so much for conventional wisdom

I had read somewhere in passing that the most popular film, i.e. the one seen by the most people, usually won the Oscar for Best Picture. According to the highly scientific poll in the sidebar of my blog, this year's Oscar went to the film with the least amount of viewers: The Hurt Locker. If this bit of conventional wisdom was indeed predictive, Avatar would have won.

Did you watch the Oscars last night? Sandra Bullock gave a great acceptance speech, didn't she?

Oscar predictions

I agree with this chap's predictions except for holding out hope that Carey Mulligan will win Best Actress for her enchanting performance in "An Education."

Quotable - game changing moment in film biz

"Women and girls are looking for material that they connect with just as much as guys and boys are, but the thing that blows me away about the success of New Moon and even The Blind Side is that the theatres were just packed with women not caring if the guys came with them. This was a weekend where the gals went in bunches and left the guys home cause they wanted to see this movie more than they wanted to see whatever their boyfriends or guyfriends wanted to see."

~ Melissa Silverstein, New Moon Brings a New Dawn in Hollywood

the undisputed best Thanksgiving film

Flying to Austin in a couple hours for Thanksgiving. Yee-haw!

Happy Thanksgiving & safe travels to you if you're hitting the road or flying the friendly skies.

Slumdog Millionaire

It's official, I'm the world's biggest cynic. I did not like this film.
In a word: H O K E Y*. Almost unbearably so by its conclusion.

Born Into Brothels is much, much better.

*hok⋅ey [hoh-kee] – adjective hok⋅i⋅er, hok⋅i⋅est.
1. cloyingly sentimental; mawkish.
2. obviously contrived, esp. to win popular appeal or support; phony.

Monday Movies - Memorable endings

Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

Well, 2008 certainly went out with some memorable events prompting Molly of the Bumbles blog to ask what are movies with endings you consider memorable?

Here are some of our choices...what are yours?

• Fight Club (blew me away)
• Thelma & Louise (just W O W!)
  
• No Country for Old Men (people were grumbling around us but we liked the ambiguity)
• Limbo (doesn't get more ambiguous than this)
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (perfection!)
  

Netflixing

We've watched a few films lately that were good but not of the "see this film" quality. From time to time, when I see a film that I think is just so great that you have to see it, I post a "see this film" item. Click here if you are curious. Anyhow, I thought I'd take a moment to mention a couple of films that were definitely worth watching and enjoyable, but just not five stars in my opinion. Here they are:

The Visitor - I fully expected to be wowed by this film and maybe that was the problem -- my expectations were set too high. There were two aspects of the film that disappointed: a kind of schmaltzy triteness that coats the relationship between the two main male characters, and the lack of dimension given to the female characters. Still, I'd give this film a 4/5 rating.


Man on Wire - Again, fully expected to be wowed by this film because of the uniqueness of the story and because I naturally tend to love a well-made documentary. Well, it was interesting. And, the scene at the end when Philippe Petit is actually walking on a wire strung between the two towers of the World Trade Center was amazing. I suppose the main weakness of the film was a lack of interest in Petit. After he accomplishes his dangerous and illegal performance with the help of a team of people and lots of stress for everyone involved, he demonstrates no gratitude. He just seems to be a thrill seeking narcissist. Again, the uniqueness of the story and the peek back at the 70s in New York made this a worthwhile film despite the choppy chronology. I was more than ready for the film to reach its climax (4/5 rating).

Burn After Reading - For the most part, I'm a fan of the Cohen Brothers. I really liked "Blood Simple," "Raising Arizona" and "Fargo" and I loved "No Country for Old Men." But let's face it, if this film didn't have the Cohen Brothers behind it, it would not have seen the light of day. This film stands as an example of groupthink in filmmaking.

Brad Pitt made me laugh out loud but he would have had the same impact in a Saturday Night Live skit playing the same character. I hope the brothers have gotten this self-indulgence out of their system and get back to making the type of films that have given them so much Hollywood power (3/5 rating).

Seen any good films lately?

Monday Movies - Feel Good Films

Feature Presentation...
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

Molly of the Bumbles blog asks in light of all the cold weather, what are the movies that warm your heart?

