Day 5: West Side Story

West Side Story: 1961: Winner of the 34^th Academy Awards

Starring:

Natalie Wood (Marni Nixon, singing) – Maria Nunez

Richard Beymer (Jimmy Bryant, singing) – Tony Wycek,

 Russ Tamblyn – Riff Lorton,

Rita Moreno (Betty Wand, singing) – Anita,

George Chakiris – Bernardo Nunez

Simon Oakland – Lieutenant Schrank,

Ned Glass – Doc,

William Bramley – Officer Krupke,

John Astin – Glad Hand

Penny Santon – Madam Lucia

The Jets:

Tucker Smith – Ice,

Tony Mordente – Action,

Eliot Feld – Baby John

David Winters – A-Rab

Bert Michaels – Snowboy

David Bean – Tiger

Robert Banas – Joyboy

Anthony 'Scooter' Teague – Big Deal

Harvey Hohnecker – Mouthpiece

Tommy Abbott – Gee-Tar

Jet Girls:

Susan Oakes – Anybodys

Gina Trikonis – Graziella

Carole D'Andrea – Velma, Ice's girl

Rita Hyde d'Amico – Clarice, Big Deal's girl

Pat Tribble – Minnie, Baby John's girl

Francesca Bellini – "Cool" dancer

Elaine Joyce – dancer

Sharks:

Jose DeVega – Chino Martin

Jay Norman – Pepe

Gus Trikonis – Indio

Eddie Verso – Juano

Jamie Rogers – Loco

Larry Roquemore – Rocco

Robert E. Thompson – Luis

Nick Covacevich – Toro

Rudy Del Campo – Del Campo

Andre Tayir – Chile

Shark Girls:

Yvonne Othon – Consuela

Suzie Kaye – Rosalia

Joanne Miya – Francisca

West Side Story is based on Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juilet, however he is substituting warring families with warring nations. The Jets are the rough and tumble low bred Whites, the Sharks the newly exported Puerto Ricans. The story is set in the 50’s a very tense and racial time in America’s history and of course one member of each the warring countries people falls inevitably in love with each other. I wish I had watched this movie when I was younger. That way I wouldn’t be so hard on it, even thought it was lovely and I can’t stop singing that damn “Tonight ,Tonight” song , I think it might have lacked something. Maybe I just don’t like gang movies because they frustrate me, or maybe the false accents were really starting to grind against my Hispanic ego, hell if I know the right reason, it just wasn’t all that amazing plot wise to me. However the dance numbers were worth the watch all on their own. I soo wanna dance like that on a New York building now! I love Natalie Wood, ever since I saw her in “Sex and the Single Girl”, and West Side Story almost made me think, eh she’s not that great, until the last scene which was the saving grace. If you’re going to watch the movie watch it for the dancing, the songs, for the love story and try to watch it before you’ve watched some of other greatest love stories. I will say this though; this would be great on Broadway.

It has also won awards for:

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor – George Chakiris

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress – Rita Moreno

Academy Award for Best Art Direction – Victor A. Gangelin and Boris Leven

Academy Award for Best Cinematography – Daniel L. Fapp

Academy Award for Best Costume Design– Irene Sharaff

Academy Award for Best Director – Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise

Academy Award for Best Film Editing – Thomas Stanford

Academy Award for Best Original Score – Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Irwin Kostal, and Sid Ramin

Academy Award for Best Sound – Fred Hynes and Gordon E. Sawyer 

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

Day 3: Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia: 1963: 33rd Winner of the Academy Award


Starring:



Peter O'Toole as Thomas Edward "T. E." Lawrence. 
Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal. 
Anthony Quinn as Auda abu Tayi. 
Jack Hawkins as General Allenby. 
Omar Sharif as Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish
José Ferrer as the Turkish Bey. 
Anthony Quayle as Colonel Harry Brighton. 
Claude Rains as Mr. Dryden. 
Donald Wolfit as General Murray. 
Michel Ray as Farraj. 
I.S. Johar as Gasim. 
Zia Mohyeddin as Tafas. 
John Dimech as Daud. 
Fernando Sancho as the Turkish sergeant. 
Jack Gwillim as the club secretary.
Harry Fowler as Corporal Potter
Howard Marion-Crawford as the medical officer. 
Norman Rossington as Corporal Jenkins
Jack Hedley as a reporter


