365+ Movies in 365 Days: Day 60 - Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade

Today I watched Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade released in 1989. This was Steven Spielberg's 10th full length theatrical feature and a return to the action adventure summer blockbuster after his last two more serious films.

1989 was also the first year that Spielberg released two films, one for the summer season and one in the holiday season. He would repeat this five more times in his career and will probably do it again in 2011

May 1989 - Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
December 1989 - Always
June 1993 - Jurassic park
December 1993 - Schindler's List
June 1997 - The Lost World: Jurassic Park II
December 1997 - Amistad
June 2002 - Minority Report
December 2002 - Catch Me If You Can
June 2005 - War Of The Worlds
December 2005 - Munich
December 2011 - The Adventures Of TinTin: Secrets Of The Unicorn (scheduled)
Unknown 2011 - Lincoln (scheduled)

The Last Crusade is almost identical in structure and pacing to Raiders Of The Lost Ark and is a big improvement over Temple Of Doom. The film also has one addition that takes it beyond just a repeat of the first film with a different treasure. That addition is Sean Connery as Indy's father. Harrison Ford and Connery create a complex father/son dynamic that is almost completely communicated with comedy, and it works. You can tell the actors had a lot of fun with this because all the joy is up there on the screen for the audience to see. Their relationship takes the film in a whole new direction and allows us to enjoy lines such as "Not that Jones! The other one!"

The script is sharp and the search for the Holy Grail a noble goal. Spielberg and his team masterfully manage the production so you end up with a seamless action adventure pic from beginning to end.

At the Movie House rating *** 1/2 stars

365+ Movies in 365 Days: Day 59 - Empire Of The Sun

Today's movie was Empire Of the Sun, Steven Spielberg's ninth full length feature film and his second box office disappointment. The film was widely hailed by critics as a triumph but movie goers did not line up to see it. Many reviews listed it as the best film of the year and it went on to receive multiple Academy Award nominations. But for the second time in a row the Academy failed to nominate Spielberg for best Director.

The film is a visual splendor, with an excellent script and outstanding performances by Christian Bale and John Malckovich, yet despite all that I never fully connect with the film. It does not move me in the way other Spielberg films do. I don't know if it's the pacing, or perhaps the boys humanity is lost during the horror of war and that is why we can't connect with his adventure. The boy shows great admiration for the Japanese air force and their pilots and maybe it is this mix of confused loyalties that keeps the viewer emotionally distant. I don't know I have seen the film three times, once in the theatre, and twice on home video, and each time I have the same reaction. The film is made by a master craftsman, but somehow at the end it doesn't pay off.

At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars

365+ Movies in 365 Days: Day 58 - The Color Purple

The Spielberg retrospective continued with The Color Purple. At the time of it's release there was a lot of controversy surrounding Spielberg's attempt to direct the movie version of Alice Walker's Pulitzer prize winning novel. many in the African American community felt a white director should not be making a film that was purely about the black experience in early 20th century America. By 1985 Spielberg's reputation as a fantasy/action film director was firmly implanted in the public mind. He had directed  E.T., Close Encounters, Jaws and two Indiana Jones movies, as well as producing Poltergeist and Goonies. Many felt he was not the right director to tackle a film about poverty, sexism, racism, adultery and incest, all topics covered in the book. When the film opened in December 1985 most of those critical voices were silenced. The film is an astounding achievement of dramatic story-telling. Many critics named it the best film of the year including Roger Ebert. It went on to receive 11 Academy Award nominations. But, true to it's controversial nature, Spielberg was not nominated as best director, and the film didn't win any awards.

The film is a true masterpiece, yet in comparison to his later serious films, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan and Munich, you can see that the film does tread lightly around the serious subject matter, almost as if the he wasn't quite ready to plunge deeply into the dark side of the book.

It's been at least 15 years since I watched this movie and I had forgotten what a marvel Whoopi Goldberg is. Today she is a brand name and an established personality, but back then she was an unknown actress making her screen debut under the direction of a master film maker and her performance is superb and sublime. She communicates so much with her eyes and small gestures.

The other strong performance in the film was by Danny Glover. At award time he was overshadowed by the female stars, but his turn as "Mister" is excellent. 1985 was a great year for Glover, along with The Color Purple he starred in Witness and Silverado.

At the Movie House rating **** stars

365+ Movies in 365 Days: Day 57 - Grown-Ups

Today I went to see the new Sandler, James, Rock, Spade and Schneider comedy Grown-ups. That is a lot of comedic talent to pack into one movies and the first thing I noticed was that some comics had more screen time and laughs than others.

