We got through 2003 nice and quick for y'all. We're starting to figure out how to be parents and do other things as well (like watch movies), so maybe this challenge will speed up a bit. But, hey, we can't make any promises. That being said, let's go!
2003 was the year of the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as Best Picture. We've already stated our feelings about this film, so let's take a look at the movies we picked. First, Kim's pick was the Clint Eastwood thriller Mystic River, starring Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn and Tim Robbins (not to mention an excellent supporting cast). If you've never read the book, written by Dennis Lehane, go read it. If you don't read, and you have never seen this movie, go see it. It starts off with Bacon, Penn and Robbins as friends when they are children, and Robbins is abducted by men pretending to be cops. He is tortured and sexually abused for days before finally escaping. Flash forward 30 years or so, and Penn's 19 year old daughter is murdered. On the same night, Robbins comes home to his wife at 3 AM covered in someone else's blood. What really all went down that one fateful night, and how is it related to the terrible events of their past? Did I hook you yet? Go see it. Excellent film.
Then we watched my pick, a little known sleeper called Identity, which was also a psychological thriller, starring John Cusack and Amanda Peet. While this movie did not warrant Best Picture consideration, it was a fun and entertaining flick. It was essentially about 10 strangers, whose lives end up intertwined at a dinky motel and they all share a connection. One by one, they are murdered and the only way to stop the murders is to figure out that connection. Great twist in this movie and an ending you may not see coming. Rent it on a Friday night.
To put it simply, we both felt Mystic River should have won Best Picture this year. No disrespect to the LOTR trilogy, but their awards should have only come out of the more technical categories, like Art Direction and Special Effects.
Ok, next movie year comes from 1956. The Best Picture that year was Around the World in 80 Days. This was basically about a guy who went on an adventure to travel around the world in a hot air balloon. He made a bet with some guys he could do it in 80 days. He brought along this funny Spanish dude, who provided most of the entertainment of the film. Somewhere along the way he met and fell in love with Shirley McLaine, who played some kind of tribal queen. Strange, but for the most part fun, film. It was a bit long, and Kim felt many scenes could have been cut. I gave it a 4, while Kim gave it a generous 4.4, giving it a solid 8.4. Now let's see what we picked for 1956...
Kim: The King and I (vetoed! Adam has now used 2/5, Kim has also used 2/5)
Adam: Invasion of the Body Snatchers
So the veto comes into play this year, as I rejected Kim's attempt to watch yet another musical about a woman who comes to some guys house to take care of his kids. Surprisingly, Kim is allowing us to watch the classic horror flick Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which neither of us has ever seen. Should be fun!
Which movie from 1956 is your favorite? Around the World in 80 Days, The King and I, or Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Or is there another film you prefer? Let us know!!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
1941 DONE! Year #23: 2003
Ok, boys and girls. Let's get started here. As you may remember, 1941 was a bit of a strange year. Two of the most renowned classics were from this year, Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon. Yet, when the Oscars came around, the now unheard of How Green Was My Valley went home with the Best Picture. Now, for your very enjoyment, Adam and Kim will tell you which of the three was the best!
First, we watched my pick, The Maltese Falcon. This was a mystery-drama starring Mr. Casablanca himself Humphrey Bogart. He plays a detective who is approached by a mysterious woman to investigate her sister and her boyfriend. That night, his partner and the sister's boyfriend are both murdered, and Bogart has to figure out who's behind the murders and what they have to do with a prized statuette of a bird. All in all, we both found it to be interesting and decent for a old time mystery, but nothing to write home about.
Then we watched Kim's pick, the movie many consider to be the best movie of all time, Citizen Kane. It was more or less a biopic about a fictional person named Charles Kane, played by Orson Welles, who dies right at the beginning of the movie, his last words being....."rosebud..." It then chronicles his life as the richest and most influential private citizen there ever was. We both enjoyed the movie very much (Kim more than I did), but I was more entertained by the realization that the White Stripes song "The Union Forever" was pretty much all directly quoted from this movie.
