31. Election
(1999) – A young Reese Witherspoon is perfection as Tracy Flick, an energetic
and ambitious high school student with her sights set on being Student Body
President. Matthew Broderick is a
teacher in her school and a bit skeptical of her motives, so he persuades a
football player (Chris Klein) to run against her. Various hijinks ensue as this story skewers
the brown-noser types like Tracy ,
high school life in general, laconic teachers, and, most of all,
elections. 3 cans.
32. In the Heat of the Night (1967) – This
movie was named Best Picture of 1967, something I would dispute (see next
review). Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier)
is merely passing through a small Southern town when he is hauled in to the
sheriff’s office merely because he is black.
While verifying his identity as a police officer from Philadelphia to local authorities, he is
roped into solving the murder of a local businessman. Tibbs must contend with discrimination and
stereotypes while peeling back the layers of the crime, examining aspects that
the local yokels have ignored or misunderstood.
Rod Steiger as the sheriff treats him with disdain yet recognizes he
needs his expertise. Tibbs manages to
outwit, outplay and outclass everyone.
Nice bits from Lee Grant as the murdered man’s wife, and Poitier and
Steiger play their parts with grit and relish.
4 cans.
33. The Graduate (1967) – This, in my
not-so-humble opinion, is the best movie of 1967. In fact, it is my favorite movie of
all-time. The anti-establishment theme
appealed to me as a 17-year old trying to understand the expectations of
society for someone just coming of age – and I mean not just Dustin Hoffman’s
Benjamin Braddock, but also me.
“Plastics,” “Oh, no, it’s completely baked,” “Mrs. Robinson, you’re
trying to seduce me” are just some of the classic lines from this serious yet
extremely funny movie. It was very
contemporary for 1967, and it holds up well after all these years. Anne Bancroft is the ultimate cougar as Mrs.
Robinson and Katherine Ross is the beautiful Elaine, her daughter, who meets
Benjamin and gives him a purpose in life.
Kudos to Bancroft for deftly playing the seductress and the mother of
Ross when she was only a few years older than Hoffman. Mike Nichols directed this hit, and it helped
establish him and Hoffman as major players in Hollywood .
I love this movie and always will.
5 cans for the film itself and another 5 for its legendary Simon &
Garfunkel soundtrack.
34. Moonstruck (1987) – This irresistible
movie is more about moments than plot.
Loretta Castorini (Cher , who won the
Oscar for Best Actress)) is a dowdy widow (who cleans up well) resigned to
marrying her long-time boyfriend Johnny Cammereri (Danny Aiello) even though
she feels she has no luck in love. When
she is told by Johnny to invite his estranged brother Ronny (Nicholas Cage) to
the wedding while he flies to his dying mother’s bedside in Palermo , sparks fly between Loretta and Ronny. There are great scenes with her parents in
Brooklyn (Vincent Gardenia and Olympia Dukakis, who my friend Dy will insist to
her dying day is miscast despite her Oscar for the role), with her confused
grandfather, her aunt and uncle, her father’s secret girlfriend (Anita
Gillette) and a would-be lothario professor (John Mahoney). Why do men chase women? Because they fear death, we learn. But Loretta
declares that one day Johnny will die and she’ll come to the funeral
wearing a red dress. Throw in some table
slapping, a night at the opera, a little Vicki Carr music and you have a pastiche of life
Italiano, oddly enough written by John Patrick Shanley. The shot of Cher
coming home on the “walk of shame,” kicking a tin can down the street with her
red patent leather heels is priceless. I
love every minute. 4½ cans.
35. Downhill* (2014) – This ESPN
documentary focuses on the rise and fall of US Olympic skier Bill Johnson. The brash Johnson won the US ’ first-ever gold medal in the
downhill at the 1984 Olympics. An
outsider to the ski team, Johnson was his own man. When asked what winning the gold meant to
him, the 23-year old said, “Millions.” Alas,
his outspokenness and penchant for partying did not sit well with corporations
who love to lavish money on the athletes that have the golden image, and his
endorsement prospects failed to materialize.
He made personal appearances and continued to ski, but ultimately was
forced to find work to support his wife and children. An ill-conceived comeback in preparation for
the Olympics in Salt Lake City
nearly killed Johnson, and his health has continued to decline. Johnson was the golden boy of skiing, but
while he was a whiz on the slopes, his real life is a cautionary tale of too
much, too soon. This is a sad story
about a guy who could have had it all.
3½ cans.
36. Indiscreet (1958) – There’s not a lot
of substance in this Stanley Donen movie, but the enchanting leads (Cary Grant
and Ingrid Bergman) make it worth watching.
Bergman’s Anna is an actress in London
who falls for diplomat Philip, who confesses he is married. They are indiscreet anyway, though Anna
wonders why he can’s just get a divorce and marry her. Well, that’s because he isn’t married. A confirmed bachelor, Philip has lied to the
women in his life to avoid a long-term commitment. In the last third of this stylish show, Anna
finds out Philip isn’t married at all and tries to turn the tables on her
paramour. Worth watching just to see the
clothes and sets. Really, has anyone in
the movies ever worn a tuxedo better than Cary Grant? 3½ cans.
37. Apollo 13 (1995) – I think I watch and
review this movie every year, and yet it continues to engage me. So many things went wrong with the 1989
launch of Apollo 13, destined for the moon but crippled by an explosion. As badly as the flight goes, that is how well
the movie goes. Having recently visited
the Johnson Space
Center in Houston , I felt even more connected to the
story. And although I know the ending, I
still hold my breath until the capsule splashes down. 5 cans.
38. The Bad & the Beautiful (1958) –
Kirk Douglas is bad and Lana Turner is beautiful in this tale of an ambitious Hollywood producer who will ruin lives to achieve
success. In his rise to the top he uses
an erratic actress with a drinking problem and cheats a writer who aspires to
be a director from making the film he imagined.
Turner is well cast as the troubled actress with minimal acting ability
and Douglass is cold as ice as the ruthless producer. If you like to see Hollywood excoriated, tune in. 3 cans.
39. About a Boy (2002) – Since I have now
watched several episodes of the NBC TV program based on this movie, I thought I
should go back and see the original. The
story is more about a man than a boy, a self-centered man who refuses to grow
up and commit to anything or anyone.
Hugh Grant is Will, a skirt-chasing bachelor whose path crosses with
awkward 12-year old Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), a fatherless child living with a
mother who always is on the verge of a breakdown. Will actually joins a group for single
parents just to meet women, and the woman he is dating is friends with Marcus’
mother. The kid keeps coming around,
hoping for an adult friend who can be counted on, but Will’s not that guy. Still, Marcus doesn’t fit in with the kids his
age, and he can sit and watch TV with Will and avoid going home to the house of
depression. Their relationship blooms,
and Will teaches Marcus to be more accepted even as Marcus teaches Will to let
people become more than a passing part of his life. Ultimately, Will comes to the rescue when Marcus
needs him most. Grant is at his
befuddled and charming best and has never looked better, the kid is off-center
but irresistible, and Toni Collette is the mother whose haircut alone would send
me into a deep depression. The TV show
is amusing, but the movie is better. 3½
cans.
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