The film is the story of five boys who were on a championship middle school basketball team 30 years ago. They are reunited when their beloved coach dies and they come together for his funeral.

Adam Sandler is the center of the film as the boy that grew up and made it big. he is now a powerful Hollywood agent and has everything that goes with the job and a life in Beverly Hills. He is somewhat ashamed of the wealth his success has given him and what it is doing to his children. It is unique to see Sandler playing an adult role where he is not the man-child acting out, but it really works for him.

Kevin James is the family man that seems slightly overwhelmed ate being a father, when he is still a big kid himself. Chris Rock is a man who has become hen-pecked by both his wife and his mother in law. James Spade is the group member who hasn't grown up yet and whose life consist of getting drunk and getting women, in that order. And Rob Schneider is a new age mystic who sees deep meaning in everything and is married to a woman twice his age. Schneider gets many of the biggest laughs in the film while Chris Rock seems to have the least opportunity to be funny.

The comedy comes from these five men and their families reuniting for a weekend. They almost immediately revert back to the roles and behaviors they had when they were twelve years old. They are able supported by a female cast headed by Salma Hyack and Maria Bello.

The film works best when it plays up the comedy inherent in family situations and worse when it goes for unrealistic over the top jokes. The five comedians supply a nice sense of warmth as if they all really have been friends since 8th grade.

If you don't have a cabin by the lake this summer than take some time to join this motley crew at theirs.
At the Movie House rating **1/2stars

365+ Movies in 365 Days: Day 56 - Hopscotch

In honor of the recently deceased film director Ronald Neame I watched one of his last and best films Hopscotch starring Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson. The two had worked together before in the popular 1978 film House Calls.

In Hopscotch Matthau plays a ex-CIA agent who is writing a tell-all book about his experiences in the spy game. Jackson is his love interest and the woman helping him stay one step ahead of the people who would like to stop him from writing the book. Those people include his fellow CIA agents, including his boss, played by Ned Beatty, the Russians, the FBI and British Intelligence. The movie was filmed on location in Salzburg, London and Savannah, Georgia.

It's a mixed genre movie part comedy, part spy caper, with a dash of romance and its the type of role Matthau plays very well. Uniquely the film uses classical music instead of a score written for the film.
It's a smart and stylish film from beginning to end.

At the Movie House rating *** stars

Ronald Neame - Director, Writer, Producer and Cinematographer

I learned today that film director Ronald Neame passed away earlier this month. Most people won't recognize his name, but he is British film director responsible for one of Hollywood's most famous pictures, one of my personal favorites, The Poseidon Adventure. Neame also named it his favorite film, because it allowed him the financial freedom to work on projects of his choosing.

He passed away at the age of 99 and has not directed a film since he retired in 1990. He started working in the British film industry in the 1920's. One of his earliest jobs was working as assistant cameraman on Alfred Hitchcock's Blackmail.

He became a cinematographer and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on the Micheal Powell film One of Our Planes Is Missing.

He moved on to producing and screenwriting, working with director David Lean on Brief Encounter, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. He received Oscar nominations for Brief Encounter and Great Expectations

His first film as director was the 1947 British thriller Take My Life.

He directed Alec Guinness in three films. First up was the comedy drama The Horse's Mouth, which was also written by Guinness.

They worked together on Tunes Of Glory, a post WWII drama. Neame has said that this film is the one he was most proud of.

He also directed Guinness as the ghost of Jacob Marley in one of my favorite films, the musical Scrooge, based on Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol.

He worked with many of Hollywood's leading stars including Judy Garland in her last film I Could Go On Singing

Deborah Kerr and Hailey Mills in the film version of the successful play The Chalk Garden

Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine in the elaborate heist film Gambit

James Garner in the adventure comedy A Man Could Get Killed, famous for introducing the song Strangers In The Night.

John Voight in the Nazi spy thriller The Odessa File

Sean Connery and Natalie Wood in the unsuccessful disaster film Meteor

He directed Maggie Smith in the Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress

His strength was in character driven dramas and light comedy. He was close friends with actor Walter Matthau and they worked together in Neame's last two big Hollywood pictures

The 1980 spy caper comedy Hopscotch

And the 1981 timely Supreme Court comedy First Monday In October

365+ Movies in 365 days: Day 55 - Twilight Zone: The Movie

The Steven Spielberg film festival picked up again with Twilight Zone: The Movie. This oddity from 1983 is a theatrical version of the classic television show from 1959-1964. I call it an oddity because it had some of the best talent available in Hollywood working on it and yet the results are completely disappointing.

