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Guest Blogger Jeremy Myerson discusses Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame!
Below is a contribution from guest blogger Jeremy Myerson, in which he discusses his favorite Disney movie. Everyone remembers the villain in the Scream films asking, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” just before he claims a victim. Easy enough question, as everyone can answer it. As a former employee of the Walt Disney Company (where I worked for 7 years), I’m often asked “What’s your favorite Disney movie?” And it seems that everyone has an answer to this one, too… My answer is easily The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Granted, this film hit the theaters the same week as my high school graduation, and I was hardly a ‘kid’ when I saw it. Perhaps it’s this reason why I enjoy the film. To me, this animated classic had some really deep themes that spoke to me. Many of you, I’m sure, remember the summer between the end of High School and the start of College. I was a young idealist who believed in ‘equality for all.’ And Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame shared this ideal. Like much of Victor Hugo’s fiction, the story is about the hypocrisy and dichotomy of the authoritative Church versus the will of the people. This film dives into the theme with contradicting songs… the Church appointed Law Enforcement authority of Frollo tells his ward, Quasimodo, that the world is cruel and its safest if he stays “In Here” (referring to the bell tower of the Parisian Cathedral). Upon his departure, the song sung by Quasimodo is “Out There.” One lyric in particular has always had a profound impact on me. As Quasimodo is a prisoner of the bell tower, he sings of the townspeople below: “Everyday they shout and scold and go about their lives, Later in the film, as both Frollo and Quasimodo find themselves enchanted by the gypsy Esmerelda, Quasimodo refers to his infatuation as “Heaven’s Light.” Frollo calls it “Hell’s Fire,” in a song that remains one of the most creepy and villainous songs of all Disney animation. Aside from the deep messages, this film has some great humor to it! Seinfeld star Jason Alexander voices Hugo, one of the comical gargoyles. Kevin Kline, who seems to be in some of the funniest movies ever (A Fish Called Wanda), brings life to Phoebus, the gallant hero. And Paul Kandel, who has done little else, is brilliant as my favorite Disney character… Clopin, the gypsy leader and unofficial storyteller. Disney’s animation was a great storytelling medium for these characters. And as always, the work is masterful. The bird’s eye views of Paris are breathtaking. The animation during the song “Out There” is used in countless montages as it represents some of the most astounding examples of traditional hand animation. While this film was part of Disney’s great animated feature run of the late 80’s through the 90’s, its not frequently found in most homes. If it’s been awhile, or if you’ve never seen it… do yourself a favor and re-watch the film. Brilliant! Editorial Note: It occurred to me, as I was writing this post, that I first saw this film in western Massachusetts. That same summer, I was a Camp Counselor at Camp Ramah in New England. And I believe our MotionPicturesComics.com host, Josh Edelglass, was with me, chaperoning our 8 and 9 year old campers to see this movie!
Jeremy Myerson is the Training Manager for Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Florida. He performs regularly with SAK Comedy Lab, Orlando’s longest running comedy venue, and suffers continually as a fan of the New York Metropolitans. You can read his previous guest blog for Motion Pictures, in which he discusses his favorite movie of all time, The Sandlot, by clicking here.
Josh’s Response to Ethan Kreitzer’s List of his 50 Favorite Films of the Last Decade!
Yesterday I posted my buddy Ethan Kreitzer’s list of his 50 Favorite Films of the Last Decade. Movies that Ethan & I totally agree on and that I was really glad to see on his list because they are (in some cases) sort of obscure and also (in all cases) super-awesome: Roger Dodger, Snatch, Capturing the Friedmans, High Fidelity, Man on Wire, The Squid and the Whale, The Matador, The Incredibles, State and Main, Vanilla Sky, Zodiac, The Royal Tenenbaums, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and the relentlessly phenomenal Adaptation. Movies that I can’t believe he rated as high as he did: O Brother Where Art Thou (one of my least favorite Coen Brothers films, despite its terrific soundtrack), The Aviator (a very solid movie but nowhere near that high on my list of favorite films), No Country For Old Men (as I have written about on this site before, the ending really hurts the film in my eyes), Ocean’s Eleven (I am NOT a fan), School of Rock (amusing, but not a film I am in any rush to see a second time), Amelie (ditto), American Psycho (a decent film with a great performance by Christian Bale, but definitely not a standout of the decade for me), and Match Point (being one of the better Woody Allen films of the last decade does not, in my mind, make it a good film. Go watch Crimes and Misdemeanors instead). Movies on Ethan’s list that I haven’t seen: 24 Hour Party People, Shut Up and Sing (this has been on my to-watch list ever since it came out — it is on my Netflix queue, and I hope to get to see it soon), Monster (no interest), Chicago (no interest), Shattered Glass (minimal interest). I thought about beginning to write a list of other great films from the past decade that Ethan left off his list, but that seems like an insurmountably great task. I’m currently working on all of my end-of-the-year Best of 2009 lists, and that’s difficult enough! Instead, as a counterpoint to Ethan’s list, let me direct you to another terrific Best-of-the-Decade list: regular Aintitcoolnews contributor Mr. Beaks’ list of his 100 Favorite Films of the Last Decade. Here’s a link to numbers 100-76, 75-51, 50-26, and 25-1. It’s a phenomenally well-written and comprehensive look back at the last decade of amazing films. He has some insane selections (Bring it On, Observe and Report, Miami Vice, Jackass: The Movie, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence) but here are just a few of the great movies that I was thrilled to see him mention: Gone Baby Gone, Ratatouille, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, The Fountain, Where the Wild Things Are, The Constant Gardener, Grindhouse, Munich, Spider-Man 2, Inglourious Basterds, The Incredibles, Kingdom of Heaven: Director’s Cut, City of God, Pan’s Labyrinth, Up, Kill Bill, Kiss Kiss Band Bang, Shaun of the Dead, and The Lord of the Rings. Check it out, and let the debate continue…
Guest Blogger Ethan Kreitzer Lists his 50 Favorite Films of the Last Decade!
