The T&C 100 - #s70-80
Note: In assembling the T&C 100, I inadvertently left off at least one film. The result is that my numbering is messed up - hence the presence of two #80s. I considered going back and renumbering everything, but decided that if in the end the T&C 100 is 102 or 103 films long, and that some numbers repeat, well, what's the harm?
80. Memento (2000)
I'm actually a little disappointed in myself, in that I have yet to go back and rewatch this. The premise and structure are not only ingenious, but, more importantly, impeccably executed, making for a film that quite simply feels and views differently than any other film I've seen.
Favorite moment: The beginning of the film, as we begin to understand exactly what is happening.
79. Groundhog Day (1993)
A movie that just grows richer and more timeless as time goes by. The very simple concept is executed flawlessly, and Murray is just great at portraying the small degrees by which Phil becomes a better human being again. One thing that's always bothered me is the notion of how many times he relives that day. I haven't seen the film in a long while, but I recollect that if everything we see is taken literally, he must relive that day for the equivalent of decades (I mean, just how many days, for example, would it take someone to learn to lay flawless piano, especially if the teacher couldn't build on anything you'd done with her before?)
Favorite moment: The virtuoso moment in the diner when Phil convinces the Andy McDowell character of the truth of is predicament.
78. The Matrix (1999)
This movie has had an odd little eight-year history - from surprise hit, to immense influence on action movies, to a very rapid and sudden drop in equity caused by two pretty terrible sequels and by the sheer tonnage of the homages and parodies it inspired. Still, strip all that away and you have a very tight, suspenseful, original action film - which is, in and of itself, nothing to sneeze at.
Favorite moment: That moment when you realize the film's overall conceit- that all of existence is really just an elaborate computer-programmed construction that we are dreaming.
77. Toy Story (1995)
The Snow White of our era. What seems so astonishing, in retrospect, is how a film that impresses so much technologically succeeds on the merits of a wonderfully constructed and imagined story. That Pixar had the foresight to realize that the stunning images they were able to create would only work if married to beautifully told stories impresses me greatly.
Favorite moment: When Buzz finally flies. Just beautiful.
76. The Prestige (2006)
A movie that grabbed me and never let go - impeccably acted, shot, designed, and produced, with a twisty, suspenseful script that never lets itself become subservient to the twists. Another one I really would like to revisit.
Favorite moment: When we realize that the Hugh Jackman character has been drowning himself every night. Chilling.
75. Airplane! (1980)
The grandaddy of all spoof comedies, and still the funniest. The sheer laugh-to-minute ratio is simply astounding. Jamie Weinman, over at Something Old, has been posting a bit about how much of the seemingly deliberately overly serious dialogue (and plot) is taken right out of an old film, Zero Hour. Well worth a click over.
Favorite moment: Impossible to pick. I'll name the gag with the guy waiting in the taxi throughout the whole movie at pretty much random.
74. Chicago (2002)
A superbly made film musical, one that gets the tone, look, and sound just about perfectly. Dance aficionados might quibble at the way some of the dances are shot, but to the untrained eye they work great. Does anyone else get the feeling that Catherine Zeta-Jones will never get the chance to do something as good as this again?
Favorite moment: When we first go into Roxie's head at the beginning, for the first (non-diegetic) song. Some have called it a cop-out, that the songs are meant to be part of Roxie's fevered imagination, but in truth the conceit plays brilliantly in the film. That other musical movies seem to have taken that as proof that they can't just play musical numbers straight isn't Chicago's fault.
73. Rocky (1976)
Remember: Rocky loses. That alone makes the film for me. In the popular imagination, Rocky fights the odds and wins, but the film actually tells us that fighting the odds and losing can have power as well. That sometimes fighting is worth it in and of itself. A lesson I wish the next three would have remembered.
Favorite moment: Burgess Meredith screaming at Rocky in the hallway. Burgess Meredith is 101 flavors of awesome.
72. West Side Story (1961)
The decision to film this stylistically, with the washed-out streets, and painted skies, was inspired. To treat this material as "realistic" would have been a huge mistake; by treating it as stylized we are allowed to experience the songs without self-consciousness. And there are precious, precious few musicals that can boast songs as remarkable as these.
Favorite moment: The opening scene, which right off the bat says: "Yes, these are gangs, and yes, they will be dancing. Deal."
71. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
"These go up to 11" has become a touchstone for me, a way to indicate, very economically, the ludicrousness of those wanting more, more, more always. Just a hilarious film - and that I still have yet to watch the DVD with the actors' in-character commentary track is a source of deep, deep shame.
Favorite moment: The reveal of the miniature Stonehenge.
70. Erin Brockovich (2000)
Julia Roberts' finest moment, and a very well-made "issue" film. Not sure where the backlash against this film has come from.I love that the script and production design refuse to glamorize this woman - for all of her virtues the film celebrates, it's never shy about depicting the cost of her work, or the lesser qualities in her that, alas, make her as effective as she is. It's a more complex character study than it's given credit for.
Favorite moment: When Erin's son asks about the sick kids she is helping, and begins to understand why she's sacrificing so much. Part of what I love about the moment is how, again, Soderbergh doesn't really let her off the hook either - he makes us see the way she is to some degree sacrificing her family for others. And while that may be the right choice, it's not without its consequences.
Until Whenever
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Questions for Me!
Jaquandor has kindly offered to provide tailored questions for interested bloggers. Always a whore for free content, I happily signed up! Jaq's 5 questions for me:
1. Name your single favorite Rick-and-Lily moment from Once and Again. (Define this as both of them on screen at the same time.)
Small moment category: Second season episode, when Rick and Lily decide to move in together. The way they slyly grab hands in a quiet celebration of victory after deliberately egging the four kids on in a successful attempt to get the mixed brood to bond together as a mutual front against the parents. I love how the moment cements Rick and Lily's ability to work together as parents and to recognize that managing four kids under one roof will take some real strategizing. It's the moment when i believed they could work as parents of four.
Big moment category: Second season episode, when Rick bottoms out after losing his reputation and business in the wake of the Drentell meltdown. The way Lily refuses to let Rick push her away, and the way she insists to him that she loves him, not in spite of his faults, but because of him, because she loves the whole package. When he breaks down in her arms . . . how Campbell never won an Emmy I'll never know.
2. How bad is the Jersey Turnpike, anyway?
Not too. Up North, where it runs into 78, by Jersey City Elizabeth, et al, it's very industrial, with lots of foul-smelling factories surrounding it, and not pleasant at all to drive. But in Central and South Jersey it's just another big highway, with lots of sound barriers, rest stops, and odd bits of scenery. I always get the impression that folks think all of the Turnpike - and by extension all of New Jersey - is like the 20-mile or so stretch of industrial dourness they have in their heads. It's not.
3. You get a paid weekend trip to someplace of your choice, as long as it's within a three-hour drive of your home. Where do you go? (For our purposes, NYC is out!)
Three hours knocks my favorite place to go, the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, out of the running. So I may just turn to Cape May whose gorgeous Victorian bed and breakfasts are typically out of our price range. Great shopping, beautiful streets for walking, a gorgeous, quiet beach, big old-fashioned hotels, and fabulous outside dining. Yes, that would do just fine.
4. If you and your wife have some kind of "renewal of the vows" thing with a "reception" after, what song will be your new "first dance"?
New? Why new? I strongly suspect we'd stick to what got us here in the first place - the lushly romantic and silky Nat King Cole version of Gershwin's "Our Love Is Here to Stay."
5. You may have written on this before, but I don't recall, so what's your take on Andrew Lloyd Weber? Great Broadway artist, or peddler of annoying spectacle?
I haven't, and it's a good question. My answer is neither. I adore early Lloyd Weber, and count Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita as landmark scores. The man's remarkable gift for melody is simply undeniable, and I think discounted far too easily and often. That being said, he has a weakness for sloppy lyricists (when that sloppy lyricist is also gifted and imaginative, as is the case with Tim Rice, the sloppiness can be somewhat forgiven; when he's a mushy hack (hi Don Black!), not so much), and going for the big, sweeping sentimental gesture more often than is wise. And his later work (or, at least what I'm familiar with) can be too digestible for its own good. But he has had an indelible impact on musical theater, both good (Les Miserables, Chess) and bad (Lestat, Jekyll and Hyde).
That was fun! Jaq, if you'd care for 5 questions back, just stick a request in the comments!
Until Whenever
Jaquandor has kindly offered to provide tailored questions for interested bloggers. Always a whore for free content, I happily signed up! Jaq's 5 questions for me:
1. Name your single favorite Rick-and-Lily moment from Once and Again. (Define this as both of them on screen at the same time.)
Small moment category: Second season episode, when Rick and Lily decide to move in together. The way they slyly grab hands in a quiet celebration of victory after deliberately egging the four kids on in a successful attempt to get the mixed brood to bond together as a mutual front against the parents. I love how the moment cements Rick and Lily's ability to work together as parents and to recognize that managing four kids under one roof will take some real strategizing. It's the moment when i believed they could work as parents of four.
Big moment category: Second season episode, when Rick bottoms out after losing his reputation and business in the wake of the Drentell meltdown. The way Lily refuses to let Rick push her away, and the way she insists to him that she loves him, not in spite of his faults, but because of him, because she loves the whole package. When he breaks down in her arms . . . how Campbell never won an Emmy I'll never know.
2. How bad is the Jersey Turnpike, anyway?
Not too. Up North, where it runs into 78, by Jersey City Elizabeth, et al, it's very industrial, with lots of foul-smelling factories surrounding it, and not pleasant at all to drive. But in Central and South Jersey it's just another big highway, with lots of sound barriers, rest stops, and odd bits of scenery. I always get the impression that folks think all of the Turnpike - and by extension all of New Jersey - is like the 20-mile or so stretch of industrial dourness they have in their heads. It's not.
3. You get a paid weekend trip to someplace of your choice, as long as it's within a three-hour drive of your home. Where do you go? (For our purposes, NYC is out!)
Three hours knocks my favorite place to go, the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, out of the running. So I may just turn to Cape May whose gorgeous Victorian bed and breakfasts are typically out of our price range. Great shopping, beautiful streets for walking, a gorgeous, quiet beach, big old-fashioned hotels, and fabulous outside dining. Yes, that would do just fine.
4. If you and your wife have some kind of "renewal of the vows" thing with a "reception" after, what song will be your new "first dance"?
New? Why new? I strongly suspect we'd stick to what got us here in the first place - the lushly romantic and silky Nat King Cole version of Gershwin's "Our Love Is Here to Stay."
5. You may have written on this before, but I don't recall, so what's your take on Andrew Lloyd Weber? Great Broadway artist, or peddler of annoying spectacle?
I haven't, and it's a good question. My answer is neither. I adore early Lloyd Weber, and count Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita as landmark scores. The man's remarkable gift for melody is simply undeniable, and I think discounted far too easily and often. That being said, he has a weakness for sloppy lyricists (when that sloppy lyricist is also gifted and imaginative, as is the case with Tim Rice, the sloppiness can be somewhat forgiven; when he's a mushy hack (hi Don Black!), not so much), and going for the big, sweeping sentimental gesture more often than is wise. And his later work (or, at least what I'm familiar with) can be too digestible for its own good. But he has had an indelible impact on musical theater, both good (Les Miserables, Chess) and bad (Lestat, Jekyll and Hyde).
That was fun! Jaq, if you'd care for 5 questions back, just stick a request in the comments!
Until Whenever
Monday, July 09, 2007
I Am Reminded That I Still Need to Get Bookshelves for the New House
A literary meme stolen from Jaquandor:
Recommend 3 books you believe everyone needs to read and say why people should read them.
