Monday, February 21, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 296 - An American In Paris


In 1951 the Academy Awards had one of the greatest upsets in Hollywood History. Going into the award season two films were battling it out to take home the most Oscars; A Place In The Sun and A Streetcar Named Desire. Both films had swept the nominations Streetcar with twelve nominations and Sun with nine. Two other films nominated for Best Picture, Quo Vadis and Decision Before Dawn earned their nominations with massive advertising purchases during the voting season. The fifth film that earned a slot was An American In Paris. The reasoning was that MGM was the biggest studio so it has more employees that were Academy members so therefore it received more votes than other films from 1951, such as The African Queen, Strangers On A Train, Death Of A Salesman or The Day The Earth Stood Still.

But An American In Paris was considered such a long shot that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science decided to give Gene Kelly an honorary award the same year for his singular achievement in acting, singing, dancing, directing and brilliant choreography. Musicals were not considered serious film making, like dramas, and were held in the same category as comedies, which were hardly ever nominated (in 83 years only six Best Pictures have been comedies).

On Oscar night the two big films were in a dead heat and had even odds to sweep the awards. When the first acting award went to Karl Malden for Best Supporting Actor in Streetcar, quickly followed by Kim Hunter for Best Supporting Actress, it looked like A Place In The Sun would be left behind. Then Vivien Leigh won for Best Actress and everyone knew Streetcar was the movie of the night. Next up was the heavily favored Marlon Brando, nominated for his breath-taking performance as Stanley Kowalski. The envelope was opened and the award went to Humphrey Bogart for his performance in The African Queen. There was an audible gasp from the audience when Bogart's name was read.

The award for Best Director was next and the evening took a new twist when George Stevens was named for directing A Place In The Sun. With the directing award going to Steven's the audience considered it a done deal that the Best Picture would go to A Place In The Sun. So sure were they, that some audience members had gathered up personal belongings and were beginning to leave the Pantages Theatre. Then 71 year old Jesse Lasky stepped up to the microphone, opened the envelope and said "Oh my!", and announced An American In Paris as the Best Picture of the year. There was a loud gasp and then nothing, a moment of silence, as the audience absorbed this news, and then the applause began.

An American In Paris was the second color film to win Best Picture. The first was Gone With The Wind in 1939. It was the first musical to win since Broadway melody in 1928, the second year the awards were given. 

The new Blu-ray of An American in Paris is absolutely stunning. The movie about an American Ex-GI living in Paris as a struggling artist, uses very vivid hues from a painters palate in brilliant technicolor to convey the colorful life of 1950's Paris. The dance sequences are spectacular, and Ira Gershwin's music never sounded better. 

Is An American In Paris the best film of 1951? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says it is, but many will argue that A Streetcar Named Desire or A Place In The Sun are better. They argue that with so many employees MGM won simply because they had more votes. But that really doesn't hold water since MGM was putting all of it's advertising and influence behind the epic biblical picture Quo Vadis, and if employees were voting for the studio, they would have voted for Quo Vadis. More likely Streetcar and Desire split their votes leaving An American In Paris with a majority. Deserving or not, An American In Paris is a classic film that has endured for sixty years and is still able to dazzle and transport the viewer during its famous 16 minute ballet finale.

At The Movie House rating **** stars

Sunday, February 20, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 295 - Walt Disney's Alice In Wonderland


Walt Disney's Alice In Wonderland is new to Blu-ray and this film, which was already well known for it's amazing technicolor animation, simply pops off the TV screen in high definition.

The Disney studio has been slowly releasing their classic animated films to high-def Blu-ray. So far they have issued Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia and The Princess and the Frog, and on March 1st Bambi will join the group. Each of these films, along with Alice In Wonderland, have been meticulously transferred so that watching them is almost like a brand new experience in sight and sound. If you are a true movie buff it is worth getting a Blu-ray player and high-def TV just to experience these classic films. Regrettably Disney has abandoned the practice of releasing these films to theatres before their release on home video.

