The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966)

Three tough bastards (Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef) are all on the trail of a buried fortune while the Civil War rages around them.

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Seeing this movie at The Egyptian for my 21st birthday is easily one of the top 10 greatest moments in my life. I don't care that most of my friends fell asleep, my eyes were glued to the screen for every frame. Yeah it's long, but that's the point. This is the Western elevated to the level of Opera. Everything about this movie is BIG and LOUD. BIG characters, BIG emotions, BIG music viewed on a BIG screen with the volume cranked all the way to 11. There's a reason Metallica opens their live shows with this song:

Almost Famous (2000)

Follow the exploits of Rolling Stone journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit) as he follows a hard partying rock band on their latest tour. Did I mention that William is still in high school?

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In the hands of some other filmmaker, this movie would have been yet another exploration of that old Nietzche quote about staring into the abyss. It would have been about the corruption of William Miller. About how he was never able to love again or trust people again or something else cynical. But that's just not who Cameron Crowe is. And lest we forget: this film is his life. He lived through the experiences dramatized here and came out the other side an affable, polite and easygoing guy. His life and his film are a testaments to that final line from Woody Allen's Manhattan: "Not everybody gets corrupted. You have to have a little faith in people."

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

It's become something of a New Year's tradition for me to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's in the morning hours on the first of the year. I'm not sure how this tradition got started, but it's one I really enjoy. It's nice to start off the year with a heavy dose of cinema style.

Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) is a call girl who befriends struggling writer Paul Varjak (George Peppard) when he moves into her building. She's a dazzling and intriguing character, and naturally, he falls for her. Who wouldn't? This film is iconic in so many ways: Holly looking in the windows of Tiffany's in the early morning hours, that hair, that dress, those sunglasses, "Moon River", the nameless cat, the bathtub couch, that sleep mask, the party scene, Mickey Rooney's cringeworthy scenes as Mr. Yunioshi (ouch!), the kiss in the rain, the list goes on and on.

This movie is currently streamable on Netflix, and very much worth a revisit. Audrey Hepburn and Patricia Neal are the chicest ladies around, the music is incredibly cool, and ultimately it's a lovely little film. For superfans I highly recommend the book Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. about the making of the film!

Happy viewing, and don't forget your danish!

Double Bill: Just Visiting

Mystery Train and Barton Fink

The 12 Months of Kubrick

If we are to believe the ancient Mayans and Roland Emmerich, the world is going to be ending in less than 365 days. With the apocalypse so close at hand it is time to reevaluate. It is time to decide what really matters and make every minute count. Seeing as we are Cinema Nerds, we have decided to dedicate 1,549 of those minutes to watching the films of Stanley Kubrick - one last time.

Watched end to end this feat could be accomplished in a little over a day. But where's the fun in that? It'd be over far too quickly. With doomsday looming, our focus should be on stretching things out and making them last. Thus we have decided to watch exactly one movie a month.

Jaunary - Killer's Kiss
February - The Killing
March - Paths of Glory
April - Spartacus
May - Lolita
June - Dr. Strangelove
July - 2001: A Space Odyssey
August - A Clockwork Orange
September - Barry Lyndon
October - The Shining
November - Full Metal Jacket
December - Eyes Wide Shut


12 films, 12 months! His filmography (minus Fear and Desire) fits the Gregorian Calendar like a glove! So let's learn to stop worrying and make this the best countdown to Armageddon EVER! And remember...

Hibernation

Cinema Nerds will return in 2012. We wish you all the best and sincerely hope that you get those cha-cha heels you always wanted. They look so great on you!

♥Cinema Nerds

Double Bill: Gen X

Reality Bites and Empire Records

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants his family to have a "fun old fashion family Christmas!" That involves getting the perfect tree, putting lights on the house, going sledding, and spending time with the family...the WHOLE family. Naturally, everything goes horribly horribly wrong. And it's amazing.

I don't know a single person that doesn't like this movie. It's hilarious from start to finish, and the madness includes getting a tree WAY too big for the living room, sending an icicle through the yuppie neighbors' window, shooting down a hill on a sled at the speed of light, electrocuting a cat, and kidnapping their boss...oh and there's a squirrel too. There's just too much and it's too funny.

And a special nod to Mae Questel who plays Aunt Bethany...it's her last on-screen appearance and she is probably best known as the voice of Betty Boop!

If it's been a while since you've seen this, or if you never have, I very much recommend it. It'll put you in the holiday spirit in no time!

Mother (2009)

When a mentally handicapped young man (Bin Won) is arrested for the murder of a local high school girl, his mother (Hye-ja Kim) sets out to prove his innocence, no matter the cost.

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Director Bong Joon-ho can do no wrong. Four feature films, each one better than the last. He seems to have cracked the code and uncovered Alfred Hitchcock's secret recipe for suspense. And it turns out that the secret ingredient is humor. Though all of these films would likely be found in the "suspense" section of your local video store, there is definitely a healthy dollop of comedy in there. It makes for a much richer and full-flavored experience. Mother and his debut film Barking Dogs Never Bite are both on Netflix Instant, so I suggest you hop to it.

The Man Who Came To Dinner (1942)

The Man Who Came to Dinner is one of my favorite December movies and I look forward to watching it all year!

When cranky and acid-tongued critic Sheridan Whiteside (Monty Woolley) slips on the stairs of a businessman 's home after visiting for lunch, he uses his injury to take over the house, along with his secretary Maggie (Bette Davis) and all of their, uh, "interesting" friends. Convicted killers visit one day, penguins are delivered another day, and Mr. Whiteside's constant jabs and meddling drive the whole family (and his poor nurse) absolutely batty!

Meanwhile, Maggie falls for cutie-pie newspaper owner Bert Jefferson (Richard Travis). Sensing he is about to lose his beloved secretary, "Sherry" Whiteside is determined to break it up through any means necessary! The result? A pretty hilarious little movie.

This performance from Bette Davis is unlike her usual roles, but even in this downplayed role, she shines. Other performances worth mentioning are Monty Woolley as Sheridan Whiteside (it's SO funny and perfect, he verbally bitchslaps just about everybody), Ann Sheridan as the golddigging actress Lorraine Sheldon, and Jimmy Durante as Banjo (enough said!). All of the actors are lovably insane, and there are so many good one-liners.




Enjoy!