AFI's 10 Top 10 Final List

June 18, 2008

AFI’s 10 Top 10 Final List

Animation

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
2. Pinocchio
3. Bambi
4. The Lion King
5. Fantasia
6. Toy Story
7. Beauty and the Beast
8. Shrek
9. Cinderella
10. Finding Nemo

Fantasy

1. The Wizard of Oz
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
3. It’s a Wonderful Life
4. King Kong
5. Miracle on 34^th Street
6. Field of Dreams
7. Harvey
8. Groundhog Day
9. The Thief of Baghdad

Gangster

1. The Godfather
2. Goodfellas
3. The Godfather Part II
4. White Heat
5. Bonnie and Clyde
6. Scarface: The Shame of the Nation (1932)
7. Pulp Fiction
8. The Public Enemy
9. Little Caesar
10. Scarface

Science Fiction

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Star Wars
3. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
4. A Clockwork Orange
5. The Day the Earth Stood Still
6. Blade Runner
7. Alien
8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
10. Back to the Future

Western

1. The Searchers
2. High Noon
3. Shane
4. Unforgiven
5. Red River
6. The Wild Bunch
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
9. Stagecoach
10. Cat Ballou

Sports

1. Raging Bull
2. Rocky
3. The Pride of the Yankees
4. Hoosiers
5. Bull Durham
6. The Hustler
7. Caddyshack
8. Breaking Away
9. National Velvet
10. Jerry Maguire

Mystery

1. Vertigo
2. Chinatown
3. Rear Window
4. Laura
5. The Third Man
6. The Maltese Falcon
7. North by Northwest
8. Blue Velvet
9. Dial M for Murder
10. The Usual Suspects

Romantic Comedy

1. City Lights
2. Annie Hall
3. It Happened One Night
4. Roman Holiday
5. The Philadelphia Story
6. When Harry Met Sally…
7. Adam’s Rib
8. Moonstruck
9. Harold and Maude
10. Sleepless in Seattle

Courtroom Drama

1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. 12 Angry Men
3. Kramer vs. Kramer
4. The Verdict
5. A Few Good Men
6. Witness for the Prosecution
7. Anatomy of a Murder
8. In Cold Blood
9. A Cry in the Dark
10. Judgment at Nuremberg

Epic

1. Lawrence of Arabia
2. Ben-Hur
3. Schindler’s List
4. Gone with the Wind
5. Sparticus
6. Titanic
7. All Quiet on the Western Front
8. Saving Private Ryan
9. Reds
10. The Ten Commandments

In every category, at least six films that I predicted did make it onto the final list. I correctly guessed five of the ten films at number one—Snow White, The Wizard of Oz, The Godfather, The Searchers and Raging Bull. In four out of the remaining five categories, my number one picks were at number two—Star Wars, Chinatown, Annie Hall and 12 Angry Men. I guessed that Gone with the Wind would be the number one epic, but the film was placed at number four, which is absolutely baffling to me.

The following were some of the worst aspects of the list:

-Including Scarface from 1932 at number 6 for Gangster films? I’m betting that many people meant to vote for Al Pacino’s Scarface and circled the 1932 film instead.

-Terminator 2: Judgment Day? It’s a very good film, but one of the 10 best science fiction films ever? I think Close Encounters of the Third Kind or Frankenstein was much more deserving!

-Blue Velvet? Really AFI? Blue Velvet?

-Where’s Bringing Up Baby on Romantic Comedy?

-I can’t believe The Maltese Falcon was all the way down at number 6 in mystery. I’d think it a lock for the top three.

-In general, the epic list was a mess. Including Reds while not including BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI AND APOCALYPSE NOW??? Gone with the Wind at 4? Ben-Hur at 2 over Schindler’s List?

The following were some pleasant surprises:
-I’m very happy Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid didn’t get any higher than seven on the Western list. I think that film’s overrated.

-I’m glad Field of Dreams got 6^th on the Fantasy list, though I’d think it more as a sports film.

-I was happy that I guessed correctly that Harold and Maude would be on the Romantic Comedy list. I’m going to try and see that film as soon as I can.

