August Rush (2007)

This is a story of a music prodigy named Evan. Lyla (Keri Russell) a renowned and beautiful cellist and Louis (Johnathan Rhys Myers) a bass player in club meet at a party and fall in love on a beautiful night under the stars. Hilarity esues as circustances keep them apart. Lyla has an accident and thinks she loses the baby but Lyla's father gives the baby to an orphanage without telling her for the sake of her career. Both Louis and Lyla give up their music career. Eleven years later, poor little Evan (Freddie Highmore) believes that their parents are waiting for him and goes to New York to find them. In New York, his music gift leads him to success but also gives him some trouble. A monger (Robin Williams) uses Evan to make money by playing on the sidewalk and working for handouts. Meanwhile, Lyla's father tells her the truth and Lyla heads to New York to find Evan. Lious decides to find Lyla and eventaully makes it to New York. Evan eventaully is given a chance to study at Julliard and he is granted an opportunity to play his music in the central park in front of thousands of people. Evan, going by the name of August Rush is the headliner. The beginning act is a guest cellist named Lyla Novacek.

Trivia: James Morrison was offered the part of Louis Connelly and turned it down to concentrate on his music. Liv Tyler and Claire Danes were each considered for the role of Lyla Novacek before Keri Russell was cast. Robin Williams' performance as "Wizard" was reportedly inspired by rock star Bono.

Over all it was a good movie but I do have some issues with it. I know he is a prodigy and all but you would think that living in a boys home for 11 years would have prepared him at least a little for a life on the streets. Also Freddie Highmore seems to sleepwalk through this movie. He's just there, nothing special. The music is great all around and is what made it a good movie. I love the way Evan heard music everywhere in life and his guitar solos were totally awesome. It has gotten to the point in recent years where I am really skeptical about a movie that has Robin Williams in it. He isn't the same as he used to be like in Dead Poet's Society and Good Morning Vietnam. He seems to be at his best playing serious characters that have a lot of humor in them. I hope I am not letting the cat out of the back now but Keri Russell is beautiful.

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

A musical portrait of composer/singer/dancer George M. Cohan (James Cagney). From his early days as a child-star in his family's vaudeville show up to the time of his comeback at which he received a congressional medal of honor from the president for his special contributions to the US, this is the life-story of George M. Cohan, who produced, directed, wrote and starred in his own musical shows for which he composed his famous songs as hilarity ensues.

Trivia: George M. Cohan chose James Cagney to play him. This was the very first black and white movie to be colorized using a controversial computer-applied process. Despite widespread opposition to the practice by many film aficionados, stars and directors, the movie won over a sizeable section of the public on its re-release. Many facts were changed or ignored to add to the feel of the movie. For example, the real George M. Cohan was married twice, and although his second wife's middle name was Mary, she went by her first name, Agnes. The movie deviated so far from the truth that, following the premiere, Cohan commented, "It was a good movie. Who was it about?"

This was a nice biopic. How could you go wrong with a movie about George M. Cohan because it would have to include his music. Now I know the film was released in 1942 near the start of the war and the George M. Cohan was a very patriotic person and wrote some great patriotic music like "Over There" and "Grand Old Flag" but this movie seemed to really try to pound in the fact the Cohan did a lot of "flag waving" as they call it. Not that that is a bad thing. I also noticed the Cagney had a funny little dance move where his legs were stiff and he leaned forward. Just seemed strange there for some reason. The DVD I had also had a special feature that was called a night at the movies which included a 1942 news reel, a short from the period and a Bugs Bunny Cartoon before showing the movie, which was nice.

Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970)

A hip and happenin' all girl rock group head to LA to claim lead-singer Kelly's inheritance and make it (and make it) in LA. They immediately fall under the spell of rock'n'roll Svengali, the 'Teen Tycoon' of rock Ronnie 'Z-Man' Barzell, and other rapacious Hollywood party types as lustful porno actress Ashley St Ives, ravenous lesbian Roxanne and shady lawyer Porter Hall. Soon the girls fall into a morass of drugs and deceit as their recording success soars and hilarity ensues. It takes several tragedies to make them stop and think...but is it too late?

