BEST PICTURE NOMINEES
*Anne of the Thousand Days
*Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
*Hello Dolly!
*Midnight Cowboy
*Z
AND 'THE' WINNER IS...Midnight Cowboy
AND 'MY' WINNER IS...Anne of the Thousand Days
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) directed by: Charles Jarrott
Main Cast: Richard Burton, Genevieve Bujold, Irene Papas, Anthony Quayle, John Colicos
King Henry VIII (Burton) is married to Queen Katherine (Papas) who has a daughter but every son has been born dead, so Henry is seeking to divorce Katherine to marry Anne Boleyn (Bujold) whom he thinks will bear him a male heir. Anne also has a daughter Elizabeth, then becomes pregnant again and has a son, but he is born dead. Henry is determined to have a son and wants to divorce Anne to be with Jane, but Anne refuses to give Henry the divorce he seeks. What lengths will Henry go to for the male heir he desperately desires?
Anne of the Thousand Days was great! It was the best Henry VIII movie I have ever seen. ALthough it was almost two and a half hours I enjoyed it immensely. Genevieve Bujold was absolutely marvelous, she definitely made this movie! If it wasn't for he, I really don't think I would have liked it so well.
RATING: 10/10
THE ACADEMY'S PICK
Midnight Cowboy (1969) directed by: John Schlesinger
Main Cast: Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight
Joe Buck (Voight) comes to New York to seek his fortune. He meets Rico (Hoffman) who tries to help him make his fortune as a hustler. Neither one of them really know what they are doing, so they don't make much money. Rico becomes sick, so Joe agrees to take him to Florida. Will they make their fortune once they arrive in Florida?
Midnight Cowboy was a very good movie. I was thrown off by the flashbacks at first, but then they started to make sense. All in all it was pretty good.
RATING: 8/10
HONORABLE MENTION
Hello Dolly! (1969) directed by: Gene Kelly
Main Cast: Barbara Streisand, Walther Mathau, Michael Crawford, Marianne McAndrew, Danny Lockin, E.J. Peaker
Dolly Levi (Streisand) is a matchmaker who is in love with her client Vandergelder, so she sabotages his relationship and upcoming engagement to Miss Malloy (McAndrew) by sending his two store clerks, Cornelius and Barnaby to New York to meet Miss Malloy and her worker Minnie. Will Dolly succeed and have Horace Vandergelder to marry her?
Great movie! It is actually a musical and I have come to the conclusion that, I love musicals! Every one of them I have seen has put me in a great mood and had me singing all day.
RATING: 9/10
THE BEST OF THE REST
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) directed by: George Roy Hill
Main Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katherine Ross
Butch Cassidy (Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Redford) lead the Hole-in-the-Wall gang on one too many train robberies, which leads to them being trailed by a special posse, they just can't lose. So Butch and Sundance, along with Sundance's girlfriend Etta (Ross) decide to flee to Bolivia where they thing they will be free of the posse, and can start over, but can they?
THis was a pretty good movie, it didn't really have to many bad parts. The only thing that really bugged me was the still pictures just thrown in at awkward times.
RATING: 8/10
Z (1969) directed by: Costa-Gavras
Main Cast: Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Charles Denner
A liberal politician is murdered in an attack during a peace demonstration. The right wing established figures in the military and the police try and hide, not only their parts in it, but try to cover up the murder as well. Will they be able to cover up the murder or will the truth come out?
Z is a combination of mystery & thriller that kept me wondering what would happen next. I loved the ending!
RATING: 7/10
1970 was a great year! I found a few great movies that I probably would have never seen if it wasn't for this project.
