A Tribute to Great Film: Titanic (1997)

Fifteen years ago on December 19th 1997 one of the most popular/successful films opened at the box office, Titanic.  After being plagued with a problematic production, and going way over budget many were worried this would be the biggest box office flop of all time. They were wrong, and at the end the box office run this was highest grossing film of all time (without adjusted gross statistics).

When my friend Alex came over on the 20th who knew that we would be celebrating (almost exactly) the films 15th anniversary.  While we started the movie after a night of drinking and we never made it to any scenes with Kate or Leo, I finished the film the next day.

As Gloria Stuart stated Titanic was "the ship of dreams" this film was one of those experiences that transcended the actual quality of film.  People were seeing this movie three, four, or seven times.  There was something about this experience where no one cared that they knew the boat was going to sink.  The stars of the film Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack Dawson) and Kate Winslet (Rose DeWitt Bukater) and their love story was one that captured hearts time and time again.

Titanic was not the best film of the 1997, that honor belongs to L.A. Confidential, from director Curtis Hanson, but this film brings out many of the great emotional aspects of film.  Titanic had all the elements which make a film magnetic. Besides the love story between Rose and Jack, the production, visual effects, costumes, score, and a song that people would love and be annoyed with permeated popular culture.  The man behind two of the most successful films of all time was James Cameron.

Cameron has been part of my tribute to great film before this with the film Aliens.  After Aliens Cameron was responsible for directing Terminator, T-2: Judgement Day, and True Lies.  Cameron has laid his mark on film, proving his direction created some of the best film experiences in the latter part of the 20th Century (although his writing is less then desirable).  Titanic proved to be a movie that pleased audiences most because he took a real life emotional event, mixed in a love story with two compelling leads, and much like with Gone with the Wind he created a film that would have an incredible impact on the face of popular culture.

Cameron won three Oscars for the film including Best Director, Best Editing, and he won as Producer on the film.  Along with these three Oscars the film took home 11 Academy Awards total, making it won of the most honored films of all time at the Oscars.  Meanwhile after the film had this monstrous success it had an huge impact on the careers of the three main players.

This film propelled both Leo and Kate into super stardom, and made Cameron more respected by larger audiences.  People waited 12 years for Cameron's next film to be released in 2009, and Avatar exceeded expectations becoming the largest grossing film of all time (without adjusted inflation).

Leo was seen as the main draw for young girls to see the picture several times, and while he still remains a massive reason for people to go to the movies; he has also starred in some incredibly well made films.  Leo was nominated for Oscar prior to Titanic (What's Eating Gilbert Grape-Best Supporting Actor), but after his role he became Martin Scorsese's golden boy, and was nominated for two Academy Awards in the Lead Actor category, one for The Aviator, and one for Blood Diamond.

Kate was always taken more seriously, and was always considered the "true actor" of the two stars; she was in fact nominated for Best Lead Actress for the film.  Kate has been nominated for a total of six Oscars, two in the Supporting Actress category for Sense and Sensibility (1995), and Iris (2001).  Four in the Lead Actress category (Titanic was her first Lead Actress nominations), including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2005), Little Children (2007), and her only win The Reader (2009).

This film had a massive impact on the landscape of popular culture, and me.  1997 was the first year I paid attention to the Academy Awards, and was the first year I had an investment in the outcome of the winners.  At the time I had not paid attention to film, as much, but Titanic drew me in, and never let me go, unlike the way Rose let go of Jack (I still say there was enough room for him on that door).  The film was and still remains to be a cultural phenomenon.

While I did not cry the first time I saw the film, this past week I cried at the end, and my favorite scene where Rose and Jack are reunited at the end in a dream sequence, and all of the passengers applaud, this still remains one of my favorite film scenes of all time, and is proof that even the romantic elements of this film are some of the most powerful of all time.  The film proves that Camerone was "king of the world" and that our "hearts would go on" for Leo and Kate.

Let the Oscar Bait Season Begin with the Life of Pi

Today Ang Lee's released his first critically acclaimed film in seven years, Life of Pi.  Lee has had a wide variety of films in his repertoire, from Sense and Sensibility, to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and his best film Brokeback Mountain.  While Mountain and Sense and Sensibility were dependent on acting and the screenplay Hidden Dragon was more of a director's feat, and technical masterpiece.  Life of Pi looks to be in the same vein as Hidden Dragon, adding the 3D element.

