One of the things I have heard about my contests is that they are kind of hard. I do try :)...
I thought I would try to be a little more mainstream this month. These are the top 20 entries in a list that the American Film Institute did some years back. These quotes were voted the top 20 American movie quotes of all time. The usual rules apply...the name of the movie from which the movie comes is worth one point, and the actor or actress who spoke the line (not the character) is also worth 1 point. This amounts to 40 total points, so there are many opportunities!! Feel free to team up with others, but only one prize will be awarded for the winner or winning team. I will take entries until July 28, so that gives everyone two weeks to get entries to me. PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR ENTRIES TO ME AT losbascoms@mac.com OR SEND ME A PRIVATE FACEBOOK MESSAGE. I WILL DELETE ANSWERS LEFT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION...ALSO, NO LOOKING THEM UP ON THE INTERNET :) The winner receives a $10 Trader Joe's card...if there is a tie, I will figure out a tie breaker later. Good luck, and have fun!!
1) "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."
2) "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse"
3) "I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender."
4) "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
5) "Here's looking at you kid."
6) "Go ahead, make my day."
7) "All right, Mr. Demille, I'm ready for my close up."
8) "May the force be with you."
9) "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night."
10) "You talkin' to me?"
11) "What we have here is failure to communicate."
12) "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."
13) "Love means never having to say your sorry."
14) "The stuff dreams are made of."
15) "ET phone home."
16) "They call me Mister Tibbs!"
17) "Rosebud"
18) "Made it Ma! Top of the world!"
19) "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore."
20) "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Steel Magnolias
Ok, ok, so Joel's Dad dies and immediately he goes soft and has to get in touch with his feminine side. That may be true, but I can think of no movie that better shows the range of emotions that we as humans have than this one. Yes, it's a chick flick. Yes, some of the dialogue is too aware of it's own Southern folksiness. In spite of all of that, simply look at what is being depicted on the screen. I will issue a SPOILER ALERT here since I will be talking about some issues which happen toward the end of the movie.
When my father died late last month, I realized that one of the things I needed to do was revisit this movie, an old favorite in our house. Since one of the main sections of the movie deals with grief, I wanted to see what nuances would be there that I may not have caught before. Overall, the movie is able to show a varied tapestry of the human experience through showing the lives of 6 Louisiana women. There are so many small moments of humanity that make this movie special that it is hard to name them all. I will focus on two in the movie the resonated with me.
The movie opens with Annelle (Darryl Hannah) walking through the Louisiana town in which the film is set. She makes her way to Truvy's house, the local hairstylist (played by Dolly Parton). Truvy is a woman who has been married for quite awhile, has one son, and is dissatisfied with her husband Spud (Sam Shepherd). The hair salon is in a bustle due to a local wedding. Shelby (Julia Roberts) and her mother M'Lynn (Sally Field) come the Truvy's salon to have their hair done for Shelby's wedding. As Truvy leaves for the wedding after doing her business, she asks her husband to join her. He rejects the offer, and Truvy feels the distance between them grow wider. As the movie goes on, it is learned that Shelby is a diabetic, and when she has a baby, her health is compromised. In spite of a kidney transplant, the damage done to her body from the baby is too great, and she dies. All of the women who make up the main characters (including the comic relief duo of Ouiser and Clairee played, respectively, by Shirley MacCaine and Olympia Dukakis) gather around M'Lynn to mourn the loss of her daughter. The grief of the mother is depicted very effectively, but there is a smaller moment that resonated even more with me this time. As Truvy leaves to go to the funeral, she sees that her husband has put a tie on. He asks her permission to accompany her to the funeral. She is touched by the gesture, and he begins to ponder the loss. Particularly, he ponders the loss of Jackson (Shelby's husband), and he expresses that if something like that ever happened to him, he wouldn't know what to do. In this moment of loss for the town, there is some clarity of thought for those left behind. Spud realizes he loves his wife, and that he could lose her. That fact draws him closer to her. Death does that at times. It can draw people closer together who have been distant.
The other small moment occurs in the closing moments of the film. As Annelle has become pregnant, she shares with M'Lynn that she would like to name her baby after Shelby. M'Lynn replies to her that Shelby would have loved that, and that she would be tickled pink. M'Lynn then pauses and sighs to herself, "Pink..." The viewer knows that pink was Shelby's favorite color from the wedding scene at the beginning. The mention of the word pink brings a flood of memories about her daughter, and a pang of grief has come over her.
Why watch such sad films? For me, I find solace in other people. I like it when they acknowledge my situation, and when they can relate. At its very best, art is a way we can relate to others. This film has some hilarious moments in it, but I did not focus on them here. The emotional core of the movie is found near the end as these women (and men) are forced to deal with an untimely death. As we see their grief, their anger, their tears, and their laughter, it reminds us that death is a part of our experience on this earth. I believe it to be a symptom of the fallen nature of our world, but that doesn't make it any less real. We can grieve and be angry in death, just as Jesus wept violently over the body of his dear friend Lazarus. To be sure, since he knew he would raise him from the dead in mere moments, his tears show us something. Jesus hated death, and he wept over the reality of it. All the same, he rose Lazarus, and promises life to those who believe in him. This reality is a hope, but it doesn't take away the pain of death. This film shows that pain and puts it in the context of the seasons of life, the holidays of the year, and the coming of new life. In spite of some of the canned dialogue, what a tremendous contribution this movie makes to our emotional experience.
