The Oscars Results 2021

 Hello, everyone!

As many of you may know, Sunday was the 93rd Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. For some wild reason it is tradition on this blog for me to talk about the results, so that’s what we’re going to do today! I started this because when I first wanted to know about the Oscars I could never find who the winners were and I wanted others to have it easier, but now it’s easy to find the answers anywhere. Because of that I’ll try to make this short and snappy and not take up too much of your time. All the same I might as well type it up because I spent 3 hours the other day watching this.

Sometimes I get all crazy excited about the Oscars and other times I think “meh”. (This may be because they, for whatever insane reason, didn’t give the greatest movie of all time enough praise in 1946, but I digress). You know in the movie Ratatouille (2007) where they are told to make a recipe involving “sweet bread, cuddlefish tentacles, dried white fungus, anchovy liquorish sauce, etc.” and everyone (Colette) is like “I don’t know this recipe”? That’s how I’ve felt about the movies lately. I’m not downing them in any way! I am now very interested in a lot of these. I’m sure that they deserve the credit given to them, it just feels like there is a certain feel a movie has to have to even be considered and those aren’t the kinds of movies that I watch. I’m probably just spoiled from last year where I knew a lot about all of the nominees and had even watched one of them that was a big contender so I was eager to see what would happen! This had never happened before and it probably won’t for another few years so I should get used to it. 

Interested in the past years that I have talked about? Here are the results from 2017, 2018, 2019, & 2020.

Disclaimer: Even though I am putting these here, it does not mean that I support or want to watch these movies. I am just here to tell you who won.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

The nominees:

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm...

Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

Olivia Colman, The Father

Amanda Seyfried, Mank

Winner: Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari (as Soon-ja)

Best Costume Design:

The nominees:

Emma. (Alexandra Byrne)

Mank (Trish Summerville)

Mulan (Bina Daigeler)

Pinocchio (Massimo Cantini Parrini)

Winner: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Ann Roth)

Best Sound:

The nominees:

Greyhound (Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders, & David Wyman)

Mank (Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance, & Drew Kunin)

News of the World (Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller, & John Pritchett)

Soul (Ren Klyce, Coya Elliot, & David Parker)

Winner: Sound of Metal (Nicolas Becher, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés, & Philip Bladh)

Best Original Score:

The nominees:

Da 5 Bloods (Terence Blanchard)

Mank (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

Minari (Emile Mosseri)

News of the World (James Newton Howard

Winner: Soul (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, & Jon Batiste)

Best Animated Short Film:

The nominees:

Burrow (Madeline Sharafian & Michael Capbarat)

Genius Loci (Adrien Mérigeau & Amaury Ovise)

Opera (Erick Oh)

Yes-People (Gísli Darri Halldórsson & Arnar Gunnarsson)

Winner: If Anything Happens I Love You (Will McCormack & Micheal Govier)

Best Live-Action Short Film:

The nominees:

Feeling Through (Doug Roland & Susan Ruzenski)

The Letter Room (Elvira Lina & Sofia Sandervan)

The Present (Farah Nabulsi & Ossama Bawardi)

White Eye (Tomer Shushan & Shira Hochman)

Winner: Two Distant Strangers (Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

The nominees:

Sacha Baron Cohen, Trial of the Chicago 7

Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami...

Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

Winner: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah (as Fred Hampton)

Best Documentary Feature:

The nominees:

Collective (Alexander Nanau & Bianca Oana)

Crip Camp (Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht, & Sara Bolder)

The Mole Agent (Maite Alberdi & Marcela Santibáñez)

Time (Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino, & Kellen Quinn)

Winner: My Octopus Teacher (Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed, & Craig Foster)

Best Documentary Short Subject:

The nominees:

A Concerto is a Conversation (Ben Proudfoot & Kris Bowers)

Do Not Split (Anders Hammer & Charlotte Cook)

Hanger Ward (Skye Fitzgerald & Michael Scheuerman)

A Love Son for Latasha (Sophia Nahali Allison & Janice Duncan)

Winner: Colette (Anthony Giacchino & Alice Doyard)

Best International Feature Film:

The nominees:

Better Days (Hong Kong)

Collective (Romania)

The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia)

Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Winner: Another Round (Denmark)

Best Production Design: (Production Design [PD] and Set Decoration [SD])

The nominees:

The Father (PD: Peter Francis. SD: Cathy Featherstone)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (PD: Mark Ricker. SD: Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton)

News of the World (PD: David Crank. SD: Elizabeth Keenan)

Tenet (PD: Nathan Crowley. SD: Kathy Lucas )

Winner: Mank (PD: Donald Graham Burt. SD: Jan Pascale)

Best Film Editing:

The nominees:

The Father (Yorgos Lamprinos)

Nomadland (Chloé Zhao)

Promising Young Woman (Frédéric Thoraval)