I object. The truth is that I don't believe there are any books that everyone must read. Books I'd highly recommend, sure, but people are just too different or me to pretend that there are any books that would touch everyone in the world. Now that the hyper-literal pedantry is out of the way, the three books I pimp most vigorously are:
The Known World, by Edward P. Jones. I've waxed rhapsodic about this book, a disarmingly simply-told tale of slavery in the South, many times before; suffice it to say that I strongly suspect it will be the novel I am most moved by, I return to most, I love most deeply, for a long, long time. Do people need to read this? Not sure. I certainly wouldn't feel less of anyone who hasn't read it. But it moves me so much that I do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who loves the novel.
The Green Mile, by Stephen King. It may be my favorite King novel, and my favorite novel ever, but this is the one I recommend to King neophytes, or readers with no love for the horror genre. There's some horrific stuff within, no doubt, as well as some supernatural mumbo-jumbo, but this is not a genre book in any real way, and is thus appropriate for those scared off by vampires, monsters, or other worlds.
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck. A good book for all (well, most, maybe) Americans to read, anyway - paints a devastating portrait of a particular historical moment and imbues it with complete and total relevance for our lives today.
Name three books you’ve never been able to finish and explain why.
Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. I), The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time Book 2), and Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. All three share a common thread - they are remarkably dense. Long, detailed, with lots and lots of characters and places to keep track of. And they all defeat me, every time. The fault is mine, not theirs, but I just don't seem built for such beasts.
Name three books you want to read, but haven’t yet.
I'm always seeing books to add to the infinitely growing list of "books I want to read." Three recent additions: Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: A Year of Food Life (a memoir of her and her family's year of living off of the land in the Applachians); Stephen King's Blaze (I will always read King's stuff); and Dave Eggers' What Is the What? (an apparently mostly true story of a refugee from the Sudan).
Are there any books that you’ve loved, but been disappointed by the film/TV adaptation?
I could fill this up several times over with Stephen King adaptations alone. But for variety I'll go with The Shining (a movie that really squandered the potential in the novel), The Neverending Story (which truncated the novel horrifically, ending the story halfway through), and The Black Cauldron, which saw Disney take a very half-hearted step towards doing a more serious, less formulaic adaptation of an epic fantasy tale but in the end back away form any real changes.
Which books (apart from the Potter books) do you re-read the most?
I've already kind-of-answered this: Stephen King's It, Robert R. McCammon's Swan Song, and Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron.
Which books do you remember most from your childhood?
The aforementioned Prydain books by Lloyd Alexander, which I am rereading now. Oddly enough, in that today I read hardly any epic fantasy at all. But I adored these books as a young'un, and seemingly always had one of them out of the library.
Are there any books that you are proud to say you have read?
Not really. There are many, many books I'm immensely grateful to have found, or to have had recommended, but no one book I can point to as being "proud" of reading. In some countries, the act of reading may take the kind of courage one can be proud of, but not here, I'm happy to report.
Are there any books that you are ashamed to admit reading?
No. Bad books I regret having read, but I take no shame in reading fluff - I went through a period as a pre-teen of reading more movie novelizations than I can remember, but I feel no shame. And some were pretty good. (Come to think of it, I should try and track down that Goonies novelization).
Are there any books that have had a big emotional impact on you?
The aforementioned The Known World moved me deeply. But (and I'm cheating here) the piece of writing that moved me most was an article called "Higher Learning" by Gary Smith about a black basketball coach in Amish country. Each time i read it, it moves me to copious tears.
Until Whenever
A literary meme stolen from Jaquandor:
Recommend 3 books you believe everyone needs to read and say why people should read them.
I object. The truth is that I don't believe there are any books that everyone must read. Books I'd highly recommend, sure, but people are just too different or me to pretend that there are any books that would touch everyone in the world. Now that the hyper-literal pedantry is out of the way, the three books I pimp most vigorously are:
The Known World, by Edward P. Jones. I've waxed rhapsodic about this book, a disarmingly simply-told tale of slavery in the South, many times before; suffice it to say that I strongly suspect it will be the novel I am most moved by, I return to most, I love most deeply, for a long, long time. Do people need to read this? Not sure. I certainly wouldn't feel less of anyone who hasn't read it. But it moves me so much that I do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who loves the novel.
The Green Mile, by Stephen King. It may be my favorite King novel, and my favorite novel ever, but this is the one I recommend to King neophytes, or readers with no love for the horror genre. There's some horrific stuff within, no doubt, as well as some supernatural mumbo-jumbo, but this is not a genre book in any real way, and is thus appropriate for those scared off by vampires, monsters, or other worlds.
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck. A good book for all (well, most, maybe) Americans to read, anyway - paints a devastating portrait of a particular historical moment and imbues it with complete and total relevance for our lives today.
Name three books you’ve never been able to finish and explain why.
Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. I), The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time Book 2), and Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. All three share a common thread - they are remarkably dense. Long, detailed, with lots and lots of characters and places to keep track of. And they all defeat me, every time. The fault is mine, not theirs, but I just don't seem built for such beasts.
Name three books you want to read, but haven’t yet.
I'm always seeing books to add to the infinitely growing list of "books I want to read." Three recent additions: Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: A Year of Food Life (a memoir of her and her family's year of living off of the land in the Applachians); Stephen King's Blaze (I will always read King's stuff); and Dave Eggers' What Is the What? (an apparently mostly true story of a refugee from the Sudan).
Are there any books that you’ve loved, but been disappointed by the film/TV adaptation?
I could fill this up several times over with Stephen King adaptations alone. But for variety I'll go with The Shining (a movie that really squandered the potential in the novel), The Neverending Story (which truncated the novel horrifically, ending the story halfway through), and The Black Cauldron, which saw Disney take a very half-hearted step towards doing a more serious, less formulaic adaptation of an epic fantasy tale but in the end back away form any real changes.
Which books (apart from the Potter books) do you re-read the most?
I've already kind-of-answered this: Stephen King's It, Robert R. McCammon's Swan Song, and Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron.
Which books do you remember most from your childhood?
The aforementioned Prydain books by Lloyd Alexander, which I am rereading now. Oddly enough, in that today I read hardly any epic fantasy at all. But I adored these books as a young'un, and seemingly always had one of them out of the library.
Are there any books that you are proud to say you have read?
Not really. There are many, many books I'm immensely grateful to have found, or to have had recommended, but no one book I can point to as being "proud" of reading. In some countries, the act of reading may take the kind of courage one can be proud of, but not here, I'm happy to report.
Are there any books that you are ashamed to admit reading?
No. Bad books I regret having read, but I take no shame in reading fluff - I went through a period as a pre-teen of reading more movie novelizations than I can remember, but I feel no shame. And some were pretty good. (Come to think of it, I should try and track down that Goonies novelization).
Are there any books that have had a big emotional impact on you?
The aforementioned The Known World moved me deeply. But (and I'm cheating here) the piece of writing that moved me most was an article called "Higher Learning" by Gary Smith about a black basketball coach in Amish country. Each time i read it, it moves me to copious tears.
Until Whenever
Friday, July 06, 2007
The T&C 100 - 80-89
Continuing my countdown of my 100 favorite (not the best - my favorite) films.
89. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
As good as Jim Carrey is in this film, it's Kate Winslet who really makes the movie. She's adorable, frustrating, off-putting and real, and she just commands the screen whenever she's on it. Of course, it's the twisty, inventive, Moebius-strip screenplay that's the real star, but it's worth highlighting that all of the inventiveness and formal play with structure is in service to a sweet, tender, and all-too real romance, and that it's the success of that romance - that oh-so-old-fashioned story - that allow the film to work.
Favorite moment--When we see that initial meeting on the bus again at the end, and realize the full import of what we saw in the beginning. A sterling example of the "show the audience something at the beginning and then call it back at the end, changing its meaning through new information.
88. Apollo 13 (1995)
Sometimes the best strategy is no strategy - Apollo 13 works as well as it does because it eschews fancy subtexts, framing devices, or other structural sleight-of-hand to just tell us, in a very straightforward, direct way, what happened, trusting that the suspense inherent in the story (and the audience's awareness of the story's truthfulness) is all that is needed. Add in rock-solid, non-showy performances from Ton Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan, and perfectly pitched and economically used filming in real zero-g and you have a great, old-fashioned film.
Favorite moment: The elation in mission control when they get the image of the safely-landed astronauts.
87. Chasing Amy (1997)
The only Kevin Smith film in which his stunning inadequacies as a director are masked enough to let his stylized, original, and funny voice as a screenwriter shine. Ben Affleck may have never been better and Joey Lauren Adams is great in her specificity - she never connected as a real "star" precisely because she's so real. I see-saw on whether or not the whole "I must sleep with my best friend" ending is clever or completely contrived, but the rest of the movie feels organic and whole in a way none of Smith's other films do.
Favorite moment: The ending. I'd imagine there were forces (maybe even from Smith himself) pushing for more closure, but, like The Sopranos ending, ambiguity was absolutely called for.
86. Jerry Maguire (1996)
Another movie I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to hate, but Cruise is very, very good here, as is Zellweger. And Crowe does a very god job of keeping the love story as pretty much b-plot, and making the real plot more about Jerry himself and his struggle to change. And any movie that lets Bonnie Hunt do what she does best is doing something right.
Favorite moment: The clumsy and awkward, very naturalistic, seduction on the front steps after Jerry and Dorothy's date.
85. Boogie Nights (1997)
What I love about this film is how it doesn't moralize or glamorize the porn industry, but just portrays it in a very matter-of-fact way, while not shying away from the effect on the psyche that being a porn actor must have. And the cast is great, especially Julianne Moore (but when is she ever not good?).
Favorite moment: The Wahlberg character's first time on screen, and the way Julianne Moore plays the moment.
84. Superman II (1980)
As much as I might bemoan some of the more regrettable things in this film (the cellophane "S," the indulgence of too much heavy-handed comic relief, the cop out of an ending), the things it gets right (the big brawl in downtown New York, the emotion invested in Clark's decision to give up his powers, Margot Kidder's performance, the too-awesome-for words moment where Superman finally bows to Zod, in total silence, and then we hear a lone trumpet play the Superman theme, and we see Zod begin to grimace in pain as a still-powered Superman crushed his (Zod's) now-mortal hand) totally make up for them.
Favorite moment: I think I described it just now.
83. The Forty-Year Old Virgin (2005)
Sweet, raunchy, hilarious, touching, joy-inducing - this film is everything so many comedies--especially romantic comedies--try to be. And Steve Carrell puts in a performance for the ages, fully inhabiting the awkwardness, shyness, and clumsiness of the character.
Favorite moment: Music is used as a metaphor for orgasmic joy as Andy and the cast erupt into an extended song and dance number.
82. King Kong (2005)
I admit openly that this makes me a philistine - but in what way is the original superior to this remake? Kong is more of an actual character. The action is more intense and suspenseful. The acting is superior. The dialogue is less stilted and more natural. Maybe the score isn't as good. But, seriously, what else isn't? I think there's an odd tendency to lionize earlier special effects as more "authentic" than modern effects, as if a small puppet posed and photographed thousands of times is a more valid, "real" way of creating the illusion of a giant ape than animating a 3D model of an ape on a computer and inserting it into the film. They're both fake. The Kong in the original wasn't real, any more than the CGI version. But the second does a better job of creating the illusion of a real giant ape (as it should - if filmmakers hadn't figured out how to do a better job in 70 years that would be pretty sad, no?)
Favorite moment: Kong falls in love with Naomi Watts. (And all of the reviews that complained about the unspoken oddness of an animal loving a human have never seen a dog and its owner. Love doesn't have to be sexual. The Naomi Watts character loved Kong, and he she, but in much the same way that a human loves a faithful pet. And part of what I love about the film is that it doesn't hesitate to treat this kind of love with respect and awe.)
81. Glory (1989)
I honestly believe that this film would be half of what it is without James Horner's brilliant score. That much-commented on moment when the Denzel Washington character is whipped, and we see a single tear streak down his otherwise stoic face would lose a lot of its power without such wondrous music behind it. This film is one that, for me, really highlights the power music can have in film.