Trivia: Director Russ Meyer once said he considers this film to be his "most important". Budgeted at a modest $900,000 (approximately $4.5 million in 2005 dollars), the film grossed ten times the amount in the US market, qualifying it as a hit for the beleaguered 20th Century-Fox. Though tame by modern standards, "Dolls" was slapped with an "X" rating, and there was much negative publicity generated by the fact a major studio had allowed a "pornographer", Russ Meyer (labeled "King Leer" by the mainstream press at the time) to make a Hollywood film under its aegis. Grace Kelly, who was a member of the board of directors of Fox, was outraged and lobbied to have the studio's contract with Meyer terminated. After his next Fox film, The Seven Minutes (1971) flopped at the box office (possibly due to its LACK of nudity and titillation), the studio terminated its relationship with Meyer. He never made another film for a studio. Two women wear costumes in the film inspired by another hit production of 20th-Century-Fox, "Batman" (1966). The character of Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell was based loosely on legendary record producer Phil Spector. While neither Russ Meyer nor Roger Ebert had ever met Spector, they were told by acquaintances of his that they'd caught his essence very well. Hmm...Phil Spektor as a homicidal maniac who kills two women with gunshots to the head (as well as killing two men with a sword)? I thought this was fiction.

Even if you have never heard of this movie, you have probably heard of the screenwriter, Roger Ebert, movie critic for the Chicago Sun Times and his TV show. I watched this now because over at FilmWise.com we have a little game that we play where we recast movies and replace the real actors with FilmWise Forum regulars and I was cast in this one as Otto. Since I had not seen it I was curious (by the way, Otto is the Z-Man's bartender for private parties). This is what I would consider a good example of an early seventies sexploitation film. It is probably the best known example, I mean, I had heard about it a long time ago, way before I was this much into movies. The plot was pretty straight forward in its convoluted hook-ups and gratuitous nudity (very tame by today's standards, no way this movie gets an X rating today) and it had some nice music too.

Trois Couleurs: Bleu (1993)

Three Colors: Blue is the first part of Director Krzysztof Kieslowski's trilogy (don't worry, I can't pronounce it either) on France's national motto: Liberty (blue), Equality (white), and Fraternity (red). Blue is the story of Julie (Juliette Binoche) who loses her husband, an acclaimed European composer, and her young daughter in a car accident. The film's theme of liberty is manifested in Julie's attempt to start life anew free of personal commitments, belongings grief and love. She intends to spiritually commit suicide by withdrawing from the world and living completely independently, anonymously and in solitude in the Parisian metropolis. Despite her intentions, hilarity ensues when people from her former and present life intrude with their own needs. Soon, the reality created by the people who need and care about her, a surprising discovery, and the music around which the film revolves heals Julie and irresistibly draws her back to the land of the living.

Trivia: At one point, we see Julie carrying a box which, as a close-up shows, has prominently written across it the word "blanco", Spanish for white; in the next shot we are looking at her from behind, and she pauses in the street as a man in blue passes her on her left and a woman in red passes her on her right. This is a subtle reference to the structure of the Three Colours trilogy - blue, white, red, in that order, mirroring the French flag. For European TV screenings, the scene where Julie has a cat eat the baby mice was cut. For the shot where Julie scrapes her hand along a stone wall, Juliette Binoche was originally supposed to wear a prosthetic to protect her hand, but it looked too obvious on camera. Binoche felt the scene was important enough that she actually dragged her unprotected hand along the wall, drawing real blood.

