So, we've finally reached the modern era and we're going to party like it's 1999. This is the first year we have selected in which we were actually alive at the time of the movie's release. So it should be fun times. Things were good back in 1999. The music was good. Oh no, wait, I'm mistaken - the music was GREAT. Ahhh...weren't those the days? It just so happened that the movies weren't so bad that year either (I know, some of you are still thinking...he picked "Nookie"? Really?) The Best Picture from '99 is quite simply one of the best movies ever made, and if you have never seen it, you should truly be ashamed of yourself. In fact, if you haven't seen it, stop reading right now, get in your car and RENT it. NOW. Watch it tonight. Twice. You owe it to yourself. Please. But since you have seen it, because come on, no one could possibly deprive themselves like that, you can stay right in front of the computer and read away. Oh, by the way, the Best Picture I'm talking about was American Beauty.
When we started our enormous task of watching every Best Picture since 1928, we were scared. There were A LOT of movies we had never even heard of, much less seen. Of the movies we had seen, there were only a handful of them we owned or had seen more than once. American Beauty was one of the very few that we not only owned and seen more than once, but we actually watched it quite frequently. It is probably on my Top 5 list and not much further down on Kim's list. Suffice it to say, this movie was a comfort during our challenge, knowing that at some point we were going to choose it. For those who don't know (and you do know), American Beauty stars Kevin Spacey and is about a normal American family that is anything but normal. It is a great blend of humor, drama and suspense, while also throwing in a touch of bizarre. I gave it a perfect 5 without hesitation, and the much tougher critic Kim gave it a 4.875. That totals a very solid 9.875, one of the highest scores in our challenge.
And that brings us to our selections. Let me tell you, there was A LOT to choose from. Especially in the more recent years, we could have been looking at hundreds of movies released in any given year (if you were wondering, we did most of our research on the world wide web, but who doesn't these days?) We each could have picked at least 10-15 movies we wanted to watch. I'm sure if you looked at a list just from 1999, you would feel the same way. But we did each have to choose only one, and here is what we picked...
Adam: The Virgin Suicides
Kim: The Green Mile
My pick, The Virgin Suicides, was originally a 1993 novel that I had come across every now and then during my days at Barnes & Noble. In fact, my first year at B&N was 1998, so I'm sure the release of the film a year later increased the number of copies circulating through. I have never read the book or seen the film (Kim has never even heard of it), but I remember both were well received. There were plenty of movies that I had seen and liked from 1999, and in some years I will pick that kind of movie, but this year I'm rolling the dice and taking a chance. Results to follow.
Kim went in the direction of "seen and liked" movies this year, but had a tough decision between Fight Club and The Green Mile. Both movies she had, you guessed it, seen and liked. I have seen and liked them both as well. But ultimately, Kim went with John Coffey and the gang. It's a long one, but a goodie, so it should be a pleasant evening in front of the tube.
Alright, so that's all I have for tonight. Just one last thing as you all know. Which one is your favorite? American Beauty? Virgin Suicides? Green Mile? What would have been your 1999 selection? Go nuts and have fun with it! We'll post back soon!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
1955: Guys and Dolls and Rebels
Tonight I am flying solo, as my adorable wife is on the West Coast right now, enjoying zoo animals of all varieties. Thus it is I alone who is your tour guide into the deep dark unknown, known only as 1955. Without further adieu (and proceed with caution), here is the rundown...
As stated earlier, the winner this year was Marty, although Herb Stemple (played by John Turturro in Quiz Show) would try to tell you otherwise. I was trying to find the movie clip, but I'll do you one better with the actual footage of the famous scandal. Anyway, we loved Marty (Kim especially), so it was going to be hard to beat.
The first movie we watched was Kim's pick, Guys and Dolls. It starred Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra (both did a great job in this movie - and Brando can sing!). It was basically about these guys who just wanted to shoot craps all the time and make bets, so Brando bet Sinatra he could take this straight edge bible chick to Havana with him, and thus crazy events and a lot of singing and dancing ensue. It's a rock solid musical filled with laughs, classic tunes, and a warm-filled ending. It's like they say with books - a very easy read - this was a very easy watch.
