The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story (1996)

Academy Awards, USA 1997

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Susan Warms Dryfoos

Castle Hill Productions
Directed by Susan Warms Dryfoos
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Home Vision Entertainment)

Effortlessly weaves a biography of the famous New York artist with a history of Broadway plays. Hirschfeld's artistic development from sculptor to caricaturist leads to his publication in local newspapers, which he manages to make a career. Interviews with his famous subjects provides insights to the man, who narrates the film. Enjoyable, if not particularly essential, viewing.

Ni Liv (1957)

Academy Awards, USA 1958

Nominated Oscar

Best Foreign Language Film Norway.

Louis de Rochemont Associates
Directed by Arne Skouen
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A Norwegian resistance fighter participates in an operation against a Nazi boat. When it goes wrong, he goes on the run across a frigid, snowy Norwegian landscape with the Nazis in pursuit. He gets plenty of help from locals who are willing to risk their lives to get him to safety in neutral Sweden. The final leg turns out to be the hardest when he has to spend weeks lying in a snow bank waiting for help. Incredible location shooting is a highlight of this Norwegian film: you can almost feel the cold and snow.

Ghost (1990)

Academy Awards, USA 1991

Won Oscar	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Whoopi Goldberg Over the weekend of February 2nd, 2002, the Oscar statuette "disappeared" from a sealed shipping container. Goldberg, via the Academy, had sent it back to the manufacturer of the statuettes, R.S. Owens Co. of Chicago, for cleaning and replating. Allegedly the statuette was found in a trash bin at Ontario, Calif., airport on Tuesday, 5 February. "Oscar will never leave my house again", Goldberg commented in a statement.
	Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Bruce Joel Rubin
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Lisa Weinstein
	Best Film Editing Walter Murch
	Best Music, Original Score Maurice Jarre

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Jerry Zucker
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Netflix)

Banker Patrick Swayze is murdered one night on the streets of NYC while on a date with his girlfriend Demi Moore. However, he becomes a "ghost" which can move through walls and people. Although no one can see him, he finds out that one person can hear his incessant talking: fake psychic Whoopi Goldberg. He annoys her so much that she agrees to help him save his girlfriend from the thugs responsible for his murder. Ludicrous "romantic fantasy" is actually unintentionally hilarious, including a final scene where Swayze "borrows" the body of Whoopi to make out with Demi one last time.

Albert Schweitzer (1957)

Academy Awards, USA 1958

Won Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Jerome Hill

Louis De Rochemont Associates
Directed by Jerome Hill
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Biography of humanist, philosopher, musician and medical doctor Schweitzer, from his early life in Germany to his final years in Africa operating a hospital in the jungle. Actors are used to portray his formative years in a small German village, where his initial impulse is to become a musician. However, his philosophical and theological studies lead him to develop a "reverence for life", a principle which would eventually steer him to Africa. The documentary footage there is by far the more interesting, with Schweitzer a jack of all trades: treating lepers, directing construction and still finding time to play the piano at night.

7th Heaven (1927)

Academy Awards, USA 1929

Won Oscar	Best Actress in a Leading Role Janet Gaynor For Street Angel and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
	Best Director, Dramatic Picture Frank Borzage
	Best Writing, Adaptation Benjamin Glazer
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture, Production
	Best Art Direction Harry Oliver

Fox Film
Directed by Frank Borzage
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Carlotta)

Paris sewer worker Charles Farrell helps poor Janet Gaynor avoid arrest by claiming to be her husband. In order to avoid arrest himself, he has to invite her to live with him in his attic apartment and pose as his wife. They fall in love for real of course, until he is called away at the outbreak of WWI. She patiently waits for him to return while working in a munitions factory and being aggressively pursued by her boss. The atmospheric production and luminous Gaynor more than offset the typical silent melodramatics.

