I'm going to keep this short and sweet because I'm way behind on 1997 movies here. If you're like I was and you've never seen Schindler's List before, stop what you're doing now and add it to your Netflix queue. There's a reason it's on everyone's "Top 10 Movies of All-Time" list.
The acting is superb throughout, but then what do you expect when you put Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley together in the same film? It manages to be emotionally affecting without dipping into Spielberg's usual bag of tricks to manipulate the viewer. Thankfully, he understands that you don't need to add any pathos to the Holocaust to make it a truly horrible thing. When he chooses to play things straight like this, he really can be a brilliant filmmaker.
The movie actually came out in 1994, so you might be wondering what it's doing as part of this project. When it made it's much ballyhooed TV premiere in 1997 it was as a "Director's Cut", so that's what I watched here. From reading on the Internets, there doesn't look to actually be anything different in the Director's Cut other than an extended closing credits sequence in which cast members and Schindler survivors place stones on Schindler's grave in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, I'm glad I continue to make exceptions like this. If I didn't, I probably still wouldn't have seen this remarkable piece of work.
Coming up hopefully soon as I've already watched them:
#96: Marvin's Room
#97: Strays (written and directed by Vin Diesel? It's true)
#98: Enchanted Tales: Hercules
Showing posts with label 1997. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1997. Show all posts
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Sunday, April 27, 2008
#94: The Empire Strikes Back
I started this back in February, but never finished it for some reason.
It's true. It's taken me over five months to watch the stinkin' Empire Strikes Back. It originally came out in 1980, but it's on the list because of the 1997 "Special Edition" theatrical re-releases. Out of the movies in the original Star Wars trilogy, this is the one that holds up the best after all these years. From the Rebel base on the ice planet Hoth to Jedi training with Yoda on the swamp world Dagobah to the final desperate conflict at Cloud City in Bespin, Empire hits all of the high points that you'll remember from the 10+ previous times you've watched it.
Older and wiser than the last time I watched these, it's interesting to go back again now that the sheen of nostalgia has begun to wear off. Looking at it now, the original movies really are pretty much the same as the newer trilogy with a couple important differences. While it's true that the acting is pretty poor from everybody in all six of the Star Wars films, the notable exception (especially in Empire) is the presence of Harrison Ford. He has most of the good lines and delivers them with a panache that's sorely lacking in the new movies. There's a reason that "I love you/I know" is a classic film moment.
The other big difference is how small these older movies feel when compared to their modern blockbuster brethren. Yes, both series are laden with special effects (especially when talking about the 1997 updates), but whereas the new movies rapidly hop around from planet to planet showcasing more and more outrageous settings, the original ones linger on each location with the attention that each of them deserve. Taking Empire as an example, the movie clocks in at over two hours, but the majority of it takes place in only three locations allowing the viewer to focus on the characters instead of the pretty backgrounds.
Yes, the movie has its faults (goodness knows that the Jedi training sequence in the middle drags on for far too long - I remember almost falling asleep a lot as a kid when we'd get to this part), but it is the best the Star Wars franchise has to offer. These re-releases make for a good change of pace amidst all of the other things that early 1997 has had to offer me so far.
Coming up next is another special release, #95: the director's cut of Schindler's List, made for its broadcast television debut in 1997. Despite being #6 on IMDB's list of the top 250 movies of all time, this is a movie that I've never seen. I'm looking forward to it.
P.S. Can you believe the Wookieepedia? Crazy what nerds will do with the power of the Internet.
It's true. It's taken me over five months to watch the stinkin' Empire Strikes Back. It originally came out in 1980, but it's on the list because of the 1997 "Special Edition" theatrical re-releases. Out of the movies in the original Star Wars trilogy, this is the one that holds up the best after all these years. From the Rebel base on the ice planet Hoth to Jedi training with Yoda on the swamp world Dagobah to the final desperate conflict at Cloud City in Bespin, Empire hits all of the high points that you'll remember from the 10+ previous times you've watched it.
Older and wiser than the last time I watched these, it's interesting to go back again now that the sheen of nostalgia has begun to wear off. Looking at it now, the original movies really are pretty much the same as the newer trilogy with a couple important differences. While it's true that the acting is pretty poor from everybody in all six of the Star Wars films, the notable exception (especially in Empire) is the presence of Harrison Ford. He has most of the good lines and delivers them with a panache that's sorely lacking in the new movies. There's a reason that "I love you/I know" is a classic film moment.
The other big difference is how small these older movies feel when compared to their modern blockbuster brethren. Yes, both series are laden with special effects (especially when talking about the 1997 updates), but whereas the new movies rapidly hop around from planet to planet showcasing more and more outrageous settings, the original ones linger on each location with the attention that each of them deserve. Taking Empire as an example, the movie clocks in at over two hours, but the majority of it takes place in only three locations allowing the viewer to focus on the characters instead of the pretty backgrounds.