Alice In Wonderland has never been my favorite Disney film. I have only seen it three times; once in a theatre when I was young, once on TV when it was first released to VHS and this showing on Blu-ray. The film suffers from having no real story arc. Alice enters wonderland and has a series of meandering adventures and encounters with odd characters, but it never really goes anywhere. The film had five directors, each directing a sequence in the film, and I think the film suffers because each of them worked to make their section the biggest and most noticeable, so the film has no momentum and does not build from segment to segment. 

Walt Disney never really intended the film to be similar to his previous successful films, Snow White, Pinocchio and Bambi. Instead, he viewed Alice In Wonderland the same way he viewed Fantasia, a film that featured images and music as entertainment, not a central story line. When watched from that point of view, the movie can be quite engaging.

Alice In Wonderland was one of Walt Disney studio's least successful animated film. Released in 1951, it received mixed reviews and was especially disliked in England. After it's initial release it was withdrawn and featured on the Disney TV show. It did not go back into re-release every few years the way other Disney animated films did. It was not until the late sixties, when the film was discovered by "stoners" who enjoyed the technicolor head trip, that the film found a new audience, especially in college towns. Other films that enjoyed this type of "head trip" popularity were Disney's Fantasia and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The studio initially resisted the association with the counter-culture, but seeing a lucrative market, they gave the film a new release in 1974, featuring a psychedelic ad campaign (notice the large mushroom).


I appreciate Alice in Wonderland for it's artistic achievement and some of the iconic Lewis Carroll character's it brought to life, but the Alice in Wonderland series has never been a favorite of mine, and this film fails to touch me on an emotional level. It's worth seeing for the stunning creative animation and music, but it does not measure up to the best of Disney's four star animated classics.

At The Movie House rating *** stars

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 294 - My Favorite Brunette


In the latter part of his career Bob Hope was best known for his TV appearances, USO shows, golfing and his emcee duties, in particular the Academy Awards TV special. but in his prime he was a popular and big box office movie star. he is most famous for the "Road" movies made with co-stars Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. But Hope also starred solo in some very successful films including The Paleface, The Seven Little Foys, the Lemon Drop Kid and the highly successful My Favorite Brunette.

My Favorite Brunette was a spoof of popular film noir detective movies, in particular The Maltese Falcon. Hope is Ronnie Jackson a photographer who specializes in baby portraits. But Ronnie dreams of being a private detective just like his friend Sam (Alan Ladd in a cameo role) who works in the next office. One day while Sam is out of town and Ronnie's in his office a woman (Lamour) comes in looking to hire him to find her father and Ronnie is off and running impersonating Sam.

the story is told in flashback by Ronnie as he waits on death row in San Quentin. The film is full of Hopes commentary, one-liners and the best of his physical comedy. Lamour is his equal as the mysterious woman who plays straight man to his gags. Peter Lorre stars reprising the sinister role he made a career of playing and Lon Chaney plays Willie a character very similar to the role of Lennie he played in Of Mice And Men. 

Hope has few equals in timing and physical gags and he is at his best in My Favorite Brunette. The film also features a very funny cameo by host buddy Bing Crosby.

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

Friday, February 18, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 293 - Unstoppable


Last fall when I read 20th Century Fox was releasing a movie about a runaway train I was very dismissive. This material had been exhausted in many other films. There is the classic Runaway Train with John Voight, the comic Silver Streak with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, the dramatic Cassandra Crossing with Burt Lancaster, the mundane made for TV movies Runaway and Disaster On The Coastliner, and the ridiculous Atomic Train with Rob Lowe. Why would they bother with something that has already been done so many times.

In being dismissive I underestimated the ability of director Tony Scott to build and sustain dramatic tension. Granted the film is filled with cliches. From the stock characters of wise old-timer to brash rookie, the corporate exec who makes bad decisions, the family members waiting and watching, the movie is filled with time worn situations and sub-plots, but Scott manges to make them fresh and cram them into a tight 98 minute thriller. There is very little exposition. Within the first 10 minutes the runaway train is on it's way. The story cuts between the control room as they work to stop the train, the train itself and another train, miles away, directly in the path of danger.