Today I spent about four hours on the most ridiculously long movie ever! Perhaps because I didn't want to watch it in the first place, maybe that's why I really didn't like it. Lets start with problem number 1: the length, unlike some of the other classic masterpieces i.e. "Gone with the Wind"  who have unforgettable lines and unforgettable moments, this movie had neither. Number 2, unnecessary shots of the desert and prolonging unnecessary. for example the whole crossing of the Nefud could have been more interesting if it wasn't thirty minutes long. Number 3, it had a good score but all the characters were gigantic asswipes including Lawerence himself. Call me crazy but how did this movie beat "How to Kill a Mockingbird"? Maybe it won for "Longest Picture EVER".   *Sigh*, maybe I just hate war movies, maybe I didn't understand the whole premise, hey I am not Roger Ebert and am entitled therefore to say this movie ... not to my liking. It was boring, but I will say this the music was beautiful and I am considering buying the soundtrack for it. My opinion, don't bother watching this movie, unless you've accepted a challenge such as this. 


It has also won awards for:



Best Director: David Lean 
Best Art Direction: John Box, John Stoll and Dario Simoni
Best Cinematography: Frederick A. Young
Best Substantially Original Score: Maurice Jarre
Best Film Editing: Ann V. Coates
Best Sound: John Cox

Day 2: All About Eve

All About Eve : 1950: Winner of the 23^rd Academy Award

Starring:

Bette Davis as Margo Channing

Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington

George Sanders as Addison DeWitt

Celeste Holm as Karen Richards

Gary Merrill as Bill Sampson

Hugh Marlowe as Lloyd Richards

Thelma Ritter as Birdie

Gregory Ratoff as Max Fabian

Marilyn Monroe as Miss Caswell

Barbara Bates as Phoebe

The premise is about life in the theatre and the people in it. The movie is centered around Eve  a young starlet, who aspires and hungers for greatness. She builds her web until has caught a good cast to make her dreams come true. However karma is not far behind and justice is served, on a silver platter.

When I first watched this movie I was 15! I was on a hunt to watch all Marilyn Monroe films. Even if she had only two min of screen time and so it was that I was introduced to this movie. This movie has a little bit of everything, intrigue and mystery, girl on girl crime and a really good villain. I think this is my favorite Anne Baxter performance and I also think that it was a perfect movie for Bette Davis like Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd. There is a lot of dialogue in the film which sometimes makes it dry but trust me this is one to watch, a truly timeless classic.   

It also won awards for:

Best Supporting Actor:  George Sanders

Best Costume Design for a Black-and-White film: Edith Head and Charles Le Maire

Best Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Best Writing, Screenplay: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Best Sound Recording: Thomas T. Moulton

Day 1: One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest : 1975: Winner of the 48^th Academy Awards 1976

Starring:

Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy

Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched

William Redfield as Dale Harding

Will Sampson as "Chief" Bromden

Brad Dourif as Billy Bibbit

Sydney Lassick as Charlie Cheswick

Danny DeVito as Martini

Christopher Lloyd as Max Taber

Dean R. Brooks as Dr. John Spivey

William Duell as Jim Sefelt

Vincent Schiavelli as Frederickson

Delos V. Smith as Scanlon

Michael Berryman as Ellis

Nathan George as Attendant Washington

Lan Fendors as Nurse Itsu

Mimi Sarkisian as Nurse Pilbow

Mews Small as Candy

Scatman Crothers as Orderly Turkle

Louisa Moritz as Rose

The movie is about Randall, a convicted man who is deemed deranged and mentally ill, as he tries to free himself and the other patients from the authoritarian rule of the bitchy evil head nurse. In the process he forms a bond and friendship with “Chief” a man who is deaf and dumb therefore mute. He tries to break all the prisoners free but his last romp and subsequent desire to flee go wrong and he gets punished for it. In the end however through his act of courage he inspires “Chief” to be as “big as a mountain” and he is free.

