Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

#60 on Original, #66 on Anniversary, and #10 on Thrills

I’m having a Harrison Ford movie week.  It started when I made the discovery about myself that if I find “Air Force One” on the TV, I can not turn it off.  Apparently for me, it is just one of those movies.   I continued with the original Star Wars trilogy, and then ventured off to a newer Ford film, “Morning Glory”.  From there, I’ve gotten to the film that this entry is about, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. 

I forgot how creepy parts of this film can be, when snakes are coming out of corpses in particular.   Also, a revelation from writing this blog, I guess I have kind of always thought of this as a semi-creepy film.  I think this is a hazard of first seeing the film when I was VERY little, and then not seeing it again until I was much older.  What can I say, first impressions die hard. 

And this was a great film to give a viewer a first impression of Indiana Jones: daring, intelligent, and adventurous.  I find it funny how almost timid he comes across when he is teaching a class, and how much of a badass he is when he is looking for an archeological treasure.   Sometimes environment really does affect your personality.   One of the things I like about Jones, and a lot of the characters Harrison Ford seems to play, they are flawed heroes.  Indiana does gets shot and screws up sometimes.  Han Solo does have issues with his ship and ends up trapped by Jabba the Hut.  These characters are not perfect, and that is what makes them the every-person kind of hero.

The score for this film is awesome, as it usually is with pretty much anything John Williams works on.  Just hearing the classic music piece, “Raiders March” or as we all probably call it, Indiana Jones’ Theme, invokes thoughts of daring and adventure.  

The character of Marion Ravenwood is something of a conundrum for me.  Sometimes she is totally self sufficient and fighting and protecting herself, and other times, she is screaming her head off as a damsel in distress.  I guess if you put it in the context of when the story is set, 1936, then it kind of makes sense.  But I want her to be so much cooler than she actually comes across.  Also, she had to run around for a good chunk of this film with no shoes on. What is up with that?

I’ve always said that the easiest way to get a villain into your film without having to give any explanation for why they are evil is to have the bad guys be Nazis. The writers actually noticed this very late into filming, and there ends up being only one reference to the Jewish people and the Nazi’s hatred for them in the whole film, and it doesn’t come until the film is near the end.

Favorite Quote

Marion: You're not the man I knew ten years ago.
Indiana: It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

#34 on Original,   #25 on Anniversary,   #2 on Cheers,   #1 on 10 Top 10: Courtroom Drama

  

What can I possibly say about such a classic film.  The story is heartbreaking and inspiring; the acting superb.  It reminds me of a time in this country when people allowed hatred to cloud their judgment.  (I’m sure this is still going on someplace, but I can hope it isn’t, can’t I?) It represents the people in this country that are willing to stand up for what is right, even when it seems that most of the world is against them. 

I have never read the book.  Most people read it in high school, but due to switching from regular to honors English classes, I somehow missed this and haven’t gotten around to reading it. So I don’t have the source material to compare the story to.  But this brilliant work portrays the story to me with such a kind of quiet forcefulness, I don’t think I would have needed to read the book to understand fully what was going on, like some other book to screen adaptations.  

Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch is so amazingly good and believable.  I don’t know if any other actor could have played this part as genuinely as Peck did.   Atticus Finch makes me want to be a better person, and I think for a film to have that kind of an effect on a viewer speaks volumes all on its own.   Atticus’ strength lies in his inaction, in his ability to resist impulsive actions, and being the bigger person in situations with narrow minded people.   I think Peck as Finch could say almost anything and it would sound wise.  I’m not sure if this is because of Peck’s low pitched voice, or his way of speaking, but then again, I’m not sure if this matters.  I think it just matters that Peck was perfect in this part. 

There were other aspects to the film that helped to make it well rounded.  The interactions between Scout and Jem; the townspeople coming to the jail the night before the trial, and Scout not understanding really what was happening, but diffusing the tension with an innocence that it seems only a child can possess.  Being scared of their neighbor, Boo Radley, only to find out he wasn’t going to harm them. 

I was surprised to see that Boo Radley was Robert Duvall.  But I do think he was very good at portraying Boo’s “quiet way”.  Over all the casting on this film was pretty near to perfect.  Collin Wilcox as Mayella during her courtroom scenes was able to show exactly what her life was like simply in her eyes, even when her words were saying otherwise.  Brock Peters as Tom Robinson simply blew me away.  Peters portrayed the fear that Robinson must have felt, while still trying to maintain his innocence, perfectly.  You could see that he was not only scared, but he was angry that this was happening to him.  For an actor to be able to show that many layers of emotion takes great skill, and both Peters and Wilcox performed brilliantly. 

