Welp....tonight was the Academy Awards for 2013, so apologies for making this post late. It was just announced that 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture (as some newspapers predicted). So, I'm going to go ahead and finally write about one of my favorite guilty pleasures of all-time, Titanic! Titanic needs no introduction; it is the king of the world! (Pun intended)
Just about all of us are aware and were taught about the historical real-life sinking of the Titanic ship which happened more than a century ago. But what is the main fictional part of the movie is of course the love story between Jack Dawson and Rose Dewitt. It is a classic love tale that blends so many elements. Sure, its nothing we probably haven't seen before; girl is forced to marry for security reasons, meets better guy who is poorer, rich guy turns aggressive...yeah, we all have seen that somewhere. However, this is all put together uniquely by James Cameron as it is all set on a huge cruise ship during a classic time in history.
Besides the sinking, one of the many things that I did like about the movie was how it did bring about people who were actually on board during the ill-fated voyage. From the famous people at the time to the not-so famous. The wealthy John Jacob Astor is arguably the most famous victim, as he is portrayed in one scene. It also showed 'the unsinkable Molly Brown' which was well-done by Kathy Bates. Several characters make this film unique as it is. I could go on....
Though the film is close to 3 hours long, I know James Cameron did what he could to try to squeeze it all into one. It would be cool to get at least a more in-depth look at what happened and more into the story. But I know the film would have to be at least a few hours longer in order to do so! While I do find the disaster genre a bit depressing, this one I would have to leave as an exception.
So was Titanic perfect? Yes, in some of my standards. Where else can you find something that brings so much imagination of an incident, where hardly anyone was alive to tell about anymore, to the big screen? With that, the combination of a love story, which also told us a tale about class divisions, along with the great performances of several of the actors. Even the people who were part of the ship's production (captain, owner, designer) were well-put in the story. You can argue if anything was really true about what really happened to them in real life. I know, there were several technical and other goofs that one obsessive person would write a book about. So, on the other hand, it surely can't be that perfect. For most of us that remember more than 15 years ago right before this movie came out, Cameron's destiny wasn't always clear. People, both critics and movie-goers, thought this movie would tank. It was doomed for failure, for various reasons. Remember the due dates? Remember the budget? But James Cameron and his cast and crew hung in there, and he did more than prove everyone wrong. And he did that several years later with Avatar. I can still remember, right before I saw it with my family at the theater, girls in my Sunday school class yelled out, 'Go see it! Go see it!'. And I'm glad I did.
This is an excellent picture, and as noted, it can't be perfect, but to me, this is my generation's Godfather. For those not familiar with how I judge movies, its very rare I give a film a '10'.
My rating: 10 out of 10
Showing posts with label academy awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label academy awards. Show all posts
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
01/31: Slumdog Millionaire
Who would have thought that a British love story (made in India) that was originally to be 'direct-to-DVD' in the United States would go on and win Academy Awards including Best Picture? The movie did have competition that year as it competed with Milk and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was a sleeper hit, no doubt, as it slowly built fanbase. Movie lovers and critics paid attention to its excellent story and its somewhat offbeat plot which involved a very popular TV game show at the time.
At the beginning of the movie, we know Jamal Melik (Dev Patel) is one question away from the highest prize (he is a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?). But first, before the game concludes, Jamal is taken away by authorities on suspicions that he cheated throughout the game. Did he know the questions and answers? If so, how? Jamal while captured and held in custody, explains his case one by one. How did he know who invented the revolver? Who was Amitabh Bachchan? Turns out he knows from life-changing experiences. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
Oh, and about the love story part: in this coming-of-age film as Jamal and his brother drift throughout the lands of India, he meets his love interest: Latika. They would be separated and reunited throughout the film, as Jamal takes dangerous risks to get to her. That's all I'll say as I would be giving away too much.
I do rank this as one of my favorite movies of the last decade. Nothing to do with its accolades (although they did bring my attention to the movie), but story and characters always count in a movie. I'm not much of an escapist movie-watcher, but I'm always for stories, not necessarily realistic, that relate to one's personal lives. And this one seemed to have combined many elements, so many to speak of.
My rating: 8 out of 10
At the beginning of the movie, we know Jamal Melik (Dev Patel) is one question away from the highest prize (he is a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?). But first, before the game concludes, Jamal is taken away by authorities on suspicions that he cheated throughout the game. Did he know the questions and answers? If so, how? Jamal while captured and held in custody, explains his case one by one. How did he know who invented the revolver? Who was Amitabh Bachchan? Turns out he knows from life-changing experiences. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
Oh, and about the love story part: in this coming-of-age film as Jamal and his brother drift throughout the lands of India, he meets his love interest: Latika. They would be separated and reunited throughout the film, as Jamal takes dangerous risks to get to her. That's all I'll say as I would be giving away too much.
