Chariots of Fire

This time Melissa joined in the fun!

She brought the popcorn and soda

(anyone who brings me Gingerale and Diet Pepsi is automatically welcome in my home)

and Lindsey made dinner!

(and it. was. BOMB.) 

but on to the movie....

Nikki's Review 

Yep, this picture pretty much sums it up

We definitely spent more time laughing at the movie than learning any profound lessons.

It took a while to figure out but the movie follows two running champions from the 1924 Olympics.  Going into it I thought the focus was going to be on one of the runners' refusal to participate on Sundays and his struggle to balance his running career with his faith.

It was about that for ohhhh 10 minutes

It was a 2 hour movie.

So whaaaat was the rest of it?

Let me tell you

The movie was basically just a slow moving plot (if you can call it a plot) about a British runner and his ego and a Scottish runner with a sister played by THE worst actress to play in an award winning movie...all told with a lot of old British language that was hard to keep up with.

(Thank goodness Melissa likes to watch movies with the subtitles turned on )

However, if you are forced to sit and watch this film...there's good news...as long as you have no problems making fun of people

The opening scene was enough to start the giggles for me.  The one when they are all running on the beach to the theme song.  Once again I just now realized where a song I've heard many times came from (YouTube Chariots of Fire Parody and you will easily find someone who video taped themselves running to the song) and couldn't stop picturing all of the running montages I've seen on TV set to this score...usually involving a lot of tripping and face planting.  It will forever be hard to separate the two.

and then there is the running itself

Eric Liddell always starts his runs off normal and then ends in, what Melissa liked to call, the chicken flap (see picture above)

My final recommendation: don't watch it unless you have to...or unless you are really bored and have a lot of alcohol

Lindsey's Review

I am not going to lie, I had high hopes for this film until Friday afternoon when I was telling my Dad about the latest Academy Award selection and his response was a dreadful  “ughhh.” I mean from the plot summary, and the fact that it claimed 4 Academy Awards that year, I thought it would be a moving story of two runners in the Olympics standing for what they believe in.  Well…it moved me…to tears…of BORDEM! (literally, I even got bored of making fun of it). I am not going to try and sugar coat this film for anyone…it was terrible. Don’t waste your time…unless it’s late and you can’t sleep, then maybe it will help you out with that.

The idea of the story was good…and really had some great potential but I felt that it fell short of that potential, by far. I do realize that it was made in 1981, and I have since been spoiled by cinematography, graphics, and movies made for the shear entertainment factor, but this was brutal. There were so many moments that did not make sense and things that were eluded to, but never fulfilled. This movie also went up against Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Academy was obviously on something when they picked the winner of this category. (Opening weekend and gross totals of Indiana Jones were 6 times that of Chariots of Fire, I think the people decided this one.) 

If you are as clueless as I was as to what the name had to do with the movie at all…(this part is actually interesting) here it is…

In the line from the poem "And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time" by William Blake, "Bring me my Chariot of fire!" is from the story of 2 Kings 2:11, where the prophet Elijah is taken directly to heaven: "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." The phrase has become an embodiment  for “divine energy”. Both of the main characters in this film run uncommonly fast, in particular Eric Liddell, who claims that his abilities come from God.

With all of that said, the night was not a total waste…we had great company, good food, and wine. I made cucumber sandwiches, tomato bruschetta, and lemon pepper chicken stir-fry. A fun girls night for sure!

Melissa summed it up best, (she knows us too well) “let’s take an intermission…you all have obviously lost interest.”  :) haha

Driving Miss Daisy

Oh were you expecting a review for Marty? 

It was the one movie the video store didn't have ...soooo we improvised

 

Lindsey's Review

I saw “Driving Miss Daisy” years ago, but to be honest, all that I remember was her asking to go to the Piggly Wiggly and that pretty much sums it up. So, I was excited to revisit this movie that has been such a big hit with my family. Although I thought it was a little long…all in all it was a great movie.

The movie was filled with witty banter and sarcasm between Hoke (Morgan Freeman) and Miss Daisy (Jessica Tandy), and that always makes a movie good!   Actually she is kind of like that person you don’t really like when you first meet because they are rude but then you realize that’s just the way they are and it makes them much more tolerable, and eventually they end up growing on ya. In fact, one of my favorite parts was when Hoke tells Miss Daisy that he doesn’t know how to read…

Daisy: You know your letters don't you?
Hoke: Oh yeah, yeah I know my ABC's pretty good, just can't read.
Daisy: Stop saying that you're making me mad! If you know your letters you can read. You just don't know you can read.
Hoke: Ma’am?
Daisy: I taught some of the stupidest children God ever put on the face of this earth and all of them could read well enough to find a name on a tombstone.

I felt like I was watching my Mema on TV, she was Miss Daisy made over. Maybe that’s why I like the film so much? Ha.

