In the Heat of the Night

"Just once in my life, I'm gonna own my temper. I'm telling you that you're gonna stay here. You're gonna stay here if I have to go inside and call your chief of police and have him remind you of what he told you to do. But I don't think I have to do that, you see? No, because you're so damn smart. You're smarter than any white man. You're just gonna stay here and show us all. You've got such a big head that you could never live with yourself unless you could put us all to shame. You wanna know something, Virgil? I don't think that you could let an opportunity like that pass by."

Released: August 2, 1967

Directed by: Norman Jewison

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Description: A black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case. 

Review: My next Best Picture winner movie was In the Heat of the Night, starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger.  I wanted to see this as a tribute to Sidney Poitier and because of Black History Month. So much of this movie is still relevant today and seeing how Virgil (Sidney Poitier) was treated in this movie really shows that not a whole lot has changed in terms of the mentality of southerners and how black people are treated. Virgil not only has to deal with these southerners trying to attack him, but also Rod Steiger's character not believing him about he investigation at the beginning. 

I love the moment when they go and talk to this man who may be connected to the murder investigation and Virgil questions him and the man slaps him and Virgil, without missing a beat, slaps him back. We don't see that done often. The black character usually stands there and takes it, but not Virgil. He isn't having it. And that's why Sidney Poitier was so influential to the black community. He was the only man at the time who portrayed these characters in a way that was fighting back against the oppression that they endured. As smart, strong people who bring joy can make a difference. He was the man during a time when there were hardly any black actors in lead roles. And he took roles that weren't typical for black actors. Lead roles in general weren't. Roles in westerns or police officers and romantic leads. He made that all possible for every black actor who came after him. 

I understand why this movie won Best Picture. Because it addressed what was happening during that time and still, unfortunately is happening today. It challenged the norms. He challenged the norms. And of course we can't forget his famous line, when he is being called "boy" and he says, "They call me Mr. Tibbs!" He is a police detective and they need him for this investigation because he has expertise in murders and indentifying how a person died and figuring it out through that. And he doesn't waver, no matter how badly he's treated, but he also doesn't take any crap. Those white guys are trying to attack him and he has a weapon too, he's not going to just let them beat him up and I love that about him. It's part of what makes the movie so memorable all these years later. 

Rod Steiger gave a great performance also as Chief Gillespe who Virgil worked with on the investigation. He was prejudiced too, but he learned to respect Virgil and even have a bit of a friendship with him. More of a mutual respect, than a friendship, but his journey in changing is a great part of the film too. 

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

"It's important to me! Alright? Maybe not to you, or your cynical friends who's only ambition is to go viral, but to me...to me...this is - God. This is my career, this is my chance to do some work that actually means something." 

Released: November 14, 2014

Directed by: Alejandro G. Inarritu

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Description: A former superhero actor tries to revive his career by writing, directing and starring in a Broadway play. In the process he hears voices from his Birdman character which highlights his own insecurities about himself, love and life. 

Review: I'm back with my next Best Picture movie review. This time for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Well, I don't really know what I was expecting going into this movie, but it was...interesting to say the least. I've noticed that Best Picture winners, particularly the modern ones have a certain formula about them that represent that category. Weirdness. Uniqueness. Thought Provoking. Downright blunt and philosophical. Controversial. It's usually one of those things or more that make are nominated. I think if I had seen this when it first came out, I wouldn't have understood it as well. I think I saw it at the right time. 

Michael Keaton was completely insane in the best way as Riggan Tomson. He was hallucinating and hearing the voice of Birdman (the character he played 20 years ago) in his head telling him what he believed to be the truth. He wrote, starred in and directed the play What We Talk About When We Talk About Love as a way for him to be relevant again. For him to be important. Loved. And throughout struggles with those insecurities. I really felt like the theme of the movie was insecurities. Wanting to be loved and feel important. To matter. It was also a satire on himself in a way. Same with Ed Norton's character. Michael Keaton had played Batman and probably felt like after that struggled for relevance in roles and is essentially making fun of himself telling an autbiographical story at the same time. With Ed Norton it has him being difficult to work with, which is true of the actor in real life. 