Favorite moment: Just described it.
80. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
The deliberate contrast drawn between the horrific violence that is a reality in our world and the dark and scary fantasy world of the little girls makes this movie. And del Toro's decision to not tip his hand, and not ever definitively tell us whether or not this fantasy world is real or not - and, by extension, whether or not the ending is triumphant or tragic - is the perfect one.
Favorite moment: The ending, with its juxtaposition of the tragic death of the little girl and her being received as royalty in the magic kingdom, and how neither reality is given favor over the other.
Until Whenever
Continuing my countdown of my 100 favorite (not the best - my favorite) films.
89. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
As good as Jim Carrey is in this film, it's Kate Winslet who really makes the movie. She's adorable, frustrating, off-putting and real, and she just commands the screen whenever she's on it. Of course, it's the twisty, inventive, Moebius-strip screenplay that's the real star, but it's worth highlighting that all of the inventiveness and formal play with structure is in service to a sweet, tender, and all-too real romance, and that it's the success of that romance - that oh-so-old-fashioned story - that allow the film to work.
Favorite moment--When we see that initial meeting on the bus again at the end, and realize the full import of what we saw in the beginning. A sterling example of the "show the audience something at the beginning and then call it back at the end, changing its meaning through new information.
88. Apollo 13 (1995)
Sometimes the best strategy is no strategy - Apollo 13 works as well as it does because it eschews fancy subtexts, framing devices, or other structural sleight-of-hand to just tell us, in a very straightforward, direct way, what happened, trusting that the suspense inherent in the story (and the audience's awareness of the story's truthfulness) is all that is needed. Add in rock-solid, non-showy performances from Ton Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan, and perfectly pitched and economically used filming in real zero-g and you have a great, old-fashioned film.
Favorite moment: The elation in mission control when they get the image of the safely-landed astronauts.
87. Chasing Amy (1997)
The only Kevin Smith film in which his stunning inadequacies as a director are masked enough to let his stylized, original, and funny voice as a screenwriter shine. Ben Affleck may have never been better and Joey Lauren Adams is great in her specificity - she never connected as a real "star" precisely because she's so real. I see-saw on whether or not the whole "I must sleep with my best friend" ending is clever or completely contrived, but the rest of the movie feels organic and whole in a way none of Smith's other films do.
Favorite moment: The ending. I'd imagine there were forces (maybe even from Smith himself) pushing for more closure, but, like The Sopranos ending, ambiguity was absolutely called for.
86. Jerry Maguire (1996)
Another movie I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to hate, but Cruise is very, very good here, as is Zellweger. And Crowe does a very god job of keeping the love story as pretty much b-plot, and making the real plot more about Jerry himself and his struggle to change. And any movie that lets Bonnie Hunt do what she does best is doing something right.
Favorite moment: The clumsy and awkward, very naturalistic, seduction on the front steps after Jerry and Dorothy's date.
85. Boogie Nights (1997)
What I love about this film is how it doesn't moralize or glamorize the porn industry, but just portrays it in a very matter-of-fact way, while not shying away from the effect on the psyche that being a porn actor must have. And the cast is great, especially Julianne Moore (but when is she ever not good?).
Favorite moment: The Wahlberg character's first time on screen, and the way Julianne Moore plays the moment.
84. Superman II (1980)
As much as I might bemoan some of the more regrettable things in this film (the cellophane "S," the indulgence of too much heavy-handed comic relief, the cop out of an ending), the things it gets right (the big brawl in downtown New York, the emotion invested in Clark's decision to give up his powers, Margot Kidder's performance, the too-awesome-for words moment where Superman finally bows to Zod, in total silence, and then we hear a lone trumpet play the Superman theme, and we see Zod begin to grimace in pain as a still-powered Superman crushed his (Zod's) now-mortal hand) totally make up for them.
Favorite moment: I think I described it just now.
83. The Forty-Year Old Virgin (2005)
Sweet, raunchy, hilarious, touching, joy-inducing - this film is everything so many comedies--especially romantic comedies--try to be. And Steve Carrell puts in a performance for the ages, fully inhabiting the awkwardness, shyness, and clumsiness of the character.
Favorite moment: Music is used as a metaphor for orgasmic joy as Andy and the cast erupt into an extended song and dance number.
82. King Kong (2005)
I admit openly that this makes me a philistine - but in what way is the original superior to this remake? Kong is more of an actual character. The action is more intense and suspenseful. The acting is superior. The dialogue is less stilted and more natural. Maybe the score isn't as good. But, seriously, what else isn't? I think there's an odd tendency to lionize earlier special effects as more "authentic" than modern effects, as if a small puppet posed and photographed thousands of times is a more valid, "real" way of creating the illusion of a giant ape than animating a 3D model of an ape on a computer and inserting it into the film. They're both fake. The Kong in the original wasn't real, any more than the CGI version. But the second does a better job of creating the illusion of a real giant ape (as it should - if filmmakers hadn't figured out how to do a better job in 70 years that would be pretty sad, no?)
Favorite moment: Kong falls in love with Naomi Watts. (And all of the reviews that complained about the unspoken oddness of an animal loving a human have never seen a dog and its owner. Love doesn't have to be sexual. The Naomi Watts character loved Kong, and he she, but in much the same way that a human loves a faithful pet. And part of what I love about the film is that it doesn't hesitate to treat this kind of love with respect and awe.)
81. Glory (1989)
I honestly believe that this film would be half of what it is without James Horner's brilliant score. That much-commented on moment when the Denzel Washington character is whipped, and we see a single tear streak down his otherwise stoic face would lose a lot of its power without such wondrous music behind it. This film is one that, for me, really highlights the power music can have in film.
Favorite moment: Just described it.
80. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
The deliberate contrast drawn between the horrific violence that is a reality in our world and the dark and scary fantasy world of the little girls makes this movie. And del Toro's decision to not tip his hand, and not ever definitively tell us whether or not this fantasy world is real or not - and, by extension, whether or not the ending is triumphant or tragic - is the perfect one.
Favorite moment: The ending, with its juxtaposition of the tragic death of the little girl and her being received as royalty in the magic kingdom, and how neither reality is given favor over the other.
Until Whenever
Doin' the Friday Shuffle
1. "I'm a Man" - The Who - Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
The Who doing some old-school Blues.
2. ""Now that the daylight fills the sky" - Benjamin Britten - Peter Grimes
A sweet and hopeful aria above some chanted, lightly ominous choral background singing.
3. "Goodbye George" - Ann Reed - Eddie Griffin's Law and Order Mix
A bit of 'Nawlins, zydeco-sounding stuff, with some way too on-the-nose political lyrics for my taste.
4. "Broadway Baby" - Sondheim (sung by Elaine Stritch) - Follies in Concert at Lincoln Center (1985)
A deftly comic performance. Stritch gets more laughs with a single syllable than many singers can get with entire scores.
5. "Spread a Little Sunshine" - Stephen Schwartz - Pippin (Original Broadway Cast)
A sweet melody over some insinuatingly cynical and self-serving lyrics. An old trick, but a good one.
6. "Nothing Is Good Enough" - Aimee Mann - Bachelor #2
One of those songs where it's really the accompaniment I love, rather than the melody. That steady, resigned piano vamp just gets its hooks in.
7. "Auto Show" - Sondheim - Stavisky
Old-fashioned, twenties pastiche.
8. "The Playboy Mansion" - U2 - Pop
Not one of my favorite songs. I appreciate the intent, but at the end of the day, U2 is just a bit too earnest to pull off the laid-back air the song luxuriates in.
9. "The Kiss" - Philip Glass - The Hours
A haunting, sweetly sad score.
10. "Farewell, Angelina" - John Mellencamp - Rough Harvest
The highlight of this album of alternate takes and cast offs - a beautifully countrified rendition of a little-known Dylan song.
Until Whenever
1. "I'm a Man" - The Who - Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
The Who doing some old-school Blues.
2. ""Now that the daylight fills the sky" - Benjamin Britten - Peter Grimes
A sweet and hopeful aria above some chanted, lightly ominous choral background singing.
3. "Goodbye George" - Ann Reed - Eddie Griffin's Law and Order Mix
A bit of 'Nawlins, zydeco-sounding stuff, with some way too on-the-nose political lyrics for my taste.
4. "Broadway Baby" - Sondheim (sung by Elaine Stritch) - Follies in Concert at Lincoln Center (1985)
A deftly comic performance. Stritch gets more laughs with a single syllable than many singers can get with entire scores.
5. "Spread a Little Sunshine" - Stephen Schwartz - Pippin (Original Broadway Cast)
A sweet melody over some insinuatingly cynical and self-serving lyrics. An old trick, but a good one.
6. "Nothing Is Good Enough" - Aimee Mann - Bachelor #2
One of those songs where it's really the accompaniment I love, rather than the melody. That steady, resigned piano vamp just gets its hooks in.
7. "Auto Show" - Sondheim - Stavisky
Old-fashioned, twenties pastiche.
8. "The Playboy Mansion" - U2 - Pop
Not one of my favorite songs. I appreciate the intent, but at the end of the day, U2 is just a bit too earnest to pull off the laid-back air the song luxuriates in.
9. "The Kiss" - Philip Glass - The Hours
A haunting, sweetly sad score.
10. "Farewell, Angelina" - John Mellencamp - Rough Harvest
The highlight of this album of alternate takes and cast offs - a beautifully countrified rendition of a little-known Dylan song.
Until Whenever
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
The T&C 100 - 90-100
Inspired by the AFI list and all the dialogue around it, I present the Tosy and Cosh 100 - Tosy and Cosh's 100 favorite movies. Please note carefully - these are not what I consider the "best" films ever. Nor are they the best of the films I've seen. They are my favorites. There are films even within the list that I'd rank differently if going just by quality. But in terms of my favorites, these are them.
100. As Good As It Gets (1997)
I know there's a lot of hate out there for this film, and Helen Hunt's Oscar for it, but I found it charming, funny, and engaging - three qualities I appreciate in a film. I thought Nicholson did a good job of portraying some of what that kind of disorder might entail (if not in the documentary sense pf "realism") and that the love story between him and the Hunt character was handled deftly - that is, never overdramatized. One gets the feeling at the end that these two probably won't really make it as a couple, and that that's OK - an ending not many big Hollywood romantic comedies can countenance.
Favorite moment--The Greg Kinnear character's epiphany, as he sketched the very fetching naked Helen Hunt.
99. Dead Again (1991)
This tightly constructed, very fun, very deliberately old-fashioned thriller starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson seems to be mostly forgotten these days, and that's a shame. It's a nicely twisty, robustly acted thriller whose final twist is as good as many of the more-commented-on twists of more recent vintage.
Favorite moment--The revelation of the twist at the end, which is handled very cleanly.
98. Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Gene Wilder's performance here is one of my all-time favorite performances. He gets the tone, of off-kilter surreality and genuine heart, just right, by very deliberately being very, very stingy with the heart. And Hey! It's a musical! With some wonderfully sticky novelty melodies for the Oompa-Loompas and a great ballad in "Pure Imagination."
Favorite moment--Wilder's play acting at a physical handicap in when we first meet him. When he executed the somersault I always give out a little cheer.
97. Batman (1989)
As much as I love Batman Begins, it hasn't stayed with me enough (yet) to crack the list. And while there are pieces of the 1989 film I'll never love (the Prince stuff, the lack of a coherent plot), it has enough wonderful stuff (the set design, Michael Keaton's and Jack Nicholson's performances) to make up for it.
Favorite moment--It's cliched, but that first appearance of Batman. They nailed it.
