Cinema Rewind

If you are a Johnny Depp fan you may be only slightly disappointed in Chocolat, the sleepy little film adaptation of the novel by Joanne Harris, not because of Depp’s performance but because his is a supporting role that gives him very little time on screen. If you can get past that you will find that Chocolat (the French word for chocolate) is a gem of a movie. Set in a small village in 1950’s France, Chocolat is the story of Vianne Rocher (Juliet Binoche - The English Patient) and her daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol) who come to town “on the wind” and open a “Chocolaterie” or chocolate factory (store) at the worst possible time - Lent. Vianne and her chocolaterie is seen as an afront to the high standards of the town and of the towns high-brown patron the Comte (or Count) Paul de Reynaud (Alfred Molina - The DaVinci Code) who also happens to be the mayor. But Vianne always sees the good in people begins to befriend several townspeople with the help of her chocolate, much to the consternation of the Comte.
Chocolat was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Actress (Binoche), Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench) and Best Film. Though it failed to win the gold it did garner much acclaim and respect.
Chocolat is part romance and part drama with a light hearted flair that will make for a great date movie.

There is something about good sports movies that really hits me in the gut. I suppose it has a lot to do with the underdog triumphing over seemingly insurmountable odds to claim victory or achieve a personal goal. We’ve all played the part of the underdog in some aspect of our lives so we relate to the odyssey of those overlooked who aspire to be the spoiler, those who desire to stake their claim to greatness, that they are the best at what they do. Nowhere in life is this king-of-the-hill struggle more visible than in the sporting world and it is such conflict that makes a story ripe for the telling. While there are numerous sports movies to choose from I feel the ten I have chosen here are the best at making the audience feel they are part of the struggle, that they are part of something bigger than themselves. [CAUTION: These brief paragraphs may contain spoilers]

10. Rudy: Based on a true story, Rudy captures the indomitable spirit of a young man who’s greatest desire is to play for the storied Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. For Rudy, everything he does in life is with an eye towards making it to Notre Dame and playing football, unfortunately his small stature is not enough to garner the interest of Notre Dame but he still works to find a way to make the team. His perseverance pays off in small bits and he is selected for the practice team - those not quite at the level needed to play in games but good enough that the team can practice against them. Eventually Rudy is allowed to dress out for the last game of the season which is a triumph in and of itself, but for Rudy the reward comes right before the end of the game when he gets on the field for a few plays.

9. We Are Marshall: When Marshall University lost almost all of its football team and coaches in a tragic 1970 plane crash it nearly spelled the demise of the football program for the school. We Are Marshall is the story of the schools attempt to field a team for the ‘71 season against monumental odds. It is also the tale of a town that is grieving over lost sons and fathers and the healing they seek in the aftermath of tragedy, a healing that can only come on the gridiron.

8. Glory Road: An excellent portrayal of the trials and tribulations facing a small Texas college as they field a mostly black team in a U.S. that is racially divided in 1966. The turmoil and pressure mounts as the team goes on a winning streak that puts them into the national spotlight via the NCAA Tournament where coach Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) decides to field a totally black team in the finals. Glory Road is a good story that succeeds in recounting the actual events.

7. Bull Durham: Since it’s relase Bull Durham has become one of the icons of modern cinema. One of the few films about minor league baseball, the dialogue and story line are superb. The films memorable lead characters played by Kevin Costner (Crash Davis), Susan Sarandon(Annie Savoy) and Tim Robbins (Nuke Laloosh) are persons we can identify with or at least identify in them others we have known.

6. Rocky: Humble beginnings, working class stiff, an underdog - all elements that pull together to create one of American cinemas greatest hero’s - Rocky Balboa. So strong an impact did this movie make that many of the film’s iconic scenes have become ensconced into our societal subconscious. From the first few notes of Bill Conti’s theme music to the pugilists’ immortal run up the steps of one of the city’s governmental buildings, Rocky gave more to the English lexicon than just the name “Rocky” which has itself become synonymous with the idea of a single person surmounting the greatest of obstacles.

5. Pride of the Yankees: The oldest film on this list, the black and white Gary Cooper classic Pride of the Yankees immortalizes the legendary and original “Iron Horse” of baseball - Lou Gehrig. This film is a monument to the quiet Yankee great who played in 2130 consecutive games during the golden age of baseball before succumbing to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (now know as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”). Adding historical significance to this film is the appearance of several of Gehrig’s team mates playing themselves, Babe Ruth, Bill Dickey, Bob Meusel and Mark Koenig. Cooper’s re-enactment of Gehrig’s famous departing speech will give you shivers as he utters the word’s “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

4. A League of Their Own: You gotta give the ladies a little lovin’ too, but believe me, in A League of Their Own they earned it. Set during the second world war this film uses the actual events of the start and finish of an all female professional baseball league created to help baseball continue while the men were away at war. With an All-star cast including Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, David Strathairn, John Lovitz and Madonna this film highlights a unique niche in American history and is enhanced by a killer soundtrack.

