MJs Sing-Along Blog: Seahawks won the Super Bowl, Woo Hoo!

[Torgo]

I think MJ is going by release year instead of award year, so Empire would have been up for 1980 instead of 81. But I don't think Empire was up for any Acadamy honors anyway, so MJ wouldn't feel pressured to mention it at all.

[Mr. Atari]

Let's see just how iconoclastic MJ will be for 1981. If he has real cajones, he'll go with The Cannonball Run.

[afriendlychicken]

May 31, 2012 14:55:39 GMT -5 Mr. Atari said:

Let's see just how iconoclastic MJ will be for 1981. If he has real cajones, he'll go with The Cannonball Run.

With Caveman as runner up.

[Torgo]

I don't care what he picks as long as when he gets to 85 he acknowledges the film that single handedly ended the Cold War.

[Mighty Jack]

I probably wont spend much ink on ET, I've pretty much said what I wanted to say. And The yeah, "Empire Strikes Back" would have been mentioned in 1980. And to be honest, the Star Wars stuff isn't even on my radar -- I forgot all about Empire. Guess that tells you how meaningful it was to me.

I've tried to make this a labor of love, but the early 80s brought out the Devil in me.

Anyway, I didn't have enough cojones to go with Cannonball. But Caveman, isn't that the Ringo Starr flick? If so, it's a classic!



1981
Das Boot (Director: Wolfgang Petersen)
Nominees: Road Warrior

Oscars pick: Chariots of Fire
Nominees: Atlantic City, On Golden Pond, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Reds

I hated everything.

Okay, that's an exaggeration, but truthfully not much thrilled me. I thought Oscar winner Chariots was Masterpiece Theater dry, and even the supposedly emotional running scenes left me yawning. I didn't care for Warren Beatty's poorly edited Reds, which is populated with clumsily acted, broad comic strip-like characters. And I remember looking forward to Raiders after hearing everyone gush over it, and afterwards thinking, "That’s it, that silly nonsense was an Oscar contender?"

See what I mean, I just was not built for the early 80s...

And besides, if your going to nominate silly nonsense, at least nominate something with real blood and guts and brain and brawn and some true cool, like the Road Warrior. For me, Mad Max kicks Indy’s sorry ass!

I thought Atlantic City was great, but it played in France and Canada (among other places) in 1980 and that's the year I nominated it. On Golden Pond was enjoyable for the actors alone.

In the end though, the only motion picture that was sponge worthy was the epic, yet intimate, Das Boot. Though shown in an extended version on TV, it originally played in theaters and therefore is eligible.

When describing Das Boot critics throw out words like "authentic" and "gripping". They speak of the execution and the craftsmanship. They write of how riveting, intense and claustrophobic it all is... and it is indeed all of those things. The temptation and struggle I have in writing about the movie is that I could sit here tossing out superlatives till the cows come home. It's the kind of film that inspires that type of gushing.

It is one of the greatest anti-war movies ever made. Set in a German U-Boat manned by a young and inexperienced crew, we follow along on their mission, which is documented by a photojournalist. There's not much of a story: We get acquainted with life in these cramped quarters, which are grimy and uncomfortable. While viewing I could almost feel the dirty sweet on my own brow, and would gulp for the freshness of clean air whenever the crew was above the sea. Most of the time -we discover- a submarine is a boring place to be, but when it's not, it is absolutely terrifying. The creaks and groans of the U-boat as it dives ever deeper, the explosions of depth chargers that rattle you to your bones. Having your eyesight practically stolen from you, you have to rely on your ears to be your guide. Das Boot isn't simply a movie you watch, it's a full blooded experience.

The acting is strong, in particular Jürgen Prochnow as the Captain, he is no Nazi spokesman, in fact he's a bitter critic. And he exudes a quite commanding presence that anchors the entire production. The ending is a heartbreaker, which left me shaken and sad.



Note: I could not track down a copy of Mephisto for consideration. I'm amazed how difficult it is to find some of these 80s movies

[Torgo]

But seriously, I love you MJ. Just no tongue.