96. Tootsie (1982)
Perhaps my favorite talking-head moment of the AFI special was of Dustin Hoffman remembering how much he learned by playing an unattractive woman, and how much it forced him to realize how he, as a man, had dismissed so many potentially wonderful women because they were unattractive. Honesty like that is rarely forthcoming from a Hollywood star. As for the film, it holds up so well because Hoffman's central performance is so committed and lived in, and never treated less-than honestly, and because the supporting cast is so good around the edges. I mean, if you think back - Dabney Coleman, Jessica Lange, Terri Garr, Bil Murray, Charles Durning, Geena Davis - was anyone not excellent in this movie?
Favorite moment--Dorothy's improvised reveal at the end. Hoffman plays the improvised part of it so well--you really believe he is making it all up off the cuff.
95. Parenthood (1989)
I just saw this again the other night, and was reminded of what a great job it did of being very, very funny and emotionally honest about the dynamics of being a parent and being part of a family. Which is not an easy mix to nail. (This relatively real and honest dynamic is with the exception of the dynamic between the Rick Moranis and Harley Kozak characters and their precocious genius daughter, which feels, in relation to the rest of the film, very forced and exaggerated.) And Jason Robards puts in one of my all-time favorite performances as the family's patriarch.
Favorite moment--Jason Robards' short scene with his character's young grandson, whose black sheep father is abandoning him. Watch the way Robards answers the kids questions:
Kid: My Daddy said he is going away.
JR: Yep.
Kid: Is he coming back?
JR: No.
(beat)
JR: Would you like to stay here with us?
Kid: (Nods enthusiastically)
JR: Good.
94. Ghostbusters (1984)
Still the best sci-fi/comedy, not that that's saying that much. But the chemistry between Murray, Ramis, and Ackroyd is a joy.
Favorite moment: The first confrontation with a ghost in the ballroom. The three comedians really do a good job of playing the absurdity of it all with an appropriately skewed straight face.
93. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Broderick has really never been better (I say that as someone who did not see The Producers on Broadway, however). The movie's such a canny blend of absurdism and more traditional teen-aged highjinks. It shouldn't work, but it does.
Favorite moment--Ferris' introductions to the audience at the beginning. Establishes the tone and lead right from the top.
92. The Breakfast Club (1985)
Probably not as deep as I thought it was at thirteen, but still a very well-written, well-constructed film. Given the near-unity of scene, this could almost be a play. I like that Hughes didn't feel the need to whitewash his characters too much - they are arrogant, jerky, selfish, immature, and assholes. They are teens.
Favorite moment--The sadistic battle between the principal (vice principal?) and Judd Nelson character. ("I own you.")
91. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Morgan Freeman is divine, Hilary Swank is wholly convincing, and Clint Eastwood is as steady a center as comes. I know this officially makes me a philistine, but why Raging Bull is "great," and this "melodramatic," I simply do not understand.
Favorite moment--The look on Swank's character's face during her first fight.
90. Philadelphia (1993)
The film that made a world stand up and say "Oh! Tom Hanks can act!"I always liked that the real arc in the film is the Denzel Washington character's. And for all of the film's obviousness in being Hollywood's first big-budget AIDS film, it never shies away from the disease's reality. But it does shy away in showing any real love between the Tom Hanks and Antonio Banderas characters, which will always be a serious mark against it.
Favorite moment: The last scene, scored to that gorgeous eulogy of a Neil Young song, "Philadelphia."
Until Whenever
Inspired by the AFI list and all the dialogue around it, I present the Tosy and Cosh 100 - Tosy and Cosh's 100 favorite movies. Please note carefully - these are not what I consider the "best" films ever. Nor are they the best of the films I've seen. They are my favorites. There are films even within the list that I'd rank differently if going just by quality. But in terms of my favorites, these are them.
100. As Good As It Gets (1997)
I know there's a lot of hate out there for this film, and Helen Hunt's Oscar for it, but I found it charming, funny, and engaging - three qualities I appreciate in a film. I thought Nicholson did a good job of portraying some of what that kind of disorder might entail (if not in the documentary sense pf "realism") and that the love story between him and the Hunt character was handled deftly - that is, never overdramatized. One gets the feeling at the end that these two probably won't really make it as a couple, and that that's OK - an ending not many big Hollywood romantic comedies can countenance.
Favorite moment--The Greg Kinnear character's epiphany, as he sketched the very fetching naked Helen Hunt.
99. Dead Again (1991)
This tightly constructed, very fun, very deliberately old-fashioned thriller starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson seems to be mostly forgotten these days, and that's a shame. It's a nicely twisty, robustly acted thriller whose final twist is as good as many of the more-commented-on twists of more recent vintage.
Favorite moment--The revelation of the twist at the end, which is handled very cleanly.
98. Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Gene Wilder's performance here is one of my all-time favorite performances. He gets the tone, of off-kilter surreality and genuine heart, just right, by very deliberately being very, very stingy with the heart. And Hey! It's a musical! With some wonderfully sticky novelty melodies for the Oompa-Loompas and a great ballad in "Pure Imagination."
Favorite moment--Wilder's play acting at a physical handicap in when we first meet him. When he executed the somersault I always give out a little cheer.
97. Batman (1989)
As much as I love Batman Begins, it hasn't stayed with me enough (yet) to crack the list. And while there are pieces of the 1989 film I'll never love (the Prince stuff, the lack of a coherent plot), it has enough wonderful stuff (the set design, Michael Keaton's and Jack Nicholson's performances) to make up for it.
Favorite moment--It's cliched, but that first appearance of Batman. They nailed it.
96. Tootsie (1982)
Perhaps my favorite talking-head moment of the AFI special was of Dustin Hoffman remembering how much he learned by playing an unattractive woman, and how much it forced him to realize how he, as a man, had dismissed so many potentially wonderful women because they were unattractive. Honesty like that is rarely forthcoming from a Hollywood star. As for the film, it holds up so well because Hoffman's central performance is so committed and lived in, and never treated less-than honestly, and because the supporting cast is so good around the edges. I mean, if you think back - Dabney Coleman, Jessica Lange, Terri Garr, Bil Murray, Charles Durning, Geena Davis - was anyone not excellent in this movie?
Favorite moment--Dorothy's improvised reveal at the end. Hoffman plays the improvised part of it so well--you really believe he is making it all up off the cuff.
95. Parenthood (1989)
I just saw this again the other night, and was reminded of what a great job it did of being very, very funny and emotionally honest about the dynamics of being a parent and being part of a family. Which is not an easy mix to nail. (This relatively real and honest dynamic is with the exception of the dynamic between the Rick Moranis and Harley Kozak characters and their precocious genius daughter, which feels, in relation to the rest of the film, very forced and exaggerated.) And Jason Robards puts in one of my all-time favorite performances as the family's patriarch.
Favorite moment--Jason Robards' short scene with his character's young grandson, whose black sheep father is abandoning him. Watch the way Robards answers the kids questions:
Kid: My Daddy said he is going away.
JR: Yep.
Kid: Is he coming back?
JR: No.
(beat)
JR: Would you like to stay here with us?
Kid: (Nods enthusiastically)
JR: Good.
94. Ghostbusters (1984)
Still the best sci-fi/comedy, not that that's saying that much. But the chemistry between Murray, Ramis, and Ackroyd is a joy.
Favorite moment: The first confrontation with a ghost in the ballroom. The three comedians really do a good job of playing the absurdity of it all with an appropriately skewed straight face.
93. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Broderick has really never been better (I say that as someone who did not see The Producers on Broadway, however). The movie's such a canny blend of absurdism and more traditional teen-aged highjinks. It shouldn't work, but it does.
Favorite moment--Ferris' introductions to the audience at the beginning. Establishes the tone and lead right from the top.
92. The Breakfast Club (1985)
Probably not as deep as I thought it was at thirteen, but still a very well-written, well-constructed film. Given the near-unity of scene, this could almost be a play. I like that Hughes didn't feel the need to whitewash his characters too much - they are arrogant, jerky, selfish, immature, and assholes. They are teens.
Favorite moment--The sadistic battle between the principal (vice principal?) and Judd Nelson character. ("I own you.")
91. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Morgan Freeman is divine, Hilary Swank is wholly convincing, and Clint Eastwood is as steady a center as comes. I know this officially makes me a philistine, but why Raging Bull is "great," and this "melodramatic," I simply do not understand.
Favorite moment--The look on Swank's character's face during her first fight.
90. Philadelphia (1993)
The film that made a world stand up and say "Oh! Tom Hanks can act!"I always liked that the real arc in the film is the Denzel Washington character's. And for all of the film's obviousness in being Hollywood's first big-budget AIDS film, it never shies away from the disease's reality. But it does shy away in showing any real love between the Tom Hanks and Antonio Banderas characters, which will always be a serious mark against it.
Favorite moment: The last scene, scored to that gorgeous eulogy of a Neil Young song, "Philadelphia."
Until Whenever
The Cover Game
Haven't done this in a year. The game: What of your favorite artists' songs would you love to hear a certain singer cover? This edition's contestant: Elvis Costello, a true rock singer.
U2
"Stay (Faraway, So Close)" - This almost sounds like an Elvis ballad all by itself.
Bob Dylan
Elvis had done at least one Dylan cover already ("You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"), but I'd love to hear him tackle some late-Dylan. Maybe "Tryin' to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door."
Radiohead
"National Anthem" - Angry Elvis would have a ball with this.
John Mellencamp
"Minutes to Memories" - Some nice slower passages, a fairly rocking chorus, plenty of pathos.
Fiona Apple
"Shadowboxer" - Elvis would have a good time with that snaky melody.
Aimee Mann
"Driving Sideways" - A sidesliding melody Elvis would dig his teeth into.
The Beatles
"In My Life" - One of my favorite Beatles tunes, but I'm not a huge fan of John or Paul as singers.
The Beach Boys
He's already done God Only Knows," and that's in brutal honesty the only Beach Boys song I really care about.
Bruce Springsteen
He's done "Brilliant Disguise," but I'd love to hear him do the gentler "Valentine's Day."
Dire Straits
"Brothers in Arms" - The cliche choice, but a hard one to deny.
Neil Young
"Rockin' in the Free World" - Elvis really needs to cover this spiritual descendant of "What's So Funny? (About Peace Love, and Understanding)"
Paul Simon
"The Obvious Child" - I can somehow hear Elvis doing this. And it's good.
The Who
"Love, Reign O'er Me" - Give that Costello scream a workout.
Queen
"Under Pressure" - As good as he is, Elvis isn't really a fit for much of Queen' he's not inherently theatrical enough.
Sting
"I'm So Happy, I can't Stop Crying" - Elvis has shown a sure hand with country stylings before.
Tracy Chapman
"Behind the Wall" - A masculine interpretation of this bare-bones a capella heartbreaker would be tres intriguing.
Until Whenever
Haven't done this in a year. The game: What of your favorite artists' songs would you love to hear a certain singer cover? This edition's contestant: Elvis Costello, a true rock singer.
U2
"Stay (Faraway, So Close)" - This almost sounds like an Elvis ballad all by itself.
Bob Dylan
Elvis had done at least one Dylan cover already ("You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"), but I'd love to hear him tackle some late-Dylan. Maybe "Tryin' to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door."
Radiohead
"National Anthem" - Angry Elvis would have a ball with this.
John Mellencamp
"Minutes to Memories" - Some nice slower passages, a fairly rocking chorus, plenty of pathos.
Fiona Apple
"Shadowboxer" - Elvis would have a good time with that snaky melody.
Aimee Mann
"Driving Sideways" - A sidesliding melody Elvis would dig his teeth into.
The Beatles
"In My Life" - One of my favorite Beatles tunes, but I'm not a huge fan of John or Paul as singers.
The Beach Boys
He's already done God Only Knows," and that's in brutal honesty the only Beach Boys song I really care about.
Bruce Springsteen
He's done "Brilliant Disguise," but I'd love to hear him do the gentler "Valentine's Day."
Dire Straits
"Brothers in Arms" - The cliche choice, but a hard one to deny.
Neil Young
"Rockin' in the Free World" - Elvis really needs to cover this spiritual descendant of "What's So Funny? (About Peace Love, and Understanding)"
Paul Simon
"The Obvious Child" - I can somehow hear Elvis doing this. And it's good.
The Who
"Love, Reign O'er Me" - Give that Costello scream a workout.
Queen
"Under Pressure" - As good as he is, Elvis isn't really a fit for much of Queen' he's not inherently theatrical enough.
Sting
"I'm So Happy, I can't Stop Crying" - Elvis has shown a sure hand with country stylings before.
Tracy Chapman
"Behind the Wall" - A masculine interpretation of this bare-bones a capella heartbreaker would be tres intriguing.
Until Whenever
The Refuge of the Uninspired
A meme! Courtesy of Jaquandor, who tagged me but good.
INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
1. The Urban Recluse
2. No Smoking in the Skull Cave
3. Electronic Cerebrectomy
4. Byzantium's Shores
5. Tosy and Cosh
Next, select five people to tag.
Anyone I would tag has already done it, I think. But for giggles:
1. What's Alan Watching
2. Swimming in Champagne
3. South Dakota Dark
4. Ramblin' With Roger
5. LeftyBrown's Corner
And, after what felt like unduly preliminaries, the questions:
What were you doing ten years ago?
Dealing with very early wedding planning stuff, as a newly engaged man.
What were you doing one year ago?
Looking forward to what would turn out to be a wonderful vacation to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
Five snacks you enjoy.
1. Good, warm, soft oatmeal raisin cookies
2. Frozen Charleston Chews
3. A bowl of fresh blueberries with a healthy dollop of Reddi-Whip on top
4. A thick and frosty coffee shake
5. Good, fresh pita and hummus
Five songs to which you know all the lyrics.
1. "Where the Streets Have No Name"
2. "Being Alive"
3. "Loving You"
4. "Edelweiss"
5. "Something Good"
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire.
1. Write more.
2. Travel (a lot more)
3. See more theater
4. Take the kids more places
5. buy more toys
Five bad habits.
1. Biting my nails.
2. Procrastination
3. General messiness
4. Rushing through tasks
5. A certain solipsism
Five things you like doing.
1. Swimming in the cool, clear creeks in New Hampshire
2. Going out for ice cream. So much better than eating it at home, no?
3. Going to the library/taking the kids to the library
4. Playing basketball (note to self: get in shape!)
5. Going out to a nice dinner
Five things you would never wear again.
Skipping. I really can't think of things I had to wear that I couldn't/wouldn't wear again.
Until Whenever
A meme! Courtesy of Jaquandor, who tagged me but good.
INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
1. The Urban Recluse
2. No Smoking in the Skull Cave
3. Electronic Cerebrectomy
4. Byzantium's Shores
5. Tosy and Cosh
Next, select five people to tag.
Anyone I would tag has already done it, I think. But for giggles:
1. What's Alan Watching
2. Swimming in Champagne
3. South Dakota Dark
4. Ramblin' With Roger
5. LeftyBrown's Corner
And, after what felt like unduly preliminaries, the questions:
What were you doing ten years ago?
Dealing with very early wedding planning stuff, as a newly engaged man.
What were you doing one year ago?
Looking forward to what would turn out to be a wonderful vacation to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
Five snacks you enjoy.
1. Good, warm, soft oatmeal raisin cookies
2. Frozen Charleston Chews
3. A bowl of fresh blueberries with a healthy dollop of Reddi-Whip on top
4. A thick and frosty coffee shake
5. Good, fresh pita and hummus
Five songs to which you know all the lyrics.
1. "Where the Streets Have No Name"
2. "Being Alive"
3. "Loving You"
4. "Edelweiss"
5. "Something Good"
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire.
1. Write more.
2. Travel (a lot more)
3. See more theater
4. Take the kids more places
5. buy more toys
Five bad habits.
1. Biting my nails.
2. Procrastination
3. General messiness
4. Rushing through tasks
5. A certain solipsism
Five things you like doing.
1. Swimming in the cool, clear creeks in New Hampshire
2. Going out for ice cream. So much better than eating it at home, no?
3. Going to the library/taking the kids to the library
4. Playing basketball (note to self: get in shape!)
5. Going out to a nice dinner
Five things you would never wear again.
Skipping. I really can't think of things I had to wear that I couldn't/wouldn't wear again.
Until Whenever
Friday, June 29, 2007
Post-Mortem
Watching the (interminable) five-part finale of Studio 60 (finally) conclude last night, I was struck again that much of this could have been salvageable had Sorkin made the show within a show a late-night news show (something Nightline-like) and not a sketch comedy show. That would have let him embed the political stuff a lot more smoothly. As it was, a lot of the comedy stuff felt forced and faked, and the political stuff - generally speaking, the good stuff - felt shoehorned in. Even the Harriett-Matt stuff might have worked better in such a scenario - neither Harriett or Matt ever felt loose or cutting enough to be comedy geniuses, but instead felt oddly buttoned-up - which might have worked well for a writer and anchor at a news show.
That being said, the series did give us some nice moments, the Christmas episode being the highlight, especially the brass band finale. And it showed us that Bradley Whitford could play someone besides Josh Lyman (his Danny was different enough to impress, if not different enough to wow me) and that Steven Weber has real chops.
What last night's finale really left me wondering, though, is if Sorkin - who has a new Broadway play scheduled for the Fall and a Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts political film scheduled for Christmas release - will at some point return to TV. I still suspect that TV is his natural medium, although the aforementioned projects may in the end prove me wrong. But this can't have been a fun experience, especially given the clearly personal nature of the writing. Has he been scared off for good? Or will learn from the mistakes made here and try again at some point? I'm curious to learn the answer.
One more thing - how weird must it have been for Kristen Chenowith (the real-life inspiration for the Harriett character) to watch that episode?
Until Whenever
Doin' the Friday Shuffle
1. "The Sounds of Silence" - Paul Simon (sung by Jason Raize) - Paul Simon - Broadway Sings the Best of Paul Simon
Wow, this is even worse than I remembered. Just really, really bad, badly arranged, sung, and over-produced. And I like Broadway stylings!
2. "Love Takes Time/Remember?/In Praise of Women/Perpetual Anticipation/The Sun won't Set" - Stephen Sondheim - Putting It Together (1993 New York Cast)
Another loser. Not a real medley fan. Although Julie Andrews singing Sondheim does have much to recommend it.
3. "Overture" - The Who - Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
Maybe my favorite rock instrumental ever.
4. "Into the Forest" - Danny Elfman - Corpse Bride
A relatively recent acquisition I have yet to get into. The few listens I've given it, though, are encouraging.
5. "Quiet" - Paul Simon - You're the One
A slow, moody, monotonous piece. A bit too slow, moody, and monotonous, truth be told.
6. "Staring at the Sun" - U2 - Pop
A great song that got a little lost in the studio, as the live acoustic version suggested.
7. "Drifter's Escape" - Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding
I quite like the mild-mannered, shuffling phase of Dylan's career that culminated here. this song has a great little groove, and a nicely earnest and keening vocal from Dylan.
8. "My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home" - Sting - Songs from the Labyrinth
I like this album of John Downland lute music by Sting, but maybe not as much as I expected to. Pleasant stuff, though.
9. "Rejoice" - U2 - October
That opening riff became a kind of iconic U2 riff, and rightly so. It's hard not to be charmed by Bono's earnestness here: "I can't change the world/But I can change the world in me." Cute, no?
10. "School Days Medley" - Mandy Patinkin - Kidults
consisting of a nicely arranged melding of "Inchworm," "School Days," and "Time in a Bottle." I know I said I don't generally like medleys, but, well, "generally." This one's well-executed.
Until Whenever
1. "The Sounds of Silence" - Paul Simon (sung by Jason Raize) - Paul Simon - Broadway Sings the Best of Paul Simon
Wow, this is even worse than I remembered. Just really, really bad, badly arranged, sung, and over-produced. And I like Broadway stylings!
2. "Love Takes Time/Remember?/In Praise of Women/Perpetual Anticipation/The Sun won't Set" - Stephen Sondheim - Putting It Together (1993 New York Cast)
Another loser. Not a real medley fan. Although Julie Andrews singing Sondheim does have much to recommend it.
3. "Overture" - The Who - Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
Maybe my favorite rock instrumental ever.
4. "Into the Forest" - Danny Elfman - Corpse Bride
A relatively recent acquisition I have yet to get into. The few listens I've given it, though, are encouraging.
5. "Quiet" - Paul Simon - You're the One
A slow, moody, monotonous piece. A bit too slow, moody, and monotonous, truth be told.
6. "Staring at the Sun" - U2 - Pop
A great song that got a little lost in the studio, as the live acoustic version suggested.
7. "Drifter's Escape" - Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding
I quite like the mild-mannered, shuffling phase of Dylan's career that culminated here. this song has a great little groove, and a nicely earnest and keening vocal from Dylan.
8. "My Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home" - Sting - Songs from the Labyrinth
I like this album of John Downland lute music by Sting, but maybe not as much as I expected to. Pleasant stuff, though.
9. "Rejoice" - U2 - October
That opening riff became a kind of iconic U2 riff, and rightly so. It's hard not to be charmed by Bono's earnestness here: "I can't change the world/But I can change the world in me." Cute, no?
10. "School Days Medley" - Mandy Patinkin - Kidults
consisting of a nicely arranged melding of "Inchworm," "School Days," and "Time in a Bottle." I know I said I don't generally like medleys, but, well, "generally." This one's well-executed.
Until Whenever
Things I Want Vol. XXXIII
I don't own any action figures, really. I'm not that kind of a pop culture geek. But every so often I'll see something that, inexplicably, I just want. This is one of those times.
I don't own any action figures, really. I'm not that kind of a pop culture geek. But every so often I'll see something that, inexplicably, I just want. This is one of those times.
I have no idea why, but this Freddie Mercury action figure just speaks to me. It calls to me. I wants it.
Until Whenever
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Name That Tune
Giving up. Below are the the answers for the other seven lyrics.
Keeping this on top for a while in hopes of getting some more folks to play along. Samurai Frog, the only guesser this far, got two.
A fun meme stolen from the Samurai Frog. iPod on random, I post a lyric, you guess the song! I will only put up ten of these though, because . . . well, because I'm lazy. Guesses in the comments!!
1.
Jonathan Larson - "La Vie Boheme," from Rent
To hand-crafted beers made in local breweries
To yoga, to yogurt, to rice and beans and cheese
To leather, to dildos, to curry vindaloo
To huevos rancheros, and Maya Angelou
2.
Stephen Sondheim, "First Letter," from Passion
Clara, I cried
Imagine that, a soldier who cries
I had to hide my eyes, so the others on the train
That carried me away from you
Would think I was asleep
3.
Bob Dylan, "A Simple Twist of Fate," from Blood on the Tracks
They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him and he felt a spark
Tingle to his bones.
Twas then he felt alone
And wished that he'd gone straight
4.
"Can't Stand Losing You" - The Police
I guess this is our last goodbye
And you don't care, so I wont cry
But you'll be sorry when I'm dead
And all this guilt will be on your head
I guess you'd call it suicide
But I'm too full to swallow my pride
5.
Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, "Rhode Island Is Famous for You"
Copper comes from Arizona
Peaches come from Georgia
Lobsters come from Maine
The sweet fields are the wheat fields of Nebraska
And Kansas gets bonanzas from the grain
6.
Norman Stiles and Christopher Cerf, "Put Down the Duckie," sung by Ernie and Hoots the Owl
Excuse me, Mr. Hoots
I hate to bug a busy bird
But I want to learn the sax
And I need a helpful word
I always get a silly squeak
When I play the blues
7.
Stephen Sondheim, "Waiting Around for the Girls Upstairs," Follies
Hearing the sound of the girls above
Dressing to go on the town.
