The baseball season is winding down, so I thought it would be a good time to bring out some quotes from some great baseball movies. There are 9 quotes here (appropriate)...each respondent gets 1 point for giving me the name of the movie, and 1 point for giving me the name of the performer who uttered the line. I will take responses for until August 31at 9PM. The winner will get a $10 Trader Joe's gift card (I always get them out, though more promptly some months than others :) ). PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR RESPONSES TO ME at losbascoms@mac.com. Do not leave answers in the comments section...others will see them GOOD LUCK!!!
"Today, I consider myself, the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
"How can you not be romantic about baseball?"
"We don't need no middle aged rookies."
"What are you grinnin' at, you ghost?"
"We got ourselves a natural disaster!"
"There's no crying in baseball!!!"
"Um, you know Ben...I didn't realize how big this Red Sox thing is with you."
"Whatever Lola wants..."
"People will come Ray..."
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
The Artist
As I sat and watched this film, I was more in a state of admiration than anything else. This is a movie that obviously took a tremendous amount of work as well as a unique vision. As I watched, I was also reminded of countless other movies. There is so much borrowing in this movie from other movies that one knows that the director has tremendous affection for classic films, both silent and talkie. At the same time, though I liked it, I couldn't help but think that some of the reason that so many accolades have been heaped upon this film is its novelty.
The plot reminded me a lot of "Singin' in the Rain", though it is quite a bit darker. It follows a silent film star George Valentine (Jean Dujardin, who won a best actor Oscar for this performance) who is caught in that fateful time in which films made the transition from silent to talkies. As such, it threatens his livelihood. At the same time, a chance meeting with a young fan named Peppy (Berenice Bejo ) leads to increased stardom for her. Their careers end up being inversely proportional-as her star brightens, his star fades. He decides to direct another silent film, but two things happen that seal his fate. First, his film opens on the same day as Peppy's debut. Second, the stock market crashes the day his film debuts, and he loses his wealth. This leads to poverty and despondency for George.
The film ends up being an affectionate tribute to classic Hollywood. As such, I think it stands on the shoulders of other films much better than it stands on its own. The narrative of the film was not terribly strong to me, but the novelty of a silent film released in 2011 was a strong presence. From a purely technical standpoint, it is a wonderful film. It achieves a look that looks like the genuine article. The actors in the film (well known 21st century actors like John Goodman, Penelope Ann Miller and James Cromwell) look like actors from the 1920's. The actors in the film do an amazing job of dancing, and the physical comedy is first rate.
I suppose it is impossible to duplicate what Lloyd, Chaplin and Keaton (as well as so many others) achieved. The constraints of silent film making allowed those artists to thrive within the boundaries in which they found themselves. It would be hard for anyone to do that again, because the same atmosphere does not exist. With that in mind, this movie can be seen as a brilliant execution of nostalgia, but it does not quote achieve what the classics did. It is not trying to do that, and that is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. It would be fascinating to see the director Michel Hazanavicius (who also won an Oscar for best director) make a silent film set in the 21st century. He clearly can tell a story well...I would be fascinated to see what he would do with other kinds of material.
This is a movie for those who love movies. It has so many homages to other movies that it is a wonderful treat. One could certainly enjoy it without being a movie buff, but knowledge of the movie does help. There is a lot in this movie both to enjoy and to admire!
The plot reminded me a lot of "Singin' in the Rain", though it is quite a bit darker. It follows a silent film star George Valentine (Jean Dujardin, who won a best actor Oscar for this performance) who is caught in that fateful time in which films made the transition from silent to talkies. As such, it threatens his livelihood. At the same time, a chance meeting with a young fan named Peppy (Berenice Bejo ) leads to increased stardom for her. Their careers end up being inversely proportional-as her star brightens, his star fades. He decides to direct another silent film, but two things happen that seal his fate. First, his film opens on the same day as Peppy's debut. Second, the stock market crashes the day his film debuts, and he loses his wealth. This leads to poverty and despondency for George.
The film ends up being an affectionate tribute to classic Hollywood. As such, I think it stands on the shoulders of other films much better than it stands on its own. The narrative of the film was not terribly strong to me, but the novelty of a silent film released in 2011 was a strong presence. From a purely technical standpoint, it is a wonderful film. It achieves a look that looks like the genuine article. The actors in the film (well known 21st century actors like John Goodman, Penelope Ann Miller and James Cromwell) look like actors from the 1920's. The actors in the film do an amazing job of dancing, and the physical comedy is first rate.