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Alan Baumgarten)

Winner: Sound of Metal (Mikkel E. G. Nielsen)

Best Cinematography:

The nominees:

Judas and the Black Messiah (Sean Bobbitt)

News of the World (Dariusz Wolski)

Nomadland (Joshua James Richards)

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Phedon Papamichael)

Winner: Mank (Erik Messerschmidt)

Best Visual Effects:

The nominees:

Love and Monsters (Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camailleri, Matt Everitt, & Brian Cox)

The Midnight Sky (Matthew Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, Max Solomon, & David Watkins)

Mulan (Sean Andrew Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury, & Steve Ingram)

The One and Only Ivan (Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones, & Santiago Colomo Martinez)

Winner: Tenet (Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley, & Scott R. Fisher)

Makeup and Hairstyling:

The nominees:

Emma. (Marese Langan, Laura Allen, & Claudia Stolze)

Hillbilly Elegy (Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew W. Mungle, & Patricia Dehaney)

Mank (Gigi Williams, Kimberley Spiteri, & Colleen LaBaff)

Pinocchio (Mark Coulier, Dalia Colli, & Francesco Pegoretti)

Winner: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, & Jamika Wilson)

Best Animated Feature Film:

The nominees:

Onward (Dan Scalan & Kori Rae)

Over the Moon (Glen Keane, Gennie Rim, & Peilin Chou)

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmagedon (Richard Phelan, Will Becher, & Paul Kewley)

Wolfwalkers (Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young, & Stéphan Roelants)

Winner: Soul (Pete Doctor & Dana Murray)

Best Original Song:

The nominees:

“Hear My Voice” (by Daniel Pemberton & Celeste Wite from The Trial of the Chicago 7)

“Husavik” (by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus, & Rickard Göransson from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga)

“Io Sì (Seen)”(by Diane Warren & Laura Pausini from The Life Ahead [La Vita Davanti a Se])

“Speak Now” (by Leslie Odom, Jr. & Sam Ashworth from One Night In Miami...)

Winner: “Fight For You” (by H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, & Tiara Thomas from Judas and the Black Messiah)

Best Adapted Screenplay:

The nominees:

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm..., written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Don Mazer, Jena Friedman & Lee Kern, based on the story by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, & Nina Pedrada.

Nomadland, written by Chloé Zhao based on the book by Jessica Bruder

One Night in Miami..., written by Kemp Powers based on his play

The White Tiger, written by Ramin Bahrani based on the novel by Aravind Adiga

Winner: The Father, written by Christopher Hampton & Floian Zeller, based on the play by Florian Zeller

Best Original Screenplay:

The nominees:

Judas and the Black Messiah, written by Will Berson, Shaka King, Kenny Lucas, & Keith Lucas

Minari, written by Lee Isaac Chung

Sound of Metal, written by Darius Marder, Abraham Marder, & Derek Cianfrance

The Trial of the Chicago 7, written by Aaron Sorkin

Winner: Promising Young Woman, written by Emerald Fennell

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

The nominees:

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Gary Oldman, Mank

Steven Yeun, Minari

Winner: Anthony Hopkins, The Father (as Anthony)

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

The nominees:

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Vanesa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Winner: Frances McDormand, Nomadland

Best Director:

The nominees:

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round

David Fincher, Mank

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari

Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

Winner: Chloé Zhao, Nomadland

(Comment: This was only the second time in history where a woman won!)

Best Picture:

The nominees:

The Father (David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, & Phillppe Carcassonne)

Judas and the Black Messiah (Shaka King, Charles D. King, & Ryan Coogler)

Mank (Céan Chaffin, Eric Roth, & Douglas Urbanski)

Minari (Christina Oh)

Promising Young Woman (Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell, & Josey McNamara)

Sound of Metal (Bert Hamelinck & Sacha Ben Harroche)

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Marc Platt & Stuart Besser)

Winner: Nomadland (Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, & Chloé Zhao)

Oscar win tally:

Nomadland: 3

The Father: 2

Judas and the Black Messiah: 2

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: 2

Mank: 2

Soul: 2 (The only movie of all of these that I've seen!)

Sound of Metal: 2

Another Round: 1

Colette: 1

If Anything Happens I Love You: 1

Minari: 1

My Octopus Teacher: 1

Promising Young Woman: 1

Tenet: 1

Two Distant Strangers: 1

There you have it! Another year, another round of movies! Has anyone seen any of these? Any that you want to see? Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Ratatouille (2007)

Good February day to you, readers!

Today is February 2nd, a day commonly thought of with an animal mascot. Iʼm going to review a movie about that very same animal, the rat!

