Day 37: Out of Africa

Out of Africa : 1985: Winner of the 58th  Academy Award

Starring:

Robert Redford - Denys Finch Hatton

Meryl Streep - Karen Blixen

Klaus Maria Brandauer - Bror Blixen/Hans Blixen

Michael Kitchen - Berkeley Cole

Shane Rimmer - Belknap

Malick Bowens - Farah

Joseph Thiaka - Kamante

Stephen Kinyanjui - Chief Kinanjui

Michael Gough - Lord Delamere

Suzanna Hamilton - Felicity

Rachel Kempson - Lady Belfield

Graham Crowden - Lord Belfield

Benny Young - Minister

Leslie Phillips - Sir Jospeh

Annabel Maule - Lady Byrne

Iman - Mariammo

Meryl Streep is so pretty, its so not fair she aged too damn well. So in this movie she is a wealthy heiress who is dying  to have adventures but needs to get married and have a title so she strikes up a deal with Baron Von Blixen who is broke. Perfect match. They travel to Africa in the British Colony, get married and start a coffee plantation.  However this man is so not marriage material, he is cheating on his wife as soon as they get married. Granted it was a marriage for convenience it still means something. Right? Anyway, so then she stays at the coffee plantation and the whole movie is about her being strong willed and yada yada, being a lone woman in the land of no women. Anyway the e crux is when the war starts and she has to go to deliver some supplies to her husband and they have smush  time and she contracts syphilis. Yes this is an important point. Because later she wants to sleep with Brad Pitt  Robert Redford. But she tells him the truth. He don’t care he loves her. Later they argue that he doesn’t love her  and frankly she’s being one of those naggy needy girls. The man needs his space girl. Has she not seen “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”?  “You can’t go and give your heart to a wild thing…”its like a staple by which you should live on.  I had issues with this movie. Mainly how long it was, kind of unnecessary and the damn accent bothered me a heap ton. I swear I prefer it when they say they are Dutch and speak normally, it might leave you wondering a bit, but at least you can understand what they are saying.  The other would be getting someone who could portray a decent accent. I will say this thought the costumes were very pretty and someone should have casted Brad Pitt in a Robert Redford life story sometime.  I mean it, I swear different nose and jawline but essentially same dude. Boy the 80’s had really crappy serious movies. 

It also won awards for:

Best Director (Sydney Pollack)

Best Art Direction (Stephen Grimes, Josie MacAvin)

Best Cinematography (David Watkin)

Best Adapted Screenplay (Kurt Luedtke)

Best Original Score (John Barry)

Best Sound (Chris Jenkins, Gary Alexander, Larry Stensvold, Peter Handford)

Day 21: The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter: 1978: Winner of the 51st Academy Award

Starring:

Robert De Niro ... Michael
 John Cazale ... Stan
 John Savage ... Steven
 Christopher Walken ...Nick
 Meryl Streep ... Linda
 George Dzundza... John













Now this is an Academy Award  winning movie that trly deserved it.Can I just say that what the hell is Meryl Streep doing that everything she touches turns to gold? She is a true actress! I had never seen her in anything before 1990 and then there was “The Deer Hunter”. Omg she is specatacular, but enough about her, lets get to the big man. “DeNiro what a man  he busts on to the screen and you lose all sense of time and space. Then there’s the big man Walken, I mean walking in, Chistopher Walken, he is so dashing as the young romeo. Well this is a war movie. Much like everything else I’ve sadly come across these days. This is about the Vietnam War and three best friends who have grown up together, work together, and now they shall fight together. Now everything is going good, until they leave. When in Vietnam they are captured by the enemy. The Vietnamese like to play a little game similar to Russian Roulette, one bullet in the chamber, two men, and six chances to die. The soldiers bet against the two Americans pitted against one another. It is during this game that Stevie loses it. I don't want to give away any endings but suffice it to say that after they play the game Nicky (Walken) is losing it. He also loses it when they are about to be rescued. He is sent to a hospital and thats where he begins to lose all his memories, because the war has been to hard and he is sentenced to nothing but the hellish memory of seeing and being part of the atrocities of war. Mike (Deniro) on the other hand is still with Stevie (Savage) who lost his head a long time ago, during the escape however not only did he take a scrape to the head form the bullet, but he also fell from the helicopter and landed on rocks, therefore breaking his legs and his left arm, he is now a cripple. Mike carries him to safety. Afterward Mike comes back, Nick is gone in a race to lose himself. He makes money by playing the Russian roulette game. Steve was sent back before Mike but he does not know. While he's back he falls in love with Nick's longtime girlfriend, Linda (Streep) , they fall in love because Nick is gone and well the heart wants what it cannot have.  Meanwhile Mike finds out that Stevie is alive and his wife upon hearing the news has gone pretty much mute and bed-ridden he goes looking for her and all she gives him is a number, he calls and Stevie is in a convalescent home of sorts, his legs and left arm amputated. Mike goes to see him and Steve tells him he receives money from Saigon but doesn't know from whom. Mike immediately knows this means Nick is the one sending the money, so he flies to Saigon and finds Nick, but Nick has a death wish and can hardly remember who he is. The end is tragic and beautiful is all I shall say. I liked this movie and Salinger was a witness, I couldn't stay in my seat. I recommend this movie, but I don't think I’d see it again too sad.

It also won awards for:

Best Director (Michael Cimino)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Christopher Walken)
Best Film Editing
Best Sound (Richard Portman, William McCaughey, Aaron Rochin, Darin Knight)