When my father died late last month, I realized that one of the things I needed to do was revisit this movie, an old favorite in our house. Since one of the main sections of the movie deals with grief, I wanted to see what nuances would be there that I may not have caught before. Overall, the movie is able to show a varied tapestry of the human experience through showing the lives of 6 Louisiana women. There are so many small moments of humanity that make this movie special that it is hard to name them all. I will focus on two in the movie the resonated with me.
The movie opens with Annelle (Darryl Hannah) walking through the Louisiana town in which the film is set. She makes her way to Truvy's house, the local hairstylist (played by Dolly Parton). Truvy is a woman who has been married for quite awhile, has one son, and is dissatisfied with her husband Spud (Sam Shepherd). The hair salon is in a bustle due to a local wedding. Shelby (Julia Roberts) and her mother M'Lynn (Sally Field) come the Truvy's salon to have their hair done for Shelby's wedding. As Truvy leaves for the wedding after doing her business, she asks her husband to join her. He rejects the offer, and Truvy feels the distance between them grow wider. As the movie goes on, it is learned that Shelby is a diabetic, and when she has a baby, her health is compromised. In spite of a kidney transplant, the damage done to her body from the baby is too great, and she dies. All of the women who make up the main characters (including the comic relief duo of Ouiser and Clairee played, respectively, by Shirley MacCaine and Olympia Dukakis) gather around M'Lynn to mourn the loss of her daughter. The grief of the mother is depicted very effectively, but there is a smaller moment that resonated even more with me this time. As Truvy leaves to go to the funeral, she sees that her husband has put a tie on. He asks her permission to accompany her to the funeral. She is touched by the gesture, and he begins to ponder the loss. Particularly, he ponders the loss of Jackson (Shelby's husband), and he expresses that if something like that ever happened to him, he wouldn't know what to do. In this moment of loss for the town, there is some clarity of thought for those left behind. Spud realizes he loves his wife, and that he could lose her. That fact draws him closer to her. Death does that at times. It can draw people closer together who have been distant.
The other small moment occurs in the closing moments of the film. As Annelle has become pregnant, she shares with M'Lynn that she would like to name her baby after Shelby. M'Lynn replies to her that Shelby would have loved that, and that she would be tickled pink. M'Lynn then pauses and sighs to herself, "Pink..." The viewer knows that pink was Shelby's favorite color from the wedding scene at the beginning. The mention of the word pink brings a flood of memories about her daughter, and a pang of grief has come over her.
Why watch such sad films? For me, I find solace in other people. I like it when they acknowledge my situation, and when they can relate. At its very best, art is a way we can relate to others. This film has some hilarious moments in it, but I did not focus on them here. The emotional core of the movie is found near the end as these women (and men) are forced to deal with an untimely death. As we see their grief, their anger, their tears, and their laughter, it reminds us that death is a part of our experience on this earth. I believe it to be a symptom of the fallen nature of our world, but that doesn't make it any less real. We can grieve and be angry in death, just as Jesus wept violently over the body of his dear friend Lazarus. To be sure, since he knew he would raise him from the dead in mere moments, his tears show us something. Jesus hated death, and he wept over the reality of it. All the same, he rose Lazarus, and promises life to those who believe in him. This reality is a hope, but it doesn't take away the pain of death. This film shows that pain and puts it in the context of the seasons of life, the holidays of the year, and the coming of new life. In spite of some of the canned dialogue, what a tremendous contribution this movie makes to our emotional experience.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Moonrise Kingdom
"It's a fable about what it feels like to be 12 years old and afflicted, from head to toe, by a romantic crush the size of a planet." --Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
As I sat and watched this latest Wes Anderson entry, one word came to my mind again and again. Innocence. Innocence permeates the work of this filmmaker, and no more so than in this evocative story of young love. There are times in this film when the depiction of young love borders even on the uncomfortable, but nevertheless, it remains innocent. Beyond that overarching feeling, there is also the intricacy of Wes Anderson's work which always sets his films apart. I have been a fan of all of his work, though his last couple of features have not been my favorites. I connected again very well with this latest effort.
The film is about two young people, Suzy Bishop and Sam Shakusky. They are both misfits in their own worlds. Suzy is growing increasingly distant from her parents (a clueless couple played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand), and Sam has decided to run away from his scout troop. The two of them have made a pact to meet up together and run away. Sam hopes to retrace on old Native American hiking route across the island where he lives, and Suzy joins him on the journey.
