Happy Earth Day Classic Rewind readers! Here’s a video of the day I spent exploring the nature in and around Nashville, Tenn!
http://animoto.com/play/DN17YcdIITsD47iS4aEo3g
Monthly Archives: April 2014
“And here we go”… Classic Rewind unveils personal picks of greatest films
My last post was dedicated to AFI’s list of the top ten cinematic classics so this week I’ve decided to present my picks for the best five films I’ve ever seen. Enjoy!
5. The Dark Knight
Heath Ledger. Is there a better way to start off a greatest films list? Christopher Nolan’s 2008 Batman flick, The Dark Knight is awarded the number five slot in my favorite movies. Nolan didn’t just create a typical summer superhero blockbuster; he invited audiences into a world where unusual-looking criminals bargaining with organized crime seems normal and terrifying. As for that unusual-looking criminal, Ledger spooks audiences as the twisted “magician” of sorts, the Joker. Ledger posthumously won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the role. While his most known role, rivaling Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, Ledger’s talent flourished long before The Dark Knight. I encourage readers to check out his earlier films such as Candy, Casanova, Four Feathers and I’m Not There to name just a few! Ledger’s talent could morph into any character type, which made him perfect for the cynical Joker.
4. A Streetcar Named Desire
Take a ride on the “rattle-trap streetcar that bangs through the Quarter” and you’ll end up at the #4 ranking film, A Streetcar Named Desire. The film based on Tennessee William’s play stars none other than Marlon Brando as the vulgar brute, Stanley Kowalski and Vivien Leigh as the flighty and disturbed Blanche DuBois. As a reader of the play first, I may be slightly bias on how much I love this film; but then again, Marlon Brando. Through a writer’s lens however, the script, as well as the original play, masters creating strong characters just through the written word. Each character is uniquely their own through the strategic word choice. For example, Blanche puts on an air of sophistication and charm when speaking while Stanley’s violent temper directly impacts his dialogue.
3. The Departed
By this point there should be no surprise a Martin Scorsese film is on this list. The Departed, a winner of four Academy Awards, is an outstanding example of a film that captures the human condition. Set in South Boston, this film gives an audience action and suspense while following a who’s who trail of rats and moles in organized crime and the police force. The dimensions of the film editing, especially the temporal relations, convince the audience to believe exactly was Scorsese is intending. Scorsese does an incredible job at framing the image to show the audience the true meaning of every shot. The Departed interprets strong ideas and emotions visually by using every camera angle, close-up, medium shot, and long shot purposely. A fun hidden visualization used in the film to look for is when a character dies, somewhere in the scene the audience can scope for some type of X in the shot. Other than the cinematography and film editing, the film has arguably the best cast, consisting of Jack Nicolson as Irish mob leader, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg. If you’re looking for an intellectual film combined with the grittiness and corruptness of organized crime in Boston, this 2006 Best Picture is for you.
2. When Harry Met Sally
If you haven’t watched this movie yet then I don’t understand why you are still reading my blog. I’m out of “cutesy” ways to say this: this movie is the excellent blend of wit and reality. Nora Ephron and Rob Reiner created a beautifully light-hearted but honest representation of friendship between the sexes. Read a more detailed analysis of the movie on Classic Rewind and if that still doesn’t sway you, maybe the smooth jazz of Harry Connick Jr.’s music in the film will.
1. Life is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella)
“Buon giorno, Principessa!” Topping the list is Roberto Benigni’s 1997 film Life Is Beautiful. If there were a list of how many emotions you can feel all in one movie, this film would again win. Life Is Beautiful depicts the story of a young man who uses his charming humor to not only win over his wife, but also keep his son’s innocence during their time in a Nazi death camp. What makes me absolutely love this film is the way the comedy is used to not only cause laughter, but to make the audience truly feel for Benigni’s character and his family. Comedic bits from the beginning of the film follow the characters through till the end. While I guarantee you’ll probably cry, everyone needs to see this Italian film that shows that even when things seem to be awful, life is always beautiful. This film is now available on Netflix.
Do you agree with my film choices? What are some of your all-time favorite movies? Comment below and take the poll!
Top ten movies stand the test of time and reign supreme
THE WIZARD OF OZ
Concluding our list is L. Frank Baum’s colorfully terrific The Wizard of Oz. The story of young Dorothy Gale and her chipper companion Toto surprised audiences with the unique use of black and white twisting out of control into beautiful Technicolor. The film is commonly viewed with the traditional themes of home, love and friendship; however, The Wizard of Oz is also an allegory for The Great Depression era. Symbols such as the yellow brick road, bricks of gold, are snuck cleverly into the film. Whatever the message, we can’t deny the impact this film still has on audiences today. How many of us bought a pair of ruby slippers and clicked our heels together three times after seeing this movie as kids? Audiences are instantly consumed into the spectacle with its charming dance sequences and catchy musical tunes. There is no denying you will wish you were somewhere over the rainbow.
VERTIGO
Face your fears with James Stewart and Kim Novak, as Alfred Hitchcock’s mysterious thriller Vertigo sweeps into the No. 9 slot. Vertigo will make your head spin as you follow the recovery of retired detective John Ferguson, who suffers from acrophobia, or the fear of heights. Tracing the wife of an old friend, Ferguson soon gets involved too close with his client, and the result is dizzying chaos. One of Hitchcock’s first films to use colorful graphics, don’t miss this movie if you’re looking for a good mystery that can also give you a slight spook.
SCHINDLER’S LIST
Powerful, tense and heart-wrenching don’t even come close to describing Steven Spielberg’s successful Schindler’s List. Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, this seven Academy Award-winning film highlights the brutality of the Holocaust as well as focuses on a man that eventually turned into a symbol of hope for those suffering. Not only is the storyline terrific, the cinematography only complements that script. Even the simple use of color at specific points is incredibly compelling to watch as an audience member. Through strong mise-en-scence, the viewer gets insight into a character, especially Oskar, even before he begins to speak. This historical drama, no matter how disturbing, is not one to miss.
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
This 1962 picture starring Peter O’Toole tells the tale of the unconventional hero T.E. Lawrence, British army officer during the first World War situated in Arabia. To be upfront with my readers, this film was extremely tough to get through. Standing at nearly four hours long, Lawrence of Arabia is a historical biopic that challenges the means of movie-making. High impact action and romance side stories are absent as the movie uses the desert as its stage. The film doesn’t use spectacle but simply tells the story in its entirety.
GONE WITH THE WIND
Join the ever-sassy Scarlett O’Hara and her tumultuous relationship with the mysterious Rhett Butler as the South learns how to survive during the Civil War. This film definitely stands out for its time by having a strong female lead, resulting in the passing of the Bechdel Test. While Gone With the Wind is known as an essential romance movie, the movie has so many more aspects that O’Hara leads, such as the survival of the Tara plantation.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
Grab an umbrella and prepare to be splashed with fun as Singin’ in the Rain dances its way to the fifth-place slot. Residing as AFI’s best movie musical, Classic Rewind has reviewed the film that pioneered the way for the Arthur Freed Unit at MGM Studios. We can all thank the irresistible comedic charm of Donald O’Connor and the classic suave charisma of Gene Kelly for the monumental amounts of movie musicals such as The Wizard of Oz and Easter Parade that followed.
RAGING BULL
Another repeat on Classic Rewind, Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull takes the fourth place slot. Surprisingly, for being such a fan of Scorsese’s work, this was not my favorite film. That being said, certain aspects of this film are made with the highest quality; Thelma Schoonmaker took home the Oscar for Film Editing for the film. Another aspect is the unique perspective of a protagonist the audience doesn’t want to root for in a sports film. Robert De Niro also received the Best Actor Academy Award for this movie. While De Niro’s performance as boxer Jake La Motta is frustrating all for the right reasons, this gritty film is tough to get through if you’re looking for characters you actually go away liking. If you try hard enough, you might be able to view La Motta’s actions as extreme determination to do well in his sport, but I don’t think that makes any of his actions justified.
CASABLANCA
Suspense, gambling wagers, secrets and romance: what a beautiful friendship these elements make! The 1942 classic Casablanca truly can capture any movie viewer. Following cynical loner Rick unexpectedly running into his past love, Ilsa, who turns out to be accompanied by another man, this film has you switching sides every five minutes. Set during World War II, the movie is filled with the acceptable amount of flashbacks, usually starting with the motif song, “As Time Goes By,” to give the reader just enough information to follow the plot. A turn of events causes an unpredictable ending that I wasn’t sure how I felt about the first time I watched it. While this is obviously very biased considering it is my favorite movie, I would encourage you to watch this film and then watch When Harry Met Sally after to spot all the connections between the two.
THE GODFATHER
When Don Corleone says he will make you an offer you can’t refuse, he means it! Making its second appearance on Classic Rewind, The Godfather ranks No. 2 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list. As I have written about previously, this movie is one of my absolute favorites. For a movie with such a high intensity level, Marlon Brando’s superb acting almost seems refreshing, such a juxtaposition that strangely works very well.
CITIZEN KANE
Reigning at the No. 1 spot is Orson Welles’ 1941 hit Citizen Kane. The film chronicles the expensive life of Charles Foster Kane, a newspaper tycoon and political candidate extraordinaire. Living a life full of costly statues, various wives and money to spend, Kane utters one simple word before his death: “Rosebud.” The meaning of this word becomes the biggest mystery that newspaper reporters everywhere are trying to solve. The film focuses on the character of Kane starting from his childhood all the way to his death. Even with his whole life being displayed, Kane is not a character the audience fully understands. Signed away to a great deal of money in his childhood, Kane lives a luxurious life while claiming to be the “man of the working people.” The movie is supposed to be loosely based on newspaper muckraker William Randolph Hearst. Interestingly enough, Scorsese’s new film, The Wolf of Wall Street, mirrors this film closely in terms of Kane versus Scorsese’s Jordan Belfort. Considering both films are based off real people, this could just be coincidence. Citizen Kane broke though barriers with its new camera use and makeup concepts. Through the use of the wide-angle camera lens, the walls seem to be zooming past the audience rather than the still camera shots used in most movies previous to Citizen Kane. Director and star Orson Welles was only 26 years old when he portrayed the life of Charles Kane. This shows not only the excellent makeup use to age Welles, but also his believability as an actor to play such a range of ages. Combining biography, character development and mystery, Citizen Kane is a must-see movie.
I’ll have the cheeseburger, but hold the disease
How happy is a Happy Meal when it’s filled with pathogens? Is Tyson really “bringing your family together”, or is it driving money into the pockets of company owners controlling darkened coups cluttered with sickly chickens? The 2008 Academy Award-nominated documentary Food Inc. takes on the challenge of answering these questions. Director Robert Kenner fearlessly strives to educate the American people on what we eat, what we can say about it and what we should know. Food Inc. daringly points a finger at a small number of companies that own and run the production of our food and how they have manipulated the government to help them control profit over health and safety of consumers.
Food Inc. is widely regarded as one of the more controversial documentaries made. While some consider the film a revealing expose on the quality of our food, others view it as radical propaganda. Either take on the film, Food Inc. manages to reveal some type of emotion out of the viewer: a major objective for a documentary. A documentary that makes you feel something after is going to produce far more buzz than a film that sounds more like a videotaped class lecture.
Kenner has a specific purpose for each graphic and camera shot he used in the film. Gruesome shots of large factories and mutilated animals represent major corporations the film is exposing, such as Tyson and Perdue. Even the movie’s poster sends a driven message. The cow with a barcode itched to its side is far less appealing than the photos of green pastures and smiling farmers consumers usually see advertising their meat.
Food Inc. also does a good job of interviewing the right people to represent their message. Watching the film, you seem to get a plethora of different types of people. Small town chicken farmers upset with Tyson, CEOs of organic farming companies, locally grown farmers and even a mother advocating for food safety after losing her son to E. coli speak out against meat processing companies. While all interviewees seem to be vastly different in the way they convey their message, it’s all truly the same. What I thought was missing from the film was corporate refutation. Where was Tyson or Perdue defending the safety of their products? Small white text filtered the screen at various times throughout the film repeated the same phrase, “Company refused to comment at this time.”
Food Inc. stays true to its bias but most importantly uses arguably the most convincing rhetoric tool, pathos, to call the viewer to action. If the uncensored footage of brutal animal captivity and killing didn’t cause you to put your popcorn down, then maybe the testimony of Barbara Kowalcyk, a mother who lost her son to tainted meat, pulled at your heart strings. If the director can capture some kind of emotion from the audience, he is a step closer to convincing the viewer to take some type of action, and Food Inc. does exactly that.
I would definitely recommend this film to all viewers. Be cautious of eating during or after the film due to graphic footage. I want to hear your thoughts! Do you think our food needs better safety laws? Or are you still willing to bite into that Big Mac without a second thought? If you’re passionate about this subject, the film producers provided a website to further help their cause that you can check out!
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