Clicking heels on steel and cement
Picking up the giggles floating down through the vent
Goddamndest hours that I ever spent
8.
"An Cat Dubh, U2, Boy
And in the daylight
A blackbird makes a violent sight
And when she is done
She sleeps beside the one
9.
"Type" - Living Colour
We are the children of concrete and steel
This is the place where the truth is concealed
This is the time when the lie is revealed
Everything is possible, but nothing is real
10.
"Oh, What a Circus!" - Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice (sung by Mandy Patinkin) - Evita
Sing you fools, but you got it wrong
Enjoy your prayers because you haven't got long
Your queen is dead
Your king is through
And she's not coming back to you
Until Whenever
Giving up. Below are the the answers for the other seven lyrics.
Keeping this on top for a while in hopes of getting some more folks to play along. Samurai Frog, the only guesser this far, got two.
A fun meme stolen from the Samurai Frog. iPod on random, I post a lyric, you guess the song! I will only put up ten of these though, because . . . well, because I'm lazy. Guesses in the comments!!
1.
Jonathan Larson - "La Vie Boheme," from Rent
To hand-crafted beers made in local breweries
To yoga, to yogurt, to rice and beans and cheese
To leather, to dildos, to curry vindaloo
To huevos rancheros, and Maya Angelou
2.
Stephen Sondheim, "First Letter," from Passion
Clara, I cried
Imagine that, a soldier who cries
I had to hide my eyes, so the others on the train
That carried me away from you
Would think I was asleep
3.
Bob Dylan, "A Simple Twist of Fate," from Blood on the Tracks
They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him and he felt a spark
Tingle to his bones.
Twas then he felt alone
And wished that he'd gone straight
4.
"Can't Stand Losing You" - The Police
I guess this is our last goodbye
And you don't care, so I wont cry
But you'll be sorry when I'm dead
And all this guilt will be on your head
I guess you'd call it suicide
But I'm too full to swallow my pride
5.
Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, "Rhode Island Is Famous for You"
Copper comes from Arizona
Peaches come from Georgia
Lobsters come from Maine
The sweet fields are the wheat fields of Nebraska
And Kansas gets bonanzas from the grain
6.
Norman Stiles and Christopher Cerf, "Put Down the Duckie," sung by Ernie and Hoots the Owl
Excuse me, Mr. Hoots
I hate to bug a busy bird
But I want to learn the sax
And I need a helpful word
I always get a silly squeak
When I play the blues
7.
Stephen Sondheim, "Waiting Around for the Girls Upstairs," Follies
Hearing the sound of the girls above
Dressing to go on the town.
Clicking heels on steel and cement
Picking up the giggles floating down through the vent
Goddamndest hours that I ever spent
8.
"An Cat Dubh, U2, Boy
And in the daylight
A blackbird makes a violent sight
And when she is done
She sleeps beside the one
9.
"Type" - Living Colour
We are the children of concrete and steel
This is the place where the truth is concealed
This is the time when the lie is revealed
Everything is possible, but nothing is real
10.
"Oh, What a Circus!" - Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice (sung by Mandy Patinkin) - Evita
Sing you fools, but you got it wrong
Enjoy your prayers because you haven't got long
Your queen is dead
Your king is through
And she's not coming back to you
Until Whenever
Random Top Ten
Random Top Ten!!!
Top Ten TV Theme Songs
Well not so random, actually. Ken Levine notes a passing meme asking bloggers to list their favorite TV themes. So:
10. Welcome Back, Kotter
So sweet and nostalgic and yet not cloying. Like the theme much better than the show, actually.
9. Chicago Hope
The original theme was a beautiful piece of music, with some elegant trumpet fanfares. They switched it out after the first season for something serviceable, but lesser.
8. Peter Gunn
As a child of the 80s, this is of course the theme to the arcade game Spy Hunter. So cool.
7. M*A*S*H
Such a sad, despondent little tune for a comedy.
6. Incredible Hulk
A perfectly simple and effective moody, sad piano theme.
5. Mission Impossible
An instantly iconic piece of music-making. One of those melodies that seems like it always existed.
4. The Simpsons
As much as I love Alf Clausen's scoring work for the series proper, Danny Elfman contributed a remarkable bit of music here, with snappy horns and a sense of controlled chaos that fits the show to a T.
3. Sesame Street
Come on. This is good stuff.
2. The Muppet Show
My pulse still quickens upon hearing this, just as it did when the show would start when I was a kid.
1. Taxi
One of only two of these themes on my iPod (the other is the Sesame Street theme, which is on a decent CD of music from the show I got for my kids). A great little smooth jazz piece, with that distinctly 70s combo of flute and electric piano.
Until Whenever
Random Top Ten!!!
Top Ten TV Theme Songs
Well not so random, actually. Ken Levine notes a passing meme asking bloggers to list their favorite TV themes. So:
10. Welcome Back, Kotter
So sweet and nostalgic and yet not cloying. Like the theme much better than the show, actually.
9. Chicago Hope
The original theme was a beautiful piece of music, with some elegant trumpet fanfares. They switched it out after the first season for something serviceable, but lesser.
8. Peter Gunn
As a child of the 80s, this is of course the theme to the arcade game Spy Hunter. So cool.
7. M*A*S*H
Such a sad, despondent little tune for a comedy.
6. Incredible Hulk
A perfectly simple and effective moody, sad piano theme.
5. Mission Impossible
An instantly iconic piece of music-making. One of those melodies that seems like it always existed.
4. The Simpsons
As much as I love Alf Clausen's scoring work for the series proper, Danny Elfman contributed a remarkable bit of music here, with snappy horns and a sense of controlled chaos that fits the show to a T.
3. Sesame Street
Come on. This is good stuff.
2. The Muppet Show
My pulse still quickens upon hearing this, just as it did when the show would start when I was a kid.
1. Taxi
One of only two of these themes on my iPod (the other is the Sesame Street theme, which is on a decent CD of music from the show I got for my kids). A great little smooth jazz piece, with that distinctly 70s combo of flute and electric piano.
Until Whenever
Monday, June 25, 2007
Encouraging
I know I'm a little late to the party, but late last week, the image below was released of Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones gear. And it has me very encouraged about this fourth Indiana Jones adventure. What I like most about the image is how Ford doesn't look silly in it, while at the same time not looking young either. This film will reportedly be set in the 1950s, making our Indiana in his fifties I think, so he's supposed to be older and wearier, and more beaten in. What this signals to me is that the film isn't being envisioned as so much of a part four, but as an epilogue to the series, with Indiana Jones finding himself embroiled in one last adventure. So where in the first three films, we got the sense that the adventures in question were in a series of adventures our hero found himself regularly involved in, here we'll find a retired hero surprised to be faced with one last adventure. And in that context, the film will be largely about Indiana Jones as an older, slower, but still whip-smart (pun clearly intended) hero - and not the same Indy he was n the 30s, just, you know, wrinklier. At least that's my hope.
Fingers crossed.
Until WheneverFriday, June 22, 2007
Doin' the Friday Shuffle
1. "If God Will Send His Angels" - U2 - Pop
An underrated U2 song, featuring a strange mix of optimism and fatalism, along with some of Bono's stronger lyrics.
2. "Cucko!" - Benjamin Britten - A Ceremony of Carols
Just a delightful set of choral music.
3. "Miss Saigon Farewell (Why God Why?)" - Gerard Allessandri - Forbidden Broadway: 2001 A Spoof Odyssey
A pretty good parody song about the end of the British pop-opera musical reign on Broadway, inspired by the closing of Cats and Miss Saigon in the same year.
4. "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" - Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
One of Dylan's more rollicking numbers, with a nice build. By the time he gets to the final "sooner or later" he's nearly ecstatic.
5. "Crocodile Rock" - The Beach Boys - Two Rooms: The Music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin
A pretty wretched cover of a pretty dopey Elton John song.
6. "Welcome" - Pete Townsend - Tommy (Original Broadway Cast)
This is actually very faithful to the Who's original album, with a pretty nicely balanced mix of real rock sound and legit Broadway voices.
7. "Old Abraham Brown" - Benjamin Britten - A Ceremony of Carols
What are the odds?
8. "Charlie's Temptation" - Michael Giacchino - Lost - Season 2
A short, moody piece from maybe my favorite soundtrack of last year.
9. "Plenty Bambini" - frank Loesser - The Most Happy Fella (2000 Studio Cast)
A bit overwrought for my tastes.
10. "Le Pavilion" - Philip Glass - La Belle et la Bete
I would really love to see this one day. (La Belle et la Bete is an operatic version of the Jean Genet silent film version of Beauty and the Beast, with Philip Glass providing music for opera singers to sing along with the film. I love the concept, and would love to see it in action.
Until Whenever
1. "If God Will Send His Angels" - U2 - Pop
An underrated U2 song, featuring a strange mix of optimism and fatalism, along with some of Bono's stronger lyrics.
2. "Cucko!" - Benjamin Britten - A Ceremony of Carols
Just a delightful set of choral music.
3. "Miss Saigon Farewell (Why God Why?)" - Gerard Allessandri - Forbidden Broadway: 2001 A Spoof Odyssey
A pretty good parody song about the end of the British pop-opera musical reign on Broadway, inspired by the closing of Cats and Miss Saigon in the same year.
4. "One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" - Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
One of Dylan's more rollicking numbers, with a nice build. By the time he gets to the final "sooner or later" he's nearly ecstatic.
5. "Crocodile Rock" - The Beach Boys - Two Rooms: The Music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin
A pretty wretched cover of a pretty dopey Elton John song.
6. "Welcome" - Pete Townsend - Tommy (Original Broadway Cast)
This is actually very faithful to the Who's original album, with a pretty nicely balanced mix of real rock sound and legit Broadway voices.
7. "Old Abraham Brown" - Benjamin Britten - A Ceremony of Carols
What are the odds?
8. "Charlie's Temptation" - Michael Giacchino - Lost - Season 2
A short, moody piece from maybe my favorite soundtrack of last year.
9. "Plenty Bambini" - frank Loesser - The Most Happy Fella (2000 Studio Cast)
A bit overwrought for my tastes.
10. "Le Pavilion" - Philip Glass - La Belle et la Bete
I would really love to see this one day. (La Belle et la Bete is an operatic version of the Jean Genet silent film version of Beauty and the Beast, with Philip Glass providing music for opera singers to sing along with the film. I love the concept, and would love to see it in action.
Until Whenever
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Silly Sarah
This is one of the best inane uses of the word literally I've seen in a while:
Sarah Jessica Parker, in an interview with Cathy Horyn in the New York Times, on her new clothing line:
"I have to be involved literally down to splitting the atoms."
Isn't the image of SJP in a lab coat, fiddling with a particle accelerator, just too cute for words?
Until Whenever
This is one of the best inane uses of the word literally I've seen in a while:
Sarah Jessica Parker, in an interview with Cathy Horyn in the New York Times, on her new clothing line:
"I have to be involved literally down to splitting the atoms."
Isn't the image of SJP in a lab coat, fiddling with a particle accelerator, just too cute for words?
Until Whenever
10 Years Later
As per my contract as a pop culture blogger, I will post the new list of the American Film Institutes's top 100 American films, with commentary. A bold film is one I've seen, a blue one is one I would like to see, and an red one is one I have no desire to see.
General thoughts: I was pretty surprised that only four films from the last ten years made the cut this time around (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Sixth Sense, Saving Private Ryan, and Titanic), but suspect we'll see some others get in in 2017. Nice to see ,though, that so many films that were eligible last time but didn't get on did this time--including Toy Story and The Shawshank Redemption.