The movie was produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis so the responsibility for the lackluster results lands on their shoulders. First of all they chose to include only one original story the other three are poor remakes of classic episodes. Next they added an unnecessary prologue and epilogue that seems to be there just so they could put Dan Akroyd in the movie. Then they chose to have Burgess Meredith do the voice over introduction to each story, which is fine since Meredith was well connected to the old show, but they chose to use Rod Serling's closing narration which just reminded the viewer how good the original was and how poor this remake is.

Landis directed the first segment and it has an interesting idea, a bigot who is forced to experience events through the lives of those he hates. But the editing is abrupt and the idea is not fully developed as far as I am concerned. Plus it looked like a made for TV version of Serling's later series, The Night Gallery. This episode is infamous do to the on set helicopter crash that killed Vic Morrow and two child actors.

Spielberg directed the next episode based on the original story "Kick The Can". This is the least interesting of the four episodes. I think it because of the new ending and the child actors trying to act and talk like senior citizens. It's just not a very engaging story.

Joe Dante directed a remake of the classic episode "It's A Good Life". The original from 1961 packed all the horror you could imagine in 22 minutes of crisp B&W storytelling. Joe Dante's remake is bloated at 30 minutes and full of over the top technicolor special effects that just don't work. There is only one creepy image in the whole scene.

They saved the best for last with George Miller's version of "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet". This story works for two reasons; John Lithgow's excellent portrayal of a man being terrorized by his own fears and something "out there' and Miller's excellent use of camerae angles to build a sense of chaos and things out of control.

Overall Twilight Zone: The Movie seems like a big vanity project. they made it because they could and they hoped to bank on the name to make some bucks.

At the Movie House rating *1/2 stars

365+ Movies in 365 days: Day 54 - Fargo

June 23 is Frances McDormand's birthday and I celebrated the work of this wonderful actress by watching one of my favorite films, Fargo. I recently picked up Fargo on Blu-Ray and the sound and picture are excellent.

It's amazing how memorable McDormand was in this movie. She does not appear on screen for the first 33 minutes, but when she does she raises the movie to a whole new level. It is one of the best and darkest thriller/black comedies ever made and it's because everyone place it perfectly straight. The film also belongs to William H. Macy. This was one of his best performances. he actually has more screen time than McDormand, but was nominated as a Best Supporting Actor (he lost to Cuba Gooding Jr. for Jerry Maguire). McDormand received a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Marge Lundergaard. She has also been nominated for Best Supporting actress for the films Mississippi Burning, Almost Famous and North Country.

She has worked with the Coen brothers on six films; Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Fargo, The Man Who Wasn't There and Burn After Reading. She also did voice work for Barton Fink. She has been married to director Joel Coen since 1984. Her upcoming films are Transformers 3 and This Must be The Place, both scheduled for release in 2011.

Fargo - At The Movie House rating **** stars

365+ Movies in 365 days: Day 53 - The Karate Kid (2010)

Last night I went to see The Karate Kid. Director Harald Zwart has created an outstanding film that is better than the 1984 version.

The movie triumphs over the original by movie the action China. Here the kid is truly out of his element. He tries to get by on his natural charm and charisma, but everything is foreign and strange and when he becomes the target of a bunch of kung-fu fighting bullies it is more than he can handle.

Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith (who produced the film), plays Dre Parker a boy transplanted from Detroit to Beijing. He gives a performance that is nuanced and heartfelt. Is natural exuberance comes through, but he also excels portraying a child living in fear.

Like in the original movie, the boy is rescued by the handy-man who is much more than he seems. Jackie Chan plays Mr. Han, the boys new mentor, as a world weary man who has seen more than his share of troubles and was hiding from the world until this boy came along. It's a more mature role for Chan and he plays it with depth and subtlety

The movie follows the script almost exactly, Kung-fu replaces karate as the martial arts skill the boy needs to learn. Most of the comedic moments that were in the original movie has been removed and the film is a straight drama with any humor coming naturally as Dre and Mr. Han get to know each other. Both actors work well together which is why the movie succeeds so well.

The finale takes place at the Kung-fu tournament and the movie benefits from today's modern editing techniques. The fights seem realistic and brutal. The director manges to maintain suspense even though the outcome is foreshadowed by the first movie. There is a moment at the end when the rivals grant respect to Mr. Han, respect Mr. Miyagii didn't received.