Rating for 1979 as a whole: 9/10
NEXT UP: 1988 - which includes: Broadcast News, Fatal Attraction, Hope and Glory, The Last Emperor and Moonstruck
November 21, 2009 6:19pm
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
1949
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES
*The Snake Pit
*The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
*Johnny Belinda
*Hamlet
*The Red Shoes
AND "MY" WINNER IS...Johnny Belinda
AND "THE" WINNER IS... Hamlet
Johnny Belinda (1948) directed by: Jean Negulesco
Main Cast: Jane Wyman, Lew Ayers, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead and Stephen McNally
In the small fishing village of Cape Breton off the coast of Nova Scotia Dr. Robert Richardson has just moved to town. One night while helpingto birth a calf, he meets deaf/mute Belinda. Dr. Richardson gets permission from Belinda's father, Mr. McDonald to teach Belinda sign language, so she can communicate. One night while she is left home alone she is raped by Locky McCormick and becomes pregnant. Of course, the local gossip blames the doctor, so the McDonalds, as well as the doctor become pariah's and are unable to make a living. Will Belinda be able to care for her son, which she names Johnny?
This was a spectacular movie! I loved every minute of it, I definitely believe Jane Wyman deserves an Oscar for her role as Belinda. She did a remarkable job. I highly recommend you check this one out soon!
RATING: 10/10
THE ACADEMY'S PICK
Hamlet (1948) directed by: Laurence Olivier
Main Cast: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Norman Woodland
Hamlet's father, the king, dies, so Hamlet's mother Gertrude marries his brother Claudius making Claudius the new king. The ghost of Hamlet's father appears to Hamlet and shows him that Claudius murdered him. How will Hamlet get revenge for his father, or will he even live to seek revenge?
This one was kind of hard to follow. The language is difficult to understand. I found myself bored a lot throughout the two and a half hours! Definitely not something I would recommend unless you are really into history.
RATING: 4/10
HONORABLE MENTION
The Snake Pit (1948) directed by: Anatole Litvak
Main Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn
Virginia Cunningham (de Havilland) finds herself in a state insane asylum, and can't remember how she got there. Virginia is being cared for by Dr. Kik (Genn) who is helping her to discover what caused her to have a nervous breakdown. Virginia has days where she knows what is going on, and days where she can't even remember her husband Robert (Stevens). Will Virginia ever be sane again, or will she spend the rest of her life in the institution?
This was a great movie, I went into it thinking it wouldn't really be that good. But I enjoyed it immensely! Highly recommend it, if you have the chance definitely check it out. Olivia de Havilland did an amazing job.
RATING: 10/10
THE BEST OF THE REST
The Red Shoes (1948) directed by: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
Main Cast: Marius Goring, Anton Walbrook, Moira Shearer
Boris Lermontov (Walbrook) is the most prominent ballet impressario in town. He hires Julian Craster (Goring) to compose a ballet for him. Craster composes The Red Shoes for which Lermontov wants Victoria Page (Shearer) to be the main star. The production is a big success and makes Victoria an instant star. Victoria and Julian fall in love, much to the dislike of Lermontov, he wants all of Victoria's concentration on her dancing. So Lermontov fires Julian which leaves Victoria to choose between the man she loves and her passion of dancing. Which choice will Victoria make?
This was a very good movie. It has a few slow spots, but most of it was very good.
RATING: 8/10
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) directed by: John Huston
Main Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett
Dobbs (Bogart) and Curtin (Holt) meet up in Mexico and go to work for a contractor, Pat McCormick, who takes them away to a remote site and tells them they will be paid when the job is finished. When they are finished, they return to town to find McCormick to get their wages. They meet up with an old prospector, who claims the hills are still full of gold and if they can get the cash, he will go with them. They eventually get the cash from McCormick, with a little "persuasion", and all three set off for the hills as good friends, but will they return that way?
This one was very average for me. It was the typical western. I was pretty bored through the whole movie.
RATING: 5/10
All in all 1949 was not that great of a year. It had a couple of good movies, but three not so good ones.