My biggest overall reaction to the list is that too much emphasis is placed (at least by the 1,500 voters) on innovation. Yes, Toy Story was remarkably innovative, and paved the way for a whole new style of storytelling in film. But several of the films that came after it, including its sequel and Finding Nemo have surpassed it, not just in technical achievement but in overall quality as well. I know that the estimation of "overall quality" is subjective, but I sense that for many voters Toy Story got a nod simply because it was the first. I'd say the same for Snow White, the only other animated film on the list. Is it really the case that the first animated film, made in 1937, is the best animated film, and that in 70 years not one animated film has surpassed it? I don't think so. But because it was groundbreaking, it gets noted. I'd just like to see voters credit innovation and being "the first" a little less. Were they to do so, I think we'd see Citizen Kane start to drop as well - after all, almost every article you read about its genius cites how many things it did first.
And now the list. Courtesy of Edward Copeland on Film, the numbers in parenthesis are the rankings from the original list.
1. Citizen Kane (1941) (1)
As I said above, I think this film's estimation is based too much on how innovative and influential it is. It is great, but I'd argue that other films took its innovations and achieved more with them.
2. The Godfather (1972) (3)
Nice to see this move up a slot.
3. Casablanca (1942) (2)
No arguments from this quarter.
4. Raging Bull (1980)(24)
A pretty huge jump, from 24 to 4, and one that. frankly, puzzles me. I've seen a fair number of Scorcese's films, and I'd rank Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, hell, The Departed over this. I never quite understood the love this film gets. I enjoyed it well enough, but found it a bit slow, overly deliberate, and a tad too conscious of its own black and white artiness.
5. Singin' in the Rain (1952)(10)
I love Singin' in the Rain, but this seems overly generous.
6. Gone with the Wind (1939)(4)
No desire. Part of me feels I should see it, but I can't work up the will.
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)(5)
My thinking is that I'll start putting the ones I want to see in my Blockbuster queue, in order. This, then, goes first.
8. Schindler's List (1993)(9)
And the inching up begins. Anyone doubt this will move up another slot or two in 2017?
9. Vertigo (1958)(61)
A huge jump, and one I don't quite get. But I've never seen it, so can't argue. Still, my aforementioned plan is breaking down - there are other films on this list I want to see before I see this.
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939) (6)
This will likely drop out of the top ten in ten years, and that's OK. Still an amazing film. Part of what I love about it is that in amidst all of the tricks and awe-inspiring tings film can achieve, a woman singing a song on a stage in front of a backdrop is still about as powerful a thing as you can get at the movies.
11. City Lights (1931)(76)
Shameful admission #1. I have never seen a Charlie Chaplin film. I guess I should start here.
12. The Searchers (1956)(96)
Shameful admission #2. I have never seen a John Ford film. I guess I should start here. And let's take a moment to note the huge jump. What's going on there?
13. Star Wars (1977)(15)
A little bump. Nice. Although this points to the same "innovation over overall quality" argument from above. I mean, don't most people acknowledge that The Empire Strikes back is a better film?
14. Psycho (1960)(18)
That's a mild blue, though.
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)(22)
I do not like this film. Too enchanted with its own deepness - like The Matrix.
16. Sunset Boulevard (1950)(12)
Nothing grabbing me.
17. The Graduate (1967)(7)
Happy to see this drop some. It's a very well done, funny movie but a bit overrated.
18. The General (1927)
From not on the list at all to #18. Wow. (Although to be fair, this could have been at #101 last time. Which raises a point - how great would it be for AFI to release the entire list, with vote tallies, so we could see what missed the top 100 and by how much.)
19. On the Waterfront (1954)(8)
this will likely be #2 on the Blockbuster list. I do know, and love, the Leonard Bernstein score.
20. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)(11)
This dropping some is fair.
21. Chinatown (1974)(19)
Another one I just didn't get. I liked it well enough, but this great?
22. Some Like It Hot (1959)(14)
I love Jack Lemmon, so make it #3.
23. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)(21)
Actually, this might be #3. I love the novel, and the clips they showed last night were very compelling.
24. E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)(25)
Holding steady, as Casey Kasem would say.
25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)(34)
Crap. maybe this should be #3. Or #2. I really want to see this.
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)(29)
Jimmy Stewart dos righteous indignation like nobody's business.
27. High Noon (1952)(33)
Not a huge Westerns fan.
28. All About Eve (1950)(16)
Seemed a bit dated in the clips. Dropped quite a bit too.
29. Double Indemnity (1944)(38)
Not that high up though.
30. Apocalypse Now (1979)(28)
This has been on my Blockbuster list for a long while. got to move it up.
31. The Maltese Falcon (1941)(23)
This is pretty high up on the list as well.
32. The Godfather Part II (1974)(32)
I always find the Cuba stuff a little slow and confusing. Otherwise genius.
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)(20)
I should go through this list and see how many films The Simpsons has parodied. Probably most of them.
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)(49)
See above.
35. Annie Hall (1977)(31)
Up there.
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) (13)
Way up there. Shameful admission #3 - I have only seen Alec Guinness in Star Wars films. Bad me.
37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)(37)
Meh.
38. Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)(30)
And again.
39. Dr. Strangelove (1964) (26)
George C. Scott was great in the clips.
40. The Sound of Music (1965)(55)
Probably a bit too high.
41. King Kong (1933)(43)
As is this. I know this makes me sound like a neanderthal, but in what way is this film better than the 2005 remake? It's not better acted, or directed, and the special effects are obviously worlds apart. (OK, it's better scored). Oh, yes - but it was first.
42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) (27)
Screw Warren Beatty; it's Gene Hackman that rules.
43. Midnight Cowboy (1969)(36)
I don't think I have ever not liked Dustin Hoffman in a film.
44. The Philadelphia Story (1940) (51)
for some reason, I feel really guilty about this one.
45. Shane (1953)(69)
The story Jeff Bridges told about his brother ruining the fight scene was hilarious. Still - Western.
46. It Happened One Night (1934) (35)
Nothing grabbing me.
47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)(45)
I've read the play.
48. Rear Window (1954) (42)
I'll get to it some day.
49. Intolerance (1916)
I'm not quite enough of a film buff to rent this.
50. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Prediction: In 2017 this moves up, and The Return of the King joins it on the list.
51. West Side Story (1961)(41)
This should be higher than The Sound of Music.
52. Taxi Driver (1976) (47)
Liked it a lot, didn't fall in love with it.
53. The Deer Hunter (1978)(79)
Need to see if only for Christopher Walken.
54. MASH (1970) (56)
Someday.
55. North by Northwest (1959) (40)
Someday later.
56. Jaws (1975) (48)
A bit too high.
57. Rocky (1976) (78)
A lot too high. Should be in the 90s.
58. The Gold Rush (1925) (74)
We'll have to see how much I like the first Chaplin I rent.
59. Nashville (1975)
Want to see more now after the brief segment on it.
60. Duck Soup (1933) (85)
Shameful admission #2. I have never seen a Marx Brothers film. I suck.
61. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
No real interest.
62. American Graffiti (1973)(77)
One day.
63. Cabaret (1972)
One day sooner. And did Liza Minnelli look good, surprisingly healthy and cogent, or was it just me?
64. Network (1976) (66)
Although I kind of feel I have already seen it.
65. The African Queen (1951) (17)
Big drop - wonder why? And I'm starting to get depressed by the number of these I want to see.
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (60)
Should be moving up, not down.
67. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Another play I've read.
68. Unforgiven (1992)(98)
I actually need to see this again. Especially considering its jump.
69. Tootsie (1982) (62)
Is it possible that Bill Murray was never better than in this?
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971) (46)
Although it looks frightening.
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Bet this moves up in '17.
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Bet this moves up more.
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)(50)
I don't know. This might have to be #1 on my Blockbuster list.
74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)(65)
Maybe a little too high.
75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Not urgent.
76. Forrest Gump (1994)(71)
Probably a little too low.
77. All the President's Men (1976)
Hoffman and a William Goldman script? I need to get on this.
78. Modern Times (1936) (81)
Someday.
79. The Wild Bunch (1969) (80)
If I had more time, maybe.
80. The Apartment (1960) (93)
Another Lemmon I need to see.
81. Spartacus (1960)
Depression mounting.
82. Sunrise (1927)
Huh?
83. Titanic (1997)
Bet this drops out in '17. It shouldn't.
84. Easy Rider (1969) (88)
Dirty hippies.
85. A Night at the Opera (1935)
I still suck.
86. Platoon (1986) (83)
Can charlie Sheen act?
87. 12 Angry Men (1957)
That knife moment they showed looked pretty killer.
88. Bringing Up Baby (1938) (97)
Not enough time.
89. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Will move up. And should.
90. Swing Time (1936)
Don't remember anything about this.
91. Sophie's Choice (1982)
I've seen the end already.
92. Goodfellas (1990) (94)
May drop off in '17. Wouldn't crush me.
93. The French Connection (1971) (70)
Does the film tell us why he's named "Popeye?" I've always wondered.
94. Pulp Fiction (1994) (95)
I'm actually very surprised that this didn't move up more. I love, though, that of the three films that vied for awards in 1994 (Forest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, and this), it's Shawshank that came up highest.
95. The Last Picture Show (1971)
Getting to suicidal levels.
96. Do the Right Thing (1989)
Very happy to see this make it. One of my favorite films.
97. Blade Runner (1982)
Another one that I just didn't get all the hooplah about.
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) (100)
Leaves in '17.
99. Toy Story (1995)
Nemo should be here, really. Except higher.
100. Ben-Hur (1959) (72)
William Goldman's favorite movie.
Until Whenever
As per my contract as a pop culture blogger, I will post the new list of the American Film Institutes's top 100 American films, with commentary. A bold film is one I've seen, a blue one is one I would like to see, and an red one is one I have no desire to see.
General thoughts: I was pretty surprised that only four films from the last ten years made the cut this time around (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Sixth Sense, Saving Private Ryan, and Titanic), but suspect we'll see some others get in in 2017. Nice to see ,though, that so many films that were eligible last time but didn't get on did this time--including Toy Story and The Shawshank Redemption.
My biggest overall reaction to the list is that too much emphasis is placed (at least by the 1,500 voters) on innovation. Yes, Toy Story was remarkably innovative, and paved the way for a whole new style of storytelling in film. But several of the films that came after it, including its sequel and Finding Nemo have surpassed it, not just in technical achievement but in overall quality as well. I know that the estimation of "overall quality" is subjective, but I sense that for many voters Toy Story got a nod simply because it was the first. I'd say the same for Snow White, the only other animated film on the list. Is it really the case that the first animated film, made in 1937, is the best animated film, and that in 70 years not one animated film has surpassed it? I don't think so. But because it was groundbreaking, it gets noted. I'd just like to see voters credit innovation and being "the first" a little less. Were they to do so, I think we'd see Citizen Kane start to drop as well - after all, almost every article you read about its genius cites how many things it did first.
And now the list. Courtesy of Edward Copeland on Film, the numbers in parenthesis are the rankings from the original list.
1. Citizen Kane (1941) (1)
As I said above, I think this film's estimation is based too much on how innovative and influential it is. It is great, but I'd argue that other films took its innovations and achieved more with them.
2. The Godfather (1972) (3)
Nice to see this move up a slot.
3. Casablanca (1942) (2)
No arguments from this quarter.
4. Raging Bull (1980)(24)
A pretty huge jump, from 24 to 4, and one that. frankly, puzzles me. I've seen a fair number of Scorcese's films, and I'd rank Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, hell, The Departed over this. I never quite understood the love this film gets. I enjoyed it well enough, but found it a bit slow, overly deliberate, and a tad too conscious of its own black and white artiness.
5. Singin' in the Rain (1952)(10)
I love Singin' in the Rain, but this seems overly generous.
6. Gone with the Wind (1939)(4)
No desire. Part of me feels I should see it, but I can't work up the will.
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)(5)
My thinking is that I'll start putting the ones I want to see in my Blockbuster queue, in order. This, then, goes first.
8. Schindler's List (1993)(9)
And the inching up begins. Anyone doubt this will move up another slot or two in 2017?