It is a great story of an underdog working hard against impossible odds to become victorious. Along the way there are some serious life lessons to be learned. I really enjoyed this movie. It was uplifting and inspiring and it was the second film in a week to cause cause me to have tears in my eyes.

Jaden Smith is now a star in his own right and I can guarantee there will be a sequel.

At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars. Add a half star if you are 12 years old or still in touch with the 12 year old inside you.

365+ Movies in 365 days: Day 52 - The Karate Kid (1984)

One of the cable channels was showing the original Karate Kid, so I set the Tivo to record it and watched it today. I have not seen this film in at least 20 years and I was really surprised at how good it is.

The movie is remembered for "wax on, wax off" a phrase that entered into pop culture in the mid eighties, but it is much more. It's about collisions; east coast vs. west coast, American vs Japanese, rich vs poor and karate opponents against each other. And in the middle of all this is Mr. Miyagi, with his simple words or wisdom. He teaches Daniel about knowing what is in his head and heart and how to keep balance in both karate and in life.

The film is a pure underdog story that touched audiences. It is also a film that is pure 80's. The hair styles, costumes and music all scream out 1984.

Last week Hollywood prognosticators were surprised at how well the remake did at the box office. Back in May I predicted that the remake, if it captured the spirit of the original, would do very well. I hope to check it out this week and see.

At The Movie House rating *** stars

365+ Movies in 365 days: Day 51 - Finding Nemo

I continued the Disney theme, but I also wanted to watch a film that celebrated Father's Day, so I chose Finding Nemo. This Pixar film from 2003 is the studio's most successful film to date.

The animation has a beauty to it that is almost hypnotic in places. The film has a sense of really being underwater. The story was Pixar's most daring at the time, and they pulled it off brilliantly. This is one film I will definitely get on Blu-Ray.

At the Movie House rating **** stars

365+ Movies in 365 days: Day 50 - Toy Story & The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Day 50 was a double feature. First I took a look at the original Toy Story while Toy Story 3 was fresh in my mind and then I watched Disney's animated classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

I can't think of any other film series where each sequel is better than the original. Toy Story was a wonder to behold in 1995, but compared to Toy Story 2 & Toy Story 3 it is very simplistic both in animation style and the themes it explores. At The Movie house rating *** stars

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame is probably Disney's darkest picture. The story was changed to appeal to children but the film still manages to touch on mature themes such as bigotry, lust, religious hypocrisy, social injustice, prejudice, the power of prayer, God and Hell. It is an outstanding musical and an animated Masterpiece. At The Movie House rating **** stars

365+ Movies in 365 days: Day 50 -Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom

The Spielberg film festival picked up again with Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom. This sequel to Raiders Of The Lost Ark lacks the heart and soul of the original. There is no real creative spark. It feels as if the movie was made simply because the studios and the audience wanted a sequel and it didn't matter what it was.

The humor is forced, Kate Capshaw plays a dumb blond (she play it very well) who spends the movie screaming and whining. The inclusion of a child side-kick for Indian Jones seems forced in order to appeal to a kid audience. The movie is dark and violent and like a character in the film, it has the heart ripped right out of it.

It does have a few clever moments and some high adventure and as always the production values are top notch.

At the Movie House rating **1/2 stars

365+ Movies in 365 days: Day 50 -Toy Story 3

Took a break from the Spielberg film festival to go see Toy Story 3 in real 3-D at the AMC Metreon in San Francisco.

Third sequels are usually hard to get right. Many have been made and few have been good. Most exist simply as cash cows to rake in more cash from a spent movie idea. The bad ones come immediately to mind Superman 3, Die Hard 3, Jaws 3, Psycho 3, and Smokey and the Bandit 3 to name a few.

Then there are the ones that are entertaining, but make you long for the original such as Godfather III, Back To The Future III, Alien3, Spider-Man 3, Batman Forever and so on.

For all the sequels and film series that are made, there is a short list of movies that strike gold on the third installment; Son Of Frankenstein, Goldfinger, Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade and Lord Of The Rings; The Return Of The King are on that list. And now you can add Toy Story 3.

The continuing adventures of Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the gang of animated toys is a delightful wonder. Pixar has made these characters come to life to make us laugh, touch our hearts and look at our own mortality.

It's been 15 years since the original Toy Story and Andy, the boy who owns the toys, has grown up and is leaving for college. While packing up his room he needs to decide what to do with all his old toys. Through a series of mis-adventures they end up at a day care center and must break out and find there way back home to Andy before he leaves for school.

