davidh777

I saw The Wild Bunch many years ago; it was just The Dirty Dozen that had eluded me.

Congrats to those who have been checking big items off their list! I saw Lawrence on the big screen probably 20+ years ago after a restoration.

Kiss Me Kate has been rumored for a 3D Archive release (Dial M for Murder has also been rumored); who knows if it will really happen, though.

gp1086

Lawrence of Arabia = 227 minutes!

Have heard great things about O'Toole's performance, but will need to set aside quite some time for this one!

Travis McClain

The thing is, as great as O'Toole was in that, he may not even be the best part. It's one of those rare films where seemingly everything is perfect, from the music to the dialog, from the performances to the cinematography, from the costuming to the action... It's amazing. After seeing that, I'm much harsher on all other "epics." Gladiator? Bored me! :P

As for me, I just found and streamed a short film called Copy Shop (11:32) that was one of the Best Short Film nominees in 2001. I really enjoyed this one! It's almost like a sort of Fantasia sequence. It's a perfect microcosm for exploring how the short film format allows for aesthetic choices that are not particularly practical in a feature. Well worth taking the time to stream it for those looking to add to their viewing totals.



Copy Shop [2001 Awards]
(N) Short Film (Live Action) - Virgil Widrich

davidh777

O'Toole's blue eyes were six feet tall in the theater

Travis McClain

Hey! Check it out, y'all! I found a website that collects short films that are available to stream online. They have a collection of 19 Oscar-nominated shorts. Note: The shorts don't stream from this site directly. Rather, they link you to whichever site is offering the stream. I know that I'm always interested to watch more short films but they're almost impossible to come by without conducting an investigation so I thought this might prove helpful to some of you.

Short of the Week - Oscar Films

Also, if you go to Zanita Films' website, you can stream or download the short film, Fifty Percent Grey (a 2001 nominee for Best Short Film - Animated). There are other shorts available there, but it's the only one that was nominated for an Oscar.

Another short I found online: Give Up Yer Aul Sins from Brown Bag Films:


One more website to check is Online Short Films. They have a collection of Oscar nominees and Oscar winners.

Ash Ketchum

I've seen a lot of original 3-D prints on the big screen, including KISS ME KATE, which I took my daughter to see one New Year's Eve about 20 years ago. We both loved it. I thought it had the best use of 3-D, in terms of composition and production design, of any 3-D movie from that period I've seen. The process was used well and did not rely on throwing things at the camera the way so many westerns and adventure pictures from that period did with their cascading arrays of spears, tomahawks and burning arrows.

mrcellophane

If anyone lives in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art is currently doing an "Oscar Tune-Up" and showing a lot of the more obscure nominees for this year. Saturday I went to see all of the nominated animated and live action shorts. This was the first year my schedule allowed me to go, and I had such a wonderful time!

Of the animated shorts, Wild Life and La Luna were my favorites. The former was gorgeous and so very confident with its storytelling. Of course, La Luna just reaffirmed that Pixar is amazing at setting tone and being charming.

Of the live action shorts, Tuba Atlantic was definitely the best of the bunch. It was poignant and hilarious. It reminded me a lot of the film Kitchen Tale.

CardiffGiant

I almost mentioned it feeling dated when I posted my original comment, but I didn't want it to come off the wrong way. There are films that seem dated to me, but still have an impact. I wasn't yet born when Midnight Cowboy was released, so I thought some of the impact may have escaped me for that reason. Generally speaking, my favorite time period in film history is the mid-50s to the mid-to-late-60s, so I've seen plenty of "dated" films that I still enjoyed.

The comment about Easy Rider is an interesting one because it hit me emotionally when I first saw it as a student in college (again, despite not being around for that era) probably because of the social commentary on squashing individualism, the soundtrack, and the celebration of the American landscape. Fast forward a number of years and I show it in my classroom and it seems to have little impact on on students. I'm not sure of the exact reason, perhaps film has changed too much since that time.

Thanks again for the comment, it's always good to hear others' perspectives of the films. It's my favorite part of the challenges.

BobO'Link

I think that's what surprised me the most. That *one* scene stood out but nothing else really did. It was watching that mini-docu that clued me in. The shot of several studio execs watching with the glasses was interesting as they look like polarized lenses. I'd thought 3D from this era was all done with red/blue separation. I watched the 3D out-takes, which were very well done. While stuff *was* thrown "at" the screen it really didn't have that cheesy "LOOK! We're in 3D!" feeling. I believe one of the comments was "we didn't want to just throw stuff but make it look natural". I believe they pulled it off for the most part. Part of me wants to re-watch it now that I know it was originally done for 3D and actively *look* for those scenes.

BobO'Link

I, too, have an aversion to most musicals (although you couldn't tell it by looking at my list having started with *6* of them!). The Sound of Music is one of a *very* small handful I own and actively recommend to people. I saw it when first released (on a *huge* screen - the same theater where I also saw How the West was Won during its original release and in Cinerama format) and liked it then. The music in that one *belongs* and is natural. The others in that select group are My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Mary Poppins, and Paint your Wagon. While the ones I watched to start this challenge *were* mostly enjoyable, IMHO they're not in the same league as those 5 as far as plot and overall musical quality is concerned.

Mao

Would love to find time to get to the theater to see the Shorts Festivals....I think Itunes starts selling them this Friday....Comcast (and some other cable company) starts renting packages on the 21st., but "La Luna" will not be available....drat!

popcorn

After serious delay, I finally watched In The Name of the Father. Surprisingly I enjoyed it and was surprised it didn't earn any Oscars. 1993 was a hard year with Philadelphia and Schindler's List.

