Cinemaniac Reviews

Happy Birthday, Jack Nicholson!

For me as well as several other film aficionados/resources, Jack Nicholson is one of the most iconic actors in cinematic history.

He’s also delivered several classic lines, including but not limited to:
“Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?”
“You can’t handle the truth!”
“Heere’s Johnny!”
“Somebody get me a %$#@! wiener before I die.”

…and more.

He happens to be my favorite actor as well. I just haven’t seen enough of his works:

HAVE SEEN
Chinatown (1974)
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
The Shining (1980)
Reds (1981)
Terms of Endearment (1983)
Broadcast News (1987)
Batman (1989)
A Few Good Men (1992)
As Good As It Gets (1997)
The Departed (2006)
The Bucket List (2007)

HAVEN’T SEEN
The Cry Baby Killer (1958)
Too Soon to Love (1960)
The Wild Ride (1960)
The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Studs Lonigan (1960)
The Broken Land (1962)
The Raven (1963)
The Terror (1963)
Ensign Pulver (1964)
Flight to Fury (1964)
Back Door to Hell (1964)
Ride in the Whirlwind (1965)
The Shooting (1966)
Hells Angels on Wheels (1967)
Psych-Out (1968)
Easy Rider (1969)
The Rebel Rousers (1970)
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Carnal Knowledge (1971)
A Safe Place (1971)
The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)
The Last Detail (1973)
The Passenger (1975)
Tommy (1975)
The Fortune (1975)
The Missouri Breaks (1976)
The Last Tycoon (1976)
Goin’ South (1978)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
The Border (1982)
Prizzi’s Honor (1985)
Heartburn (1986)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
Ironweed (1987)
The Two Jakes (1990)
Man Trouble (1992)
Hoffa (1992)
Wolf (1994)
The Crossing Guard (1995)
Blood and Wine (1996)
The Evening Star (1996)
Mars Attacks! (1996)
The Pledge (2001)
About Schmidt (2002)
Anger Management (2003)
Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
How Do You Know (2010)

A happy 76th birthday to him.

R.I.P. Roger Ebert (A Message from the Heart)

This is a continuation on my previous message, but this is much more from the heart to the main who inspired me on a daily basis:

There’s not one dry eye in the movie world. On the Twitterverse, 6 out of 10 trends are Ebert-related. The whole cinematic universe knew this would scar us eventually, but underneath, he seemed so immortal. It’s so tragic that cancer has taken ahold of him, regardless of where he is now (and I hope it’s a place in a celestial, spiritual realm with many great movies and buckets of popcorn).

If you are as traumatized as the rest of us, please do not hesitate to reminisce on the death of the auteur. We all need healing from the scars we’ve received within these last few hours.

The king is dead. Wish I could finish with the traditional “long live the king,” but there is no new king to hail. Even if there is, it’d be a sin to commend him. He’ll never live up to the talented behemoth we have just lost.

Rest in peace, Roger Joseph Ebert. The bard. The cineaste. The influence. The king. You were born on June 18, 1942. You began your career as a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times on April 3, 1967. And your life was laid to rest on April 4, 2013. But your legacy is eternal. Your spirit, your humor, your unforgiving bite, your irresistible style, and your love for the movies will remain with us to no end.

R.I.P. Roger Ebert

I’m absolutely speechless, but apparently some people aren’t. Some people can write entire articles on something so traumatic. I can’t. I can’t even read the article I’m linking you to because I’m stunned. I just can’t believe it. But if you feel brave enough to read about the death of a legend, please be my guest:

http://www.deadline.com/2013/04/roger-ebert-died/

Happy Birthday, Joseph Gordon-Levitt!

Every time I see one of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s films, I begin to feel stronger and stronger that he may just be the new “Great”–something like a reborn Jimmy Stewart, given his memorable “nice guy” roles. It’s very shocking that I’ve seen far less of his films than I thought I had. (I don’t think it counts that I’ve seen Inception three times and The Dark Knight Rises twice, does it?) And yes, I’ll try and get to the rest, in time.

So a Happy Birthday to Joe–I mean, Arthur–I mean, Blake–I mean, Tom–I mean, Robert Lincoln–I mean *gasp* Joseph Gordon-Levitt!