Denzel Washington, director Scott's go to guy of late and Chris Pine are the two men on the second train. Washington is playing the same guy he played in Taking Of Pelham 123. In fact you could almost believe he retired from the MTA and went to work for the Pennsylvania freight company. The everyman stock characters with a streak of nobility is a role Washington could probably play in his sleep, which is why he is so effective. Chris Pine, fresh off his starring role as James T. Kirk, in Star Trek, plays another brash young man, willing to take risks, but who's actions sometimes have bad outcomes. We learn his marriage has broken up because of a quick temper and some things he did without thinking. Rosario Dawson is effective as yardmaster working to stop the train. The film also stars Kevin Dunn as the railroad VP who refuses to heed the advice of his employees and Ethan Suplee as the rail yard worker who accidentally sets the train in motion.

The cast is uniformly good, but the star of the film is the trains and the special effects and real train footage is blended seamlessly so that the film has a real sense of danger. The film cleverly interjects news footage to show the progress of the train to enhance the effect that it is a real incident unfolding. The film is inspired by true events that occurred in Ohio in 2001

Surprisingly, I was entertained and the last 30 minutes had me on the edge of my seat. Seems in Hollywood everything old can be new again.

At The Movie House rating *** stars

*note* - the poster above highlights just the two actors without any real indication of the films plot. In America when they sell a movie they sell the stars. But for overseas audiences the movie is the star. Check out these posters from Japan, Germany, France and the UK. In every poster the message is clear, this film is about a runaway train.









Thursday, February 17, 2011

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 291 - The Last Picture Show


At The Movie House rating ****

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 290 - Shampoo


At The Movie House rating ****

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 289 - Casanova


Heath Ledger was in four films in 2005 but his work in Brokeback Mountain overshadowed his performances in The Brothers Grimm, The Lords Of Dogtown and the delightful Casanova.

Ledger plays the historic Lothario in this costume drama comedy about romance, concealed identities and true love, or at least true lust. Filmed entirely on location in Venice, Ledger plays Casanova with a charming gusto. His lustful activities have not escaped the notice of the church who want him arrested. His protector wants him married to repair his reputation, but Casanova has set his eye on Francesca, a woman who is more than his match, with her modern ways of thinking. 

The movie is a farce of concealed identities and romantic romps as Casanova strives to be worthy of the woman he has become enamored with.

With a visual strong visual flair the film is a delightful treat and shows what a good comic actor Ledger was. Also starring Lena Olin, Oliver Platt and Jeremy Irons.

At The Movie House rating ***stars

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 288 - The Pajama Game

20th Century Fox had already made it big adapting big Hollywood musicals to the silver screen. In the 1950's they offered up Oklahoma, South Pacific and The King and I, each of them bringing in big box office. On the other side of Hollywood MGM was still the dream factory turning out musicals with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. It was only a matter of time before Warner Brothers started turning out musicals of their own.

The Warner Brothers musicals are unique in two ways. First of all the studio tried to retain the original cast that made them a hit on Broadway, and secondly they all have a look about them that gives them the appearance of being "staged". The films retained theatrical type lighting effects and the sets definitely look like studio back lots rather than realistic on location shooting. With this effective style Warner Brothers had five big musical hits; The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, The Music Man, Gypsy and the biggest of all My Fair Lady.

The Pajama game opened on Broadway in 1954 and the rights were purchased by Warner Brothers and the film version was released in 1957. Doris day, at the peak of her career, replaced Broadway star Janis Paige, but the rest of the principal cast reprised their roles for the film.

The film also retained the exciting choreography by newcomer Bob Fosse. The directing was shared by Broadway director George Abbott and film director Stanley Donen. By combining all this Broadway talent with Hollywood know how Warner Bros. had one of the most successful stage to movie transitions in Broadway history. So successful that the creative team immediately went to work repeating the success with Damn Yankees.

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

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 287 - The Front


The Front is one of the most accessible films about the Hollywood blacklist. It puts a very human face on the impact of one of the most heinous events in modern American history. yet the film suffers slightly because of the casting of Woody Allen. Allen adds a jolt of humor to the story, but you can never really get past the Woody Allen persona and believe this guy is a front for blacklisted writers. 

The best part of the film is Zero Mostel playing a TV comic who can not get work because of the list. We see him slowly deteriorate as it becomes harder and harder for him to survive without employment. Micheal Murphy stars as the TV writer who firsts approaches Allen to present his work to the networks under Allen's name in order to sell scripts.

Director Martin Ritt, writer Walter Bernstein and actors Mostel and Herschel Bernardi were all directly affected by the blacklist and their passion for telling about this ugly episode in America's past comes through on the screen.

At The Movie House rating ***stars

*note-for other films on the subject view
Goodnight and Good Luck
Guilty By Suspicion
The Way We Were
Hollywood On Trial

Friday, February 11, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 286 - L'Illusionniste (The Illusionist)


L'Illusionniste (The Illusionist) is an animated film based on a lost script by the great French actor and director Jacques Tati. I have to own up to the fact that I am aware of Tati only by his reputation. I have never seen any of his work. The fact that I have never seen Mon Oncle (My Uncle) and Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Mr. Hulot's Holiday) just goes to highlight the deficiency in my knowledge of foreign language films. Both of these films along with Tati's other work have been on my "Must See" list for a long time and I need to screen them soon.

I am aware that Tati wrote the story as an homage, or way to connect with his estranged daughter. I do not know if she ever saw the script, but the movie itself makes no bones about the difficulty of relationships. From beginning to end the film is a sad, melancholy film.

The movie is about an old man, Tatischeff, who is an illusionist. Times have changed and he has lost his audience. He journeys from France to Scotland, where he performs in a pub and meets a young lady who believes he is a real magician. They travel to Edinburgh together where he performs at a music hall. He works hard to keep up the illusion that he is a real magician. But hard times continue and the film ends on a bittersweet note.

The imagery is beautiful, almost poetic. Their is a gracefulness about the main character that shows in his nightly performances of flawless magic tricks. The film has very little dialogue and relies on the animation and music to set the mood and tell the story. At moments the movie looks like water color paintings come to life. 

The Illusionist was directed by Slyvain Chomet, who directed The Triplets of Belleville and he handles the material with a sophistication that ranks it up their with the best work of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.

The Illusionist has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Film along with Toy Story 3 and How To Train Your Dragon. It will not win; the Oscar will go to Toy Story 3, but hopefully the nomination will encourage more people to seek out this funny, whimsical, sad, beautiful movie and experience animated film in a whole new way.

At The Movie House rating **** stars.



Just Go With It


Here is my promised review of the new Adam Sandler film and I have just one question to ask; will Adam Sandler ever grow up? He is 44 years old and he continues to play variations of the same childish guy he was in Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore. In Just Go With It we are supposed to believe this childish man, who spends his time pretending to be married in order to have sex, is also a highly successful Los Angeles plastic surgeon. It just doesn't work. 

The movie is based on a French farce, which was made into the Broadway play Cactus Flower, which was made into a smart, witty, funny movie starring Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman and Goldie Hawn. Now Sandler and his long time directing partner Dennis Dugan, along with writers Allen Loeb and Timothy Dowling have taken this sophisticated adult comedy and dumbed it down to the least intelligent common denominator, and turned in a lazy, slowly paced, stupid comedy, with an abundance of poop jokes.

The only saving grace in the film is Jennifer Aniston, she has excellent comic timing and does the best she can with a script that asks her to be as dumb as everyone else. Aniston and Sandler have great chemistry but the movie does nothing with it. 

The movie relies on characters, who in no way resemble real people, being as stupid as they possibly can be, while still being unbelievably nice to each other. 

As I stated earlier Sandler is Dr. Daniel Maccabee, a successful plastic surgeon, who pretends to be married in order to meet women for one night stands. One day while not wearing the ring he meets Palmer, a beautiful blond, and they spend a glorious night on the beach together. He thinks Palmer is the girl for him, but then she discovers the ring and thinks he is another lying married man. 

So of course instead of relying on the friends that introduced them to tell her he's not married, he enlists the aid of his very capable nurse and office manager Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend to be his wife and state that they are getting a divorce. The lies grow more complicated, including children and a boyfriend, for the unfaithful soon to be ex-wife. All of this is played with complete stupidity, and Palmer, the beautiful blond, is so clueless, she suspects nothing. But she does teach sixth grade math, so their should be some brains in there somewhere. No wait, the script only made her a grade school teacher, so they can ensure that her character loves children.

