Crazy to think that at this point next week we will be half-way through our lists. These weeks are just flying by. That's what happens when you are having fun ... or something like that. Barnes and I are rolling right on through the bottom half of our favorite 100 movies. Please keep the comments and feedback coming. They are the fuel that ignites these columns. (Who am I trying to kid? Knowing Barnes and myself, we would probably write these even if no one was reading)
This week features the most random group of movies I've unveiled to date. We have both recently released films and movies that have been out for decades. We have very serious flicks and those that are just made to make you laugh. We even have a couple of sports-related films ... one of which is animated.
Giddy up ... it's time.
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Thandie Newton and Jaden Smith
Academy Awards: Nominated once (Best Actor/W. Smith).
Plot: "A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor."
Stock: Holding
Isn't this what we are all on the pursuit of?? Happiness?? It's why the founders of our country added it after "life" and "liberty" on the Declaration of Independence. It's a great title and if you've seen it, you know it's a great movie.
Will Smith typically stars in action-packed, gun-totting, alien-killing blockbusters. However, he shows off tremendous range and depth playing Christopher Gardner, a down-on-his-luck father. This is a film about family, about the American dream, and about never giving up. If Jimmy V were still with us he would applaud this movie.
What really resonates with me, and why it's so high on this list is because it's based on a true story. Knowing that this actually happened helps hammer it home. It's an inspirational flick and one everyone should see.
Director: David Anspaugh
Starring: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper
Academy Awards: Nominated twice (Best Supporting Actor/D. Hopper and Best Music)
Plot: "A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship."
Stock: Down
Yet another "true story" for this section of films. This one is based on a small-town Indiana high-school basketball team attempting to win the state championship.
Sports films are particularly tough to gauge because when you play sports you know how certain scenes/moments on the court/field/etc should look. Where a sports movie fails often is when it is unable to provide that authenticity to the viewer. Having said that, Hoosiers may not have the best basketball scenes, but it has one hell of a story.
Having grown up in a small-town I can definitely relate to several different aspects of this film. The social pressures of playing certain sports. The involvement of the town in high-school athletics. The atmosphere surrounding the build-up to a big game ... knowing everyone will be there watching.
Hoosiers has all of this and more. It also tells a story about redemption, which is something we all can relate to no matter what size of a community we are from.
Director: Greg Mottola
Starring: Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Plot: "Two co-dependent high school seniors are forced to deal with separation anxiety after their plan to stage a booze-soaked party goes awry."
Stock: Holding
Might be the simplest premise of any movie on my list. Two best-friends looking for girls and beer. That's really all there is to it. Sure they have issues with college looming and moving away, but at the end of the day this is about girls and beer.
As simple as that sounds, I walked away hurting from laughing. It's unbelievably funny, crude-yet-accurate, and absolutely chock-full of great one-liners. It's a film that you can watch over-and-over again and pick up a different favorite quote or phrase.
A great aspect of this film is that it's one Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the two writers) were drawing up for nearly a life-time. It's something I could see Kevin and myself doing.
One of my favorite scenes from any film just might be full of penises. If you haven't seen Superbad you have no idea what I'm talking about. And if you haven't seen Superbad, I don't want to know you.
Director: Robert Mulligan
Starring: Gregory Peck, John Megna and Frank Overton
Academy Awards (3): Won Best Actor (G. Peck), Best Art Direction and Best Writing. Nominated five more times (including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress M. Badham).
Plot: "Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice."
Stock: Up
Barnes made the comment last week about black-and-white films being boring and that he probably would not enjoy viewing them. That being said, if I could force Barnes to watch one black-and-white film this one would be it. I've only seen it once and it immediately became an all-time favorite. What's scary is I've been told the book is way better than the movie.
The plot description is accurate and as you can imagine it stirs up a lot of different issues. Race is the prominent issue but To Kill A Mockingbird touches on other important themes as well.
Gregory Peck is outstanding as Atticus Finch, there really is no other way to put it. As the controversial lawyer who took up the case to defend the accused black man, Peck commands the courtroom. As a single father, Peck must battle societies ill-will towards his family and his kids, something he manages to do with a simple ease. There shouldn't have been any debate back in the day when they gave Peck the Academy Award for his performance ... they should have given him two.
To Kill A Mockingbird is an all-time classic and I'm thankful my mother recommended it ... unlike some of her picks, this one did not let me down at all.
Director: Rob Reiner
Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix and Corey Feldman
Academy Awards: Nominated once (Best Writing).
Plot: "After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy."
Stock: Up
This film was based off of Stephen King's novel called "The Body," and it reinforces the fact that King is one of my favorite authors. Stand By Me (despite the fact it's directed by Rob Reiner) is a terrific movie and one that I will always watch whenever it comes on television.
What I love about Stand By Me is that the four main characters are all kids. They are just barely teenagers going on a journey together. They do what four best friends would do. They bond. They tell ghost stories. They poke fun at each other. They have serious discussions.
As I get older I appreciate this movie more and more. It's told as a first-person narrative, but from the perspective of the main character thirty years after-the-fact. He's all grown up, has kids of his own, and is simply re-living a memorable moment of his childhood. He talks about how they all grew up, moved away, and fell out of touch. Life has a way of doing that to us.
Lest us forget the great song "Stand By Me," used as the theme for this film ... every time I hear it, I think of this movie. They are synonymous with one another.
Director: Tony Kaye
Starring: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong and Beverly D'Angelo
Academy Awards: Nominated once (Best Actor/E. Norton).
Plot: "A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did
Stock: Down
It's hard for me to picture Edward Norton as anything but Derek Vinyard, the neo-nazi skin-head. He was brilliant and deserved the Best Actor Oscar nomination he received more than a decade ago. The images in this movie are more than memorable and they all center around Norton.