Below is a contribution from guest blogger Ethan Kreitzer to our continuing series in which I asked several of my close friends and colleagues to name their Favorite Movie of All Time. Ethan Kreitzer took a broader view of my question, and submitted a list of his 5o favorite films of the last decade! 50. 24 Hour Party People Ethan Kreitzer is a talented musician and songwriter. Formerly of the band Lincoln Conspiracy, he is currently studying how to actually make money in the music business. Ethan is the biggest fan of The Larry Sanders Show that I’ve ever met, which only solidifies my high estimation of his good taste. The series so far: Hoosiers, The Frisco Kid, & Casablanca Raiders of the Lost Ark & The Dark Knight
Guest Blogger Jeremy Myerson Discusses The Sandlot!
Below is a contribution from guest blogger Jeremy Myerson to our continuing series in which I asked several of my close friends and colleagues to name their Favorite Movie of All Time.
I was recently asked by Josh to be a guest contributor to MotionPicturesComics to help him out as he is surely getting no sleep as a new parent of twin girls! The assignment was to review my favorite film. Being the iconoclast that I am, I refused the task and changed it. To help Josh celebrate the wonder of children, and because Josh and I are long time friends (and co-sufferers) as Mets fans, I instead offer my review of my favorite kids’ baseball film! There are countless websites and lists dedicated to the ‘Greatest Baseball Films,’ almost all of which exclude my entry for the top of the list: The Sandlot. This wonderful film accomplishes the true essence of baseball… Americana. The bulk of the film takes place in the 1960’s following the life of a runt kid (appropriately nicknamed ‘Smalls’) who moves into a new neighborhood and learns the game of baseball. While the supporting group of local kids is somewhat reminiscent of The Bad News Bears, you’ll find much more heart and humanity in this motley crew. From the romantically desperate Squints, to Timmy and Tommy Timmons who repeat everything, to the wonderfully bullish and comical Ham Porter (who, of course, is the team’s catcher… think a young ‘Crash Davis’) The passion comes from the fictional future MLB player, Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez. Baseball becomes the backdrop for the adventures of this group of neighborhood kids, as they invade the local community pool, explore the state fair and even try ‘dip’ like their Major League idols… and learn their lesson in a terrible and comical way. The adventures continue as their ‘Babe Ruth’ ball gets lost in the grouchy neighbor’s yard and is guarded by Hercules, the largest scariest film dog since Cujo. For me, one of the finest moments in film history occurs when the kids play their only night game of the year on July 4th. The game is lit by the glow of the fireworks… Benny hits a ball up into the night and all the kids stop tracking the ball as they get lost in the glory of the fireworks display (set to Ray Charles’ ‘America the Beautiful’). Benny just keeps on running the bases… true baseball passion. While this baseball movie has no scandals, no shattered lights and no ghosts in the cornfield it does have appeal to baseball fans of all ages. And it sure doesn’t hurt when you throw in a cameo by James Earl Jones! Jeremy Myerson is the Training Manager for Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Florida. He performs regularly with SAK Comedy Lab, Orlando’s longest running comedy venue, and suffers continually as a fan of the New York Metropolitans. The series so far: Hoosiers, The Frisco Kid, & Casablanca
Guest Blogger Stephanie Edelglass Discusses Girls Just Want to Have Fun & Little Miss Sunshine
Below is a contribution from guest blogger Stephanie Edelglass to our continuing series in which I asked several of my close friends and colleagues to name their Favorite Movie of All Time.
What unit of measurement should I use in picking my favorite movie of all time? Should I go by my grandfather’s comment after seeing There’s Something About Mary, “It must have been good because I don’t remember the last time I stayed up for an entire movie”? For me, that would eliminate almost every movie I began watching after 9pm. Or should I go by the mood I was in when I left a movie? By that caliber I’d choose It Could Happen to You because I left the theater with a feeling that life is good and sometimes people actually can be good and fair. I remember leaving with a smile on my face. What could be more important than the entertainment factor important when rating a movie? I’ve decided to choose two favorite movies, one from my childhood and one from adulthood. Girls Just Want to Have Fun is my childhood pick. I recently subjected Josh to this movie and he doesn’t quite agree that this is a timeless classic. He may have even thought it was formulaic!! Nonetheless, it has sentimental value, as there was at least a two-year period when I chose it every time I went to the video store. I can still picture which shelf I could find it on each time I went into the little independent video store in Needham, MA. Girls Just Want to Have Fun stars Sarah Jessica Parker as “Janie” and Helen Hunt as “Lynne”. If you look closely, you’ll notice Shannon Doherty as the little sister of the lead actor. Helen Hunt is the “bad girl” who leads Janie to follow her dream of becoming a dancer on Dance TV. Adventure ensues. I always wanted to have the guts to be Helen Hunt in this movie. She turns her school uniform into a cool outfit with just a little Velcro and exudes a confidence that, as a twelve year old, I only dreamed of having in my life! The eye candy who plays Janie’s dance partner, Jeff, is your classic “bad boy” and although he doesn’t have the gymnastics and dance training that Janie has, he holds his own throughout the movie. There is a classic scene where Janie and Jeff are practicing their dance moves in the park and you can tell that romance is in the air. The music is fabulous and the wardrobe is classic ’80s. I recommend this as a must-see for anyone who wants to watch a classic ’80s chick flick. My favorite movie as an adult is Little Miss Sunshine. This was a hard choice because there have been so many movies to choose from and Josh has actually motivated me to not fall asleep at the opening credits of most movies, so I have a much broader scope of movies to choose from these days! I remember leaving the theater, the first time I saw this movie, and wanting to turn back around and watch the movie again. I think that this is a great indicator of a winning movie. I also recommended this movie to all of my friends and family and offered to watch it again with them in theatres. Little Miss Sunshine feels like a movie about real people. These actors don’t look or sound polished and that makes this film unique and entertaining. As with Lynne, my favorite character in Girls Just Want to Have Fun, the main character in this movie exudes a confidence that I think we can all hope to achieve. Except this girl is about ten years old, not fifteen or sixteen or thirty-one. This ten-year-old knows what she wants (to win a beauty pageant), and she works hard to succeed. I laughed and cried throughout this movie, and anyone who knows me knows that I am not a crier! The characters and the plot are equally unique and defy any simple summary. Just go watch it! I hope I’ve been able to convince any of you who have not enjoyed these movies to Netflix them at once! You will not regret it!
