The Oscar Project
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We’re already almost halfway through January and it’s time to get ready for the third film of the year. This week it’s time to pick something in the category Low Budget, Big Box Office. Like last week’s “classic” film, you can define this category in a number of ways, but I found this list from Collider that lists some of the most famous blockbusters that had low budgets.
It’s not surprising that a number of these films come from the horror genre as those are often filmed in just a few locations, with small casts and basic effects. But there are some other surprises on the list and I picked one that I’ve had on my watchlist for a long time and never seen. My Selection-Little Miss Sunshine
I’m excited to jump forward in time to checking out a more recent movie after spending the last two weeks in 1960s New York.
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We have three new films hitting wide release this week, starting with The Devil Conspiracy. I haven't heard much of anything about this film, but from the synopsis I found online, it looks like a story about a shadowy organization trying to clone Jesus Christ so they can them sacrifice him to the devil. I'm not sure what to expect out of this one, but it sure sounds like it's out there.
The second wide release this weekend is House Party, a remake of the 1990 film of the same name. The film is produced by LeBron James and features two friends fired from their house cleaning job that decide to return to James's mansion and host the party of the year while he is out of town.
I feel like Gerard Butler hasn't made a movie in a few years, but looking at his filmography, he has had at least one film release every year since his debut in 1997. This film reminds me a bit of the Denzel Washington film Flight from 2012 mixed with a bit of US Marshals or The Fugitive. I'm sure it will keep you on the edge of your seat, but still feels a bit formulaic.
And last up is the wide expansion of the Tom Hanks film A Man Called Otto. I am planning on seeing this over the weekend and will post a review early next week, but I'm cautiously optimistic about the film. It is based on the novel A Man Called Ove by Frank Backman as well as the Swedish film also called A Man Called Ove from 2015. I have seen the original film and I worry that the Hanks version will be a little too whitewashed for sensitive American audiences, but I'm hoping that it stays somewhat true to the original. Limited Releases
There are quite a few more limited releases than last week and for some reason horror still seems to be ruling the roost. Check your local listings for these films.
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We are already wrapping up the second week of the 2023 52 Film Challenge and today I’m giving my thoughts on my “classic” movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I used the list from Town & Country Magazine that I posted earlier this week as a guide and just picked the highest ranked film I had never seen.
As I noted the other day, I watched this a little earlier after seeing it was available on Amazon Prime, but only through the end of 2022. It also made a very interesting double feature with last week’s pick, Midnight Cowboy as both take place in New York City and show very different parts of New York society. Breakfast at Tiffany’s was released at the beginning of the decade and shows the visual polish of studio features from the 1940s and 50s, while Midnight Cowboy comes at the end of the 1960s and features a much grittier visual style and story. While Tiffany’s is bright and colorful, Cowboy is dingy and dirty. For those who haven’t seen the film, it features Audrey Hepburn as the young socialite Holly Golightly. The film opens with Holly getting out of a cab in front of Tiffany & Co. and eating her breakfast and this is the only connection to the title in the entire film. Holly meets her new neighbor, a writer named Paul Varjak (played by George Peppard), before she heads off to visit a mobster in Sing Sing prison. She gets paid $100 a week to bring the “weather report” from him out of prison.
At its heart, this is a quintessential romantic comedy that could easily be made today. It’s not too long (just under two hours) and moves along pretty well. There isn’t much wasted in terms of scenes and shots. Looking at it from a 2023 lens, it’s obvious at the beginning of the film that Paul and Holly will end up together, regardless of the shenanigans that go on. I feel kind of bad for Paul because he clearly falls for Holly pretty early in the film, but she goes on about her freewheeling ways, planning to marry multiple other men before finally realizing that the man she needs is right there next to her.
There are two glaring things I have to point out before wrapping up. The first is the introduction of Paul and Holly at the beginning of the film. Paul knocks on Holly’s apartment door when he arrives at the building and she immediately invites this strange man into her apartment as she gets dressed and ready to go visit her mobster friend. Even in that time period, I find it highly questionable for a young woman to invite a man she’s never met who just knocked on her door into her apartment while she’s changing.
