Day 39: Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy: 1969: Winner of the 42nd Academy Awards

Starring:

Dustin Hoffman as Enrico Salvatore "Ratso" Rizzo


Jon Voight as Joe Buck

Sylvia Miles as Cass

John McGiver as Mr. O'Daniel

Brenda Vaccaro as Shirley

Barnard Hughes as Towny


This movie was weird, but it was short so I forgive it. Ok so Jon Voight is an annoying cowboy and Dustin Hoffman is a weird looking Hispanic and/ or Italian. The cowboy is trying to hustle his way in New York after things didn’t go so well for him back home after he came back from the army. His backstory is told mainly thru flashbacks and hallucinations of past events. Ratso is a third rate con-man who should most likely be called a third rate pickpocket. Anyway after Ratso tries to con the cowboy some weird happenstance of chance brings them together and they form a bond. Then they go to this Andy Warhol/ Rocky Horror Picture Show Transylvanian like peoples/ bad 70’s art deco’s party. The cowboy unknowingly gets high of his keister and ends up in bed with one of the wealthy ladies at the party. And he does it with her. Blah Blah Blah, the ending is really sad though. Ok here’s the truth about the 70’s: they were too fucking high to make one steady pic! I swear even thought the camera work was great it was a shoddy way to tell the story of some shit for brains cowboy. Plus did Hoffman have to look so repulsive. Maybe that was the whole point, but it made me want to turn of the movie for fear he would stink it up. I guess I just didn’t like the movie. Not because of it’s sexual premise but because I hate it when the main character is so fucking stupid you might as well just shoot him eh won’t wonder anyhow. Gah! The movie frustrated me a bit and the whole back story about him and Crazy Annie that was super weird. The weird Grandma, he should be n therapy.

It also won awards for:
 
Best Director : John Schlesinger
Best Adapted Screenplay: Waldo Salt

Day 4: Rain Man

Rain Man: 1988: Winner of the 61^st Academy Awards.

Starring:

Tom Cruise  as Charlie Babbit

Dustin Hoffman as Raymand Babbit

Valeria Golino as Susanna

Gerald R. Molen as Dr. John Brunner

The story is about a selfish, conceited,  egotistical asshole named  Jerry Maguire  ohh I mean Charlie Babbitt. His father dies and he is found in the position of being exorcised of the will, which is 3 million dollars’ worth of estate. Babbitt finds out that it belongs to his newly discovered half-brother Raymond Babbitt. Raymond is autistic and has been living in a mental institution for nigh on twenty years. He moved in two years after Charlie was born and right after their mother died.  Wanting to attain half of Raymond’s money he kidnaps him and in exchange asks for 1.5 million dollars. On this road trip Charlie finds himself growing fonder r of Raymond, especially in this one scene in the bathroom, where they are brushing Ray’s teeth. In one of the beginning scene s  Charlie tells his girlfriend that when he was little the “rain man” would come to sing to him when he got scared. During this brushing of the teeth scene, Raymond tells him that he C-H-A-R-L-I-E was scared and that not to fear, that the “rain man” would come to sing to him. Btw it wasn’t till then I got the title of the movie. Moving on Ray has an uncanny ability to know the exact amount of something if he takes one quick look at it, he is very good with numbers. This prompts Charlie who is having monetary issues to go to Vega s and makes some quick bucks. They win 85,500 dollars and Ray goes on his first date. Then they come back to LA and Charlie realizes that he really does love Ray and doesn’t want to lose him. However the morning episode proves that he doesn’t qualify to be Ray’s protector so he gives Dr. Brunner back custody of Ray. ]

Alright, alright the movie was pretty good, but it also made me remember why I hate Tom Cruise, he is such a cocky little butt wipe. Excusing him in “Interview with a Vampire” , I just can’t stomach him. However the movie was way easier to watch than the previous night’s pick. And it made me cry, wait never mind that was yawning tears. I checked the competition and yeah it was the best 1988 could offer. So watch it if you’re going to compare to Forrest Gump and Radio but don’t expect too much. After all its an 80’s film.

It also won awards for:

Best Actor in a Leading Role (Dustin Hoffman)

Best Director: Barry Levinson

 Best Writing, Original Screenplay: Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass