Month: July 2020

Articles, Catching the Classics, Review

Catching the Classics: 100 Movies to See Before You Die

Since I’ve been doing the “Catching the Classics” segment for almost two years, I figured it was about time to flip the script and share with all of you the movies that *you* might be missing out on — the ones that you need to see at some point in your life.

You might notice that a lot of these are no-brainers. Your Star Wars OT, your Lord of the Rings trilogy, your Princess Bride, Alien, Jaws and Die Hard. Thus, if you’re a big movie fan the way the Nerds and I are, you’ve probably seen more than half of these movies already. But, as I learned recently, you’d be surprised at how few of these the “average person” has seen.

I compiled the list by going through the AFI Top 100, the IMDB Top 250, and my own movie collection to identify 100 movies that are 1) high-quality and 2) culturally relevant in some way. To clarify: I only included movies I’ve seen, so no Godfather Part II or anything like that.

I also tried to keep it generally accessible for all people. You’ll notice I don’t have much in the way of horror or really violent action movies. That’s because 1) I don’t watch a lot of those, so 2) I don’t feel comfortable ~demanding~ that other people watch them either. Thus, most of the movies on here are PG-13 or lower.

If you paid attention to Movie Madness at all, it’ll come as no surprise that my 100 movies span a variety of genres. We have modern classics, Old Hollywood classics, superhero movies, musicals, comedies, dramas, animation, etc.

Unlike the AFI Top 100 or IMDB Top 250 lists, I broke mine down by genre instead. Much easier that way. Admittedly, there is some overlap. For instance, should Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse be classified as an animated movie or a superhero movie? I put it in the animation category because it needed more entries, but just be aware that there really isn’t much rhyme or reason on why those “overlap” movies are in one category over another. Also, the “Miscellaneous” category contains a lot of films that could probably be in “Modern Classics,” but the modern classics were the first 17 films I thought of while the miscellaneous ones were things I threw on there at the end. There’s also no significance to their ordering within the categories — it’s just merely the order that I thought of them in.

For the record: I came up with my first 60 films very easily. After that, I flipped through the other lists and various articles about “Best Musicals” and whatnot to get ideas. Once I got down to my last 10, it was really hard to pick which ones to officially go on the list while others fall into obscurity.

Again, remember: these are movies that I enjoy and that I think are important movies to watch from a technical and/or cultural standpoint.

Without further ado, here’s the list by category / genre:

Modern Classics

  • The Original Star Wars Trilogy (3)
  • The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (3)
  • The Back to the Future Trilogy (3)
  • Indiana Jones: Raiders & Last Crusade (2)
  • Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
  • The Matrix
  • Jurassic Park
  • The Princess Bride
  • A Christmas Story
  • The Sandlot

These are all pretty obvious. I guess the one thing of note is that I only put the good Indiana Jones movies on here, because Temple of Doom and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull aren’t good. Fight me.

Old Hollywood Classics

  • Casablanca
  • A Raisin in the Sun
  • How to Kill a Mockingbird
  • The Wizard of Oz
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • Rear Window
  • North by Northwest
  • Charade
  • Gone with the Wind
  • Roman Holiday
  • Some Like it Hot
  • It Happened One Night

Again, pretty obvious. The only one I’ll note is Gone with the Wind.

I struggled a lot as to whether I should put it on the list, given its controversial nature. I watched this movie a lot as a kid, so I’d become numb to its bullshit until recent discussions really made me examine whether I should support it. I think that if someone goes into it with the right mindset — that these people and their way of life are not to be glorified, that this was a film that was set and made in a different time, and that we need to learn from those things and improve — I think it’s still worth watching. Plus, my fellow Wichitan Hattie McDaniel won her Oscar for this movie. And while the role she plays and the drama around the awards ceremony itself was racially charged, I hesitate to throw the baby out with the bath water, as it were.