Just joking, thatʼs my little sense of humor kicking in. Today is Groundhog Day, not Rat day, yet I am still choosing the rat. Iʼm sorry, one year I will actually focus on the groundhog! For now, there is a method to my madness. We are coming to the end of a year. I know that youʼre thinking Iʼm a little late to the game (youʼre not wrong), but the year that Iʼm referring to is the Lunar New Year! This was the Year of the Rat, and on February 12th we will enter the Year of the Ox. I am by no means an expert, but I thought that reviewing a movie with a rat would be a fun thing to do and I could connect it back in!

Did I mention that one of these rats cook? If that sounds odd to you, then keep reading.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is 100% spoiler-free! Reading this wonʼt give away the ending or any of the twists!

Ratatouille (2007):

“Whatʼs my problem? First off, Iʼm a rat.”

Remy is different from the other rats because he values what he eats. Food calls to him in a special way that no one else understands, not even his big brother Emile, though Remy tells all of this to him anyway. When their colony is found out Remy gets separated from the other rats and is alone in Paris. He pretends that he is talking to his favorite chef who gives him advice. After an encounter with a human, Linguini, they are both in a tough position. Together they realize which one of them can cook and which one canʼt. They come up with plan, a crazy one, but will it work? The sous-chef Skinner is suspicious of them, but can they avoid detection while Linguini keeps his job and Remy gets to fill his dream?

“Anyone can cook!”

Genre: Animated, Family.

Length: approx. 111 minutes.

Script: 9, I wrote down that there is one bad word, but itʼs not notable.

Crew: Directed by: Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava. Written by: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Emily Cook, Kathy Greenberg, & Bob Peterson.

Starring the voices of:

“We are artists, pirates!”

Patton Oswalt as Remy. “A cook makes, a thief takes.”

Lou Romano as Alfredo Linguini.

Ian Holm as Skinner.

Peter O'Toole as Anton Ego.

Janeane Garofalo as Colette.

Peter Sohn as Emile.

Brian Dennehy as Django.

Brad Garrett as Gusteau.

Will Arnett as Horst.

Julius Callahan as Lalo & Francois.

James Remar as Larousse.

John Ratzenberger as Mustafa.

Teddy Newton as Lawyer.

Tony Fucile as Pompidou & Health Inspector.

Brad Bird as Ambrister Minion.

Stéphane Roux as TV Narrator.

Costumes: N/A, itʼs animated and everyone is wearing standard clothing or cooking uniforms, so it doesnʼt count. If I was being picky (which I usually am but am not feeling like it today), I would say that there is one scene where someone isnʼt wearing a shirt. 

Animation: 10! Pixar almost without a doubt always receives a 10 for this category. They specialize in creating these masterpieces which have outstanding stories, but are carried so well through stunning animation. The rats arenʼt gross, but the way they are drawn gives them character! Also, all of the people are really unique. But, my favorite aspect goes beyond this. Have you ever wondered what "taste" looks like? This movie gave the feeling of tasting food a visual!

Animation by: Pixar animation studios.

Music: 10, again, absolutely marvelous. This story all happens in France and that is woven in the music really, really well!

Music by: Michael Giacchino (heʼs a genius!).

Quotability: 10! I wrote down really random things as my notes, but that goes to show you that this whole movie is chockfull off good lines. One that my sister says to me all the time (with the perfect accent!) is:

“Should I be concerned about this? About you?”

Notes: Chef Thomas Keller was consulted during the making of this film and came up with the recipe for the famous ratatouille dish. My family has made it and it is delicious. This movie also has bonus features of a Pixar short (Lifted) , and another short called My Friend the Rat, so stick around for those.

Oscars won: 1: Best Animated Feature Film.

Content: 8, there are dead rats, stealing, death, a suggestive line, kissing, and a scene where someone is intoxicated (one of the funniest scenes, but I digress). I won't reveal all of the scene, but one of my favorite lines is, "If you're gonna name a food, you should give it a name that sounds delicious.", and everything that comes before and after.

Originality: 10! This is one of the most unique plots that Iʼve ever seen, yet it works. Itʼs incredible. A rat who wants to cook? I love it so much. It shows you what itʼs like to have a passion for creating and to go after your dream! It is beautiful.

ʻ“Yeah, it was as bad as we remembered.  It just went out."

“Did you taste it?”

"Yeah, of course. Before he changed it."'

Good For: Anyone who is alone, anyone who loves food, families, anyone with big dreams.

Age Range: This is perfectly acceptable for all ages. As a bonus, from young to old anyone will probably love this! It is relatable to all ages and has good messages, not just for kids.

Overall Score: 9.5!

Worth watching?: I have never regretted watching this movie in all the times that Iʼve seen it. It never gets old and I always get something new out of it, whether itʼs understanding the story more, appreciating the animation or score, or finding new lines to quote on a daily basis.

Will I watch again?: This is one of my sisterʼs favorite movies, so definitely. I canʼt tell you how many times Iʼve already seen it, and I canʼt tell you how many times I will see it again!

Bonus thoughts:

“If you focus on what youʼve left behind you will never be able to go ahead.” 

