1999 - How Two Films Changed my Life

1999. This was the year the cinema changed my life. It spanned throughout the whole year but I can narrow it down to a few weeks in September. In this span of time, two films came out: Fight Club and American Beauty.

While they could not be more different in terms of execution, they are remarkably similar in regards to theme, both dealing with the emasculation of the
American male in a play it safe culture.


 I was starting my junior year of high school the year of 1999. While I never had any problems with bullying or anything along those lines, I was never a very confident person walking the halls. If there was to be some sort of confrontation, I avoided it. I also did  not have any confidence when it came to talking to girls. What seeing both of these films back to back did for me was to give me the confidence I was missing. I was so invigorated after seeing Fight Club I felt I could take on anything. Similarly after seeing American Beauty the change in my perspective on what is important in life was so immediate, it was amazing.

I believe the combined revelation of the two films was to show me that each day is precious and life is fleeting. It could be gone tomorrow. Before this, I had gone through life afraid of physical pain and social embarrassment. These films made me realize that those things were inconsequential in the grand scheme and I strode forward into my life with a new sense of appreciation for what was around me. I may not have outwardly expressed this as strongly as I felt this feeling inside but that didn't matter to me. What mattered was that I was okay with myself, but more than that, I was truly happy to be who I was and where I was in my life.

Basically, I was done worrying about things I couldn't control. My demeanor was always positive and I pursued avenues that I would never have had the bravura to attempt prior to seeing these films. I got on the local news as part of a junior reporters program, joined a film class, shot a terrible short movie, and started writing more.I also became fully invested in film and the glorious medium that is cinema. The idea that a movie could be so powerful as to affect my worldview and change the course of my life was one that I took immediately to heart and admired. Film can be many things to many people.  To the right person, at the right time, in the right place, the right film can be life altering and I will always believe in the power of cinema because of two films I experienced in September of 1999.

Now, on with the rest of the year!

1974

I won't lie, this is one of my favorite years simply because of the top three films. Chinatown and The Godfather Part II are both in my all time top ten list so I had to put this year in almost by default.Throw in one of the great paranoid thrillers, Mel Brooks's best comedies, my favorite Godzilla movie and the last great Ray Harryhausen creature-feature and how could I resist this treat of a year. It had everything!

The Top Three
Chinatown, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation

Simply put this is the best written movie ever. Robert Towne's script is the measuring stick for screenwriters and none have matched the high water mark. Every line, every plot twist, every action is so crafted down to the most perfect detail that only in hindsight can the true beauty of what unfolds onscreen be appreciated.On top of the phenomenal script is one of the best performances of Jack Nicholson's and Faye Dunaway's respective careers. Their chemistry together and the way they play off each other is like an acting clinic. It's the example you show to others and say, "This is how you do it". The other important ingredient in the magnificence of this film is the utterly loathsome villain in the film, Noah Cross as portrayed by John Huston. I want to take a shower just thinking about him. Yeeuuck. What makes the film work for me mostly is the true sense of mystery surrounding the events with which Nicholson is presented. The audience follows the detective through every scene so that we know what he knows. This method of storytelling is extremely satisfying for grand revelations and the putting together of information. Even the poster (above) is my favorite for any film. When you sum it all up, you get one of the greatest films ever made. 

Speaking of greatest movies ever, here is another. The Godfather Part II is the best sequel in the history of cinema. The reason for this is it is a pure continuation of the original story and not a rehash of the first film with a different plot, as most sequels tend to be. In many ways, Part II is the better crafted film. Coppola uses the interweaving story lines of Vito Corleone's rise to power with Michael's assertion of power to maximum effect and the dichotomy between the two (as well as the similarity) is both romantic and tragic at the same time. Truly a masterstroke of filmmaking. Pacino's reserved, calculated performance does not get enough recognition but he turns in some of his best work here. Likewise, John Cazale uses his screentime to maximum effect and provides a much deeper, more sympathetic portrait of Fredo than was seen in the first film. Every scene brings you deeper and closer to the character of Michael, even as he pulls away from everyone and everything around him. The film is at the same time, a generations spanning epic and an intimate character study of a man who no longer trusts anyone, even those he loves the most. Most assuredly, this is one of the all time greats.

Words have never been more important, nor as closely studied than they are by Gene Hackman in The Conversation. This is the kind of film that could be made in any decade with respect to the plot but it was uniquely meant to be in the 70's.There's a feel of pessimism and a weight throughout the film that I attribute to the way the film was shot, the wardrobe and the lethargy of the movement on screen. All of this is directly influenced by the time period. Nothing moves fast, there's no flash anywhere on this film. Instead you get a tense, cloying type of paranoia centered around a bit of recorded audio, the topic of which Gene Hackman cannot come to terms with. The progression of events continues to heighten the suspense and the plot twists are really great. This is a film that much like Chinatown was not nearly as great upon it's first viewing as it was upon each subsequent viewing. I think my initial expectations were off from what I was presented and that threw me a bit. However, I was curious to see the film again and that's when I totally got immersed. One of Hackman's best roles and a film that should never be glossed over or forgotten.