Ok, so I skipped a lot of the plot but trust me when I say there is no better way of watching a movie than not knowing what is going to happen. I had had this movie on my Netflix queue for a while now and never really wanted to watch it, even when my wifey said it was the shits. However now that I did I don’t regret it at all. It was everything I thought it would be and more. I was really sad when one of the prisoner’s comes back with a lobotomy, and it got me thinking that the human race is really cruel. Not like I didn’t know, it was just something else to see it captured on camera. I was so tearing up and in the end I was rooting for Chief to be free! Be free! I can now understand why it won an Oscar. It was a depiction of the institutionalization of the deranged and how unfairly they were mistreated. Very good film!

It also won awards for :

Best Director : Miloš Forman

Best Leading Actor: Jack Nichoson (does crazy good)

Best Leading  Actress: Louise Fletcher  (does angry bitch good)

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

The List

So as per dictation, I have begun the undertaking of the movie list. Last night I typed it up and shall post it on here.

1.  Wings
2. The Broadway Melody
3. All Quiet on the Western Front
4. Cimarron
5. Grand Hotel
6. Cavalcade
7. It Happened One Night
8. Mutiny on the Bounty
9. The  Great Zeigfield.
10. The Life of Emile Zola
11. You Can’t Take it with You
12. Gone with the Wind
13. Rebecca
14. How Green was My Valley
15. Mrs. Miniver
16. Casablanca
17. Going My Way
18. The  Lost Weekend
19. The Best Years of our Lives
20. Gentleman’s Agreement
21. Hamlet
22. All The Kings Men
23. All About Eve
24. An American in Paris
25. The Greatest Show on Earth
26. From Here to Eternity
27. On the Waterfront
28. Marty
29. Around the World in 80 Days
30. The Bridge on the River Kwai
31. Gi-Gi
32. Ben-Hur
33. The Apartment
34. West Side Story
35. Lawrence of Arabia
36. Tom Jones
37. My Fair Lady
38. The Sound of Music
39. A Man for all Seasons
40. In the Heat of the Night
41. Oliver!
42. Midnight Cowboy
43. Patton
44. The French Connection
45. The Godfather
46. The Sting
47. The Godfather II
48. One Flew over the Cukoo’s Nest
49. Rocky
50. Annie Hall
51. The Deer Hunter
52. Kramer vs. Kramer
53. Ordinary People
54. Chariots of Fire
55. Gandhi
56. Terms of Endearment 
57. Amadeus
58. Out of Africa
59. Platoon
60. The Last Emperor
61. Rain Man
62. Driving Miss Daisy
63. Dances with Wolves
64. The Silence of the Lambs
65. Unforgiven
66. Schindler’s List
67. Forrest Gump
68. Brave Heart
69. The English Patient
70. Titanic
71. Shakespeare in Love
72. American Beauty
73. Gladiator
74. A Beautiful Mind
75. Chicago
76. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
77. Million Dollar Baby
78. Crash
79. The Departed
80. No Country for Old Men
81. Slumdog  Millionaire
82. The Hurt Locker
83. The King’s Speech

This is the list, I shall add the 84^th when the awards show air on February something. Well anyway the undertaking has begun and Salinger and I assembled in my living room to watch one of the movies that I had access too. One thing I have to say is that I am watching them in random order, because some of them are really hard to find like “Wings”,So bear with me and the random order of things. 

Challenge: Accepted!

In light of my current loser status, I have decided to undertake a challenge. Watch all the academy award winning films. There are currently 83 in like two weeks it shall be 84, so let us say 84. The goal is to watch one every day and then write a blog. I shall give myself exactly 84 days. Wait, considering I’m always going to visit my grandma, I shall extend to a full 100. This will be enough time to watch them all and still have a semblance of a life. Why am I doing this, you ask. Simple. I am obsessed with films, I collect films, movies. I want to watch everything that’s ever received an award, simply because I trust they have to be spectacular to win an award. There have been a couple on the list I have already watched so I have cut it down some. But I have also decided to watch them again in case I can’t get one of the ones on the list. So , tis all wish me luck Arvoir!=]