And then there was my pick, Rebel Without a Cause. To give you a background, the actors who played the 3 main roles (James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo) all died tragically at ages way too young. In fact, James Dean was killed in a car crash one month before this film was released. That is especially eerie, considering the famous scene from this film is a wholesome, family friendly game of chicken off a cliff between Dean's character Jim Stark and some goon named Buzz. This movie was basically about this loner guy, played by Dean, who is really cool and tough but for some reason doesn't fit in with all the other cool and tough guys in school. He falls for Natalie Wood, who is basically the groupie of the tough and cool guys, and thus crazy events but no singing or dancing ensue. We both felt it was a good film, but it got a little cheezy and silly at times, and may be a bit overrated due to the tragedy that followed the stars of this film.
To tie things up short and sweet, neither Guys and Dolls or Rebel Without a Cause could quite live up to the Best Picture this year. Marty wins. Marty wins.
We've selected our next year, and it's a good one! Stay tuned.
As stated earlier, the winner this year was Marty, although Herb Stemple (played by John Turturro in Quiz Show) would try to tell you otherwise. I was trying to find the movie clip, but I'll do you one better with the actual footage of the famous scandal. Anyway, we loved Marty (Kim especially), so it was going to be hard to beat.
The first movie we watched was Kim's pick, Guys and Dolls. It starred Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra (both did a great job in this movie - and Brando can sing!). It was basically about these guys who just wanted to shoot craps all the time and make bets, so Brando bet Sinatra he could take this straight edge bible chick to Havana with him, and thus crazy events and a lot of singing and dancing ensue. It's a rock solid musical filled with laughs, classic tunes, and a warm-filled ending. It's like they say with books - a very easy read - this was a very easy watch.
And then there was my pick, Rebel Without a Cause. To give you a background, the actors who played the 3 main roles (James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo) all died tragically at ages way too young. In fact, James Dean was killed in a car crash one month before this film was released. That is especially eerie, considering the famous scene from this film is a wholesome, family friendly game of chicken off a cliff between Dean's character Jim Stark and some goon named Buzz. This movie was basically about this loner guy, played by Dean, who is really cool and tough but for some reason doesn't fit in with all the other cool and tough guys in school. He falls for Natalie Wood, who is basically the groupie of the tough and cool guys, and thus crazy events but no singing or dancing ensue. We both felt it was a good film, but it got a little cheezy and silly at times, and may be a bit overrated due to the tragedy that followed the stars of this film.
To tie things up short and sweet, neither Guys and Dolls or Rebel Without a Cause could quite live up to the Best Picture this year. Marty wins. Marty wins.
We've selected our next year, and it's a good one! Stay tuned.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Year #6 and Year #7: 1938 & 1955
By now, you're possibly wondering, why are there 2 years on this post? Or maybe you're not wondering at all. Or maybe you've already figured it out. Or maybe you don't really care and you just want me to get on with this post. Well for those of you who chose Choices A or D, today is your lucky day (sorry to those who chose Choice B, and if you chose Choice C, quit it you're freakin me out). Anyway, we first selected 1938. The Best Picture that year was an oldie and a goodie, called You Can't Take it With You. This was good ole Frank Capra pic, whom we loved throughout our 1st Movie Challenge (he also directed It Happened One Night which you will learn about at an unspecified later date). You Can't Take it With You scored a nifty 9.8 (I gave it a 5, Kim gave it a 4.8). It was a wonderful film starring James Stewart, filled with great laughs, very endearing characters and a nice overall message. As it turns out, no other film from that year will even get the chance to compete with this film, because this is what happened.....