Best of the Rest
Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Murder on the Orient Express, The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

There were a number of other great films this year, most notably the two Mel Brooks comedies, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. Both are comedy classics and the classic scenes/moments are too many to list here. Then there's a nice thriller with Pelham and a classic murder mystery on a train (is there anything better than a murder mystery on a train?) with Orient Express. You also have the Golden Voyage of Sinbad, which is one of the better Sinbad films. John Phillip Law plays the titular hero though I will always know him as Calgone from Space Mutiny. The best part of the film is Ray Harryhausen's fabulous creatures and that glorious stop motion animation.The only thing better than stop motion animation is a man in a rubber dinosaur suit, destroying a miniature version of Tokyo. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is my favorite in the Godzilla canon, mostly due to the fact that Godzilla "dies" at the beginning of the movie and then doesn't show up again until the finale to kick some serious metal-fake-imposter-Godzilla ass. In between there's a lot of gloriously terrible dialogue from the usual stable of Godzilla actors, scientists, aliens that turn into gorillas when wounded, a mythical statue, ancient prophecy...well you get the idea. It's sublime.


Other Films of Note
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Odessa File

Overall, this year is one that I have to see more films from in order to fully get a grasp on it. However, the films I have seen from this year stack up with some of the best of all time. I'm very excited to see what the rest of 1974 has in store for me.

2006

This was the year I went to the movies. Almost everything listed below was seen in the theater and there are a few that are not listed because they were terrible! (X-Men 3 I'm talking about you). Even though there were some disappointments, I found this year to be top heavy with really great films. Almost all of these films were better upon second viewing. It's such a rare thing to have a large number of films surpass the original experience, that 2006 is easily one of my favorite years. Now a lot of these films have flaws or caveats that one must look past. However, I had such an emotional connection with most of these films that any intellectual hang ups I had went out the window. These are films for which I will be an apologist and champion to anyone who will listen.

The Top Three
The Prestige, Pan's Labyrinth, Brick

 Are you watching closely? Thus is the tag line for The Prestige and the first lines as well, spoken by Michael Caine over an image of a giant pile of black top hats in a field. An iconic image and moment to be sure. The wonderful thing about The Prestige is how many twists, turns, double-backs and "what the hell"s it contains. What's even better is that these moments don't lose any of their impact upon repeated viewing. One of the interesting things about the structure of this film is that you have two characters that are simultaneously the protagonist/antagonist depending on what scene they are in and how much information the audience has at a given moment. That is an amazing piece of storytelling, regardless of the medium. The art direction and costumes are intricately detailed and give the film an authenticity that helps envelope the audience deeper into the story without their even realizing it. I think what I admire most about this picture is that it gets into some truly interesting questions at the end. I won't spoil anything here, suffice to say that the very last scene in the film and the depths to which one character has sinks always leaves me creeped out but oddly fascinated.

Pan's Labyrinth is unlike any film I have seen. The closest approximation I can give is that it's like a Miyazaki film come to life with rated R level violence and imagery. It is an adult story as told through the eyes of a child and contains a wonderful trick. It can simultaneously be viewed as a serious movie with no fantasy elements in the real world or it can be viewed where all the fantasy elements really happen in the course of the story. I prefer to believe in the second viewpoint not only because it's the more romantic version but because that piece of chalk holds the key to the film. Watch again and you'll see what I mean. Once again, here's another film where the art direction is top notch and the creature designs are phenomenally detailed and original. The icing on the cake is the performance aspect Doug Jones brings to all of these creations. For those who don't know, Doug is the guy in the green/blue suit that actually does the physical acting necessary for the creatures on screen, much like Andy Serkis as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films. This is one of those films where the characters, story and execution all come together to produce that most rare quality in a film: magic.


There are films that I love and then there's Brick. This is the film I wish I had made or to put it better, a film that perfectly encapsultes everything I love in the movies. A Neo-Noir, with amazing dialogue, a serpentine plot, a lone detective (Joseph Gordon Levitt in a breakout performance), and a perfect ending. The first time I saw the film, I almost couldn't believe how perfect it was. This is literally something I would have written on my own if Rian Johnson hadn't got there ahead of me. In interviews he has said it took him roughly eight years to put the whole thing together so I'll concede this story to him and simply enjoy what's onscreen. What's onscreen is some of the best dialogue this side of Tarantino or Raymond Chandler. Johnson's beautiful use of language throughout the film is where the charm and the fun lies but it's with Joseph Gordon Levitt that we experience this mysterious underworld.His performance is a nuanced, complicated one and the audience doesn't always agree with his actions. This gives his character more depth than a typical noir detective and grounds the audience with a sense of realism in an unrealistic setting. Once again, the high school aspect adds a fresh spin on a fairly familiar story and the characters and archetypes take on a new dynamic.A film that deserves high marks all around for originality and plotting (one of the best architectures of story this side of Chinatown), I will always count it amongst my favorite films.

Best of the Rest
The Lives of Others, V for Vendetta, The Fountain, The Departed, Casino Royale, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, Children of Men

This is one of my favorite Best of the Rest sections since I have been running this series. You have two more fantastic period piece foreign films in The Lives of Others and Letters from Iwo Jima. While Letters is a touching drama done to perfection, there's a dramatic tension in Lives which gives it a little more heft as an emotional experience. Speaking of an emotional experience that is exactly what you will have when you see The Fountain. Darren Arronofsky's much maligned and confusing time-travel, love letter to death is simply an amazing experience that doesn't so much need to be understood intellectually as it needs to be connected to emotionally. There's also the return to form of James Bond in Casino Royale, one of the best in the series. It's kind of crazy that The Departed was the Oscar winner for Best Picture this year but at least Scorsese finally got his gold statue for directing. The film itself is full of scenery chewing performances and great lines, providing a kick in the gut with a suitably crazy ending. Little Miss Sunshine is exactly what an indie comedy should be. It not only delivers laughs but memorable characters as well. Children of Men has a few logical gaffes that I still wrestle with but the story is so compelling and the sequences so well done that I have to give it props for everything it does well. Lastly, there is the joy that is V For Vendetta. This film narrowly missed on on my Top Three for the year and I will always romanticize how I view the film. What I come back to most of all are Hugo Weaving's phenomenal physical performance, the story of the woman in the prison, Natalie Portman in the rain, the fireworks and that final crescendo ringing everything home with a rousing sendoff.