-I’m glad Titanic made number 6 on the epic list. That film is the victim of so much hatred, but I think it’s one of the very best films I’ve ever seen.

I am planning on seeing all the films on these lists that I’ve yet to see, so look for reviews coming soon!

AFI's 10 Top 10- My Predictions

June 17, 2008

My Predictions for AFI’s 10 Top 10

The American Film Institute returns with its annual primetime special counting down the greatest films. This year, AFI will name the top ten films in ten different genres. It will air tonight at 8pm on CBS. I thought I’d make my predictions before the special airs. I’ll post AFI’s list later this evening and we’ll see how successful my predictions are.

Note: I’ve chosen from the films listed on the official ballot which you can view at www.afi.com Please keep in mind that I am not choosing based on my own taste, but instead I am predicting what the results will be based on how I think people will vote.

Animation

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
2. Fantasia
3. Toy Story
4. Pinocchio
5. Bambi
6. Beauty and the Beast
7. The Jungle Book
8. Aladdin
9. Shrek
10. Toy Story 2

Alternate possibilities:

Finding Nemo

The Lion King

I included Shrek simply because I think that AFI will have a problem including ten Disney films. Aladdin has really gained quite a following over the years especially from animation film lovers, so I’m going a bit out on a limb choosing it. I included Toy Story 2 because I can’t imagine too many people checking off Toy Story without checking off Toy Story 2. They’re both equally great movies. Personally, I think Snow White is a shoe-in for first place.

Fantasy

1. The Wizard of Oz
2. It’s a Wonderful Life
3. Lord of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring
4. King Kong (1933)
5. The Princess Bride
6. Groundhog’s Day
7. Mary Poppins
8. Superman
9. Miracle on 34^th Street
10. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Alternate Possibilities:

Babe

Batman

There are a few films from the 1920s and 1930s on the ballot that I’ve never heard of so if the list starts going in that direction, I might be totally off the mark. The ballot contained some pretty odd choices including films that I love like Pleasantville and Being John Malkovich. I personally think people will vote more for how the film works as a fantasy than by its quality alone. I am totally confident that The Wizard of Oz will be number one and It’s a Wonderful Life will be number two. I’m much less confident about the other seven, though I am sure that Lord of the Rings and King Kong will be on the list somewhere.

Gangster

1. The Godfather
2. The Godfather Part 2
3. Goodfellas
4. Some Like It Hot
5. Bonnie and Clyde
6. On the Waterfront
7. Pulp Fiction
8. White Heat
9. The Departed
10. The Big Heat

Alternate Possibilities:

Boyz N the Hood

Key Largo

Scarface

Touch of Evil

This was a tough one for many reasons. I’ve heard of films like Key Largo and Touch of Evil, but I’m not exactly sure how revered they are. Also, there are some amazing films included in the ballot that I don’t think of as gangster films like Some Like It Hot, On the Waterfront and even Pulp Fiction. Though I will probably be wrong, I decided to put Goodfellas at number three above Bonnie and Clyde simply because when I think of gangster films, Goodfellas comes into my mind right away (as does James Cagney’s White Heat). Bonnie and Clyde seems like more of a chase film but again, I’m probably going to be wrong. I figured The Departed might be included on the list not only because it’s a great film, but also so the show could include a film from the last three years. Again, I am totally confident that The Godfather will be at number one. Part 2 might be lower down the list than number two, but I don’t think so.

Science Fiction

1. Star Wars
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
3. E.T.
4. Blade Runner
5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
6. A Clockwork Orange
7. Frankenstein
8. Alien
9. Back to the Future
10. The Matrix

Alternate Possibilities:

Cocoon

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Planet of the Apes

Who knows with this category? You can be sure that numbers 1-7 will definitely be on the list. Eight through ten were pure guesses, and I’d be amazed if I were right on all three of them. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if I’m wrong about all three. As for the alternates, they might be on the list, or maybe other films. I just don’t know how good some of the older films like The Invisible Man actually are and also how much they are revered. Star Wars is the heavy favorite for number one in my opinion, but 2001 may very well sneak onto the top. Either way, I’m pretty sure these films will be numbers one and two.