I suppose it is impossible to duplicate what Lloyd, Chaplin and Keaton (as well as so many others) achieved. The constraints of silent film making allowed those artists to thrive within the boundaries in which they found themselves. It would be hard for anyone to do that again, because the same atmosphere does not exist. With that in mind, this movie can be seen as a brilliant execution of nostalgia, but it does not quote achieve what the classics did. It is not trying to do that, and that is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. It would be fascinating to see the director Michel Hazanavicius (who also won an Oscar for best director) make a silent film set in the 21st century. He clearly can tell a story well...I would be fascinated to see what he would do with other kinds of material.
This is a movie for those who love movies. It has so many homages to other movies that it is a wonderful treat. One could certainly enjoy it without being a movie buff, but knowledge of the movie does help. There is a lot in this movie both to enjoy and to admire!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Taking a break from the social network
I have had a great year and a half writing this blog. I want to keep doing it. However, I want to escape the social network for awhile, and since Facebook and Twitter are the main ways I get my readers, I would expect that even though I may write entries, I will not get many readers. Feel free to check back in anyway, as I may write as the spirit hits.
It has been a very emotional summer, and this blog has been a small part of me getting back to normal. The barrage of information, opinions and negativity (especially as it pertains to the election) on social media is making me want to take a break from Facebook and Twitter. I hope some of you will still visit this sight without prompting from those two places.
Thanks!
It has been a very emotional summer, and this blog has been a small part of me getting back to normal. The barrage of information, opinions and negativity (especially as it pertains to the election) on social media is making me want to take a break from Facebook and Twitter. I hope some of you will still visit this sight without prompting from those two places.
Thanks!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Citizen Kane
This movie is regularly found at or near the top of lists of the greatest films of all time. Though few can argue with how great the story is, it can be hard to see what all the fuss is about. The fuss is worth it. There are so many things to love about this movie. Every time I write on a bona fide classic, I am standing on the shoulders of many other people who know a lot more about movies than I do. Here I stand on those shoulders, yet I hope to contribute something unique as well.
For those who don't know, the film tells the story of a young boy who is taken away from his home, given a great education, and ultimately goes into the newspaper business. He becomes and enormously successful newspaper mogul, and with all of the wealth and power we see a fragile existence underneath it all. The film begins with Kane's death, and Kane's story is told in flashbacks by people who knew him.
One of the things that is always the case with a trailblazing work of art is that it's imitated so much that it can be hard to remember how special the original is. "Star Wars" comes to mind. Here, one of the things that stands out is the visual imagination of the film. Many of the visual effects in the movie which seem mundane now were quite new at the time. For instance, there is a shot in which the camera pans into a night club and focuses in on Kane's ex wife. It is a shot with tremendous visual imagination and passion for the cinematic medium. An example might help. In Wes Anderson's latest film, "Moonrise Kingdom", there's a scene which echoes one of Citizen Kane's signature moments. As Bill Murray and Frances McDormand end their day, they come to rest in their bedroom. As the debate, Anderson's camera stays focused on their faces as they debate about their daughter. It is only after several exchanges that Anderson pulls back his camera to show that the two of them are sleeping in double beds. I thought of "Citizen Kane" when I saw this. As the character of Kane begins his first marriage, we see the couple sitting at dinner. At first, the couple sits close together in an intimate fashion. Then, director Orson Wells uses visuals to depict the passing of years of time in only minutes of film time. With each shot, we see the couple growing more distant. They become more and more annoyed with each other. This whole time, the only thing Wells shows is the faces of the characters. After the characters become completely exasperated with each other, Wells shows us the new reality of the couple. They are now dining far away from each other, sitting at an enormous dining table metaphorical miles apart. All of this is simply communicated visually.
There are so many scenes like that in the movie that an encyclopedia could be written about it. But all of the visual imagination in the world would amount to nothing without a story told well. The story is a great story, and it is told in a nonlinear fashion which brings an artistic quality to the storytelling. Movies as far away in content as "Pulp Fiction" work in the shadow of "Citizen Kane." The mystery of the opening line is never totally solved, but the famous final shot does give us a wonderful enigma upon which to chew.
As I write, "Citizen Kane" has finally been dethroned in the Sight and Sound movie. For 50 years, this movie stood at the top of this poll that is taken every ten years. The poll asks critics and directors to nominate their ten best films, and when the votes are tallied, the film that appears on the most polls wins the poll. "Citizen Kane" was finally dethroned by Hitchcock's "Vertigo". They are both fine films, but "Kane" always won the poll, I suspect, due to its influence. As a younger generation of critics begin taking the poll, it makes sense that the films that were closer to them may rise on the list, though "Kane" only dropped one spot to number 2. I suspect that "Kane" will continue to be on the list for years to come, simply due to its scope and influence. But, it could not be more fitting to see that with the passage of time, other films rise in younger viewers' estimation. Though I love "Kane", it would not appear in a personal top 10. I think that it really gets at how important influence is as people perceive greatness. If I had to try to measure greatness, I suppose "Kane" would be in a top ten of mine. But that would only be if art were as measurable as a person's foot. Instead, art is a confluence of many things. It touches on individual experiences and emotions that make no two people's experience the same. The reason a poll like this is so interesting is that it shows the enormous influence of the films on the list. People from different walks of life all felt "Kane" still deserved a spot on this list. That is noteworthy, and when one looks at "Citizen Kane" for the first time, digests it, and watches it again, it becomes clear what all the fuss is about.