The other obvious issue with the film is the role of Holly and Paul’s landlord, Mr. Yunioshi, played by Mickey Rooney. Plenty of words have been written on the subject and Rooney’s portrayal is obviously quite racist. Both Rooney and director Blake Edwards have expressed regret for the character and indicated that they would not portray the character that was it is in the film. It is unfortunate that this role appears in such an iconic and well known film, but at the same time, it provides an entry point for people to have the conversation about racist portrayals like this. Finally, when I watched the film, I was reminded of a recent film set in almost the same time period, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. The subject of Mrs. Harris’s desire is not Tiffany’s, but a Dior dress that she sees in the home of her client while performing her cleaning duties. Both films have a strong focus on elements of fashion and end up making you just feel good after watching them. I honestly haven’t read anything equating the two films, but feel like they would make a splendid double feature. I was so happy to finally check this film off my list and also that it nearly lived up to my expectations. I had hoped for a little more oomph, but considering it’s a 60+ year old film, it was quite enjoyable. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and we receive a commission if you visit a link and buy something on our recommendation. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra and the opinions expressed in this post are the author's own. For more details see our disclosure policy and privacy policy. I hope you’ve had a chance to watch your first movie of the year. For the second movie of the year, it’s time to pick from films considered movie “classics”. I will leave it up to you to determine what defines a classic, but here is a list provided by Town & Country Magazine of the top 40 classic films of all time. Their definition seems to be films from roughly 1940-1970 (with a few outliers) and as you look at the list I’m sure you’ll agree that most of them are film classics. The article even has links to watch each film if it is available on streaming or where you can purchase or rent. I always check my local library first but occasionally do rent them from Amazon. I actually watched my selection a bit early and was able to catch it on Amazon Prime before it left that service at the beginning of the year. My Selection-Breakfast at Tiffany'sDisclosure: This post contains affiliate links and we receive a commission if you visit a link and buy something on our recommendation. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra and the opinions expressed in this post are the author's own. For more details see our disclosure policy and privacy policy. I really have to apologize in advance for the terribly disturbing image connected with this article. Every time I look at the poster for M3GAN, I get a bit freaked out, almost more so than the poster for Annabelle did. I'm not sure if it's the relatively lifeless eyes or just the fact that the doll in this movie looks quite real, but can't fully cross the uncanny valley. Not to mention, I have to look at it every time I log into The Oscar Project Discord. I change the server icon every week to one of the new films coming out that weekend, but I might just change this one early so I don't have to keep looking at that creepy face! M3GAN is a story you've seen and heard before, so I'm not sure if there will be too much originality in the film, but the main comparison I can think of (after Annabelle) is Ex Machina. If you've seen that film, I'm sure you know what I mean. Now, I don't expect the acting to be as good in this film as that one, but this can only serve to fill the needs of anyone who's been looking for a new horror flick in the past month and a half. Don't forget to check out my full preview of movies coming to theaters this weekend in the video below. Limited ReleasesAvatar: The Way of Water is still dominating the box office even as it is entering its 4th weekend in release. I doubt that M3GAN will put a dent in the Avatar fever, but here are some other options that you might find in smaller theaters near you:
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As announced earlier this week, my film for the first week of the 52 Week Movie Challenge is Midnight Cowboy. As with most of the films I’m picking this year, this was a first time watch for me and after watching it I have now seen 31 out of the 94 films to have won the Oscar for Best Picture since 1929.
Now, I’m not going to do full reviews for the movies in this forum, but will include a quick review. I may do full reviews over on my review page of some of the films I watch throughout the year. I have to admit I jumped the gun just a bit by watching this on December 31st, but I wanted to get a little ahead of things for the challenge and had a little free time earlier in the day on New Year’s Eve. I also watched my film for week two early, but more on that next week. I also ended up watching Midnight Cowboy in two separate sittings, which may have affected how I viewed the film as a whole. As I got about halfway through and had to take a break, I was actively wondering how this film could possibly have won Best Picture, and how bad the other options had to be for it to beat out four other films. However, when I got back into it and finished the film, I saw some things that blew me away and made me understand why it received the accolades it did.
The main thing that elevates it is the acting, mainly Hoffman’s portrayal of Rizzo. Voigt it serviceable as Buck and both were nominated for Best Actor, but Hoffman really gets to sink his teeth into the character of Rizzo as he gets progressively sicker throughout the film. Plenty of words have been spent commenting on his famous line “I’m walkin’ here!” as he almost gets hit by a cab on a city street, but it’s the quieter moments that he shares with Buck in their dilapidated tenement building that bring the character to life. Those quieter moments show just how much bravado Rizzo puts on when in public, but how vulnerable he truly is.
My favorite part about this film was seeing both Voight and Hoffman in very early roles Midnight Cowboy being Voight’s third and Hoffman’s fourth feature films. Hoffman was already a rising star, coming off his role in The Graduate in 1967, but had yet to break big with films like Kramer vs. Kramer and Tootsie. Voight was less prolific early in his career, but has continued to perform through today. Both men would go on to win Best Actor Oscars, one for Voight (Coming Home) and two for Hoffman (Kramer vs. Kramer and Rain Man).
Finally, I want to give some love to a great Letterboxd review for this film that sums up certain aspects of it better than I can at the moment. The author writes about the importance of including this in the history of queer cinema, and it truly is a love story. Perhaps if the film was made today, it would be much more overt about Buck and Rizzo being sexual lovers, which is why I think it’s important that it was made when it was, so we can see how the subject matter was approached when censors were a bit less forgiving than they are today. It’s time to get started with the first week of movies. We have an easy category this week, and that’s picking a film that has won the Oscar for Best Picture. If you are looking for a help selecting your film, check out the list of Best Picture winners from Wikipedia. Many are available on streaming services, and you can always check your local library or rent them from Amazon. I’m going to keep these introductory posts fairly short, but I want to announce the film that I’m watching this week. Later in the week, I’ll be back with another post recapping what I thought of the film. My Selection - Midnight Cowboy As a reminder check out the full list of Best Picture Winners, then drop your selection in the comments below. Don't forget to join The Oscar Project Discord if you haven't already and share the challenge with your friends to get them in on the action. |
AuthorI'm just a film buff who wants to watch great movies. Where else to find the best, than the list of those nominated by the Academy each year? Archives
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