Laughter (1930)

Academy Awards, USA 1931

Nominated Oscar

Best Writing, Original Story Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast Douglas Z. Doty Donald Ogden Stewart

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Flapper Nancy Carroll is stuck in an unhappy marriage to prosperous Wall Street investor Frank Morgan. When an old boyfriend returns from France, she takes him up on an offer to drive around Long Island for the day. They break down and get stuck in the rain, seeking shelter at a nearby house. She resists his flirtation but they end up arrested for trespassing. Meanwhile, her step-daughter and best friend is being romanced by another ex-boyfriend: a moody artist fighting depression. It ends in a tragedy that makes her rethink her own life. Talky, melodramatic and predictable by today's standards, but daring in 1930, it still retains a modicum of interest.

The California Reich (1975)

Academy Awards, USA 1976

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Walter F. Parkes Keith Critchlow

Directed by Walter F. Parkes and Keith Critchlow
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A California branch of the Nazi Party stirs up trouble at a San Francisco university. Back home, they have meetings to spew their hate and intolerance while shouting heil Hitler. Most disturbing are scenes of young children being indoctrinated. Eye-opening, to be sure, but the participants are given free reign and they make the most of the opportunity.

The Firm (1993)

Academy Awards, USA 1994

Nominated Oscar	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Holly Hunter
	Best Music, Original Score Dave Grusin

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Sydney Pollack
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Netflix)

Recent Harvard Law grad Tom Cruise takes a high paying job in Memphis that seems too good to be true. He becomes suspicious when he stumbles on some documents related to recently deceased ex-employees. The clues lead to murder and the mob. There is a good story here, but getting past Cruise's smugness and non-acting makes it difficult to appreciate. Gene Hackman as his flawed mentor is as good as ever, however. Dave Grusin's Academy Award nominated score is bouncy but distracting.

Alleman (1964)

Academy Awards, USA 1965

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Bert Haanstra

Directed by Bert Haanstra
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Candid cameras catch the Dutch on vacation, ice skating down frozen canals and other pursuits. It seems to purposely avoid any mention of work or hard times. Apparently the Dutch pride themselves on accepting their bad weather and crowded conditions without complaint.

Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Academy Awards, USA 1995

Nominated Oscar

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Fran Walsh Peter Jackson

Miramax
Directed by Peter Jackson
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Netflix)

Two teenage girls at a strict New Zealand school rebel against authority and escape from their unhappy family life by concocting a vivid fantasy involving a fictional royal couple. Their friendship evolves into a sexual one, which leads their parents and teachers to try to separate them. Their plan to runaway together to another country is foiled, so they resort to murdering the person they think is responsible. Peter Jackson's swooping camerawork and forays into CGI fantasy are both distracting and somewhat pretentious. Nonetheless, the story and acting are strong enough to overcome the heavy handed tendencies of the director.

Iris (2001)

Academy Awards, USA 2002

Won Oscar	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Jim Broadbent
Nominated Oscar	Best Actress in a Leading Role Judi Dench
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Kate Winslet

Miramax
Directed by Richard Eyre
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Netflix)

Famous British writer and philosopher Iris Murdoch gradually succumbs to Alzheimer's in her last years. Her husband of 40 years struggles to manage the situation as she becomes more and more disoriented. Effortless woven into the story are flashbacks to the earlier days of their relationship. He is a nervous and shy novelist while she is a confident lecturer with numerous friends and multiple lovers. His loyalty eventually wins her over and they are married. An emotional journey that can be difficult to watch, but impeccably acted by the all-star British cast.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Academy Awards, USA 1987

Won Oscar	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Michael Caine Michael Caine could not attend the awards ceremony because he was busy filming for Jaws: The Revenge. Co-Presenter Sigourney Weaver accepted the award on his behalf.
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Dianne Wiest
	Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Woody Allen Woody Allen was not present at the awards ceremony. Presenter Shirley MacLaine accepted the award on his behalf.
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Robert Greenhut
	Best Director Woody Allen
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Stuart Wurtzel Carol Joffe
	Best Film Editing Susan E. Morse

Orion Pictures
Directed by Woody Allen
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM)

The dysfunctional relationships of three sisters in NYC is given the Woody Allen treatment. Michael Caine is unhappily married to Mia Farrow, and begins an affair with her sister Barbara Hershey. Meanwhile her other sister tries and fails at various careers, including writing and acting, while going on a memorable date with Mia's ex-husband Woody. Other than that one date, which is hilarious, the rest of the film is a bore, with self-absorbed characters doing bad things to one another in the name of love. Woody continues the drift from his earlier, funnier comedies to serio-comic, romantic melodramas.