Also, as I said recently on the podcast, the only really good character (of the main four) is Melanie. When you really look at Scarlett, she seems to be more of an anti-heroine. She’s a terrible person who only grows more ruthless and selfish as the story progresses; but because she’s living through literal hell — at least for the first two-thirds of the movie — the audience feels they need to root for her. So, while it’s important to pay attention to how POC are treated in the movie and how The South is portrayed, I think people can still appreciate the technical aspects and become invested in the story of these four people who survive a war only for their lives to be torn apart by each other’s selfishness and weak-willed natures.

Dramas

  • The Silence of the Lambs
  • Parasite
  • The Prestige
  • Unforgiven
  • Pan’s Labyrinth
  • Arrival
  • Remember the Titans
  • The King’s Speech
  • A Few Good Men
  • Good Night & Good Luck
  • The Post

I like The Prestige the most out of Nolan’s non-Batman movies. I know everyone loooooooves Inception, and I admittedly need to revisit it, but I think it’s a bit overblown. And I never saw Interstellar or Dunkirk so…. *shrugs*

Otherwise, we’ve got a variety of genres even within this “drama” category. We got some sci-fi, some thriller, a sports movie, historical/period dramas, fantasy, action… and of course, I had to throw a few movies about journalism in there for good measure. Notice how I’ve got one about broadcast journalism (GN&GL) and one about print journalism (The Post).

Superhero Movies

  • Batman Begins
  • The Dark Knight
  • Iron Man
  • The Avengers
  • Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  • Captain America: Civil War
  • Black Panther
  • Avengers: Infinity War
  • Avengers: Endgame

I don’t think anyone’s going to complain about the movies that are on here, but I anticipate complaints about the movies that AREN’T. But, honestly, I don’t care. The DC movies aren’t very good outside of Nolan’s Batman trilogy, although admittedly Batman ’89 is a hallmark for live-action superhero movies.

Also I condensed the 20-plus MCU into seven films… that’s a pretty admirable feat, if I do say so myself. And, arguably, you don’t even need Black Panther; but it’s a good movie, so it’s a must-watch.

Musicals

  • My Fair Lady
  • Fiddler on the Roof
  • The Sound of Music
  • Singin’ in the Rain
  • The King & I
  • Mary Poppins
  • Oklahoma!
  • High Society
  • Annie — any version
  • The Sister Act duology (2)

You all knew I was gonna put My Fair Lady on this list, so why not have an entire category for musicals?

Not much here to explain, as most of these are pretty iconic. I put High Society on here instead of The Philadelphia Story, because I like it better. The story actually lends itself pretty well to the musical format. Also, Louis Armstrong, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby in a movie together!!! Can’t get much better than that.

I put Annie on here, although which version of Annie doesn’t really matter. They all have their pros and cons. I personally always liked the one with Carol Burnett and Tim Curry the most, but it’s not a hill I’m going to die on. As long as they have all the iconic songs, it doesn’t matter what version it is.

And, I put the Sister Act movies on here, because they’re just kinda fun and more jukebox musicals than something like My Fair Lady. It’s something different even though it exists in the same genre as the others.

Comedies/RomComs

  • Clueless
  • Legally Blonde
  • Mean Girls
  • Juliet, Naked
  • My Big Fat Greek Wedding
  • Crazy Rich Asians
  • Sabrina — either version
  • You’ve Got Mail

I don’t think there’s a single comedy or romcom on the AFI Top 100 List. And if there’s any on the IMDB Top 250, there’s not that many. Thus, I pretty much had to will this category into being, rather than going off pre-existing lists. Granted, that wasn’t too hard, considering I did an entire post about romcoms already.

Anyway, these are all good movies that are worth watching, and I’m ready to fight anyone who thinks otherwise.

Disney & Pixar Animated Movies

  • Snow White
  • The Little Mermaid
  • Beauty & the Beast
  • Aladdin
  • The Lion King
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame
  • Zootopia
  • The Toy Story trilogy (3)
  • Up
  • Coco

This is another category that might not be controversial for the movies that are in it, but rather for the movies that aren’t. But, honestly, if I could make some person who’d never seen any animated movies sit down and watch any Disney and Pixar movies I choose, these would be the ones. They pack the most punch both technically and emotionally, although any Pixar movie is obviously gonna be a tearjerker.