Other Films of Note
Black Book, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Beerfest, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Borat, Blood Diamond, Mission Impossible III, Thank You for Smoking, Over the Hedge, Inside Man, The Illusionist, Dreamgirls, The Devil Wears Prada, The Matador, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Apocalypto

Overall, this year contains some amazing films that provide a true emotional connection. It was such a cool thing to be able to go to the theater week after week and not only not be disappointed but experience genuine enthrallment. This year was very similar to 2004 in that respect as it seemed like everything either lived up to or surpassed expectations. Truly an amazing year.

1995

1995

I like to dub this as The Year of Kevin Spacey. Without question the breakout actor of the year, he cemented himself as a great dramatic actor for years to come with his Oscar winning supporting turn in The Usual Suspects and his appearance at the end of Se7en. I subsequently saw everything he did from that point forward (ironically until Pay It Forward). This year is also important to me because The Usual Suspects is my favorite movie of all time. I spent much of this year (and a good portion of 1996) recommending this movie to everyone I knew. When I got it for Christmas on VHS, I would loan it out to people insisting they experience the magic I felt when I saw it. This was not a fantastic overall year for films but the good far outweighed the bad and it contained some truly great pictures as well.

The Top Three
The Usual Suspects, Se7en, Heat


For me, this film is where it's at. It's my favorite genre (crime/noir) and done to perfection. I mean, my God there are good performances from Stephen Baldwin AND Kevin Pollack here! No other film can boast that. ;) Seriously, though the acting is superb, especially Spacey, Gabriel Byrne and Chazz Palminteri. However, the true strength of this film is the fantastic script by then first time screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, who deservingly won an Oscar for his efforts. The plot serpentines around New York and LA, finishing with arguably the greatest ending of all time. I mean the moment Palminteri drops his coffee cup...pure cinematic gold. I get goosebumps every time, even now as I'm typing this sentence. This was the film that got me interested in serious cinema and the process of film-making itself. I have a soft spot for everyone involved with this film and I could go on and on about its greatness but I will restrain myself and simply reiterate that I love this film above all others.

The second half of my Kevin Spacey double bill lovefest is a bit on the strange side to put it mildly. Se7en is without a doubt one of the best high concept films because it actually works. Morgan Freeman is perfect as the grizzled veteran detective. In fact I think he was born to play exactly this character in this film, that's how perfect he is. There's also a very good performance from Brad Pitt though he was still early in his career and there are a few moments that are rough around the edges. However, the true star of this film are the crime scenes, each more horrific than the next.  I'm going to borrow from a critic I heard discussing this film in saying that "the death scenes in Se7en are art-directed to within an inch of their lives". The amount of detail on screen is a David Fincher trademark and it really began with this film. Like The Usual Suspects, this film has one of the best endings around and left everyone with that eternal line, "What's in the box!?".


For years, everyone in Hollywod had always asked themselves why Robert Deniro and Al Pacino had never been in a movie together. Arguably the two greatest actors of theirs or any generation, the wet dream of cinephiles everywhere finally came to fruition in the greatest way possible. Michael Mann's Heat is the quintessential cops and robbers movie, with one of the best heist sequences of all time. The great thing about this movie is that there is no good or bad. It's just people, with all of their issues and the cops have just as many (if not more) than the robbers. As is the case with all of Mann's films, the cinematography is almost a character in the film and the "cool blue" that bathes Los Angeles at night not only sets a perfect atmosphere but reflects the character's moods in their respective scenes when necessary. As great as all of the above is, the cherry on top of this film is the diner scene between Deniro and Pacino. It's not only a cool moment of the two actors going head to head but it's very rare that you have two characters in a film in that situation, each able to show mutual respect for the other while at the same time establishing their own dominance of the situation. A perfect scene.

Best of the Rest
Braveheart, Apollo 13, Babe, Crimson Tide, Devil in a Blue Dress, Toy Story, Goldeneye, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Friday, 12 Monkeys

There's such a diverse collection of films that were good this year that it felt like every genre was well represented. You had a crazy, bloody, historical epic in Braveheart on one hand and a restrained, calculated thriller in Apollo 13 vying for Oscar glory. A double shot of Denzel with Crimson Tide (one of the best submarine films ever) and Devil in a Blue Dress, which is a slightly flawed but highly underrated gem of a neo-noir. There was also the return of James Bond and the best since the original Sean Connery run in Goldeneye. Die Hard did indeed come back with A Vengeance after a lackluster sequel and Samuel L. Jackson continued his hot streak. Then you had the beginning of Pixar with the wonderful Toy Story and a very lovely family film about a talking pig with Babe. Round it out with a nutty Terry Gilliam time-travel sci/fi film in 12 Monkeys and a classic comedy from the hood with Friday and the year 1995 was pretty damn entertaining.