HAVE SEEN
Beethoven (1992)
Treasure Planet (2002; voice only)
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
Inception (2010)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Looper (2012)
Lincoln (2012)

HAVEN’T SEEN
A River Runs Through It (1992)
Holy Matrimony (1994)
The Road Killers (1994)
Angels in the Outfield (1994)
The Juror (1996)
Sweet Jane (1998)
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Picking Up the Pieces (2000)
Forever Lulu (2000)
Manic (2001)
Latter Days (2003)
Mysterious Skin (2004)
Brick (2005)
Havoc (2005)
Shadowboxer (2005)
The Lookout (2007)
Stop-Loss (2008)
Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
Killshot (2008)
Uncertainty (2009)
Women in Trouble (2009)
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
Hesher (2010)
Elektra Luxx (2010)
50/50 (2011)
Premium Rush (2012)

UPCOMING
Don Jon’s Addiction (2013)

——————————

Other individuals today include Michael Bay (director of Transformers and Armageddon), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter saga), Larry the Cable Guy (from all those redneck commercials), Michael Jordan (the basketball player), and Billy Joe Armstrong (lead singer and bassist of Green Day).

Happy Birthday, Steven Spielberg!

Note that this is a picture of Spielberg’s younger self. Today, he turns sixty-six.

Along with Alfred Hitchcock, I always link my love for film with Steven Spielberg. I grew up in love with films such as E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Jaws, etc., etc., etc., yet it wasn’t until I was eleven years old that I discovered he was the genius behind all of them. Admittedly, he does have some flops (Hook should have never been made, and 1941 has nerve calling itself a “comedy”), but Spielberg will always remain a filmmaker who ascertains the most of my respect. I still have to see his theatrical debut (The Sugarland Express) as well as a few that are considered his very best (Saving Private Ryan, Munich, Catch Me If You Can, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence). And I will. All right, enough rambling. A happy birthday to the marvel behind the entire oeuvre below:

HAVE SEEN
Jaws (1975)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
1941 (1979)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983; “Kick the Can” segment)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
The Color Purple (1985)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Hook (1991)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Schindler’s List (1993)
War of the Worlds (2005)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
War Horse (2011)
Lincoln (2012)

You know I’m a fan when I’ve seen over half the films he directed, and less than a third of those I watched during my time as a blogger.

HAVE YET TO SEE
Amblin’ (1968; short film)***
Duel (1971; originally released as a TV movie)***
Something Evil (1972; originally released as a TV movie)***
The Sugarland Express (1974)***
Empire of the Sun (1987)***
Always (1989)***
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)***
Amistad (1997)***
Saving Private Ryan (1998)***
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)***
Minority Report (2002)***
Catch Me If You Can (2002)***
The Terminal (2004)***
Munich (2005)***

UPCOMING
Robopocalypse (pre-production stage; due 2014)
Indiana Jones 5 (announced)

Rotten Tomatoes Trivia
Highest Rated – Jaws (1975) 100%
Lowest Rated – Hook (1991) 29%

Happy Birthday, Woody Allen!

Some love him, some hate him. I think he’s the greatest comedian to set foot on this earth. And today, he celebrates his seventy-seventh birthday. Holding the most Academy Award nominations as a screenwriter, Woody Allen is a prolific (and psychotic) genius. Let’s run through his extensive filmography as a director. The use of three asterisks (***) denotes a film I still have to see, and I’ll try to link to my reviews whenever possible.

What’s Up, Tiger Lily? (1966)***
Take the Money and Run (1969)***
Bananas (1971)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex* (*but Were Afraid to Ask) (1972)***
Sleeper (1973)
Love and Death (1975)***
Annie Hall (1977)
Interiors (1978)***
Manhattan (1979)
Stardust Memories (1980)***
A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1982)***
Zelig (1983)***
Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Radio Days (1987)***
September (1987)***
Another Woman (1988)
New York Stories (1989)***
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Alice (1990)***
Shadows and Fog (1991)***
Husbands and Wives (1992)***
Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)***
Bullets over Broadway (1994)***
Mighty Aphrodite (1995)***
Everyone Says I Love You (1996)***
Deconstructing Harry (1997)***
Celebrity (1998)***
Sweet and Lowdown (1999)***
Small Time Crooks (2000)***
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)***
Hollywood Ending (2002)***
Anything Else (2003)***
Melinda and Melinda (2004)***
Match Point (2005)***
Scoop (2006)
Cassandra’s Dream (2007)***
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Whatever Works (2009)***
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)***
Midnight in Paris (2011)
To Rome with Love (2012)

Rotten Tomatoes Trivia
Highest Rated – tie between Husbands and Wives (1992), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), Zelig (1983), Love and Death (1975), and Sleeper (1973) at 100%
Lowest Rated – Scoop (2006) at 39%

Happy Birthday, Martin Scorsese!

