Poll

What should this month's theme be?

Shocktober
4 (44.4%)
Week 1 of The Ratings Project-Best screenplay Oscar winners
5 (55.6%)

Total Members Voted: 9

Voting closed: October 02, 2012, 07:20:54 PM

Author Topic: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners  (Read 9587 times)

oldkid

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Re: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners
« Reply #20 on: October 03, 2012, 12:50:50 PM »
ses will be watching:



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KoDa

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Re: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners
« Reply #21 on: October 03, 2012, 02:45:35 PM »
Jared gets to watch one of the earliest film cuties (Janet Gaynor):
Seventh Heaven (Borzage, 1927)



Antares

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Re: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners
« Reply #22 on: October 03, 2012, 04:43:52 PM »
1SO will be watching...

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Antares

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Re: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners
« Reply #23 on: October 03, 2012, 04:46:33 PM »
Antares will be watching one of my favourites, A Man and a Woman. Hopefully this works out better than 1SO's viewing.



I can think of at least three times I had this in my hands when I visited a regional library, but always found something else and this went back in the stacks. Now I finally get to exorcise that demon that kept putting it back.  ;)
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ses

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Re: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners
« Reply #24 on: October 03, 2012, 10:09:15 PM »
PeacefulAnarchy will be watching

"It's a fool who looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart"

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1SO

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Re: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners
« Reply #25 on: October 03, 2012, 10:39:41 PM »
A fast turnaround from my own first viewing. KasperL will be watching...


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KasperL

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Re: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners
« Reply #26 on: October 04, 2012, 04:28:59 PM »
Looking forward to seeing it, 1SO.

Konnel shall watch:


1SO

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Re: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners
« Reply #27 on: October 06, 2012, 10:04:57 AM »
[NOTE: Goodbye Mr. Chips has not appeared on The Ratings Project yet and did not win Best Screenplay, but I had seen all of the films and this was Antares #2 of All Time.]

Goodbye Mr. Chips
* * * *
I'm known as someone who plows through movies. Trying to get through every significant title I'll quickly move from one to the other. I watched 4 films yesterday, and this one came about 15 minutes after I saw Amer and posted my Shocktober review. Had I known what I was in for, I probably would have saved this for a Saturday afternoon, perhaps during mealtime. I do better with genre films during the evenings. This is a languid, but exceptional movie that's been on my Watchlist for a long time. (Every time I got a copy in the mail it was always the Peter O'Toole version, so I stopped asking for it.)

When we next submit a ballot for Top 100 Performances, Robert Donat will be on mine. I don't want to strictly focus on the physical transformation. Donat is excellent inside and out. I just as much enjoyed his going from buttoned too tight to the most essential person at that school. But physically, I still look at pictures of him young and old and can't believe it's the same person. The film starts with him old, then flashbacks to the beginning. Then they actually show you Donat's progression of facial hair, posture and speech. Yet, I still can't believe it's the same guy.

It's a little long. That's partly due to the episodic nature of the story, but the first and last 20 minutes could've benefitted from some tightening. Also the last moment with the small boy superimposed over the school is the kind of overly sentimental gesture they would nail Spielberg to a wall for. And rightly so. It's not only unnecessary it shows a lack of confidence in what Donat had done.

Just a bunch of great moments.
The mountain climbing trip - the last sequence I expected to find in this film. I thought we'd never leave the school.
The waltz. Actually that entire evening with Greer Garson is perfectly written and directed. Reminded me of Max Ophuls.
The train station.
The progression of students to pass the years. The change of hat styles.
How they introduce a sense of humor into the character.
The most dramatic scene on April Fools Day. Donat already had the Oscar sewn up, but this was landmark greatness.

Thank you, Antares. First Sundays and Cybele and now this.

Antares

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Re: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners
« Reply #28 on: October 06, 2012, 12:32:23 PM »
Thank you, Antares. First Sundays and Cybele and now this.

You're welcome. I'm glad to see that you also share my sentiments about Robert Donat. Two other great performances by him are The Magic Box and The Winslow Boy, you should check those out too.
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Jared

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Re: October 2012 MDC: Academy Award Best Screenplay Winners
« Reply #29 on: October 08, 2012, 12:39:43 AM »
7th Heaven

Ive liked the few Borzage movies Ive seen, but havent really taken the time to get farther into his filmography and was glad to get this dictation.
Charles Farrell plays Chico, an upbeat and happy dude despite his job cleaning sewers. He by chance runs into Diane, played wonderfully by Janet Gaynor. Circumstances lead to them having to spend more time together and the story, which I wont spoil, happens from there.
What I was amazed by in this movie was Borzage's excellent use of space and his camera movement, particularly in scenes in Chico's apartment. Specifically, a pan up the staircase to the top floor apartment stands out and is rather jarring in a film from this era.
To me, it felt like pretty average material enhanced incredibly by a masterful director. I dont think I liked it quite as much as Lucky Star or Moonrise, but it was a good movie Id highly recommend.