Category: Best Film Editing

Posted on 2021-10-02 | No Comments |

A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

The only thing I knew about the Dickens novel was the opening line. Though I have no idea if it adheres closely to the Dickens’s story, this version is an engaging story of various individuals (aristocrats, hoi polloi, and Londoners) in Paris and London during the years surrounding the French Revolution. Basil Rathbone is perfectly evil as the Marquis who begins the tale, crushing everyone beneath his whims. He is paralleled by Ronald Colman who portrays a superbly clever and noble version of lawyer Carton who is willing to make great sacrifices for the one he loves.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Film Editing

Posted on 2021-09-26 | No Comments |

Crimson Tide (1995)

When a Russian ultra-nationalist takes control of nuclear missiles, Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington are called to duty aboard a US submarine. After they receive potentially conflicting orders, they end up instead fighting against each other for control of the vessel. The crew, including the likes of Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini, and Steve Zahn, all are forced to pick sides. The fun bit of the film is that the viewer gets to play along. Who is actually doing the mutinying is a debate all households can engage in. I can imagine the ending could be enraging for people wanting a clear-cut answer, but I found it satisfying.

Oscar Nominations: Best Sound; Best Film Editing; Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing

Posted on 2021-09-26 | No Comments |

Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)

At the beginning of this film, Shirley Booth is annoying. She’s pushy and needy and seems oblivious to the people she bulldozes over. But she’s more than that. She’s desperately lonely, she has suffered more rejection than she can bear, and she loves fully, her recently recovered alcoholic husband played by Burt Lancaster. Lancaster is a little less fully realized. He’s conservatively close-minded and unhappy with the direction his life took after an unexpected pregnancy forced him to marry, allowing these things to cause him to spiral. There’s quite a bit of this that ends up feeling like an AA advertisement, but these two performances, especially Booth’s, elevate it to something stronger.

Oscar Win: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Film Editing

Posted on 2021-09-23 | No Comments |

The Cotton Club (1984)

I watched the Encore version of this. In trying to figure out the differences between it and the original, I looked at Roger Ebert’s review and it seems that, while still flawed, Encore is the better version. The original apparently removed many scenes with Black characters, which not only removes a lot of the talent shown, but also changes the focus away from the titular Club and solely on to the trite gangster story anchored by Richard Gere. The scenes in the club are the best part of the film, filled with the all Black talent of singers and dancers, including the fabulous Gregory Hines and his brother Maurice, and the glamour of the all white clientele. There are many other great performances, both large (Bob Hoskins and Fred Gwynne’s bromance) and small (Gwen Verdon, Tom Waits, Lawrence Fishburne), and the film is beautiful too look at. It all just gets dragged down by almost all the bits involving Gere’s character.

Oscar Nominations: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; Best Film Editing

Posted on 2021-09-02 | No Comments |

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

I started this thinking that I really don’t get much out of the legend of Robin Hood and its many iterations. Watching this version, I finally understood why the story has been adapted so many times, though people should probably just watch this one. This has adventure, romance, humor, and even some dark bits. It doesn’t even overstay its welcome. The scenery and costumes are absolutely gorgeous. I imagine the budget in tights for the men was a tidy sum just in itself. Errol Flynn is excellent as Robin of Locksley: attractive, athletic, and light spirited. Olivia de Havilland captures Maid Marian wonderfully. Claude Rains, Basil Rathbone, and the rest of the supporting cast elevate the already great production.

Oscar Wins: Best Art Direction; Best Film Editing; Best Music, Original Score

Oscar Nomination: Best Picture

Posted on 2021-08-29 | No Comments |

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)

Ugh, this film took me forever and more than one watching to get through. My lack of interest in the subject was not helped by a poor quality print and the fact that Franchot Tone and Richard Cromwell look a lot alike. Those two men are newcomers to a regiment of British soldiers during the days of the British Raj. One is a cocky, seasoned soldier and the other is a newly commissioned officer and son of the Colonel. Gary Cooper’s job is to guide these new recruits. The story of the three soldiers is familiar and was done much better in other films of the era, Gunga Din, The Four Feathers, and Beau Geste to name a few.

Oscar Win: Best Assistant Director

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Director; Best Writing, Screenplay; Best Art Direction; Best Sound, Recording; Best Film Editing

Posted on 2021-08-24 | No Comments |

Aliens (1986)

I believe there are some who feel that Aliens is superior to Alien. For me, the two don’t compare. They illustrate the stark contrast between films of the 1970s and what was made in the mid-1980s. Where Alien was more shadowy and dark in portraying the same location, Aliens is all bombastic, large, and in your face. Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, dragged along on a mission to supposedly annihilate the xenomorphs for good, is completely shoehorned into a mother role, though it does create a nice parallel for the big ending. Bill Paxton and Jenette Goldstein are both massively over the top as part of the Marine crew. Paul Reiser is spectacularly oleaginous portraying the ultimate in capitalistic greed. Again the moral of the story is you should really listen to Ripley.

Oscar Wins: Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing; Best Effects, Visual Effects

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; Best Sound; Best Film Editing; Best Music, Original Score

Posted on 2021-08-20 | No Comments |

Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)

Angry, unhinged Bette Davis is an aspiration. Here she is Charlotte, an eccentric who defiantly haunts her ancestral mansion, the site where her married lover was graphically hacked to pieces many years ago, a crime many locals believe she committed. Olivia de Havilland deliciously plays her cousin whom Charlotte hopes will help her in fighting the local highway commission. Olivia is perfection, using her sweet reputation as a façade on some darkness that is evidently hiding underneath. Agnes Moorehead wickedly adds to the cast as Charlotte’s only real ally. Young Bruce Dern is also great as the murdered lover. Rather surprised to see that the creepy song Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte became a hit and that it was composed by The Brady Bunch theme writer Frank de Vol.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress in a Supporting Role; Best Cinematography, Black-and-White; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White; Best Costume Design, Black-and-White; Best Film Editing; Best Music, Original Song; Best Music, Substantially Original Score

Posted on 2021-08-13 | No Comments |

The Bear (1988)

Every time I travel through California, I pay special attention when I see Bear Crossing signs in the hopes of seeing a bear. I have yet to see a single wild bear this way. While maybe not as narratively satisfying, I could have done with 100% less humans in this story. There was a lot more dialogue in the film than I was lead to believe because of all the people. I welcome a sweet found family story. I felt guilty having to root against the puppies in one scene, but bears are cute.

Oscar Nomination: Best Film Editing

Posted on 2021-08-10 | No Comments |

Nomadland (2020)

I only have one Best Picture nominee left to watch from this year (Minari is sitting next to my TV, waiting to be watched) so I can’t give a definitive answer whether this deserves to be Best Picture. Thus far I’m not mad at the pick. It doesn’t scream that it is entirely a new story, but it does feel like a now story: people driven from their homes and finding an alternative way to being when capitalism fails them. It is also provides beautiful views of Middle America. I don’t know what kind of life Frances McDormand would have had if she weren’t an award winning actress, but she is truly believable as a rugged, hard-working woman able to do whatever she needs to to get by. On the other hand, as much as I love David Strathairn, in a ‘normal’ Hollywood movie he could pass off as a fade into the background everyman, but in this one, he looked too clean and pretty.

Oscar Wins: Best Motion Picture of the Year; Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role; Best Achievement in Directing

Oscar Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay; Best Achievement in Film Editing; Best Achievement in Cinematography