[Mighty Jack]

1982
Fitzcarraldo (Director: Werner Herzog)
Nominees: Gandhi

Oscars pick: Gandhi
Nominees: E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Missing, Tootsie, the Verdict

Well you know what I think of E.T. by its final act it was like I was under sappy emotional bombardment -- and as things got weepier, I become more detached. As I stated a few decades back, I don't do schmaltz. I liked Gandhi far better. It was an impressive, expansive biopic, if a bit one-sided (few of Gandhi's faults or controversial politics were extensively explored). I thought it was a superb movie and Ben Kingsly gave an inspiring, Oscar winning performance. I too gave it a nomination, though not the top prize.

As with 1981, 82 didn't offer many options. Tootsie was hilarious… at first, then it got on its soap box and faded. Blade Runner was good -- a little cold and dull at the start, but springing to life when Rutger Hauer pops on screen and things got philosophical. There were a couple of classic scares with John Carpenter's The Thing and Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist, I liked both of them. What about Bergman's Fanny and Alexander? Mmm, it wasn't bad by any means. But, as much as I hate to admit this, it was, well... kind of boring. I almost nodded off a few times. (Forgive me St. Ingmar)

Boring? Yeah I guess some folks could say the same of my winner. Werner Herzog's sprawling, yet intimate 3-hour tale of obsession, Fitzcarraldo. In it, Klaus Kinski plays a dreamer with a list of humiliating screw-ups to his name. His one big goal is to open an Opera House in the jungles of Peru and have his beloved Caruso play on its opening night. To raise the money for this, he plans to enter into the rubber business -- and to get to his rubber trees he endeavors to haul a boat over a hill to reach an important and isolated part of the river. It's a crazy scheme, one even the real life Fitzcarraldo didn't attempt (he at least broke his boat down in to sections).

Kinski is astonishing in the lead role. Dressed in white, he is a striking contrast in this muddy land, and he at first seems affluent and confident, but we soon discover that he's a raggedy man - a career failure - though not a despairing one. He never gives up on his dream and while he might seem mad, his plans are born of a deep love of this music. Kinski's eyes are wild, but there's also something childlike in them. When he tries to share his dream and his music to potential investors, his face alights with joy... only its like throwing pearls to swine. They have no appreciation for the beauty he is offering them.

There is one person who believes in him, a woman (wife?) played by Claudia Cardinale, who has a giddy, unshaken faith in Fitz. She is childlike in her own way and effervescently positive. And that a nice side to the film - while it addresses obsession and has its dark, tense edges, there's a sense of optimism that remains to the end.

The second half of Herzog's ambitious picture covers the hauling of the boat over the hill. Which requires the help of a tribe of dangerous and unpredictable natives with a dream of their own. The director actually pulled that boat up that rise, an idea explored in a companion piece documentary about the making of the film, titled Burden of Dreams. It too is essential viewing. Roger Ebert, who placed both pictures 4th in his top 10 for the year, wrote of the feature... "As a document of a quest and a dream, and as the record of man's audacity and foolish, visionary heroism, there has never been another movie like it."

MST Note: The guy who played Vadinho in Puma Man, can be seen here as the ships mechanic.

[Mighty Jack]

Allrighteethen – yeah I've hit a snag - a few things are getting bottlenecked on the Que and the library reservations. So my plan is to post this today, 1984 on Tues and hopefully 1985 on Thursday or Friday. See y'all in 3 days...




1983
Videodrome (Director: David Cronenberg)
Nominees: The King of Comedy, The Dead Zone, The Dresser

Oscars pick: Terms of Endearment
Nominees: The Bill Chill, The Dresser, The Right Stuff, Tender Mercies

Another terrible year loaded with over-rated twaddle like Terms of Endearment, which would have better served as a Lifetime movie of the week. Robert Bresson's final film L'argent has its message diluted by tedium and mechanical composition and performance (I've seen mannequins with more life than these characters) and whiile The Big Chill was one of my girlfriend's favorite movies, I came away feeling, "Me’h".

Many chose The Right Stuff, and I'm sorry, but I can't see it. I feel it stumbles on several fundamental film making levels. Though based on fact, it mines every cliché in the book, its emotion and characterizations are superficial, and the broad humor is insipid. It’s filled -not with full-blooded individuals- but broad caricatures, ala the uptight nurse with the faint mustache. The conflicts between the astronauts, the relationships with their wives, are affected and stagy. They are types, cardboard effigies doing a poor impression of the real deal. I know it has avid fans, but I just can't get into this formulaic film.

While I did enjoy Woody Allen's Zelig at the start, it lost steam in its second half. Peter Yates' The Dresser, is an acting tour de force lead by Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay. I nominated it, but I can't see it as the best overall.