Pixar creates wonderful and magical films. Something that I love about this movie is how it takes place in the real world. We see everything from Remyʼs perspective as heʼs our narrator and we see him talking to other rats, but he canʼt talk to humans. Every once in a while it switches for one second to a humanʼs point of view and all we hear from the rats are squeaks. Something about that communication barrier adds to it and makes you almost believe that something like this could happen. Could animals have dreams of greatness like we do?

I love all of the characters! Colette is amazing. If you ever wondered it there is a fictional character who I am like, it's Linguini, with a dash of Emile. Probably more than a dash. Remy is the perfect character to root for! Anton Ego is iconic. The whole time when I last watched it I kept really hearing Peter O'Toole's voice distinctly and kept telling that to my sisters. They would then tell me that they knew that. The characters are all so well rounded, not a single one is lacking in any way!

Like all Pixar movies, the messages are what hit home. Watching this you know that everyone has a job that is important, and no one is "just a garbage boy".

Fin

Thank you for reading! Have any of you seen this movie? What about any other movies involving rats? Favorite cooking film? Enjoy six more weeks of winter!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Holiday Inn (1942)

Greetings, folks!

I hope that you are all going to have a lovely occasion. Did I say occasion? I meant day. Whoops, slip of the tong--er--hand. If you’ve been around my blog for awhile, you know that I love reviewing things for special occasions. It isn’t likely that I would randomly review a Christmas movie in July (my sister insists that it would work because “Christmas in July”...but no.) Today I’ll be talking about a movie that has so many holidays that I could chose to review it on, but I think I finally found the right one. Why? Read on!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. The main review is spoiler free, but later on there will be some spoilers. I will warn you in time, though!

Holiday Inn (1942):

Stage performer Jim Hardy is tired of having no breaks. He never has a day off and even has big shows on holidays! He decides to quit it all and buy up a farm, thinking that he’ll have free time whenever he wants it. Turns out he was wrong and it is a lot of work. His new brilliant idea is to only work on the holidays and have everyday off! He forms plans to open an inn that is only open on special occasions. Things are going well until he and his friend Ted Hanover both become attached to the same girl. The catch is that he knows who she is and Ted doesn’t. How long will he be able to keep his secrets and what will happen if they are known?

Genre: Musical, Comedy, Romance.
Length: approx. 100 minutes
Script: 10, absolutely clean as there are no bad words.

“Oh boy, do I go for those! Why they're great on... on ... or even plain!” 

(My whole opinion on food.)

Crew: Directed by: Mark Sandrich. Written by: Irving Berlin, Claude Binyon, & Elmer Rice.
Starring:

Bing Crosby as Jim Hardy.

Fred Astaire as Ted Hanover.

Marjorie Reynolds as Linda Mason.

Virginia Dale as Lila Dixon.

Walter Abel as Danny Reed.

Irving Bacon as Gus.

Louise Beavers as Mamie.

Shelby Bacon as Vanderbilt.

Joan Arnold as Daphne.

Marek Windheim as François.

John Gallaudet as Parker.

James Bell as Dunbar.

Leon Belasco as the Flower Shop Proprietor.

Bob Crosby's Band as Orchestra.

Costumes: 9, nothing indecent, and they are quite fashionable, all of them. I mean, I wouldn’t mind wearing one of them...

Costumes by: Edith Head.

Have you ever seen Fred were something so crazy? No, you haven't.

Cinematography: 8, it was classic cute old movie, but nothing too big. I had a bit of a dilemma when I started typing this review, as I didn’t remember if it was black and white or color. I watched it back near Easter so it was a long time ago, okay! I pretty distinctly remember color, but my older sister helped remind me. After that, I remembered how long it took me to coax my little sister into watching it, then once we started she yelled out, “Oh no! Not black and white!” because she rarely likes black and white. This one was approved by her, though.

Cinematography by: David Abel.

Music: 9, good songs, as expected from Irving Berlin! My favorite was probably, “I Can’t Tell a Lie”.

Music by: Irving Berlin & Robert Emmett Dolan.

Quotability: 6, I haven’t quoted it since seeing it, but after multiple rewatches I can image myself doing it.

“Dance yourselves into beautiful nervous breakdowns.” (Paraphrase)

Oscars won: 1: Best Original Song (“White Christmas”). We always associate the song “White Christmas” with the musical, again starring Bing Crosby, titled White Christmas (1954), but the song was actually released with the movie, 12 years before that! This is also the start of the famous song “Easter Parade”, which also got a film all to itself, but only 6 years later.

Content: 7, there is some smoking and some drinking where one character got highly drunk. There are some war scenes in a slideshow, but it is very brief. There is also a very controversial scene with the song “Abraham”, which might be offensive to some, as it has some “incorporating images and behaviors” (Source), that could be called racist. Sometimes this scene is completely cut when stations play the film. Personally, it was my least favorite.

