idea came from this movie!). But perhaps the song my sister and I got the biggest kick out of was “I Remember it Well” which is a duet he "sings" when he is reminiscing with his old flame about their last date. The lyrics go on to reveal he does everything BUT remember it well. He used to date Gigi’s grandmother, hence the families' continued friendship… It took me a while to figure out why Gaston was frequenting Gigi’s grandmother’s house for friendly conversation and snacks.

I could already tell where the movie was going romantically and I was thinking I’d be a little creeped out if Gaston and Gigi got together at the end. The age and maturity difference made their relationship seem too much like a sibling’s. But, being the hopeless romantic I am, I eventually found myself rooting for them as a couple.

It’s impossible not to see hints of “My Fair Lady” in this movie since both the costumer and composers were the ones working on the stage version of that show. They were recruited to work on Gigi’s musical film adaptation from the Broadway non-musical version. The storyline also shares a slight likeness: grooming the unlikely girl to be deserving of the man of wealth. But other than those similarities, this musical doesn’t hold a candle to the musical numbers and acting talents of the film “My Fair Lady.”

This is another movie where the songs aren’t actually sung. They are more spoken to the beat of the music. I found it a little frustrating to hear the melody behind their voices and know the actors were not hitting the notes. Perhaps the actors were hired on their acting ability or famous faces alone, and not their singing talents.

Eva Gabor played Gaston’s last girlfriend who unsuccessfully commits suicide (supposedly for the fourth time) upon their break-up. One could say she’s a bit dramatic. It’s hard for me not to associate her voice with the characters she gives life to in Disney’s “The Aristocats” and “The Rescuers”. And speaking of voices (and “Beauty and the Beast”), the consummate playboy Honoré  sounded like Lumiére. I half expected him to wave his gold walking stick around and bust out “Be Our Guest”. 

“Gigi” was up against “Auntie Mame”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, “The Defiant Ones”, and “Separate Tables”. It won nine of its nine nominations, which was the most won by any film to date. Sadly for them, they only held that honor for a year. They also won Best Director, Screenplay, Color Cinematography, Art/Set Direction, Song, Musical Score, Costume Design, and Editing. I’m a bit surprised it won all these accolades… I didn’t think it was THAT wonderful, but I haven’t seen any of its competitors.

FAVORITE SCENE:

There are very few screenshots online, so I can’t find the image that made me laugh the hardest. When Gaston takes Gigi and her grandmother to Trouville for a vacation, there is a montage of scenes of them playing tennis, riding horses on the beach, swimming, etc. There is one shot where an extra is “playing” tennis. Imagine this if you can: She is simply standing still in the middle of the court wearing her 1900’s elaborate garb extending her racket-weilding arm and hitting the tennis balls that repeatedly head her way in the exact location for her to make perfect contact (almost) every time. You could imagine the poor sap on the other side of the court running all over the place to ensure that precision. I envision this is how I would like to play tennis. It had me laughing out loud.

The other scene my sister and I liked was right before that, when Gaston announces he will take them on vacation. They collectively sing “The Night They Invented Champagne” and dance around the grandmother’s house. It made me want to join them in drinking and dancing.

LESSONS LEARNED:

Find somebody who’s not a bore. Surround yourself with people who enjoy your company and vice versa.

Don’t be surprised to find love in the unexpected. This can be true of a future spouse or even a friend.

Chariots of Fire, 1981

Rated PG

I’ll admit that the first time my husband made me see this movie, I was quite bored. It just goes to show that perceptions can change. Perhaps I’ve just done some “growing up”, but I was much more intrigued by this movie this time around. And as a Christian, I am very proud that this movie was chosen as the Best Picture of the year; I feel like movies about religion and devotion to God often get ignored by Hollywood.

This inspirational movie that came out in the year of my birth, is the true story of two of Great Britain’s athletes in the 8^th Olympiad in 1924: one is Harold Abrahams, a Jewish Cambridge student who feels he needs to win to prove his worth, and the other is Eric Liddell, a missionary from Scotland who “feels God’s pleasure” when he runs.

The movie opens (practically) with the iconic scene of the athletes in white running through the water. I bet you almost anyone could hum that infamous music (and I’ll further bet that there are some who don’t even know what movie it’s from).

The juxtaposition of the two male leads’ drives is evident in the way the film crosscuts between each man’s life as he trains for the competition. Abrahams admits, “I’m forever in pursuit, and I don’t even know what I’m chasing.” He is obsessed with winning. Liddell, on the other hand, runs for God. He explains to his sister, “God made me for a purpose… But He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.” You can literally see that Liddell physically feels pleasure at the end of a race. He also believes the Sabbath is the Lord’s day. It pains him to opt out of a qualifying race on a Sunday, but he won’t compromise his beliefs. Thankfully, someone steps up for him… watch the movie to see the moving scene I’m referring to.

One obvious and appropriate Biblical quote that I found missing in this movie is from 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This would have been a poignant line for Liddell near the end.

“Chariots of Fire” is a sports film that showcases good sportsmanship and the support of fellow team members which I think is less common now in our society with its “win at all costs” mentality. This film was the second sports film to win this award in Oscar history; the first was “Rocky” in 1976. However, one does not have to be a sports fan to enjoy this movie, (Lord knows I’m not), one just needs to appreciate the human spirit. “Chariots of Fire” was up against “Atlantic City”, “On Golden Pond”, “Reds”, and “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. This win was a major surprise and upset and I’m sure you can figure out which other nominated film people had their money on. In fact, “Chariots” only made a quarter of what “Raiders” did that year.

The actor who played Abrahams’ friend, Aubrey Montague, reminded me a little of John Krasinski from “The Office”, or at least his facial features did. Also recognizable in one scene was Richard Griffiths who plays Uncle Vernon in the “Harry Potter” films, and plays the head porter of Caius College in this film.

UNFORGETTABLE LINES…. TURNED INTO MY LESSONS LEARNED:

* Liddell encourages a gathering to “take part in [the race]” (not literally a running race, but the race of life). He compares faith to running a race and explains that “the Kingdom of God is within you” (from Luke 17:21). Your power comes from within. And guess what?... The Kingdom of God is within you… Therefore, the power comes from God.

* Abrahams is so discouraged after coming in second in a race and his girlfriend tries to console him knowing he can try again. He explains to her, “If I can’t win, I won’t run.” She fires back eloquently, “If you don’t run, you can’t win.” You’ve got to try in order to succeed. Accept failure as a learning experience and grow from it, don’t give up because of it.

 * Abrahams’ coach tells him, “You can’t put in what God’s left out,” implying you’re either born with a natural gift or you’re not. While this doesn’t sound like very motivating advice for anyone, keep in mind he’s talking to an Olympic medal hopeful, not the everyday mere mortal. He was assuring Abraham that he does have the talent necessary to compliment his hard work and dedication. We should try to “put in” everything we can to compliment our God-given gifts.

* And lastly, follow Liddell’s example and don’t let anyone make you compromise your beliefs.

FAVORITE SCENE:

The movie starts and ends with the same memorable scene. I love how the camera pans across the main characters. You can get a glimpse of their personalities just in their expressions when they run. This scene also makes me smile because twelve years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) carved our initials in a mossy rock on the West Sands Beach of St. Andrews.

    

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!