While Lee is an incredible director, Life of Pi fits into a recent trend for me, as a film lover, films critics and Oscar voters may rubber stamp, but I have no desire to see.  From the first time I saw the preview for Life of Pi, I was a bit underwhelmed, and there was no drive for me to want to see the film.  While I am not providing a convincing argument against wanting to see the film, no am I trying to convince others not to see this film, I feel as though this may be one of those "Oscar pictures" I miss in the theatres because it just does not look to have appealing story.  Life of Pi looks like one of those films that will be visually stunning, but just lacks the depth I need from a screenplay.  While Ang Lee rarely works on films like this, the involvement on James Cameron is not shocking, as his films tend to have some pretty atrocious scripts (Avatar).

My point, is that it's time to whittle down the true achievements in film making vs. the Oscar bait, and while there could be many arguments made for a lot of the films this year, Life of Pi feels the most like "Oscar bait."  Some could argue this about Lincoln, Argo (although less so), and Silver Linings Playbook, but my pick for this year would be Life of Pi, namely because it gives me that feeling when I see the preview.

Last year's big "Oscar bait" films were War Horse and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  I did not see either film in the theatres.  I rented War Horse on red box, and waited Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close to make it to HBO.  While these films are not awful (although Extreme Loud is close) there is something disingenuous about their spirit.

When I sat down to watch War Horse in my apartment, from start to finish the plot felt contrived and forced on the screen.  I saw the play, and fell in love with genuine emotional context of how this horse connected the different people, the story was great and well done in play format.  While Steven Spielberg has made some great films in the 2000s like Munich, Minority Report, and Catch me if you, and this year's Lincoln, this felt like he was film made me feel like they people behind it were just jonesing to get Oscar nominations, and make more money for the play.  I wanted better, but the film did not live up to the play, but still found its way to the best Picture race, because of the fact that the film felt important.

Some of the same things could be said for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  Throughout the past Oscar voters have become obsessed with nominating films centered around the Holocaust.  The Reader, a subpar film, and another example of "Oscar bait" bumped off The Dark Knight from a nomination, because of the subject matter.  The Holocaust represents this dark/interesting moment in history that pulls people in, and helps voters connect.  The event is important, and often times is used to help win Oscars.  When Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globes for the first time he joked with Kate Winslet stating I told you if you did a Holocaust film you would win/get nominated (I am paraphrasing).  The sad part is he was correct.

As we get further ahead in time look for films centered around 9/11 to have the same impact on Oscar voters.  9/11 was an important moment in American history, changing the landscape of the United States and the way we view safety.  Extremely Loud and incredibly Close fits within this model, and while the film has some beautiful moments, and is one of the saddest films, there is no cohesion to make this enough of a solid film.  This film bumped out quality films like Drive, and Take Shelter, because the subject matter seemed important, and the bait was cast.

As I posted this a friend had reminded me of The English Patient, back in 1996, which had been released from Miramax, which was owned at that time by the Weinstein Brothers.  The English Patient was meant to feel important, much like The Reader.  Seinfeld, made fun of Patient, with Elaine struggling to sit through the film, while people around went on an on about how great the film was, and namely because people were told it felt important.

The other interesting part about both of these films was the people behind their rise to success were the Weinstein's.  These two men (Harvey and Bob) have behind numerous wins, and nominations that may not have happened with other film companies.  These two men work their magic, and get things to happen, quality be damned!  They are not the only men with power, but they seem to do Oscar campaigning the best, look at Shakespeare in Love beating Saving Private Ryan, or Meryl Streep beating Viola Davis last year.  I admire, and fear the power of these two brothers.  With power comes great responsibility toward the future of film.

Oscar bait can defined in so many different terms, and while this is only one snap shot, there is cause to think about what are the best films, and why are they the best.  How do you define the best?  Am I just being picky?  The answers to both these questions could be, ambiguous.  I want to see Hollywood evolve and not play it safe, to take the risk, and challenge people to see the better films.  The bottom line is that things go back to money, and in the end the best films often do not got seen by the masses.  Here's to hoping that the best films win out this year, and that Oscar bait is kept to a minimum.