The movie also adds two new characters, an old college friend of Katherine's, and her boyfriend, played by Nicole Kidman and Dave Matthews. Here is a chance two write to very funny roles, but no, they are just stupid too. 

Just Go With it asks the audience to just go along with this sloppy, overly long, poorly paced mess and ignore how bad a movie it is. I suggest you don't.

At The Movie House rating *1/2 stars

Thursday, February 10, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 285 - Just Go With It


One of my favorite things about my new job is presentation screenings. When the theatre receives a new movie it must be screened to ensure that the print is in good condition.

If the film is a digital movie than it means just ensuring that the film plays properly, with trailers and that all the automated lighting adjustments happen in the proper sequence. If it's an actual film, than the movie has to be checked for scratches and other defects in the image and sound. The person watching the movie needs to make sure the film is assembled properly and there are no splicing errors.

Tonight I conducted a presentation check for Adam Sandler's new film, Just Go With It. The company has two strict policies about presentation screenings. First of all they are closed to the public. This is due to the huge risk if video piracy from an advanced screening of a film. Secondly, anyone at a presentation screening is prevented from blogging anything about the movie until the film is actually released to the public. So you will have to check back here on Friday 2/11 for my review.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 284 - Heaven Can Wait


A loyal reader pointed out that in my list of Hollywood movies about football I had left off the classic film Heaven Can Wait. In correcting this over-sight I decided to screen the film, which coincidentally stars James Mason and Charles Grodin, two actors featured in previous movies I watched this week.

Heaven Can Wait is a remake of the 1940's movie Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which was based on a play called Heaven Can Wait by Harry Segall. Warren Beatty produced, directed and stars in this romantic comedy-fantasy. He also wrote the screenplay with assists from Robert Towne, Elaine May and Buck Henry. Henry was also co-director and had a role in the film as the novice guardian angel.

Beatty plays Joe Pendelton, a rising star quarterback on the Los Angeles Rams foot ball team. His goal is to lead the team to a super bowl championship. Unfortunately, just as he gets the word he has been picked to be the starting quarterback, he is involved in an auto accident. His guardian angel, in an attempt to spare him any pain, removes his soul from his body just before the crash. This turns out to be premature since Joe was not going to die in the accident. The effort to return Joe back to his body becomes problematic when his remains are cremated. Mr. Jordan (James Mason) steps in to help Joe find a suitable body. Joe temporarily takes the body of millionaire tycoon Leo Farnsworth who has been murdered by his wife (Dyan Cannon) and personal executive secretary (Charles Grodin). Events become even more complicated when Joe, as Leo, begins to fall in love with Miss Betty Logan (Julie Christie) an opponent of Farnsworths' corporate activities.

A comedy like this could easily become a farce, just look at the 2001 remake Down To Earth, starring Chris Rock.  The jokes and situations hit precisely the write note without going over the top. The film ends on a bittersweet note with Joe's final destiny revealed, but with the possibility of true love finding a way.

Heaven Can Wait was a huge hit when released in 1978. The film received nine Academy Award nominations which included four for Warren Beatty; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writer and Best Actor. Beatty is the only person in Oscar history to achieve this quartet of nominations and he would repeat the feat in 1981 for Reds.

At The Movie House rating **** stars

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 283 - 11 Harrowhouse


11 Harrowhouse is a film most people will not be familiar with. Released in 1974 this crime thriller, comedy has been mostly unavailable on home video for more than two decades. It's broadcasts on network and cable TV have been few and far between. The film had a short run on VHS in the early eighties and then was discontinued. 20th Century Fox released a laser disc of the film (which I still own) but until now the film has never been on released on DVD.

The film stars Charles Grodin as a diamond merchant who is hired by an oil magnate to steal billions of diamonds from the consortium that controls the diamond wholesale market, located at 11 Harrowhouse. He enlists the aid of his wealthy girlfriend Candace Bergen and a disgruntled employee, James Mason, to aid in the heist. The actual theft of the diamonds is very low tech, but quite clever. The film also stars Trevor Howard as the oil tycoon and John Gielgud as the snobby head of 11 Harrowhouse. 