Then we have Emma Stone as Sam who is Riggan's daughter and just came out of rehab. So she's assisting her dad, and also trying to find her identity again. Feel loved by her father since he wasn't really part of her life that much being so focused on his career and ego. 

Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough also gave great performances as Lesley and Laura and I was NOT expecting that kiss between them. In that moment I understand why it happened though. They both wanted to feel special and Riggan told Leslely she was beautiful and talented and he was lucky to have her, but Laura, who had been with Riggan said he never said anything like that to her. Lesley repeated what he said and then they shared a kiss. That's why I keep going back to love. Because at the core, this movie is about being relevant. Being loved. Having a purpose. And it's about our insecurities. It was a very different way to go about it, but it worked. I think this movie deserved to win Best Picture. And Michael Keaton should have won Best Actor, but usually the best performances don't always win the awards. They do live on and spark all kinds of discussion and most of all, they make you think and that's why we love movies. 

Best Picture Winners: Midnight Cowboy

"The two basic items necessary to sustain life, are sunshine and coconut milk... didya know that?"

Well, here it is. Another movie checked off the Best Picture Winner list. Going into this, I wasn't sure how much I would actually like this movie because it is very mature as many of the movies of the late 1960s and 1970s are. People told me I may not like or it might not be for me and stuff like that, but I decided to give it a shot. While it isn't the type of movie I would watch often, it still has some important messages about how low people will go on the streets and about friendship. Joe and Ratso's friendship was a big part of the film because Ratso knew what it was like on the streets and Joe was coming from Texas trying to make it in New York. He was naive and vunerable about the way of life in New York compared to what he came from. The performances by Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight were amazing and this movie is what established Dustin Hoffman as the character actor that he is.

The lengths they would go were hard to watch at times and a little bizarre, but what I like about these movies is that it captured the realism of the time. The way the films were shot, the coloring, the grittiness, it all just fit with how it felt. It was almost done like a documentary instead of a movie and I think that is why it won Best Picture. It was unique. Real. Vunerable. Yeah there were things that were difficult to watch, but overall it was an important movie and I am glad that I watched it. It gets 3 and a half stars from me. 

Best Picture Winners: Million Dollar Baby

"If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you."

I went into this movie thinking it was going to be a typical film about boxing, the underdog goes the distance and faces adversity to achieve the title, and this was sort of like that, but a little different. When I think of movies like this I think of the Rocky movies, since there are so many of them and they have the typical plot that I am familiar with. Well, when it came to Million Dollar Baby, I was surprised. It was about boxing, but it was a different story than the Rocky films. As it should be. They both have raw, emontional, relatable stories, just told and portrayed differently. For one thing, Million Dollar Baby is about a girl boxer and a hardended trainer who doesn't want to help her. 

So, why would a boxing movie win Best Picture? Well, this isn't your typical boxing movie...or maybe it is and Rocky did win Best Picture in 1976. So, what makes movies like this so good and relatable for people? Well, it's about going after a dream. Even if it's a dream you have all by yourself and no one else believes in you and you want that dream more than anything. It's about proving yourself. Showing how through determination and adversity we can succeed and yeah, we will almost always have obstacles that get in our way, but we get there one way or another. 

In Maggie Fitzgerald's (Hilary Swank) case, she got there, but then almost lost it all when she did. And Frankie (Clint Eastwood) learned how to be the father he never could be to his own daughter. 

The acting in this movie was phenomenal and I personally loved how Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman) narrated the film and how it was all basically told through his perspective. Then in the end we find out he is writing to Frankie's daughter and showing her how great of a man he truly was. That was some cool symbolism right there and I wonder if he knew where she was and whether he would also get the same "Return to Sender" notice on the letter. 