Western

1. The Searchers
2. High Noon
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
4. Shane
5. Stagecoach
6. Unforgiven
7. The Wild Bunch
8. Rio Bravo
9. The Magnificent Seven
10. Dances with Wolves

Alternate Possibilities:

Blazing Saddles

Giant

How the West Was Won

The Last Picture Show

True Grit

I feel a little bit better about my choices in this category. I’d be a bit surprised if many films not on my top ten or in my alternates makes it onto the list. When I think of a Western, I’m sorry but I don’t think of The Last Picture Show. Though it’s a great and respected film, I don’t think people will vote it as a Western. Perhaps I’m wrong about Dances with Wolves, especially with the backlash it has received beating Goodfellas for Best Picture. That being said, it’s a spectacular film and it was on the 100 Greatest Films list in 1997. The Magnificent Seven is one of my father’s favorite movies, so I might not be a good judge on the film’s universal respect. I think The Searchers is a shoe-in for number one. The only thing giving me pause is the fact that Butch Cassidy has been heavily emphasized in all the commercials for the show so maybe that might get number one. If it does, then that would be unfortunate because it doesn’t deserve it. Personally, I don’t think The Searchers deserves it either, but hey that’s life. If I had my way, Stagecoach would be at number one.

Sports

1. Raging Bull
2. Rocky
3. The Pride of the Yankees
4. Caddyshack
5. Field of Dreams
6. Million Dollar Baby
7. The Hustler
8. Hoosiers
9. Jerry Maguire
10. A League of Their Own

Alternate Possibilities:

Bull Durham

Chariots of Fire

Major League

The Natural

Seabiscuit

This is probably the list I am most ashamed of. Many of the film from numbers 7 to 10 and the alternates are good movies at best. Again I’d be surprised if numbers 7-10 are all on the list. Who knows which way the list is going to go? I figure A League of Their Own might make it so we can hear Tom Hanks say, “There’s no crying in baseball!” I’m feeling good about my top four picks. I absolutely believe Raging Bull will be number one and I’m fairly confident that Rocky will be at number two.

Mystery

1. Chinatown
2. The Maltese Falcon
3. Vertigo
4. North by Northwest
5. Rear Window
6. In the Heat of the Night
7. The Third Man
8. The Fugitive
9. The Thin Man
10. The Big Sleep

Alternate Possibilities:

Rebecca

L.A. Confidential

The Usual Suspects

Any other Alfred Hitchcock film

This list is the first that I’m not confident at all about my number one pick. Any of the top five could take number one, though I’d narrow it down to the top three as the real possibilities. Chinatown, The Maltese Falcon and Vertigo are considered among the very best films ever made. Vertigo received the highest place on 2007’s 100 Greatest Films list by AFI, but I don’t think of it as a mystery as much as I think of it as a psychological thriller. Therefore, I’m going to consider it a dead heat between Chinatown and The Maltese Falcon. I wouldn’t be surprised if the list is filled with over five Hitchcock films. I have three right next to each other (3-5), but Rebecca, Laura, Spellbound or any number of films from Hitchcock on the ballot might make their way on the list. I’d love to see The Thin Man make it on the list, but I think it’s a bit of a long shot.

Romantic Comedy

1. Annie Hall
2. City Lights
3. It Happened One Night
4. The Apartment
5. The Philadelphia Story
6. Bringing Up Baby
7. When Harry Met Sally…
8. Roman Holiday
9. Pillow Talk
10. Harold and Maude

Alternate Possibilities:

Adam’s Rib

My Man Godfrey

Sleepless in Seattle

I think the top four are all very real possibilities for the number one spot, though I think it’s going to go to Woody Allen’s masterpiece. I think City Lights is going to be very high on the list because I believe that this film is going through a period of appreciation. It was at number eleven on 2007’s 100 Greatest Films list on AFI. As for seven through ten, I could very well be wrong, but I can’t think of what films could fill those spots. Even the three alternates feel like unworthy choices. There were a lot of films from the nineties and eighties on the ballot, so maybe the list might go more in that direction. I chose Harold and Maude at number ten because this film has such a strong cult following. It probably won’t make the list, but I think it might just be that surprise choice from left field. I’m surprised Breakfast at Tiffany’s wasn’t on the ballot or else I’d have that high on the list.