9. Vertigo (1958)(61)
A huge jump, and one I don't quite get. But I've never seen it, so can't argue. Still, my aforementioned plan is breaking down - there are other films on this list I want to see before I see this.
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939) (6)
This will likely drop out of the top ten in ten years, and that's OK. Still an amazing film. Part of what I love about it is that in amidst all of the tricks and awe-inspiring tings film can achieve, a woman singing a song on a stage in front of a backdrop is still about as powerful a thing as you can get at the movies.
11. City Lights (1931)(76)
Shameful admission #1. I have never seen a Charlie Chaplin film. I guess I should start here.
12. The Searchers (1956)(96)
Shameful admission #2. I have never seen a John Ford film. I guess I should start here. And let's take a moment to note the huge jump. What's going on there?
13. Star Wars (1977)(15)
A little bump. Nice. Although this points to the same "innovation over overall quality" argument from above. I mean, don't most people acknowledge that The Empire Strikes back is a better film?
14. Psycho (1960)(18)
That's a mild blue, though.
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)(22)
I do not like this film. Too enchanted with its own deepness - like The Matrix.
16. Sunset Boulevard (1950)(12)
Nothing grabbing me.
17. The Graduate (1967)(7)
Happy to see this drop some. It's a very well done, funny movie but a bit overrated.
18. The General (1927)
From not on the list at all to #18. Wow. (Although to be fair, this could have been at #101 last time. Which raises a point - how great would it be for AFI to release the entire list, with vote tallies, so we could see what missed the top 100 and by how much.)
19. On the Waterfront (1954)(8)
this will likely be #2 on the Blockbuster list. I do know, and love, the Leonard Bernstein score.
20. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)(11)
This dropping some is fair.
21. Chinatown (1974)(19)
Another one I just didn't get. I liked it well enough, but this great?
22. Some Like It Hot (1959)(14)
I love Jack Lemmon, so make it #3.
23. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)(21)
Actually, this might be #3. I love the novel, and the clips they showed last night were very compelling.
24. E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)(25)
Holding steady, as Casey Kasem would say.
25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)(34)
Crap. maybe this should be #3. Or #2. I really want to see this.
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)(29)
Jimmy Stewart dos righteous indignation like nobody's business.
27. High Noon (1952)(33)
Not a huge Westerns fan.
28. All About Eve (1950)(16)
Seemed a bit dated in the clips. Dropped quite a bit too.
29. Double Indemnity (1944)(38)
Not that high up though.
30. Apocalypse Now (1979)(28)
This has been on my Blockbuster list for a long while. got to move it up.
31. The Maltese Falcon (1941)(23)
This is pretty high up on the list as well.
32. The Godfather Part II (1974)(32)
I always find the Cuba stuff a little slow and confusing. Otherwise genius.
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)(20)
I should go through this list and see how many films The Simpsons has parodied. Probably most of them.
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)(49)
See above.
35. Annie Hall (1977)(31)
Up there.
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) (13)
Way up there. Shameful admission #3 - I have only seen Alec Guinness in Star Wars films. Bad me.
37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)(37)
Meh.
38. Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)(30)
And again.
39. Dr. Strangelove (1964) (26)
George C. Scott was great in the clips.
40. The Sound of Music (1965)(55)
Probably a bit too high.
41. King Kong (1933)(43)
As is this. I know this makes me sound like a neanderthal, but in what way is this film better than the 2005 remake? It's not better acted, or directed, and the special effects are obviously worlds apart. (OK, it's better scored). Oh, yes - but it was first.
42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) (27)
Screw Warren Beatty; it's Gene Hackman that rules.
43. Midnight Cowboy (1969)(36)
I don't think I have ever not liked Dustin Hoffman in a film.
44. The Philadelphia Story (1940) (51)
for some reason, I feel really guilty about this one.
45. Shane (1953)(69)
The story Jeff Bridges told about his brother ruining the fight scene was hilarious. Still - Western.
46. It Happened One Night (1934) (35)
Nothing grabbing me.
47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)(45)
I've read the play.
48. Rear Window (1954) (42)
I'll get to it some day.
49. Intolerance (1916)
I'm not quite enough of a film buff to rent this.
50. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Prediction: In 2017 this moves up, and The Return of the King joins it on the list.
51. West Side Story (1961)(41)
This should be higher than The Sound of Music.
52. Taxi Driver (1976) (47)
Liked it a lot, didn't fall in love with it.
53. The Deer Hunter (1978)(79)
Need to see if only for Christopher Walken.
54. MASH (1970) (56)
Someday.
55. North by Northwest (1959) (40)
Someday later.
56. Jaws (1975) (48)
A bit too high.
57. Rocky (1976) (78)
A lot too high. Should be in the 90s.
58. The Gold Rush (1925) (74)
We'll have to see how much I like the first Chaplin I rent.
59. Nashville (1975)
Want to see more now after the brief segment on it.
60. Duck Soup (1933) (85)
Shameful admission #2. I have never seen a Marx Brothers film. I suck.
61. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
No real interest.
62. American Graffiti (1973)(77)
One day.
63. Cabaret (1972)
One day sooner. And did Liza Minnelli look good, surprisingly healthy and cogent, or was it just me?
64. Network (1976) (66)
Although I kind of feel I have already seen it.
65. The African Queen (1951) (17)
Big drop - wonder why? And I'm starting to get depressed by the number of these I want to see.
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (60)
Should be moving up, not down.
67. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Another play I've read.
68. Unforgiven (1992)(98)
I actually need to see this again. Especially considering its jump.
69. Tootsie (1982) (62)
Is it possible that Bill Murray was never better than in this?
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971) (46)
Although it looks frightening.
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Bet this moves up in '17.
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Bet this moves up more.
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)(50)
I don't know. This might have to be #1 on my Blockbuster list.
74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)(65)
Maybe a little too high.
75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Not urgent.
76. Forrest Gump (1994)(71)
Probably a little too low.
77. All the President's Men (1976)
Hoffman and a William Goldman script? I need to get on this.
78. Modern Times (1936) (81)
Someday.
79. The Wild Bunch (1969) (80)
If I had more time, maybe.
80. The Apartment (1960) (93)
Another Lemmon I need to see.
81. Spartacus (1960)
Depression mounting.
82. Sunrise (1927)
Huh?
83. Titanic (1997)
Bet this drops out in '17. It shouldn't.
84. Easy Rider (1969) (88)
Dirty hippies.
85. A Night at the Opera (1935)
I still suck.
86. Platoon (1986) (83)
Can charlie Sheen act?
87. 12 Angry Men (1957)
That knife moment they showed looked pretty killer.
88. Bringing Up Baby (1938) (97)
Not enough time.
89. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Will move up. And should.
90. Swing Time (1936)
Don't remember anything about this.
91. Sophie's Choice (1982)
I've seen the end already.
92. Goodfellas (1990) (94)
May drop off in '17. Wouldn't crush me.
93. The French Connection (1971) (70)
Does the film tell us why he's named "Popeye?" I've always wondered.
94. Pulp Fiction (1994) (95)
I'm actually very surprised that this didn't move up more. I love, though, that of the three films that vied for awards in 1994 (Forest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, and this), it's Shawshank that came up highest.
95. The Last Picture Show (1971)
Getting to suicidal levels.
96. Do the Right Thing (1989)
Very happy to see this make it. One of my favorite films.
97. Blade Runner (1982)
Another one that I just didn't get all the hooplah about.
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) (100)
Leaves in '17.
99. Toy Story (1995)
Nemo should be here, really. Except higher.
100. Ben-Hur (1959) (72)
William Goldman's favorite movie.
Until Whenever
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Minor and Major
Two grammar things that caught my attention in today's paper:
In an Associated Press article by Justin Pope on on-line college courses, he includes the sentence "The first prototype was made with a Christmas ornament." Shouldn't that be "Christmas tree ornament?" Bugged me.
An ad for a "gentleman's club" included the following:
BRING THIS AD FOR YOUR CHOICE OF:
ONE ITEM OFF OF ARE LUNCH MENU
The entirely unnecessary colon is bad enough. But mistaking "are" for "our?" Seriously?
Until Whenever
Two grammar things that caught my attention in today's paper:
In an Associated Press article by Justin Pope on on-line college courses, he includes the sentence "The first prototype was made with a Christmas ornament." Shouldn't that be "Christmas tree ornament?" Bugged me.
An ad for a "gentleman's club" included the following:
BRING THIS AD FOR YOUR CHOICE OF:
ONE ITEM OFF OF ARE LUNCH MENU
The entirely unnecessary colon is bad enough. But mistaking "are" for "our?" Seriously?
Until Whenever
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Random Top Ten!
Random Top Ten!
Top Ten Aimee Mann Songs
Note: I still do not have all of Man's albums - this Top Ten is culled from Bachelor #2, Lost in Space, the Magnolia soundtrack, and The Forgotten Arm. (I do have her Christmas album, One More Drifter in the Snow, but none of those tracks made the cut.
10. "Goodbye Caroline"- The Forgotten Arm
Uptempo for Mann, with an angry/regretful chorus.
9. "Red Vines" - Bachelor No. 2
Not sure what to make of the drum machine-sounding percussion, but this has a soaring, indelible chorus.
8. "Nothing Is Good Enough" - Bachelor No. 2
I love the carnival-like oom-pah beat of the accompaniment.
7. "Dear John" - The Forgotten Arm
A great opening salvo in a concept album that tells a story. "Cotton candy was king on the Midway that Spring." could be the first sentence of a short story.
6. "Deathly" - Bachelor No. 2
That great opening line inspired a scene and a bit of dialogue in Magnolia. "Now that I've met you/Would you object to?Never seeing each other again?"
5. "It Takes All Kinds" - Bachelor No. 2
Gently shuffling and sweet - I love the interjected "la-la"s.
4. "Driving Sideways" - Bachelor No. 2
A great metaphor for a life out of control.
3. "You Do" - Bachelor No. 2
Enchanting. Especially that simple little figure that reoccurs after the "you do"s.
2. "Save Me" - Magnolia
That basic one-two rhythm gets in your head.
1. "Wise Up" - Magnolia
The use of this song in the film, with each member of the cast singing along with Mann on the soundtrack, a line or two in succession is remarkably moving. One of the saddest, most moving songs I know.
Until Whenever
Random Top Ten!
Top Ten Aimee Mann Songs
Note: I still do not have all of Man's albums - this Top Ten is culled from Bachelor #2, Lost in Space, the Magnolia soundtrack, and The Forgotten Arm. (I do have her Christmas album, One More Drifter in the Snow, but none of those tracks made the cut.
10. "Goodbye Caroline"- The Forgotten Arm
Uptempo for Mann, with an angry/regretful chorus.
9. "Red Vines" - Bachelor No. 2
Not sure what to make of the drum machine-sounding percussion, but this has a soaring, indelible chorus.
8. "Nothing Is Good Enough" - Bachelor No. 2
I love the carnival-like oom-pah beat of the accompaniment.
7. "Dear John" - The Forgotten Arm
A great opening salvo in a concept album that tells a story. "Cotton candy was king on the Midway that Spring." could be the first sentence of a short story.
6. "Deathly" - Bachelor No. 2
That great opening line inspired a scene and a bit of dialogue in Magnolia. "Now that I've met you/Would you object to?Never seeing each other again?"
5. "It Takes All Kinds" - Bachelor No. 2
Gently shuffling and sweet - I love the interjected "la-la"s.
4. "Driving Sideways" - Bachelor No. 2
A great metaphor for a life out of control.
3. "You Do" - Bachelor No. 2
Enchanting. Especially that simple little figure that reoccurs after the "you do"s.
2. "Save Me" - Magnolia
That basic one-two rhythm gets in your head.
1. "Wise Up" - Magnolia
The use of this song in the film, with each member of the cast singing along with Mann on the soundtrack, a line or two in succession is remarkably moving. One of the saddest, most moving songs I know.
Until Whenever
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