What was so emotional about this movie was not only the fact that Frankie warmed up to Maggie and grew to care about her as his own, but that Maggie ended up the way she did. At least she got a shot. Not the title, but a shot and that is what she wanted. That's why she was so persistent and determined to have Frankie train her because she believed that he could get her there. She didn't want to continue living the way she was, just existing. Not being able to move. Then Frankie having to do it. I also love that he loved what "mo cuishle" meant right before he gave her the shot to make her go to sleep. It was a heartbreakingly beautiful moment. 

This film was exceptional well acted by everyone involved and it deserved to win Best Picture of the year for 2004. It touches us, makes us cry, makes us think and relate. That's what a good movie does and this one hit all of those things. 

I wonder if Frankie ever reconnected with his daughter Katy again...I guess we'll never know. 

Best Picture Winners: The Deer Hunter

A movie that starts out with a wedding and then goes into the intensity and tragedy of war. 

The next film in my Best Picture Winner series is, The Deer Hunter directed by Michael Cimino is a story about humanity in a sense. It's basically about the lives of these men and their familes in a small town. We see them working in a refinery in the beginning and it's all leading up to a wedding of Steve and Angela and all of his buddies are in the wedding. At the wedding, which takes up the first 45 minutes of the film, it is annouced that they are going to war. 

Michael (Robert DeNiro) who is the strong one of the guys, he hunts deer, he doesn't like how fast things are changing, he is there for Steve and Nick when they are on the front lines, he shows incredible courage and tries to help his fellow comrads through the horror and violence going on around them. 

When he comes home, he has to deal with the aftermath of what we went through and he holds a lot of in and when he does go hunting again, he can't bring himself to shoot a deer. I love the symbolism in that and it shows that what he endured during the war means that he can't bring himself to take anymore life, or that is watch it die. Earlier in the film, we saw Nick shoot a deer and when the deer was falling down and dying, they focused on its eyes, which even though it was hard for me to watch, showed that he was essentially taking a life, even if it was for hunting puproses and an animal. It's still life and I think we see that throughout the whole film. 

At the end of the day, the movie is about humans and existence and survival and the realism that goes with that. This was the 1970s, these men lived this way then, they talked like that, they did those things, movies during that time were about the gritty, realism of life. That's why they tended to be filmed in more muted colors and the streets were more run down looking and things like that. It's about the trials that they faced, going to war, dealing with that experience and coming home and never completely feeling like who they once were. 

Maybe this movie didn't have a blantant message to it and maybe it was just supposed to be about existence and humanity, I don't know, but we all take something different away from films that we watch and for me, this is what I got out of it. 

While, the film was very slow paced, overall I think it was as good film. For being the type of film that it was, it deserved to win Best Picture. 

Best Picture Winners: Terms of Endearment

I'm sure that a lot of women have a tumultuous relationship with their mothers, and this movie is no different. In fact, it is the epitome of that, in the case of Aurora and Emma, the mother and daughter of the movie in question.

That movie is Terms of Endearment, Best Picture of 1983, starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Jack Nicholson, and Jeff Daniels. It spans 30 years of their relationship as Emma gets married and has her own life, she always talks to her mother and Aurora can be very difficult, but she just cares so passionately that it can be overwhelming. 

We see Emma (played by Debra Winger) go through marital problems with her husband Flap (Jeff Daniels) and thinking that he is cheating, so she becomes close with Sam Burns (played by John Lithgow) only to find out that her husband is actually not doing anything. 

So as the movie goes on, we just see Aurora and Garrett (who is the next door neighbor played by Nicholson) start a relationship and while he is someone who isn't really the commitment type, he commits to Aurora and is there for her when Emma is in the hopsital with cancer. Who ends up dying and Flap says that Aurora can take care of the kids. 

In the end, while it is sad because she dies, we see the joy and the love for Emma and for the family shown in different ways. That is what makes the movie so special I think. 