Other Animated Movies

  • Shrek 1 & 2 (2)
  • Kung Fu Panda 1 & 2 (2)
  • How to Train Your Dragon
  • The Prince Egypt
  • Princess Mononoke
  • Spirited Away
  • Your Name.
  • Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

Of course, some Miyazaki movies are going to be on there along with Spider-verse. Dreamworks tends to fly under the radar compared to Disney, but they’ve arguably put out more high-quality movies in the last 10 or 15 years than Disney has (not including Pixar). So, don’t sleep on Dreamworks!

Miscellaneous

  • Jaws
  • Alien
  • Die Hard
  • Star Trek (2009)
  • Mad Max: Fury Road
  • Edge of Tomorrow
  • Knives Out
  • Jojo Rabbit
  • Titanic
  • Jane Eyre — any version

Again, I know many of these can go in the “modern classics” category, but I had enough there already and I was trying to round out a couple of genres I don’t have on this list. We got some horror, some sci-fi, plenty of action, and a bit of mystery as well.

Again, with Jane Eyre, there might be versions I like better than others and ones I’d recommend over others; but ultimately, there are no bad versions. Watch the one with Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles; or the one with Michael Fassbender; or the one with George C. Scott. Doesn’t matter. All the best versions are miniseries anyway, so the movie ones are more or less the same level of ‘doable’ even though they all have their pros and cons.

Articles, Review

Blu-Buried: My Fair Lady 50th Anniversary Edition

Being a movie collector is lots of fun. You go to the store or the online site and shop for hours looking for deals on your favorite movies. But, a problem for me is I go to secondhand stores and will sometimes buy movies that maybe I wasn’t crazy about when I saw them but now it’s only $6, so I figure “Why not?” Or, I buy a movie I’ve seen and I forget to watch it.

I have mentioned before that my wife is supportive of my collecting, but she also gets annoyed because I buy movies and they sit on my shelf, never seeing the inside of my blu-ray player.

At first, I told my wife “I’ve watched most of them!” But recently I decided to separate the films that I have not watched. And darn it, my wife is right!

So, I took all those discs and placed them on the bottom of my shelf. My movies are organized alphabetically, so I thought for fun I would mix them up, place them back on the bottom of the shelf and watch whatever movie is next.

I will review the discs as it will help keep me focused on completing my task of finally being able to tell my wife, “I have watched them all!”

Welcome to Blu-Buried!

My Fair Lady: 50th Anniversary Edition

My Fair Lady stars the incomparable Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle. A cockney flower girl, who after meeting Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), decides that he will teach her “English, English”. Higgins also believes that with his help nobody in high society will even know the difference from a flower and a Duchess.

Eliza decides to take him up on his offer as she dreams of working in a flower shop and begins lessons with Higgins and fellow phonetics expert, Colonel High Pickering (Wilford Hyde-White) watching Eliza’s progress.

We also meet Eliza’s father, Alfred Doolittle (Stanley Holloway). Who is a lovable dustman, but jumps at the opportunity to get money out of Higgins for keeping his daughter.

My Fair Lady is one of the most beloved and best musicals to ever come out of Hollywood. The year 1964 also gave us Mary Poppins, talk about a double whammy. Mu Fair Lady was already a hit on Broadway and Warner Bros. jumped at the chance to bring it to the big screen.

Given an unheard of budget of $17 million Warner Bros was tasked with now putting the film together. Hiring director George Cukor, was a stroke in genius. Cukor was already an accomplished director with such classics as The Philadelphia Story, Gaslight, and A Star is Born. Cukor had the chops and he was up to the task as My Fair Lady is a sight to behold. Clocking in at almost 3 hours, Cukor never lets the film get boring, it just sings along.

Next was the cast. Rex Harrison was cast as Henry Harrison, a role he played on Broadway. According to the son of Stanley Holloway, Julian, the part was offered to Cary Grant. Grant for his part told Jack Warner that if he did not cast Rex Harrison, he would never be in a Warner Bros. movie again.

Maybe more controversially the part of Eliza Doolittle went to Audrey Hepburn. Eliza was played by the amazing Julie Andrews on Broadway, and almost everyone thought it was a foregone conclusion that Andrews would play her in the filmed version. She did not, but she did go onto to play Mary Poppins and get the Academy Award for that role.