A Tribute to Great Films: Alien and Aliens

The past few months I have paid tribute to three different television shows, Murder She Wrote, Friday Night Lights, and The Golden Girls.  Each tribute coincided with my re-watching each series. This month I have decided to pay tribute to two spectacular sci-fi/thriller films Alien and Aliens.  

My friend Eric got the idea when we went to see Men in Black III on friday and saw the trailer for Prometheus.  When many fans had heard about Prometheus their minds jumped to the conclusion that it was a prequel.  Ridley Scott who directed the first film and is directing Prometheus has stated openly that Prometheus "carries the DNA of Alien" and "Prometheus is an original piece of science fiction" about "biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and the origins of the destruction of man." Sounds epic.

Scott started the ball rolling within the quadrangle of Aliens films.  The brilliant thing about the all of the films (but in this case the first two films)  is that while they center around the same story the stylistic undertone of the direction changes the feel for each film.  The original film Alien was released in 1979, and was also re-released in 2003 with material that was found and not part of the original film.  I saw this film for the first time in theatres during the re-release.  No film had scared me as much as this film did in the theatre.  Sitting in the pitch black multiplex at 10 pm at night with a small crowd, the experience was worth it, and why I love going to the movies. I refused to scream out in terror.  Yet as the films tagline reads "No one can hear you scream in space."

As the mining ship Nostromo touches down on unknown planet for a distress call the terror builds and the audience is catapulted into following this crew as alien life form board their ship.  As the films intensity builds Jerry Goldsmith's score carries the suspense to a whole new level.  The music combined with Roger Christian and Leslie Dilley's art stark art direction, and Ridley's Scott's well paced directions creates this beautifully ominous tone.  There is no doubt that Scott's direction is brilliant, but he also assembled an impressive cast.

The cast of the film is impressive but the film, and this series centered around the new comer Sigourney Weaver.  Weaver's Ripley is an embodiment of something different; she is a feminist icon action hero who kicks ass instead of playing the victim.  Like Jaime Lee Curtis who was dubbed the scream queen, Sigourney Weaver is the queen of sci-fi films. While Ripley is a bit quieter in the first film, mainly because the films pacing is a bit more like an old school thriller where the pacing is a build up.  The sequel to Alien, entitled Aliens jumps right into the action.

After I had finished the first film I knew I had to rent the sequel (blockbuster still existed).  Aliens (1986) is a different film from the original, mainly because it was directed by James Cameron instead of Ridley Scott.  Cameron was a huge fan of the original and pitched the concept of doing a sequel to 20th Century FOX.  While Cameron was contemplating the tone for this film he was also working on The Terminator (1984).  The sequel was released so much later for two reasons, the first was that 20th Century FOX did not believe in a low budget film warranting a sequel (that has changed these days) and Cameron needed to prove himself, The Terminator was his staging ground.  The Terminator was a monster hit, and well reviewed, and Cameron's new script impressed 20th Century FOX and thus Aliens was born.

Cameron's script for Aliens had a much different tone.  The first film lead me on this terrifying journey, and was an all out thriller, while Cameron made the sequel more of an action film.  Ripley is brought back with a militaristic squad to the planet where Nostromo landed.  The team became a rogue squad battling and fighting for their lives against more than just one alien this time. There was incredible anticipation for this film because the original was so liked and the Ripley character was an incredible female character. Cameron knows how to blend the concept of the original with his own version of the story; he seamlessly blends the plot from the first film with his own while making this an incredibly great film.

Many people cite this as a sequel better than the original, but to me that's a Sophie's choice.  While two films are about the same character, and are part of a series the direction by these two master craftsmen makes them hard to compare.  Each film fits within a different genre.  The first film is an old school thriller, and while the second film has those elements Cameron makes his sequel more action packed, which works too.  Aliens was nominated for 7 Academy Awards including Best Actress, I think the first film deserved just as many accolades.  Both of these films are incredible pieces of work. and have only built up my excitement for Ridley Scott to come back to this world.

The slight edge may go to Aliens and the scene below "Get Away from her you bitch."