The film is based on the book by Gerald A. Browne, adapted by Grodin, and follows the template of many  heists movies of the time including The Anderson Tapes, $ (Dollars), Gambit, How To Steal A Million, Topkapi and The Thomas Crown Affair, except that the film has a narrative soundtrack, created by Charles Grodin, detailing his inner thoughts as the story unfolds, turning this caper into a comedy. Grodin's trademark deadpan humor is evident throughout the film as he comments on everything. The movie was also released as a straight forward thriller, without the narration, but that version is rarely available.

11 Harrowhouse is off beat in it's pacing but has some deft comic moments. It holds up well today as a comedy, suspense thriller and is worth checking out for Grodin's unique comic style.

At The Movie House rating *** stars




Monday, February 7, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 282 - A Star Is Born


"Hello everybody, this is Mrs. Norman Maine." is one of the best ending lines in Hollywood history. That simple sentence sums up everything that preceded it, in this three hour exquisite musical drama from Warner Brothers.

A Star Is Born was made for Judy Garland and was her come-back vehicle after a four year absence from the silver screen. In A Star Is Born she reaches a pinnacle of acting, singing and dancing. It is without a doubt the most accomplished performance in her entire career. 

Starring with Judy Garland was James Mason as the drunkard matinee idol Norman Maine. Originally Warner Bros. and director George Cukor pursued Cary Grant for the role. Cukor had worked with Grant before and knew that Norman could be a career defining role for Grant too. But Grant declined, partly because he was newly married and wanted to travel with his wife, Betsy Drake, but also because he was hesitant about working with Garland, who had a very troubled reputation. The studio then considered Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra and Stewart Granger, until the part finally went to Mason. Cukor later stated he was never happy that Cary Grant declined and felt the picture would have been so much better with him in it. But this is the case where the the last choice was the right choice. Everyone notices Garland in the movie, but it's Mason's haunted performance, his moments of quiet despair as his life slips into oblivion that give the movie the dramatic heft it needs.

A Star Is Born is a masterpiece of film making. The acting, directing, writing, music, songs, art direction and costumes all came together to create a film of near perfection. 

Made in 1953 the film features an inside look at the Hollywood studio system as it was coming to an end. The age of the big independent studios and the actors under contract were in decline. "The money boys" in NY were calling the shots, as films lost money to the encroaching competition of television. In one scene the studio boss Oliver Niles takes a look at TV during a party and he is called a traitor. 

On its original release in NYC and L.A. A Star Is Born received unanimous praise from the critics. The films use of the new CinemaScope standard was hailed as marvelous. The movie was considered a cinch to sweep the Oscars. But.....


The Restoration


As far as I am concerned Jack Warner made to very stupid decisions while running Warner Brothers. The first was casting Audrey Hepburn instead of Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady, thus depriving us forever, of seeing Julie in a role she created and hearing those wonderful Lerner and Lowe songs on film in her incomparable voice.

The other decision was allowing his executives to butcher A Star Is Born for monetary reasons. George Cukor's final cut of the film premiered at 3 hours and two minutes long, without an intermission. This was the version the critics saw and loved. Cukor's intention was to release the film going forward with an intermission break. But the studio was concerned about how many times the movie could be played in a day. By cutting the shortening the film they could squeeze in an extra showing each day and make more money. So without telling director George Cukor, or asking for his assistance, Warner Bros. cut 30 minutes from the film by removing two full songs and removing dialogue scenes that told how Esther and Norman met. The film was gutted and as the film opened across the country none of the reviews matched those from its original release. The film was soon dismissed by many in Hollywood and never achieved the box office dollars it should have. When the Oscars came around  it received six nominations; two for acting Mason and Garland, art direction, costumes, score and best song. It failed to be nominated for Best Picture or Best Director. Garland in the role of a lifetime, lost to Grace Kelly in one of Oscar's most famous upsets and the haunting torch song "The Man Who Got Away" lost to the banal "Three Coins In A Fountain".

The majority of the removed footage was destroyed after it was cut from the film, so in 1981 when film restorationist Ronald Haver undertook trying to restore A Star Is Born to it's original cut, he had quite the undertaking. But he was successful and in 1983 a newly restored version of A Star Is Born opened at Radio City Music Hall to thundering applause and enormous critical acclaim. 