Adam: PASS (Adam 2/10 used, Kim 0/10 used)
Kim: Bringing up Baby: VETOED (Adam 1/5 used, Kim 1/5 used)
So yeah...no movie this year. I'm not sure if Kim or I have mentioned this yet, but all my passes have been pre-selected, so basically when I picked all my movies, I left 10 years blank. Kim actually picked a movie every year, but will use passes if she decides she doesn't want to watch the movie she picked that year. In this case, she debated about using a pass, but ultimately went with Bringing up Baby, a comedy starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. I think she picked it because it has a leopard in it. It sounded like it had some potential, but I decided I really needed a break from all these old movies (our 3rd 30's year already) and I decided my interest level wasn't high enough to sit through it, so BAM i vetoed it.
So with no 1938 movie, we moved on to our next year. 17 years later, and we've landed in 1955. This was another good year for a Best Picture. Maaaaaaaaarty. Good stuff. This was about a fat, ugly dude named Marty (played brilliantly by Ernest Borgnine) who is like the nicest guy in the world but can't seem to get a date. Very cute and very funny, we both loved it. It scored a 9.4 (4.5 from me and 4.9 from Kim). This was the only movie in the whole challenge that Kim nearly broke into tears. That's how good it was. So, the 2 movies we picked for this year have a lot to live up to...
Adam: Rebel Without a Cause
Kim: Guys and Dolls
Yes, this could get interesting. I picked Rebel because of its cultural significance and whatnot, but really because it looks like a cool and tough film. It stars two of the more tragic figures in Hollywood history - James Dean and Natalie Wood. I'm really looking forward to it. Kim chose Guys and Dolls because she had worked on the play in high school and had a lot of fun with it, so she watched this movie way back when and really liked it then, so she wanted me to see it (she also plans on showing me her High School's production) It stars a singing Marlon Brando, which I'm sure will be fun.
Ok...We want to hear from you! 2 questions tonight....1) Favorite film: Marty, Rebel Without a Cause, or Guys and Dolls? 2) Were there any movies from 1938 that you may have enjoyed? (I know, it was a long time ago, so you may have never even SEEN a movie from 1938, but if you have, let us know!)
We will post back shortly after we've seen the films!
Adam: PASS (Adam 2/10 used, Kim 0/10 used)
Kim: Bringing up Baby: VETOED (Adam 1/5 used, Kim 1/5 used)
So yeah...no movie this year. I'm not sure if Kim or I have mentioned this yet, but all my passes have been pre-selected, so basically when I picked all my movies, I left 10 years blank. Kim actually picked a movie every year, but will use passes if she decides she doesn't want to watch the movie she picked that year. In this case, she debated about using a pass, but ultimately went with Bringing up Baby, a comedy starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. I think she picked it because it has a leopard in it. It sounded like it had some potential, but I decided I really needed a break from all these old movies (our 3rd 30's year already) and I decided my interest level wasn't high enough to sit through it, so BAM i vetoed it.
So with no 1938 movie, we moved on to our next year. 17 years later, and we've landed in 1955. This was another good year for a Best Picture. Maaaaaaaaarty. Good stuff. This was about a fat, ugly dude named Marty (played brilliantly by Ernest Borgnine) who is like the nicest guy in the world but can't seem to get a date. Very cute and very funny, we both loved it. It scored a 9.4 (4.5 from me and 4.9 from Kim). This was the only movie in the whole challenge that Kim nearly broke into tears. That's how good it was. So, the 2 movies we picked for this year have a lot to live up to...
Adam: Rebel Without a Cause
Kim: Guys and Dolls
Yes, this could get interesting. I picked Rebel because of its cultural significance and whatnot, but really because it looks like a cool and tough film. It stars two of the more tragic figures in Hollywood history - James Dean and Natalie Wood. I'm really looking forward to it. Kim chose Guys and Dolls because she had worked on the play in high school and had a lot of fun with it, so she watched this movie way back when and really liked it then, so she wanted me to see it (she also plans on showing me her High School's production) It stars a singing Marlon Brando, which I'm sure will be fun.
Ok...We want to hear from you! 2 questions tonight....1) Favorite film: Marty, Rebel Without a Cause, or Guys and Dolls? 2) Were there any movies from 1938 that you may have enjoyed? (I know, it was a long time ago, so you may have never even SEEN a movie from 1938, but if you have, let us know!)