‘“Then I had a drink.”

“A drink? Boy, you were fractured!”’

Originality: 9, this was a bucket of fun! You have some classic Hollywood set ups in there, but it just adds to the fun. An Inn that only specializes in holidays? Never heard of it before!

Good For: Fans of the actors, watching on any of the mentioned holidays.

Age Range: This is acceptable for any and all ages. Little kids will love the dancing, as will older people, I’m sure!

Overall Score: 8!

Worth watching?: Yes! Ever since I’ve learned that this was the origin for “White Christmas”, I’ve wanted to see it and it didn’t disappoint! The numbers were fun, and the actors worked so well together. I'd never seen anything with Marjorie Reynolds before, so I liked that. My sisters and I keep talking about how strange it was to have a movie where we don’t like Fred Astaire’s character. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t unlikeable, we just like Bing Crosby’s character so much better! The dancing and singing were top notch, as per usual!

Will I watch again?: I now want to make it a tradition where I watch this every year, on one of the many holidays. The fun thing about this movie is that it’s not necessarily Christmas, so there are many chances to watch it.

“You sound sweet, but you don’t make sense.”

For the blogathon:

This movie features the holidays: Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Lincoln’s birthday, Washington’s birthday (those two are now combined into President’s Day), Easter, Independence Day, and...

Thanksgiving!

This is my entry in Sally of 18 Cinema Lane’s A Blogathon To Be Thankful For!

There are four categories in this blogathon, and this is the one that I am participating with: Write about a movie or television show episode that either revolves around Thanksgiving or features, at least, one scene taking place on Thanksgiving.

I really love the idea of Sally hosting this because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! It is all about being grateful, so how awesome is that? And food, it also involves food. I like this because so many people jump to Christmas after Halloween and tend to forget about it, which is really sad! I celebrate Christmas for a long time afterwards, and not so much beforehand. I know all holidays this year have been different, but it’s good to remember what we’re thankful for.

Alright, time for me to talk about the Thanksgiving scene in here!

Each holiday is proceeded by a short (30 seconds max.) animated feature on a calendar. For Thanksgiving, it has a turkey jumping back and forth between two dates, Thursday the 20th and Thursday the 27th, showing that this was supposed to take place in 1941. This is a fun detail because in all three years of 1939, 1940, and 1941 there was a lot of controversy going on about what date Thanksgiving should be on. From 1863-1938 it had always been the last Thursday of the month, but in 1939 there were five Thursdays instead of four, and President Roosevelt changed it to the week before the last. This stirred up a lot of trouble with people being dismayed over the “breaking of tradition” until finally in 1941 FDR signed a law that it would be the fourth Thursday in November.

(Credit to Cricket magazine and my sister for my expertise on this.)

Okay, from now on SPOILER ALERT. I’m going to be talking about near the end of this movie, so if you haven’t seen it, read no further!

This isn’t the most cheerful part of the movie. Unlike all of the other holidays, Jim is alone for this one. Except for loyal Mamie, of course! He has closed down the inn and let Hollywood start making a movie about it. He has lost Linda as she is off making movies and is overall feeling sorry for himself. He is working on writing the song, “Plenty to be Thankful For”, which is quite the opposite of his current mood, and he keeps making pessimistic comments in reply to the lyrics.

Also, these two kids were adorable.

Mamie brings him a Thanksgiving feast, but he doesn’t really eat, just pushes his food around. Mamie gets tired of his moping and finally tells him to go after Linda, saying:

“You could melt her heart right down to butter, if you'd only turn on the heat!”

There you have it! A huge thank you to Sally Silverscreen for hosting this! Make sure to check out the other entries HERE.

Tell me, what is your favorite holiday movie (for any holiday)? What is your favorite Bing Crosby movie? What about Fred Astaire? Thanks for reading, and happy Thanksgiving in advance!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Hello, everyone.

Before I get into my review I want to say how deeply saddened I was yesterday when I heard that the world had lost Alex Trebek. His battle with cancer was so hard. Jeopardy! is one of my favorite game shows, and his reassuring presence will be missed more than I can say.


Last winter my dad, older sister and I got onto a kick of watching Best Picture Oscar winning war films. It was all my idea because I am trying to watch movies off of my 1001 Movies To See Before You Die list. We watched three movies: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) in October, Lawrence of Arabia (1962) in January, and Patton (1970) in February. After that we were really burned out because they were all multi-hour spectaculars, but we are thinking about starting another round as there are still many that we havenʼt seen. Iʼve reviewed the other two, so now itʼs time for the final one!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free! Which was hard to do, but I succeeded.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962):

Based on: The life of T. E. Lawrence, from Seven Pillars of Wisdom - by T. E. Lawrence. 