Stephanie Edelglass teaches first grade in Sherborn, MA. Over the past several years, she has gamely watched an inordinate amount of science fiction along with her husband, yours truly. She rocks. The series so far: Hoosiers, The Frisco Kid, & Casablanca Raiders of the Lost Ark & The Dark Knight
Guest Blogger Ethan Linden Discusses Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Below is a contribution from guest blogger Ethan Linden to our continuing series in which I asked several of my close friends and colleagues to name their Favorite Movie of All Time.
This is the type of assignment I would normally reject. Not writing for Josh’s blog, which I am honored to do, despite his somewhat upsetting regard for the finale of Battlestar Galactica. As a matter of policy, I refuse to state my favorite movie. People in my life know I watch a lot of movies (or at least I did until I had, you know, children) and they consider me a bit of a movie buff, so often I am asked to give my top ten, or top five favorite movies. I always politely decline, because really, what the hell does that mean? I can recite pretty much all of This is Spinal Tap (“like lukewarm water”) but, given the right company, it’s still hysterical. I laugh every time I see Airplane! (“what a pisser” is just funny) and no matter how often I see Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, I can’t help wishing I lived his life, even now. Are these my favorite movies? How about a movie like this summer’s sadly under-seen The Hurt Locker, which has stayed with me with incredible vividness? Or, in a similar vein, a film like The Deer Hunter which gets more painful, and more powerful, as I get older? And don’t even get me started on The Godfather and The Godfather Part II (or the The Godfather Part III for that matter, though the speech is decidedly different). The list goes on and on, and it shifts as I shift, which is, I suppose, part of the power of movies. But I have come to see that my unwillingness to pick a favorite as a sort of moral cowardice; it is, at its base, a deep hesitation to be judged on the basis of my choice. If I am unwilling to declare myself for one movie over all others, than what am I? If I am not for my movie, who will be for me? My favorite movie is Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. Partly, this is a choice defined by nostalgia. The movie came out in 1988; I was eleven years old, and it was right in my wheelhouse. It is the first movie I remember going to see multiple times in the movie theaters, using my own money, dragging friends and family members, or homeless people, anyone really, who would join me. I loved Roger Rabbit, I thought it was brilliant and funny and poignant (though I would not have used that word) and I thought Jessica Rabbit was, well, impressive. I find I still feel that way, about all of it. Sure, some of the gags seem a bit broad to me now (“nice booby trap” to Jessica after one of the weasels goes searching for Acme’s will in the wrong place and gets a nasty-looking set of jaws on his hand) and some of the moments I loved as a kid are a bit more obvious than I thought as an eleven year old (really, a guy named Judge Doom turns out to be the bad guy!) but there is greater depth with age as well. There is something melancholy about the movie, even with all the cartoon fireworks. Toontown survives Doom’s attempt to dip it out of existence, but the reality of being an adult is the knowledge that there is no Toontown. You don’t need dip, just maturity. Indeed, even Doom’s master plan, the one Eddie Valiant labels as “insane” is, of course, precisely what transpires in our real world. There is a freeway, and there are miles of fast food restaurants, automobile dealerships, and billboards stretching as far as the eye can see. “My God,” Doom says, in a rapture, “It will be beautiful.” He’s right about the future, but wrong about the beauty. In the end, there is no saving Toontown. That’s not to say the movie isn’t funny. It’s still funny. Valiant falling through the sky while chatting with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny is a great moment. Mickey’s silly laugh at the end of his line “You could be killed” is brilliant comedy. The classic Donald Duck and Daffy Duck routine at the Ink and Paint Club stands the test of time. (Daffy: “Does anyone understand what this duck is saying?”) I am happy also to report that it’s still funny when Roger slips out of the handcuffs he and Eddie have been sharing. (Eddie: “You mean you could have gotten out at any time?” Roger: “No, not at any time, only when it was funny.” It was.) I also surprised myself by laughing at the opening Maroon cartoon with Roger and Baby Herman. As an eleven year old, I am pretty sure I found the whole thing hysterical because it was funny to see Roger set on fire, banged on the head, cooked, and generally pulverized. As an adult, I laughed because the opening cartoon is a clever satire on cartoon violence, and the outrageous over-the-topness of the whole proceeding is now funny to me in a whole different way. And then there are moments I’m pretty sure I didn’t really get as a kid, and are so funny now I can’t believe the filmmakers got away with them. Anyone up for a nice clean game of pattycake? In watching the movie as an adult, I can also appreciate the craftsmanship of the pieces that comprise the final product. Robert Zemeckis absolutely works wonders with the film, and the fact is that it still looks great over twenty years later. The basic conceit, Toons living and interacting in the human world, still holds up, even after all the advances in effects creation. Watching Jessica take Eddie’s hat off, or Baby Herman chomp on a stogie, you still have to buy it. It’s magic. Bob Hoskins is terrific, especially given that he acted all by himself in scene after scene; you’d never know it. Christopher Lloyd is like an evil Doc Brown, and you love him for it. The voice work is similarly outstanding, giving depth and character to the Toons. Charles Fleischer gave voice to both Roger Rabbit and Benny the Cab, and both are funny without being obnoxious. Even the score, which I barely noticed as a kid, is beautifully done. Finally, you even have to give a nod to the business end: how in the world did they get the rights to all those classic cartoons? Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is a stupendously well-made film. At eleven, I just knew it was great. At thirty-two, I know how hard it is make something great, and I appreciate the effort all the more. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is indelibly a movie of my childhood, and I will always love it for that. But it is also a truly great piece of filmmaking. It deserves a place in pantheon of must-watch movies for the next generation. And even if it never gets a place in those hallowed halls, it’s still my favorite movie. And that’s pretty good too. Rabbi Ethan Linden served as the Assistant Director of Camp Ramah in New England before moving down to New Orleans to become the Rabbi of Shir Chadash. A tally of the number of hours that he and I have discussed Battlestar Galactica would be hard to fathom. The series so far: Hoosiers, The Frisco Kid, & Casablanca
Guest Blogger David Edelglass Discusses The Sandlot and A Few Good Men
Below is the third in a three-part contribution from guest blogger David Edelglass to our continuing series in which I asked several of my close friends and colleagues to name their Favorite Movie of All Time. Click here for Part I and here for Part II. My Favorite Movie From My Childhood: The Sandlot This is another one of those movies that you can catch on ABC Family or some similar channel just about every month, and that’s A-OK with me. Whenever I watch this movie, I find myself saying the same thing: “They don’t make kids movies like they used to.” It’s true. Most children’s movies these days are silly, over the top escapades that seem to think kids can’t appreciate a well written story or fully developed characters. The computer animated films have faired slightly better, but only Pixar has really been able to make movies that are funny, heartwarming, and family friendly (in this case I don’t just mean a movie that you can take your kids to, but one that will appeal to all audiences — something that even adults will find enjoyable). The Sandlot is the story of nine kids during the summer of 1962 in L.A. Scott Smalls, a small, somewhat dorky kid, has just moved to the neighborhood with his mom and stepfather (Karen Allen and Denis Leary). He befriends a group of local kids who play baseball every day, and with the help of their de-facto leader, Benny Rodriguez, he slowly becomes one of the gang (and learns to play baseball to boot). The film is essentially the story of their summer, filled with swimming, giant dogs, James Earl Jones, and lots and lots of baseball. The nine kids who make up the core of the movie are fantastic. Not only are the actors great, but the characters are all well developed and diverse. Each one has their own personality, and while some get more screen time than others, they all seem like real people, not vague character sketches. Next time this film is on ABC Family, check it out. You’ll enjoy yourself, no matter how old you are. Honorable Mention: The Last Starfighter
My Favorite Comedy: This ones is tough. I spent a lot of time thinking about it in preparation for this post, and ultimately I decided that I just can’t decide. There are just too many great films out there, and comedies in particular seem to be very dependent on when you watch them and who you watch them with. Some of those that have made me laugh the hardest upon first viewing are Planes Trains and Automobiles, The Hangover, Tropic Thunder, and Wedding Crashers, but movies like that are usually never as funny as the first time you saw them. Then there are the ones that get funnier the more you watch them, as you begin to notice the details that are not quite so obvious the first time around: Annie Hall, This Is Spinal Tap, The Big Lebowski. A movie that stays funny on the tenth or twentieth viewing is probably the better film, but there is something to be said for laughing your ass off in a packed theater with a bunch of friends, even if some of the laughs may come cheap.
The Movie I Can Watch Any Time, On Any Channel, No Matter At What Point I Turn It On: A Few Good Men There is something about this movie that just grabs me. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite movie ever, but I’m not lying when I say that I will watch this film at any time at any point, and whenever I happen across it on TV, I usually I end up watching the rest of it (which is no small feat, since with commercials it runs about three hours). And considering how often this film is on TV, you can bet that I’ve seen it many times, and I never get bored. A Few Good Men is written by Aaron Sorkin (before I knew who Aaron Sorkin was) and directed by Rob Reiner (at the tail end of his great run of directorial efforts, which in my opinion ended a few years later with The American President, also written by Sorkin). Sorkin has a way with words, which is why I’ve always seen anything he’s been involved with. He writes dialogue that sounds natural, and yet it’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. The writing is smart and funny, and even Jack Nicholson’s monologue at the end never seems forced or contrived (due in no small part to Nicholson himself). But the script is only part of what makes this movie great. This movie is filled to the brim with great actors. I don’t think there is a single person in this movie that I haven’t recognized and enjoyed in other things even if I don’t know their name (except for maybe the two accused soldiers, although they each perform admirably in their small roles). Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollack, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon, Noah Wylie and Cuba Gooding Junior in early roles, and the list goes on. It’s really incredible. What a movie!