Anyways… If you are looking for a funny, chill movie to watch with your family…this is a good’n. Or, if you don’t believe me that Dan Aykroyd was in an Academy Award winning film…this is proof.

Nikki's Review

For someone with such a sunny name, Miss Daisy is a grumpy pants.  But her sass is what allows the movie to be in the comedy section... and she is one classic sass mouth.  What's even better is the way Hoke, her driver (played by Morgan Freeman), puts her in her place and by doing so slowing breaks down her walls...whether or not she wants to admit it.  

The story as a whole is charming.  The scene at the end when Hoke visits Miss Daisy in the nursing home and feeds her her thanksgiving pie is heartwarming and touching, but I'm gonna be honest...it was hard to stay interested all the way up to that point. I also feel like the race/religion back-story was underplayed.  As a black driver chauffeuring a Jewish white lady around in the 50's and 60's, it slowly became evident they dealt with some of the same prejudices but it wasn't expanded upon.  Just one or two scenes and move on.  It seemed a little disjointed. 

The acting was on point though.  At first Morgan Freeman's character got on my nerves a little but something about him sinks in by the end and I realized how incredible he did in that role.  I'm not familiar with Jessica Tandy but she played her character with the perfect balance of hard assness (pretend its a word) and soft heart.  The best line was when she hoke was telling her he didn't know how to read and she said "stop telling me that, you'll make me mad"...maybe because it reminded me of Lindsey (jk Linds)

Well maybe that was the second best line, because I also loved when Miss Daisy's maid (Idella) muttered under her breath that Miss Daisy has the amount of sense that God gave a lemon.  Sass for a sass.  Maybe that's why Idella was one of the few people she put up with.

Again...overall good story, but a little slow.  And probably should have been in the drama section, not the comedy. But at least now I get the reference when Jack Black's character hums the score in The Holiday (props to Lindsey for pointing out why we've heard it before)

When Lindsey told me that Dead Poets Society was also nominated that year my thought was "well I'd much rather have watched that movie" 

The Bowl

With only one movie down, how do we decide where to go from there? 

We read over the list about 5 times....rolling our eyes at most of them.  So to insure we don't get stuck with all the crappy ones we dread at the end we introduce to you...

The Bowl

Other than a select few movies that will require time (and mental) preparation (*cough* Gone with the Wind) we will be using the old fashion draw a movie out of the bowl method. 

and the first catch...

So tonight we will be watching another black and white movie.  This time from 1955.  

What is it about?

We have no idea either.

The Artist

Nikki's Review

The era of silent films…told through a silent film

WHAT?!

Genius

I’m obsessed

The movie is actually about the ending of an era and an actor who is struggling to cope.  The story was beautiful and dramatic.  The music…beautiful and dramatic.  The characters…beautiful and dramatic.  The cinematography, say it with me…beautiful and dramatic. 

It is actually the first silent film to win Best Picture since Wings in 1927 (so check back for that review) The Artist also won 4 other Academy awards:  Best Actor, Best Director, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score. 

All so well deserved in my opinion. 

Jean Dujardin was charming, funny, and hit the dramatic scenes out of the park.  Plus who doesn’t love a good looking French guy?...winky face

The clothes?  OHHHH the clothes.  Peppy  Miller’s dresses….I will take one of each please. 

I never pay too much attention to the scores of movies.  But in a silent film…what else is there? And it was perfect.  The music took you back through time and made you feel right in place watching a movie in black and white with nothing but a few interwoven word slides and the music to portray the emotion and story of the film.  And this score did just that.  I was never lost and could feel the emotion along with the actors.  Do they sell scores to movies? Because it would be fun "cleaning the house" music…

Bérénice Bejo may not have won an Oscar for her role as Peppy Miller (she did win MANY other awards though) but she has won Nikki’s new obsession…kind of like an Oscar

Can we say girl crush? As soon as Lindsey and I saw her in that green dress sitting next to Jean at the Oscars we were hooked. She is so beautiful and so elegant. And her Character Peppy Miller is silly, beautiful, and so sincere. Love it all!

I could probably ramble about this movie for a good hour and it’s hard to condense my excitement into what is probably an already too long blog post. So let me just say this.

GO SEE THIS MOVIE

My recommendation is to see it soon. In a theater! With lots of other people!

If you’ve missed your opportunity just have a movie night and watch it on the biggest TV you can find and invite your friends, family, neighbors, and their dogs if you have to (George Valentine’s dog needs some fans too!)

There is this moment at the end. Everything goes dead silent. No music, no noise from the audience. And the moment the silence is broken is my favorite! A film made in 2011 brought a generation an experience they know nothing about. And it’s not possible to experience it by yourself.

Ok I’m finally done. I obviously loved this movie.

Have you seen it? What did you think?

I’ll give you the warning I gave Lindsey on the way home from the movie

Try to tell me something bad about this movie!

