Post by idioticbunny on Oct 6, 2017 18:15:23 GMT
A far better year than the last two, but a bit more disappointing considering my expectations for a lot of these movies. Still, the first three are pretty fantastic. Murder drags a bit during the actual dialogue bits, but there are so many damn great images and sequences that it more than makes up for its rather lackluster plot. And Powell was great considering I'd only ever seen him in musicals prior to this.
Double Indemnity is one I've seen probably more than any other from this decade, as I love Wilder and the film, so it's pretty amazing that I'm very neck-and-neck with Arsenic as my choice for #1. D.I. slides on with the win because of its consistency. Arsenic severely drags in the middle due to Grant's absence, but the first and third acts are incredible and hilarious. Grant, by the way, is probably my favorite lead performance thus far this decade and might just be the greatest thing he's ever done (funny considering he apparently hated his performance). Will need to re-watch Notorious in a couple years before firmly deciding which is the better of the two.
The rest are all decent. Nothing bad, but nothing too note-worthy. I also think Henry V has to be one of Shakespeare's dullest plays, but Olivier somehow made it intriguing. Loved his movement of the camera here and his interesting techniques (beginning on an old-time stage, then progressing to artificial sets on real locations). Was a fan of his direction even if the lower rating is based solely on the material itself. Oh and Gaslight:
Best Picture:
01. Double Indemnity.
02. Arsenic and Old Lace.
03. Murder, My Sweet.
04. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
05. Ivan the Terrible, Part I.
06. Laura.
07. Henry V.
08. Gaslight.
09. Lifeboat.
10. Ministry of Fear.
-----------------
11. Meet Me in St. Louis.
12. To Have and Have Not.
Best Director:
01. Frank Capra - Arsenic and Old Lace.
02. Billy Wilder - Double Indemnity.
03. Laurence Olivier - Henry V.
04. Sergei M. Eisenstein - Ivan the Terrible, Part I.
05. Edward Dmytryk - Murder, My Sweet.
Best Actor:
01. Cary Grant - Arsenic and Old Lace.
02. Charles Boyer - Gaslight.
03. Fred MacMurray - Double Indemnity.
04. Eddie Bracken - The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
05. Dick Powell - Murder, My Sweet.
Best Actress:
01. Barbara Stanwyck - Double Indemnity.
02. Ingrid Bergman - Gaslight.
03. Betty Hutton - The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
04. Judy Garland - Meet Me in St. Louis.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Clifton Webb - Laura.
02. John Alexander - Arsenic and Old Lace.
03. William Demarest - The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
04. Edward G. Robinson - Double Indemnity.
05. Walter Brennan - To Have and Have Not.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Josephine Hull - Arsenic and Old Lace.
02. Margaret O'Brien - Meet Me in St. Louis.
03. Tallulah Bankhead - Lifeboat.
04. Gene Tierney - Laura.
05. Jean Adair - Arsenic and Old Lace.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
02. Lifeboat.
03. Ivan the Terrible, Part I.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Double Indemnity.
02. Arsenic and Old Lace.
03. Murder, My Sweet.
04. Laura.
05. Gaslight.
Best Ensemble:
01. Arsenic and Old Lace.
02. Double Indemnity.
03. Henry V.
04. Lifeboat.
05. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
Best Editing:
Double Indemnity.
Best Cinematography:
Ivan the Terrible, Part I.
Best Art Direction:
Henry V.
Best Costume Design:
Henry V.
Best Makeup:
Ivan the Terrible, Part I.
Best Visual Effects:
Lifeboat.
Best Sound Design:
Meet Me in St. Louis.
Best Original Score:
David Raksin - Laura.
Best Original Song:
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - Meet Me in St. Louis.
1945 looks like a pretty good year, too, so I'm excited to get to some more films. But I'm also going back to work again, starting today, so who knows if I'll have as much time to watch them as I had these past couple months. The Lost Weekend and Brief Encounter are must-sees, plus the Hitchcock obviously, but would love to narrow down the rest of my list.
Double Indemnity is one I've seen probably more than any other from this decade, as I love Wilder and the film, so it's pretty amazing that I'm very neck-and-neck with Arsenic as my choice for #1. D.I. slides on with the win because of its consistency. Arsenic severely drags in the middle due to Grant's absence, but the first and third acts are incredible and hilarious. Grant, by the way, is probably my favorite lead performance thus far this decade and might just be the greatest thing he's ever done (funny considering he apparently hated his performance). Will need to re-watch Notorious in a couple years before firmly deciding which is the better of the two.
The rest are all decent. Nothing bad, but nothing too note-worthy. I also think Henry V has to be one of Shakespeare's dullest plays, but Olivier somehow made it intriguing. Loved his movement of the camera here and his interesting techniques (beginning on an old-time stage, then progressing to artificial sets on real locations). Was a fan of his direction even if the lower rating is based solely on the material itself. Oh and Gaslight:
Charles Boyer's character is one of the worst scumbags I think I've ever watched, and he played him so chillingly.
Best Picture:
01. Double Indemnity.
02. Arsenic and Old Lace.
03. Murder, My Sweet.
04. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
05. Ivan the Terrible, Part I.
06. Laura.
07. Henry V.
08. Gaslight.
09. Lifeboat.
10. Ministry of Fear.
-----------------
11. Meet Me in St. Louis.
12. To Have and Have Not.
Best Director:
01. Frank Capra - Arsenic and Old Lace.
02. Billy Wilder - Double Indemnity.
03. Laurence Olivier - Henry V.
04. Sergei M. Eisenstein - Ivan the Terrible, Part I.
05. Edward Dmytryk - Murder, My Sweet.
Best Actor:
01. Cary Grant - Arsenic and Old Lace.
02. Charles Boyer - Gaslight.
03. Fred MacMurray - Double Indemnity.
04. Eddie Bracken - The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
05. Dick Powell - Murder, My Sweet.
Best Actress:
01. Barbara Stanwyck - Double Indemnity.
02. Ingrid Bergman - Gaslight.
03. Betty Hutton - The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
04. Judy Garland - Meet Me in St. Louis.
Best Supporting Actor:
01. Clifton Webb - Laura.
02. John Alexander - Arsenic and Old Lace.
03. William Demarest - The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
04. Edward G. Robinson - Double Indemnity.
05. Walter Brennan - To Have and Have Not.
Best Supporting Actress:
01. Josephine Hull - Arsenic and Old Lace.
02. Margaret O'Brien - Meet Me in St. Louis.
03. Tallulah Bankhead - Lifeboat.
04. Gene Tierney - Laura.
05. Jean Adair - Arsenic and Old Lace.
Best Original Screenplay:
01. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
02. Lifeboat.
03. Ivan the Terrible, Part I.
Best Adapted Screenplay:
01. Double Indemnity.
02. Arsenic and Old Lace.
03. Murder, My Sweet.
04. Laura.
05. Gaslight.
Best Ensemble:
01. Arsenic and Old Lace.
02. Double Indemnity.
03. Henry V.
04. Lifeboat.
05. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.
Best Editing:
Double Indemnity.
Best Cinematography:
Ivan the Terrible, Part I.
Best Art Direction:
Henry V.
Best Costume Design:
Henry V.
Best Makeup:
Ivan the Terrible, Part I.
Best Visual Effects:
Lifeboat.
Best Sound Design:
Meet Me in St. Louis.
Best Original Score:
David Raksin - Laura.
Best Original Song:
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - Meet Me in St. Louis.
1945 looks like a pretty good year, too, so I'm excited to get to some more films. But I'm also going back to work again, starting today, so who knows if I'll have as much time to watch them as I had these past couple months. The Lost Weekend and Brief Encounter are must-sees, plus the Hitchcock obviously, but would love to narrow down the rest of my list.