Post by idioticbunny on Sept 5, 2017 18:18:38 GMT
This year took me a long time mainly because I was working on my first feature-length script for a good part of last month. Finished it and decided to treat myself to a bunch of movies so I caught up. Pretty decent year, but nothing too memorable outside of the top five. Nevsky is really close to a perfect 10, but I think a bit more depth to the characters could've helped. But for what it's worth, this gives Battleship Potemkin a run for its money as Eisenstein's best. This more than makes up for October which was a huge disappointment. Brilliant work.
Carefree is easily my favorite Fred & Ginger film. Surprised it isn't talked about more. It was a breath of fresh air to actually have them put the story first for once and not rely on the same gimmick (two artists meet, fall for each other, etc etc). It's also probably my favorite of Ginger Rogers' performances in these, she was just so damn hilarious. Was very close to giving her my win, but Hiller was just too good in Pygmalion.
Olympia (the first part at least) had far too much commentary for my liking. I would've preferred Riefenstahl just stick to her visuals as I thought they were absolutely incredible (the diving and gymnastics sequences in particular were some of the best work I've seen this decade). Still, no denying its brilliance as well as influence, and it was nice that the propaganda was limited compared to her previous film.
Biggest surprise: Pygmalion. Anthony Asquith's 1929 Cottage on Dartmoor was one of my absolute favorites of last decade, so I was hoping he wasn't just a one-hit wonder and it was nice to see he wasn't. His montages were brilliantly filmed and edited, and in between the acting centerpieces of Howard & Hiller were fantastic to watch. Felt like if Hitchcock made a Frank Capra-esque picture.
Biggest disappointment: Bringing Up Baby. Normally I would blame the hype for causing me to feel disappointed with a film, because at least then there are still aspects to enjoy about it, I just didn't fall in love with it. But in this case, outside of the marvelously witty and zany performances of Grant & Hepburn, the script was just one big mess and I found the characters (particularly Hepburn's) absolutely grating. I'm sure the point was to put these two unlikable characters together and watch them be unlikable to each other (pretty much screwball in a nutshell), but there's usually a fine line between rude and plain annoying and I felt the film crossed it too often. Just wasn't my cup of tea, I guess. But those performances, particularly Grant's, far make up for it so that's why I still give it a decent 6/10. And because I don't think it's poorly made as a film, I solely blame the script.
Best Picture:
01. Alexander Nevsky.
02. Carefree.
03. Olympia.
04. Pygmalion.
05. Angels with Dirty Faces.
06. Quadrille.
07. You Can't Take It with You.
08. The Adventures of Robin Hood.
09. La Bête Humaine.
10. The Lady Vanishes.
-----------------
11. Holiday.
12. Bringing Up Baby.
Best Director:
01. Sergei M. Eisenstein & Dmitriy Vasilev - Alexander Nevsky.
02. Leni Riefenstahl - Olympia.
03. Anthony Asquith & Leslie Howard - Pygmalion.
04. Alfred Hitchcock - The Lady Vanishes.
05. Michael Curtiz - Angels with Dirty Faces.
Best Actor:
01. Cary Grant - Bringing Up Baby.
02. James Cagney - Angels with Dirty Faces.
03. Leslie Howard - Pygmalion.
04. Sacha Guitry - Quadrille.
05. Errol Flynn - The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Actress:
01. Wendy Hiller - Pygmalion.
02. Ginger Rogers - Carefree.
03. Katharine Hepburn - Bringing Up Baby.
04. Gaby Morlay - Quadrille.
05. Katharine Hepburn - Holiday.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Lionel Barrymore - You Can't Take It with You.
02. Edward Arnold - You Can't Take It with You.
03. Pat O'Brien - Angels with Dirty Faces.
04. Lew Ayres - Holiday.
05. Ralph Bellamy - Carefree.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Luella Gear - Carefree.
02. May Whitty - The Lady Vanishes.
03. Spring Byington - You Can't Take It with You.
04. Jacqueline Delubac - Quadrille.
05. Jean Arthur - You Can't Take It with You.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. Quadrille.
02. Angels with Dirty Faces.
03. Carefree.
04. Bringing Up Baby.
05. Alexander Nevsky.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Pygmalion.
02. You Can't Take It with You.
03. Holiday.
04. La Bête Humaine.
05. The Lady Vanishes.
Best Ensemble:
01. You Can't Take It with You.
02. Quadrille.
03. Angels with Dirty Faces.
04. Holiday.
05. The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Editing:
Alexander Nevsky.
Best Cinematography:
Alexander Nevsky.
Best Art Direction:
The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Costume Design:
The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Makeup:
The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Visual Effects:
The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Sound Design:
Alexander Nevsky.
Best Original Score:
Sergei Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky.
Best Original Song:
"I Used to Be Color Blind" - Carefree.
Lol, didn't realize how much Alexander Nevsky and Robin Hood dominated my tech categories. But they're totally deserving.
