Thursday, February 04, 2010
Catching up and the movies continue....
Once again, it's been a few days since my last post. The return from Vegas and spending the evening with Abbey last night left me little time to blog. Now I'm sitting at home all alone with Jeopardy on in the background so I thought I'd do a little catching up.
First, if you'll recall from Monday, I'd like to congratulate myself for correctly projecting 29 of the top 35 academy award nominations for this year's movies. I got all the Best Actor, Actress and Supporting Actor nominations correct, got 4 of the 5 director nominees correct, 3 of the 5 Supporting Actress nominees correct and 7 of the 10 best pictures correct. In addition, I said Lee Daniels (even though I called him Stevens in my previous post) and Penelope Cruz would be nominated if one of my top 5 in their respective categories were not. Not a bad effort if I do say so myself. Who will win? Right now I'm projecting the following....
Best Picture - The Hurt Locker
Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow
Best Actor - Jeff Bridges/Crazy Heart
Best Actress - Sandra Bullock/The Blindside
Best Supporting Actor - Christopher Waltz/Inglorious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique/Precious
Best Animated Feature - Up
I'll update this as the awards show approaches - I'll also be seeing a few ofthese movies between now and then which could also change my opinion.
I have to comment on the recently concluded college football recruiting period. As an Ohio State fan, I watched closely to see if the Buckeyes might be able to land the consensus top player in the country in offensive lineman, Seantrel Henderson. In the end, the young man from Minnesota decided to go to USC which is fine, you have to follow your heart. What amazes me is some of the comments attributed to Henderson and his father. Most notably, they called Coach Tressel boring. Apparently he talked with Seantrel and his father at great length about what to expect his freshman year - they said it was very business like and somewhat boring. I'll be the first to admit that on the surface, Tressel is not the most excitable guy. At the same time, I find him to be genuine and I sincerely believe he has the players best interest in mind when he recruits them. I can only imagine what he told them to expect the first year at Ohio State; he probably talked about time management, classes, academic support that would be available to him, conditioning programs, summer practices, getting a good start and staying on top of the academic side of college. And the Hendersons thought that was boring. True it's not Hollywood, movie stars, warm weather and the beach but it is what playing college football is all about. Obviously this kid and his dad wants the bright lights of Hollywood. They don't want to hear about school, they want to hang out with the beautiful people. They'd prefer to pin Seantrel's football future on a coach who has a losing record as in a little over 2 years as a head coach over a man who has 5 national championships, won 6 Big Ten titles, has a 94-21 record at Ohio State and taken the Buckeyes to 7 BCS bowl games and a national championship in 2002. If that's boring, sign me up. And perhaps if Seantrel paid a little more attention to the 'boring' stuff he wouldn't be taking the ACT test again in a couple weeks as he's yet to qualify academically to go to any school.
I've got a few other things to talk about but I'll save them for another post - now it's time for #50 - #41 of my favorite movies countdown....
#50. Pulp Fiction (1994) - 75% of this movie is absolutely brilliant, 25% is downright disturbing. The brilliant parts (any scene with Samuel E. Jackson and John Travolta) earned Pulp Fiction a spot in my top 100, the disturbing parts (most notably the gimp) kept it from being higher. While I've yet to see Inglorious Basterds its hard to believe it could top Pulp Fiction as Tarantino's best film.
#49. American Grafitti (1973) - Set in southern California in the 1963, American Grafitti follows the final night before best friends head off to college. Featuring an all star cast (before they were actually all stars) American Grafitti was director George Lucas' break though film and helped launch the careers of Harrision Ford, Richard Dryfuss, Suzanne Sommers and Cindy Williams. Lucas's film was spot on with it's authenticity and made you feel like you were actually lived in that time when a fun night was spent cruising with your friends down the strip.
#48. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) - As technically amazing as the computer animation is in movies like Finding Nemo and Up, it can't compare to the acievement of Snow White. The first, feature length animated movie was done the old-fashioned way, one detailed cel at a time. Simply a beautiful work of art that paved the way for today's technically advanced wonders.