During World War I, T. E. Lawrence is given a new task from the British army. He is sent to talk with Prince Faisel about helping them with his army of native people against to Turks. To do that, Lawrence must journey through the desert. It is hard, but he bravely goes forward into the desert, befriending all whom he can and trying to collect various tribes into an agreement. He is known for his insolence and daring, and continues that as he ignores his orders and suggests new, daring, and reckless plans of attack. Is it possible for all of these people to follow him, and how will he accept the respect and admiration that he is receiving?

“Big things have small beginnings.” 

Genres: Biography, Drama, War.

Length: approx. 228 minutes. You read that correctly, this movie is so long itʼs crazy. We actually watched it in four parts over four nights because of that, with about an hour each time.

Script: 8, only one bad word and one time a name is taken in vain.

“It seems to me that you are free to choose your own name.”

Crew: Directed by: David Lean. Written by: T.E. Lawrence, Robert Bolt, & Michael Wilson.

Starring:

Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence.

“Time to be great again.”

Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal. 

Omar Sharif as Sherif Ali.

Anthony Quinn as Auda Abu Tayi.  

Jack Hawkins as General Allenby.

. 

Claude Rains as Mr. Dryden

Anthony Quayle as Colonel Brighton. 

Arthur Kennedy as Jackson Bentley.

José Ferrer as Turkish Bey.

Donald Wolfit as General Murray.

Michel Ray as Farraj.

John Dimech as Daud.

I.S. Johar as Gasim.

Gamil Ratib as Majid.

Zia Mohyeddin as Tafas.

Howard Marion-Crawford as Medical Officer.

Jack Gwillim as Club Secretary.

Hugh Miller as R.A.M.C. Colonel.

Notes: If you read anything about this movie, you know the craziness that they went through with casting. Almost every character was cast multiple times. They say that they tried so hard to make Alec Guinness look like Prince Faisel that while they were shooting the film in Jordan some people who knew the late Prince Faisel actually thought it was him. José Ferrerʼs role is so small that I barely remember it, but he had a salary of $25,000, which was more than Omar Sharif and Peter OʼToole put together had.

Costumes: 9, there are times when people arenʼt wearing shirts, but it didnʼt really bother me. In fact, one of my favorite parts was all about clothing (am I being vague? Yes, yes I am).

Not this part. But, first thing into the movie my dad said, "He looks like Maz Kanata."

Costumes by: Phyllis Dalton.

Cinematography: 10, guys, guys. GUYS. My sister and I were talking and wondering how much time they spent just filming this stuff because it is pretty incredible. These sweeping desert scenes are jaw dropping. There is a scene that is like, 10 minutes long, where we are doing nothing but staring at the desert. Iʼm not kidding (okay, maybe it isnʼt that much time, but itʼs a lot). Another scene where my sister and I just couldnʼt believe our eyes is kind of a spoiler to mention, so I wonʼt, but it was like nothing Iʼve ever seen. You have to see it to believe it.

This image doesn't do it justice.

Cinematography by: F.A. Young.

Music: 9, after watching it I had the score stuck in my head for days and would do nothing but hum it. I donʼt usually have that happen. Something about it is so gripping! You can tell that since then it has inspired lots of things. I especially noticed parts that reminded me of Aladdin (1992). Iʼm listening to it right now, and Iʼm sure Iʼll have it stuck in my head for another couple of days now.

Music by: Maurice Jarre.

Quotability: 5, I havenʼt quoted this at all since then, but thatʼs not to say that there arenʼt good lines. I sadly canʼt put too many because I canʼt read my handwriting when I took notes. Ooops.

“Yes general, you have lied most bravely.”

Oscars won: 7: Best Picture, Best Director (David Lean), Best Music Score -- Substantially Original, Best Sound, Best Art Direction -- Color, Best Cinematography -- Color, and Best Film Editing.

Peter OʼToole was nominated for Best Actor, and while he did a great job, Iʼm very happy that Gregory Peck won it for his role of Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird (1962). Whenever I talk about the Oscars Iʼm bound to mention the 1962 ceremony because so many good movies were made that year!

Content: 6, this movie is intense, and a lot of that comes from the content. There is a lot of death, killing, blood and fighting, as this is a war movie. Something that was talked about was enjoying killing people. I think that what they had to say was important, but it couldʼve been handled a slight bit better just to make one or two things more obvious. All the same, it is made to show how bad war is.

Originality: 9, I always feel obliged to give stories based on real people a high score here because their lives are all so different. In addition to that, it really ripped me apart more than most stories do. Points for originality there! About halfway through I felt where it was going. I didnʼt know the exact details, but I just had this feeling that I knew was what I was supposed to feel at the end.

Good For: History fans, fans of the actors, fans of amazing cinematography and music. Honestly, I think that this is one of those movies that everyone should see sometime in their life, if they are willing to spare that many hours. It is by no means a cheerful movie, but it is important.