David Edelglass is my brother and a man of impeccable taste. The apartment that he shares with his wife Jess is always well-stocked with fine beers, as any home should be! The series so far:
Guest Blogger David Edelglass Discusses Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Dark Knight
Below is the second of a three-part contribution from guest blogger David Edelglass to our continuing series in which I asked several of my close friends and colleagues to name their Favorite Movie of All Time. Click here for Part I. My Favorite Action/Adventure Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark This is kind of a no brainer. Raise your hand if you never dressed up as Indiana Jones for Halloween or imagined yourself swinging across large crevices on your whip and outrunning giant boulders. It is impossible to watch this film without getting caught up in the adventure and wishing you were there. This was a perfect meeting of the minds between three of Hollywood’s best and brightest at the time: George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, and Steven Spielberg. Lucas and Kasdan were just coming off of The Empire Strikes Back (which, along with Raiders, would be the high point in both their careers, in my opinion), and Spielberg was really hitting his stride, having already completed Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. (He would follow Raiders with ET). All three clearly were in love with the pulp adventures they had grown up enjoying, and it shows here. Indiana Jones is smart, cocky, handsome, but a bit rough around the edges, and Harrison Ford plays him to a T (though I am insanely curious to see what the movie would have been like if Tom Selleck had been free to take the role as originally intended). Karen Allen’s Marion Ravenwood is the perfect counterpart to Indy, and she is by far the best female lead of the entire series. John Rhys-Davies (Sallah) and Denholm Elliot (Marcus Brody) turn in fine supporting roles, as does Alfred Molina in a brief cameo in the opening scene (though I don’t know if you can really call it a cameo, as this was his first credited on-screen role). Raiders is by far the strongest in the series, and hopefully if Spielberg and Lucas decide to dip back into the pool one more time, they’ll go back and watch this first movie to see what it was that made Raiders of the Lost Ark so special to begin with. (Note that I did not refer to the movie as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Lucas and Spielberg should be ashamed of themselves for that one) Honorable Mention: The Goonies
The Movie That Absolutely Blew My Mind in the Theater: The Dark Knight You all probably remember the hype the preceded this movie. The viral marketing campaign before its release was astounding. Then, with the death of Heath Ledger, this film became a must see. We geeks were foaming at the mouth to see it. The IMAX shows sold out well in advance for weeks into the release. And then it was here, and oh, my, god. I was not prepared for what I saw projected on the screen before me. Not in the slightest. I saw it first on a regular movie screen, and even that was almost too much for me to handle (I subsequently saw it again in IMAX, and it was even better). When it was all over, my legs were like Jello. I couldn’t stand up. I just sat there in my chair, and then the whole ride home, all I could say was wow. This movie is dark. Most of you have probably already seen it, so you know what I’m talking about and I don’t need to go into plot details here, and for those who haven’t, the less you know going into it, the better. Our hero gets the crap beat out of him, literally and figuratively. His life is torn to shreds, and it is a testament to his strength that he is still able to get up at all afterwards. And there is no happy ending for Batman this time around. This is an Empire Strikes Back kind of ending, and this movie earns every second of it. Everyone has already praised Ledger’s performance as the Joker, and he deserved his posthumous Oscar. I don’t really have anything to add to that point, but I do want to call out Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal of Harvey Dent. His slow descent into madness is note perfect. I was familiar with the comics, so I already knew what happened to Dent, but that didn’t matter. In fact, it made it even better. You know exactly what is going to happen to this noble, kindhearted person, and it is breaking your heart to watch it, but there is nothing you can do about it. One of the first things I thought about once my brain started working again (which was about three days later) was that this is what the three Star Wars prequels should have been. This is what I should have felt while watching Anakin Skywalker slowly become the villain that we all knew he was destined to be, instead of wondering how much more cheesy dialogue and over-acting I had to sit through until I got to see some lightsabers again.
Check back tomorrow for the final installment from David, in which he discusses his favorite comedy, his favorite film from his childhood, and the film that he can always watch no matter where he is or when it’s on. The series so far:
Guest Blogger David Edelglass Discusses The Hunt For Red October
Below is the first of a three-part contribution from guest blogger David Edelglass to our continuing series in which I asked several of my close friends and colleagues to name their Favorite Movie of All Time.
What is my favorite movie of all time? That is a question which many people have asked me over the years, and every time I give a different answer. Truthfully, I don’t really have one favorite movie. Partly this is because my tastes have changed over the years. The movies I liked when I was twelve aren’t necessarily the movies that I’m still interested in. But honestly, I think the question of what is my one most favorite movie ever is impossible to answer. There are too many variables: How old I am or what mood I’m in at any given moment, plus the many different genres of movies. I mean how can I compare a movie that I saw on home video when I was twelve and happy to one I saw in the theaters when I was 18 and pissed off at the world (not that I necessarily was at that age, but you get where I’m going with this). On the one hand you’ve got the incredible storytelling, acting and general film construction on display in The Godfather, and on the other hand, there is the incredible hilariousness and craziness of Blazing Saddles. It’s like comparing apples to oranges, and I for one just can’t do it. So to best answer the question of my favorite movies of all time, I’ve decided on a few important categories and tried to pick my favorite movie for each. So here goes nothing.
My Favorite Serious Movie: The Hunt for Red October Even though I just got finished saying how I couldn’t pick my one favorite movie, if someone put a gun to my head and forced me to do so, this would definitely be in consideration. Riveting story: check. Intense cat and mouse submarine chases that will keep you on the edge of your seat: check. Great character actors chewing the scenery together: check (pretty much every single actor in this movie is someone you would recognize even if you don’t know their name, including James Earl Jones and former senator Fred Thompson). This movie has it all. Set during the end of the cold war, Alec Baldwin plays Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who gets in a bit over his head when he discovers that the USSR had just launched a new attack submarine capable of running almost completely silent. And who better to play the captain of said sub, the Red October, then Sean Connery, complete with awesome hair piece. Connery’s Marko Ramius and his officers (including Sam Neill) are trying to defect to the United States, and Ryan and the US government are racing to get to make contact with the Red October before the USSR does. What follows is one of the most riveting movies I’ve ever seen. The action set pieces aren’t spectacular, but they don’t need to be. Director John McTiernan (whose preceding two movies were Die Hard and Predator; not a bad run, huh?) does a great job of building the tension, and the whole film is a slow burn leading up to the final battle between the Red October, the USS Dallas captained by Bart Mancuso (Scott Glenn), and the V.K. Knovalov commanded by Captain Tupolev (Stellan Skarsgard). I can’t recommend this movie enough, and if you haven’t already seen it, go do so ASAP, because this one is not to be missed.