Other Films of Note
Casino, Kids, Get Shorty, Mallrats, Bad Boys, Tommy Boy, Billy Madison, Desperado, Trapped in Paradise, Strange Days, Empire Records, Outbreak, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Overall, this year for me was very personal as I started seeing more mature films and really expanded my film repertoire. I discovered my favorite film of all time and was well on my way to experiencing films in a different way. Before this year, I had always just watched movies as a form of entertainment. After this year, I began to appreciate the art form and the collaborative process that goes into making it. To say the least it was a very important year in my film life. It was the year when things took on new meaning.

1957

There seems to be a year every now and then that is rife with "important" films. Usually these films are not so much 'important' as they are simply great dramatic stories told extremely well, sometimes with unhappy endings. 1957 feels like such a year to me (see 2007 for a recent example). My list does not even include the classic dramas An Affair to Remember, Wild Strawberries, Nights of Cabria, A Face in the Crowd, Sayonara, and The Cranes Are Flying. Did no one want to laugh this year? :)

The Top Three
12 Angry Men, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Sweet Smell of Success


This is one of those films that is universally recognized as great. It's a great high concept film for the time. 12 jurors, one case, one room, no names, all talking...and it's riveting! As the hours where on, you really get a sense of each character's motivations and their moral compass, not just in terms of the case but in terms of life. This is also one of the great collections of acting talent ever on screen. I won't list off the names, suffice to say that everyone brings their A game. The moment when Fonda produces his duplicate evidence is one of the classic "gotcha" moments in cinema. There are many other moments in the film and almost all of them showcasing a different character so everyone has room to stretch their acting muscles. Truly on of the greatest pure dramas ever.

The Bridge on the River Kwai is another film which has a strange fascination over me. It could be the stubbornness of the British pitted against the equal stubbornness of the Japanese compared with the common sense survivalism of the Americans. It could be the epicness of the film, as it was David Lean's first really big (in terms of scale) movie. It might just be the amazing scene of that bridge blowing up and the train diving headlong into the shallow river below. Whatever the reason, it is an amazing film with an equally amazing performance from Alec Guiness. His battle of wills against Col. Saito is so damned entertaining even though virtually no action takes place. It's a staring contest and when Saito has to blink first, it's a great moment of triumph. Amidst all this is the undercurrent of the absurdity of war itself and the actions taken by individuals which make no sense, even in times of conflict. Truly "madness".

Sweet Smell of Success is the film that made me realize Burt Lancaster is a great actor.Up until this film I had seen him in strictly lead protagonist roles where he played the morally strong hero. This film turned that completely upside down as he schemes and connives and twists Tony Curtis until there's nothing left. Not to say that Curtis himself is all shiny in this film because he most certainly is not. When I heard the line, "The cat's in the bag" and Curtis responds with "and the bag's in the river", I knew exactly what kind of character I would be getting the rest of the film. The dialogue exchanges between the two stars are the highlight of the film for me and each scene feels like a fight with words. This is one of those films that bears fruit upon repeated viewings because the nuances in each performance really add to the lines once you hear them a second time. A real boiler of a picture.

The Best of the Rest
Throne of Blood, Witness for the Prosecution, Night of the Demon, The Seventh Seal

Two amazing foreign dramas, one of the best courtroom classics ever and an underrated horror gem round out the best of this dramatic year. When it comes to Kurosawa films Throne of Blood would not probably be on the top of anyone's list...but it would almost always be in the top five. It is a true piece of cinematic art. Likewise The Seventh Seal holds a similar position among Bergman fans, though this one might be more likely to top a few lists. I love Charles Laughton in Witness for the Prosecution. He just perfectly exudes the arrogance necessary to his character and his curmudgeonly attitude only helps to endear him to the audience. Night of the Demon is perhaps the film I will always recommend as an underrated classic. It's not perfect but what it does almost as well as any film I have seen is set atmosphere and mood. I don't know if I've been more on the edge of my seat than when Dana Andrews is creeping around the forest in the fog. Also, the creature/demon is pretty terrifying as well for a 50's film. 

Other Films of Note
The Enemy Below, 20 Million Miles to Earth, The Spirit of St. Louis, Paths of Glory, Old Yeller

Overall, this year was the year of the drama. No matter what form it took, be it war, courtroom, show business, biography, submarine, Shakespearean samurai or playing chess with Death itself, this was a serious year for serious films.

2004

This was a year that comes around usually once a decade. It was a year when almost everything either lived up to the hype or came out of nowhere and became a pleasant surprise.It was a year for hilarious comedies, rousing action films, and heartfelt dramas. In short, this was a year that had everything.

The Top Three
The Incredibles, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

This was the year I began to believe in Pixar and The Incredibles was the film that put me over the top. From the opening chase sequence to the "incredits" at the end I fell in love with the family Parr and those masterful storytellers behind it all. I saw this film three times in the theater and I enjoyed it more every time. Brad Bird's phenomenal action direction, the perfect voice casting, and the ability of the script to find humor in the superhero genre ("no capes!") all combine to make this the best Pixar film. The Incredibles actually contains some of the best action sequences in film. The inventiveness and fun evident on screen during the island sequences and the desperation of the final battle against the giant robot rival anything in a live action film. However, it's the small moments that really carry the film for me, whether it's Mr. Incredible admitting he's "not strong enough", Dash realizing with joy he can run on water or Frozone showing up to join his friends for a fight. An all time classic.