#47. Blazing Saddles (1974) - From the opening scene, you knew you were watching special (and as we would learn many years later, one of the most politically incorrect movies of all time). The great thing about Blazing Saddles was, it allowed us to laugh at ourselves because no one was sacred in Mel Brooks hysterical farce of the old west. Every character was perfectly cast with Madeline Kahn stealing the show as a German stripper with a speech impediment who is recruited to seduce the new black sheriff in town. I'm not sure this movie would receive the same attention if were made today.
#46. The Miracle of Morgans Creek (1944) - Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken star in this classic about a woman who goes to a USO show and wakes up the next day to realize she was married the night before but has no who her husband his. Not long after she realizes not only is she married, she's pregnant, which doesn't sit well with her cantankerous father, wonderfully played by William Demarest. This movie plays on Turner Classic Movies from time to time and if you ever get a chance to watch it, do it; they don't make movies like this anymore.
#45. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Tremendously chilling tale about a young FBI agent trying to solve a serial killer case with the help of one of the most notorious movie, bad guys of all time, Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lector. Anthony Hopkins won the Academy Award for Best Actor and Jodie Foster was Best Actress as The Silence of the Lambs became only the 3rd movie in history to sweep the top five Oscars (picture, actor, actress, director and screenplay) . Hopkins is absolutely amazing as Lector.
#44. On Golden Pond (1981) - Two of the greatest movie stars of all time, Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn, are magical as an aged couple, Norman and Ethel Thayer who spend their summers at their seasonal home on Golden Pond. Full of life, warmth, and heart; On Golden Pond proved that like a fine bottle of wine, some performers are also better with age. Fonda and Hepburn were both Academy Award winners for this gem of a movie.
#43. Heaven Can Wait (1978) - Warren Beatty stars as Joe Pendleton, an NFL quarterback with a goal of playing in the Super Bowl, who is mistakenly called to Heaven by an eager guardian angel. When the angel's boos, Mr. Jordan, realizes that Pendleton is right and he's not supposed to be in Heaven...yet, they try to return him to his earthly body only to find it was cremated. The search is then on for a body that will allow Pendleton the opportunity to fulfill his destiny of playing in the Super Bowl. A remake of the 1941 classic, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, this film was a throwback to the screwball comedies of the 1940's and included fantastic performances by Beatty, Julie Christie, James Mason, Jack Warden, Buck Henry and Charles Grodin.
#42. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - From the opening scene, watching Raiders of the Lost Ark was like going to an amusement park with thrills and chills popping up around every corner. Inspired by the films, stories and heroes of Stephen Spielberg's childhood, Raiders of the Lost Ark introduced movie fans to Indiana Jones (perfectly played by Harrison Ford) a swashbuckling, archeologist with only one weakness, a tremendous dislike of snakes.
#41. The Deer Hunter (1978) - One of the most intense movies I've ever seen, The Deer Hunter follows the lives of three best friends who go to Vietnam and how their experiences change their lives forever. Robert DeNiro turns in one of his greatest performances and Christopher Walken is chilling in his Academy Award winning role. Meryl Streep earned her first Academy Award nomination as the love interest of both DeNiro and Walken's characters.
I'll try to get the next 10 films, which includes 5 Best Pictures, no later than Saturday. They're calling for the white death tomorrow - be safe on the roads!!!
First, if you'll recall from Monday, I'd like to congratulate myself for correctly projecting 29 of the top 35 academy award nominations for this year's movies. I got all the Best Actor, Actress and Supporting Actor nominations correct, got 4 of the 5 director nominees correct, 3 of the 5 Supporting Actress nominees correct and 7 of the 10 best pictures correct. In addition, I said Lee Daniels (even though I called him Stevens in my previous post) and Penelope Cruz would be nominated if one of my top 5 in their respective categories were not. Not a bad effort if I do say so myself. Who will win? Right now I'm projecting the following....
Best Picture - The Hurt Locker
Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow
Best Actor - Jeff Bridges/Crazy Heart
Best Actress - Sandra Bullock/The Blindside
Best Supporting Actor - Christopher Waltz/Inglorious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique/Precious
Best Animated Feature - Up
I'll update this as the awards show approaches - I'll also be seeing a few ofthese movies between now and then which could also change my opinion.