But whatever reservations were had for Hepburn playing Eliza are immediately washed away when she firsts enters the picture. She’s funny, she’s dirty and boy does she absolutely own the screen when she is on it. Although Warner Bros. replaced her singing voice with Marni Nixon, it doesn’t matter, Hepburn is Eliza. She’s absolutely “loverly”.

Every element of My Fair Lady is brilliant, the songs, the acting, the costumes are Hollywood at its best. It’s impossible not to enjoy the film.

Warner Bros. and CBS restored My Fair Lady for its 50th Anniversary and it is an astonishing restoration. The person behind the restoration is Richard Harris and a crack team of preservationists. You will not believe your eyes watching this film. Harris returned the original aspect of the film, 2.20:1 framed image, from an 8K scan restored to 4K. The colors pop, the details are eye popping. There is an older bonus feature on the film that talks about the length of the previous release of My Fair Lady, which was extensive, for them to go back and make even better is a treat for us movie fans.

Also included is a new 7.1 TrueHD soundtrack. It is breathtaking. You will get the full orchestra and full-throated singing on this disc. Everything sounds perfect. The best part in my view is the incredible layers the soundtrack has. I have never heard My Fair Lady like this before.

Warner and CBS brought out the bells and whistles for this 50th Anniversary release of My Fair Lady. It has three discs, one for the feature, one blu-ray for the special features and for those who haven’t converted yet, a DVD of the film. While a standard blu-ray case is now available for My Fair Lady, I prefer he one my came in, a heavy duty attractive Neo-Pack. Here’s what you get and it’s a lot;

More Loverly Than Ever: The Making of My Fair Lady Then and Now: is an absolute must watch. It details the making of the film and the efforts to preserve the film. Great stuff.

1963 Production Kick Off Dinner: Fun but fluffy.

Los Angeles Premiere: Red carpet with the stars!

British Premiere: Red carpet, U.K. style.

George Cukor Directs Baroness Bina Rothschild: A quick look at Cukor directing.

Rex Harrison Radio Interview: way too short but nevertheless it is good.

Production Tests: Alex Hyde-White brings along some newly discovered tests in the WB archives. Cool stuff!

Alternate Audrey Hepburn Vocals: these are on two songs, Wouldn’t It Be Loverly and Show Me.

Comments on a Lady: Short interviews with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Martin Scorcese.

Trailers: A bunch of them.

The Story of a Lady: Look at WB’s acquisition of My Fair Lady.

Design of a Lady: Costumer Designer Cecil Beaton is given the spotlight.

The Fairest Fair Lady: Another documentary with Julie Andrews and others.

Rex Harrison BFI Honor: Another quick chat with the actor.

Rex Harrison Golden Globe Speech and Academy Awards Ceremony from 1965.

Last there is also a gallery of photos and publicity material.

My Fair Lady is everything a Hollywood musical should be, grand, funny, heartbreaking and performances that are second to none. CBS and Warner Bros. have delivered a blu-ray that should be in every movie fans library.

Film: A+

Video: A+

Audio: A+

Extras: A+

Overall: A+

Articles, Review, The Scream Factory Crypt

The Scream Factory Crypt Part 26: Sleepwalkers

Welcome to the Scream Factory Crypt! In this binge series I will be watching all my Scream Factory titles I own alphabetically or sometimes randomly! Scream Factory is my favorite imprint of Blu-Ray’s because they take movies that studios and the public might not adore but have fans and deserve to be given respect. This will take a long time as I have over 163(!) titles and counting, I know I will have more before I finish, so stay tuned!  Not only will I talk about them on the podcast but I will review them here as well so you can see how I feel about aspects of each release.

Part 26: Sleepwalkers

Charles (Brian Krause) and his mother (Alice Krige) move to a small Indiana town to start a new life. The reason they’ve moved is they are some sort of vampire/werecat hybrid that must feast on a virgin’s energy.

Charles sets his sights on Tanya Robertson (Madchen Amick) the beautiful lady who works at the local movie theater. Soon, Tanya is smitten with Charles, unaware she may soon fall prey to his and his mother’s thirst.