Lindsey's Review

I remember watching the Oscar's this year and wondering the entire time, "what is The Artist and why on earth did it beat The Help?" After watching the film, I now know why.

I'm not going to lie, I was a little leery of this movie. It was, after all, a silent film. All I remember about silent films was trying not to fall asleep watching the original "Phantom of the Opera" in high school. However, it won an Oscar so I had to watch it whether I wanted to or not. 

There were so many things that made me love this film so much. I love history and it was really cool to not only be entertained but feel like you are learning about something at the same time...I mean, I was able to experience a movie the way that my grandparents did, and there was something so neat about that. (seeing it at the Kentucky Theater added that much more to it.) Oh nostalgia...

The score was amazing and surprisingly one of my favorite parts of the movie. I think that unfortunately in most of today's movies the score get's lost in all of the hype and doesn't quite get the recognition that it deserves. I mean think about it, if a movie had no music to go along with it...you would probably notice...but do you notice it when it's there? In this movie, the music was SO critical to the story. It told the story, as if the notes were words themselves. (deep. I know. ) But seriously...it told you everything you needed to know. 

The actors themselves were so talented. To be able to keep your interest for a near 2 hours with no words. Really. 

Okay...I have to be honest, I am actually having a hard time writing this blog. This movie was so great and more than just another movie. It is so hard to put in to words how it made me feel. Ironic, if you think about it. So, I am just going to leave it to this...go see it. Then you will know what I mean. An Oscar well deserved.

The Challenge

Our journey through Oscar history can best be summed up with the fundamentals of journalism...

Who

Nikki And Lindsey
Two roommates from Lexington, KY who often join forces in time wasting and hobby discovering...this blog is our next victim.

What

To watch and review every movie that has won an Oscar for Best Picture
There are 84 (see the list here)

When

We aren't giving ourselves a time limit, but the general agreement is to not be in a joint nursing home room still writing this blog

Where

From the lone couch of the Finkchek appartment

Why

Because who doesn't secretly think they are the world’s best film critic?

Well you aren't

Because we are

How

One by one we will tackle the list together, sharing our thoughts as we go. There are only 3 movies on the entire list that both of us have seen so we are going for the whole shebang. We have no method or order to complete the task by, so if you have a suggestion or a favorite we should start with, please share.

Lindsey on Beginning the Challenge

2012 has been an interesting year so far, even if only two months in. It started out rocky, but in the mix of some heartbreak and determination to stay busy I decided this was going to be a year of doing things I love, revisiting old hobbies, exploring things I want to know more about, and trying something new. In all of that I have found my smile again and a sense of determination I don’t think I have ever really had. What do Oscar winning films have to do with this? Well, after painting, working on a cookbook, baking cupcakes more than 1 night a week just because (my co workers love me! haha), going to the gym, tackling Shakespeare and other classic literature, and going back to school to finish my degree in business, I figured…Why not? It was a challenge I proposed a few years ago but never really sat down and did. Obviously these films have won this prestigious award for a reason, they must be worth watching.

We definitely began this challenge on the right note. After seeing The Artist last night I am more excited than ever to embark upon the so called group of Hollywood’s greatest. Not to mention that blogging about it means I get to give you my opinion, which I NEVER do. (ha…sarcasm).

I have already seen 22 of the 84…so I am looking forward to revisiting some, and getting to know others! I am, however, probably most dreading to watch Amadeus again, (that is going to be a happy go lucky blog right there…) but most excited because this means Nikki has to watch The Lord of the Rings…Score!

So…do I accept this challenge? In the only audible words of Jean Dujardin (in The Artist)…”with pleasure.”

Nikki on Beginning the Challenge

I love lists. More importantly I love marking off lists. Sooo this is pretty much my jam. After seeing The Artist (Best Picture 2011) last night I almost lost my mind. The experience was incredible! Lindsey and I (look Lindsey I used it correctly!) got so hype about this blog and seeing all the movies that have won the same honor as this great movie.

On the list are some of those movies that I think society in general assumes everyone has seen.

Braveheart, Gone with the Wind, Rocky, etc.

Well guess what general public…I haven’t

So, if I get nothing else out of this blog at least I will understand more movie references

After the excitement of revisiting and sharing some old favorites wore off I realized I’m going to have to do some things I said I’d never do

See Ben-Hur again

And watch a Lord of the Rings movie

I have never seen any Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movies…and for some strange reason I pride myself on that…but here goes nothing. I’m committed now.

Some things you should probably know before reading our reviews:
- My movie reviews will not be well written, life changing, and rarely thought provoking. If that’s what you are looking for (or even if you’re not) check out my friends monthly challenge blog here.
- If there are spelling and/or grammatical errors…that was most likely written by me…not Lindsey. (even though I totally corrected her use of one/won when posting this blog!...its the small joys in life)

Let the challenge begin!!!