The nominated films – Production (Picture):
“ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT” (winner), “The Big House”, “Disraeli”, “The Divorcee”, “The Love Parade”. Saw none of them.
Interesting that this was the only year multiple nominations for an actor or actress in the same category were allowed. So George Arliss beat himself (“Disraeli” over “The Green Goddess”) and two Ronald Colman performances (“Bulldog Drummond”, “Condemned”), among others.
Likewise, Norma Shearer in “Their Own Desire” was beaten by Shearer in “The Divorcee”, while Greta Garbo was an also-ran twice, in “Anna Christie” (of which I’ve seen pieces of on TV) and in “Romance”.
ROG
Category: review
Oscar-Worthy Movies I Have Seen: 1928-1929
The first listed is the winner- Production (Picture):
“THE BROADWAY MELODY”, “Alibi”, “Hollywood Revue”, “In Old Arizona”, “The Patriot” (silent)
Saw none of these nor any of the nominated performances.
By the 1990s, this WILL change.
***
Appropriately, here’s “Finding His Voice”, a 1929 Max Fleischer cartoon about how optical soundtracks on films work:
ROG
Oscar-Worthy Movies I Have Seen: 1927-1928
I had so much fun with reviwing my experience seeing the Oscar-winning films, I’ve decided to review, year by year, all of the films I’ve seen that have received Oscar consideration for that year.
First up, 1927-1928, when the nominees were:
Production (Picture): “WINGS”, “The Racket”, “Seventh Heaven”
[“The Way of All Flesh” and “The Last Command” are omitted from the latest official Academy list]
Unique and Artistic Picture (also known as Artistic Quality of Production):
“SUNRISE”, “Chang”, “The Crowd”
I saw NONE of them, nor the films nominated for other categories.
NEXT.
ROG
MOVIE REVIEWS: Volver; Notes on a Scandal
On Washington’s Birthday weekend 1998, I saw five movies, four of them nominated for Academy Awards: L.A. Confidential and Mrs. Brown on Saturday. Afterglow (starring Julie Christie) and some strange French film on Sunday. Don’t remember which Oscar-nominated film on Monday, maybe The Apostle or The Sweet Hereafter. In any case, by Oscar night, I’d seen every film in the six major categories, (movie, director, 2 actor, 2 actress categories) except Ulee’s Gold with Peter Fonda.
On Washington’s Birthday weekend 2007, I saw two movies, both nominated for Academy Awards. By Oscar night, I will have missed several performances in the major categories. Ah well.
Grandma and Grandpa were up watching Lydia, so that Carol and I could see the Sunday film, Volver (To return), starring Penelope Cruz. I don’t recall having seen her in anything except Pedro Almodovar’s Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother), in which, if I’m remembering correctly, she played a pregnant nun. Almodovar’s Volver is the more conventional film. The returnee is the Cruz character’s dead mother. I enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery; Carol really enjoyed it. Almodovar tends to luxuriate over certain parts of the female body on occasion, such as their rears, and there’s what’s probably an extraneous shot of Cruz washing dishes, shot from above. Ms. Cruz has been criticized for her lightweight acting, but in this film, in her native tongue, the Madrid-born actress is wonderfully caustic, funny and passionate.
The Monday film featured Judi Dench, who I had seen nine years earlier in Mrs. Brown, and Cate Blanchette. Just from the previews, I knew that Dame Dench would be chewing the scenery, and she does, eventually, but so does Ms. Blanchette. My wife said she felt as though she needed a shower afterwards, and I understood what she meant. The Philip Glass score was too much – too loud, and occasionally too obvious and obtrusive. The performances are better than the movie, but I’m not sure that I can explain why.
MOVIE REVIEWS: The Pursuit of Happyness; The Queen
Albany people: VOTE YES today, noon-9 pm. I’ve stolen, er, apppropriated all the reasons why here.
***
Carol and I saw The Pursuit of Happyness on MLK Day. Lydia was in day care, and the local theater was showing matinees. So after going to the Indian buffet, we walked to the theater. It was good, Will Smith was good, the interaction between the main character and his son were good, probably because the son was played by Will’s real son, Jaden. It was “inspirational”. So why was I not bowled over?
At first, I thought it was that the situations that the character was going through were so incredible that, if it weren’t based on a real guy, I’m not sure I would have believed it. That might be part of it.
I’ve figured out, though, that the REAL reason I was underwhelmed was that the commercials, and especially the trailer REVEALED TOO MUCH. I know that when X happened, Y would follow. A pity.
***
For some obscure reason, my wife was under the impression that The Queen had had reviewed badly, so when we had had a chance to go, we didn’t. (It got a 98% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes.) So, when the nominations came out a couple weeks ago, and I recognized the paucity of the nominees that I had seen (The Devil Wears Prada, Dreamgirls, An Inconvenient Truth, Little Miss Sunshine, and the aforementioned Pursuit of Happyness), I decided to take the afternoon off and go see The Queen.
Immediately, seeing this movie is a problem, as it’s now “Nominated for six Academy Awards” including original screenplay, best actress (Helen Mirren) and best picture. That said, I was a bit distracted early by the use of clips of Diana, in a way I wasn’t bothered by Joe McCarthy in Good Night and Good Luck. However, after Diana dies (hope I’m not accused of being a spoiler, because that is THE plot point), I became quite engrossed in the movie. Particularly, the relationship between Elizabeth II and the newly-elected Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) was intriguing. This is not a BIG performance by Mirren, but highly nuanced. By the end of the film, the clips from the funeral procession worked for me. Not having seen enough films, I’m not sure I’d have picked The Queen as best picture, but Dame Mirren’s performance is certainly worthy of consideration, and perhaps of the treasure trove she’s already brought home (Golden Globes, SAG, etc.). I DO wonder, though, if QE II and Blair really had a piece of dialogue that foretells of the later trouble Blair would have with the British press.
***
Just got this, unfortunately. Mary Liz and Paul are not only friends, but they gave a great presentation at my church on Sunday
New York State Library Public Program
People of Courage, People of Hope, Seekers of Justice, a New York State Library Public Program – Free.
People of Courage, People of Hope, Seekers of Justice celebrates the Capital Regions participation in the Underground Railroad movement of the 19th century. African American residents of the Capital Region were significant participants in the international effort to abolish the federally sanctioned institution of slavery and advocate for the rights of People of Color. A rich, complex collection of historically-documented stories that have informed the accounts of abolitionists and freedom seekers will be presented in this PowerPoint presentation. Presenters: Paul and Mary Liz Stewart, independent researchers and co-founders of the Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc. Bring your lunch.
Tuesday, February 6th, 12:15-1:15pm
All programs are FREE. TO REGISTER online go here , or e-mail NYSLTRN@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-474-2274. Classes will be held in the Librarians Room in the State Library, which is on the 7th floor of the Cultural Education Center, Madison Avenue, Albany, unless otherwise indicated. The New York State Library/Reference Services, Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230 (518-474-5355); http://www.nysl.nysed.gov