Anyway, I've got a pretty good list of what to check out for 1939. Gone with the Wind, Only Angels Have Wings, Stagecoach, The Rules of the Game, The Hounds of the Baskervilles, and re-watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington are pretty much my priorities. Anything else is up for grabs. I've also seen The Wizard of Oz like a trillion times so got that down pat.
Also, stephen : Wondering if the next Thin Man is worth checking out as well.
Carefree is easily my favorite Fred & Ginger film. Surprised it isn't talked about more. It was a breath of fresh air to actually have them put the story first for once and not rely on the same gimmick (two artists meet, fall for each other, etc etc). It's also probably my favorite of Ginger Rogers' performances in these, she was just so damn hilarious. Was very close to giving her my win, but Hiller was just too good in Pygmalion.
Olympia (the first part at least) had far too much commentary for my liking. I would've preferred Riefenstahl just stick to her visuals as I thought they were absolutely incredible (the diving and gymnastics sequences in particular were some of the best work I've seen this decade). Still, no denying its brilliance as well as influence, and it was nice that the propaganda was limited compared to her previous film.
Biggest surprise: Pygmalion. Anthony Asquith's 1929 Cottage on Dartmoor was one of my absolute favorites of last decade, so I was hoping he wasn't just a one-hit wonder and it was nice to see he wasn't. His montages were brilliantly filmed and edited, and in between the acting centerpieces of Howard & Hiller were fantastic to watch. Felt like if Hitchcock made a Frank Capra-esque picture.
Biggest disappointment: Bringing Up Baby. Normally I would blame the hype for causing me to feel disappointed with a film, because at least then there are still aspects to enjoy about it, I just didn't fall in love with it. But in this case, outside of the marvelously witty and zany performances of Grant & Hepburn, the script was just one big mess and I found the characters (particularly Hepburn's) absolutely grating. I'm sure the point was to put these two unlikable characters together and watch them be unlikable to each other (pretty much screwball in a nutshell), but there's usually a fine line between rude and plain annoying and I felt the film crossed it too often. Just wasn't my cup of tea, I guess. But those performances, particularly Grant's, far make up for it so that's why I still give it a decent 6/10. And because I don't think it's poorly made as a film, I solely blame the script.
Best Picture:
01. Alexander Nevsky.
02. Carefree.
03. Olympia.
04. Pygmalion.
05. Angels with Dirty Faces.
06. Quadrille.
07. You Can't Take It with You.
08. The Adventures of Robin Hood.
09. La Bête Humaine.
10. The Lady Vanishes.
-----------------
11. Holiday.
12. Bringing Up Baby.
Best Director:
01. Sergei M. Eisenstein & Dmitriy Vasilev - Alexander Nevsky.
02. Leni Riefenstahl - Olympia.
03. Anthony Asquith & Leslie Howard - Pygmalion.
04. Alfred Hitchcock - The Lady Vanishes.
05. Michael Curtiz - Angels with Dirty Faces.
Best Actor:
01. Cary Grant - Bringing Up Baby.
02. James Cagney - Angels with Dirty Faces.
03. Leslie Howard - Pygmalion.
04. Sacha Guitry - Quadrille.
05. Errol Flynn - The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Actress:
01. Wendy Hiller - Pygmalion.
02. Ginger Rogers - Carefree.
03. Katharine Hepburn - Bringing Up Baby.
04. Gaby Morlay - Quadrille.
05. Katharine Hepburn - Holiday.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Lionel Barrymore - You Can't Take It with You.
02. Edward Arnold - You Can't Take It with You.
03. Pat O'Brien - Angels with Dirty Faces.
04. Lew Ayres - Holiday.
05. Ralph Bellamy - Carefree.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Luella Gear - Carefree.
02. May Whitty - The Lady Vanishes.
03. Spring Byington - You Can't Take It with You.
04. Jacqueline Delubac - Quadrille.
05. Jean Arthur - You Can't Take It with You.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. Quadrille.
02. Angels with Dirty Faces.
03. Carefree.
04. Bringing Up Baby.
05. Alexander Nevsky.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Pygmalion.
02. You Can't Take It with You.
03. Holiday.
04. La Bête Humaine.
05. The Lady Vanishes.
Best Ensemble:
01. You Can't Take It with You.
02. Quadrille.
03. Angels with Dirty Faces.
04. Holiday.
05. The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Editing:
Alexander Nevsky.
Best Cinematography:
Alexander Nevsky.
Best Art Direction:
The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Costume Design:
The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Makeup:
The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Visual Effects:
The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Best Sound Design:
Alexander Nevsky.
Best Original Score:
Sergei Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky.
Best Original Song:
"I Used to Be Color Blind" - Carefree.
Lol, didn't realize how much Alexander Nevsky and Robin Hood dominated my tech categories. But they're totally deserving.
Anyway, I've got a pretty good list of what to check out for 1939. Gone with the Wind, Only Angels Have Wings, Stagecoach, The Rules of the Game, The Hounds of the Baskervilles, and re-watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington are pretty much my priorities. Anything else is up for grabs. I've also seen The Wizard of Oz like a trillion times so got that down pat.
Also, stephen : Wondering if the next Thin Man is worth checking out as well.