Yes, the movie has its faults (goodness knows that the Jedi training sequence in the middle drags on for far too long - I remember almost falling asleep a lot as a kid when we'd get to this part), but it is the best the Star Wars franchise has to offer. These re-releases make for a good change of pace amidst all of the other things that early 1997 has had to offer me so far.
Coming up next is another special release, #95: the director's cut of Schindler's List, made for its broadcast television debut in 1997. Despite being #6 on IMDB's list of the top 250 movies of all time, this is a movie that I've never seen. I'm looking forward to it.
P.S. Can you believe the Wookieepedia? Crazy what nerds will do with the power of the Internet.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
#93: David Lynch's Lost Highway
A mere two months after watching Lost Highway a first time, Meaghan and I sat down Saturday night to watch it again. You may ask what took us two months? Well in the interim, we took advantage of our Lynchian mood by watching the entire second season of "Twin Peaks" which I received as a present sometime last year. Allow me a quick digression before I get back to movie #93.
For those not familiar, "Twin Peaks" is possibly the greatest television show ever. Critically acclaimed and much loved by fans (just check out that 9.5 rating at IMDB), it aired on ABC back in 1990 and 1991. Sadly it only lasted 30 episodes before ending due to poor ratings. I actually watched it when it was originally on the air (somehow my parents decided it was fit for a 12 year old -- thanks Mom and Dad). Counting that, this was the third time I'd watched the show.
The show's hook in the beginning is the mystery of "Who killed Laura Palmer?", the homecoming queen in the small Washington town of Twin Peaks. From that humble beginning, we spin into a surreal and supernatural world where we explore the very nature of good and evil. The show follows the investigation of the FBI's Special Agent Dale Cooper (expertly played by Lynch regular Kyle MacLachlan -- now seen on "Desperate Housewives") as he delves into the world of Twin Peaks. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. If you want to borrow it, let me know. If you want to watch it with someone to help you make sense of the trickier bits, let me know, and we can try to set up screenings somewhere.
If you've seen "Twin Peaks" and think it's strange, it is nothing compared to David Lynch's movies. Free from the constraints of ratings-driven television, his movies are entrenched in the surreal as they jump from one mind-blowing scene to the next. I saw it described somewhere that he makes extremely right-brained films. Attempts to break apart and analyze the plot can leave one frustrated. Instead, you almost have to feel the movie instead of think about it. Being a left-brained person, this is hard for me to do most times, but there's no denying the visceral impact of many of his works. Lost Highway is no different.
Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) is a jazz saxophonist, living a quiet life with his beautiful wife Renee (Patricia Arquette). Like all husbands who marry above their level, he's suspicious, paranoid, and distrusting of her. He "sees things his own way, not necessarily the way they happen". After someone begins leaving creepy videotapes on their front steps that show various parts of their house in the middle of the night, including the couple sleeping in their bed, they go to a party where Fred has a run in with a mysterious man (Robert Blake - yes, that Robert Blake). After that, his life is never the same.
Obviously, that 2nd grade reading of the plot doesn't begin to tell the full story. Without giving too much away, Lynch has said in recent interviews that the film was unconsciously inspired by the O.J. Simpson murder trial of 1996. Keep that in mind if you see it, and you're probably well on your way to understanding most of it. Aesthetically, the movie's spartan sets are shot beautifully and the script and sound design creates a duality between different parts of the film by reusing songs at key points and repeating entire sections of dialogue. In short, it's a masterful, but difficult movie that deserves a watch.
If any of that sounds good, or you just want to see a lot of naked Patricia Arquette, then you should see this movie.
Next up is #94, the 1997 special edition release of The Empire Strikes Back.
For those not familiar, "Twin Peaks" is possibly the greatest television show ever. Critically acclaimed and much loved by fans (just check out that 9.5 rating at IMDB), it aired on ABC back in 1990 and 1991. Sadly it only lasted 30 episodes before ending due to poor ratings. I actually watched it when it was originally on the air (somehow my parents decided it was fit for a 12 year old -- thanks Mom and Dad). Counting that, this was the third time I'd watched the show.
The show's hook in the beginning is the mystery of "Who killed Laura Palmer?", the homecoming queen in the small Washington town of Twin Peaks. From that humble beginning, we spin into a surreal and supernatural world where we explore the very nature of good and evil. The show follows the investigation of the FBI's Special Agent Dale Cooper (expertly played by Lynch regular Kyle MacLachlan -- now seen on "Desperate Housewives") as he delves into the world of Twin Peaks. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. If you want to borrow it, let me know. If you want to watch it with someone to help you make sense of the trickier bits, let me know, and we can try to set up screenings somewhere.
If you've seen "Twin Peaks" and think it's strange, it is nothing compared to David Lynch's movies. Free from the constraints of ratings-driven television, his movies are entrenched in the surreal as they jump from one mind-blowing scene to the next. I saw it described somewhere that he makes extremely right-brained films. Attempts to break apart and analyze the plot can leave one frustrated. Instead, you almost have to feel the movie instead of think about it. Being a left-brained person, this is hard for me to do most times, but there's no denying the visceral impact of many of his works. Lost Highway is no different.
Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) is a jazz saxophonist, living a quiet life with his beautiful wife Renee (Patricia Arquette). Like all husbands who marry above their level, he's suspicious, paranoid, and distrusting of her. He "sees things his own way, not necessarily the way they happen". After someone begins leaving creepy videotapes on their front steps that show various parts of their house in the middle of the night, including the couple sleeping in their bed, they go to a party where Fred has a run in with a mysterious man (Robert Blake - yes, that Robert Blake). After that, his life is never the same.
Obviously, that 2nd grade reading of the plot doesn't begin to tell the full story. Without giving too much away, Lynch has said in recent interviews that the film was unconsciously inspired by the O.J. Simpson murder trial of 1996. Keep that in mind if you see it, and you're probably well on your way to understanding most of it. Aesthetically, the movie's spartan sets are shot beautifully and the script and sound design creates a duality between different parts of the film by reusing songs at key points and repeating entire sections of dialogue. In short, it's a masterful, but difficult movie that deserves a watch.
If any of that sounds good, or you just want to see a lot of naked Patricia Arquette, then you should see this movie.
Next up is #94, the 1997 special edition release of The Empire Strikes Back.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
#92 - Message to Love
For those of you not in the know, I started a silly project a few years back when Meaghan went off to Bemidji State. The idea was to keep our Netflix queue occupied while she was gone, but not watch many (or any) movies that we were interested in. So to meet this end, I arbitarily picked a year (1997) and decided to watch as many of the movies from that year as I could in rough chronological order.
Needless to say, Meaghan has long since returned from the Great White North and the project has continued. To date, after nearly four years I have watched 91 movies as part of this endeavor and I'm only about halfway through February. It turns out there are a lot of films screened at the Sundance Film Festival. So many that after 30+ of them I decided to proceed with the chronology and go back to Sundance films when I feel like it.
Anyway, without further ado... #92 - Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival
What, you may ask, is a documentary about a music festival from 1970 doing in a list of 1997 movies? It apparently took 25+ years for the director to get enough funding to complete the film, but I'm glad he did.
Even just for the footage of the music, this movie is worth watching. Among many others, you get to see The Who (with Keith Moon), Jimi Hendrix (in his last major performance before dying), The Doors, Joni Mitchell, and Joan Baez -- truly outstanding stuff. This was the last and largest of the big festivals (Woodstock, etc.) other than benefit concerts (Live Aid anyone?) up until the '90s when Lollapalooza was born. It was the last because it didn't make any money, despite 600,000 people being in attendance.
The film, as well as providing concert footage, focuses on the conflict between the artists, the promoters, and the concertgoers. You see, despite 600,000 people attending, only a mere 10% of that actually paid the £3 ticket price. The promoters lost money trying to pay all of the artists who appeared over the four day event. Many of the hippies, etc. who attended the festival thought that it should be free, so they all sat on a hill outside of the grounds where they could watch and listen to the music. The promoters built a fence to keep them from seeing, the mob tore the fence down, guard dogs were employed... crazy stuff. Interesting as all of this was, this movie was all about the music for me.
Next: #93 - David Lynch's Lost Highway
I've actually already watched this once, but want to view it again before attempting to write about it.
Needless to say, Meaghan has long since returned from the Great White North and the project has continued. To date, after nearly four years I have watched 91 movies as part of this endeavor and I'm only about halfway through February. It turns out there are a lot of films screened at the Sundance Film Festival. So many that after 30+ of them I decided to proceed with the chronology and go back to Sundance films when I feel like it.
Anyway, without further ado... #92 - Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival
What, you may ask, is a documentary about a music festival from 1970 doing in a list of 1997 movies? It apparently took 25+ years for the director to get enough funding to complete the film, but I'm glad he did.
Even just for the footage of the music, this movie is worth watching. Among many others, you get to see The Who (with Keith Moon), Jimi Hendrix (in his last major performance before dying), The Doors, Joni Mitchell, and Joan Baez -- truly outstanding stuff. This was the last and largest of the big festivals (Woodstock, etc.) other than benefit concerts (Live Aid anyone?) up until the '90s when Lollapalooza was born. It was the last because it didn't make any money, despite 600,000 people being in attendance.
The film, as well as providing concert footage, focuses on the conflict between the artists, the promoters, and the concertgoers. You see, despite 600,000 people attending, only a mere 10% of that actually paid the £3 ticket price. The promoters lost money trying to pay all of the artists who appeared over the four day event. Many of the hippies, etc. who attended the festival thought that it should be free, so they all sat on a hill outside of the grounds where they could watch and listen to the music. The promoters built a fence to keep them from seeing, the mob tore the fence down, guard dogs were employed... crazy stuff. Interesting as all of this was, this movie was all about the music for me.
Next: #93 - David Lynch's Lost Highway
I've actually already watched this once, but want to view it again before attempting to write about it.
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