It is strange when you think about it, how people interpret colors. In this trilogy Blue stands for liberty, White for equality, and Red for fraternity, as it does in the french flag, where as I also think liberty should be White, courage or passion, Red, and loyalty Blue (as in "true blue friend") . One of the reasons I think that I think this way is based on the American flag. That is until I looked it up. In the American flag White stands for purity and innocence, Red, hardiness and valor, and Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice. On the other hand the Lone Star (state flag of Texas) has Blue as loyalty, White as purity, and Red as bravery. So where did I get Liberty White? I realized that I get that from the Houston Texans football team, their colors are Deep Steel Blue, Battle Red, and...Liberty White. Colors provide us with visual cues to the kind of reactions we should have, let's face it, we are a visual race. To me blue is cold, distant, impersonal. (I will tell you what the other colors mean to me when I review White and Red.) This film does show that side of Julie. She withdraws from society, she moves away, seals her house, gets an apartment and does, as she says in the film "nothing." She just exists, she doesn't try to cultivate any relationships, she stays out of others disputes, she closes herself off so that she can liberate herself from all emotions. The thing is that you can't do that, there will always be people around and they eventually bring her back to reality. If you read the labels below to see what the movie is about (drama, comedy, romance, etc.) you will notice that this fits into the music category, so where is the music? Right here. One of the wonderful things about the film is the music. It really plays a part of Julie's life and is more instrumental in bringing her back then the people she meets are. Her husband was a composer and she is one of the only people who could read his notes and work with his music. After his death she really tries to rid herself of it by destroying his uncompleted masterpiece, but the music always brings her back. When she is on the edge of disappearing into herself, the music always brings her back. The film ends as the music plays, but it isn't finished because she isn't finished with it, but it has brought her back. There are only a hand full of films that I can name where music plays such an integral part of the whole experience, Amadeus, Mr. Holland's Opus, both because the music defines the characters and don't laugh at me, Jaws, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, where the music became a character in the movie.

O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)

Disenchanted with the daily drudge of crushing rocks on a prison farm in Mississippi, the dapper, silver-tongued Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) busts loose. Except he's still shackled to his two chain-mates from the chain gang -- bad-tempered Pete (John Turturro) and sweet, dimwitted Delmar ( Tim Blake Nelson). With nothing to lose and buried loot to regain -- before it's lost forever in a flood -- the three embark on the adventure of a lifetime in this hilarious offbeat road picture. Populated with strange characters, including a blind prophet, sexy sirens and a one-eyed Bible salesman (John Goodman), and ensuing hilarity, it's an odyssey filled with chases, close calls, near misses and betrayal that will leave you laughing at every outrageous and surprising twist and turn.

Trivia: George Clooney agreed to do this film without having read the script. The whole film was graded digitally on computer. The negative was scanned in with a Spirit Datacine at 2K resolution and then colors were digitally fine-tuned. The process took several weeks. The resulting digital master was output on film again with a Kodak laser recorder to create a print master. It was the first time this had been done for a whole film in Hollywood (but not in other countries). The American Humane Association, an organization that protects animal rights, mistook a computer-generated cow in the movie for a real animal and demanded proof before they would allow the use of their famous disclaimer, "No animals were harmed in the making of this motion picture." After seeing a demonstration at Digital Domain of how the cow was created, the Humane Association added the now-familiar (but then much rarer) "Scenes which may appear to place an animal in jeopardy were simulated."

References to Homer's Odyssey: The names of George Clooney and Holly Hunter's characters (Ulysses and Penelope). One-eyed Big Dan as the Cyclops (blinded with a burning pole). The three girls by the river as the Sirens. Ulysses' wife marrying someone else when he comes home. The old-man disguise. The changing of one of Ulysses' companions into an animal. The Baptists as the Lotus-eaters. The Ku Klux Klan has a rank of Grand (or Exalted) Cyclops. They catch a ride on a hand-pumped railcar that is being operated by a blind prophet, who tells them that they will not find the treasure they seek. The prophet character in the Odyssey was Teiresias, whom Odysseus consulted in the underworld when he needed information on how to get home again. The movie theater scene as the trip through the Underworld. Odysseus and Everett both nearly drowned, but Odysseus clings to a piece of wood and Everett clings to a coffin. Odysseus and Everett both reveal themselves by performing an act no one else could: Odysseus strings a special bow and fires it through seven rings; Everett sings "Man of Constant Sorrow" as only the leader of the Soggy Bottom Boys can. "Pappy's" given name, Menelaus, is the same as the king who declared war on Troy in the first place. The Latin equivalent of the Greek name Odysseus is Ulysses. "Sing in me O Muse... ", the line at the beginning of the film, is the first line of the Odyssey. The killing of the cattle of Helios by the "fools" in the Odyssey is mirrored by Baby Face Nelson shooting the cows. Every time Ulysses falls asleep something bad happens. The song which plays throughout the movie is called "Man of Constant Sorrow", Odysseus means "man who is in constant pain and sorrow". Pappy's opposition for Governor's has the first name Homer. When Ulysses first meets Big Dan in the restaurant there is a statue of Homer in the background. There is a "Blind Bard" who pays the boys to "sing into his can". Homer was often (and probably erroneously) thought to be a blind bard who told his stories verbally to his students. Despite all of this the Coen Brothers claim never to have read The Odyssey.