Courtroom Drama

1. 12 Angry Men
2. A Few Good Men
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
4. Judgment at Nuremberg
5. Inherit the Wind
6. The Caine Mutiny
7. Paths of Glory
8. Witness for the Prosecution
9. A Man For All Seasons
10. In Cold Blood

Alternate Possibilities:

Erin Brockovich

Adam’s Rib

Beyond the top three, I simply guessed. I’ve heard of all these films but I’ve never seen any of the ones from 4-10 and I really don’t know much about any of them. They’re the films on the ballot that sounded most familiar to me. I’m pretty sure Judgment at Nuremberg will be on the list. I chose A Few Good Men to be number two. First of all, everyone’s seen it and it’s an amazing courtroom drama, so I find it hard to believe that people aren’t going to vote for it. To Kill a Mockingbird is a much more beloved film than A Few Good Men (or even 12 Angry Men for that matter) but its courtroom scene is only one part of the film (and in my opinion the film’s weak point). This whole list is really up in the air, but I’m going to say 12 Angry Men will take number one. I don’t think A Few Good Men will be number one, so the real threat for the top spot might be To Kill a Mockingbird.

Epics

1. Gone with the Wind
2. Lawrence of Arabia
3. Schindler’s List
4. The Bridge on the River Kwai
5. Apocalypse Now
6. The Godfather Part 2
7. Ben-Hur (1959)
8. Sparticus
9. Titanic
10. Doctor Zhivago

Alternate Possibilities:

All Quiet on the Western Front
Intolerance

Saving Private Ryan

Forrest Gump

The Ten Commandments
The Birth of a Nation

You can sign, seal and deliver the top three of this list. Four to six could be interchangeable. Seven through ten also may be at different places, but I believe strongly that numbers 1-9 will be on this list and I’m feeling good about Doctor Zhivago on this list as well. None of the alternate possibilities feel appropriate, though out of all of them I’d put money on Saving Private Ryan inching its way on the bottom of the list, but I don’t think so.

Forty-five minutes till the show. Check back later this evening for AFI’s list. Again, the show will be on CBS from 8-11pm.

Saint Ralph

June 17, 2008

Saint Ralph (2004) *1/2

Directed by Michael McGowan

Michael McGowan, the writer and director of Saint Ralph, definitely had his heart in the right place. Considering the fact that on imdb.com the film scored a 7.7 out of ten (which is an excellent score), people have been won over by the film’s inspirational intent. With a film like this, the viewer either buys into it or doesn’t. I’ve loved films like Simon Birch and Pay It Forward, both of which I’ve heard people trash as manipulative, sentimental crap. While I don’t consider Saint Ralph crap, I do think that the film is not only manipulative and overly sentimental, but it’s also pretty dumb. I couldn’t believe how many logical inconsistencies kept popping up during the final hour. There’s a part of me that wants to go back and watch the film again so I can make a comprehensive list of the film’s faults, but I’m not going to do that to myself.

Before I get to errors and inconsistencies, let me discuss two other aspects of Saint Ralph that irked me. First of all, Saint Ralph could have been a beautiful family film with its message of hope and determination. Instead, McGowan decided to go down the PG-13 route with goddamns permeating throughout, a scene involving a girl shoving Ralph’s face into her chest in the (wait for it folks) sacristy of a church, and an absolutely random scene involving Ralph ejaculating into a pool. That last scene especially felt like it came from a completely different film—like American Pie! Are older teenagers really going to buy into the heavy-handed sentiment? I don’t know. Even so, this film, which I’m pretty sure didn’t do well in the box office and doesn’t seem like it’s been a hit on DVD either, really missed the opportunity to broaden its viewing audience had it been written to get a PG rating. Next time someone wants to make a film that at times looks like it’s right out of a Norman Rockwell painting, I highly recommend that he or she not include ejaculate.