3. For Love Of The Game: Other sports films, especially baseball films, have told the story of the aging ball player who thinks he can still perform, but none have done so more eloquently than Kevin Costner’s 1999 film For Love Of The Game. Costner is Bill Chapel, a 40 year old major league pitcher who must decide if it is time to hang up the game he loves and settle down or try to continue on even as he knows his skills are diminishing with age. For Love Of The Game is unsettling as it forces the men who would be boys to realize that they are no longer the boys of summer.

2. Miracle: Kurt Russell portrays Herb Brooks, the USA mens Olympic hockey team coach who takes a disjointed squad of hockey players, turns them into a cohesive unit and defeats the Soviet Union team at the 1980 Winter Olympics, a time when America sorely needed a shot in the arm to boost it’s national pride. If you were alive and watching the 1980 winter games you remember the lump in your throat, the tears in your eyes and the immense pride you felt as you watched the soviet defeat on the ice. Miracle brings back all that emotion as it recounts one of the sporting worlds greatest battles.

1. Field of Dreams: If you can tell anything about Kevin Costner’s passions from the film choices he’s made you can tell that he loves westerns and baseball - two of the staples of Americana. Costner has made several movies dealing with sports, movies like American Flyers and Tin Cup (about cycling and golf respectively). But with three films revolving around baseball, and all three on this list, it is clear that baseball holds an especially dear spot in his heart. Field of Dreams is a movie about connecting with your youth, about connecting with your family, it is about the simple pleasures of life and our eagerness to throw them away. Field of Dreams takes a simple act of having a “catch,” just tossing a ball back and forth with someone, and using it as a metaphor for making a connection with our past. James Earl Jones co-stars with Costner as Terrence Mann, a black activist from the 60’s who now leads a sequestered life until Ray (Costner) shows up and convinces him to join him in his split window VW bus as they seek out the purpose behind the voices they hear, voices that told Ray to “build it and they will come.” To see Field of Dreams is to experience a film with the emotional bite to cause grown men to cry. It is truly the best sports film ever made.

If after watching FlyBoys you feel you haven’t been able to satiate your thirst for World War I aerial movies then try The Blue Max the 1966 John Guillermin film starring George Peppard (Breakfast at Tiffany’s), James Mason (North by Northwest), and Ursula Andress (Dr. No).
The Blue Max is the nickname given to the prestigious medal awarded to Germany’s pilots who shoot down 20 enemy aircraft. With the award comes not only the respect of fellow aviators and military high command but it also enshrines the recipient as a bona fide national hero. For Lt. Bruno Stachel (Peppard) who comes from the lower class echelons it is a means to achieving what his birth could not give him - a position among the upper classes of Germany. Unfortunately Stachel’s methods lack tact and chivalry, two traits he fails to recognize as cornerstones of the upperclass. Peppard’s icy blue eyes, blond hair and stoic profile along with his handsome Germanic face and posture made him the perfect choice for the cold blooded ace.
While Stachel’s ambitions are the backbone of this storyline, it is the aerial combat sequences which gives this film its muscle. Director Guillermin is meticulous in his historical accuracy, right down to the cocking of the machine guns and how they are fired by pulling a lever rather than the fictionalized pushing a button on the control stick. The Blue Max was filmed before the age of computers, giving its dog fight scenes a sense of realism not found in later movies such as Flyboys.
The Blue Max has an emposing 2 hours and 55 minutes run time but it does include an intermission, thereby giving it an appropriate stopping place if you can’t get it all in in one viewing. Though it garnered very little in awards (mostly British film accolades) The Blue Max is a film well worth seeing. If you can’t find it in your local video store, you can find it to view for free online at Hulu.com, a wonderful resource for seeing old as well as fairly current films and TV shows.

    As the rain comes down outside it puts me in the mood for a movie adventure, something to take my mind off the droll weather. It’s a great day for the 2006 World War I action/drama Flyboys.
    World War I is a subject matter that gets very little attention by movie makers. I suppose that it is far enough removed from the previous century that it doesn’t carry the nostalgic appeal of the 1800’s, and then it was usurped by the global catastrophe of World War II. Sure there are WWI movies, but the number of WWII films far surpass those of the ‘Great War.’ Yet it was WWI that gave birth to numerous modern day war contrivances such as the machine gun and the armored tank (both with respects to DaVinci), motorized transport, gas and chemical weapons and what could be termed the most ‘glamorous’ aspect of that great tragic war - the airplane.
    Flyboys is a story based on the true adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, a group of young American volunteers who flew for the French prior to the U.S. entering World War I, making them the first American fighter pilots. James Franco (Spiderman, In The Valley of Elah) and Jean Reno (Mission Impossible, The Professional) are the principle name actors in this saga that delves into the themes of love, honor, valor, duty and glory. Each member of the cadre has a history and most would rather keep it buried, but through training, fighting and dying they come to respect and depend on one another.

    Flyboys serves up some wonderful aerial combat scenes and even though they are mostly computer generated the impact is still one of awe. When you consider how far aircraft have come in the hundred years since the Wright Brothers and WWI biplanes inhabited the skies you realize that these early pilots were not only learning but also developing the skills and tactics that would be used by pilots for the next 100 plus years. Flyboys is an exciting way to learn and see the history of what may one day be a forgotten war.

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    You will likely notice the conspicuous absence of many films that are generally considered to be in the science-fiction category. Films like The Thing, Frankenstein and Invasion of the Body Snatchers could be called sci-fi but are better categorized as Horror. And so it goes for many “sci-fi” films. To narrow the scope in the selection process the film had to involve advanced technology or concepts in the subject matter, in other words the science part of science-fiction had to figure prominently.

10. Gattaca - In a world where only the most perfect and most intelligent genetically engineered people are desired, Vincent is defective with a congenital heart ailment that will keep him grounded on earth. Gattaca is a smart film designed to depict an antiseptic future. The sets are stark and pristine, the establishment itself is void of dirt and germs.

9. Sunshine - A recent entry, Sunshine is a 2007 release that saw limited screenings. Set in the not-to-distant future it is a story of our sun dying and a mission sent to hopefully jumpstart it again. Sunshine is a smart film that teeters between action and drama. On the one hand it wants to be another 2001: A Space Odyssey and on the other hand it wants to be Mission to Mars. Somewhere between the two Sunshine finds a home.

8. Alien - Alien is the one film on this list that could have fallen into the horror genre, but because of it’s strong leaning and use of advanced technology it makes this list. While the buzz about Alien was all about the dinner scene at the start when the first “Alien” pops out, this now classic sci-fi masterpiece has stood the test of time based upon its entirety - not just one scene. P.S.: Alien is not for young children.

7. Jurassic Park - While the subject matter of Jurassic Park is quite obviously pre-historic, the advanced technology used to bring about the park and the dinosaurs definately isn’t. Spielberg is at his very best with this film based upon the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. This film likely has the very best CGI animation of any film ever put together. The dinosaurs are life-like and believeable and keenly convey their horrifying characteristics to the screen.

6. The Abyss - With the exception of a very few films like Waterworld and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, there are very few science fiction films that delve into the deep blue sea. Filmed almost entirely in an old water storage tank, The Abyss is a marvel of undersea photography and computer generated effects. While the aliens are not seen until mid-picture (and then only briefly) this movie manages to catch you up in the drama of clashing personalities. The ending is a bit over-the-top, but then it IS a science-fiction movie.

5. The Matrix - The Matrix makes you realize that just when you think you’ve seen everything in science-fiction - you really haven’t. The Matrix and its two subsequent sequels was strong on story, imaginative, packed with action and opened a whole new can of worms with it’s inventive 3D-ish presentation. It was a science-fiction movie that forced you to think and question “just what is reality?”

4. Metropolis - If there is one film that can be be said to have given birth to the science-fiction genre it would have to be the 1927 classic Fritz Lang masterpiece Metropolis. What makes this black and white film so unbelievably beautiful is that it was also a silent film, making the visual presentation of ideas so much more dynamic. The story, set in what would have been the distant future of the year 2026, is a stunning vision of a world that is divided between the two social classes of the thinkers and the doers. With it’s heavy use of art-deco and portrayal of an industrial society, Metropolis is a feast for the eyes and the brain.

3. 2001: A Space Odyessy - 2001 heralded a new beginning for science-fiction, a genre that had previously been largely relegated to tacky TV shows and wacky B-movie matinees. When Stanley Kubrick crafted 2001: A Space Odyessy he gave the genre respectability and set the bench mark for science-fiction movies from then on.

2. Star Wars IV - Just as Kubrick had set the standard before him with 2001, George Lucas raised the bar and brought science-fiction to a new height with an emphasis on the fiction. Star Wars successfully combined advanced technology, action and a storyline of good versus evil in a way that was nostalgic for the matinee movies of years gone by. Over time Star Wars proved to be resounding success with two sequels, three prequels and vaults of money for Lucas.

1. Blade Runner - Any serious science-fiction fan will tell you that the pinnacle of sci-fi movies is Blade Runner, the 1982 adaptation of acclaimed sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick’s novel titled Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Blade Runner is futuristic, yet current. It deals with love, life, death and the eternal question - “Who Am I?” The film is set in a Los Angeles of the future, in a time that is dirty, crowded and unforgiving. Just a year removed from Raiders of the Lost Ark and a year before Return of the Jedi Harrison Ford (as Decker) is neither the daring care-free adventurer of the former or the sly swashbuckling rascal of the latter. His character is flawed, yet redeemable. He is conflicted between his job and his conscience. In the end it is his quarry that gives him life. By all accounts Blade Runner ventures little from the Dick novel and truly deserves the title of the “Best Science-Fiction Film of All Time.”

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    Try conveying any concept of the 1960’s to anyone born after that decade and it is doubtful they will come away with any true and lasting impression of the importance of that era. Across The Universe can change that. While Hollywood has tried in recent years to return to the musical format so popular in the 40’s and 50’s, by and large they have failed (excepting Disney’s High School Musical films). Across The Universe didn’t burn down the box office when it was released but it did have a ready-made audience in the children of the ’60’s.

    Using only the songs of the Beatles director Judy Taymor created a cinematic masterpiece in Across The Universe when she wove together a story inspired by the Fab Four’s song catalog. Across The Universe works because it does not try to interpret the Beatles songs, rather it uses them to communicate the story. Being a huge Beatles fan myself I was worried that I would be prejudiced against this film because I believe only the Beatles could perform Beatles songs but my worries were for naught. Each song is re-scored and presented in such a way that they belong to the performers that sing them. The result of these performances individually and collectively will leave a lump in your throat and make the hair on your neck rise up. Each song is delivered with a powerful force and appropriate demeanor, but it is perhaps the anthem “Let It Be” that packs the greatest punch. The song, performed by Carol Woods and Timmy Mitchum is set against the backdrop of the Detroit riots, and is unbelievably gut-wrenching and leaves a lasting impression for the rest of the film.

    Across The Universe accurately conveys the feeling, mood and impact of the epic events of the 60’s. While each performer is wonderful you will find additional standout performances from U2’s Bono as Dr. Robert, Eddie Izzard as Mr. Kite and Dana Fuchs as Sadie. Of the latter it can be said that this role should be an enormous shove to stardom for Dana who fronts The Dana Fuchs Band.
    Across The Universe should be required viewing for students of both history and music. It is a visual and aural masterpiece using the music of the greatest band ever. Don’t miss this one.

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    Take a heaping helping of 2001: A Space Odyssey, throw in a good portion of Event Horizon, some Mission To Mars and add a pinch of Red Planet and you’ll be served up with a platter of Sunshine, the 2007 Danny Boyle sci-fi epic tale of a mission to jump start our dying sun in the year 2057.

    If you missed this one when it came out in theaters then you’re in good company. It was only released in a small handful of cities across the U.S. even though it garnered more than favorable critical acclaim.
    Sunshine is an intense ride with well-defined characters and diverse psychological profiles. As the impending conclusion of their mission objective draws near the flaws and the strengths in each character begin to emerge.
    Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) as Corazon, the ships botanist and charged with maintaining the oxygen producing on-board gardens is likely the most recognizable name in this cast but it is Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, 28 Days Later) who is perhaps the most recognizable face as Robert Capa, the ship physicist who is responsible for the payload (a massive bomb the size of Manhatten).

    Sunshine is a thinking film and you must follow everything that happens closely for it to make sense. Wonderful special effects transmit the enormity of the space craft and sun while simultaneously compelling the viewer to acknowledge the miniscule proportion of man to the universe. Sunshine is an engaging piece of cinematic artistry.

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   For the next several posts in this column I thought I might give a “Top 10″ list of the best movies in various genres or starring certain actors. This list is of course is entirely subjective and your own “Top 10″ list may be entirely different. In coming up with this first list of the Top 10 Western films of all time, I had to create my own criteria as I considered each film. For instance, Jeremiah Johnson is one of my favorite films, but since it is more about mountain men I decided to make my list narrower in scope and focus more on westerns that featured a more stereotypical cowboy setting. I also tried to pick films that have above average cinematography, excellent character analysis and high quality storylines and performances. When those criteria were met the films chosen had to meet one final do-or-die qualifier - it had to have superior entertainment value.
    So with those thoughts out of the way - here is my list of the Top 10 Westerns of all time beginning with number 10:

10. Silverado - This was Kevin Costner’s first major starring role, albeit as part of an ensemble cast. Silverado was Hollywoods attempt, in 1985, to bring the western genre back. While it failed to create enough interest to revive westerns on a large scale, it did win favor with audiences and is a delight to watch.

9. Stagecoach - The movie that put John Wayne on the map even though it was his 79th movie. This Oscar winning black and white western has an engaging story and strong characters that draw you in.

8. Outlaw Jose Wales - Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood as the title character, this film is a complex discourse on everything from racism, love and war to friendship, betrayal and redemption. With a strong supporting cast of veteran actors regularly featured in Eastwood films of the time, The Outlaw Jose Wales is a classic in the western genre.

7. Will Penny - Charlton Heston called this film his “favorite piece of work on screen” and it is easy to see why. An unusual western in that it painted a more truthful portrait of life on the range, capturing the loneliness and solitude of both the job and the hard times of winter for a cowboy.

6. The Searchers - Easily one of the Duke’s best acting performances. Often criticized for not being much of an actor, John Wayne was absolutely brilliant as a cowboy who searched relentlessly for his niece who had been kidnapped by Indians. Director John Ford beautifully captured the pain and anguish in Wayne’s character with closeups and dramatic lighting.

5. Unforgiven - Eastwood won Best Director and Best Picture Oscars for this unforgettable tale that examines the dark side of the American western genre. For me, Unforgiven can be summed up in this line uttered by Eastwood’s character Bill Munny: “It’s a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he’s got and all he’s ever gonna have.”

4. Angel & The Badman - Of all the westerns dealing with Quakers, Ahmish, Mormons, or similar type religious sects on the frontier, this one is by far the best. Wayne plays the feared gunfighter Quirt Evans and Gail Russell is the demure Quaker girl who nurses him back to health while falling in love with him. A good Saturday afternoon movie.

3. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - The Ennio Morricone score is probably the most recognizable western theme of all time. Eastwood along with Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach comprise the deadly threesome of the title. With Morricone’s haunting score and the masterful guidance of director Sergio Leone this spaghetti western is undeniably one of the best.

2. Open Range - Very likely one of the most beautifully filmed westerns of all time. When I first saw this in the theater I was awed by the scenery. A much more mature Kevin Costner teams up with one of America’s greatest actors, Robert Duvall for this cinematic masterpiece. Open Range, directed by Costner, honestly shows the brutallity of gun battles in the west. Guns run out of bullets, people really do bleed and the battleground isn’t always a dry hard street.

1. Once Upon A Time In The West - The epic masterpiece of director Sergio Leone and the greatest western movie of all time. Leone masterfully weaves three storylines together, each with their own musical theme that continually builds in complexity until the films climactic ending. The music in fact becomes a character itself, as does the cinematography. This film also has one of the most captivating opening sequences that is highlighted by no music - only the creak of the windmill and the blowing of the wind. Jack Elam gives the finest performance of this career even though he is only in the first fifteen minutes of the movie. Easily the best western movie ever made.

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2005 — Rated PG
Director: Ken Kwapis
Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, Blake Lively, America Ferrera

When dad and the boys are out doing something or on a weekend camping trip then it is the perfect time for mom and the girls to put on the pajamas, pop some popcorn, pour some sodas and put in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and settle in for a great movie for the girls.

Directed by Ken Kwapis (The Office, Malcolm In The Middle) this gem of a movie revolves around one summer in the lives of four teenage girls, a pair of jeans that fit each of them perfectly, and the divergent paths their lives are about to take. The foursome, who have been best friends all their lives, go their separate ways for the summer but carry with them a pledge to each wear the jeans for a week before mailing them to one of the others. Believing the jeans have a magical quality to bring good luck, each girl wears them during a crucial time of self-discovery as they cross over from girls to young women.
Starring Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia), Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls), newcomer Blake Lively, and America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), this sisterhood is a dynamic quartet of young talent that plays off of each other magnificently. With a sound storyline based on the Ann Brashares novel, Sisterhood is a wonderfully engaging film all mothers will want to enjoy with their daughters.

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