Best Picture Winners: Driving Miss Daisy

When we think of an unlikely pairing, what comes to mind? I don't think a 72 year old Jewish woman and a 60 year old colored man, would be our first thought. Well, that is the pairing in this movie, which won Best Picture of 1989. 

The name is Driving Miss Daisy and it stars Jessica Tandy as Daisy, Morgan Freeman as her kind chauffeur Hoke and Dan Aykroyd as her son Boolie. 

Daisy is very stubborn and when she isn't able to drive anymore, her son hires a driver, Hoke and during this time, the 1950s, blacks did this kind of work. So Hoke tries to help out around the house, but Daisy won't have it, but eventually she lets him drive her to where she needs to go. The film spans about a 20 year period from 1948 to about 1967 or 68, so we see how their friendship grows and changes through the years. 

What I like most about the movie was the fact that this woman didn't really treat Hoke the best at first, but he was always gracious and kind and he never gave up and I think if more people were like that, this world would be a better place. In a time, when race relations were a big issue and blacks weren't that excepted, this shows that you can find friendship and kindness in just about anyone. I think this was deserving of the Best Picture award and I would give the movie a 4 out of 5. :)

The Sound of Music 50th Anniversary

So in keeping with my Best Picture movie reviews, I thought that I would write about my favorite movie of all time, that won Best Picture for 1965, The Sound of Music. It isn't really so much a review, as it is a post about how great of a movie it is and why it is my favorite.

For those that don't know, The Sound of Music is about a real family called the Von Trapps who escaped their home to find freedom during the war. This movie is based off the book that the real Maria von Trapp wrote in 1949 titled, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. First there was a stage musical, then came the movie, which is considered by many to the greatest musical ever made. It helped save 20th Century Fox from bankruptcy and it was the most successful Rodgers and Hammerstein musical as well.

The reason that I think it has lasted as long as it has is because of the message that it sends. Perseverance in times of turmoil and hope for freedom and survival. That if you just face your problems and live the life you were born to live, you will find your dream.

The reason it is my favorite movie is for a lot of those same reasons, but also because no matter how bad of a day i've had, it always makes me feel better. Also just the message that it sends, you have to live your life, face your problems and find your destiny. Plus, the music, scenery, adventure and romance make it amazing too. So many things were done right with this movie, Robert Wise definitely knew what he was doing. Mistakes that he left in that ended up making it more realistic and how Christopher Plummer played Captain von Trapp. Everything just worked out perfectly. It really has everything you would want in a film. I've seen a lot of musicals, but to me, none will compare with this one.

Best Picture Winners: Schindler's List

Next on my list of Best Picture Winners is Schindler's List, the Spielberg directed drama about the horrors of the holocaust. 

While it was a very sad movie, it is also very important and powerful. It is probably the most realistic depiction of the Holocaust over any other film. 

Oskar Schindler was a German who came from nothing and ended up a very wealthy businessman. He didn't have to do what he did and at first, he was doing it because of the money, but he ended up turning his factory into a safe place for the Jews. 

The scene where Liam Neeson breaks down saying that he could have saved more if he had just saved more money and then Stern saying "1100 people are alive because of you, look at them." It is definitely one of the highlights of the film for me and i'm sure for others as well. 

Ralph Fiennes played Amon Goeth to perfection, so much so that Mila Pfefferberg (who was a survivor) started shaking uncontrollably when she met him because he looked so much like the real Amon Goeth. 

Spielberg made a wise decision filming this movie in black and white because I feel like it brought out the realism and made it seem more grim, which was true for the situation. The only part of it that was in color was the beginning with the Jewish family lighting the candles before the Holocaust and the little girl in the red coat. Both are very symbolic of what is going on. 

I feel like whatever I say about this will not do it justice, so I will just leave with, it is an amazing movie and it's one of Spielberg's finest films. It truly deserved the Oscar. 