Age Range: It is rated PG but I should note that this was before there was a PG-13 rating, so it would probably get that nowadays. It is grueling to watch this because it is so long. I have a hard time paying attention for that long and Iʼm sure most little kids are the same way. Just because of that I would say it is best for 15 and older, but there is a possibility that it could be a good history lesson to someone a little younger, too.

Overall Score: 8.

These two were my favorites.

Worth watching?: Yes, Iʼm very glad that I watched it. The way that the orphan boys Daud and Farraj treated Lawrence (and said his name) was so cute. As I said, this movie will really tear you apart because of how intense it is. Iʼm feeling all destroyed just thinking about it. This was the middle film that my dad, sister, and I watched, and I liked it in the middle. I didnʼt love it as much as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), but I didnʼt dislike it and find it as boring as Patton (1970).

Will I watch again?: My younger sister has never seen it, so I think that Iʼll show it to her some day, but maybe years from now.

For the blogathon:

This is my entry in The Third Annual Claude Rains Blogathon hosted by Pure Entertainment Preservation Society!

I havenʼt been able to join in the last two years, so I made sure of it this time. When looking through the list of films that Claude Rains made I saw this and decided that it was perfect timing.

The amazing thing about this movie is that most of the characters are based on real people! There are some fictional characters in here for the sake of the story, but they all feel like they couldʼve been real as well and some were based on a few different real life characters and just combined into one.

The “real life” characters are:

E. T. Lawrence, Prince Faisal, Auda Abu Tayi, General Allenby, General Murray, Daud and Farraj, and Talal. (I know this thanks to Wikipedia).

The “fictional” characters are:

Sherif Ali, Mr. Dryden, Colonel Brighton, and Jackson Bentley. (Check out Wikipedia HERE for more details on who they are based on)

As you see, Claude Rainsʼs character is fictional, but all the same he is important to the movie. We donʼt get a lot of screen time with him, but you could say that he initiates Lawrenceʼs inciting incident. (Can you tell that Iʼm in the craziness of NaNoWriMo and am very focused on all those technical phrases?). Mr. Dryden is from the Arab Bureau and he is the one who suggests that Lawrence is the one to do the job concerning Prince Faisal, even though others werenʼt sure that he was the right person. After that he appears a few times throughout the film. He is the person who sends other people to do the work and just pulls the strings.

His character wasnʼt particularly likable to me, but the portrayal was so well done by Claude Rains! This was close to the end of his career. Every time that I watch a new movie with him I am astounded by the depth to his acting abilities. It is great to watch!

In fact, so many of the actors in here were so great! I do get that it is historical and that it is war and because of that there arenʼt many, er...ANY female roles, which I didnʼt notice until right now. Anyway, the actors who stood out to me were:

Alec Guinness: He is flat out amazing in everything, and this is no exception. Iʼm sorry, but he was my favorite part.

Omar Sherif: As soon as I saw him I thought, “Oh no! Itʼs Doctor Zhivago!” I actively loathe that movie, so thank you for reminding me. “While youʼre at it, why donʼt you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?” (Sorry, I couldnʼt help myself...). But, I was really shocked by how strong his acting was. From the beginning I disliked him, but he just continued to grow on me and ended up being my second favorite from Alec Guinness. Did you know that Omar Sherif spoke six languages? That is incredible! Here I am struggling with two...

Peter OʼToole: Yes, I will admit that the way he played Lawrence was really moving. Sometimes it moved me in weird directions that I had no idea was coming. This was one of his first roles and I was glad to see it because I like some of his later ones. 

Arthur Kennedy: This was the most different role that Iʼve ever seen from him. Iʼm so used to seeing him as the “baddie” in westerns, that I wasnʼt prepared to have him play a newspaper reporter. He did a great job!

Whew, with that Iʼm going to start wrapping this up! I guess that the longer the film the longer my post about it. Thanks to the Brannans for hosting! Check out the other blogathon entries HERE.

Now tell me, what is the longest movie that youʼve ever watched? Do you ever get burned out on a certain genre? Thank you so much for reading!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Spirited Away (2001)

Greetings, friends and readers!

My sister and I have been watching “Halloween” movies all week (note, not horror, just anything fantasy and magical!)! Today Iʼm bringing you a review of a movie that would be ideal to watch today if you have nothing else to do. In fact, it is such a good movie for anytime of year. One of my all time favorites! Iʼm also continuing to follow my goal for this year which was to review more international and foreign films!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This review is spoiler free! Feel free to read!


Spirited Away [Sen to Chihiro No Kamikakushi] (2001):

Chihiro and her parents are moving and she hates it. All of her friends are back at home and now sheʼll have no one. On taking a short cut they come upon an old railway station and her parents decide to explore even though Chihiro complains and tells them not to. They find what they think is an amusement park and her parents start eating the food that they find. It turns out that they were intruding on a place of the spirits and are punished. Chihiro is now trapped in this place, and after receiving some help is told that she must work very hard at the bathhouse and have her name changed to Sen. Names have power, and without hers Sen begins to forget who she is. Will she be able to get her and her parents out of there?