One of the other AFI lists that I do not include in The List, is AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains.  The number 1 hero is Atticus Finch.  With the 50^th anniversary of the movie being this year, AFI has uploaded the segment from that special to their YouTube page featuring Atticus Finch.  I suggest watching it, because this nicely sums up why I think in his own way, Finch is the bravest of all the film heroes.  And he shows this bravery without blowing things up, and without a lot of special effects and camera tricks. 

Every time I see Atticus Finch leaving that courtroom, with everyone in the balcony standing up to show their respect for him, my chest gets tight, and I feel the same pride that they must feel watching him help someone who deserves it. 

Favorite Quote

Rev. Sykes: Miss Jean Louise. Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passing.

Stand and Deliver (1988)

#86 on Cheers

Basic premise:  A teacher sees the potential in a group of trouble making students, and wants to teach them way advanced math.   This is based on a true story.

Sometimes it takes other people acknowledging your potential for you to flourish. The students were pushed by a teacher, and he was able to get them to show their full potential. They were so use to people giving up on them, and not expecting things from them, that they had stopped trying.  When this teacher did push them, he got amazing results. 

I did find myself wondering how they were all doing in their other classes, because they spent so much time in math.  I also really liked that the teacher fought for them, after they were accused of cheating on the AP Calculus exam.  Those AP exams are no joke.  (Side Note: I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about those or Regents anymore.)  Sometimes all you need is for somebody to have your back in order to succeed.  A little support goes a long way.  

Also, I’ve always been terrible at math.  I cannot imagine going through all of this to learn AP Calc.  I probably would have ended up quitting, or being the one person who did not pass the AP test.  Stupid math. To quote my friend Dr. Time, "I always say that the part of my brain that should have been used for math was  used for Star Wars."  Replace Star Wars with Beatles and you probably have my brain.

Favorite Quote:

Jaime Escalante: You only see the turn, you don't see the road ahead.

City Slickers (1991)

#86 on Laughs

This movie was not what I expected.  I expected a full out comedy. Something my dad likes.  And it turned out to be a nice mix of comedy and inspiration.   When you feel like you are at a dead end, or in a dead end, or trapped, or going nowhere, you have to remind yourself of what really matters in life.  You have to find the one thing (not your finger) that means the most to you, and it will be different for every person. No one person knows the single right answer for everyone else because there isn’t one single answer that is right for everyone.

That being said, this movie was pretty damn funny.  All the little smart aleck, wise cracks that Billy Crystal makes really fit.  Plus on one level, it is really kind of a ridiculous premise. City folk go to the wild west to participate in a cattle drive from New Mexico to Colorado. But city folk going out to the county to have a wacky adventure is a common story telling device. Almost as common as a country mouse visiting the big city to see more of the world.   I guess the point of both would be that when you are a fish out of water, you can be reminded of what you love about your pond.  Sometimes it takes doing something completely opposite of what you are use to, to make you realize how good your life really is.  And maybe you will find a home away from home while being in such a different environment.  And maybe you will get a new pet.....

Random:  Jake Gyllenhaal’s film debut.  I had no inkling that it was him until my brother walked in the room and said something about it.

Favorite Quote:

Mitch Robbins: Did you see how leathery he was? He was like a saddlebag with eyes!

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

#10 on 10 Top 10: Courtroom Drama 

This was such a devastating film about humanity.  About rights and wrongs, and letting things go, and bringing justice to a situation where people just wanted to forget and move on.    It is a film about fear, and what letting it take over can do, as well as what happens when you ignore it.   It is a film about justice.  It was a film about truths that were too terrible to imagine.   In the special features the writer, Abby Mann, says that the villain of the film is patriotism. People did what they did in Nazi Germany because of patriotism.  I find it interesting that patriotism is one of those things that walks the fine line between good and bad, and I think of how I’ve seen this reflected in the modern day real world.

Set in 1948, and based on true events, this film shows the search for justice after the crimes of the Nazi party in Germany.  It does beg some questions, like are we just looking for as many people to blame for a horrific situation as we can?  Or is justice truly being served by prosecuting doctors who were upholding the laws of their country at the time?

Overall the acting in this was phenomenal.  Marlene Dietrich’s character just wanted to forget the unspeakable events that took place in her country.  She almost made me feel the same way.  I never could quite understand this perspective until I saw her performance in this film. But then Spencer Tracy brings it all home and reminds the viewer how dangerous that line of thinking can be. Tracy acted up to his usual caliber, but I was most impressed by Burt Lancaster and Judy Garland.  This was the first film of Lancaster’s that I have ever seen, and I had seen almost all of Garland’s screen work before seeing this film. The amount of emotion those two were able to bring to their scenes, and the way they were able to affect me as a viewer with their performances nearly brought me to tears.  (Also, young William Shatner, say what? I was more than half way through the film before I realized it was him.)

