70. My Kid Could Paint That* (2007) — Really? Then why is your kid’s artwork on the refrigerator when 6-year old Marla Olmstead’s paintings are hanging in art galleries and the homes of collectors? This fascinating documentary looks at the prodigious work of young Marla, who appeared to be a wunderkind of the art world — that is, until “60 Minutes” aired an examination of her creative process and cast doubts on how much of the abstract art was actually created by the budding artist and how much was either coaxed or completed by her father. The family, which had banked upwards of $300,000 selling Marla’s work, suddenly became the object of doubt and derision not only in their hometown of Binghamton, NY, but nationwide. To assuage the doubters, they recorded her creating a painting from start to finish, showing her working all on her own. This film questions not just the authenticity of the art, but raises the question of what is art anyway? Can genuinely valuable paintings be created by a 6-year old? Maybe you had better take a second look at what is hanging on your refrigerator. You could have the next Marc Chagall. 3½ cans of paint.
71. Roman Holiday* (1953) — It’s not easy being Queen…or, in this case, a European princess. Dazzling Audrey Hepburn brings a fresh new face to the screen as Princess Anne, the young princess who, on a tour of European capitals, rebels against the boredom of her strict schedule, clothes and everything that dictates her existence. One night in Rome, she escapes from the eyes of her minions and finds herself on the streets, passing out from medication and rescued by American journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck). He takes her in, and then, after learning her true identity, takes her around town with his photographer friend (Eddie Albert) in tow, figuring he can write a story about the mysterious young royal. Neither of them knew they would fall in love (even if the audience could have guessed as much). The princess gets her hair hacked off, outwits, outlasts and outplays the palace guard and the polizzia. Within 24 hours, the fairytale is over, but will Bradley capitalize on what turns out to be a romantic adventure? When in Rome…3½ cans.
72. Broadway Danny Rose (1984) — Danny Rose (Woody Allen) is a manager of strictly D-List talent (balloon artists, bad comics, nightclub signers) whose biggest act, a lousy lounge singer named Lou (Nick Apollo Forte) refuses to go on stage unless Danny can convince his girlfriend Tina (a gum chomping Mia Farrow) to come to the show. But Lou is married, so Danny has to bring her as his date. The problem is that Tina is married, too, and her husband’s brothers are hot after the two, thinking Danny is her lover. Woody is his usual nebishy self, tossing off funny lines and generally wondering what is happening to him as he tries to outrace the thugs. 2½ cans.
73. Stripes (1981) — This classic Bill Murray comedy is predictable, but with John Candy and Harold Ramis along for the ride and Ivan Reitman directing, it is also predictably funny. Murray is a laconic cab driver who loses his job, his apartment and his girlfriend in the same day. His solution is to join the Army, and he drags his buddy (Ramis) along for the ride. Before you know it, he has irritated everyone above him in rank — and that’s pretty much everyone on the Army base — and is forced to do push-ups in the rain and mud. But you also know he will somehow lead the troops in triumph at the end — if that’s what you call it. This is not my favorite Murray movie (“Caddyshack” or “Groundhog Day” are much more amusing), but Murray is too slick to pass up. 3 cans.
74. Broadcast News (1987) — James L. Brook’s terrific movie look at network news is about integrity — and flop sweat. Albert Brooks is Aaron Altman, a skilled writer and reporter with no charisma on camera. William Hurt is Tom Granick, who admittedly is a lightweight intellectually but has a persona ideally suited for the camera. It is inevitable that he will rise up the ladder of network news, even if he is dumb enough not to realize it. But the glue factor here is Jane Craig (Holly Hunter), the dynamic writer-producer who barks commands that belie her slight frame and who steers the nightly broadcast with supreme confidence in her abilities, even if she does go through a crying jag every day. Jane knows Tom is over his head, just as she knows Aaron is a talented writer who deserves a chance to anchor the news. But one weekend stint as a substitute anchor that results in an epic case of flop sweat takes Aaron out of contention. Jane is caught between the two newsmen romantically. Could someone of her superior intellect really fall for a pretty boy who is nowhere near her level? This film is a great look at the production of news and yet brings a real personal touch. My favorite line is when the head of the news division asks Jane what it’s like to always think you are the smartest person in the room. She knows she is, and it is never easy. Broadcast this: 4½ cans.