When I first watched this film I was 14 years old and a little scared. I thought the shaved skin-heads were very scary and capable of doing anything. The crime scene on the front-steps of Derek's house was actually a little terrifying and I had to look away. Not gonna lie, eleven years later and it's safe to say that scene is still terrifying.
The story-telling also sets this movie apart. It tells two separate stories, including Derek's back-story simultaneously. The way it weaves both story-lines is flawless. Similar to how LOST operates, the back-story helps us understand what's currently going on in the present-day.
This film is worth watching just to see how incredible Norton is, but it is also a powerful flick, one that will have a hard time leaving you.
Director: Joe Pytka
Starring: Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny and Bill Murray
Plot: "Michael Jordan agrees to help the Looney Toons play a basketball game vs. alien slavers to determine their freedom."
Stock: Holding
Some of you will look at this selection and simply credit it to Michael Jordan starring in it. You will say the only reason it's here is because MJ is around. And to all of you out there who are saying these things here is my response ...
You are absolutely correct.
One of my favorite what-if scenarios is to play the "alien game." The alien game is when you hypothetically assume aliens are about to take over Earth but they give you an opportunity to play them in some sort of game. Whether it be basketball, golf, tennis, etc. If you got to pick anyone from Planet Earth to defend everyone, who would you take?? A couple years ago you could pick Tiger Woods in golf and Roger Federer in tennis. Well, 15 years ago you would have taken Michael Jordan in basketball, which is exactly what Bugs Bunny did.
This is a nice film don't get me wrong. It's kind of funny, has a solid soundtrack and is relatively fast-paced. But if Michael Jordan wasn't in it, it's definitely not near this list.
One last thing, big props to Bill Murray for an excellent cameo appearance. He has without a doubt the funniest lines in the entire film. Score another great cameo for Bill.
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams
Academy Awards (2): Won Best Supporting Actor (C. Bale) and Best Supporting Acress (M. Leo). Nominated five more times (including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress/A. Adams, Best Directing, and Best Writing).
Plot: "A look at the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s."
Stock: Up
One of the most recent films to make this list, The Fighter earns this spot because of the acting performances, the story-line, and the fact that it is based on a true story.
I've always liked Mark Wahlberg. Yes I realize he may not be the best actor in the world, but for some reason I've always gravitated towards his films. Having said that, I'm not the biggest fan of Christian Bale. Yes, he is a better actor than Wahlberg, but I think he's a prick.
Both are tremendous in this movie. The chemistry they possess makes you feel that they are actually brothers. That chemistry is the life-blood for this film. And oh yeah, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo are terrific as well. Great acting all around.
The story-line shifts often but never loses focus, which is a hard thing to do. Instead of focusing solely on Wahlberg's character (Micky Ward), it bounces around to Bale's character (Ward's brother Dicky), to their estranged family, to Micky's girlfriend. It's a delicate tight-rope but well executed.
I had heard of Micky Ward prior to this film, but had no idea all the trials and tribulations he had to deal with. It's an underdog story if there ever was one. He was fighting battles not only in the ring but out of it as well. A great film that will probably do some climbing in the near future.
Director: David S. Ward
Starring: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen and Corbin Bernsen
Plot: "The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a purposely horrible team so they'll lose and she can move the team. But when the plot is uncovered, they start winning just to spite her."
Stock: Down
A movie that despite its' stock down rating will never leave this list. It defines who I am in a way no other film has ever come close to.
Kevin and I watch this movie every spring before the Indians season starts. Why?? I have no idea. Maybe to remind us of where we've come from. Maybe to give us hope for the future. Maybe to give us a few laughs before the real Indians make us cry. Who knows.
Roger Dorn, Pedro Cerrano, Ricky Vaughn and Lou Brown. These names never actually played or managed for the Indians, but it feels like they have. Every time I see someone fail to get in front of a ground ball I usually make a Dorn "ole" reference. Every time I see a pitcher miss badly I usually give a "just a bit outside" line. Every time the Indians lose to the Yankees I refer back to the "one of these days we're going to figure out how to beat those guys" moment.
I laugh every time I watch Major League ... thanks largely to Bob Uecker's performance of Harry Doyle. He has so many one-liners it's ridiculous. The way he commentates is where a large part of my sense-of-humor originates. It's based on sarcasm and observation.
And wouldn't you know, as I finish typing this post the Indians lose yet again. Fitting.
Director: Milos Forman
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher and Danny DeVito
Academy Awards (5): Won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (J. Nicholson), Best Actress (L. Fletcher) and Best Writing. Nominated four more times (including Best Supporting Actor/B. Dourif, Best Music, and Best Cinematography).
Plot: "Upon arrival at a mental institution, a brash rebel rallies the patients together to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more a dictator than a nurse."
Stock: Up
All this film did was win best picture, best director, best actor, best actress AND best writing. It's that good. Believe it.
Jack Nicholson has only won three Oscars with this one being his first. It was more than well deserved. Jack is classic Jack in this role. He plays the part of McMurphy, a petty criminal who is put in a mental hospital. Once he is there he makes friends with some of the patients (including a young Danny DeVito) which causes a tremendous amount of chaos.
Of course the nurses on-site don't appreciate the extra ruckus which creates tension between Jack and the lead nurse (Louise Fletcher). My own personal favorite character was the big Indian who didn't talk much but quickly became Jack's best friend.
Underlying the entire film are some great messages. Social systems, power of authority, and blindly following orders are all themes this powerful film touches on. It will make you laugh, make you think, and maybe even make you cry. What more could you ask for?
Make sure to check out Barnes' movies HERE to see who fell in his 70-61. We are finally starting to see some carry-over from our lists.
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
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