I managed to see the film in a NYC theatre during it's limited run in 1983. I had seen the movie before on local television, but it was butchered by pan & scan, commercials and additional cuts to shorten it's length even more. Seeing it on the big screen was an experience I have never forgotten. I have since seen it during a special run at the Alice Tully theatre in Lincoln center in 1995 and here in San Francisco at the Castro Theatre. I have owned it on RCA Selectivision, VHS, Laser Disc, DVD and now Blu-ray. 

The Blu-ray release is amazing. The vibrant colors and the digital sound make it the best version ever released for home video. 

A Star Is Born is one of my all time favorite movies. I never grow tired of it.

At The Movie House rating **** stars

This concludes my female stars of stage and screen mini film festival.
Stage Door
Sunset Boulevard
All About Eve
Bullets Over Broadway
A Star Is Born







Super Bowl Sunday Withdrawal

Did you watch the big game yesterday? Are you now suffering from the very common ailment known as "FFW" February Football Withdrawal? Here are some of Hollywood's best movies about football to help lessen your withdrawal symptoms.



Any Given Sunday (1999) - Director Oliver Stone takes a dramatic look at American Football.
At The Movie House Rating *** stars



Black Sunday (1977) - Based on the bestselling novel by author Thomas Harris (Silence of the Lambs) this thriller is about a terrorist attack at the Super Bowl. Real footage from Super Bowl X was used to add to the authenticity.
At The Movie House Rating ***1/2 stars



The Blind Side (2009) - Oscar winning story of one woman's determination to lend a helping hand to a young man in need.
At The Movie House Rating *** stars



Everybody's All-American (1988) - Dramatic story about 25 years in the life of a college football hero. Directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Randy Quaid.
At The Movie House rating **1/2 stars



Friday Night Lights (2004) - exceptional film that takes a look at small town America and the importance of high school football. Made into a series on NBC.
At The Movie House rating *** stars




Horse Feathers (1932) - The Marx Brothers go to college and play football.
At The Movie House rating *** 1/2 stars



Invincible (2006) - Based on the true story of Vince Papale who played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976-1978. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear.
At The Movie House rating *** stars



Jerry Maguire (1996) - romantic comedy from Cameron Crowe about a failed sports agent and the two people who believed in him. One of the few movies that can be a "guy movie" and a "chick flick" at the same time.
At The Movie House rating **** stars




Knute Rockne All American (1940) - Hollywood bio pic that gave us the immortal line " The last thing George said to me, 'Rock', he said, 'sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper' "
At The Movie House rating *** stars



Leatherheads (2008) - comedy about the early days of pro football directed, written by and starring George Clooney.
At The Movie House rating **1/2 stars



The Longest Yard (1974) - Burt Reynolds stars in this comedy/sports drama about an inmate in a Florida prison who is a former pro-ball player. The film features a football game with the cons against the guards.
At The Movie House rating *** 1/2 stars



MASH (1970) - a dark comic satire from Robert Altman that concludes with a rousing game of football.
An American Classic. At The Movie House rating **** stars



North Dallas Forty (1979) - dramatic look at the lives of professional athletes. Said to be based on 
real-life Dallas Cowboys.
At The Movie House rating ***


Remember The Titans (2000) - Highly entertaining sports/message movie that has something for everyone.
At The Movie House rating *** stars



Rudy (1993) - based on a true story, Rudy is about the undying power of the human spirit and believing in always following your dreams.
At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars


Semi-Tough (1977) - based on the best selling novel of the same name, Semi-Tough, was a parody of EST and self awareness movement and dropped the novels focus on pro-football. 
A game effort by the stars but a lousy script and poor direction caused a fumble at the box office. 
At The Movie House rating ** stars



We Are Marshall (2006) - dramatic film that tells the story of the tragic events surrounding the Marshall University and the plane crash that decimated their football team. 
At the Movie House rating **1/2 stars

Sunday, February 6, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 281 - Bullets Over Broadway


My mini film festival about leading ladies of the stage and screen continues with Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway.