75. Footloose (1984) — This exuberant tale of a fish out of water stars Kevin Bacon in his breakout role as Ren McCormick. Ren and his mother move from Chicago to the little town of Beaumont, where Ren, with his spiked hair and narrow ties, looks nothing like the other kids in high school. They like to race trucks while Ren likes to — GASP — dance. But dancing and loud music is forbidden in Beaumont and the restrictions are proselytized by Reverend Moore (John Lithgow), father of high school hot girl Ariel (Lori Singer). Soon Ren is teaching his awkward buddy Willard (Chris Penn) to get his groove on. Sarah Jessica Parker is the adorable girlfriend of Willard, there is a rivalry between Ren and the local tough guy Chuck, and, at the end, there is much dancing. Considering that this town prohibits such exhibitions, there are sure a lot of great dancers. I love the music here and the joy of free expression and dance. 4 cans.
76. Bull Durham (1988) — And the 80s Film Festival continues with one of my favorite Kevin Costner baseball movies (he also starred in “Field of Dreams” and “For the Love of the Game”). Here he is Crash Davis, a veteran catcher who suddenly finds himself demoted to A ball, the lowest level in the minor leagues and a far cry from “the show,” as he refers to the majors. He is sent to Durham, NC, specifically to tutor phenom Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), a young pitcher with a million dollar arm and a 10 cent head. Crash gives Nuke a crash course in how to pitch, handle himself and deliver sports clichés to the press, while local baseball fan Annie (Susan Sarandon) teaches him some of the finer facts of life. Crash is going nowhere, while Nuke is full of potential. The depiction of baseball in the minor leagues is priceless: Long, boring bus trips, clubhouse pranks, awkward conversations on the mound and more chewing and spitting than you would think humanly possible. Crash is much more suited for the mature Annie (she’s not only older, but she listens to Edith Piaf), but not while she is interested in schooling young Nuke. Costner’s speech about what he believes in is worth the price of the movie. And wow, he looks great here. 4 cans.
77. Breaking Away (1979) — And now we venture back to the 70s for this charmer about four high school graduates unsure what to do with their lives. Dave Stoler (Dennis Christopher) rides bikes and dreams of joining the Italian racing team – so much so that he speaks Italian around the house and drives his “Papa” (Paul Dooley) crazy. Dave is one of the “cutters,” the town kids in Bloomington, Indiana, who aren’t college students and aren’t really the men who cut limestone in the local quarries, like their fathers did. Mike (Dennis Quaid) was a high school quarterback and longs for his glory days. Cyril (Daniel Stern, in essentially the same role he played later in “Diner,” but this time without the benefit of a college education) is goofy and funny and cannot get along with his father. The fourth musketeer is the runt of the litter, Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley), the almost forgotten one. These guys don’t have enough ambition to actually break away from their hometown. They just want to defeat their college rivals in the “Little 500” bike race, and Dave wants to win the college girl who thinks he actually is Italian. This warm, sweet movie unexpectedly won an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, losing out to “Kramer vs. Kramer.” 3½ cans.
78. Notes on a Scandal (2006) — I finally moved back to the 21st century with this taut drama about a scandalous affair between an attractive, married and inappropriately older teacher, Sheba (Cate Blanchett) and a 15-year old student (Andrew Simpson). But the real relationship is between Sheba and a fellow teacher, Barbara (Judi Dench), a dour, lonely spinster who has designs of her own on an increasingly vulnerable Sheba. Barbara stumbles upon the teacher and student affair and uses that bit of information to build a close bond with Sheba that she thinks is something more. Outstanding Oscar-nominated performances by Blanchett and Dench elevate the story to more than a soap opera, and it held my interest to the end. 4 cans.
