Oscar Meme Redux

Blame it on that stupid Oscar meme that floated around the 'net about a month or so ago. Blame it on Turner Classic Movies 31 Days of Oscar Marathon. Blame it Milli Vanilli, blame it on the rain. At any rate I found myself watching a lot of old movies as of late, only now coming out the other end of an often black and white tunnel.

If you're a true cinephile, and I make no claims to be one, you've probably already seen most of these films. Me? Anything that could have been referred to as a "talkie" in its day and age, I tend to have no use for. What can I say? I was a child of the eighties.

The Maltese Falcon (1941) - I must have heard a thousand Bogie impersonations in my time, but up until now, I've never seen a Bogart movie. The Maltese Falcon wasn't included on the Oscar meme - the meme only went as far back as 1944 - but it was nominated for Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Actor at the 1942 Academy Awards. Great dialogue, even if after 66 years, it comes off far more campy than originally intended. ("When you're slapped, you'll take it and you'll like it.") The Maltese Falcon was also my first introduction to Peter Lorre - how great is he? Joel Cairo made this film in my eyes.

Casablanca (1942) - Another Bogart/Lorre teaming. Another great Lorre performance, although he dies relatively early in the film which is a disappointment. What is up with all the soft-lighting in these old movies? In the pitch of night or high noon in the desert, all the actresses manage to find themselves bathed in fuzzy lighting. Bizarre.

Harvey (1950) - I've mentioned this before, but you know that feeling you get when you see a movie for the first time and all you can do is wonder what took you so fucking long to see it in the first place? That's the feeling I had watching Harvey. This movie is 21 years older than I am, so the opportunity was always there, but it took me until now to see it. I feel like a total chode. C'mon, Jimmy Stewart, a 6'3" invisible rabbit, great dialogue...what's not to love? (See Harvey quotes at the bottom of this entry.)

Sunset Boulevard (1950) - I dug Gloria Swanson's over-the-top performance as silent film star Norma Desmond, but beyond that, I thought the movie was just okay. It wasn't horrible, it wasn't great, it was just sort of there.

From Here to Eternity (1953) - Wow, Burt Lancaster sure was a big ape of a man. Until watching this movie, my only exposure to Lancaster was Tough Guys and The Island of Dr. Moreau. Seeing him in his prime really changed my perception of him. Frank Sinatra was great as well, but I can watch any movie with Sinatra and enjoy myself.

North by Northwest (1959) - Another movie not on the meme, but I've heard enough about the film to warrant a viewing and the pushers over at TCM were obliging, so.... I vaguely remember seeing Psycho a long, long time ago, but until now I hadn't seen any other Hitchcock movies. Obviously it's a great film, but what really impressed me is how well it held up over the years. Most older movies - and sadly, most modern movies - have a very distinct shelf-life (The Maltese Falcon anyone?). The dialogue doesn't hold up, the acting comes off like vintage baseball films, what's serious becomes camp and vice-versa, etc. I'm happy to say that's not the case in this, err, case. North by Northwest was as enjoyable as any movie out today, more so than most.

The Conversation (1974) - Snooze. The first half of this movie was way too arty for my tastes, to the point of appearing forced. The second half I liked, the artiness was toned down just enough to let the plot shine through, but by that time the damage had already been done. It's weird, the older I get, the more I like Gene Hackman. This movie wasn't bad enough to interrupt that rising arc of fandom, but it came close.

Chinatown (1974) - I realize this will get me kicked out of dozens of film clubs I would never join in the first place, but I can't stand Jack Nicholson. I realize he can act circles around just about anyone and I recognize his contribution to plenty of brilliant films - some of which are personal favorites - but he just annoys the shit out of me. I can see why people rank Chinatown as one of the top movies of all time, but for me, I could take it or leave it. The acting was okay, especially Faye Dunaway, and the story was interesting enough, but nothing really reached out and grabbed me. I could really have done without the nose slashing scene however.

Network (1976) - "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" All right. I was five when this movie came out, perhaps if I was in my late teens to early thirties it would have had a more profound impact on me. As it was...eh. People go nuts on television all the time now, 90% of all reality shows are based on that premise. Maybe in '76 it was new enough to be interesting, but nowadays we just call it prime time. The saving grace of the movie for me was Ned Beatty - I can't get enough of him.

Absence of Malice (1981) - Another movie that wasn't on the meme as it wasn't nominated for Best Picture. I'm a huge Paul Newman fan, so it's no surprise I liked this movie. One thing that did occur to me is that I keep forgetting how great an actress Sally Field is. I don't know why it never occurs to me until I'm actually watching one of her films, but she smokes.

Broadcast News (1987) - It's kind of hard to go wrong with Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter in the same flick. There were a few dry parts, but other than that, this flick rocked.

Four Weddings & a Funeral (1994) - To this day I cannot understand the appeal of Andie MacDowell. In my eyes she's second only to Darryl Hannah as far as being completely devoid of personality - Darryl Hannah at least has Blade Runner to her credit. Four Weddings is a little too cute for my tastes, but I managed to refrain from clawing my eyes out, which is a point in its favor. I begrudgingly accept this movie because, without it, there would not be the brilliant Love Actually. Saved by a technicality.

Harvey Quotes:

Elwood P. Dowd: Harvey and I sit in the bars... have a drink or two... play the juke box. And soon the faces of all the other people they turn toward mine and they smile. And they're saying, "We don't know your name, mister, but you're a very nice fella." Harvey and I warm ourselves in all these golden moments. We've entered as strangers - soon we have friends. And they come over... and they sit with us... and they drink with us... and they talk to us. They tell about the big terrible things they've done and the big wonderful things they'll do. Their hopes, and their regrets, and their loves, and their hates. All very large, because nobody ever brings anything small into a bar. And then I introduce them to Harvey... and he's bigger and grander than anything they offer me. And when they leave, they leave impressed. The same people seldom come back; but that's envy, my dear. There's a little bit of envy in the best of us.

The Taxi Driver: ...I've been driving this route for 15 years. I've brought 'em out here to get that stuff, and I've drove 'em home after they had it. It changes them... On the way out here, they sit back and enjoy the ride. They talk to me; sometimes we stop and watch the sunsets, and look at the birds flyin'. Sometimes we stop and watch the birds when there ain't no birds. And look at the sunsets when it's raining. We have a swell time. And I always get a big tip. But afterwards, oh oh... They crab, crab, crab. They yell at me. Watch the lights. Watch the brakes, Watch the intersections. They scream at me to hurry. They got no faith in me, or my buggy. Yet, it's the same cab, the same driver. And we're going back over the very same road. It's no fun. And no tips... After this he'll be a perfectly normal human being. And you know what stinkers they are!

Tags: oscar meme, movies

posted by m/a/z/e  [2:34 AM]   0 comments