Charles and his mother, Mary do have a weakness. Cats can sense them and seem to have the ability to hunt and kill them. After a run in with a local cop, Andy Simpson (Dan Martin) and his cat Clovis, Charles is exposed and must ramp up his efforts to kill Tanya.

Sleepwalkers is a strange, gory, and absolutely a fun time. Written by Stephen King, from a story not from a published book, Sleepwalkers is a little insane. Not all the rules of the monsters are spelled out, like they can turn invisible and make cars actually change what type they are. Also, are they energy sucking vampires, or werecats with incredible powers, but can be taken out by mere house cats? And who can forget about the incest? It’s a weird one.

In watching the film, it is best not to ask these questions and just have a good time. If you do this, you will enjoy your time with Sleepwalkers.

What also helps is the film is directed with flair by Mick Garris. He fully understands what he needs to accomplish, and he does so with confidence. Be on the lookout for a fun scene featuring some of the biggest names in horror, from Stephen King to Tobe Hopper, Clive Barker, John Landis and Joe Dante.

Madchen Amick is great in the film. When we first meet her, and she is rocking out to The Contours’ Do You Love Me? You can see why Charles has picked her. Alice Krige is the right kind of monster mom here. She is terrifying and a loving mother, sometimes in the same scene.

Although Sleepwalkers does not get a fresh scan for its Collector’s Edition release, the transfer still looks really sharp. Most of the horror does take place during the day and is bright and full of color. When the film switches to night a few blemishes pop up.

Sleepwalkers purrs on blu-ray with a healthy 5.1 DTS-HD mix. The music, dialogue and sound effects all sound great. Sleepwalkers is an audio delight.

Since this is a Collector’s Edition Scream Factory has packed Sleepwalkers with some terrific extras.

Commentary with Mick Garris, Madchen Amick and Brian Kruase: is a fun breezy commentary that is worth a listen.

Feline Trouble-An Interview with Director Mick Garris-A great time sitting down with the director. If you’ve listened to Garris’ podcast Post Mortem then you know he is great at telling stories.

When Charles Met Tanya-This interview sits down with stars Madchen Amiken and Brian Kruase.

Mother and More-Is a really great, in-depth interview with the great Alice Krige. Lots of juicy acting bits here.

Creatures and Cats-Tony Gardner is on hand to talk about the creature and special effects.

Behind the Scenes Footage-an interesting look at the creature effects, plus some footage of cat wrangling.

A still gallery, TV spots and a trailer is also included.

Sleepwalkers is weird. It is also a lot of fun. Scream Factory has given this film its Collector’s Edition banner and it doesn’t disappoint.

Film: B

Video: B+

Audio: A-

Extras: A

Overall: B+

Articles, Review, The Scream Factory Crypt

The Scream Factory Crypt Part 25: Dracula (1979)

Welcome to the Scream Factory Crypt! In this binge series I will be watching all my Scream Factory titles I own alphabetically or sometimes randomly! Scream Factory is my favorite imprint of Blu-Ray’s because they take movies that studios and the public might not adore but have fans and deserve to be given respect. This will take a long time as I have over 163(!) titles and counting, I know I will have more before I finish, so stay tuned!  Not only will I talk about them on the podcast but I will review them here as well so you can see how I feel about aspects of each release.

Part 25: Dracula (1979)

In the early 20th Century a ghostship wrecks along the shores of England. The ship is carrying the personal belongings of Count Dracula. The crew is all dead, with the Count being the only survivor. Dracula enchants the locals, but is he hiding a sinister secret?

Dracula’s story has been told many times. From his early days of Nosferatu to present time, I couldn’t even tell you how many Dracula movies I have seen (with more to come!). To make a unique Dracula film is almost impossible, but what you can do is make a Dracula film with an amazing cast and with some eerie style to spare. Which is what we get with director John Badham’s 1979 version.

