What the Beck???
Bucket List Update
Academy Award Nominated Movies
1980 The
Elephant Man
starring: Anthony Hopkins,
John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Freddie Jones, Wendy Hiller
plot – Based on a real event, a great
surgeon learns of a deformed
man performing in a traveling circus. He takes
him in and helps him even though others continue
to harass and harm him. Thanks to the surgeon,
his life became better.
This was a spectacular movie. The actors were all fabulous and the
story had me crying at the inhumane way people treat those who are different.
******As of this moment, I have watched 345 movies. This makes 182
movies left to watch, that is until the new list comes out for 2016.
2004 Million
Dollar Baby
starring: Clint Eastwood,
Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel,
Mike Colter
plot – A young woman who loves boxing
wants to be trained Eastwood. Her goal is to become a professional boxer.
I am a huge fan of all three of the major stars in this film. This
is such a great movie I was not surprised that it won the Academy Award for
2004. Is there any part that Hilary Swank cannot play??? She was amazing in this movie!
1952 The
Greatest Show on Earth
starring: Betty Hutton, Cornel
Wilde, Charleton Heston, Dorothy Lamour, Emmett Kelly, James Stewart…plus
so many more… a giant cast
plot – The movie shares the lives of
the people involved in the biggest circus on Earth.
This was a really long movie. I really enjoyed seeing the enormous
list of stars from the 50’s. The
story was really good and I loved Charleton Heston in this film.
1960 Elmer
Gantry
starring: Burt Lancaster, Jean
Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Dean
Jagger, Shirley Jones, Patti Page, Edward Andrews,
John McIntire, Hugh Marlowe.
plot – Lancaster plays a traveling
salesman turned evangelist. Lancaster
is such a con man, but his past is catching up with him. Jean Simmons is the true believer that also sees the good in everyone around her. Her undying faith eventually leads to her death.
I had heard of revival meetings in history, but this was a
wonderful movie. I always thought
that they were conning people. I am sure some of them were, but others were
serious in their faith and beliefs.
1975 Nashville
starring: David Arkin, Barbara
Baxley, Ned Beatty, Karen Black,
Ronee Blakley, Keith Carradine, Shelley Duvall,
Henry Gibson, Scott Glen, Jeff Goldblum,
Lily Tomlin, Keenan Wynn, Elliott Gould,
Julie Christie (plus man more!!!!!)
plot – The movie cover the lives of
many people during a five day Presidential Primary in Nashville, Tennessee. This
is a giant cast with a lot of “subplots” going on simultaneously.
I really hated this movie.
I have not been a big fan of a lot of the movies from the 70’s. Of course, that is when I was in my
late teens and early twenties. This one had no real point to me. Of course it lost to One Flew Over the
Cukoo’s Nest, which was an outstanding movie. It was also up against Jaws,
which was really big at the time. I’d skip this one.
1954 The
Country Girl
starring: Bing Crosby, Grace
Kelly, William Holden, Anthony Ross, Gene Reynolds
plot – Crosby plays an
alcoholic actor who is asked to begin acting again
by a director (Holden). The director falls for
the actor’s wife.
I liked this movie. Crosby doesn’t play the best alcoholic, but it
was okay. I loved to watch Grace Kelly and William Holden.
1971 The
Last Picture Show
starring: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd,
Ben Johnson,
Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Clu Gulager, Sam Bottoms, Randy Quaid
plot – This
story is set in a west Texas town in the 1950’s. It is a coming of
age story of teenagers discovering their sexuality and their goals and choices
for the future.
As I said before, I have decided that the 70’s was not my favorite years for films.
This one was such a blockbuster at the time. I thought it was just okay.
1942 Mrs.
Miniver
starring: Greer Garson, Walter
Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, Dame May Whitty, Reginald Owen
plot – It is the beginning
of WWII and this movie shares the struggles of a British family trying to survive.
I love Greer Garson. She is such a wonderful actress. In
this movie she plays the mother of an English fighter in WWII. Her husband is
also involved in the war effort. She is great at evoking my feelings in her
portrayals. I hope that I have more movies to watch with her as the star!
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