Best Picture Hall of Fame

I liked Hidden Figures, but the funny thing is that I watched it because Jim Parsons (Sheldon from "The Big Bang Theory") is in it, but he's actually the weak link in that movie.

I don't know who he is? I haven't seen The Big Bang Theory.

This is him:

Gosh I don't remember him, must have been a small role.

Yes, it was a pretty small role. As I recall, he was basically just complaining about the women being there.

But he's awesome on "The Big Bang Theory".

On the Waterfront

I've seen this movie several times over the years, but not because it's a favorite movie. This is a movie that I respect more than I like it. I can see why other people like it, but for some reason, it just doesn't do much for me.

I think part of the problem for me is that I seem to have some kind of a mental block against Marlon Brando, ever since I found out some negative stuff about him when he made the Superman movie with Christopher Reeve back in the 70's. He's a great actor, but I just don't like him as a person, and that seems to bother me when I watch him in anything.

But about the movie itself, it's a very good movie overall, but I just don't believe any part of the romance between Terry and Edie, and that takes away from the movie a bit. There are a couple of little annoying things too, such as the blinds in the back window of the cab in the scene with Terry and his brother, and in the scene when they beat up Terry, if he was such a good boxer, he should have been able to defend himself better. But it's a good story, and I can see why most people love this movie, even if I don't agree.

There are several movies that weren't even nominated for Best Picture that I would have picked over this movie. Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Magnificent Obsession, White Christmas, Brigadoon, and It Should Happen to You would have been my picks for the nominated movies over the movies that were actually nominated.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

The last time I saw this movie, I was in high school, so it was almost like watching it for the first time. The exception was the ending of the movie, which I remembered as if I had just watched it yesterday, so the fact that I remembered it after all these years gives you an idea of how powerful the ending really is.

This is another movie that I respect more than I like, but I also like the movie. Unlike most people, I don't see Nurse Ratched as a villain. I see her as being very strict, but basically she's just doing her job, and since McMurphy showed up, her job has become much harder because he doesn't belong there. He thought he could fake being crazy as an easy way to avoid prison, but she knows he's not crazy, so they go up against each other over and over again.

It seems like McMurphy is actually good for the others because he seems to bring them out of their shells, but at the same time, he's also a bad influence them too because he pushes them to break the rules. The fishing trip is a good example of this as we can see how happy they are that day, but they had to escape and steal a bus to go on that trip.

The acting in this movie is top notch by everyone. I think Will Sampson as "Chief" is very underrated, and I loved his relationship with McMurphy, and his reaction at the end when he sees what happened to McMurphy.

While I think this movie deserved to win Best Picture, I would have preferred to see either Jaws or Dog Day Afternoon win instead of this, but that doesn't take away anything from this movie because they're all great movies.

I think I've done write-ups for all of the movies, but if I missed any, please let me know.

I'll submit my list soon. I want to think about it for a little while before submitting my list.

Silence of the Lambs

I read all of your reviews and my experience watching this was like gbgoodie's. I too had been interested in seeing this as its a Best Pic winner, but horror films aren't my thing. I did end up mostly liking it. My favorite was the interaction between Hannibal Lecter and Clarice, which was brilliant.

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal, he sure created a memorable character and did an amazing job of being intense, and weird, and yet likable too. It was quite the performance and he won an Oscar for it.

I really wanted to see him and Clarice have some sort of bond and that's why their scenes together were my favorite. It was a pretty great script idea that a psycho killer would respect this 'little' FBI trainee. I say 'little' because the cinematography goes to lengths to show Clarice surrounded at different times by really tall men. Like in the elevator scene. That's not an accident, it shows us that physically she is surrounded by people much stronger than her, which then makes her task all the more daunting.

Jodie Foster won an Oscar for Best Actresses and she was sublime in this movie! It's a pity that most fans don't give her the credit due. Her acting was always sincere (even Hannibal appreciated that aspect of her character). We need to see more of Jodie in these Hofs!

The music score: perfect, perfect, perfect. I was never aware of it, except the couple times I made a conscious effort to listen for it. That then makes it effective.

The sets: I'm a sucker for set detail and man is this movie loaded with cool sets! I loved the psychiatric jail where we first see Hannibal. The heavy cobble stones and rusting metal made it look like a long forgotten dungeon where these derelicts of society languished in darkness.

The second temporary holding cell for Hannibal inside a large room was memorable too, as spacial it was this large cell in surrounded by vastness.