 I have a few things to say about Anchorman. It was not until my fourth or fifth viewing that this became my favorite comedy of all time. When the same lines can be consistently funny, over and over again, that's when you know.
Here are the rest of the things I have to say about Anchorman: I'm kind of a big deal, jazz flute, sex panther, afternoon delight, Dorothy Mantooth is a saint!, anchor war, panda jerk, go f--- yourself San Diego, pleasuretown, a glass case of emotion, milk was a bad choice, whammy, newsteam assemble, the human torch was denied a bank loan, Scotch, Baxter, lamp, I love lamp, San Deeago, I don't know what we're yelling about!, bears, killing a guy with a trident and the gun show. You stay classy San Diego.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was a complete surprise to me. It was marketed more as a Jim Carrey comedy than an indie romance about the horrors of loosing your memories so I was completely unprepared for what unfolded. The thing that struck me right off the bat was how flawed both characters were. Their opening scene on the train (why do great dialogue scenes always happen on trains?) remains some of my favorite awkward dialogue ever. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman was at the top of his game when he constructed this gem. The film also contains career best performances from Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. My biggest takeaway from this film was the tragedy of memory loss and how the ability to recall events in our lives is so taken for granted.

The Best of the Rest
Sideways, The Bourne Supremacy, Collateral, Spider Man 2, Miracle, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Shaun of the Dead, Kill Bill Vol. 2, The Aviator, The Terminal

The films above are what made this year so truly great to go to the cinema. Everything was so damned entertaining! Even if a film had flaws (Kill Bill, Spider Man and Aviator I'm looking at you) the good far outweighed the bad. Miracle was another one of those amazing surprises and my personal favorite sports movie of all time. It's not a spoiler to say that the US team beats the Russians. The moment afterwards when Kurt Russel excuses himself to be alone in a deserted hallway and gives that fist pump is one of the truest representations of emotion on film for me. The touching melancholic joy of Sideways and The Terminal provided a much needed palate cleanser to the glut of great comedies and action films. Plus you have two sequels that actually surpass the originals in Bourne and Spiderman. A very rare feat indeed.

Other Films of Note
Man on Fire, Garden State, Ray, Bubba Ho-Tep, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Finding Neverland, Hellboy, Napoleon Dynamite, Team America: World Police, Dawn of the Dead, Friday Night Lights, The Motorcycle Diaries, Million Dollar Baby, Mysterious Skin

Overall, this year was the year where expectations were met and, more often than not, exceeded. So many years are full of films that don't live up to the hype due to the mass marketing that now takes place for most studio films. It was a very refreshing change of pace to be able to walk out of the theater again and again feeling satisfied and elated.

1946

This was a year in which all the films I've chosen to highlight, center around a romantic entanglement regardless of the genre they occupy. Perhaps that's why I have such a lovestruck fondness for all of the pictures below. However, none moreso than my top three, perhaps my favorite top three films of any year.

The Top Three
The Best Years of Our Lives, The Big Sleep, Notorious

The Best Years of Our Lives remains one of the best viewing experiences I've had where I knew virtually nothing about the film except that I wanted to see it. The number of truthful, poignant moments contained in this masterpiece of American cinema is staggering. However, they all pale in comparison to the very real truth of the situation facing Homer and his fiancee. The performance given by Harold Russell is not the greatest acting put forth on screen but never has there been a situation where someone "playing himself" has felt more genuine. I can still get chills thinking about the simple ending where a very small action, has the greatest meaning.

Oh, The Big Sleep. How I love thee. While I will admit this is not the greatest film noir of all time, it is the one that has my heart. It's no one thing (it never is with a great film) it's a collection of images and moments: Bogart with the bookstore girl, waiting in his car in the rain, talking horses with Bacall, Elisha Cook Jr bantering with Cunino, "you're cute", and all the strange twists and turns that give the film a foggy feeling. I am an unabashed Bogart fan and I enjoy all the films he did with his wife, Lauren Bacall, but it's their chemistry in this film that really connects with the audience.

Lastly, Notorious, which has the distinction of probably being the best Hitchcock film outside the big four (Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo and Rear Window). Here you get Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant in two very mature roles. Their park bench dialogue contains some of the best back and forth exchanges, where each line cuts upon the other while giving each character room to react. The film also contains one of Hitch's most brilliant pieces of camerawork, starting extremely wide above a busy ballroom and ending on a ring. While the ending is somewhat anticlimactic, the film still contains enough thrilling moments to be considered a classic.

Best of the Rest
It's a Wonderful Life, Gilda, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Killers

When it was released, It's a Wonderful Life was not overly successful. Only in the last 30 years has it gained it's stature and been romanticized as one of the preeminent Christmas films. The other three films all have strong performances from their female leads and act as great precursors to the dark alley of post war pessimism film noir would find in 1947 and 1948.

Other Films of Note
A Matter of Life and Death, (have not seen The Yearling, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, My Darling Clementine, or Beauty and the Beast--French version)

Overall, this year for me will always be about the chemistry of a great pair of actors and actresses. Whether it be Bogart and Bacall, Grant and Bergman, March and Loy, Andrews and Hayworth, Garfield and Turner, or Lancaster and Gardener, they were all enthralling. This was a rare year for another reason. It represented a turning point in American ideals. It is the calm before the storm that hits in 1947 when films like Out of the Past, The Lady from Shanghai, Born to Kill, and Crossfire would showcase how the post war joy of victory was wearing off and everyone was wondering "now what". The films listed above said that everything was alright for the time being and to enjoy the present moment, even though it was not to last.