For those who don't know, the film tells the story of a young boy who is taken away from his home, given a great education, and ultimately goes into the newspaper business. He becomes and enormously successful newspaper mogul, and with all of the wealth and power we see a fragile existence underneath it all. The film begins with Kane's death, and Kane's story is told in flashbacks by people who knew him.
One of the things that is always the case with a trailblazing work of art is that it's imitated so much that it can be hard to remember how special the original is. "Star Wars" comes to mind. Here, one of the things that stands out is the visual imagination of the film. Many of the visual effects in the movie which seem mundane now were quite new at the time. For instance, there is a shot in which the camera pans into a night club and focuses in on Kane's ex wife. It is a shot with tremendous visual imagination and passion for the cinematic medium. An example might help. In Wes Anderson's latest film, "Moonrise Kingdom", there's a scene which echoes one of Citizen Kane's signature moments. As Bill Murray and Frances McDormand end their day, they come to rest in their bedroom. As the debate, Anderson's camera stays focused on their faces as they debate about their daughter. It is only after several exchanges that Anderson pulls back his camera to show that the two of them are sleeping in double beds. I thought of "Citizen Kane" when I saw this. As the character of Kane begins his first marriage, we see the couple sitting at dinner. At first, the couple sits close together in an intimate fashion. Then, director Orson Wells uses visuals to depict the passing of years of time in only minutes of film time. With each shot, we see the couple growing more distant. They become more and more annoyed with each other. This whole time, the only thing Wells shows is the faces of the characters. After the characters become completely exasperated with each other, Wells shows us the new reality of the couple. They are now dining far away from each other, sitting at an enormous dining table metaphorical miles apart. All of this is simply communicated visually.
There are so many scenes like that in the movie that an encyclopedia could be written about it. But all of the visual imagination in the world would amount to nothing without a story told well. The story is a great story, and it is told in a nonlinear fashion which brings an artistic quality to the storytelling. Movies as far away in content as "Pulp Fiction" work in the shadow of "Citizen Kane." The mystery of the opening line is never totally solved, but the famous final shot does give us a wonderful enigma upon which to chew.
As I write, "Citizen Kane" has finally been dethroned in the Sight and Sound movie. For 50 years, this movie stood at the top of this poll that is taken every ten years. The poll asks critics and directors to nominate their ten best films, and when the votes are tallied, the film that appears on the most polls wins the poll. "Citizen Kane" was finally dethroned by Hitchcock's "Vertigo". They are both fine films, but "Kane" always won the poll, I suspect, due to its influence. As a younger generation of critics begin taking the poll, it makes sense that the films that were closer to them may rise on the list, though "Kane" only dropped one spot to number 2. I suspect that "Kane" will continue to be on the list for years to come, simply due to its scope and influence. But, it could not be more fitting to see that with the passage of time, other films rise in younger viewers' estimation. Though I love "Kane", it would not appear in a personal top 10. I think that it really gets at how important influence is as people perceive greatness. If I had to try to measure greatness, I suppose "Kane" would be in a top ten of mine. But that would only be if art were as measurable as a person's foot. Instead, art is a confluence of many things. It touches on individual experiences and emotions that make no two people's experience the same. The reason a poll like this is so interesting is that it shows the enormous influence of the films on the list. People from different walks of life all felt "Kane" still deserved a spot on this list. That is noteworthy, and when one looks at "Citizen Kane" for the first time, digests it, and watches it again, it becomes clear what all the fuss is about.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
2012 Sight and Sound Poll
Every 10 years, a British magazine (Sight and Sound) organizes a huge poll of directors and critics to rank the 10 greatest movies ever. The 2012 lost just came out! Here's the link...I have some movie watchin' to do:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/sight-and-sound-2012-top-ten
http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/sight-and-sound-2012-top-ten
Monday, July 30, 2012
Two "Man of Steel" Trailers
So I was lucky enough to see a trailer for the new Superman movie, "Man of Steel", before the "Dark Knight Rises". I came to find out later that there are actually two versions of the same trailer. The footage is all the same, but one of them is narrated by Superman's Earth father (played by Kevin Costner) while one is narrated by his Krypton father(played by Russel Crowe). Check 'em out...fun stuff:
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