Check back tomorrow for more from David, in which he discusses his favorite action/adventure movie, as well as the one movie that most blew his mind when he first saw it in the theatre. The series so far:
Guest Blogger Brian Raphael Waxes Philosophical About His Favorite Movie!
Below is a contribution from guest blogger Brian Raphael to our continuing series in which I asked several of my close friends and colleagues to name their Favorite Movie of All Time.
Wax Philosophique Ah, the simple joy of knowing the answers to life’s daily questions, of listening to friends’ queries, always smug in the ability to answer anything and everything that any mere layman should happen to wonder about. A knowing smirk, a small shrug that assures the audience that such a question is quite irrelevant anyway - such is the life of Le Philosopher! But of course! Our all-knowing Philosopher surely snickered at a request from his brother-in-law to answer the question “What is your favorite movie ever?” “Bah!” he probably thought, as the multitude of impossibilities, false assumptions and categorical mistakes the question posed swam through his head, “such a question eez impossible to answer!” Perhaps it was due to the Philosopher’s overly generous nature, or warm feelings for his sister’s husband, that he chose to put pen to paper and attempt an answer. Ruminations on the meaning of life, the meaning of death and everything in between can be tough, so deciding upon his favorite movie ever should be quite simple he thought as he plotted the various methods of dazzling his sure-to-be-rapt readers. Candle burning, ink well filled, and duty-worn fountain pen at the ready – it was not long before our hero realized that this might prove tougher than he had thought. To the outside world – a humble accountant, toiling away in a Manhattan high-rise; ah, but from the inside! His brain was alight with neurons firing across synapses, wrinkles forming and growing through time as one thought led to another which led to yet another as he toyed with different perspectives, discarding each just as quickly for a multitude of reasons – attempting to find a path that led to fruitful ground. Could it be that the answer to this riddle lay somewhere in the question itself? Terms slowly but surely met their respective definitions. Some were simple terms – movie: a motion picture that had been in general release, your: his, ever: in his lifetime – but ‘favorite’ caused a near short circuit in our humble philosopher’s brain. “Favorite?!” he said to himself incredulously. “But zis term means nothing!” As the night grew long and his candle burned low, he remained at his post, determined to fulfill his intellectual quest. “Perhaps ‘favorite’ implies the movie that I have viewed the most times during my life” he wondered aloud as he fondly recalled beautiful afternoons living in the country as a child…when he and his good friend would sit in a dark basement and watch Toxic Avenger every day after class. Doing some rough mental math (not his strong suit), he wagered that he had seen that movie upwards of fifty times. But perhaps it was another classic of stage and screen, the riveting Bloodsport that would take this top honor. Throughout his later education at university, he guessed that he had seen this movie more than sixty times. But surely his ultimate answer, his favorite movie ever, couldn’t be Bloodsport? This was far too pedestrian; perhaps some crude philistine somewhere could count it as his favorite, but certainly no esteemed philosopher and respected member of the community could be associated with this. He quickly and quietly discarded both Toxic Avenger and Bloodsport from his list of possible favorites. So it was that he determined that the definition of ‘favorite’ simply could not be the movie he had seen the most times; it just wasn’t fitting to a man of his stature. And with this thought his search continued. From the outside, a bleary-eyed man clicking absent-mindedly on his blackberry; ah, but from the inside! A brain that was positively on fire, as electricity screeched down the paths that were formed during his years of study and thinking in solitude! Could it be that the definition of ‘favorite’ assumed the movie that, quite simply, had the most impact on him at any given time? He vividly recalled the feelings he had as he stepped out of the local cinema after see The Matrix – at the time he was sure he had witnessed film greatness in all its glory. But this movie was enjoyed by nearly everyone, broke box office records and received generally positive reviews. Surely his favorite movie ever couldn’t be one counted as a favorite by so many of the great unwashed? After all, what would be the value in deeming this his favorite movie ever? “A forgotten bit of writing by an otherwise prominent and valued member of the philosophic community” was his thought as he crumpled the paper at his desk and hurled it into the nearby trash bin. He must be getting closer. If his first idea was too pedestrian, and his second too obvious, perhaps he needed to find a movie he enjoyed that the fewest people had seen. This notion seemed to eliminate the possibility of his pick falling into either of those unacceptable categories. With that in mind, our intrepid thinker harkened back to those films that had caught him off guard - movies that no one had recommended, but he had stumbled upon nearly by chance. He recalled watching Screamers on cable one night and being surprised by the sci-fi ideas and the suspense that was built around them; he also remembered fondly seeing Chasers one very late night and finding himself actually chuckling here and there; and then there was Swimming With Sharks, which captured the young intellectual’s ripe imagination at the perfect time in his maturity. But our philosopher was becoming sleepy, and he sensed that he was moving further away from the true answer to this riddle with his latest musings. Surely there was no point in proffering up Screamers as his favorite movie ever, any more than Bloodsport or The Matrix. What if he simply did not have a favorite movie ever? What then? Ah! But perhaps – conveniently – this question does not matter! After all, what good is your favorite movie if you don’t even exist to begin with! And, as his candle flickered out, it was with this comforting thought that Le Philosopher fell into a sound sleep, content that he had resolved yet another one of the world’s questions.