Okay, what can I say about this movie. It is great, it is fun, it is entertaining, the music was awesome. George Clooney was great as the siver tongued con man. He really looked like he was having a lot of fun. The dynamics of the three travellers, Everett, Pete, and Delmar, really works great. The back ground characters were interesting and compelling. The story is a classic, and so is the humor. I heard a very apropos description of the movie...Homer's Odyssey meets the Three Stooges. The color of the movie, all yellows and light browns, really give it an old timey feel and then the deep blue of the flood contrasts it very well. And then there is the music. The songs were wonderful. The sirens song was enchanting. "Man of Constant Sorrow" is still one of my favorite songs. Thanks to Amanda for getting me to watch this movie again. It is still great.

School Of Rock (2003)

After being fired from his own band, the guitar player Dewey Finn (Jack Black) needs to raise some money to pay for his rent and his bills. When his friend and school teacher Ned Schneebly (Mike White) is called to a temporary work in an expensive private school, Dewey pretends to be Ned and accepts the job as hilarity ensues. He finds talented young musicians in his class, and he decides to form a rock-and-roll band with the students and win a competition called "Battle of Bands" to raise the prize and be recognized in the show business.

Trivia: The idea for the movie came when writer Mike White moved into an apartment next to Jack Black. White would often find Jack Black running naked through the halls or blasting much of the music featured in the movie at full volume. Writer Mike White is actually not a fan of classic rock. The basis of the movie is actually used so Jack Black could perform his own favorite music. The rock band Led Zeppelin are notoriously hesitant to allow their music to be licensed for commercial purposes. Knowing this, Richard Linklater filmed a plea by actor Jack Black in front of 1,000 screaming fans, imploring the band to let the production use the "Immigrant Song" in the movie. The plea worked and the filmed request is included on the DVD. Miranda Cosgrove, who plays Summer in the movie, can sing. She took about a 45-minute "bad singing" lesson to sing horrible for the song "Memory" when 'Jack Black' 's character was looking for backup singers. All the kids really play their instruments, and the backup singers are real vocalists. Jack Black also played a bit of guitar in the movie (for example, when he is teaching "Smoke on the water", "Iron man" and other songs to Zach), but he didn't do the guitar solos.

Now most of you know that I am not a fan of stupid humor like Dumb and Dumber and movies like that, (which is weird because I love the Naked Gun movies and Airplane!) The reason I said that is that Jack Black is noted for his in your face comedy so when Mick picked this movie for me to watch I groaned. But here is the thing, Jack Black is great...when he is playing semi serious, he is even very funny...when he is playing semi serious, and for most of this movie he is doing just that. His interaction with the kids was fun to watch. The kids were really great and in a movie like this you have to have good kids. Miranda Cosgrove was fun as the teacher's pet know it all. Joey Gaydos, Jr. who is the lead guitar player in the band was great. So all in all it was a fun movie to watch. As a side note, I stayed for the credits, meaning that Jack Black and the gang sang a song all the way through the credits with lyrics like "The movie is almost over!" It was great.

The Alphabet Project: Q is for...