Best Picture Winners: Patton

Patton is a true story about a man who cared about his country and the troops that he commanded. While he was quite the controversial figure, he is well respected in history as the General who led his men to victory. Although, as seen within this biopic directed by Franklin Schaffner with a script co-written by Francis Ford Coppola - whose Oscar win gave him reign of the Godfather films - Patton wasn't without questionable methods as to how he treated the troops under his strict, abrasive and, in one pivotal scene, perhaps even abusive command.

Patton, the 1970 Best Picture Winner about his military career, deals with the General on and off the battlefield, in and out of backroom meetings, without delving into his personal life before or after the war. He was an intense man with a hot temper. In one scene, he starts firing at a German warplane with his own pistol. It's as if he felt he could win the war alone.

Part of the fun of Patton is witnessing this unpredictable behavior, often balanced by the loyal friendship between Patton and the more even-keeled General Bradley. played by Karl Malden, who could handle and stand by his friend even if he didn't always agree with his methods. Malden brilliantly underscores George C. Scott's mesmerizing performance.

Behind the scenes during the Second World War, General Bradley was probably a lot easier for the Brass to handle, and Patton isn't without his share of detractors. But cinema often provides the last word on legendary figures. Although his methods can be questioned, he was on the right side of history. And whatever you think of General George S. Patton after watching this movie, he was the man important, memorable and downright entertaining enough to base an entire epic motion picture on.

Best Picture Winners: Lawrence of Arabia

T.E. Lawrence was just a Major in the British Army, and his job was mapmaking. But he wanted to get inside those lines, and was given leave to investigate the progress of the Arab revolt against the Turks during World War I. 

The movie is Lawrence of Arabia and while it is a long movie, it's understandable because it has a lot to tell. For one thing, Lawrence was able to blend into the landscape and being a mapmaker that is kind of symbolic because of what he does for them and he really becomes part of it all even though he wants anonymity when he comes back.

To me the best parts of the film were when they wrecked the train, that was pretty spectacular for the time and now that would all just be done with computers. I also loved the cinematography and I am not surprised that was one of the 7 oscars it won, the director, David Lean captured the scenery so beautifully you felt like you were experiencing it with the characters. The music score was also perfect for the film and used at just the right moments. Sometimes just having an instrumental score is what works well for the film to play in just the right scenes. Then of course, one of Peter O'Toole's best scenes in the movie is when he comes back to England and is telling the General that he killed a man and he kind of enjoyed it. When he turned and looked at the two men, it was so amazing.

One of the things that I also loved and noticed about the film was how relevant it is to a lot of the issues facing the Middle East today. The war and the hate and everything that has been going on, I really felt like this film is something that a lot of people need to see (even they haven't already) it is about unity and working together and I think that's important with all the hate and oppression in our world today.

The downsides to me were mainly that it was just really long and it's hard to sit and watch something for that long of time. I understand that they had a lot to tell and epics to tend to be quite long, but maybe shortening it just a little bit would have been better. That's really the only downside I have.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and I feel like everyone gave amazing performances, especially Peter O'Toole since it was his first starring role. It deserved all the oscars that it won. Even though some considered T.E. Lawrence to be rather flamboyant and not very worthy of anything, he truly did make history.

Best Picture Winners: Gentleman's Agreement

I'm back with another Best Picture Winner post. This time it's Gentleman's Agreement starring Gregory Peck. I wasn't planning on seeing this today, but it ended up being the perfect opportunity since it is Gregory Peck's birthday... 

Well this movie had a lot to offer and there's a reason why it won Best Picture in 1947. Gregory Peck plays Philip Schuyler Green, a reporter who is given an assignment to cover a story on anti-Semitism. He feels what better way to actually know what it's like to be a Jew than to pose as one, so that is just what he does.

In posing as a Jew, he encounters hate and bigotry right away. His anger at the way he's being treated causes problems in his relationship with Kathy (played by Dorothy McGuire) who is the publisher's niece and the one who suggested the story.