79. Thelma & Louise (1991) — Thelma and Louise (Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon) have men problems, money problems, and, after a girls’ weekend goes terribly awry, murder problems. When a lout in a bar tries to rape Thelma, Louise shoots him and the girls take off, trying to get away with murder. Along the way to Mexico, through rural Oklahoma and on the run, they ramp up the fun with armed robbery and by picking up a young Brad Pitt, whose movie feature debut is a memorable one. This romp is a buddy movie, a road movie and a fun flight for two women who have put up with plenty of crap from the men in their lives. Call it revenge for past transgressions if you will, but the girls just want to have fun. The iconic last scene is the female version of the ending of “Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid.” 4 cans.
80. Labor Day* (2013) — If you have the choice of A) Renting this movie from Red Box for $1.20; B) Watching it for free; or, C) Skipping it altogether, go for option C. Josh Brolin is an escaped con who cons his way into the car, house and lives of depressed single mom Kate Winslett and her adolescent and moony-eyed son (Gattlin Griffith). He needs a place to hide while on the lam, so he forces them to take him in and, of course, turns out to be a great guy who can do everything from household repairs to throwing a baseball or making a mean peach pie. Actually, making the peach pie turned out to be the best part of the movie, which should tell you why you should just go bake a pie and skip the movie. 1 can of peach pie filling, though they only use fresh in the movie.
81. Nonstop* (2014) — Liam Neeson again plays a guy very much in charge in this suspenseful movie that takes place on an airplane. Someone knows he is an air marshal and keeps sending him threatening e-mail messages about killing passengers every hour if $150 million isn’t transferred to an off-shore account. Julianne Moore is sitting next to him, amused by his fear of flying, but she is soon full of fear herself, as strange things keep happening on that plane. Although this one is billed as an action/adventure, that didn’t stop me from dozing off more than once. All I know is that with Neeson’s record, I want his name to be my emergency contact when I travel. It’s never easy, but he gets the job done. 3 cans.
82. Starting Over (1979) — Seeing this erudite comedy was better than ever for me (to quote a line from one of the songs). Burt Reynolds underplays his role as Phil Potter, a man whose wife Jessie (the always stunning Candice Bergen) dumps him and then tries to get back into his life just as he establishes an attachment to teacher Marilyn (the late and much lamented Jill Clayburgh). Potter is basically a good guy, a little buttoned up (as evidenced by his ever-present trench coat that is actually buttoned up), but he is skittish enough about his new relationship that he has an anxiety attack in Bloomingdales while buying a couch with Marilyn. And when Jessie reappears in his life to win him back, he is in a quandary. Jessie is a singer whose belting is the equivalent of Elaine Benes’s dancing on “Seinfeld,” and Bergen, to her credit, plays it to the hilt. Reynolds is deadpan as his character with just a bit of the arched eyebrow and askance look when appropriate, and Clayburgh is endearing as she tries to trust the relationship she and Reynolds have established. There are witty lines throughout the script, as one would expect from screenwriter James L. Brooks. So happy I got to see this adult comedy again. 4 cans.
83. Big (1988) — Tom Hanks caused a splash in “Splash,” but he really hit it big here. When 13-year old Josh Baskin visits a carnival and goes to the Zoltan machine, he wishes he were bigger. The next day, his wish is granted and Josh wakes up in Hanks’s body. Aside from the obvious problems of clothes that don’t fit and hair that has suddenly sprouted on his now-manly body, Josh needs to find that Zoltan machine and wish for his old life back. Accompanied by his best buddy, Billy, he heads to NYC to track down the Zoltan machine at the next carnival. While there, he realizes he needs a job to live and he gets one — at a toy company. Hanks is brilliant in the role, awkward and physically unfit for this new body and naïve and sweet as a 13-year old who is now treated like a man — especially by co-worker Elizabeth Perkins. Will he find true love or will he find Zoltan and go back to the real Josh and his family? Penny Marshall directed this movie with a deft touch, and Jared Rushton as Billy is terrific, but it is Hanks who seals the deal. The scene of him dancing on the floor piano in FAO Schwartz is priceless. 4 cans.
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