1001: A FILM ODYSSEY (2019 UPDATE)

It's that time of year for this blog to look at the new edition of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Book and see what new movies have been added to the old list. And the results are in...and there are twelve new entries this year and they are...

Roma (The defacto Best Picture Winner)

Roma

I suppose there was too much divergence of opinion on Best Picture winner Green Book for it to be a surefire entry in the 1001 book...and it wasn't (I would have included it, but I was not consulted). However, Roma the Best Foreign Language and Director winner I was pretty sure would be on the list...and it was.

https://1001afilmodyssey.blogspot.com/2019/02/y-tu-mama-tambien-2001-mexico-roma-2018.html

A Star is Born (The popular film that we can put on the cover of the new edition of the book)

A Star is Born

https://1001afilmodyssey.blogspot.com/2019/02/

Avengers: Infinity War (The audience favorite, though not sure Martin Scorsese would approve)

Avengers: Infinity War

I finally got around to seeing Infinity War and End Game after seeing Infinity War was included on the list. I do think you should have an Avengers movie in the book, and Infinity War certainly is a movie that has everything and everyone in it in the Marvel Universe. I think I might just have a listing for "An Avengers movie. You pick." And if you want to see more films in the Marvel Universe, you certainly have that option.

Sorry to Bother You (The horror/comedy/low budget/black film that is hard to label succinctly)

Sorry to Bother You

At first, I thought this was going to be a bit of an Office Space meets Get Out kind of movie, but I give it credit for originality and it takes you into a lot of strange places you weren't expecting to go. Special thanks to my niece Kara, who recommended that we watch this several months ago.

Hereditary (The cerebral horror movie)

Hereditary

The list often includes a cerebral science-fiction film each year, but it looks like we have a cerebral horror film this time out. Heredity has a Rosemary's Baby kind of feel to it and unravels its mysteries in a slow but compelling way. There are also a lot of gruesome payoffs for horror fans.

Vice (The political movie)

Vice

I'm becoming a fan of Adam Mckay movies. I thought his adaptation of the seemingly unfilmable The Big Short was very good. And now a movie about Dick Cheney? With Christian Bale playing the Dick? I'm sure the Cheney family doesn't approve of it...but, screw them, you know? Vice is worth your time and another one I'm glad the 1001 list prodded me into watching.

Blackkklansman (An auteur's popular breakthrough)

Blackkklansman

https://1001afilmodyssey.blogspot.com/search?q=spike+lee

The Phantom Thread (The artsy fartsy film)

The Phantom Thread

If you go into watching The Phantom Thread with the idea that it's going to be an easy emotional plunge into the relationship between a 50's fashion designer and a waitress that he becomes involved in, you may be disappointed. If you look deeply into it and discover what is really going on here, you may really get something...not that you'll particularly like what you see. Enhanced by stellar performances by Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Kreips.

The Favourite (One for the BBC crowd)

The Favourite

Who is the favourite of the queen? And in what way? And what's up with those rabbits?

Crazy Rich Asians (The Rom-Com)

Crazy Rich Asians

My Best Friends Wedding meets Guess Who's Coming to Dinner...except with a Chinese cast. Rich son brings home beautiful and brilliant girlfriend to meet the family. But the family matriarch isn't happy about her being American Chinese. The film has many of the tropes we except in movies like this, such as the understanding gay family friend, her wacky best friend and the inevitable plot device that leads to the couples temporary break-up. It is admittedly different to see this scenario acted out by Asian actors (and good ones) and I'll give it a thumbs up for this alone.

Capernaum (The token non-English language film)

 Capernaum

Well, Roma is also a non-English language film, but I'll stick to this heading. Capernaum is a story about a poor Lebansese boy who runs away from his family and encounters all sorts of difficulties, including seeing his sister essentially sent off at age eleven to become a concubine and later him having to take care of a Nigerian baby when the mother of the baby has to go to jail. Capernaum is an excellent movie, but one I had to get myself motivated to watch. 

The Greatest Showman (The...the... not sure why this one was added to tell the truth)

The Greatest Showman

First of all, I like The Greatest Showman. We even showed this movie at the library as a sing-along. It's an admittedly fanciful tale of P. T. Barnum and has some catchy songs and a likable cast.  I'm not sure why it was included on the list, however. I understand you don't want to list a dozen movies with the tone of Capernaum, but I would think the popular movie musical selection was covered with A Star is Born.
So it goes.