The film is hilarious, exciting, heart warming and exceedingly clever. There are new characters including a Ken (Michael Keaton) doll for Barbie and a Lots-O-Huggins Bear (Ned Beatty) who is the head toy at the day care center.

The film is a rousing adventure from start to finish, but it's the last 15 minutes that will put a tear in your eye as the writers find a way to close out the story, but allow the toys to live, to play again.

Like the film Up the 3-D adds depth and gives the film an real world feel, but the glasses dim the brightness of the film so it's up to you if you want to experience it in 2-D, 3-D or Imax 3-D

At the Movie House rating ****stars.

365+ Movies in 365 days: Day 49 -E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Next up for viewing was Spielberg's masterpiece E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The first question was which version to watch, the original from 1982 or the 20th anniversary edition which had has some enhanced digital effects and a couple of new scenes restored. I chose the new version because I have not seen it before.

I have not watched the film in at least 10 years and while viewing it i was struck at how fresh it seemed. Aside from some old technology the film had not aged. The sense of child like wonder, exploration and growing up is still there. The new scenes don't add much but the digital additions to E.T. allow him to become even more real on film.

At the Movie House rating **** stars

365+ Movies in 365 days: Day 48 -Raiders Of The Lost Ark

The Spielberg film festival continues with his second masterpiece Raiders of The Lost Ark. The film was based on an idea Lucas had written down before he made Star wars. During a chance meeting with Spielberg, who were both on vacation in Hawaii, the partnership that would result in Raiders was born.

The film is a true collaboration of some of the best talent working in Hollywood in 1980. Besides Lucas and Spielberg you have the Lawrence Kasdan writing the screenplay, John Williams creating the music, Michael Kahn as film editor, Douglas Slocombe as cinematographer and Harrison Ford in the leading role. The result is cinematic masterpiece.

The film is pitch perfect in it's tone with just the right balance of action, drama, humor, suspense, thrills, romance and horror. When it premiered in 1981 it was unlike anything audiences had seen before. Unlike James Bond, Indiana Jones didn't always succeed and quite frequently was not even sure of what he was doing "I don't know, I'm making this up as I go along". He was a hero that bled quite a bit in the pursuit of the treasure and the girl.

The movie works so well because everything in the film works to serve the story. From the humorous moments like the Hitler saluting monkey and the deadly coat hanger, to the big action set pieces such as the market square fight and the truck chase, everything is part of a cohesive whole. The film was an instant classic created by the two men who would become the biggest names in Hollywood.

At The Movie House rating **** stars

note - due to the release of three sequels the film is now also known as Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

Happy 50th Anniversary Psycho

June 16, 1960 - Fifty years ago today Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho opened and changed movies for ever. The film type cast Hitchcock as a maker of horror films rather than suspense or mystery. In explaining the reasons for Norman Bates murder spree it applied reason to evil behavior, in the past characters were just good or bad, without motivation. Audiences were astounded when the female lead was murdered within the first 45 minutes. This had never been done before. The film broke taboos with its open sexuality, scene of a toilet flushing, the cross-dressing Norman and the use of the word transvestite.

The shower scene is one of the most important in movie history, showing everything and showing nothing. Bernard Hermann wrote music that became synonymous with violence and Hitchcock did it all on a shoe string budget and successfully kept the films secrets hidden from the public, including a rule that no one would be admitted after the movie started (prior to Psycho it was common practice to arrive in while a movie was already playing, sit through it and then stay for the next showing to see what you missed. Theatres had a constant stream of people coming in and out.)

Every horror film and slasher pic that has come after owes its roots to Hitchcock's Psycho. After this film audiences knew that the rules had changed and anything can happen.

At the Movie House rating **** stars

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 47 -1941

Today was a double feature. After I watched Close Encounters I watched 1941, the only Steven Spielberg film I have never seen beginning to end. I skipped the film when it was released in 1979 because of the bad reviews. Later on I owned a copy on laser Disc to complete my Spielberg collection, but i only watched the first 45 minutes or so before turning it off.

So today I sat down and watched the Director's cut DVD which is 26 minutes longer than the theatrical release version. I don't think I ever watched a movie that tried so hard to be funny and failed so miserably.
All the Spielberg touches are there; great cast, unique camera angles, big action set pieces, multiple edits in a single scene, strong score by John Williams, but none of it comes together.