I do rank this as one of my favorite movies of the last decade. Nothing to do with its accolades (although they did bring my attention to the movie), but story and characters always count in a movie. I'm not much of an escapist movie-watcher, but I'm always for stories, not necessarily realistic, that relate to one's personal lives. And this one seemed to have combined many elements, so many to speak of.
My rating: 8 out of 10
Thursday, January 30, 2014
01/30: Ben-Hur (1959)
Let me be clear: usually I don't like associating religion in my writing, because it's all too controversial. I relate with Christians, Middle Eastern religions, atheists, and many others. Ben-Hur, released in 1959, is without doubt, one of the greatest biblical epics of all-time. So yes, I will be talking about what Christians believe from this movie.
The story, as I hope to tell the short version of it: Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) plays a wealthy Jew from Jerusalem who reunites with his childhood friend, Messala, after several years. Messala is more powerful than ever, and he is willing to show his loyalty to the Roman empire by asking Ben-Hur the names of his townspeople that criticize Romans. Ben-Hur refuses, and their friendship goes out the window. Later, Ben-Hur and his family are accused of attempted murder to the new Governor during a parade, and they are split apart as Ben-Hur gets thrown into slavery, while his mother and sister are sent to prison. They would be separated for a number of years. The ladies contract leprosy while in prison and get sent to a lepers colony. Meanwhile, Ben-Hur plans for revenge as he tries to rise back up the ranks. Several things happen, while at the same time, he has encounters with Jesus Christ.
The film is more than 3 hours long including an interlude and an intermission. This won't be the first time I say this: I'm not much of a fan of long movies. By long, I mean more than 2 1/2 hours. I understand that before the seventies, sequels were largely unheard of. But it is also fair to note that several long movies have become classics, critics choices, and award-winners. By the end of the movie, I'll admit it didn't seem like it was 212 minutes long!
You may be familiar with its accolades: it was the first film to win 11 Oscars (including Best Picture). That would be tied nearly 40 years later with Titanic and eventually Lord of the Rings: Return Of The King. There are several things worth noting. It had one of the largest budgets of all-time, as well as the most number of extras for a time. Some of the sequences took very much effort, most notably the horse race scene. And of course, the performance of Charlton Heston.
I'll say it: this movie is definitely worth your four hours of time.
My rating: 7 out of 10
The story, as I hope to tell the short version of it: Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) plays a wealthy Jew from Jerusalem who reunites with his childhood friend, Messala, after several years. Messala is more powerful than ever, and he is willing to show his loyalty to the Roman empire by asking Ben-Hur the names of his townspeople that criticize Romans. Ben-Hur refuses, and their friendship goes out the window. Later, Ben-Hur and his family are accused of attempted murder to the new Governor during a parade, and they are split apart as Ben-Hur gets thrown into slavery, while his mother and sister are sent to prison. They would be separated for a number of years. The ladies contract leprosy while in prison and get sent to a lepers colony. Meanwhile, Ben-Hur plans for revenge as he tries to rise back up the ranks. Several things happen, while at the same time, he has encounters with Jesus Christ.
The film is more than 3 hours long including an interlude and an intermission. This won't be the first time I say this: I'm not much of a fan of long movies. By long, I mean more than 2 1/2 hours. I understand that before the seventies, sequels were largely unheard of. But it is also fair to note that several long movies have become classics, critics choices, and award-winners. By the end of the movie, I'll admit it didn't seem like it was 212 minutes long!
You may be familiar with its accolades: it was the first film to win 11 Oscars (including Best Picture). That would be tied nearly 40 years later with Titanic and eventually Lord of the Rings: Return Of The King. There are several things worth noting. It had one of the largest budgets of all-time, as well as the most number of extras for a time. Some of the sequences took very much effort, most notably the horse race scene. And of course, the performance of Charlton Heston.
I'll say it: this movie is definitely worth your four hours of time.
My rating: 7 out of 10
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
01/21: Chariots Of Fire
I guess its not so ironic that I write a movie about an Olympic-themed movie just 16 days before the '14 Olympics event in Sochi. Chariots of Fire is a true story about 2 men who competed and represented England in the 1924 Paris Olympics.
For a film that was (and still is) considered one of the greatest films of 1981 (year I was born), I thought it would grab me. After all, this beat out such films (Raiders of the Lost Ark, On Golden Pond) for Best Picture. So I was hoping I would see what the hypes all about. As it turns out the first hour was completely boring for me. I noticed that I do get a bit bored with foreign films (this was British) but I guess every country or culture has its own cinema style. During the second hour, however, I was starting to get moved to the end. It made a lot of sense as the stories between the two men were becoming more inspirational. I will admit this was shown in a slow-pace. Maybe that's it. You see, the movie isn't really split in two parts. As mentioned above, it does tell the story about two young men and their rise to stardom: one Jew who experiences some anti-Semitism and a devout Christian. The religions without doubt play a huge part in the story. You'll also hear religious quotes throughout the movie, which give Chariots of Fire its characteristic movie. But its mostly about determination and inspiration.