Quadrophenia (1979)

Set against the soundtrack of The Who's 1973 mighty concept album Quadrophenia. Phil Daniels play's working class Jimmy, the drug-induced mod, who hates his job and is misunderstood by his parents, but by night, he comes alive, with the all-nighters, his pills and his scooter riding friends. Always on a high, life can't get any better, then there's the Brighton scooter run, where both mod's and rocker's converge, ending in the battle of the cults on Brighton beach. What goes up must come down, and with Jimmy's comedown his life is turned around, so begins his downward spiral into paranoia and isolation, and the four faceted mindset: Quadrophenia. With its extremely realistic language and violent overtones and classic sixties soundtrack this illness is bound to be contagious. Come along for the ride as hilarity ensues.

Trivia: The Who appear not just on the episode of 'Ready Steady Go!' that Jimmy watches and an album sleeve at the house party but also a portrait of Pete Townsend is on the boy's bedroom wall.

Well, this wasn't much in terms of plot and tends to be more of character development, but it doesn't quite make it for me. The title "Quadrophenia" is like schizophrenia with four distinct personalities and is supposed to represent the four personalities of the members of the Who. I didn't see four personalities, at most I saw two but that is stretching it a bit, it could have just been a young teen who has trouble with his parents and rebels at night with his friends. The Mods vs Rockers aspect was cool to watch, and the music was great, but that was about it.

Well, Impman and Anonymous Ken were able to guess correctly so they get to pick movies for me to watch, that is two in a row for Impman, I guess I need to make this a little harder. So...

Up Next: "R" movies. This week's clue: A plot within a plot within a plot. If Ninquelosse checks in she might get this one since I picked it based in her love for it...so Emily? Are you there? And now for...this week's...guesses? Dang it, AK and Impman got it right off the bat! Not a single incorrect guess.

The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)

Rutland Weekend Television takes a look at the Pre-fab Four: Dirk (Eric Idle), Barry (John Halsey), Stig (Ricky Fatarr) and Nasty (Neil Innes); better known as the Rutles. This documentary follows their career from their early days in Liverpool and Hamburg's infamous Rat-Keller through their first hit singles, their movies A Hard Day's Rut and Ouch, Che Stadium, tea addiction, Sgt Rutter's Only Darts Club Band, Surrey mystics, the Tragical History Tour, the lawsuits, the hilarity ensuing, the marriages, Rutle Corps and the final break-up of the band, with a glimpse of their post-fame lives.

Trivia: Innes, Fataar and Halsey regrouped in 1996 to record "Archaeology", their satirical response to the Beatles' "Anthology". It consisted of tunes not used in the movie, rearranged Neil Innes solo songs and one song penned as a spoof of "Free as a Bird". Idle didn't take part; Dirk McQuickly, the album's press materials explained, had quit the music business to become a comedian. One of the gold discs on the wall of Archie Macaw's office is Red Rose Speedway (1973) by Paul McCartney's Wings. According to the DVD director commentary track, the glider that flies past the policemen on the wall during the "Magical Mystery Tour" Parody was not anticipated. The Rutles originally began as a sketch on Eric Idle's UK show "Rutland Weekend Television" (1975), showing the band (with Idle as Harrison) playing a slower version of "I Must Be in Love" in their movie "A Hard Day's Rut." Lorne Michaels aired the clip on "Saturday Night Live" when Idle hosted, which led to a deal for the TV special. Eric Idle mentions in his "memoir" available on the DVD what the actual Beatles thought of the film. According to him, George Harrison was very supportive and encouraged him, Paul McCartney was disapproving at first but relented when he found that Idle grew up near Liverpool (though his wife Linda always loved it), Ringo Starr said that he enjoyed it "after 1968", and John Lennon (along with Yoko Ono) adored it.

It would be better to watch this if you have an intimate knowledge of the career of the Beatles, but it is by no means necessary, a working knowledge will do. If you like the Beatles or Monty Python or both, you will love this movie. It is a spot on parody of the career of the Beatles told by former Python Eric Idle and includes many cameos by people like Mick Jagger and, since Lorne Michaels produced it, the cast of Saturday Night Live (John Balushi, Dan Akroyd, Gilda Radner, and Bill Murray, even George Harrison gets to be in it as an interviewer. I am by no means a Beatles authority, Anonymous Ken is (he is the one who suggested this to me for correctly guessing one of my Alphabet Project, he even let me borrow his DVD), I was still able to recognise many of the milestones of the Beatles. Thanks Ken, it was a good fun movie.