The film has multiple problems:
1.) no straight man- a cast full of zany characters doing wild and crazy things but the film lacks any straight men, with the exception of Robert Stack, to provide balance. Even the Japanese are wild and crazy
2.) frantic editing - is seems that there was an attempt in the editing room to provide a frantic, comedic pace that was lacking in the script or in Spielberg's direction.
3.) Elaborate set pieces with no pay-off - the point of a joke is the reaction shot at the pay-off and these are missing through out the movie. Every joke is telegraphed through elaborate set-ups and then cut away from before there is a chance to appreciate it.
4.) The script is unwieldy. They must have had fun writing it and they included everything they could think of, most of it juvenile, but on the screen it is an unwieldy mess.
5.) Ackroyd and Belushi - The two leading comics at the time, both SNL alumni, are in the same film together and yet at no point do they interact or share a scene. In addition, Ackroyd can't decide whether to play foolish uptight Army buffoon, or completely manic Army soldier, and Belushi just reprises his Bluto role from Animal house, this time in uniform.
6.) It is too long. At 146 minutes the movie seems endless. At 2 hours it would still drag. The movie needs to be a tight 90 to 100 minutes.
7.) Central story - the main story that everything else revolves around is about Wally, played by Bobby Di Cicco, who wants to go to the dance and win a dancing contest with his best girl Betty Douglas, played by Dianne Kay. he crosses paths with a crazy Corporal Charles Sitarski, played by Treat Williams who also has eyes for Betty. The rivalry between Wally and Sitarski cause all sorts of mayhem, none of it really funny. And none of the three stars are dynamic enough to hold the center of the film together.

The film has a few good points. The previously mentioned Robert Stack, as a General who tears up watching Dumbo. Wendie Jo Sperber as a man hungry USO hostess. The attention to period detail and John Williams score. But none of that is enough to redeem this costly, over-indulgent mess. They attempted to capture the comic genius of Animal House and failed and a year later the Jim Abrahams and the Zucker Brothers would release Airplane and show how comedy like this should be done.

At The Movie House rating *1/2 stars

John Williams

Watching these Spielberg films reminds me how much I love the music of John Williams. The collaboration between the two has produced some of the most well known music of the 20th century.

Williams worked for years writing music for TV and films. He received an Oscar for best score adaptation for the work he did on 1971's The Fiddler On The Roof. He wrote the music for a number of major films in the early 70's including The Poseidon Adventure, The Cowboys, The Towering Inferno, The Sugarland Express and Earthquake, but it was his work with Spielberg on Jaws that started his most prolific period.

Starting in 1975 and continuing through 1982 he composed the music for 17 different films including these seven that have become world renown.

Jaws
Star Wars
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Superman
The Empire Strikes Back - The Imperial March
Raiders of The Lost Ark
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

During his career he has composed music for almost a hundred different films including Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, two of the Harry Potter films, JFK, Nixon, Schindler's List, Home Alone, Memoirs Of A Geisha and every other Spielberg film except The Color Purple and The Twilight Zone Movie.
His work has been recognized by the Motion Picture Academy Of Arts and Sciences many times. He holds the record for a living person having the most Academy Award nominations with 45, and he has won 5 Oscars, plus 4 Golden Globes, 3 Emmy Awards and 21 Grammy Awards.

Williams has just completed the score for Spielberg's next film The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn, scheduled for release in December 2011.

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 47 -Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

The Spielberg retrospective continues with Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Before watching the film a decision had to be made. There are three versions of the film. The original version released in 1977, the "Special Edition" where Spielberg added scenes inside the ship and and tightened the storytelling, and finally, the director's cut released for the films 30th Anniversary. In the director's cut Spielberg removed the ships interiors that he added for the special edition and made some additional changes to other scenes to enhance or shorten them. I chose to watch the Director's cut, because I imagine Spielberg considers this the best version of the film and because I have seen the other two versions before.

The film stands the test of time as a gripping and suspenseful sci-fi action picture. I have always had two problems with the film. First I have never really appreciated Richard Dreyfuss in the role of Roy Neary, the everyman, who has the close encounter. There is something about his performance, especially in the domestic scenes with Terri Garr that I just find off putting. Spielberg originally considered Gene Hackman, among others, for the role and I wonder how the film would have been.