Seventy years ago today (geez!), a cinematic connoisseur/genius/innovator was born. Although he stands only 5 feet, 4 inches tall, Martin Scorsese shows an incredible Napoleon complex behind the camera. His filmography, which begins in 1967 and has yet to culminate, consists of several notable classics. Had that not been the case, I would not have his entire directorial oeuvre listed below. The use of three asterisks (***) denotes a film I still have to see, and I’ll try to link to my reviews whenever possible.

Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967)***
Street Scenes (1970 documentary)***
Boxcar Bertha (1972)***
Mean Streets (1973)***
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
Italianamerican (1974 documentary)***
Taxi Driver (1976)***
New York, New York (1977)***
The Last Waltz (1978 documentary)***
American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince (1978 documentary)***
Raging Bull (1980)
The King of Comedy (1983)
After Hours (1985)***
The Color of Money (1986)***
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)***
GoodFellas (1990)
Cape Fear (1991)***
The Grifters (1991)***
The Age of Innocence (1993)***
Casino (1995)***
A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through the Movies (1995 documentary)***
Kundun (1997)***
My Voyage to Italy (1999 documentary)***
Bringing Out the Dead (1999)***
Gangs of New York (2002)***
The Blues (2003 documentary series)***
The Aviator (2004)
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005 documentary)***
The Departed (2006)
Shine a Light (2008 documentary)
Shutter Island (2010)***
Public Speaking (2010 documentary)***
George Harrison: Living in the Material World (2011 documentary)***
Hugo (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes Trivia:
Highest Rated (feature film) – tie between Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), and Raging Bull (1980) at 98%
Lowest Rated – Boxcar Bertha (1972) at 45%
Highest Rated (documentary) – tie between A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through the Movies (1995) and My Voyage to Italy (1999) at 100%
Lowest Rated (documentary) – George Harrison: Living in the Material World (2011) at 85%

R.I.P. Tony Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012)

Yesterday at around 12:30 PM, a tragedy struck the world of film, when producer-director Tony Scott jumped to his death from the Vincent Thomas Bridge.  The younger brother of filmmaker Ridley Scott, Tony is responsible for directing and producing such memorable action films as Top Gun and Prometheus.  At the time of his death, Scott had already been announced as the producer for several upcoming cinematic projects, including a television mini-series entitled Coma and a potential sequel to Prometheus, his final film to have produced.  Scott’s last directorial work was 2010′s Unstoppable, the kind of film we truly needed more of.  Films of such quality didn’t appear too often in his career, but they are the ones we will remember him for.  R.I.P. Tony Scott.

Happy Birthday, Christopher Nolan!

Today is a special day.  It is the birthday of my blog (1), Hilary Swank (38), Arnold Schwarzenegger (65), and director Christopher Nolan (42).  Non-film fans who are reading this, you may not recognize the name, but there is no doubt that you will recognize quite a few of his films.  So let us honor some of this filmmaker’s works.  The use of three asterisks (***) denotes a film I still have to see, and I’ll try to link to my reviews whenever possible.

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Happy Birthday, Stanley Kubrick!

Yes, I know he’s dead (do I honestly look that stupid to you all?!)  I mean, Stanley Kubrick the Person is dead.  Had he been alive today, he would be 84 (which makes me wonder how Mel Brooks isn’t dead yet).  Stanley Kubrick the Filmmaker, however, is very much well and, I hope, forever alive.  Many of the films that complete his career are widely considered classics, with no questions asked.  So let us remember him by naming some of his masterpieces.  The use of three asterisks (***) denotes a film I still have to see, and I’ll try to link to my reviews whenever possible.

Read more…