One that came close to the win was Martin Scorsese's King of Comedy, which is a perceptive look at the cult of celebrity. Robert De Niro plays a guy out of touch reality, who dreams of doing his comedy act on a Carson style show. Meeting resistance and at the end of his rope, he kidnaps the host (Jerry Lewis) and demands a slot on the show. While expertly realized, King sometimes made me squirm in my seat.

Speaking of which...

For me the King of 1983 was David Cronenberg, who made two movies – One was one of his familiar strange, fleshy mind-f#@!s, the other was the first step towards another direction for the filmmaker, one that proved he could bring depth and humanity to the screen, along with the creepiness.

In The Dead Zone Cronenberg takes Stephen King's sprawling, episodic novel – captures its essence, tightens it up to tell a sad, moving story of a man who comes out of a coma and discovers that he has a gift -- but to what purpose? It's a supernatural thriller with a philosophical slant. Christopher Walker was ideal casting – with those haunted eyes of his, and the feeling that he carries a great weight on his shoulders. Despite Martin Sheen's cartoonish villain -- The thought-provoking story, crisp direction and Walken's tragic yet sympathetic character keeps the film centered.

Videodrome is classic old-school Cronenberg. It's one of the most disturbing, maddest movies I've ever seen. Described as "Techno-surrealism", it tells of scummy TV programmer named Max (James Woods) who stumbles upon a scrambled station that shows snuff films. As he probes deeper into its origins, he uncovers a conspiracy of mind control. Tomatoes summarized it as "Visually audacious, disorienting, and just plain weird," and adds that its, "musings on technology, entertainment, and politics still feel fresh today." I agree: While the FX are 80s-style low-budget, they are icky and effective. And the story is prophetic, especially through the character of Professor O'Blivion, who refuses to appear on TV, unless he's shown through a TV and with a fake "TV" name. He predicts that, "Soon all of us will have special names". Avatars and fake names? Hmm that sounds… familiar

While the final reel is difficult to make sense of, the film is so overall effective in creating an unsettling feeling that I'm okay with that. Sometimes it's not important that everything be completely understood, it's enough simply to experience it. That's a big part of surrealism; it's cerebral and humorous, but it is also about sensation -- evoking mood and feeling even at the expense of logic. Cronenberg was one of the best of the ‘New Surrealists’ -- joining David Lynch and Terry Gilliam -- who took up the mantle from Fellini, Buñuel and Cocteau.

In a very weak year, I'm saying "What the hell" and going with the weird Canadian (after giving the last 2 awards to Germans)

Note: The movie is also notable for featuring Blondie lead singer Debby Harry in a key role (and she's not a very good actress). Plus there's an older woman in the cast who looks just like the Romulan gal in that MST3K short about marriage, and indeed they are one in the same.

Note, note: Neither Blockheads or Hulu or Hastings or the Library had Verhoven's The Fourth Man, hence its omission

[Mighty Jack]

1984
This is Spinal Tap (Director: Rob Reiner)
Nominees: Amadeus, Once Upon A Time in America, The Terminator, Ghostbusters, Brother From Another Planet, The Killing Fields

Oscars pick: Amadeus
Nominees: The Killing Fields, Passage to India, Places in the Heart, A Soldiers Story

Finally! A slate of film I can get behind. 1984 offered up some choice features. From action, like James Cameron's Terminator - to comedy, ala Ghostbusters - to heartfelt dramas, such as the Killing Fields to small budget independent gems like John Sayles' quirky Brother From Another Planet.

My big three includes Sergio Leone's final film, Once Upon A Time in America -- an epic crime story that spans generations and chronicles the lives of a group of friends. It's an ambitious tale -- violent, sexist and stocked with unlikable characters one and all (though well acted by De Niro and James Woods. Also, 12-year-old Jennifer Connelly made her feature film début). Despite the unpleasantness -and the overall sense that maybe, none of it is real- it is, as RT calls it, "visually stunning, stylistically bold, and emotionally haunting."

America is strong but there are two that are a shade stronger. Both are musical biographies. One is based on the real, with liberties taken with the facts. The other based on a fabrication, which rang brutally true to life:

I love Amadeus and was happy as a lark when it won the Oscar. In it, Mozart is a laughing man-child genius. His story is recounted through his jealous rival, Sallieri, brilliantly performed by Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham. Directed by Miloš Forman and written by Peter Shaffer, it's joyous, funny, harrowing and of course, features brilliant music and performances.