It causes problems because with the "Gentleman's Agreement," which is shared in polite society that the biased attitudes between Christians and Jews is a conspiracy of silence, allowing prejudice to thrive. Kathy is upset by the pretense in order to get at the truth of hypocritical treatment the Jews suffer. The fact that she comes from a Christian Connecticut family causes strain as well.

When Phil's friend Dave (played by John Garfield) comes to town and finds out about Phil posing as a Jew, he warns him that he has let him and Phil's son, Tommy, in for a quiet onslaught of prejudice.

I also really love Celeste Holm's performance as Anne Dettrey. She is so cheerful and then tells Phil how she feels there needs to be action, and how she's tired of being just saying they are tolerant, but don't actually do anything to help the problem, and by doing that it makes it worse. I just really loved seeing how we see this side of the character that wasn't expected.

I love the scene where Elaine Wales, who is the secretary, finds out that he isn't really Jewish and is in fact Christian. That he is the same person as he as always been, but she just knows this about him. He tells her that she can't understand why someone would give up the glory of being a Christian to be a Jew is anti-semitism and that it doesn't matter what the race, it's the person that matters.

That is what I love about these classic films: the fact that these types of issues are addressed and how relevant they still are now. While they were controversial for the time, they are important films to see. They address the things that most people are afraid to talk about, the actors do it with such sincerity and Gregory Peck proves that.

Well Dave ends up talking to Kathy about things and gets to her understand Phil's point of view and they make up at the end.

Gentleman's Agreement is a truly wonderful film and it lets us all know how people and love are what should matter, not what race they are.

Best Picture Winners: You Can't Take It With You

In keeping with the Best Picture movie posts that I do, and with the Oscars coming up, this movie is another Frank Capra great, You Can't Take It With You, telling the story of a man, Tony Kirby (James Stewart), who comes from a rich family. He falls for a girl named Alice Sycamore (Jean Arthur) whose family is very down to earth yet also very eccentric. They fall in love, but Tony’s family doesn’t approve of her family, and are strongly against him marrying Alice.

When Tony introduces his parents to the Sycamores, they’re embarrassed since the Sycamores embrace life and enjoy things, no matter how weird or spontaneous. Like setting off fireworks, which cause them to get arrested for disturbing the peace. Well the Kirby's are taken to jail along with everyone else, and they go on and on about how these people are fools.

 What I tend to like about Frank Capra movies are the way they deal with the everyman, the ordinary people. Alice's family is really eccentric and very sweet people, and don’t have a lot of money but they’re happy being with the people they loved. Martin Vanderhof (played to perfection by Lionel Barrymore) gives a speech to Anthony Kirby (Edward Arnold), saying he’s a fool and he won't have any friends because all he cares about is money. And that these other people have a few friends and that he was a failure as a father.

Tony ends up walking out on his father because of everything that is going with his big business deal, and the rift it caused in his and Alice's relationship. Anthony starts to see what it means to be the way the Sycamore family is, and that they aren't miserable and unhappy like he thought. So he asks Martin Vanderhof what to do. He wants to fix it and be a better father – so Martin tells him that in a situation like this he plays his harmonica. They end up playing "Polly Walla Do La Day" which is kind of the family song, causing everyone to start dancing. Tony and Alice finally get his father's approval. Mr. Kirby realizes that what matters is being with the people that you love, and being a good father is more important than getting the next big business deal.

It was interesting to learn that Jean Arthur left show business at the height of her career in the 1940s because she was a great comedic actress. James Stewart was quoted as saying: "She was the finest actress I ever worked with. No one had her humor, her timing."

It has all the makings of a Best Picture movie. So I am not at all surprised that it did win in 1938. You Can't Take It With You is a feel good movie that shows that being ordinary isn't so bad, and having a lot of money doesn't make you happy. You're more wealthy if you have friends and family that care.