The Jazz Singer (1927)

Cantor Rabinowitz is concerned and upset because his son Jakie (Al Jolson) shows so little interest in carrying on the family's traditions and heritage. For five generations, men in the family have been Cantors in the synagogue, but Jakie is more interested in jazz and ragtime music. One day, they have such a bitter argument that Jakie leaves home for good. After a few years on his own, now calling himself Jack Robin, he gets an important opportunity through the help of well-known stage performer Mary Dale. But Jakie finds that in order to balance his career, his relationship with Mary, and his memories of his family, he will be forced to make some difficult choices. Hilarity is heard ensuing.

Trivia: First feature-length movie with audible dialogue. Al Jolson's famous line "you ain't heard nothin' yet" was an ad-lib. The intention was that the film should only have synchronized music, not speech, but Jolson dropped in the line (which he used in his stage act) after the song "Dirty Hands, Dirty Face". The director wisely left it in. Sam Warner, the Warner Brother who could be called the Father of the Talkies because he insisted that Jolson's ad-libbed speech be included in the movie, died the day before the film debuted.

With the words "Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet! Wait a minute, I tell ya! You ain't heard nothin'!" movies changed forever. But the thing that really surprised me is that 2 thirds of the movie is still silent. I had always heard that The Jazz Singer was the first "talkie" and I had assumed that meant all talk. Most of the voice sounds were in the singing, with a little talking around the songs but that is about it. It wasn't the best picture I have ever seen but it was okay for what it was. Now I know it was 1927 and I know plenty of performers performed in black face. I also knew Al Jolson performed in black face in the movie, but I was still a little uncomfortable watching him do it, especially when he pulled his wig on. It really is telling that something that was perfectly normal 80 years ago can cause uncomfort today.

Nashville (1975)

A weekend in the lives of a myriad of characters living in the "Athens of the South" Nashville, Tennessee. The film loosely centers around a BBC film maker making a documentary about the country music industry. The film leads up to a political rally put on by an independent candidate for president when all the characters converge and witness...Hilarity ensuing.

Trivia: Each actor was required to write and perform their own songs for the movie. The film won an Oscar for best original song "I'm Easy" written by Keith Carradine. All songs were recorded live rather than being prerecorded in a studio. The film was very much improvised by the actors, who used the screenplay only as a guide. They spent a great amount of their time in character, and the movie was shot almost entirely in sequence. The role of Linnea Reese was created for and by Louise Fletcher who herself was the daughter of two deaf parents and knew sign language. The role was eventually played by Lily Tomlin. Tomlin concluded that things worked out in the end because Tomlin was offered Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and turned it down, so in a sense they simply traded roles.

This is third Robert Altman movie I have ever seen. The others were M*A*S*H (1970) , magnificent, and, umm...Popeye (1980), not quite so magnificent. This is closer to MASH. It doesn't have the humor of MASH but it does have the frenetic chaos that is the Altman style. It really makes you concentrate and listen to the dialog for fear of missing something. Lily Tomlin was great as the choir leader. And then there was Henry Gibson, most notably from Laugh-in, as an aging singer, who reminded me of Little Jimmy Dickens. You can also see a very young Scott Glenn as Pfc Glenn Kelly, and Jeff Glodblum as Tricycle Man.

Note: This is your last chance to try to guess what "A" movie I will be watching for my Alphabet Project. I will post the movie tomorrow during my lunch.

That Thing You Do (1996)

Recounts a fable of a pop rock band immediately after the Beatles took America by storm in early 1964. Jazz aficionado Guy Patterson, unhappily toiling in the family appliance store, is recruited into the band the Oneders (later renamed the Wonders) after regular drummer Chad breaks his arm. After Guy injects an upbeat rhythm into lead singer Jimmy's ballad, the song's undeniable pop power flings the Wonders into a brief whirlwind of success, telling the tale of many American bands who attempted to grab the brass ring of rock and roll in the wake of the British Invasion. Hilarity ensues.