1982

The year of the genre picture, most importantly sci/fi but horror and fantasy were well served also. This year is a personal one for me as it was the year I was born. I never got the chance to see any of these films in a theater upon first viewing. Later in my life I was able to see some of them at my college theater or at special event screenings but the first time I saw any of these films was on home video. Yes, video. I am that old. While the viewing experience was limited to my living room, it did not diminish any of the power these films held over me.

The Top Three
Blade Runner, The Thing, E. T. The Extra Terrestrial

 I'll begin with Blade Runner, as no film has consistently been more impressive to me upon subsequent viewings. There's so much going on in the background of every scene that one could spend hours gushing upon the art direction alone. However, what I always come back to is the tragic story of Roy Batty and his struggle for meaning and existence. His final scene is one of the best in cinema and what I feel to be a very poignant moment describing the human condition.

Then there's The Thing. John Carpenter's remake of another one of my favorite films, Howard Hawk's "The Thing From Another World" was for a long time a movie I avoided after my first viewing. The creature effects and gore were unlike anything I had ever scene and I used to dub this as the "grossest movie of all time". However, one Halloween (appropriately enough) I mustered up the courage to see the film again and this time I was able to feel the true fear of the film, which comes not from the hellish special effects but the rampant paranoia entangling every character in a chilling, frost-bitten grip. I've rarely been as unnerved as I was when Wilford Brimely's character calmly requests to come back inside while a noose dangles in the background. It's a small moment in the film but perfectly captures the sense of "we are all doomed" that Carpenter evokes in every scene.

Lastly, E.T. Without question this is the film that I watched the most of any movie from this year, which makes sense as I did not see the others until well into the 90's. While some may dismiss the film as schmaltzy Speilberg, I would counter with the argument that even though E.T. deliberately tries to pull on your heart strings, it does it so well that you cannot help but feel the emotions the film is trying so hard to invoke. That said, if you cannot relate to Elliot's joy as he soars with E.T. across the moon and the John Williams score soars right there with you, then your heart strings must be very rigid indeed.

Best of the Rest
Pink Floyd's The Wall, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Conan the Barbarian, First Blood, 48 Hrs., Poltergeist, Gandhi

The meat of this year is made up of the above films. Each a rousing and spirited entry in its own genre. Music Bio/Doc, Sci/Fi, Fantasy (swords & sorcery), One man vs. an Army, Buddy Cop, Horror and the Historical Epic each have a true representative and that does not happen often. Plus you have a pair of significant firsts with Schwarzenegger in Conan and Eddie Murphy in 48 Hrs.Not to mention, the best of the Star Trek films.

Other Films of Note
The Dark Crystal, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Tootsie, Rocky III, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, The Flight of Dragons, The Last Unicorn, The Secret of NIMH

Overall, this year is a very special one to me. The amount of unique and interesting niche pictures is far and away the best collection of any one year. One could make the argument that every year is filled with genre films because every film has a certain genre (or two). This would be missing the point that the year 1982 presented an amazingly diverse collection of films from all genres that were equally entertaining, evocative and expressive.

1994

When I think about this year the first thing that comes to mind is the great trio of films that have gained in stature as time has passed. They occupy the #1, #4 and #19 spots on the IMDB Top 250 films as voted on by the site's users.

The Top Three
Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, Forest Gump

Shawshank and Gump are more traditional Hollywood fare done up to the nines, while Pulp kicked the door in for independent film and solidified a new voice in American Cinema.



Best of the Rest
The Lion King, The Professional, Before Sunrise, Clerks, Quiz Show

A handful of other films cemented this year as one for originality and that indie feeling. Before Sunrise, Clerks and The Professional all found audiences through word of mouth and continued to impress each time someone discovered them. Disney hit a high water mark in the 90's with The Lion King and Quiz Show earned that coveted moniker of a "damn good movie".

Other Films of Note
True Lies, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, The Ref, Clear and Present Danger, The Crow, Swimming with Sharks, Bullets Over Broadway, Fresh, Airheads, Natural Born Killers, Speed, Trapped in Paradise, Ed Wood, Four Weddings and a Funeral

Overall, 1994 had more originality in it than most years previous and many years since. There are no sequels and no remakes to be found in the large list of films above. Quite an achievement considering the climate at the time. What I'll take away from this year most of all is the feeling that change was in the air. To borrow from the title of one of the films above, this year seemed fresh.

My Favorite Years

I'm starting a new feature here detailing some of my favorite years in the history of cinema. These are not necessarily historic years a la1969 (Midnight Cowboy wins the Oscar, Wild Bunch introduces slo-mo violence, etc.). These are also not necessarily critically lauded years a la1939 (Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights, etc.). These will simply be years containing films that had a profound impact on me or just a year where a lot of really great movies were released.
I've always found it interesting what films occupy the same time period and the glut some years have of just one great classic after another. This process is always done more accurately in hindsight, once the passage of years has allowed someone the chance to view enough films to get a feel for that time frame.
Also, a caveat that for every great year there are an equal number of terrible films released within the same period. Hollywood is a numbers game and during a few decades there was a lot of crap getting thrown out into the world to see what would stick. Thankfully this meant that a number of films that would usually never see the light of day, got made, distributed and found an audience. These are usually the films that "make" a year once the expectations have been met for the larger releases, which is another key factor in having a good year at the theater.
I'll discuss all this and more in my next post talking about 1994.