Badham is best known for directing the disco film, Saturday Night Fever, but as he says in the bonus features, he is more loved for bringing Dracula to the screen. I have never seen this version of Dracula and I must say it’s a very solid picture. Helped by an incredible cast, Dracula is played by Frank Langella, who played the Count on Broadway. Rounding out the cast is Donald Pleasence as Dr. Seward and Laurence Olivier as Van Helsing.

The 1979 Dracula is a mostly bloodless affair, instead focusing on the romantic side of Drac and mood. There is an occasional bite and one extremely gruesome neck break, but for the most part Dracula doesn’t bare his fangs. You might scoff at the lack of violence in the picture, but Dracula makes up for it in wonderful performances, tight direction and glorious costumes and set design.

That’s not to say Dracula does not have any chilling moments. Dracula scales down the side of home at one point which is well done and scary. His seduction of Mina and Lucy is fraught with sexual tension and Langella’s hypnotic stare will also leave you in a trance.

Perhaps the strongest element of the film is the haunting score by the legendary John Williams. As I was watching the movie, I kept thinking “Wow, this music is great.” I missed his credit the first time I watched the movie, so it was a pleasant surprise as I watched the credits at the end.

Dracula comes with two different versions of the film. Which is interesting because you would thin the director’s cut would have more scenes/gore. That’s not the case with Dracula. The films’ runtime is the same, the difference here is Badham, was given the film after its release and de-saturated the color from the picture. By doing this, Badham as essentially created a black and white version of his film with color. That might sound confusing, but when you watch the movie in its de-saturated form the colors are much more subdued. Giving Dracula a much more Gothic feel to the production.

The Theatrical release is brighter and allows the film to be much more elegant. Here the colors absolutely pop as Scream Factory has a fresh new 4K scan of the film. It really feels like you’re watching two different films.

The video on both versions is outstanding and since I have never seen any version of the film until I watched Scream Factory’s release, I can only go off my personal experience with these discs.

I am not sure which version I prefer more, but I did watch the film back to back and it was fun starting with the director’s desaturated version and then watching the film absolutely pop with the new 4K scan of the theatrical release.

Dracula swoops onto your TV with an impressive sound design. The film sports a DTS-HD Master audio and it sounds great. Dracula’s strongest element is the incredible mood and score. The disc doesn’t disappoint as thunder and lightning assault your sound system with pop. Dialogue is as easily heard as the sound of horses running. This is a very healthy mix.

Dracula has been given Collector’s Edition status from Scream Factory and boy does it deliver. On this two disc set you will find the following features;

Disc 1-Director Desaturated Version, plus bonus features

Introduction by Director John Badham: This is cool because the director doesn’t say his de-saturated version is better, he tells you to watch both and make up your mind on which version you prefer.

Commentary with Director John Badham: Previously recorded for an earlier release.

King of my Kind-An Interview with Director John Badham; A fun and informative interview with the director.

What Sad Music-An Interview with Writer W.D. Richter; Fascinating interview with the writer, a must watch.

Interview with Editor John Bloom; Interesting interview, especially since he seems to be in the minority in not liking John Williams score.

Dracula’s Guest-An Interview with Camera Assistant Jim Alloway; Hats off to Scream for getting maybe not the most conventional interviewee, but a very technical chat.

Interview with Make-Up Artist Peter Robb-King: Interesting interview as Robb-King discusses not only his work here but other Draculas on film.

Interview with Hair Stylist Colin Jamison: Short and sweet look back on Drac’s hair.

Interview with Assistant Director Anthony Wayne: Discuss stunts and reshoots done on the picture.

Interview with Production Manager Hugh Harlow: Another interesting interview, Harlow details the shooting process.

The Revamping Dracula: An older 30 minute documentary about the making of Dracula.

Disc 2-Original Theatrical Release

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Constantine Nasr-A really solid track. Nasr knows Dracula 1979 inside and out.

Also included is a trailer, radio spots and a still gallery.

Dracula 1979 might not have the goriest bite in Dracula movie lore, but its scrumptious production design, stellar cast and haunting score make it a standout picture. The two versions of the film are so different due to only the color timing make this a must buy and fascinating watch.

Film: B

Video: Desaturated-A Theatrical-A+

Audio: A

Extras: A+

Overall: A

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