“Once youʼve met someone you never really forget them.” 

Genre: Fantasy.

Length: approx. 125 minutes.

Script: 10, no bad words.

Crew: Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki. Written by: Hayao Miyazaki.

Starring the voices of:

Usually I donʼt list the voices for every dubbed version of it, but in here Iʼm going to be listing the cast for two languages: The original Japanese and English (because that version is the one that I watch). One day I want to see the Japanese version just with English subtitles.

Rumi Hiiragi (Japanese) and Daveigh Chase (English) as Chihiro.

Miyu Irino (Japanese) and Jason Marsden (English) as Haku.

Mari Natsuki (Japanese) and Suzanne Pleshette (English) as Yubaba.

Mari Natsuki (Japanese) and Suzanne Pleshette (English) as Zeniba.

Yumi Tamai (Japanese) as Rin and Susan Egan (English) as Lin. “Someday Iʼm getting on that train.”

Bunta Sugawara (Japanese) and David Ogden Stiers (English) as Kamaji.

Ryûnosuke Kamiki (Japanese) and Tara Strong (English) as Boh.

Akio Nakamura (Japanese) and Bob Bergen (English) as No-Face.

Takashi Naitô (Japanese) and Michael Chiklis (English) as Akio Ogino.

Yasuko Sawaguchi (Japanese) and Lauren Holly as Yûko Ogino.

Costumes: 8, just fine. There are some guests at the bathhouse and a baby who don't wear that much. Something that is relevant to this time is a line from that baby: "You'll get sick if you go outside."

Animation: 10, this is incredible! Besides the fact that it is hand drawn and amazing in that feat alone, it is stunning. The water, the colors, the lighting, all of it top notch and leading to an amazing aesthetic and feel for this.

Music: 10, the music is gorgeous as well! This might be one of my favorite scores for an animated film. It is so relaxing, but has mystery whispering around the edges.

Music by: Joe Hisaishi.

Quotability: 9, there are all kinds of little moments through out the film that my sisters and I quote frequently, but the most used of all has to be:

“Wanna loose your nose?”

Oscars won: 1: Best Animated Feature Film (at the 2002 Oscars). Fun fact, it is so far the only hand drawn film to have won that award!

Content: 8, there is some smoking, gross things and scary scenes. All of it is so bizarre, but that is part of the magic of it!

Originality: 10, This movie is one of the most unique films that Iʼve ever seen. I can honestly (not that I'm ever dishonest!) say that I've never seen anything like this.

Good For: I feel that Chihiro is such a good character for anyone and everyone to follow, to see her struggles and what she does. Any fans of animation, anyone who has just moved and is missing home.

Age Range: Iʼm mentioning it again, there are some strange things in here. Some could be scary for little kids, but I think most people over 8 would be fine. As always (I probably donʼt even have to say it because you know whatʼs coming next), it depends on the person.

Overall Score: 9!

Worth watching?: So much so! There are so many golden moments in here. And, fantastic characters! I love Haku, Lin, Kamaji, and we can't forget the soot spirits!

Will I watch again?: Yes! So far I canʼt tell you how many times Iʼve seen it, and that will only continue to grow.

ʻ“Whatʼs going on?”

“Something you wouldnʼt understand. Itʼs called love.”ʼ

Bonus thoughts:

Where do I begin with an icon of a movie like this? It is so good. Let me straighten this out: Do I believe in “spirits” or “gods” like that who visit a bath house to relax? No. This is fantasy, but it takes place in our world, but I donʼt necessarily believe it then. Stories are impactful not because of the exact details but because of the characters, and in this case it is about Chihiro.

Chihiro is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. She is only 10 (that blows my mind), but goes through so much and grows so much as a result of her journey. The whole movie is fantastic from beginning to end, and she shines as the main character.

I canʼt encourage you guys enough to watch this film because, to me, it is such an important milestone for animated movies. You might be like me the first few times that I watched it and think that it is extremely weird, but it grows on you. 

If nothing that I said there convinced you, I have one final word: dragon.

Now, go find out what you think of it!

Oh and look!

My wonderful younger sister made this header for me for Halloween! What do you guys think about it?

Clockwise from the top left: Harry Potter, Casper (1995), The Princess Bride (1987), Hocus Pocus (1993), Ghostbusters (1984), & Hocus Pocus (1993).

Thank you so much for reading! I hope that you are all staying safe, healthy, and happy. Have any of you seen this movie? I would love to talk about it with you! What will you be watching tonight for Halloween? Hint, for me itʼs one of the movies in my header.

Happy Halloween! 

MovieCritic