Also, how many times have we seen the final sports scene which ends extremely close so as to build tension? Granted, Saint Ralph doesn’t end its marathon with the best possible outcome, but when the camera changed to slow motion as Ralph and his competitors got closer and closer to the finish line, I rolled my eyes big time. I’d be remised if I didn’t point out the film’s use of one of my all time favorite songs, “Hallelujah,” which was written by Leonard Cohen and recorded by many artists over the years. If you want to hear the best version, and in my opinion one of the best song recordings ever, buy or download Jeff Buckley’s version of the song. Anyway, the performer we hear in the film is some dude named Gord Downie. This man butchered one of my favorite songs, and further, he had the gall to add lyrics to this classic. This guy needs singing lessons, or maybe lessons on how to be an accountant so that he can make his money some other way. That guy better hope he doesn’t run into me in a dark alley! Gosh, I’m so tough, aren’t I?

Now onto the film’s mistakes. I feel like McGowan did cursory research at most about Catholicism and its teachings about miracles. Everything regarding doctrine in this film is presented completely as black and white. Especially when it comes to something like whether or not someone can experience a miracle, there’s no three step checklist like the one presented in the film. The Church has NEVER taught that you have to be spiritually pure in order to experience a miracle. Also, the principal, Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent) is said at one time to be a candidate for becoming a monsignor. Well, no, McGowan, that would be impossible since he is a priest that is part of a religious order and order priests can’t become monsignors. Also, I’m pretty sure the Boston Marathon lasts many hours. The film explicitly asks us to believe that students stayed in one room to listen on the radio. Those students could have gone home, done their homework, put together a jigsaw puzzle, played a game of touch football and then return to the school before the marathon would have been finished broadcasting.

The film is manipulative in the fact that certain details are made unrealistic to the point of absurdity in order to further the plot. First of all, how was Ralph able to survive for many months on his own with no money? Second, how did he get to Boston? It’s a pretty long drive from Canada to Boston. Third, why does the film make running such a sin for Father Fitzpatrick? Who in the world would believe that the Basilites (a fictitious order) would tell Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott) that Basilites don’t run? Oh please.

Further, I was bothered by the guy in the Santa Claus outfit simply because that plot point was stupid. Also, I hated watching the nurse lift weights because that plot point was stupid too. Plus, I despised the use of Nietzsche as a means for dissention in the Catholic religion classroom because that plot point was stupid as well. Father Fitzpatrick tells Father Hibbert that Nietzsche was a communist and therefore has no place in a religion classroom. I think the fact that Nietzsche was an anti-Christian, misogynistic, atheistic nihilist might be a little more problematic. If a religion teacher in the early 1950s had his students read Nietzsche, there would be an absolute uproar from the entire Catholic community.

I will say this, though, about Saint Ralph. The elements of the film not mentioned so far aren’t bad. McGowan’s direction works quite well. Yet, I didn’t enjoy the performances in the film very much, especially by Adam Butcher who plays 14 year old Ralph. He simply lacks refined acting skills as well as any screen presence at all. He hadn’t done much before Saint Ralph, and he’s done little since. Saint Ralph is one of those films that I hope people do like more than I did. I didn’t hate the movie, but I was extremely disappointed with the fact that McGovern’s screenplay contains holes big enough to host the Boston Marathon.

The 100 Greatest Films I've Ever Seen- June 2008

After another month of movie watching, my list of the hundred greatest movies I've seen has changed a little bit. As of June 16, 2008, here's my list.