Best Picture Winners: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Jack Nicholson has won three oscars, and each performance he plays eccentric and neurotic characters, but in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, one of the few motion pictures to capture all the top Oscar prizes, he's only acting crazy.

Set in a mental asylum in the early 1960s, somewhere in Oregon, Nicholson's Randal Patrick McMurphy has all the trimmings of a character born to be rooted for. The patients in the ward are so narcassistic it would only take a particular brand of confidence to break them from their shells and that is just what he aims to do, it just won't be easy...

The first task (and pretty much the main task through the whole film) is dealing with Nurse Ratched, played by none other than Louise Fletcher who is a star in her own right. Her gentle disposition makes her really creepy because she is so calm and mellow, masking the fact she's the ultimate control freak. While she is doing her job, the guys, with McMurphy's help, rebel against her. Some of them were afraid, but Cheswick had a fit and wanted his cigarettes. He was tired of her rules and stood up for himself. This was perhaps the first of several small yet important victories against the head nurse: An action taken by one of her usually docile patients and inspired by McMurphy.

An important scene is when McMurphy, after Cheswick's tantrum, crosses the line by breaking into the Nurses' station to get the cigarettes, partly because he just couldn't take his shouting anymore.

Also when he was trying to get everyone to raise their hand so he could watch the World Series was great and Chief raised his hand! That was awesome. He was my favorite by the way. I liked that he was acting deaf and dumb the whole time and he wasn't.

Their friendship was really nice and the fact that at the end, when Chief hugged him and said "I'm not going without you, Mac" was very emotional. And then he suffocated McMurphy with the pillow, which I didn't understand at first, but I do now.

Chief told him that he wasn't going without him, but Mac didn't really understand anyway because he had a lobotomy and his brain was fried. So Chief just killed him out of mercy. And then he took the big sink... the one that McMurphy had attempted to lift earlier on... and threw it out the window.

At this point the patients (especially Christopher Lloyd's character, Tabor) all cheered for the Chief. It was as if he was doing it for McMurphy because he wouldn't be able to anymore.

McMurphy, at least in his mind, might have been the one who flew the nest, but Chief was the one that ultimately got free.

It was really nice seeing McMurphy really get these men to stand up and realize they aren't crazy, and that they can do things like fish and play basketball.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, based on a novel by Ken Kesey and directed by Milos Forman (who would win another best director Oscar for Amadeus in 1984) really shows how asylums were back then, and what they did to people and how truly frightening they were. It is definitely an important film and i'm glad that I was able to experience it.

Best Picture Winners: The Bridge on the River Kwai

Well, i'm back with another post and it's another Best Picture Winner. I finally got around to see The Bridge on the River Kwai. I ended up watching it because it was the anniversary of William Holden's death, I thought it would be a nice way to honor him by seeing one of his films.

The movie had it's good points. I did like that it showed the conditions in the camps and how they (the Japanese and really anyway that was a POW) were treated. For most of the film I was trying to figure out what was going on and William Holden, amazing actor that he is, I felt should have had more, but he did great with what he was given of course. What he said to the Colonel who was limping, that he didn't care about the bridge, he just wanted them to do this together was great and typical for Holden's characters. It was sad that he died, but it is war and that's what happens. Also after he got rescued, what was his purpose? Just to help with the mission? I mean he did have a job, but it just felt like they held back a bit. (Sorry to take some of your opinions on this James, but I do agree) he died doing the right thing thing though, so that's always nice.

It was funny that Alec Guinness fell on the plunger, but it had to happen some way. He did really shine in the film though, you don't always know where he stands, but the bridge ends up being blown up anyway in the end.

David Lean did a great job of capturing the scenery and the angles that he shot at were good as well (i'm still new with the camerawork and director stuff) and while there were parts where it dragged on, like most epic/war movies do at times, I thought it was a decent film. It did feel like there were things they could have shortened in places and I don't know if it deserved Best Picture, but it is a great movie that deserves to be seen.

Best Picture Winners: Chariots of Fire

So I watched this a few weeks ago and I was planning on posting a review on it since it is a Best Picture Winner and i'm doing a lot of my posts on those. Anyway, I really enjoyed this film a lot. It was really special and I was really inspired by it.

The determination that they both had, but especially Eric. The speech that he told those people about running the race and faith was just so relevant for me since that same week I had a lesson on that in the girls small group that I am in.

Eric Liddell: You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe you're dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.

Really that determination and that spirit comes from within. If you run the race just because you enjoy it and you feel joy when you do it, then I believe that is the mark of a true champion. That's definitely what Eric Liddell did. That's why he won.

I just enjoyed the movie on so many levels. The theme. The message of hope. The inspiration. It made me happy and it definitely deserved to win Best Picture. :)

Best Picture Winners: The Artist

So I finally got around to watching The Artist. I had been wanting to watch it for a long time, but I just didn't get around to it. Then it became available to stream on netflix so I watched it tonight. It was very cute, but you definitely have to be the right mood to watch a silent film. I liked that there was some sound in it though and the story was very cute. I liked the vintage style of it and that they made a film like this in modern day.

Also Bernice Bejo looks a lot like Bethany Joy Lenz, it's weird they both can fit in vintage era movies or shows. :)

It was sweet how she was trying to help him and she believed in him when he felt like no one else did. I really enjoyed it. It was well acted for being a silent film, it didn't need to have words to have the emotions and everything shown.

I'm not doing a very good job of reviewing this, but I thought it was a great movie and it's another Best Picture winner that I have seen now! :D

Best Picture Winners: Annie Hall

Well I just finished watching another Best Picture winner. :) It's the first Woody Allen movie i've seen. It was pretty good. I didn't know if I would like it that much, but I laughed at parts. He was so neurotic though, my goodness! I thought Diane Keaton was really endearing as Annie with her ditzyness. It was an interesting take on life and relationships and now different people can be together or in their case, still be friends at the end.

I could relate to Alvy with some of his neurosis. I can't go see a movie if it's already started and with Annie when she had to have someone come and kill a spider that was in her bathroom. I can't kill spiders and i'm very afraid of them too. Part of it was that she just wanted to see him again because she missed him.

I thought it was interesting how he couldn't try anything new and he couldn't be happy, he had this pessimistic view of life and I know that I can be pessimistic quite a bit, but I don't stay that way, I like to try things and be happy because what is life if you can't enjoy it and make a difference? Anyway, at the end when he says that relationships are just absurd and all these other things, that may be the case, but like he said "people continue to do it for the eggs" or something like that. They want that companionship and love. They don't want to be alone, that's why no matter how ridiculous and painful relationships can be, we still want to be in them. They can also be great too. :)

Now i'm just kind of going off on my own little ramble. While I tend not to really care all that much for 70s films (with the exception of Grease) I thought this was pretty good. I mean there is a reason why it won Best Picture. :) Overall rating: 3 out of 5.

Best Picture Winners: The Sting

So I just watched The Sting on TCM tonight for the first time. Now I have seen 31 of the Best Picture Winners. I've decided to mention whenever I see a new movie that I was a Best Picture Winner. Since there are still a lot of them that I haven't seen. That way everyone can be included in the experience of me seeing them for the first time, even if it is through a post on a blog, lol. 

Anyway, what I loved about this movie was the soundtrack. The Scott Joplin music fit perfectly for 1930's Chicago. Plus, I just like jazzy/blues music and that time period as well. It's also cool that it was based on a real story about these characters that Robert Redford and Paul Newman play. 

Of course if it takes place in Chicago in the 1930s, you have to have con men and gambling and all that stuff going on. It was a lot of fun to watch though and entertaining. I enjoyed seeing Robert and Paul work together again. I think I liked it more than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! :D 

Overall rating: 4 out of 5