We will post back shortly after we've seen the films!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
1968: Odd and Odder
Before I begin on our 2 selections from 1968, I forgot to give all you fine readers our overall score for Oliver! I gave it a 4, while Kim gave it a 4.275 (she's very specific in her scores hehe), totaling a very respectable, but not exceptional 8.275. OK, let's get to the picks!
The first movie we watched was Kim's pick, The Odd Couple. Kim has seen it before (and enjoys it thoroughly), but I had never seen it, thus I will give you my take on it. I thought this was a very clever, funny little film. Jack Lemmon (whom I love from the 1960s best Picture The Apartment) and Walter Mattheau had excellent chemistry. They bounced off each other like that old video game pong, which by the way since I'm such a nice guy can be played here . It had some good ole fashioned slap stick comedy, but it also contained sophisticated humor, which as you know I can truly appreciate. It may not have been your typical Best Picture type, but it was quality stuff.
Then we watched my film. Whew. 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was an odyssey alright. I had watched it in high school, but I think we skipped through scenes back then, so much of what we just watched was new to me. And Kim realized as well how little of this movie she had previously seen. But seriously, this movie needs an attached user guide or something. Certainly very interesting and completely ahead of its time (nice call by Kubrick - a moon landing one year before the apollo), but this movie is whacked. It's filled with crazy symbolism and hidden themes and practically zero explanation of anything. First you got the monkeys, and boom then you're on the moon, and wham then you're heading to Jupiter, and then kapow you're in this white room. It's like whoa. And in between all that, like practically nothing happens, but it's all still something. It's basically up for you to decide what everything means. We did enjoy the HAL 9000 - he was about as creepy as a monotoned small circular red light could be. So yeah, good times.
Oliver!, The Odd Couple and 2001 were all very very different kinds of movies. It's hard to say for sure which we enjoyed the most. But we're both picking The Odd Couple, and here is why. We were able to just sit back, relax and enjoy The Odd Couple. It was a nice, lighthearted comedy that didn't require much thought. Certainly, if you're in the mood for a big production Musical, go with Oliver! and if you're in the mood to be provoked/confused, 2001 is your choice for the night.
Well, we've selected our next movies - and there was a little bit of drama - so stay tuned!
The first movie we watched was Kim's pick, The Odd Couple. Kim has seen it before (and enjoys it thoroughly), but I had never seen it, thus I will give you my take on it. I thought this was a very clever, funny little film. Jack Lemmon (whom I love from the 1960s best Picture The Apartment) and Walter Mattheau had excellent chemistry. They bounced off each other like that old video game pong, which by the way since I'm such a nice guy can be played here . It had some good ole fashioned slap stick comedy, but it also contained sophisticated humor, which as you know I can truly appreciate. It may not have been your typical Best Picture type, but it was quality stuff.
Then we watched my film. Whew. 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was an odyssey alright. I had watched it in high school, but I think we skipped through scenes back then, so much of what we just watched was new to me. And Kim realized as well how little of this movie she had previously seen. But seriously, this movie needs an attached user guide or something. Certainly very interesting and completely ahead of its time (nice call by Kubrick - a moon landing one year before the apollo), but this movie is whacked. It's filled with crazy symbolism and hidden themes and practically zero explanation of anything. First you got the monkeys, and boom then you're on the moon, and wham then you're heading to Jupiter, and then kapow you're in this white room. It's like whoa. And in between all that, like practically nothing happens, but it's all still something. It's basically up for you to decide what everything means. We did enjoy the HAL 9000 - he was about as creepy as a monotoned small circular red light could be. So yeah, good times.
Oliver!, The Odd Couple and 2001 were all very very different kinds of movies. It's hard to say for sure which we enjoyed the most. But we're both picking The Odd Couple, and here is why. We were able to just sit back, relax and enjoy The Odd Couple. It was a nice, lighthearted comedy that didn't require much thought. Certainly, if you're in the mood for a big production Musical, go with Oliver! and if you're in the mood to be provoked/confused, 2001 is your choice for the night.
Well, we've selected our next movies - and there was a little bit of drama - so stay tuned!
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