Brian Raphael is my brother-in-law. He’s also a champion Boggle player who really loves the films of Jean-Claude Van Damme. The series so far:
Guest Blogger Ed Gelb Discusses Hoosiers, The Frisco Kid, and Casablanca!
Below is a contribution from guest blogger Ed Gelb to our continuing series in which I asked several of my close friends and colleagues to name their Favorite Movie of All Time. It is very hard to pick just one favorite movie of all time. There are so many movies that represent so many different genres. For me, the film’s topic having meaning to me, its entertainment, and its connection to my family all play prominent roles in my decision. Using those criteria, I came up with three finalists. They are: Casablanca, The Frisco Kid, and Hoosiers. Pretty eclectic, right? Below, I will explain why and reveal my final choice. Casablanca is a romance situated in Vichy France during WWII. An all-star cast that purportedly thought they were filming a dud, it turned out to be an enormous hit. I first saw this movie with my parents and some of my six siblings on TV. There is no doubt that sharing that movie with my family enhanced it for me. Ingrid Bergman’s beauty is striking and definitely had an impact on the teenage-me. The ending had a nice twist and a great ending line. One of the things about Casablanca that I love is that any time I’m flipping through the channels and come across it I can watch it. It always entertains. The Frisco Kid combines two Gelb family themes: Judaism and living out west. I am a rabbi and I grew up in Laramie, WY. This is a family favorite that is quoted by all of us regularly. Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford were perfectly cast. The scenes with the Amish and at a monastery are hilarious. The only down-side to the movie is the slower start. My brother, Jim, met Harrison Ford at an event a few years ago and told him that The Frisco Kid was our family’s favorite movie of his. Ford looked up and said, “really?” This is another movie I can watch virtually at any time. It always leaves me with a smile. One day, I get a package in the mail from my parents. It is a “Monon Line” coffee mug. I’m perplexed. I call my parents to thank them. They say, “do you get it?” I say, “no, what?” “Monon Line, Hoosiers.” Still perplexed, my parents quote a rather obscure line from the movie from the disgruntled assistant coach that gets fired to Coach Dale. He says, “if you mess up this team I’ll strap your hide to a rail and send you up the Monon Line.” That netted me a mug. Hoosiers is one of two movies that all eight original Gelbs saw together in a theater. We know all the lines, we swear the team is getting better each time we see it, and it inspires us. So, my favorite movie… is Hoosiers by a hair over The Frisco Kid with Casablanca a close third. I coached high school basketball for 18 years. The based-on-a-true-story tale in which the biggest underdogs win the right way is too much to get beat. Throw in the family love affair with the movie and it wins. If you haven’t seen it, rent it today!
Rabbi Ed Gelb is the Director of Camp Ramah in New England. He enjoys using sports analogies and is the biggest West Wing fan I have ever met.
The series so far:
Guest Blogger Ethan Katz Discusses Citizen Kane!
Below is a contribution from guest blogger Ethan Katz to our continuing series in which I asked several of my close friends and colleagues to name their Favorite Movie of All Time.
When I first saw Citizen Kane, I was only seven or eight years old, and I knew little more about the film than the fact that critics had repeatedly dubbed it “the greatest movie ever made,” and that it took its inspiration from the real life story of famed newspaper publisher and political figure William Randolph Hearst. For these reasons, I looked forward to the showing, but I soon found that much of the film’s brilliance and most of its references were lost on me. Yet twenty-some years and several more critical showings later, I have become deeply attached to the film and find that it continues to offer new insights, visually, cinematographically, historically, and even philosophically. At the most basic level, Citizen Kane is a deeply American story, and in a sense a deeply tragic one. The parents, particularly the mother, of Charles Foster Kane, a talented and precocious young boy, decide that their inheritance of a gold mine offering tremendous wealth should cause them to send the boy to be raised by a Mr. Walter Thatcher, whose top hat and posh British accent immediately tell us that he is the very embodiment of East Coast elitism. After becoming master of his own wealth at age 25, Kane decides to enter the newspaper business. He soon builds the greatest newspaper empire on earth. During that time, however, he also evolves from a muckraking idealist into a publicity hound with boundless ambition. A love affair with Susan Alexander, a hapless “singer” (the mocking quotation marks are the film’s) destroys Kane’s first marriage and his political ambitions. Alexander, who becomes his second wife, leaves him when she grows weary of his self-centeredness and the utter isolation of their enormous and lavish castle, “Xanedu.” There, Kane dies, an isolated, sad man, imprisoned by his own wealth and his personal failings. Part of what makes Citizen Kane such a powerful film is that it chooses to portray a famous man’s life not through a conventional narrative of his greatest deeds but through the eyes of those who knew him up close: his business associates, longtime friends, ex-lover, and others. Moreover, though made in 1941, it does so in what we now call “fractured time,” moving repeatedly between various phases of Kane’s life and personal relationships. Orson Welles, creator and star of the film, seems highly self-conscious of the cinematic and story-telling revolution that such methodology portends. In fact, at its outset, the film shows a quick, incomplete newsreel on the life of Kane. A reporter then embarks upon a quest to discover what “Rosebud” means, and is taken through the fragmented story of Kane’s life. Such juxtaposition contains a clear message: the life of a man, particularly one as grand and complicated as Charles Foster Kane, is not simple. It cannot be reduced to a single story or a linear, three-minute news narrative. Indeed, it is the insistent ambiguity of this character, at once larger-than-life and intensely human, by turns selfish and generous, honest and corrupt, thoughtless and sensitive, charming and repugnant, that draws us back into the story and leaves us with a different outlook at the conclusion of each viewing of Citizen Kane. There are a few of many favorite scenes to which I’d like