To see a plethora of actual footage from MLK Jr’s life, this film is worth the watch. It doesn’t offer much new if you are well versed in his life, his mission, and the times he lived, but hearing his words in his own voice is powerful. The celebrity interstitials are sometimes a bit jarring and pulling from the flow of the narrative, but it is nice to see many famous faces join in the cause.
Oscar Nomination: Best Documentary, Features
When the sideshow they work for is forced to close, the strongman, ventriloquist, and the Twenty Inch Man decide to join together to begin a life of crime. Lon Chaney stars as the ventriloquist in his first and only talkie, though being a remake of one of his earlier silent films, it may not offer anything new for his fans. I enjoyed the twists and turns when their criminal enterprise began to fall apart. Once again Lon Chaney is the man.
The number of Westerns I subject myself to as an Oscar completionist and a James Stewart fan is numerous. Luckily this one is covered by both of those umbrellas. Despite the grievances of many a child of the 1950s who would prefer a simplistic good guys-bad guys narrative, I have a soft spot for those Westerns that make some attempts toward nuance in their portrayals of Native Americans. Aside from that, this film following Stewart’s attempts at brokering a peace deal between Cochise and the Army, after saving an Apache boy and finding sympathy for the ways of the Apache, is mostly forgettable.
Oscar Nominations: Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Best Writing, Screenplay; Best Cinematography, Color
I preface this with the fact that I have never read the book nor knew much about any of the plot going in. The film is fairly trippy from the start as only films from the late 1960/early 1970s seem capable of. Once I got a feel for the time jumps, it made for an enjoyable and captivating ride watching our hero Billy Pilgrim, played by Michael Stacks, as a POW during World War II, as a family man in the modern day, and on Tralfamadore. I delight in stories that reject a linear timeline worldview and this one is a great edition in that category.
I want to like Jean Harlow in films, but I have yet to find her in a role I’ve liked. William Powell, on the other hand, is generally a delight and he is particularly in this film as the friend who is enticed by a newspaper editor to both marry the editor’s fiancée and woo a socialite in order to prevent the socialite from suing the editor’s newspaper for libel. Myrna Loy is charming and beautiful as the socialite; she and Powell have great chemistry as usual. The plot is a convoluted screwball comedy, but that’s secondary to seeing those two stars together. 
Oscar Nomination: Best Picture
Having watched the 1973 Tom Sawyer less than two months ago, it is difficult not to compare the two films. Tommy Kelly does an excellent job in the title role. The supporting cast is strong with the likes of Walter Brennan, Margaret Hamilton, May Robson, and Donald Meeks. The production is very colorful and lavish. Yet I still preferred the later version. This one seems to be missing some of the fun and joy that I’d expect from a family-friendly film.
Oscar Nomination: Best Art Direction
The story of Pinocchio is a a bit sad and creepy, a lonely old men using his skills to create a companion child. Why there are two new versions being released in as many years is beyond me. This adaptation, while dark, is a rather engaging one. Roberto Benigni brings a long-suffering, haggardness to his take on Geppetto. The effects to create a world with self-moving wooden puppets, fairies, and assorted magic is fanciful and impressive.
Oscar nominations: Best Achievement in Costume Design; Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling
Frank Sinatra always looked like an old man to me. It does not help when in films like this he’s portrayed as a hip bachelor when he’s edging close to 50. To be fair, he does have a groovy bachelor pad, so it’s no wonder that his younger brother, played by Tony Bill, wants to emulate his life. Their parents, played by Lee J Cobb and Mary Picon, try to intervene and set both brothers on the straight and right. Throw in some beautiful women to woo and that’s all there is to this film.
Oscar Nomination: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color
Directed by Louis Kahn’s son Nathaniel, this film is essentially two separate stories. The first is a tour of the architect’s works, which is intriguing in its own right for this rather light fan of architecture . The second is the director’s attempt to come to terms with his father’s personal life and general absenteeism as a parent. Filled with interviews with an array of renowned architects and acquaintances of Kahn, the film is weaker for trying to meld these two disparate bits together, but for me was still worth it to be exposed to Kahn’s work.
Oscar Nomination: Best Documentary, Features
The protagonists in my favorite Blaxploitation films are generally not outright criminals or at least ones that are seeking some level of redemption. Ron O’Neal’s Priest is having none of that. He’s seeking to retire as a cocaine dealer, but only after one big windfall so he can continue living in the manner to which he’s accustomed. When the corrupt police get in his way, he does manage to put them down with karate and a well-placed Mafia hit. The Curtis Mayfield soundtrack is unforgettable. The fashions and the style are perfectly emblematic of 1970s pimp culture. 