You Can't Go Home (or to the Theater) Again

Why would someone go see a movie multiple times in the theater?  On the surface, the answer is simple:  the viewer had a great experience and wants to have that same experience again. However, I believe the real reason to be more deeply rooted in the essence of storytelling itself.

 Seeing a film again is like going to your childhood home after a prolonged absence. Things have changed and usually it’s not as great as you remember it. This is usually not because your home has changed or the street where you grew up is now in shambles, though that could be the case from time to time. No, more often than not, the reason things are not as great as you remember them is because you the viewer has changed. In terms of seeing films again, knowing the entirety of the story and the final outcome of the plot usually detracts from the suspense of discovery and the catharsis found in the reveal of the ultimate question of the film. Will the hero save the day? Yes, I know he does cause I saw him do it last Friday.

However, upon subsequent viewings the great films contain new moments and new insights to discover and provide the viewer with the ability to see things from a different perspective. A focus on smaller details actually adds to the overall richness of the experience. These are traits shared by all great films. They are better than their first viewing can possibly allow them to be.  Certain films demand multiple viewings simply because the knowledge you have after seeing the film all the way through, gives you a different perspective on seeing the same actions take place again. For example, in The Usual Suspects (my personal favorite film), once you have seen the whole movie and Verbal Kint has woven his tale to completion, you cannot look at the events of that story in the same light on a second viewing. The film is exactly the same, frame for frame, word for word but you the viewer have changed and thus the events on the screen now have a dual or completely different meaning than when you first saw them.

Films like The Usual Suspects, Memento, Diabolique, 12 Monkeys, The Matrix, Vertigo, Blade Runner and The Conversation all give the viewer a different experience upon a second viewing because of how their stories unfold. The information given to the audience later in the story colors how the beginning of that same story is now interpreted. Almost invariably, this will lead to an enhanced viewing experience. It’s a different twist on a Hitchcock storytelling technique known as Dramatic Irony. Knowing something before a character does, such as there’s a bomb under the table, not only leads to heightened suspense but makes the audience feel smarter than the character. So when watching a suspense film a second time, the audience knows what thrill is coming but they get an enhanced view of how the character prepares, reacts and conquers or fails against the obstacle. If the character did something prior to the bomb exploding that the audience failed to notice the first time, then on that second viewing the audience will get another intellectually cathartic moment when they see how the character smartly dealt with that situation they were unaware of on the first viewing.

The cathartic response that drives people to the movies and drives people back to the same films can be accomplished by sweeping action blockbusters or intimate dramas. The most rewarding second viewing is the one that provides a new cathartic experience on top of the existing experience, thus deepening the love of the initial response while at the same time creating another response of similar and sometimes deeper affection.  It is this enhanced second response contained in the great films that rewards the audience with multiple viewings and separates the great films from the mediocre.  The constant rediscovery of emotional response is an amazing thing and what keeps most people going to the theater again and again. 

Why We Like (Some) Villains or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bad Guy

What is it about certain bad guys that makes the audience turn and begin rooting the other way? Why do some villains become more celebrated than the heroes they are working against? To me it comes down to a few simple elements and how these characters are introduced to the audience.
The most popular villains in recent screen history are Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, the Joker in The Dark Knight, Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs and Hans Gruber in Die Hard (you may argue with me on this point but I will stand behind Hans "any day of the week and twice on Sunday" as my Dad used to say). 
*Quick Note - there will be spoilers following regarding The Dark Knight, The Silence of the Lambs, and Die Hard.*

What makes these characters so endearing when they’re clearly against our heroes? Charisma, great lines, a certain degree of unpredictability and a ruthlessness that everyone secretly longs to be able to satisfy but rarely can in real life. However, I think the trait that tops all of these is resourcefulness. The villain’s ability to be one (or sometimes ten) steps ahead of our hero and subsequently the audience as well, makes us admire that character. Yes, we do admire people who are morally suspect. Perhaps that’s not right. A more accurate statement would be that we admire when anyone, good or bad, can overcome adversity in a way that is not obvious to us the audience.  It’s the element of surprise and uniqueness that all these villains had when they first came into theaters that was one of their most endearing qualities. However, they are villains and the introductions of all the characters are intended to show us the fearful side first and the original/charismatic side second.

Take the Joker in Dark Knight. The entire bank robbery sequence we’re waiting for a peak at him and it’s fairly obvious he’s in the mask of the non-talking clown but when his plan is fully realized, all his accomplices are dead and he pulls off his mask, we see how horrific his face is, we instantly know this character is a danger to everyone around him. When we get a proper introduction to the Joker later, he is funny, clever, resourceful (the "pencil trick" is such a perfect example of this) and able to get what he wants from a room full of people who don’t give anyone what they want. So in two scenes the villain has been endeared to the audience and made to fear him. Fearful endearment is the best quality to have in a villain because the audience, even if they do not like the character, respects the role the character plays in the story as a worthy (and sometimes superior) foil to the protagonist.