And yet, there's one that I like even more. And while at first blush it seemed an absurd notion that this should be my best picture, This Is Spinal Tap is one of the great comedies, and even slotted against prestigious masterpieces like Amadeus and Once Upon A Time In America, it’s wonderfulness is never diminished.

Directed by Rob Reiner, with a script penned by Reiner and his stars, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer (who also employ a heavy dose of imrov). The trio are in top form playing likable dinks that are stuck in a state of perpetual adolescence. And who are blind to the fact that their best days are behind them - (Thankfully the Japanese come along to rescue them from swallowing that bitter pill, for a time). While absurdly funny, it's also spot-on. Watch any 'real' rock doc and you’ll find the same examples pomposity, half-baked philosophies and petty squabbles.

The film works because Reiner and his actors get you to care about these guys. I know I felt bad for them, watching their dignity striped away when they are stuck playing 2nd fiddle to puppet shows and taking gigs for a dance at a military base.

The picture is rife with classic moments. Amps that go all the way to 11, mini Stonehenge, poor Derrick stuck in his pod during a song. And then there are the songs -- so bad and yet so good. I love "Gimme Some Money" (from their pop Beatlesque days). Yeah it might seem silly to give it the Felix over Amadeus, but this rockumentary is a pitch perfect delight from top to bottom (or from cucumbers to exploding drummers).

[Mr. Atari]

Nice pick.

I first saw Tap at a club in New York City called "The Electric Banana". Don't look for it, it's not there anymore.

[Torgo]

Who was it on this board that hated Spinal Tap with a passion? Was that Groupie?

And Archie Bunker notsokindly asks you to stop praising the films of the Meathead.

[Mighty Jack]

Yeah that was groupie.

And it's cool you got to see Tap. I bet it was a blast.



1985
Brazil (Director: Terry Gilliam)
Nominees: Ran, Blood Simple, Purple Rose of Cairo, Mishima: A Life in 4 Chapters, My Life As a Dog, Shoah, Come and See, Vagabond, Prizzi’s Honor, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure

Oscars pick: Out of Africa
Nominees: The Color Purple, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Prizzi’s Honor, Witness

After much debate, I decided to go with Brazil, Terry Gilliam's inventive spin on Orwellian themes. Jonathan Pryce stars as Sam Lowrey, a day dreaming civil servant whose only goal life is to not get noticed... which changes when he meets the girl of his dreams. The director described the story as "Walter Mitty meets Kafka" and it's an incredibly detailed, surreal looking piece. What I found interesting is that much of the weirdness was actually real – drawn from things Gilliam had seen (a shoe hat from the 40s) or read about (paying for your torture).

Terry's a complainer in real life; every little silly, insignificant thing seems to bug him –especially American things (Gilliam actually spends time in his commentary whining about something as trivial as baseball caps?) But he uses this to the movies advantage. The frustrating, idiosyncratic absurdity of it all packs a punch. While Brazil has its humor, ultimately it is a downer. Even though it's unreal it's very real. Broken bureaucracy and power wins out and the little guy is ground under its heel. Thankfully Gilliam at least offers a kind of escape.

Among my nominees: Paul Schrader offered up one of the most unique biographies I've ever seen, Mishima: A Life in 4 Chapters (which includes an arresting Philip Glass score). For those interested in all things Japanese, it's a must see. Lasse Hallström gave us the warm and funny My Life As a Dog, about a boy –who, after his mother grows ill - is sent to stay with relatives in a town full of artists and eccentrics. And Woody Allen filmed one of his finest, an imaginative bittersweet romance about a movie character who walks off the screen and into the real world. Titled the Purple Rose of Cairo. It's a funny commentary on the nature of movies, the industry and the audience.

The French film, Vagabond opens with a farm worker discovering a woman's dead body – the movie then recounts her life through those who met her in her travels. Blood Simple (which played in a few festivals in 84, but didn't go wide until 85) is the delightfully cunning, pitch black début from the Coen Brothers. The duo weaves a clever web -- where the character's actions are motivated by what they think they know, rather than what is true. While it's steeped in classic noir, it plays with our expectations and then twists the knife so that what seems straight forward, is anything but. It has an icy heart but it draws me in so deeply into its deceits that I get a real charge out of it.