My other problem with the film is the actions of the main character. Spielberg attempts to find a connection between the movie and the Disney film Pinocchio, in particular, the song "When You Wish Upon A Star", but for me the connection is to the film Peter Pan. The main character forsakes everything in his life for the pursuit of knowledge about the aliens. He is like a boy who does not want to grow up. Now granted he the aliens implanted some sort of message in his head that causes him to obsess about them, but even before that we see that he plays with trains and other hobbies and does not seem to relate to his kids except to yell at them.  At the end of the film he willingly walks on the ship without a word about his wife and three children, whom he seems glad to leave behind for this new adventure.

I liked the ending of the director's cut, which removed the interiors of the space ship, which I never felt added anything. The Blu-Ray itself had an exceptionally clear picture and sound.

At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 46 -Jaws

Today I watched Steven Spielberg's second film, the blockbuster hit Jaws. There is not much to be said about this movie that has not been said already. 

At The Movie House rating **** stars

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 45 -The Sugarland Express

Today I started a Steven Spielberg film retrospective and the first film viewed was his theatrical debut The Sugarland Express. The film starred Goldie Hawn as a Texas mother who convinces her husband, played by William Atherton, to break out of minimum security prison so they can retrieve their child who has been put in a foster home. In order to evade capture they kidnap a Texas trooper and lead a pursuit of Texas law officers across the state. Ben Johnson stars as Captain Tanner, the Texas Trooper who leads the pursuit, and attempts to get the pair to give themselves up before things get out of control.

Everything that makes up a great Spielberg film is present in this debut film. The cinematography, editing and music cues. The careful use of lighting. The sense of place and time, and an authentic feel to the setting and people. The attention to small details, such as a man rooting around his garage because his son took his axillary police lights and put them on his bike. He carefully builds the tension and then provides a little relief with deft comic moments. You can see his skill at handling crowd scenes and complicated car chases, utilizing unique camera angles. There is a shot from the interior of Ben Johnson's car looking out the windshield into the rear window of Goldie Hawn's car. He capture both Hawn in the rear window and Ben Johnson's reflection in the rear view mirror, both in sharp focus, giving a look into the thoughts of each character, she is in over her head and he knows this will end badly. As a new director he works with two seasoned actors, Hawn and Johnson, and he gets great performances out of them and the rest of the cast.

This was the first collaboration with composer John Williams and Spielberg has worked with Williams on every film since, except The Color Purple and his segment of Twilight Zone:The Movie

Unique to this Spielberg film is the down beat ending. It was not uncommon for movies in the 70's to have films that ended on a negative note. Think of films like Bonnie & Clyde or Cool Hand Luke, this changed with the advent of the summer blockbuster and the business men taking over the studios from the artist. These days, even though the film was based on a real incident, the ending would be changed to be upbeat and positive. This movie could not be made, as it is, in Hollywood today.

At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 44 - I Could Go On Singing

Stayed up late and watched I Could Go Singing from 1963. This was broadcast on Turner Classic Movies on Thursday to celebrate Judy Garland's birthday and I set the Tivo to record it. This was the last film Judy Garland ever made.

Judy plays a popular singer on a European tour. While in London she visits a former lover and we learn she had a son with him that she gave up long ago. Her lover, played by Dirk Bogarde, against his better wishes agrees to let her meet him. Judy gets to spend time with the boy and learns what it means to have a family, something she has never experienced before.

As part of the film Judy sings a number of songs on stage at the Palladium. Her singing and dramatic performance are still excellent, even at the end of her career. At the Movie House rating *** stars

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 44 - Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time

Today's movie was the big summer blockbuster Prince Of Persia; The Sands Of Time. The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a Persian prince who comes in possession of a magic dagger, that when properly used can turn back time. The movie involves a plot to kill the king of Persia and steal his throne. The question is who  has hired the Haasassins to commit these deeds. The film also stars Ben Kingsley as the king's brother and Alfred Molina as a Sheik Amar a merchant and the head of a den of thieves.

The movie features many chases where Gyllenhaal uses freestyle running to escape his pursuers. But the film uses so much CGI to create super human athletic abilities that non of it seems real. At no time is there any sense of danger.  There is a scene when an entire underground structure is collapsing around him and there is just no excitement to it doesn't seem real. While watching i was reminded of the scene at the beginning of Raiders Of The Lost Ark when Indiana Jones out runs a big boulder. That ten minute scene had more excitement than this entire movie.

There is lots of convoluted dialog about the magic powers of the dagger, but it all seems contrived to fit the script. It's an empty, slightly entertaining summer popcorn movie. Not much too it, but what can you expect from a film based on a forgotten video game from 2003.

At The Movie House rating **stars.