After the revelations of his personal life and the poor reception of his 1993 comedy Manhattan Murder Mystery many thought Woody Allen's career as an important filmmaker was over. But in 1994 he surprised critics and audiences with his comical farce Bullets Over Broadway.

The movie mixes to genres, films about "the theatre" and gangster pictures to create a winning comedy. John Cusack is a struggling author who will do anything to get his play produced. Anything includes hiring a bossy, talentless actress (Meg Tilly) in order to get financing from her mobster boyfriend. He cast fading leading lady Helen St. Clair (Dianne Wiest) as his star. Unfortunately she is more focused on her drinking than her acting. 

The play is not that good until bodyguard Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) starts offering ideas. As the play moves towards opening night complications ensue, including who wrote what and who is sleeping with who?

Allen handles his ensemble cast with the deft hand of an experienced director. The film has many of the familiar Allen type one-liners and the comic timing is superb. The film went on to receive seven Oscar nominations including Best Director, Best Screenplay and Diane Wiest won for Best Supporting Actor.

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

Saturday, February 5, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 280 - All About Eve


I continued with my mini festival about female actresses by watching the newly released Blu-ray of All About Eve. The digital transfer of picture and sound is amazing. The film is sharp and crisp in glorious black & white.

For forty seven years All About Eve held the record for the film with the most Oscar nominations. With a total of 14 nominations no film could touch it until Titanic came along in 1997 and tied with 14 noms of it's own. The difference being that Titanic earned nominations in technical categories while the entire female cast of All About Eve were nominated for their acting. To this day it is still the only film to receive four nominations for the lead and supporting actresses, Bette Davis and Anne Baxter for Best Actress and Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter for Best Supporting Actress. At the Oscars all four lost to new comer Judy Holiday.

I have seen All About Eve many times. It is one of my favorite films. This time I watched it paying close attention to Eve. Knowing her secrets, motives and desires it was interesting to watch Anne Baxter act, understanding what Eve is really doing. There is the scene early in the film, when Margo catches Eve holding the dress up to the mirror. Eve turns and the look on her face is someone who has been caught doing something seriously wrong. We later learn exactly what Eve was up to. I won't spoil that here for anyone who has not seen the film.

Just as Sunset Boulevard is the greatest movie about Hollywood, All About Eve is the greatest movie ever made about living and working on Broadway.

At The Movie House rating **** stars. 





Friday, February 4, 2011

365+ Movies In 365 Days: Day 279 - Sanctum


A fun part of my new job is conducting presentation screenings. Most times these screenings are held before the movie opens. The screening is closed to the public and unfortunately I am not allowed to blog about the movie until opening day. But occasionally the presentation screening will coincide with the first public showing of the film and that is how I found myself watching Sanctum in IMAX 3D at 12:01 AM this morning.

Sanctum is a story of a group of cave explorers who can trapped underground and must struggle to find a way out. The film contains some harrowing scenes and some moments of agonizing claustrophobia. It also contains every disaster movie cliche in the book.

The only person who does any real acting is Richard Roxburgh as Frank McGuire, the leader of the group. But sometimes he is given some awful lines to spout, especially when he is trying to resolve his relationship with his son, Josh. The film is filled with people who feel it necessary to resolve relationship issues at moments of extreme terror and life and death. 

The group of explorers including Ioan Gruffudd, Alice Parkinson, Rhys Wakefield, Dan Wyllie and Allison Cratchely (all Australians) are exploring a vast cave system in Papa New Guinea. Their base camp is in the main cave 2,000 kilometers below the earth surface. From an early scene we already know how dangerous this activity is and when a predicted tropical storm arrives early and starts a rushing torrent of water pouring into the cave, the group is in grave danger. The rest of the film is one long climb, dive, swim to the surface. There were brief moments when I was reminded of The Poseidon Adventure.

Sanctum is filmed in 3D and in some cases the visual effects work really well but in others the 3D effect is lost, or even worse distracting, taking you out of the story because you notice how artificial it looks. They would have been better off making the film in regular 2D. 

Sanctum has about 30m minutes of really good, "edge of your seat" movie in it. Unfortunately it is surrounded by an hour and 10 minutes of not so good stuff.

At The Movie House rating ** stars