I can't think of a time when I have seen young love depicted quite like this. Suzy runs to Sam because she sees disarray in her own home. Her mother is having an affair with the Island Police chief (Bruce Willis), and so she not only feels distant from her mother, but has lost trust in her moral authority as well. Her parents are both lawyers and are academic and distant. Sam has no one to love him. He is an orphan who has been rejected from his foster home, and the rest of his boy scout troop hate him, even though the scout master (Ed Norton) genuinely seems to care for him, as he reaches out to him. The adversity that these two young people face in their lives draw them to each other.
Even though the story is somewhat straight forward, this is a Wes Anderson movie, and the journey is much more than just a simple story. Each shot of the film could be a painting. There is a symmetry to each shot that reminds me of Renaissance paintings. There is a clarity of vision to each frame which communicates visually the emotion of each scene. So much of the content of the film is simply communicated through the camera. The first few moments of the film communicate so much content, even though only a few moments have gone by when we reach the end of them. We are able to ascertain that Suzy has severe problems and that her parents are living in a marriage that is suffering deeply. Anderson's ability to craft a unique style of storytelling which relies equally on photography and dialogue is part of what sets him apart.
The closing moments of this film are rich and poignant. They tie the movie's characters and story elements together very well. And as the final shot comes across the screen, we see something from Wes Anderson that we haven't seen before. He dedicates this movie to "Juman". Upon doing some research, I came to find out that "Juman" is Juman Malouf, a writer and the girlfriend of Wes Anderson. In the end, this movie has something to say about young love. That love could be between young people. That love also could simply be a new love between two older people who have just found each other. In any case, the movie has a fresh take on the nature of that kind of love. The quote from Michael Phillips that I included works well in describing the movie's content. His quote also, I think, can include the fact that crushes of this nature don't just happen to to young people. Infatuation that is consuming happens to older folks as well, so this film's young love has a universal element to it. The complexity of love is seen not only through the situation of these young people, but also in the haunting off screen presence of Hank Williams. His music hangs over this film, and it very effectively captures the peaks and the valleys of new love. It was a joy to watch this movie. I love seeing an artist not only communicate well, but seem to have so much fun communicating and being exhilarated by the process.
As I sat and watched this latest Wes Anderson entry, one word came to my mind again and again. Innocence. Innocence permeates the work of this filmmaker, and no more so than in this evocative story of young love. There are times in this film when the depiction of young love borders even on the uncomfortable, but nevertheless, it remains innocent. Beyond that overarching feeling, there is also the intricacy of Wes Anderson's work which always sets his films apart. I have been a fan of all of his work, though his last couple of features have not been my favorites. I connected again very well with this latest effort.
The film is about two young people, Suzy Bishop and Sam Shakusky. They are both misfits in their own worlds. Suzy is growing increasingly distant from her parents (a clueless couple played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand), and Sam has decided to run away from his scout troop. The two of them have made a pact to meet up together and run away. Sam hopes to retrace on old Native American hiking route across the island where he lives, and Suzy joins him on the journey.
I can't think of a time when I have seen young love depicted quite like this. Suzy runs to Sam because she sees disarray in her own home. Her mother is having an affair with the Island Police chief (Bruce Willis), and so she not only feels distant from her mother, but has lost trust in her moral authority as well. Her parents are both lawyers and are academic and distant. Sam has no one to love him. He is an orphan who has been rejected from his foster home, and the rest of his boy scout troop hate him, even though the scout master (Ed Norton) genuinely seems to care for him, as he reaches out to him. The adversity that these two young people face in their lives draw them to each other.
Even though the story is somewhat straight forward, this is a Wes Anderson movie, and the journey is much more than just a simple story. Each shot of the film could be a painting. There is a symmetry to each shot that reminds me of Renaissance paintings. There is a clarity of vision to each frame which communicates visually the emotion of each scene. So much of the content of the film is simply communicated through the camera. The first few moments of the film communicate so much content, even though only a few moments have gone by when we reach the end of them. We are able to ascertain that Suzy has severe problems and that her parents are living in a marriage that is suffering deeply. Anderson's ability to craft a unique style of storytelling which relies equally on photography and dialogue is part of what sets him apart.
The closing moments of this film are rich and poignant. They tie the movie's characters and story elements together very well. And as the final shot comes across the screen, we see something from Wes Anderson that we haven't seen before. He dedicates this movie to "Juman". Upon doing some research, I came to find out that "Juman" is Juman Malouf, a writer and the girlfriend of Wes Anderson. In the end, this movie has something to say about young love. That love could be between young people. That love also could simply be a new love between two older people who have just found each other. In any case, the movie has a fresh take on the nature of that kind of love. The quote from Michael Phillips that I included works well in describing the movie's content. His quote also, I think, can include the fact that crushes of this nature don't just happen to to young people. Infatuation that is consuming happens to older folks as well, so this film's young love has a universal element to it. The complexity of love is seen not only through the situation of these young people, but also in the haunting off screen presence of Hank Williams. His music hangs over this film, and it very effectively captures the peaks and the valleys of new love. It was a joy to watch this movie. I love seeing an artist not only communicate well, but seem to have so much fun communicating and being exhilarated by the process.
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