Trivia: The four actors playing The Wonders rehearsed as a band for eight weeks to get the feel of performing - but most of their performances in the film were dubbed by other musicians. Tom Hanks was initially opposed to hiring Everett Scott because of Scott's strong resemblance to a younger Hanks; but he was convinced by his wife, Rita Wilson, who thought Scott was cute. The bass player played by Ethan Embry is never named. All references to him in the film are as, "the bass player", and in the credits he is named as "T.B. Player". Tom Hanks named the beach band (Capn' Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters) after a seafood restaurant in Beaufort, SC (where many large sections of Forrest Gump was filmed) called Capn' Geech's Shrimp Shack.

Since Anonymous Ken has reappeared, I figured I would post this movie. He is the one who suggested it and actually let me borrow it from his vast library. Thanks Ken. This was a fun movie to watch, it is really light hearted and cheery, it has a beat and you can dance to it. Tom hanks did a good job in directing and writing it. It was just really fun to watch.

Top 250 Challenge: 157

The Pianist (2002)
Number 44 on IMDb's Top 250

Władysław Szpilman, a famous Polish Jewish pianist working for the Warsaw radio, sees his whole world collapse with the outbreak of World War II and the invasion of Poland. The year is 1939 and the nightmare was just beginning...

Years go by and living conditions for the Jewish people gradually deteriorate as their rights are slowly eroded: they now have a limited amount of money permitted per family, armbands to identify themselves, and eventually, late in 1941, they are all forced into the Warsaw Ghetto. There, they face hunger, humiliation from the Nazis and the ever present fear of death or torture. Before long, they were rounded up to be deported to concentration camps. At the last moment, Szpilman is saved from this gruesome fate by a family friend. Now, separated from his family and loved ones, he survives, at first in the Ghetto as a slave laborer for German reconstruction units and later outside, relying on the help of non-Jews who still remember him. Hilarity was very hard to find, it is always depressing seeing people treated the way they were.

Trivia: A nuance for those who don't speak German: In general, the German officers use the informal version of "you" ("du," etc.) when talking to the Jews, which reflects their views (you wouldn't talk to adult strangers that way); however, Hosenfeld (the officer who discovers Szpilman in hiding) always uses the proper formal form ("Sie," etc.) because of the way he personally feels. The scene in which Wladyslaw Szpilman is saved from going to the concentration camps and is told "Don't run!" is inspired by a similar event in director Roman Polanski's life. This is the first film ever to receive the Best Film Award at the Césars (France's national film award) with not a single word of French spoken in it. "Szpilman" sounds like the German word "Spielmann", meaning bandsman or minstrel. Hence Hosenfeld's remark that it is a good name for a pianist.

Wladyslaw Szpilman wrote his memoirs in 1945 so the events were very fresh in his mind and Roman Polanski, who had lived through the war in Krackow, tried to stay as close to the book as he could. It was amazing to watch the transformation of this man from one of the best pianist in Poland and a vibrant man todesperatelyy searching for anything to eat and then having to play for his life in front of a german officer after not having touched a piano in 2 and a half years.

A Hard Day's Night (1964)

The film chronicles in a mock documentary-style The Beatles arriving at a theatre, rehearsing, and finally performing in a television special. Owen spent several days with the group, who told him their lives were like "a room and a car and a room and a car and a room and car". He realised by 1964 The Beatles were prisoners of their own fame, and their schedule of performances and studio work by that time was extremely punishing, and wrote it into the script. As such the film is one of the best depictions of Beatlemania. Hilarity ensues in various places, The Beatles comment cheekily on their own fame: for instance, at one point a fan takes John Lennon for John Lennon; he demurs, saying his face isn't quite right. The fan eventually agrees.