It was a strong year for documentaries, based on what I saw. I was sure the list would include one.
https://1001afilmodyssey.blogspot.com/2019/06/wont-you-be-my-neighbor-2018-three.html
Oh, well. So It still goes.

                  

A STAR IS BORN (1937), A STAR IS BORN (2018)

"My name is Mrs. Norman Maine!"-A Star is Born 1937

Frederic March and Janet Gaynor in

A Star is Born '37

The A Star is Born "franchise" began as a 1937 movie that I had heard a lot about but never got around to seeing until the newest version made a big splash over the last year. A Star is Born '37 is a movie about a small town girl named Esther Blodgett (Janet Gaynor) who goes to Hollywood to seek her fame and fortune. She meets with initial rejection until she runs into Hollywood star Norman Maine (Frederich March) at a party and they strike up a romance. Esther had seen Maine earlier at the Hollywood Bowl causing a drunken nuisance of himself.  Despite Norman's alcohol issues, the two fall in love, get married and Norman puts Esther in his next picture. The movie is a success, but it is due to overnight sensation Esther (Now going by the name Vicki Lester) instead of Norman, whose star is on the wane as well as his being too much of a pain for the studio to put up with. Vicki becomes a star and Norman begins his downward spiral which eventually leads to him walking into the ocean for the last time and Vicki proclaiming her love for him over the airwaves.

It's an interesting and obviously influential story about Hollywood. It also boasts some fine supporting players (Edgar Kennedy, Andy Devine, Lionel Stander and Clara "Auntie Em" Bandick.) I liked it, though it does seem a little dated and  I do prefer the '54 version.

James Mason and Judy Garland in

A Star is Born '54

A Star is Born morphed over time from being a movie about an aspiring actress to being about an aspiring singer.With Judy Garland and Barbara Streisand in the next versions, that probably seemed like an obvious road to go to. The only 1001 entry for A Star is Born (so far) is the 1954 version with Judy Garland. The 1976 version is usually regarded as the weakest of the Star is Born movies, but also has its fans.

Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in

A Star is Born '76

Scenes that are in all A Star is Born movies include the scene where the drunken Norman/John/Jackson makes a fool of himself at the Oscars/Grammys while Vicki/Esther/Ally is accepting a big award, the scene where Norman/John/Jackson goes to dry himself out and seems to be getting himself together, the scene where the Norman/John/Jackson is told that the female lead would be better off without him, the scene where we see the male lead commit suicide and the final scene where Vicki/Esther/Ally expresses her undying love for her departed husband. 

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in

A Star is Born '18

Bradley Cooper's recent version of A Star is Born was a critical and commercial success. Jackson Maine (Cooper) is a famous singer who has a drinking problem as well as a hearing loss problem. He meets an unheralded singer named Ally (Lady Gaga) performing in a bar one night. He recognizes the talent she has, they fall in love and he brings her on the stage and (spoiler!) she becomes a star! The chemistry between the two stars is the driving force of this movie, as well as the vocal talent of Lady Gaga. I think I'm going to have to go with A Star is Born '18 as my new favorite of the bunch, not to mention the fact that I can't get that Shallow song out of my head.

I'm already planning to watch A Star is Born 2044 (We'll have to designate the movies by century as well as by year by then) from my retirement community.

Janet Gaynor winning a pretend Oscar in

A Star is Born '37

Academy Award pedigree:

A Star is Born '37 won an Oscar for William Wellman's screenplay. Other nominations included Best Actor (March), Best Actress (Gaynor) and Best Director (Wellman)

A Star is Born '54 had six Oscar nominations, including: Best Actor (James Mason), Best Actress (Judy Garland, many think she should have won) and Best Song ("The Man That Got Away")

A Star is Born '76 won an Academy Award for the song "Evergreen " (Streisand and Paul Williams)

A Star is Born '18 was the first version to get a Best Picture nomination, as well as acting nominations for Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga and Sam Elliot. Shallow won the award for Best Song and is playing in my head as we speak.

 

Lady Gaga wins a real Oscar

for A Star is Born '18