Here are mine:

1. Planes, Trains & Automobiles
2. Amelie
3. The Straight Story
4. Chocolat
5. Young @ Heart

From which of the films above is this quote taken:

"I'd give each one of 'em a stick and, one for each one of 'em, then I'd say, 'You break that.' Course they could real easy. Then I'd say, 'Tie them sticks in a bundle and try to break that.' Course they couldn't. Then I'd say, "That bundle... that's family."

Leave a link to your blog post where you’ve shared your response or, if you don’t have a blog, share your response in the comment section.

Film Trivia

Match the quotes with one of the films listed below the quotes. Easy peasy.

1. "B - Can you keep a secret? I'm trying to organize a prison break. I'm looking for, like, an accomplice. We have to first get out of this bar, then the hotel, then the city, and then the country. Are you in or you out?
   C - I'm in. I'll go pack my stuff.
   B - I hope that you've had enough to drink. It's going to take courage."
2. "You find a glimmer of happiness in this world, there's always someone who wants to destroy it. "
3. "Don't worry. We can walk to the curb from here."
4. "My life is made up of units of time. Buying CDs - two units. Eating lunch - three units. Exercising - two units. All in all, I had a very full life. It's just that it didn't mean anything."
5. "Whatcha got ain't nothin new. This country's hard on people, you can't stop what's coming, it ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity."

(A) The Queen
(B) About a Boy
(C) Lost in Translation
(D) No Country for Old Men
(E) Annie Hall
(F) Finding Neverland

See this film - The Grocer's Son

All I can say is that I wouldn't mind buying my fresh organic eggs from this vendor. Sweet film with a couple amusing French to English translations in the captioning. Four swimmies out of five.

See this film - Frozen River

I love this time of year when the best films are released. Frozen River has been out a while (since August, I think) but I just saw it last night. Another amazing performance by a lead actress. Melissa Leo -- wow!

See this film - Rachel Getting Married

While all the performances were outstanding in this film, I have not seen better acting this year than Anne Hathaway's portrayal of Kym.

See this film - The Namesake

This film is based on Jhumpa Lahiri's first novel "The Namesake." Ms. Lahiri's book of short stories, "Unaccustomed Earth" has made the New York Times Ten Best Books of 2008. Her first book, "The Interpreter of Maladies," also a collection of short stories, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000. I've not yet read any of Lahiri's books but I plan to read "The Interpreter of Maladies" very soon.

See this film - Young @ Heart

River and Tides

Just watched the perfect film for the last day of summer and the eve of the Autumnal Equinox: River and Tides.

Into the Wild

We went to see Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" yesterday. The film is an adaptation of Jon Krakauer's excellent book with the same title. I first learned about Chris McCandless a few years ago while staying at a guest cabin (one of a few cabins) owned by a sled dog owner and his wife on Stampede Road near Denali National Park. I picked up an old issue of Alaska magazine and read the spirited exchange of letters between people discussing media coverage about Chris's death. I had to find out more and tracked down Krakauer's article in Outsider magazine and a copy of "Into the Wild" before leaving Alaska. Turns out Stampede Road is where Chris headed into the Alaskan wilderness.

I asked Mr. Dem after leaving the theater, how well do you think this film will stand up for people who didn't read the book? It's our guess that it won't -- despite the beautiful photography, soundtrack and outstanding performances.

I really appreciate the way Sean Penn told Chris's story. It's obvious that Penn had a fondness for Chris McCandless, a belief in the value of his story and respect for the McCandless family. But, after seeing the film, I'm again reminded of the brilliance of Krakauer's storytelling. His personal observations helped me to understand Chris McCandless and to understand why his story is a story about all seekers of meaning in an increasingly shallow culture.

The casting in this film is exceptional. William Hurt gives an amazing performance as does Catherine Keener.

See this film but if you haven't yet read "Into the Wild," go get a copy and read it first.

Here's MaryAnn Johanson's review.

Can Mr.-Ms. Smith get to Washington anymore?

A well-made documentary that entertains while demonstrating the importance of clean money elections and the intense conflict that can occur between candidates of the same party in primary battles.

The Straight Story - David Lynch

This film is on my top ten list. Probably not the first Lynch film to come to most people's minds but I think it's one of the best made films I've ever seen.

Make art not war

Artist: Jimmy Mirikitani

"Make art not war" is Jimmy Mirikitani's motto. A documentary, The Cats of Mirikitani has been made about his life and art which has been broadcast on PBS as part of the Independent Lens program. I missed it but hope to be able to watch the DVD when it becomes available.