With These Hands (1950)

Academy Awards, USA 1951

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Jack Arnold Lee Goodman

Distinguished Films Inc.
Directed by Jack Arnold
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A broken down factory worker applying for a retirement pension from his union reflects on the early days of the worker's movement. Shown are the abhorrent working conditions in the big city factories which lead directly to the deadly Triangle Factory fire which killed hundreds in 1911. The workers successfully unionized, but still had to resort to strikes to get living wages and better working conditions. The topic is as relevant as ever given the demise of unions in the past decade or so, but the film is a barely watchable relic, heavy with propaganda (sponsored by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union) and a print in very poor condition.

Nurse Edith Cavell (1939)

Academy Awards, USA 1940

Nominated Oscar

Best Music, Original Score Anthony Collins

RKO Radio Pictures
Directed by Herbert Wilcox
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A nurse at a hospital in Nazi-occupied Brussels helps an escaped POW escape. Soon others follow, and before long she and her friends are running a virtual underground escape system. The Nazis, led by George Sanders, are mostly inept, but eventually she is caught, put on trial and sentenced. Unusual story of all-female resistance fighters is intelligently told by prolific director-producer Wilcox, though the performance by lead Anna Neagle is rather stiff. Deserves to be better known, if only for a restored print... the only one floating around is in poor condition.

Arthur Rubinstein - Love of Life (1969)

Academy Awards, USA 1970

Won Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Bernard Chevry

New Yorker Films
Directed by Gérard Patris and François Reichenbach
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Perhaps the most famous pianist of the 20th century, Arthur Rubinstein shares not only his gift of music but his love of life in this documentary. We follow him to Israel where he jokes around with locals before his performances. And then to Europe, where we get glimpses of rehearsals with mammoth orchestras, the jovial yet serious Rubinstein resisting the temptation to take over for the conductor. The film is a bit rough around the edges and occasionally resembles a travelogue, but Rubinstein's love of music is infectious.

The Turning Point (1977)

Academy Awards, USA 1978

Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Herbert Ross Arthur Laurents
	Best Actress in a Leading Role Anne Bancroft
	Best Actress in a Leading Role Shirley MacLaine
	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Mikhail Baryshnikov
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Leslie Browne
	Best Director Herbert Ross
	Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Arthur Laurents
	Best Cinematography Robert Surtees
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Albert Brenner Marvin March
	Best Sound Theodore Soderberg Paul Wells Douglas O. Williams Jerry Jost
	Best Film Editing William Reynolds

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Herbert Ross
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Anchor Bay)

Shirley MacLaine regrets giving up her ballet career in order to raise a family. When her daughter, an aspiring ballerina herself, has an opportunity to train with mom's old company, they travel to NYC for the audition. While her daughter becomes romantically involved with star performer Mikhail Baryshnikov, mom reignites an old flame and opens an old wound with rival Anne Bancroft. Good when it sticks to the ballet, but otherwise wallows in over-baked melodrama.

The Bolshoi Ballet (1957)

Academy Awards, USA 1959

Nominated Oscar

Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture Yuri Faier Gennadi Rozhdestvensky

J. Arthur Rank (UK)
Directed by Paul Czinner
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Performances by the famous Russian ballet company filmed at the Royal Opera  House in Covent Garden. After a few brief dances, longer pieces are performed including an abbreviated version of Giselle featuring Galina Ulanova, who is greeted with enthusiastic applause each time she appears. The "special method and technique" boasted in the opening credits by director Czinner apparently referred to filming from several angles over a period of nights after the main performance and then editing them together. Hardly revolutionary today, but still of historical interest.

Before the Mountain Was Moved (1970)

Academy Awards, USA 1970

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Robert K. Sharpe

O.E.O. Productions
Directed by Robert K. Sharpe
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

When strip miners ruin the land and threaten their livelihood with landslides, residents of rural West Virginia travel to the state capital to demand action. The eldest is chosen to give an impromptu speech in the intimidating chamber full of skeptical politicians. He worries more about his missing teeth that he left back home. It's more Mr. Deeds Goes to Washington than a serious documentary, suffering from over-staged drama by a cast, real or not, of amateurs. The subject matter is important, but this approach does not work today.

The Tree of Life (2011)

Academy Awards, USA 2012

Nominated Oscar	Best Achievement in Directing Terrence Malick
	Best Achievement in Cinematography Emmanuel Lubezki
	Best Motion Picture of the Year Sarah Green Bill Pohlad Dede Gardner Grant Hill

Fox Searchlight Pictures
Directed by Terrence Malick
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Fox)

A young teenage boy and his brother grow up in a small, typical Texas town in the 1950s. While their mother is loving and nurturing, their father is stern and authoritarian. The boy begins to rebel against his father after he witnesses tragedies befall his friends. This is all told as a flashback by the older brother in the present day. Further complicating things are long, abstract digressions into the origins of the universe, including a head-scratching scene with CGI dinosaurs. I think if Malick could have stayed focused on the story of the boys and their family it would have been a better film, as it stands, it is a somewhat pretentious, if beautiful, mess.

Munich (2005)

Academy Awards, USA 2006

Nominated Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Kathleen Kennedy Steven Spielberg Barry Mendel
	Best Achievement in Directing Steven Spielberg
	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Tony Kushner Eric Roth
	Best Achievement in Film Editing Michael Kahn
	Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score John Williams

Universal Pictures
Directed by Steven Spielberg
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, DreamWorks)

Following the kidnapping and murder of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympic games, the Israeli government secretly assembles a team to kill those responsible. Eric Bana resigns from his intelligence job to be the leader of the assassination squad: a rag-tag group of Jewish nationalists from around the world.  One by one, they seek out the terrorists in cities across Europe and the Middle East, murdering them by various grisly methods. In between jobs they question the morality of their mission, with Bana in particular having second thoughts about leaving behind his pregnant wife. Potentially intriguing story is marred by over-the-top, gruesome violence and bland performance by Bana.

The Race for Space (1959)

 

Academy Awards, USA 1960

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features David L. Wolper

Universal-International
Directed by David L. Wolper
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Mike Wallace hosts a TV special on the history of modern rocketry from its beginning with a Russian scientist inspired by Jules Verne and American scientist Robert Goddard who designed and built the world's first liquid-fueled rocket. However, it was in Germany that the field made its greatest advancements, as Hitler hoped to use them as the ultimate weapon. When he was defeated, those scientists were brought to the US where they continued to develop newer and better rockets. However, it was the Russians that were the first to reach space. As this was broadcast in 1959, it was still very much in question as to who would send the first man into space, or even reach the moon. Since we know those answers today, the urgency of the documentary is lost, but it is still an interesting glimpse into the early Cold War.

Les Misérables (1935)

Academy Awards, USA 1936

Nominated Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Cinematography Gregg Toland
	Best Film Editing Barbara McLean
	Best Assistant Director Eric Stacey

United Artists
Directed by Richard Boleslawski
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Fox)

Arrested and sent to prison for 10 years for stealing food, Jean Valjean (Fredric March) is released only to be burdened by a parole rule that forces him to walk hundreds of miles on foot to register. He changes his identity and becomes a successful factory owner. He befriends an employee and her young daughter, becoming the child's de facto father when she dies. Valjean's identity is eventually uncovered by the unflappable Inspector Javert, but his capture is complicated by a student revolution in which his daughter has become involved. Well-acted with high production values for its time, but subsequent films have somewhat diminished its power today.

Capote (2005)

Academy Awards, USA 2006

Won Oscar	Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Philip Seymour Hoffman
Nominated Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Caroline Baron William Vince Michael Ohoven
	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Catherine Keener
	Best Achievement in Directing Bennett Miller
	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Dan Futterman

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Directed by Bennett Miller
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM/Sony)

Novelist Truman Capote decides to write his next book about the murder of a family in rural Kansas. He travels there with his childhood friend and fellow writer Harper Lee. They "research" his book by getting to know friends and acquaintances of the family, as well as the killers locked up in jail. Capote becomes intrigued by one of the men, finding much in common, and becomes personally involved with his case. It drags on for years, meanwhile Capote has all but finished the book, but crucially needs the details of the night of the murders. The film is cold and calculating, much like its characters, with jarring moments of violence. However, Hoffman gives a bravura performance.

Father of the Bride (1950)

Academy Awards, USA 1951

Nominated Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Actor in a Leading Role Spencer Tracy
	Best Writing, Screenplay Frances Goodrich Albert Hackett

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Warner Bros.)

When his teenage daughter Liz Taylor announces she is engaged, Spencer Tracy and his wife Joan Bennett are tasked with planning the wedding. Tracy becomes more and more disillusioned as his wife and daughter spend indiscriminately. The big day finally arrives and everything goes more or less as planned, including the reception in their small home. There is a brief nightmare sequence where Tracy tries to walk down the church aisle but sinks into the floor. Otherwise, it's all rather predictable and dated, not to mention not very funny.

Wake Island (1942)

Academy Awards, USA 1943

Nominated Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Actor in a Supporting Role William Bendix
	Best Director John Farrow
	Best Writing, Original Screenplay W.R. Burnett Frank Butler

Paramount Pictures
Directed by John Farrow
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Universal)

Pedestrian account of Marines on the isolated Pacific island under constant attack by the Japanese in the weeks after Pearl Harbor. Some good aerial footage and dogfights, but attempts at humor and the day to day life of the soldiers fall flat. Stereotyped portrayal of the Japanese doesn't help.

A Room with a View (1985)

Academy Awards, USA 1987

Won Oscar	Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was not present at the awards ceremony. James Ivory accepted the award on her behalf.
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Gianni Quaranta Brian Ackland-Snow Brian Savegar Elio Altramura
	Best Costume Design Jenny Beavan John Bright
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Ismail Merchant
	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Denholm Elliott
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Maggie Smith
	Best Director James Ivory
	Best Cinematography Tony Pierce-Roberts

Cinecom Pictures
Directed by James Ivory
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, BBC/Warner Bros.)

Wealthy young British socialite Helena Bonham Carter and her cousin/chaperon Maggie Smith visit Florence for the summer holiday. She is pursued by the reckless and bored Julian Sands, vacationing at the same small hotel. Back in England, she becomes engaged to the hopelessly proper bookworm Daniel Day-Lewis. When Sands and his father move in to the cottage next door, their romance is rekindled. Fantastic comic turn by Day-Lewis and beautiful Merchant-Ivory production values notwithstanding, a tired romantic melodrama that is all too predictable.

The Thin Man (1934)

Academy Awards, USA 1935

Nominated Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Actor in a Leading Role William Powell
	Best Director W.S. Van Dyke
	Best Writing, Adaptation Frances Goodrich Albert Hackett

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Warner Bros.)

Former detective William Powell and his socialite wife Myrna Loy visit NYC during the Christmas holidays. He reluctantly agrees to help the daughter of an old friend prove her father's innocence when he is accused of murder and disappears. Powell would rather spend his time drinking or pursuing an old flame while Myrna parades around in various states of undress. The killer is revealed almost as an afterthought at a dinner with all of the suspects in attendance. I thought Skippy the dog was the most interesting character.

Make a Wish (1937)

Academy Awards, USA 1938

Nominated Oscar

Best Music, Score Hugo Riesenfeld (musical director) Score by Hugo Riesenfeld.

RKO Radio Pictures
Directed by Kurt Neumann
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Bobby Breen attends a summer camp in Maine. They swim in the lake and take horseback rides, but mostly sing songs. He befriends songwriter Basil Rathbone who is trying to write an operetta at his county getaway near the camp. Coincidentally, Breen's mom is a former stage singer engaged to a controlling man who forbids her to sing in public any more. Pretty soon Rathbone is taking her out on the lake in his canoe and writing his final act for her. It culminates in a splashy Broadway production. Obvious and ridiculous.

The Lovers' Wind (1978)

Academy Awards, USA 1979

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Albert Lamorisse

Directed by Albert Lamorisse
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

This documentary by French filmmakers about Iran is shot almost entirely from a helicopter. Amazing scenes of the stark desert beauty of the countryside is contrasted with the expanding urban centers such as Tehran. Mesmerizing ethnic music almost completes the mood, but distracting poetic narration by "the wind" just as quickly dissipates it. Several scenes are marred by wash from the helicopter blades, such as the mountain of drying carpets which are blown away while children dart for cover. "The wind" unconvincingly makes excuses. Released eight years after the director was killed after falling from a helicopter, finished by his wife and son.

In Old Arizona (1928)

Academy Awards, USA 1930

Won Oscar	Best Actor in a Leading Role Warner Baxter
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture No official nominees had been announced this year.
	Best Director Irving Cummings No official nominees had been announced this year.
	Best Writing, Achievement Tom Barry No official nominees had been announced this year.
	Best Cinematography Arthur Edeson No official nominees had been announced this year.

Fox Film
Directed by Irving Cummings
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, 20th Century Fox)

Historically important as the first feature film to use sound outdoors, but otherwise a static, dated western. Cavalry officer Edmund Lowe searches for bandit Warner Baxter as the Cisco Kid in a dusty western town, where he turns out to be right under his nose. Dorothy Burgess is the girl they both love, but her overacting almost ruins the picture, not to mention the slow pace and lack of any real action scenes which would normally be found in the genre.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Academy Awards, USA 2004

Won Oscar	Best Cinematography Russell Boyd
	Best Sound Editing Richard King
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Peter Weir Duncan Henderson
	Best Director Peter Weir
	Best Film Editing Lee Smith
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration William Sandell (art director) Robert Gould (set decorator)
	Best Costume Design Wendy Stites
	Best Makeup Edouard F. Henriques Yolanda Toussieng
	Best Sound Mixing Paul Massey Doug Hemphill Art Rochester
	Best Visual Effects Daniel Sudick Stefen Fangmeier Nathan McGuinness Robert Stromberg

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Peter Weir
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, 20th Century Fox)

A British sea captain pursues a faster, better equipped French ship around South America for a confrontation near the Galapagos Islands. His crew includes a scientist more interested in cataloging insects than defeating the French and several boys barely old enough to shave much less be serving in the military. The attention to period detail is stunning: an absolutely convincing portrait of life on a fighting vessel in the early 1800s, somewhat compensating for the lack of plot and character development.

Selma (2014)

Academy Awards, USA 2015

Won Oscar	Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song Common (as Lonnie Lynn) John Legend (as John Stephens) Song: "Glory"
Nominated Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Christian Colson Oprah Winfrey Dede Gardner Jeremy Kleiner

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Ava DuVernay
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Paramount)

Martin Luther King and friends travel to a small Alabama town to confront a racist sheriff and the governor of the state. They organize a march from Selma to the state capitol of Montgomery 50 miles away. They are ambushed by police in riot gear just outside of town, but it is broadcast on live TV and earns sympathy around the country. They try again but with much more people, only to turn around out of fear of a trap. They finally succeed the third time. Against this backdrop MLK tries to convince the president to address voting barriers in the South, worries about the safety of his friends and the public participants and briefly deals with problems in his marriage. It paints in broad strokes but is more or less effective, and sadly more relevant than ever.

Milk (2008)

Academy Awards, USA 2009

Won Oscar	Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Sean Penn
	Best Writing, Original Screenplay Dustin Lance Black
Nominated Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Dan Jinks Bruce Cohen
	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Josh Brolin
	Best Achievement in Directing Gus Van Sant
	Best Achievement in Film Editing Elliot Graham
	Best Achievement in Costume Design Danny Glicker
	Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score Danny Elfman

Focus Features
Directed by Gus Van Sant
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Focus Features)

The story of how a San Francisco gay activist gets elected to the city council and attempts to address rampant discrimination. His career makes a shamble of his home life, where he leaves the lover from his early years for an unstable Latino man, with an occasional fling on the side. His real enemy, though, is a fellow councilman, who feels disgraced by Milk's progress and is pushed over the edge. Milk's powerful story is slickly produced, perhaps too slick, which only dilutes the final product. Sean Penn is amazing, though.

Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

Academy Awards, USA 1955

Won Oscar	Best Cinematography, Color Milton R. Krasner
	Best Music, Original Song Jule Styne (music) Sammy Cahn (lyrics) For the song "Three Coins in the Fountain"
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Sol C. Siegel

Twentieth Century-Fox Film
Directed by Jean Negulesco
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Fox)

Three single American women in Rome working at the same company look for romance. The newly arrived secretary contrives to win the heart of a wealthy prince and playboy; her older coworker falls for a local boy who shows her the customs of the Italian countryside; and finally their boss agrees to marry a lonely aging novelist while typing his latest work. Colorful location shooting is a highlight, though even that is occasionally marred by obvious back projection, but the dated, sexist plot is almost unbearable to watch.

The Talk of the Town (1942)

Academy Awards, USA 1943

Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Columbia
	Best Writing, Original Story Sidney Harmon
	Best Writing, Screenplay Sidney Buchman Irwin Shaw
	Best Cinematography, Black-and-White Ted Tetzlaff
	Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White Lionel Banks Rudolph Sternad Fay Babcock
	Best Film Editing Otto Meyer
	Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Friedrich Hollaender Morris Stoloff

Columbia Pictures
Directed by George Stevens
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Columbia TriStar)

Escaped prisoner Cary Grant, falsely accused of arson and murder, seeks refuge in the home of childhood friend Jean Arthur. She tries to hide him from visiting law professor Ronald Colman for awhile but he shows himself and they pass him off as the gardener. Grant and Colman have philosophical arguments about law while he evades detection by the police. Colman eventually discovers his true identity and is persuaded to defend him in court. The story can't decide if it wants to be a romantic comedy or serious crime drama, to the detriment of both. Arthur is good as usual, Grant mugs excessively, as usual.

A Star Is Born (1937)

Academy Awards, USA 1938

Won Honorary Award	W. Howard Greene For the color photography of A Star Is Born. (plaque) This award was recommended by a committee of leading cinematographers after viewing all the color pictures made during the year.
Won Oscar	Best Writing, Original Story William A. Wellman Robert Carson
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Actor in a Leading Role Fredric March
	Best Actress in a Leading Role Janet Gaynor
	Best Director William A. Wellman
	Best Writing, Screenplay Alan Campbell Robert Carson Dorothy Parker
	Best Assistant Director Eric Stacey

United Artists
Directed by William A. Wellman
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Image Entertainment)

Naive Janet Gaynor takes the train from North Dakota to Hollywood in search of stardom in the movies. She befriends Andy Devine at their flop hotel, who gets her job as a waitress at a swanky party. Actor Fredric March falls in love with her at first sight, eventually leading to a screen test and starring role opposite him. As she skyrockets to fame, his drinking causes him to hit rock bottom, testing their new marriage. Melodramatic and never credible, but it does get in a few jabs at the industry and some interesting views of old Hollywood at work.

Blossoms in the Dust (1941)

Academy Awards, USA 1942

Won Oscar	Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color Cedric Gibbons Urie McCleary Edwin B. Willis
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture
	Best Actress in a Leading Role Greer Garson
	Best Cinematography, Color Karl Freund W. Howard Greene

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Warner Bros.)

Greer Garson gets swept off her feet by Walter Pidgeon, marries him and moves to Texas where he runs a flour business. They have a child after a few years but tragedy strikes. She starts a daycare operation and the house is filled with children. This eventually leads to a home for orphans and what we call today an adoption agency. She crusades in the state senate for the elimination of "illegitimate" on birth certificates. Sincere but melodramatic portrait of the real-life Edna Gladney, paints in broad strokes, albeit in beautiful Technicolor.