I also liked the whimsical childlike world created in Pee Wee's Big Adventure from Tim Burton. The 9 ½ hour Holocaust documentary Shoah and the harrowing Come and See, which was one hell of a brutal and nightmarish war film. (Stephen Spielberg cited it as an influence on Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan).



Last but not least was Ran, Akira Kurosawa's bitter take on King Lear. While loaded with memorable moments, the battle at the third castle, in particular, was one of the director's greatest achievements. It's a violent, brilliantly choreographed sequence that's aided by Toru Takemitsu's fully orchestrated score. At one point we hear no battle sounds, just this haunting, powerful music. It's absolutely numbing, awe inspiring - a moment that transcends everything else in film in 1985.

I wound up nominating 10, and I could have gone on: Back to the Future, Mask, After Hours, Tampopo... the volume of good motion pictures was overwhelming.

Oscar-wise: Despite its pretty cinematography, I liked the glacially paced Out of Africa about as much as I liked the glacially paced Manos, sans riffing. Of the nominated pictures, Peter Weir's Witness or John Huston's Prizzi’s Honor would have been better as the Academy's top dog. Many critics favored the Color Purple, and while it was good I wouldn't number it among my top 10.


Note: It’s interesting how Brazil, Back to the Future and Pee Wee's Big Adventure all had similar, elaborate breakfast scenes. Gilliam says his was first and Zemeckis stole the idea from him. Pee Wee, well, I love it but it stole from everyone.

Note: I couldn’t find –"A Time to Live a Time to Die", "When Father was Away on Business" or "Alpine Fire"

[Mighty Jack]

Schedule wise: I'm going to post 86 on Monday, 87 on Wed and 88 on Fri

I still don't know what I'm picking in 1986. I have no clue, I searched, but nothing has punched me in the solar plexus, knocked me down, then stood over my quivering body and declared... "I am the greatest!"


Anyway: I am adding a new nominee to 1977 as I just watched…



The Ascent from Lariso Shepitiko, is a grueling war film about 2 soldiers, Soviet partisans who are captured by the Germans and tortured. One of the men sticks to his beliefs while the other gives in. The film is steeped in Christian symbolism, and is thematically reminiscent of Dostoyevsky’s writings. The camera work and direction is extraordinary, the music often nightmarish -- It all matches the stark, brutal story to create a film experience that is harrowing to the core.

This was Shepitko’s crowing achievement - it garnered awards and acclaim for the director. Sadly, while scouting locations for her next film, she and 4 of her crew were killed in a car crash. Over the years Lariso became a forgotten figure. Thankfully Criterion has released 2 of her 4 pictures, which has created renewed interest.

Of note: Her husband went on to film a brutal war film of his own. The critically hailed Come and See (nominated in 1985).

[afriendlychicken]

I think you're right on 1986. Looking through Wikipedia on that years releases nothing really seems to stand out. Tarkosky's last film "Sacrifice" came out but even I; being a big Tarkovsky fan; wouldn't put that as best film of the year. The only film that stood out for me was Neil Jordan's "Mona Lisa." I can't wait to see what you come up with.

I love your choice of "Brazil" for '85. Did you watch the European cut that's on the Criterion release?

About the year 1951, I couldn't help noticing you didn't mention Jean Renoir's "The River." I'm wondering if you've seen it and what you think of it. I do agree completely with "Ikiru" being the best film of that year. "The River" would have been one of my runner ups.

Anyway, I just wanted to say I've really enjoyed what you've been doing. I agree with you 90% of the time, and that's quite amazing.

[Mighty Jack]

The River was a good picture, I liked much of it and it helped to hear Scorsese's thought on it and watch it with that perspective in mind. But there's some undefinable disconnect I have with the Renoirs work overall. Still, weeks after watching the River I found my mind drifting back to it. It's the kind of film that sticks with you.

And I did catch the European cut of Brazil before making my final decision. One thing I failed to mention was how much I liked De Niro in his small role.

Funny you should mention Mona Lisa not saying that's the one, but I've been going round in circles over the same 4 movies and have test write ups for each. Kind of trying them on for size and seeing what fits.

Edit: and speaking of Tarkovsky, I think I forgot to nominate Solaris like I wanted (goes and checks) Nope, I didn't nominate it. I wonder why?