I really like Buffalo Bill's house it was loaded with weird looking stuff, one good spend hours just examining each frame for hidden details Good lighting too in there. Notice how his basement holding pit was made of the same big cobblestones that was in Hannibal's cell?

There were some scenes I didn't care for, they were just to dark for my taste. Spoiler**** And I think it was a mistake having Hannibal be out on the run and free. I'm sure that was done with the hopes of a sequel being made. But I would have loved an epilogue with Clarice visiting Hannibal one more time, in his new permanent cell. I think they could have had a touching, yet uncomfortable moment there, as a way to reflect back on the journey they both took.

Yeah, she's easily the best thing about the film. Hopkins is good too but his performance would be ridiculous if it wasn't for Foster basically legitimizing it in their early interactions. Hopkins performance always goes down for me and i enjoy Fosters more every time.

Hannibal's cold reading of Clarice at their first meeting and his uncanny abilities of perception, reminded me of Tyrone Powers character in Nightmare Alley. Did you get that feeling at all?

No, i've not watched Silence of the Lambs in about four years but i definitely know what you mean.

To clarify exactly what i mean by Foster "legitimizing" Hopkins performance before someone questions that, the "you" i refer to here is always myself only obviously.

The thing is Foster completely stops you from finding Hopkins performance goofy before you do, and it absolutely is a goofy performance. There's nothing scary or believable about Hopkins, he's kind of hilarious if you just isolate his moments without Foster, thing is Foster acts so convincingly unnerved by him that you take him as the same yourself. One of the most well known pieces of Oscar Trivia is the ridiculously short amount of time Hopkins is actually on screen, that shocked me when i first heard it but now it makes perfect sense, Hopkins being on screen for an extended period of time would have just highlighted how absurd he is (Hannibal), Foster creates the idea of Lecter with her reactions and every time you hear him mentioned you recall Fosters demeanour more than Hopkins himself which is why he works so much as an offscreen presence. This film would work to a degree with Foster reacting to a cell and us not seeing inside it and never seeing Lecter just hearing what she says and seeing how she reacts, but it wouldn't work at all the opposite even if we got all of Foster's scenes without Hopkins.

Absolutely, the all import reaction shots. Which Jodie Foster probably made without Anthony Hopkins even being on the set. Like you said, she's so believable in her utter reactions to Hopkin's Hannibal that we believe what we perceive of the mind set of Clarice.

I've just checked off 3 movies thanks to this Hof, from the Best Picture Oscar Winners list. Yeah!

A Beautiful Mind



Can't remember if I have seen this only the once in theater. I feel like I saw it a second time but it doesn't really matter because I remembered the story beats. The only thing that threw me off is I thought the reveal came much later in the film. I remembered the last half of the film being more like the last third or even last half hour.

Anyway I still enjoy this film quite a bit but it certainly didn't hit me with any emotional heft this time around. Great story, even if it is flawed, and pretty great performances. A lot of humor too, which always carries me a long way. I really don't have a lot of strong feelings about this film. It is just solid all the way around but I probably should have stopped at one watch.

My preference for this year would have been Royal Tennenbaums but I think of those nominated I am fine with Beautiful Mind winning. I also love Amelie which has one of my favorite female performances, but I have only seen that once. I am a big I Am Sam fan as well but it has been years since I revisited that. Feel like it wouldn't hold up past the soundtrack.

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Letterboxd

I havent seen any of them so just wrote them down. I've been told I Am Sam is a tissue box watch. Do you think so, Sean? It's the only reason I put it off for so long.

Definitely. I probably have seen it three or four times because it was one of my wife's favorites. I have never not cried watching it. You should check it out if you like melodrama though. All Beatles music which I loved. All covers but still great music.

Yep it's on my list so thanks. I have to time my tissue box watches carefully, but I do want to see this. I've heard nothing but good things.

And I've got to say, I;m very impressed with the number of guys on Mofo who are cool about saying they cried in a movie. I salute you!

You kidding since I have had children there are commercials I can't make it through.

I am going to watch The Godfather tonight. I will see if I can squeeze The Silence of the Lambs in, too.

Then I will post all of my reviews.

But I have a question. I really don't want to annoy anyone if I do it, but I was going to post ALL of them at once (separately, of course, so they can link up to the first page). Should I do that? Yes, I like to post multiple at a time, but this wouldn't just be 4, maybe 5. This would be ALL 13 of them. Would that bother you guys if I post them all at once?

If it would at all, I will divide them up.

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I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe