The 10 Movies You Absolutely Can Not Miss From 2014!!!!!

It’s been a pretty good year for movies, I haven’t seen as many as usual, but the quality has made up for the quantity. I’ll invite Tony back to weigh in with his Best 10 movies from the past year, here are mine:

10.Tim’s Vermeer (2013): I went to see this movie because of my love for Johannes Vermeer and left with a great appreciation for a guy named Tim. This documentary recounts the attempt of a brilliant and eccentric man to paint a Vermeer for himself. This movie features Penn Jillette as a narrator of the process, and is directed by Teller (yes, Penn and Teller, I know, I’m not a huge fan either, but they do some really good work here). The bringing together of art and technology was fascinating!

9.Magic In The Moonlight (2014): I normally am not blown away by Woody Allen, but this movie was charming and entertaining. Firth and Emma Stone played off of each other perfectly. Firth does bumbling and disenchanted well, and Emma Stone always seems to be great.(Emma made this list twice…)

8.Interstellar (2014): Matthew McConaghey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain were a tremendous cast. The story was entertaining and thought-provoking with shout-outs to Stanley Kubrick throughout. Definitely worth seeing, but make sure to be awake and ready to think!

7.Lone Survivor (2013): I saw two military movies this year, both of which I was excited about, this one was easily the best (Fury was the other, and was a bit disappointing). An incredible true story that should be mandatory viewing for all high school history classes, it offers a glimpse into a world of sacrifice and honor that few of us ever get to see.

6.The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): I enjoy Wes Anderson movies, but I don’t typically love them. I loved this movie. It was visually stimulating, funny, and heart-felt. I am surprised by all of the Academy love it is getting, but all in all it was a quirky and thoroughly enjoyable movie. Anderson does a wonderful job of transporting you to a different place and time for two hours with the sort of power and conviction that few film makers today possess.

5.Nebraska (2013): I was pulling for Bruce Dern during the Academy Awards. It was a brilliant understated movie. Dern was great, even though I pretty sure he was just playing himself. This movie is a must see from the past year. Also, if you haven’t already, go watch Bruce Dern in The Shootist on Netflix or some streaming service, he was great there as well!

4.Philomena (2013): If you just want to feel good about something or someone, watch Philomena and fall in love with Judi Dench. It was a great story, and Dench was remarkable as always.

3.Birdman (2014): Why can’t we have more Michael Keaton? He was terrific in this movie, as was the entire cast (including the second appearance on this list by Emma Stone). The story of an aging actor trying to reinvent himself was brilliant, tortured, and touching. This would be my vote for Best Picture when the Academy Awards roll around….

2.Ida (2013): This is a movie most people will miss due to its limited release. (Why are there not more independent theatres???) Director Pawel Pawlikowski made each shot of this film moving. He advanced the story as much by the way he framed his shots as he did with the dialogue. This sort of cinematography is rare these days, and was much appreciated. This movie was a joy to watch and I look forward to seeing it again!

1.American Hustle (2013): You may be sick of hearing about American Hustle after all of the love it has received in the past year, but it deserved all of that love and more. The story was terrific, and the cast was one of the best in recent memory. Christian Bale is among the three best actors alive on the planet, and Bradley Cooper is proving himself to have a place on that stage as well. Jennifer Lawrence was incredible as always, and could anybody be more talented or less appreciated that Amy Adams? A terrific film!

As always we would love to hear from you on movies that you have loved, or things that we loved that you absolutely hated. All opinions  are welcomed! 

Films That You Absolutely Can Not Miss!!!! (The Best Year Ever Edition)

1939 was the greatest year in the history of film. Period. 

No other year has produced as many high quality films. AFI’s Top 100 Movies of the Last 100 Years included 5 movies from 1939 in it’s top 100 list that was tabulated in 1997: Gone With The Wind (#6), The Wizard of Oz (#10), Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (#26), Stagecoach (#63), and Wuthering Heights (#73).  AMC has a similar list of movies which included all of the previous five and added Ninotchka, a charming movie starring Greta Garbo, to their list.

A few things to consider about film in 1939:

-Victor Fleming directed two of the top 10 movies of all time, Gone With The Wind and The Wizard of Oz, and did it in the same year.

-Thomas Mitchell who took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, performed in three of the movies that were nominated for Best Film: Gone With The Wind, Stagecoach, and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.

-Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress for her unforgettable role in Gone With The Wind, making her the first African-American nominee and winner of an Academy Award. Due to the racial prejudice that existed at the time, she had to sit in the back during the ceremony, away from her co-stars.

Each of the movies listed above should be on your Watch Now list if you haven’t seen them, but if I could recommend one other movie to watch from 1939 that is often overlooked it would be the French film, The Rules of the Game.  It opened to harsh criticism in 1939 and the original negative was destroyed during WWII. Director Jean Renoir was able to restore the film later, and in many circles it is considered one of the top 10 films of all time. It's a story about love, duty, and social class, and is well worth your time. 

Happy Viewing!!!!!

Films That You Absolutely Can Not Miss (The Beginnings: 1930-1938)

The 1930’s were the most explosive decade in the history of film. The popularity of movies blossomed as the first “talkies” hit the screen. I refer to this decade as “The Beginning” for lots of reasons, the most important of which is that this decade boasted the beginning of almost every movie genre alive today. Most of the movies you see today play off of a rubric that was set in the 1930’s. If you haven’t settled into a comfy chair with some of these movies, you have been missing out, not just because of their importance in the overall story of film, but because so many of them are incredibly enjoyable! This list does not include 1939, the reasons for which will become clear in upcoming posts.

A few of the remarkable things that film gave us in the 1930’s:

---Katherine Hepburn starred in her first movie, A Bill of Divorcement (1932)

---The Three Stooges, Shirley Temple, Donald Duck, and the great John Wayne all starred in their first  major film

---Spencer Tracy won back to back Best Actor Academy Awards for his roles in Captains Courageous (1938) and Boys Town  (1939). It would be over 50 years until that feat was repeated by Tom Hanks. (Tracy is one of the greatest actors ever to have lived, and is almost universally underappreciated)

So, without further hesitation, here’s some movies that you absolutely must see:

Must-See’s

Little Caesar (1931) – The Beginning of Gangster Movies

 Starring James Cagney in a role that would make his career, Little Caesar is the grandfather of all gangster movies. The Godfather and Goodfellas have this movie to thank for their existence.

King Kong (1933) – The Beginning of Monster Movies

You’re welcome Godzilla, and all other special-effect monster movies need to tip their hat to this groundbreaker in the genre. There were monster movies before King Kong, but none rivaled the big fella.  Ranked #41 on AFI’s Top 100 Movies of the Last 100 Years

It Happened One Night  (1934) - The Beginning of Romantic Comedies

Every zany romantic comedy has it’s roots in this 1934 classic. Claudette Colbert is brilliant, and Clark Gable (who I’ve never been a huge fan of), plays off of her beautifully. They are funny, clever, noble, and romantic. Everything you hope to find in a romantic comedy. Ranked #46 on AFI’s Top 100 Movies of the Last 100 Years.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - The Beginning of Animated Features

This first full-length feature animated film started it all. Without Snow White there would be no Elsa, Simba, or Gru. Walt Disney changed the world of film, and it all started with a down on her luck teen and 7 vertically challenged miners. Ranked #34 of AFI's Top 100 Movies of the Last 100 Years.

Swing Time (1936) – The Archetype of Dance Movies

If you don’t think you enjoy dancing in movies, I dare you to watch Swing Time. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are perfect as dancing partners and romantic counterparts. Every dance movie made since has tried to capture the magic of Fred and Ginger and with the exception of Singin’ In The Rain, no one has done it. Ranked #90 in AFI’s Top 100 Movies of the Last 100 Years.

If you have some free time this weekend, grab some popcorn, a comfy chair and settle in with one of these classics, and as always feedback is welcome. Let me know if you feel that I left out a must-see movie from this time period!

Films That You Absolutely Can Not Miss!!!! (Silent Film Edition)

There hasn’t been a lot of “film” on this “faithfilmandfood” blog lately and it’s time for that to change!

People have been making truly remarkable films for over 100 years. Great films have the power to impact us in ways that few other things can. A story that is well-told visually can affect our emotions and thoughts at deep levels,  but with all of the films out there, it can be tough to know where to start. So, in this series of posts, I am going to attempt to offer a foothold to anyone who would like to get a broad view of film over the past century. I will take various genres and time frames and select two movies to watch that will give you a good glimpse of the entire category. An effort like this is absurd, as there are so many more good films to consider than the couple that I will offer up, but my list will give you a place to start, and your feedback is always welcome! What movies would you include in each area???

So, let's start at the beginning....

Silent Movies

Silent movies have long been avoided or reserved for only the serious movie buffs, but there is a lot to enjoy in the realm of silent pictures. True, you have to pay close attention to enjoy them fully. You won’t be able to just turn back to the screen when you hear an explosion to see what may be going on. Silent filmmakers, actors, and directors had to be truly creative to communicate without the help of sound effects or spoken dialogue. Those demands led to some brilliant performances. If you want to sample the beauty of silent movies, I offer up the following two suggestions:

The General (1926)

Directed by and starring Buster Keaton, The General is both funny and heart-felt. Keaton plays Johnnie Gray, an engineer whose has two precious things stolen from him by Union soldiers, his train and his beloved Annabelle Lee. The scene where Keaton is clearing crossties off the rails in front of his train is cinematic gold! Ranked #18 in AFI’s Top 100 Films From The Last 100 Years.

City Lights (1931)

City Lights was written, directed, and starred Charlie Chaplin. There have been few stars in the history of Hollywood as talented as Chaplin, and his talents are on full display in City Lights. Playing his beloved Tramp character, Chaplin tries to find ways to help a beautiful blind girl that he has fallen in love with. The physical comedy is flawless and incredibly funny. The story arc is charming and full of heart. It’s hard not to fall in love with this classic film. Ranked #11 in AFI’s Top 100 Films From The Last 100 Years.

Honorable Mentions

Sunrise (1927)

A powerfully emotive film with character depth, well-acted, and well-written! Ranked #82 in AFI's Top 100 Films From The Last 100 Years.

The Battleship Potemkin (1925)

Sergei Eisenstein was a brilliant filmmaker. Countless films have borrowed scenes from this classic movie.