Rating for 1949 as a whole: 6/10
NEXT UP: 1970 - which includes: Midnight Cowboy, Z, Anne of the Thousand Days, Hello Dolly!, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
November 14, 2009 8:22pm
*The Snake Pit
*The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
*Johnny Belinda
*Hamlet
*The Red Shoes
AND "MY" WINNER IS...Johnny Belinda
AND "THE" WINNER IS... Hamlet
Johnny Belinda (1948) directed by: Jean Negulesco
Main Cast: Jane Wyman, Lew Ayers, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead and Stephen McNally
In the small fishing village of Cape Breton off the coast of Nova Scotia Dr. Robert Richardson has just moved to town. One night while helpingto birth a calf, he meets deaf/mute Belinda. Dr. Richardson gets permission from Belinda's father, Mr. McDonald to teach Belinda sign language, so she can communicate. One night while she is left home alone she is raped by Locky McCormick and becomes pregnant. Of course, the local gossip blames the doctor, so the McDonalds, as well as the doctor become pariah's and are unable to make a living. Will Belinda be able to care for her son, which she names Johnny?
This was a spectacular movie! I loved every minute of it, I definitely believe Jane Wyman deserves an Oscar for her role as Belinda. She did a remarkable job. I highly recommend you check this one out soon!
RATING: 10/10
THE ACADEMY'S PICK
Hamlet (1948) directed by: Laurence Olivier
Main Cast: Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Norman Woodland
Hamlet's father, the king, dies, so Hamlet's mother Gertrude marries his brother Claudius making Claudius the new king. The ghost of Hamlet's father appears to Hamlet and shows him that Claudius murdered him. How will Hamlet get revenge for his father, or will he even live to seek revenge?
This one was kind of hard to follow. The language is difficult to understand. I found myself bored a lot throughout the two and a half hours! Definitely not something I would recommend unless you are really into history.
RATING: 4/10
HONORABLE MENTION
The Snake Pit (1948) directed by: Anatole Litvak
Main Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn
Virginia Cunningham (de Havilland) finds herself in a state insane asylum, and can't remember how she got there. Virginia is being cared for by Dr. Kik (Genn) who is helping her to discover what caused her to have a nervous breakdown. Virginia has days where she knows what is going on, and days where she can't even remember her husband Robert (Stevens). Will Virginia ever be sane again, or will she spend the rest of her life in the institution?
This was a great movie, I went into it thinking it wouldn't really be that good. But I enjoyed it immensely! Highly recommend it, if you have the chance definitely check it out. Olivia de Havilland did an amazing job.
RATING: 10/10
THE BEST OF THE REST
The Red Shoes (1948) directed by: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
Main Cast: Marius Goring, Anton Walbrook, Moira Shearer
Boris Lermontov (Walbrook) is the most prominent ballet impressario in town. He hires Julian Craster (Goring) to compose a ballet for him. Craster composes The Red Shoes for which Lermontov wants Victoria Page (Shearer) to be the main star. The production is a big success and makes Victoria an instant star. Victoria and Julian fall in love, much to the dislike of Lermontov, he wants all of Victoria's concentration on her dancing. So Lermontov fires Julian which leaves Victoria to choose between the man she loves and her passion of dancing. Which choice will Victoria make?
This was a very good movie. It has a few slow spots, but most of it was very good.
RATING: 8/10
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) directed by: John Huston
Main Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett
Dobbs (Bogart) and Curtin (Holt) meet up in Mexico and go to work for a contractor, Pat McCormick, who takes them away to a remote site and tells them they will be paid when the job is finished. When they are finished, they return to town to find McCormick to get their wages. They meet up with an old prospector, who claims the hills are still full of gold and if they can get the cash, he will go with them. They eventually get the cash from McCormick, with a little "persuasion", and all three set off for the hills as good friends, but will they return that way?
This one was very average for me. It was the typical western. I was pretty bored through the whole movie.
RATING: 5/10
All in all 1949 was not that great of a year. It had a couple of good movies, but three not so good ones.
Rating for 1949 as a whole: 6/10
NEXT UP: 1970 - which includes: Midnight Cowboy, Z, Anne of the Thousand Days, Hello Dolly!, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
November 14, 2009 8:22pm
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