Parentheses- position one month ago

1. Ordinary People (1)
2. Citizen Kane (2)
3. Titanic (3)
4. Best Years of Our Lives (4)
5. Casablanca (5)
6. Schindler’s List (6)
7. Gone With the Wind (7)
8. Midnight Cowboy (9)
9. The Truman Show (8)
10. The Seventh Seal (11)
11. Brokeback Mountain (13)
12. Oliver! (14)
13. Sunset Boulevard (15)
14. Fargo (16)
15. Once (12)
16. Singin’ In the Rain (17)
17. Double Indemnity (18)
18. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (new)
19. Gandhi (new)
20. 8 ½ (19)
21. Life is Beautiful (10)
22. Beauty and the Beast (1946) (20)
23. The Bicycle Thief (21)
24. The Grapes of Wrath (22)
25. Raging Bull (23)
26. About a Boy (24)
27. Being John Malkovich (26)
28. Apocalypse Now (27)
29. The Godfather (28)
30. West Side Story (29)
31. Bonnie and Clyde (30)
32. Taxi Driver (31)
33. Grave of the Fireflies (32)
34. The Graduate (33)
35. Rashomon (34)
36. Bridge on the River Kwai (35)
37. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (36)
38. North by Northwest (37)
39. The Departed (38)
40. The Maltese Falcon (39)
41. The Wizard of Oz (40)
42. Dances with Wolves (41)
43. Star Wars: Episode IV: The New Hope (42)
44. Fanny and Alexander (43)
45. 2001: A Space Odyssey (44)
46. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (45)
47. The Sound of Music (46)
48. Stagecoach (47)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (48)
50. The Deer Hunter (49)
51. The Shawshank Redemption (50)
52. Broken Blossoms (new)
53. All About Eve (52)
54. Pulp Fiction (53)
55. The Passion of the Christ (54)
56. Rocky (55)
57. Donnie Darko (56)
58. Nashville (57)
59. My Best Friend’s Wedding (58)
60. The Manchurian Candidate (59)
61. Battleship Potemkin (60)
62. Yankee Doodle Dandy (61)
63. Hoop Dreams (62)
64. Spirited Away (63)
65. The Godfather Part II (64)
66. Jaws (65)
67. Shame (66)
68. Blowup (new)
69. City Lights (67)
70. High Noon (68)
71. Annie Hall (69)
72. Duck Soup (70)
73. The French Connection (71)
74. Born on the Fourth of July (72)
75. Rear Window (73)
76. Bride of Frankenstein (74)
77. Babel (75)
78. Victor/Victoria (76)
79. Shane (77)
80. The Prince of Egypt (78)
81. 12 Angry Men (79)
82. Simon Birch (80)
83. No Country For Old Men (81)
84. Evita (82)
85. A Few Good Men (83)
86. Everyone Says I Love You (84)
87. Pleasantville (85)
88. Sullivan’s Travels (86)
89. Beauty and the Beast (1991) (87)
90. Forrest Gump (88)
91. Marty (89)
92. The Thin Man (new)
93. The 400 Blows (90)
94. The Silence of the Lambs (91)
95. Treasure of the Sierra Madre (92)
96. The Apartment (93)
97. A Place in the Sun (new)
98. Belle de Jour (94)
99. Il Postino (95)
100. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (96)

Six films have fallen off the list since last month. They are Saving Private Ryan, Intolerance, Field of Dreams, In Good Company, The Gold Rush and Sparticus.

Also, I'm happy to say that I saw six really amazing films that are new to my list. They are A Place in the Sun, The Thin Man, Blowup, Broken Blossoms, Gandhi and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

The Thin Man

June 16, 2008

The Thin Man (1934) *****
Directed by W. S. Van Dyke

Nick and Nora Charles, played by William Powell and Myrna Loy, are a hard drinking, wise cracking couple, and as funny and loving a couple as I’ve seen in film. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with the fact that Powell and Loy reprised their roles in five other Thin Man films. I absolutely loved these two, and I can’t wait to see them solve more crimes in their intoxicated hilarious way. The Thin Man is first a screwball comedy and second an extremely satisfying murder mystery. Granted this is definitely a studio film made to please audiences and make money. I was about to type that you don’t see Oscar caliber filmmaking in The Thin Man, but then I looked it up and believe it or not, The Thin Man was nominated for both Best Director and Best Picture. I’m surprised, not because the film isn’t great, but because you can see some glaring faults in the film’s editing. Scenes involving the great dog Aster are usually done in close up and the same image of Aster looking into a room and then turning around to go back out is used at least five times to punctuate a joke or to allow for some kind of transition.