Perhaps the most notable thing about the movie is its theme, which I believe has become forgotten over the years. As a child growing up in the 80s, I remember hearing the Vangelis song "Chariots of Fire -Titles" in many TV shows and commercials. Usually in slow-motion mode this is often heard. The song went to #1 in 1982 and it would be one of the last instrumental tunes to hit the top of the Pop chart. I even remember my sister trying to play some of the chords to this song on the piano at church.
My rating: 6 out of 10
For a film that was (and still is) considered one of the greatest films of 1981 (year I was born), I thought it would grab me. After all, this beat out such films (Raiders of the Lost Ark, On Golden Pond) for Best Picture. So I was hoping I would see what the hypes all about. As it turns out the first hour was completely boring for me. I noticed that I do get a bit bored with foreign films (this was British) but I guess every country or culture has its own cinema style. During the second hour, however, I was starting to get moved to the end. It made a lot of sense as the stories between the two men were becoming more inspirational. I will admit this was shown in a slow-pace. Maybe that's it. You see, the movie isn't really split in two parts. As mentioned above, it does tell the story about two young men and their rise to stardom: one Jew who experiences some anti-Semitism and a devout Christian. The religions without doubt play a huge part in the story. You'll also hear religious quotes throughout the movie, which give Chariots of Fire its characteristic movie. But its mostly about determination and inspiration.
Perhaps the most notable thing about the movie is its theme, which I believe has become forgotten over the years. As a child growing up in the 80s, I remember hearing the Vangelis song "Chariots of Fire -Titles" in many TV shows and commercials. Usually in slow-motion mode this is often heard. The song went to #1 in 1982 and it would be one of the last instrumental tunes to hit the top of the Pop chart. I even remember my sister trying to play some of the chords to this song on the piano at church.
My rating: 6 out of 10
Thursday, January 16, 2014
01/16: All The President's Men
I watched this movie for the first time 3 weeks ago, and I was well aware of the hype of it being one of the greatest movies of the 70s. Especially one based on a true story. Side note: I bought this around Black Friday when Amazon had a great deal on Digibooks, and this movie happened to be available on them. This movie was about the genesis of the investigations of Nixon and Watergate.
So, what do I think? I actually didn't think it was bad nor was it that good. Here you got two of Hollywood's all-time stars, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, sharing the top bill. But unlike roles they have done, these seem more calming than ever. These guys basically are just people who go to work everyday and try to accomplish their employers' goals and get the story on time. Yes, they both portray journalists in a newspaper office. Redford's character is the rookie, having been employed at the place shortly while Hoffman's character been writing for the paper more than a decade. At first, the two men butt heads as Hoffman seems very threatened by Redford. Eventually they learn to work as a team (slowly but surely). One great observation about the newsroom: times have really changed since the mid-70s as obviously, typewriters are so obselete that even 80 year olds don't even use them. Think about the misery whenever someone types an error! Lots of indoor smoking (especially by Hoffman) was notable.
I guess one of the things that makes me like this movie is there's really no love story here. In movies, we could use a little less love stories, if you know what I mean! Plus these guys are basically conspiracy theorists and they spend the entire movie trying to get the truth, prove something, make a point and silence those who trespass against them. Those are just the elements that make this movie stand out. Despite of all this, I'm not really sure what made this movie 'Oscar-material'. Maybe its the actors and their performance(s), I don't know.
I would check it out, also for the historical part of it.
My rating: 7 out of 10
So, what do I think? I actually didn't think it was bad nor was it that good. Here you got two of Hollywood's all-time stars, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, sharing the top bill. But unlike roles they have done, these seem more calming than ever. These guys basically are just people who go to work everyday and try to accomplish their employers' goals and get the story on time. Yes, they both portray journalists in a newspaper office. Redford's character is the rookie, having been employed at the place shortly while Hoffman's character been writing for the paper more than a decade. At first, the two men butt heads as Hoffman seems very threatened by Redford. Eventually they learn to work as a team (slowly but surely). One great observation about the newsroom: times have really changed since the mid-70s as obviously, typewriters are so obselete that even 80 year olds don't even use them. Think about the misery whenever someone types an error! Lots of indoor smoking (especially by Hoffman) was notable.
I guess one of the things that makes me like this movie is there's really no love story here. In movies, we could use a little less love stories, if you know what I mean! Plus these guys are basically conspiracy theorists and they spend the entire movie trying to get the truth, prove something, make a point and silence those who trespass against them. Those are just the elements that make this movie stand out. Despite of all this, I'm not really sure what made this movie 'Oscar-material'. Maybe its the actors and their performance(s), I don't know.
I would check it out, also for the historical part of it.
My rating: 7 out of 10
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