Another great example of this is Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber in Die Hard. Hans's intro is a little different from the rest in that he is not the one making people fear him per se but he is the leader of the terrorist group that takes over the Nakatomi Christmas party, so it works out to the same effect. His intimate knowledge of Takagi and the last line concerning how many children he has shows that he is a man to be feared because he knows what he wants and more importantly, how to get it. In the following scene he gets to be the charismatic, funny, endearing villain that audiences eat up. While Takagi is not a lesser antagonist as in the other examples, he is a roadblock that Hans needs to get around. In true villain fashion, when the roadblock refuses to move, Gruber blows it up (or more specifically shoots it in the head). So there are two scenes showing his resourcefulness right off the bat. This continues throughout the film but is most evident in the scene where McClane catches Gruber without his gun and Gruber instantly recognizes the situation for what it is and begins to act his way out of it. Halfway through the scene the audience is unsure if they are rooting for McClane to find him out or for Gruber to get away with it. 
Same deal with the Joker dealing with the mob bosses in his second scene. We don’t want the Joker to succeed in his overall plan against Batman, but we do want him to succeed against the other less endearing characters. With Gruber, we almost want him to get away and keep pulling tricks on the idiotic cops and FBI but we don’t want him to succeed against McClane at the end. The key here is that both villains have other lesser characters to battle and defeat without upsetting the protagonist/antagonist main relationship. The audience still wants the Joker and Gruber to lose in the end but we want it to be at the hands of Batman and McClane respectively.  Same holds true for Vader and Lecter.

In Silence, Hanibal is not even the villain! He’s actually the mentor disguised as an antagonist because of how he behaves towards the other characters around him. However, his actions towards our heroine are definitely not those of a foe but of a helpful teacher, trying to get the most out of his student. Granted Lecter is using the situation for his own ends as well but that is simply another trait of what makes him such a fascinating character. Getting back to my main points though, his first interaction on screen is one of fear and it is clear that he is a dangerous character to those that do not respect him or conversely that he does not respect. In the next scene he is defeating a lesser opponent who “wronged” our hero and as an audience we love him for this. Also, specifically with Lecter, the fact that he could make someone choke and die of their own free will just by talking to them, knowing exactly what buttons to push and how hard to push them, makes him earn our respect as a formidable character. For anyone who crosses Lecter or Clarice, we as an audience know, they are in for a nasty surprise.

Lastly, Vader. Perhaps the most iconic villain of all time for many reasons, none the least of which is his simple presentation, all in black and clearly evil. However, we STILL love him as an audience because of this same pattern or fear and resourcefulness against a lesser opponent. His first scene when he walks onto Princess Leia’s ship is definitely meant to inspire fear in the audience. He kills a crew member, kidnaps the Princess, yells (rare for Vader for the rest of the series) and then instructs his men to perform a cover up to hide the kidnapping. Not a nice guy. However, the next scene in which we see him, he is using the Force to choke out an annoying , arrogant underling that the audience roundly hates instantly. His stance against this kind of arrogance/annoyance/any other non desirable quality puts him squarely on our side and shows at the same time that he is not to be messed with.

So to wrap up, arguably the four biggest villains of the past 40 years of film making all share a common element as to why we as an audience end up caring for and rooting (in certain spots) for the bad guy. They are introduced as an element to be feared, because after all they are the antagonist and must prove themselves a worthy foil to our hero or we won’t care when they are defeated at the end (if in fact they are). The very next time they appear, they are endearing themselves to the audience by defeating a lesser antagonist in a resourceful or interesting way. These two things combined set up these characters to be the greatest of villains and they continue this balancing act throughout the film of being feared and then admired for their resourcefulness, although later in the film it pertains to defeating our hero in the battles leading up to the final showdown. 


If you are writing a script (like I am) then I would strongly suggest considering adding these elements to the introduction of your main antagonist. Your audience will thank you for it. 

The Best TED Talk on Film/Story by Pixar Icon Andrew Stanton

The above video is about 20 minutes of pure anatomy of how to make story work. It's not broken up into Step 1, Step 2, etc. but what Stanton does so brilliantly is tells the audience a story about stories. Leave it to someone from Pixar to tell the world how they do what they do in the form of how they do it. Brilliant.

P.S. If you didn't see John Carter (U.S. box office shows not many of you did) it's not as bad as you might think and actually holds a lot of great moments. I mention this because everyone is quick to point out a misstep from anyone involved with Pixar and though Stanton's film was considered a huge flop, I would put that more on Disney's marketing arm than the director himself.

In Depth Interview with Christopher Nolan to Help You Get Ready for TDKR!

If you enjoy the Nolan Batman films, then this interview with the Director's Guild of America will serve as a wonderful appetizer to get your juices flowing for the main course of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20th. Looking back at Nolan's full body of work now, you can see a man that has his act together.

I wouldn't call it a "planned out career path" so much as I would say that everything he does, he puts his full conviction into and makes a great final product. The article reveals that and more and I found it a wonderful read. Enjoy:
http://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/1202-Spring-2012/DGA-Interview-Christopher-Nolan.aspx

Tao of Rio Bravo Article

Another interesting if not wholly nonsensical look at the 1959 western classic, Rio Bravo. The film itself is one of the four cornerstones of John Wayne's career, along with Stagecoach, The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. There's so much to love about the movie and all the players involved that I won't go into it here. Suffice to say this is one of those movies that I can always watch no matter where or when, even if I saw it a week ago. It hits all the notes and there is rarely a false moment. A true classic. http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2012/04/11/the-tao-of-rio-bravo-or-a-yakky-way-of-knowledge/

Wardrobe as Character in Hitchcock's Vertigo

Having just changed my desktop wallpaper from The Avengers to the classic spiral of Vertigo's poster, I thought it fitting to post this interesting article I found a few weeks ago. Great analysis of an amazing film and offering insights into the smaller aspects of this fascinating film through the use of the clothes everyone is wearing. Enjoy: http://clothesonfilm.com/costume-identity-in-hitchcocks-vertigo/25039/