R.I.P. Pete Postlethwaite

Travis McClain

Stopped by the library today and found they had Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India on DVD, so I checked that out. It's quite likable, though fairly predictable and formulaic (at least, as formulaic as a musical about cricket can be!). It was particularly odd for me, as I gorged on short films late last night/early this morning, but this runs 225 minutes! I have to say, I thought the pace was just about right (though I admit I was surprised several times when I had to pause it to learn I was not at all as far along as I thought I was).

This leaves me with just one of the 2001 Foreign Language Film nominees to see (Son of the Bride, which I haven't found yet). My personal ranking for the four would be:

Le fabuleaux destin d'Amelie Poulain
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
No Man's Land
Elling

I have to say, one thing Lagaan did really well was portray a cricket match. Often, sports sequences are reduced to the introduction of the game, a quick montage of highlights and then the dramatic conclusion. I think the cricket match in this goes on for at least an hour. I couldn't speak cricket with actual fans, necessarily, but I really do feel like I have a much better understanding of the game now!

Whoops! Forgot to mention: The lead actor, Aamir Khan, looks like Aaron Boone.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India [2001 Awards]
(N) Foreign Language Film - India

lisadoris

Now that I've actually seen The Dirty Dozen the scene in Sleepless in Seattle where they talk about it is even funnier than before!

Checked out A Better Life last night and loved it. I don't think it actually played near Detroit or I would have seen it in the theater.

shadokitty

Watched Superman last night. Christopher Reeve was almost as good a Superman as George Reeves was, and I thought it was a much better movie than Superman Returns.

Ash Ketchum

EASY RIDER came out when I was in high school and we talked about it in the earnest way that high schoolers would talk about something that captured the zeitgeist of the time. It's a film that was very much of its time, but that time didn't last very long. At a college screening of the film just a few short years later, everyone laughed at it. And when I saw it on a double bill with THE WILD ANGELS in 1978, the audience laughed at EASY RIDER, but applauded WILD ANGELS, which seemed just as powerful at that moment as it ever did. (And still does, if you ask me.)

Travis McClain

I know I've said it numerous times elsewhere, but I am compelled to make the observation anytime I encounter the chance for it: for my money, George Reeves remains the definitive Clark Kent.

BobO'Link

Ditto.

gp1086

Checked out Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time today (actually half today, the other half yesterday). I would be completely remiss if I don't point out that this film is brilliantly crafted. Everything from the acting, directing, visual effects, costumes, sound, set design, etc. are done perfectly. At the same time, I can't say the story intrigued me all that much and I found myself rather disinterested at several points.

shadokitty

Do you plan to see the other two movies in the trilogy? You might like it better if watch the rest of the trilogy.

gp1086

You're probably right, and I do eventually plan to, even if it's not part of this challenge. Given all the recognition they've received (especially the third) and the way the first one ended, I think its probably fairest to look at the series as a whole, cohesive story. I'll also admit that had I read the books beforehand, I almost definitely would have been more intrigued. I still gave the movie a 6.5 out of 10, so it's not like I completely hated it or anything.

Travis McClain

Regarding The Lord of the Rings, I have Fellowship lined up soon as part of my focus on 2001 nominees and winners. I have only seen it once before; the extended version on DVD, and that was a decade ago. I'm always stunned when I encounter people who favor that part over the other two, since it amounts to little more than a really long Act I. (The Two Towers is easily my favorite of the trilogy.)

I watched I Am Sam this afternoon, which I checked out on DVD from the library. I found it rather predictable, and some of the use of music struck me as a little too...I dunno. "Gimmicky" sounds too harsh. I can only really say that I was conscious that it was trying very hard to use its soundtrack in a clever manner.

I do confess, though, that before the first 20 minutes were up, I cried. The idea of a father being, or feeling, inadequate broke my heart particularly as I'm 33, getting divorced and childless. I feel like that's a part of life I'll never get to enjoy and it absolutely crushed me to see the looks on little Dakota Fanning's face as she became aware of her dad's shortcomings but became protective of his feelings.

On an entirely peripheral note: What a terrific supporting cast! As a Trekkie, I really enjoyed seeing Brent Spiner as a shoe salesman and Rosalind Chao as a prostitute. Chao never got to show off her figure like that as Keiko O'Brien!

I Am Sam [2001 Awards]
(N) Actor in a Leading Role - Sean Penn (Sam Dawson)

davidh777

Sorry, Min

FOTR and ROTK are my favorite parts. FOTR is mostly set-up, true, but it's so masterfully crafted. I agree though that knowing where you're going affects this segment most of all.

That said, I just watched The Two Towers and it's a great movie. For some reason, it didn't strike me as much as the other two when seeing them in theaters, perhaps because it's the middle and doesn't offer resolution, but it's hard to pick apart what seemed like shortcomings now.

These are really one long movie in three parts so gp1086 can finish the rest of the story in the action challenge!

Travis McClain

For me, Fellowship is a very long opening and The Return of the King is nice but it seems to go on forever (and I still have not seen the extended version!). The Two Towers, though, has the lion's share of the action and it's just pure badass.

davidh777

It's a time dedication, no question. I don't really think of it as an undertaking because I'm a big fan, but I realize it can be a challenge if one doesn't know the differences between the races and places, etc. It's probably part of the achievement that something so inherently geeky reached such a wide audience.

I swear by the extended editions but have been known to watch the theatricals as background or when I want to FF through to favorite scenes.