I have to comment on the recently concluded college football recruiting period. As an Ohio State fan, I watched closely to see if the Buckeyes might be able to land the consensus top player in the country in offensive lineman, Seantrel Henderson. In the end, the young man from Minnesota decided to go to USC which is fine, you have to follow your heart. What amazes me is some of the comments attributed to Henderson and his father. Most notably, they called Coach Tressel boring. Apparently he talked with Seantrel and his father at great length about what to expect his freshman year - they said it was very business like and somewhat boring. I'll be the first to admit that on the surface, Tressel is not the most excitable guy. At the same time, I find him to be genuine and I sincerely believe he has the players best interest in mind when he recruits them. I can only imagine what he told them to expect the first year at Ohio State; he probably talked about time management, classes, academic support that would be available to him, conditioning programs, summer practices, getting a good start and staying on top of the academic side of college. And the Hendersons thought that was boring. True it's not Hollywood, movie stars, warm weather and the beach but it is what playing college football is all about. Obviously this kid and his dad wants the bright lights of Hollywood. They don't want to hear about school, they want to hang out with the beautiful people. They'd prefer to pin Seantrel's football future on a coach who has a losing record as in a little over 2 years as a head coach over a man who has 5 national championships, won 6 Big Ten titles, has a 94-21 record at Ohio State and taken the Buckeyes to 7 BCS bowl games and a national championship in 2002. If that's boring, sign me up. And perhaps if Seantrel paid a little more attention to the 'boring' stuff he wouldn't be taking the ACT test again in a couple weeks as he's yet to qualify academically to go to any school.
I've got a few other things to talk about but I'll save them for another post - now it's time for #50 - #41 of my favorite movies countdown....
#50. Pulp Fiction (1994) - 75% of this movie is absolutely brilliant, 25% is downright disturbing. The brilliant parts (any scene with Samuel E. Jackson and John Travolta) earned Pulp Fiction a spot in my top 100, the disturbing parts (most notably the gimp) kept it from being higher. While I've yet to see Inglorious Basterds its hard to believe it could top Pulp Fiction as Tarantino's best film.
#49. American Grafitti (1973) - Set in southern California in the 1963, American Grafitti follows the final night before best friends head off to college. Featuring an all star cast (before they were actually all stars) American Grafitti was director George Lucas' break though film and helped launch the careers of Harrision Ford, Richard Dryfuss, Suzanne Sommers and Cindy Williams. Lucas's film was spot on with it's authenticity and made you feel like you were actually lived in that time when a fun night was spent cruising with your friends down the strip.
#48. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938) - As technically amazing as the computer animation is in movies like Finding Nemo and Up, it can't compare to the acievement of Snow White. The first, feature length animated movie was done the old-fashioned way, one detailed cel at a time. Simply a beautiful work of art that paved the way for today's technically advanced wonders.
#47. Blazing Saddles (1974) - From the opening scene, you knew you were watching special (and as we would learn many years later, one of the most politically incorrect movies of all time). The great thing about Blazing Saddles was, it allowed us to laugh at ourselves because no one was sacred in Mel Brooks hysterical farce of the old west. Every character was perfectly cast with Madeline Kahn stealing the show as a German stripper with a speech impediment who is recruited to seduce the new black sheriff in town. I'm not sure this movie would receive the same attention if were made today.
#46. The Miracle of Morgans Creek (1944) - Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken star in this classic about a woman who goes to a USO show and wakes up the next day to realize she was married the night before but has no who her husband his. Not long after she realizes not only is she married, she's pregnant, which doesn't sit well with her cantankerous father, wonderfully played by William Demarest. This movie plays on Turner Classic Movies from time to time and if you ever get a chance to watch it, do it; they don't make movies like this anymore.
#45. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Tremendously chilling tale about a young FBI agent trying to solve a serial killer case with the help of one of the most notorious movie, bad guys of all time, Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lector. Anthony Hopkins won the Academy Award for Best Actor and Jodie Foster was Best Actress as The Silence of the Lambs became only the 3rd movie in history to sweep the top five Oscars (picture, actor, actress, director and screenplay) . Hopkins is absolutely amazing as Lector.
#44. On Golden Pond (1981) - Two of the greatest movie stars of all time, Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn, are magical as an aged couple, Norman and Ethel Thayer who spend their summers at their seasonal home on Golden Pond. Full of life, warmth, and heart; On Golden Pond proved that like a fine bottle of wine, some performers are also better with age. Fonda and Hepburn were both Academy Award winners for this gem of a movie.
#43. Heaven Can Wait (1978) - Warren Beatty stars as Joe Pendleton, an NFL quarterback with a goal of playing in the Super Bowl, who is mistakenly called to Heaven by an eager guardian angel. When the angel's boos, Mr. Jordan, realizes that Pendleton is right and he's not supposed to be in Heaven...yet, they try to return him to his earthly body only to find it was cremated. The search is then on for a body that will allow Pendleton the opportunity to fulfill his destiny of playing in the Super Bowl. A remake of the 1941 classic, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, this film was a throwback to the screwball comedies of the 1940's and included fantastic performances by Beatty, Julie Christie, James Mason, Jack Warden, Buck Henry and Charles Grodin.
#42. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - From the opening scene, watching Raiders of the Lost Ark was like going to an amusement park with thrills and chills popping up around every corner. Inspired by the films, stories and heroes of Stephen Spielberg's childhood, Raiders of the Lost Ark introduced movie fans to Indiana Jones (perfectly played by Harrison Ford) a swashbuckling, archeologist with only one weakness, a tremendous dislike of snakes.
#41. The Deer Hunter (1978) - One of the most intense movies I've ever seen, The Deer Hunter follows the lives of three best friends who go to Vietnam and how their experiences change their lives forever. Robert DeNiro turns in one of his greatest performances and Christopher Walken is chilling in his Academy Award winning role. Meryl Streep earned her first Academy Award nomination as the love interest of both DeNiro and Walken's characters.
I'll try to get the next 10 films, which includes 5 Best Pictures, no later than Saturday. They're calling for the white death tomorrow - be safe on the roads!!!
# posted by Vince Hopkins @ 7:41 PM 
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Well I just got done watching a movie that after this countdown will be firmly placed in the top 30 at the very least. It was "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly." Clint Eastwood is absolutely cold blooded and the roles of Tuco (the ugly) and Angel Eyes (the bad) are played incredibly well. I now know why this movies is #4 on imdb's top 250.
50-41:
#50 Office Space (1999) - A hilarious comedy about the daily trials and bores of working a 9-5 in a cubicle (not that I have any experience in this). The main character Peter (played by Ron Livingston) is hypnotized and no longer cares about his job. The best character though is the Boss, Bill Lumbergh played by Gary Cole. He is obnoxious and power hungry. It's great.
#49 Wedding Crashers (2005) - This movie is my tribute spot to my enjoyment of listening to Vince Vaughn dialogue. He plays a middle-aged lawyer that teams up with a buddy (Owen Wilson) to go and crash wedding. Christopher Walken steps in as Governor Cleary, the father of the main wedding that the characters crash. He is very funny
#48 Zoolander (2001) - Ben Stiller plays male model idiot Derek Zoolander in his best leading role. He is classic showing off his "versatility" and drinking orange mocha frapacinnos. Great soundtrack too.
#47 Reservoir Dogs (1992) This is about a group of criminals organized to do a robbery only to discover one of them is a cop. As back story unfold you discover just how big of a nut job some of the players are. Michael Madsen in particular plays Vic Vega aka Mr. Blonde; A psychotic killer fresh out of jail ready to get some action. One of Tarentino's best
#46 Rocky (1976) Everyone knows the story of Rocky. It is ultimate under dog. I especially like it for Carl Weathers portrayal of Apollo Creed. He is basically a fictional Muhammad Ali. In my opinion he makes the movie.
#45 Me, Myself, and Irene (2000) I saw this for the first time at a super bowl party and thought it was one of the funniest movies ever. I was reacquainted with the movie freshman year and it confirmed the thought. Jim Carrey plays a skitzo cop from Rhode Island. The best part of the movie are his three "sons" who are three huge incredibly intellegent but racy black guys who are the by-product of his ex-wife's affair with their midget wedding limo driver.