As I was trying to say, The Thin Man seems to want to give audiences a good time allowing them to escape from their world into the world of Nick and Nora Charles. Nick Charles is a former private detective. His wife, Nora, inherited a few businesses which has made the two of them very wealthy. They’re living the high life without any cares in the world until they come across Dorothy Wynant, a young woman whose father has gone missing after his mistress has been shot dead. At an extremely eccentric party with oddball guests, Nick and Nora are visited by many important players in the case, which sparks the interest of some reporters that stop by as well.

Nick accompanies Lt. Gould as he begins to investigate the case. Eventually, a second murder occurs, followed by the discovery of another corpse in Dorothy’s father’s workshop, which brings Lt. Gould to the conclusion that Dorothy’s father is in fact guilty of all these murders. Nick isn’t so sure and after investigating a bit further, he solves the case, but doesn’t tell anyone right away, even Nora. He decides that the best way to reveal the killer would be to have a dinner party inviting every single suspect in the case to sit together at one table. This leads to an extremely funny and charming climax.

I don’t mean to brag (too much), but I knew who the killer was from the very beginning because of the way the camera focused on the worried face of one of the characters. You don’t have to be a genius to follow and enjoy this film. Besides, it’s Nick and Nora Charles that make this film sublime! William Powell is terrific, but I think Myrna Loy is the real standout, commanding every scene she’s in. Not only does she look elegant in her amazing costumes, but she’s not afraid to get her hair messed up or look unladylike by offering facial expressions to punctuate the film’s comedy. Powell and Loy have real chemistry together which adds to their appeal.

The comedy in the film borders on anarchy. The party they throw early on looks at times like it may fit in well in a Marx Brothers film. I absolutely loved the sequence on Christmas morning where Nick is playing with his new blow gun. Look at Nora’s face when Nick breaks a window, and then watch Nick curl up on the couch pretending to be asleep. Also, the film doesn’t shy away from risqué double entendres. When a police detective searches Nora’s bureau, she says, “What’s that man doing in my drawers?” Nick reacts with a spit take.

The Thin Man is a fun movie that excels because of the chemistry and performances by William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. The comedy still holds up very well after almost 75 years! I have two more of their movies ready to be recorded this week, and I can’t wait to spend more time with the Charles’. My understanding is that the remaining films aren’t quite as good as this one, but that’s okay. I loved The Thin Man so much that the sequels could be significantly inferior and I could still enjoy them quite a bit.

Team America: World Police

June 15, 2008

Team America: World Police (2004) ***

Directed by Trey Parker

“…it would be 9/11 times 100.”

“9/11 times a hundred? Jesus, that’s…”

“Yes, 91,100”

“Basically, all the worst parts of the Bible.”

I must have laughed at that line for at least a minute, and randomly over the last two days since I’ve seen Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s puppet movie spoofing the war on terror, I think about that line and start to laugh all over again. There were moments during Team America: World Police that surprised me with its supply of the most ingenious, appropriate and deserving humor. Parker and Stone, the men behind South Park, along with Pam Brady, wrote the screenplay, and I believe without a doubt that these three individuals are geniuses. Their humor contains some of the most insightful and timely comical insights into our world. Team America goes down in history as one of the great quotable films of all time, though many of the quotes may not be appropriate for all people in all situations.

“Promise me you’ll never die.”

“You know I can’t promise you that.”

“If you did that, I would make love to you right now.”

“I promise I will never die.”

“Let me explain to you how this works. You see, the corporations finance Team America, and then Team America goes out… and the corporations sit in their… in their corporate buildings, and… and, and see, they’re all corporationy… and they make money.”

“Matt Damon!”

(Sean Penn) “Last year I went to Iraq. Before Team America showed up, it was a happy place. They had flowery meadows and rainbow skies, and rivers made of chocolate, where the children danced and laughed and played with gumdrop smiles.”