I noticed the absence of music a lot.  There was a point where there was musical emphasis when we first saw Judy Garland, but for the most part, not too many other places.  I also though that having headphones to represent when dialog was supposed to be in German was a neat  way to show that this was a bilingual trial, but without subjecting the viewer to subtitles every other minute. (I personally don’t mind subtitles, but that is neither here nor there.)

I will say that some of the camera angles, and the camera moving, and zooming in quickly for emphasis could be some what distracting at points.  But it also helped to show how few cuts were made.  Actors had to get things correct in a single take. Pay attention to movies that are made currently.  There is an almost constant stream of cutting between actors and frames and you don't often see a single uncut shot for very long, to the point where I wonder if the film stars of today could handle it. Spencer Tracy's closing speech was 11 minutes long, and filmed in a single take, no cuts.  If that isn’t winning, I don’t know what is. 

Favorite Quote:
 Capt. Harrison Byers: I trust you'll be comfortable in this room, sir.

Judge Dan Haywood: Captain, I have no doubt that the entire state of Maine would be comfortable in this room!

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

#22 on Musicals, #34 on Passions, #7 on 10 Top 10: Animated

Yes, this is the Disney movie.   Having recently seen the 3D release of Beauty and the Beast, it is on my mind.  I was excited to see it on the big screen. That sweeping ballroom shot is spectacular on any screen, but having it be on a screen the size of a wall made it that much more impressive. 

The danger with watching a movie you loved as a kid when you are an adult is that you have a hard time being objective about whether or not the film is actually good.  Luckily, Beauty and the Beast is good no matter what. By setting it in no time in particular, it can easily translate to any day, and be relatable: Being an outcast and finding someone else who understands you.  Whether you are the bookish smart girl, or the ill-tempered beast being judged by appearance (...and your angry outbursts).

I really love the voice acting that was done in this film.  Paige O'Hara gave Belle such intelligence and heart.   Jerry Orbach as Lumiere was hilarious and I had no idea it was him until a few years ago.  Robby Benson's voice was altered with growls and roars by animals, but through that his performance as the Beast really shines through.  Richard White had the perfect mixture of smarmy arrogance in his voice for Gaston. It made my skin crawl a little bit.

The songs are so much a part of the story that it is no wonder they were able to make this into a Broadway show. These are songs that help to carry the story forward, while still being catchy, and memorable.  Unlike some musicals, where a song seems to be stuck in there just for the sake of having a song.

Beauty and the Beast is also notable because it is one of 6 animated films to make The List, that is on lists besides the 10 Top 10: Animated list. Animation and voice acting is such a huge part of the film industry. It is nice to see that AFI recognizes that just because a movie is animated, or marketed towards a younger audience, does not mean that it is not a worthwhile contribution to the film industry.

Favorite Quote:

Beast: I want to do something for her... but what?
Cogsworth: Well, there's the usual things: flowers... chocolates... promises you don't intend to keep...

The Thin Man (1934)

#32 on Laughs

Right off the bat readers should know, that I don’t always check to see what list(s) a movie is on before I watch it. I just know that it is in my Netflix queue because it is on The List.   Usually I do not read a synopsis before viewing either.  Some films I have a basic knowledge of before hand, or who is starring in it.  I try to go into every movie as freshly as I can. 

That being said, I expected The Thin Man to be a really dark, film noir type of murder mystery.   Even the image on the dvd gave me that impression. So imagine my surprise when it turned out to be funny!  I actually stopped the movie about 15 minutes in to see what list it was on.   I was pleasantly surprised by how witty it was.  As Nick and Nora Charles, William Powell and Myrna Loy had some great moments of banter.  Even if Nick did keep Nora from being involved in a lot of the detective work, they still had great chemistry on screen. I’m wondering if the characters were ever sober in the film, because they always seemed to be having a martini (or five).

Either way it was really awesome, and I didn’t quite see the twist of who the killer was coming. 

               
(Random Trivia: The main characters in the film/book “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn were named after Nick and Norah Charles.  Whilst I am a fan of the book, and the movie is something I will put in for background noise a lot, they are not nearly as fun as their namesakes.)

               
The Thin Man was the 200^th film I’ve seen from The List, and I have to say I’m glad it was such a good film to mark that milestone.   I’m open to suggestions on what the LAST film I watch from The List should be …

Favorite Quote:  

Reporter: Well, can't you tell us anything about the case?
Nick Charles: Yes, it's putting me way behind in my drinking.