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 43 - Lilo And Stitch

Today's movie was Lilo and Stitch, the 42nd animated film released by Disney. This movie from 2002 is a bout an escaped alien convict, Stitch, who arrives on earth and is mistaken for a dog by a little girl, Lilo, who adopts him. The girl has lost her parents in an accident and is in danger of being taken away from her older sister, who is acting as her legal guardian. Stitch's arrival and the arrival of the alien police force chasing him, only complicates her life more.

This is a unique Disney movie in a number of ways. The film takes place in the current day, relies on previously recorded pop music by Elvis Presley and others for music and the main character does not start out with many good qualities. In fact he is a destructive force for evil. It his through his encounter with Lilo that he learns about being good.

When the film was released in 2002 Disney had a very clever marketing campaign where Stitch would show up in other movies such as Beauty And The Beast, Aladdin and Little Mermaid, causing chaos and mayhem and the characters would advice him to get his own movie. Overall the movie was fun and entertaining but not a Disney masterpiece.
At the Movie House rating *** stars

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 42 - The Clock

Turner Classic Movies celebrated Judy Garland's birthday and scheduled a full day of her films. I chose to watch The Clock, a romantic drama she made in 1945.

The movie is about a soldier, Robert Walker, on a two day leave in New York City. He accidentally meets a girl, Judy garland, when she trips over his leg and breaks her shoe. From that point on they begin to fall for one another resulting in a whirlwind romance that leads to marriage. The clock in the title is both the clock at the old Hotel Astor where they meet and the ticking clock as his 48 hours in NYC winds down.

This was the first straight dramatic role, without singing that Garland ever did and she is excellent as the city girl caught up in an an unexpected romance. Walker exudes charm of a country boy visiting the big city for the first time. The story is straight forward and quite touching, unlike the "meet cute, fight and make up" scenarios of modern romance pictures. Aside from getting split apart in a bustling subway there is no contrived conflict to propel the story along. The film relies on the two actors to tell the simple story of two people falling in love.

With time the film has become a classic but it wasn't well received on initial release. Audiences were not pleased to find that garland did not sing, plus it was released about three weeks after the war in Europe had ended and movie goers wanted to move on from films about the war.

At The Movie House rating **** stars

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 41 - The African Queen

Today I watched the African Queen on Blu-Ray. The film was restored by paramount in 2009 and it never looked better. I have watched this film a few times, but it's probably been about 20 years since I last saw it.

The studio did an excellent job with the restoration. The colors are so vivid and on Blu-ray the picture was extra sharp. Because of the quality you can really tell what parts of the movie were filmed in Africa and which parts were done in a studio.

Back in 1950 it was rare for a film like this to be made on location. But by filming on location the film a sense of realism that so many films from that period lacked. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn are wonderful. They find the chemistry that makes their characters work individually and together. Bogart won is only acting Oscar for this role. At The Movie House rating **** stars

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 40 - No Way To Treat A lady

Today I watched the very black comedy/thriller No Way To Treat A Lady from 1968. The movie stars Rod Steiger as a psychotic master of disguise who is stalking elderly women in Manhattan and strangling them. George Seagel is the homicide detective who catches the case and Lee Remick is his girlfriend who may be come a victim.

I love movies filmed in NYC during the late 60's and early 70's. They always filmed on location and the movies have such a gritty, authentic feel to them.

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 39 - The Incredibles

Sunday's SF Chronicle had an article about Pixar and their success and that made me want to revisit some of their films. Tonight I chose The Incredibles. This was the sixth full length animated feature from Pixar and the first to feature human protagonist. At first glance it plays almost like a standard summer action flick, but it's sly commentary on married life, mid-life crisis, corporate America and raising a family set it apart.

Written and directed by Brad Bird the film was a huge hit for Pixar, who feared it might not perform as well as the previous five films. It was also a big hit with critics appearing on many of 2004's  Top 10 list for the years best films. At the Movie House rating ***1/2 stars.

365+ movies in 365 days: Day 38 - The Tooth Fairy

Sometimes all I want from a movie is to be entertained and tonight's selection, The Tooth Fairy filled that role nicely. A heart warming kids movie that relies on the charms of Dwayne "The Rock' Johnson and he is quite charming. The film has five writes credited and that is probably why it feels so disjointed. Writing by committee rarely works. At The Movie House rating ** stars.

The film was watched by purchasing a rental from Amazon and then having it downloaded directly to my Tivo. We don't need no stinking video store!