My Quick Thoughts: Musicals. Usually I either love them or hate them with no in between. I love West Side Story. I first saw it in 9th grade when my English teacher made us watch it and write a paper comparing and contrasting it with Romeo and Juliet. I have since seen it multiple times on TV and once on stage. West Side Story is a powerful story about love and loyalty. There are no "throw away" songs in this musical. Every song is great and helps move the plot forward. If you hate musicals on principle like a lot of people do, this one and its grit might surprise you. Don't get me wrong, it still has its moments of cheese, it is a musical after all, but at its heart it is just a great story about love and family.
Favorite Quote: "It's not us. It's everyone around us."
Overall Rating: A
What I Was Doing That Year: I wasn't born yet :)
Favorite Movie From That Same Year: West Side Story
My Quick Thoughts: There are musicals that I love, but this was not one of them. My Fair Lady was just OK. It was really hard to get into in the beginning because Audrey Hepburn's voice was getting on my nerves, which I guess is a good acting job on her part because that was the point. Halfway through the three hour long movie I started to get into it a little bit more. That's another thing, it was too long. I was also a little saddened to hear that Audrey Hepburn was not really singing. I read that although she had a beautiful voice, it was too low for the part. Why not hire somebody who can sing the part, and not just her because she was a big star at the time? Having said all of that, the characters were likable and the movie had it's moments. I can see why it did win the Academy Award (it was a big epic with beautiful costumes and sets). I liked My Fair Lady, but I didn't love it.
Favorite Quote: "Freddy loves me. That makes him king enough for me."
Overall Rating: B
What I Was Doing That Year: I wasn't born yet :)
Favorite Movie From That Same Year: A Hard Days Night
My Quick Thoughts: I have seen A Beautiful Mind, which is the true story of mathematician John Nash, a few times. I think what makes this movie so good is that there really isn't another movie out there like it. It covers Nash's life from college in the 1950s through the 1990s. During this time the audience watches Nash struggles become greater and greater. Every performance in this movie from the powerful lead roles played by Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly down to the smaller supporting roles of Adam Goldberg and Anthony Rapp are are wonderful, but my favorite performance in the movie is Paul Bettany. The movie is very tense and emotional and Bettany does a nice job at easing that. To sum up A Beautiful Mind I will say interesting true story with great performances directed by one of my favorite directors, Ron Howard.
Favorite Quote: "Despite my privileged upbringing, I'm actually quite well-balanced. I have a chip on both shoulders."
Overall Rating: A
What I Was Doing That Year: I was 21 years old and in my second year of college.
Favorite Movie From That Same Year: So many great movies came out this year. This was the year that both the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings series first hit the theaters. I love both of these, but the first movies in these series are not my favorite in the series, so I will save those for another year. Instead I am going to go with a fun, unique movie that I love but not a lot of people have seen, Ghost World.
My Quick Thoughts: The French Connection is an Academy Award winning movie that has been in my Netflix queue for over a year. I guess I didn't look at the cover too carefully because I had it in my head that this was a western, which is why I didn't watch it right away. I found out soon after hitting play that it is a 1970s police drama instead. It is about two New York cops that stumble across a drug smuggling ring from France. This movie stars a young Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider as the cops. There is a lot of violence, tough talking guys, and a big car chase. You know, typical police drama. The film looks real gritty, but I'm not sure if it was meant to be that way or if it was just because it was filmed in the 70s :) Anyway, this was a good film, but nothing great.
Favorite Quote: "Are you shitting me! That car is dirty!"
Overall Rating: B-
What I Was Doing That Year: I was not born yet :)
Favorite Movie From That Same Year: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
My Quick Thoughts: It is very easy to see why Titanic was so popular when it came out. It has something for everybody romance, a young heart throb, action, suspense, and history. The movie is so long and epic that you quickly get lost in its world. I will never forget the first time I saw Titanic. I was with my mom, dad, and younger sister. When the movie was over, my sister was sobbing so loudly that I was embarrassed. With it's good story telling, heart, and raw emotion it is easy to see why this movie has become a classic (despite the annoying song).
Favorite Quote: "I don't know about you, but I intend to write a strongly worded letter to the White Star Line about all of this."
Overall Rating: A
What I Was Doing That Year: In 1997 I was 17 years old, but still too afraid to get my driver's license so my parents were still driving me around. That summer I got my first job at the local movie theater, but by the time Titanic came out in December I had already quit.
Favorite Movie From That Same Year: Though Good Will Hunting was very good, Titanic was my favorite from that year.