So, here's the moment of truth. Which was the best? NEITHER of us thought Maltese Falcon was the best, nor did it really warrant Best Picture consideration. Kim thought Citizen Kane was much better than How Green Was My Valley and should have beaten it. While I didn't disagree that Citizen Kane probably should have won, I may have enjoyed How Green was My Valley a little better. So there you go.
OK, let's keep moving. Our next year is from the new millennium! 2003 to be exact, the year of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Neither of us are huge LOTR fans, and I am under the firm belief that third parts of trilogies should never win Best Picture, unless the movies preceding it won. But then again, I am not in the Academy, so what do I know. That being said, LOTR 3 was pretty good. Watching it was especially difficult for Kim, considering she never watched the Two Towers, but hey that's the breaks when you're watching every best picture. There are definitely some great battle scenes and exciting rising suspense with Frodo, Sam and Gollum, but it was very long, at times very confusing, and the movie never freakin ended! I'm sure we'll get some LOTR backlash for this critical review, so bring it. I gave it a 3.5, Kim gave it a 4.2, giving it a total 7.7. Now let's see what we picked.
Kim: Mystic River
Adam: Identity
Kim picked the great Dennis Lehane book turned Clint Eastwood film that cough cough should have won Best Picture and I went with a relatively little known John Cusack thriller that neither of us have ever seen. We'll write back after we've watched the films!
In the meantime, which movie was your favorite? LOTR: The Return of the King, Mystic River, or Identity? What other 2003 films did you enjoy?
First, we watched my pick, The Maltese Falcon. This was a mystery-drama starring Mr. Casablanca himself Humphrey Bogart. He plays a detective who is approached by a mysterious woman to investigate her sister and her boyfriend. That night, his partner and the sister's boyfriend are both murdered, and Bogart has to figure out who's behind the murders and what they have to do with a prized statuette of a bird. All in all, we both found it to be interesting and decent for a old time mystery, but nothing to write home about.
Then we watched Kim's pick, the movie many consider to be the best movie of all time, Citizen Kane. It was more or less a biopic about a fictional person named Charles Kane, played by Orson Welles, who dies right at the beginning of the movie, his last words being....."rosebud..." It then chronicles his life as the richest and most influential private citizen there ever was. We both enjoyed the movie very much (Kim more than I did), but I was more entertained by the realization that the White Stripes song "The Union Forever" was pretty much all directly quoted from this movie.
So, here's the moment of truth. Which was the best? NEITHER of us thought Maltese Falcon was the best, nor did it really warrant Best Picture consideration. Kim thought Citizen Kane was much better than How Green Was My Valley and should have beaten it. While I didn't disagree that Citizen Kane probably should have won, I may have enjoyed How Green was My Valley a little better. So there you go.
OK, let's keep moving. Our next year is from the new millennium! 2003 to be exact, the year of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Neither of us are huge LOTR fans, and I am under the firm belief that third parts of trilogies should never win Best Picture, unless the movies preceding it won. But then again, I am not in the Academy, so what do I know. That being said, LOTR 3 was pretty good. Watching it was especially difficult for Kim, considering she never watched the Two Towers, but hey that's the breaks when you're watching every best picture. There are definitely some great battle scenes and exciting rising suspense with Frodo, Sam and Gollum, but it was very long, at times very confusing, and the movie never freakin ended! I'm sure we'll get some LOTR backlash for this critical review, so bring it. I gave it a 3.5, Kim gave it a 4.2, giving it a total 7.7. Now let's see what we picked.
Kim: Mystic River
Adam: Identity
Kim picked the great Dennis Lehane book turned Clint Eastwood film that cough cough should have won Best Picture and I went with a relatively little known John Cusack thriller that neither of us have ever seen. We'll write back after we've watched the films!
In the meantime, which movie was your favorite? LOTR: The Return of the King, Mystic River, or Identity? What other 2003 films did you enjoy?
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