“Gary, if for some reason your cover is blown, and the terrorists take you prisoner, well, you'll probably want to take your own life. Here, you'd better have this.”
[hands Gary a hammer]

“When you see Alec Baldwin, you see the true ugliness of human nature.”

Each of these lines (and many more containing expletives) works as humor mostly because they’re so clever. Also, the infamous love scene between two puppets, which had to be edited over ten times before the film would be given an R rating, is uncomfortably hilarious, placing images in my head which I may very well spend the rest of my life trying to forget.

While I applaud the talent of the screenwriters to come up with first rate politically incorrect humor, I do fault the film as a whole for being both uneven and cruel. Team America could have been the funniest short film in history, because I’d say that forty minutes work brilliantly. The problem lies in the fact that the film has no middle ground. If it’s not hilarious, then it is completely flat. Whole sequences and ideas, often repeated throughout the film, come off pedestrian and infantile.

For example, Kim Jong-Ill speaks all of his l’s as r’s. So the line above about Alec Baldwin, which in itself is very funny, actually sounds like, “When you see Arec Barrwin, you see the true ugriness of human nature.” This stereotypical joke making fun of Asians has been done to death, and doesn’t do anything to make the dialogue funnier. Truth be told, I had to focus even more to understand what he was saying, which became distracting and tiresome. Also, there’s this long speech about genital organs and the anus (though different words are used in the film) and how their relation to each other also describes the relationship between Team America, Kim Jong-Ill and the Film Actors Guild (whose acronym is well... yeah, I won’t go there). On a conceptual level, this speech is smart, but I didn’t find it all that funny, and I especially didn’t laugh when I heard a variation on it for the third time.

I have no problem with a film trying to be politically incorrect, though the filmmakers must realize that many viewers will be offended. Despite vile and inappropriate jokes and sequences throughout, the film didn’t turn me off until we see the puppets of actors we know violently killed one by one. Make fun of Alec Baldwin and Sean Penn all you want. They can take it. People like Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins are almost begging to be trashed in a film like this. Even make Matt Damon mentally handicapped (which is all the more hilarious because it’s totally random). In my eyes, the film simply becomes mean when it violently destroys effigies of these actors. When we see Helen Hunt’s head chopped off from the mouth, I stopped laughing and began to get really uncomfortable. Sure, these celebrities are self-important, but I think the film goes too far in trying to put them in their place. If I were Helen Hunt, I’d probably be really sad seeing myself killed so that movie audiences can laugh. Kim Jong-Ill deserves a puppet of himself to die. Helen Hunt doesn’t.

Though Team America contains moments of brilliant comedy and satire, I believe that in twenty years, the movie is going to be worthless. Watching the film four years after its release, I saw it as a glimpse into recent history more than a comment on the world today. In 2050, teenagers aren’t going to know who these actors are, and even if they do, they won’t understand why these actors were chosen to be insulted. Team America is stuck not only in contemporary politics, but also in the popular culture of 2004. Therefore, Team America probably has a shelf-life of no more than twenty years.

The song that Gary sings in the musical called “Lease” is “Everybody Has AIDS.” Sure, maybe people might laugh in thirty years that there’s a song about people having AIDS. The problem is that the film isn’t making fun of AIDS, it’s actually making fun of the Broadway Musical “Rent” which does come off a bit pretentious portraying a bohemian counter-cultural group of friends in the East Village of NYC. Since Rent is closing on Broadway this month, the option to see the song as satirizing a Broadway show will fade away. As the years pass, Team America will become more and more irrelevant.

That being said, it’s a movie that a certain type of audience has and will continue to love. My favorite aspect of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s humor is that they often use mediums like musical theater and film. I’m not a fan of envelope-pushing humor. Borat isn’t a film I would want to spend money to see. Personally, I find Family Guy to be the television equivalent of a bully on a playground. Yet, I enjoy both South Park and Team America because their humor contains elements that I can grasp onto. Parker and Stone are brilliant humorists, and I hope that they look beyond what is immediately relevant so that their next film can become a timeless classic.