Trivia: The constant mention of Paul's grandfather being "very clean" are references to actor Wilfrid Brambell playing a rag and bone man in "Steptoe and Son" (1962), featuring the catch-phrase, "You dirty old man." "Steptoe and Son" (1962) was remade in the USA as "Sanford and Son" (1972). Ringo Starr is invited to "Le Cercle" gambling club, the same club where James Bond makes his first appearance in Dr. No (1962). Once "A Hard Day's Night" was confirmed as the movie's title, John Lennon (with help from Paul McCartney) composed the song that same night, playing it the next morning to producer Walter Shenson in their dressing room.

I don't know, I was kind of disappointed in this movie. I really like the Spice Girls' Spice World (1997) a whole lot better. That sound you just heard was Anonymous Ken keeling over with a heart attack. (I'm kidding, Ken, it's okay, just breath slowly). Now seriously, this is a very good light hearted movie. The Beatles are often imitated, but never equaled. This movie is just jam packed full with hilarious one liners. Thanks for letting me borrow the DVD, Ken (Breath, Ken, it's okay)

Walk The Line, Ray*

Quick, which movie is this: A singer loses a brother in childhood, grows up, marries, fights his way into the music industry, meets a girl on the road and falls in love with her but their relationship struggles due to the fact that he is still married. He has a drug problem that nearly destroys him, but he eventually overcomes the addiction and becomes a music legend. Hilarity ensues.

If you said Ray, you are right. If you said Walk The Line, you would also be right. Both these movies have a ton of similar plot points. So you can say I guess that Walk The Line is the country music version of Ray since Ray came out first.

Ray: The true life story of legendary blues singer Ray Charles from loosing his eyesight in early childhood, to his rising career during the 1950s and 1960s, and his problems with racism, drug abuse, failed relationships and his ideas to change the pace of music by combining soul and gospel music. Hilarity ensues.

Trivia: Jamie Foxx played the piano in all scenes himself. Jamie Foxx had to wear eye prosthetics that really did make him blind for up to 14 hours a day during shooting.

Believe it or not, I was disappointed in this film. It was okay, but very slow and plodding. I kept looking at my watch. Jamie Foxx deserved his Oscar, and the music was great but it lacked energy or something, I don’t know what it was.

Walk The Line: A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, his love for June Carter and their struggles through his drug addiction. Hilarity ensues.

Trivia: Johnny Cash chose Joaquin Phoenix to play him in the film. June Carter Cash reportedly chose Reese Witherspoon for her role in the film, also. Joaquin Phoenix performed all of the songs himself without being dubbed and learned to play guitar from scratch. Reese Witherspoon did her own singing. She also had to learn to play the auto-harp.

This was a lot better movie in my mind then Ray. It had more energy, more vitality, and yes, more Reese Witherspoon (I know you were thinking about my very obvious infatuation in the Oscar Winning actress, but even my mother said Reese lit up the screen). I saw both films within 3 weeks so both are fresh on my mind. Walk The Line was better. It’s a shame it was not nominated for Best Picture.

*P.S., this is my 200th post. Pretty amazing if you think about it, at first I was thinking, how am I going to find things to put on this blog. My sister Kim got me started on this and coincidentally, today is the first anniversary of her first post on her blog.

Best Picture of 1984

Nominees:
Amadeus
The Killing Fields
A Passage To India
Places in the Heart
A Soldier’s Story

Winner:
Amadeus

Story: Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) believes that Mozart's (Tom Hulce) music is divine. He wishes he was himself as good a musician as Mozart so that he can praise the Lord through composing. But he can't understand why God favored Mozart, such a vulgar creature, to be his instrument. Salieri's envy has made him an enemy of God whose greatness was evident in Mozart. He is set to take revenge. Hilarity ensues.

Trivia: The movie was shot in Prague and Vienna, in fact, the "Don Giovanni" scene was shot on the same stage as the original debuted. The scene was being shot in part on the Fourth of July. During one take, upon Milos Forman's call of "Action", a large American flag unfurled from the ceiling. 500 extras stood up from their seats and begun to sing "The Star Spangled Banner". The only extras that did not stand up were about thirty people, scattered throughout the theater. At first they were thought to be normal people, but it was later discovered that these thirty were members of the Czech secret police.

So, tell me what you think? Did you like Amadeus? Would you have picked another movie as Best Picture? Why?