#44 Dog Day Afternoon (1975) A story about how a bank robbery on a sweltering summer day turn into a media circus. Al Pacino and Jon Cazale (Fredo from the Godfather films) play the robbers who get stuck in a stick hostage situations. Both deliver brilliant performances.
#43 WALL.E (2008) In a movie with hardly any dialogue, pixar gets you to fall in love with a robot. Very cute movie about how Walmart is going to take over the world. This is my third pixar movie and its not even my top one.. That honor belongs to:
#42 Toy Story (1995) I think what separates Toy Story from the rest of the pixar movies is the voices. They provide a good deal of the comedy, while the animation does so in the other films. Toy Story is about what happens when an old time western doll gets replaced as a favorite toy by the new super action space doll.. oh yea and the toys come to life.
#41 Happy Gilmore (1996) By far Adam Sandlers best movie. It isn't Sandler however that makes this so classic. One reason is Carl Weathers as the old one handed club pro Chubbs. The other is due to one of the best and most underappreciated movie characters ever Shooter McGavin, played by Christopher McDonald. Shooter is the best layer on tour who feels threatened by Happy's play and will stop at nothing to beat him.
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50-41:
#50 Office Space (1999) - A hilarious comedy about the daily trials and bores of working a 9-5 in a cubicle (not that I have any experience in this). The main character Peter (played by Ron Livingston) is hypnotized and no longer cares about his job. The best character though is the Boss, Bill Lumbergh played by Gary Cole. He is obnoxious and power hungry. It's great.
#49 Wedding Crashers (2005) - This movie is my tribute spot to my enjoyment of listening to Vince Vaughn dialogue. He plays a middle-aged lawyer that teams up with a buddy (Owen Wilson) to go and crash wedding. Christopher Walken steps in as Governor Cleary, the father of the main wedding that the characters crash. He is very funny
#48 Zoolander (2001) - Ben Stiller plays male model idiot Derek Zoolander in his best leading role. He is classic showing off his "versatility" and drinking orange mocha frapacinnos. Great soundtrack too.
#47 Reservoir Dogs (1992) This is about a group of criminals organized to do a robbery only to discover one of them is a cop. As back story unfold you discover just how big of a nut job some of the players are. Michael Madsen in particular plays Vic Vega aka Mr. Blonde; A psychotic killer fresh out of jail ready to get some action. One of Tarentino's best
#46 Rocky (1976) Everyone knows the story of Rocky. It is ultimate under dog. I especially like it for Carl Weathers portrayal of Apollo Creed. He is basically a fictional Muhammad Ali. In my opinion he makes the movie.
#45 Me, Myself, and Irene (2000) I saw this for the first time at a super bowl party and thought it was one of the funniest movies ever. I was reacquainted with the movie freshman year and it confirmed the thought. Jim Carrey plays a skitzo cop from Rhode Island. The best part of the movie are his three "sons" who are three huge incredibly intellegent but racy black guys who are the by-product of his ex-wife's affair with their midget wedding limo driver.
#44 Dog Day Afternoon (1975) A story about how a bank robbery on a sweltering summer day turn into a media circus. Al Pacino and Jon Cazale (Fredo from the Godfather films) play the robbers who get stuck in a stick hostage situations. Both deliver brilliant performances.
#43 WALL.E (2008) In a movie with hardly any dialogue, pixar gets you to fall in love with a robot. Very cute movie about how Walmart is going to take over the world. This is my third pixar movie and its not even my top one.. That honor belongs to:
#42 Toy Story (1995) I think what separates Toy Story from the rest of the pixar movies is the voices. They provide a good deal of the comedy, while the animation does so in the other films. Toy Story is about what happens when an old time western doll gets replaced as a favorite toy by the new super action space doll.. oh yea and the toys come to life.
#41 Happy Gilmore (1996) By far Adam Sandlers best movie. It isn't Sandler however that makes this so classic. One reason is Carl Weathers as the old one handed club pro Chubbs. The other is due to one of the best and most underappreciated movie characters ever Shooter McGavin, played by Christopher McDonald. Shooter is the best layer on tour who feels threatened by Happy's play and will stop at nothing to beat him.
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