to draw our attention. First, early in the film, when Mr. Thatcher learns of the newly independent Kane’s decision to take over a newspaper, he reads to himself with disgust the line from Kane’s letter: “I think it would be fun to run a newspaper. I think it would be fun to run a newspaper?!” This scene and the subsequent confrontation between Kane and Thatcher, in which the latter tells him he is losing a million dollars a year, and the former smugly replies, “yes, and at the rate of a million dollars, I’ll have to close this newspaper…in sixty years,” offer a classic example of the charm and allure of Kane’s character. Here, he appears to cast aside the elitism and lust for profit at the roots of his own privilege and education. Whether Welles knew it or not, biographies of William Randolph Hearst show that his own actual father had a rather similar reaction of horror and betrayal at his son’s early entry into journalism and the attacks launched by his newspapers against big business interests, including those of the elder Hearst. The second scene I want to point out begins with a political rally where Kane is at the height of his meteoric political rise. He is giving a speech at a rally shortly before the gubernatorial election in New York. The governorship is perceived as a stepping-stone to the presidency. What strikes the viewer in this scene is that the enormous photograph of Kane, his towering voice, and the cheers of the crowd cast him as a larger-than-life figure. Yet his movements as a speaker are in fact awkward. He is not at ease on the public stage. He is not terribly charismatic. All of these features reflect the humanness of Welles’ extraordinary performance and depiction of the man. They also correspond to the reality of Hearst himself as a politican: talented and clever, but never entirely magnetic, comfortable, or compelling in the arena. Meanwhile, the profile of Jim Gettys (clearly inspired by longtime Hearst nemesis “Boss” Charles Murphy of Tammany Hall) stands in the upper-deck of the hall, waiting ominously to bring Kane’s political career crashing to a halt later that evening. This sequence climaxes with the end of Kane’s confrontation with Gettys, in which the publisher refuses to protect the honor of his wife and child (by withdrawing from the race instead of having news of his apparent affair with Alexander published). After his wife and child have left, Kane yells down the stairs after Gettys, “I’m Charles Foster Kane!” As the viewer watches Kane, visibly flustered and frustrated, he/she understands that the man has chosen ambition over his family, but that this scene only cemented a choice he gradually made over time; one also can infer that no matter how big he may be, Kane will be unable to stop Gettys’ story from destroying his prospects in the coming election. As on numerous occasions throughout the film, even as we may find the protagonist’s choice deeply unfortunate, we cannot help having sympathy for him. One small final favorite scene. As a historian who has visited scores of archives with mixed levels of hospitality, I have particular appreciation for the moment when the journalist seeking to uncover the meaning of “Rosebud” enters an enormous room at the “Thatcher Library.” According to pre-established rules, he may only sit for two hours and look at a very select number of pages from Walter Thatcher’s diary. The librarian is visibly curt with him, and speaks in a manner that communicates a rather grand, if misplaced, sense of self-importance. The journalist gets something of the last word at his departure, however, as he communicates only one line, a subtle but telling dig: “Thanks for the use of the hall.” Meanwhile, William Randolph Hearst’s life was at least as interesting as that suggested by his fictional portrayal. He did everything he could to keep this film from entering theatres, and its power suggests to us why. Yet Hearst’s greatest anger came from the movie’s depiction of Susan Alexander, based loosely on Marion Davies, the newspaper publisher’s longtime mistress. Davies was far more talented and successful than Alexander’s character (who had no musical ability and was repeatedly forced to continue her singing by Kane). Welles later admitted that he had made a mistake in this regard and said he had enormous respect for Davies’ acting ability. Despite the inherent interest in the film’s relationship to Hearst’s life, I do not believe that that is its greatest achievement or legacy. Ultimately, I believe that what draws us back to Citizen Kane over and over is that it is not the story of a great man. It is the story of Charles Foster Kane, a fictional but highly compelling almost great man. It is about towering hopes and ambitions and the human frailties that so often run them aground. Each time that I watch the film, though I know the sad outcome of Kane’s life, a small part of me hopes the story might end differently this time. But then if did, the vulnerability, the tremendous humanness of the character, would be destroyed. And in the process, Citizen Kane would lose much of its greatness.
Ethan Katz earned his PhD in History from the University of Wisconsin with a dissertation on the history of Jewish-Muslim relations in Modern France. He is also an enormous Star Wars fan and a key member of the “It’s a Good Life Chug” at Camp Ramah in New England.
What is Your Favorite Movie of All Time?
To help me keep regular updates going while Steph and I adjust to the two newest (and loveliest!) additions to our family, I have solicited a number of guest bloggers for the site for the next few weeks. (I figured my just posting new baby pictures every day probably wasn’t the type of “regular content” that most of you are looking for!) I posed a simple question to a number of my close friends and colleagues: What is your favorite movie of all time? I received several wonderful pieces in response that discuss a wide variety of films (so far, no duplication!). Each writer approached the question from a different angle. While most discuss the strengths of the film they listed as their favorite — what made it a success and what gives it its enduring power — many also branched out to talk about the first time they saw the film, what personal meaning it holds from them, or other tangents. Starting on Wednesday, I’ll be posting these pieces in a continuing series over the next several weeks (interspersed with other posts by yours truly on a variety of different topics, of course!). I think this is a really exciting series that provides a look at an array of different amazing films (some very famous, some a little less so). I hope you agree!
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