Oscars Project: Movie #10
Hot dog, we're in the double digits now. (Explanation of The Oscars Project found here. And need I say it? This post contains SPOILERS.)
From 1997: Titanic
I think I'm one of the last people in my age bracket to see this movie, so I'm going to skip the plot summary (read "The Phenomeon of Titanic" here). It also aired on cable this past weekend--that could've saved me a bit a trouble, but then again I'd planned to watch it by the end of last week. Oh, well.
Generally speaking, this movie was way too long (more on that later, but seriously, how on earth did people sit through this in the theater??? On a date, possibly???) but was redeemed by its attention to detail and special effects. It's kind of corny for a love story--or could it be I just got sick of all the quoting (misquoting) and parodies from the past ten years?--but the last hour really works as a disaster film. I totally dug the action. Or perhaps just welcomed it after having watched the movie creep along.
What surprised me:
*How the movie started. I didn't know there was this whole framework that Grandma Rose had to take a trip to the actual wreckage site in order to start the whole story. All these years I'd thought she had been telling the story just to her granddaughter. To be honest, it was kind of lame and annoying. I've never seen so much exposition, so slowly.
*The impressive staging, sets, props, etc. I know there was a lot of money sunk into the production; it paid off.
*The heavy-handedness at times. Like, we get it, Rose's fiance is a jerk, but do you have to underscore it a million times? He frames Jack for theft. He slugs Rose. He squirts his breakfast grapefruit into his valet's watchful eye. (Well, maybe not that last one. But the audience must know he is mean.) And if we didn't know Rose felt trapped, well, we must have run to the restroom forty-seven times to have missed those hammerings.
*It is the second most award winning film in Oscar history.
What didn't surprise me:
*Best Picture & Best Costume Design wins. (Best Screenplay loss, interestingly enough.)
*A great cast like that worked really well together. Man, I love Kathy Bates and she was great as the Unsinkable Molly Brown.
So, what did you think? Did you see it in the theater and survive? I'm curious!
Next up: The Crying Game
(pinch-hitting for Dead Man Walking. Even thought I know the surprise! twist! I know it wasn't listed as an alternate, but I just wasn't in the mood for any of them.)
From 1997: Titanic
I think I'm one of the last people in my age bracket to see this movie, so I'm going to skip the plot summary (read "The Phenomeon of Titanic" here). It also aired on cable this past weekend--that could've saved me a bit a trouble, but then again I'd planned to watch it by the end of last week. Oh, well.
Generally speaking, this movie was way too long (more on that later, but seriously, how on earth did people sit through this in the theater??? On a date, possibly???) but was redeemed by its attention to detail and special effects. It's kind of corny for a love story--or could it be I just got sick of all the quoting (misquoting) and parodies from the past ten years?--but the last hour really works as a disaster film. I totally dug the action. Or perhaps just welcomed it after having watched the movie creep along.
What surprised me:
*How the movie started. I didn't know there was this whole framework that Grandma Rose had to take a trip to the actual wreckage site in order to start the whole story. All these years I'd thought she had been telling the story just to her granddaughter. To be honest, it was kind of lame and annoying. I've never seen so much exposition, so slowly.
*The impressive staging, sets, props, etc. I know there was a lot of money sunk into the production; it paid off.
*The heavy-handedness at times. Like, we get it, Rose's fiance is a jerk, but do you have to underscore it a million times? He frames Jack for theft. He slugs Rose. He squirts his breakfast grapefruit into his valet's watchful eye. (Well, maybe not that last one. But the audience must know he is mean.) And if we didn't know Rose felt trapped, well, we must have run to the restroom forty-seven times to have missed those hammerings.
*It is the second most award winning film in Oscar history.
What didn't surprise me:
*Best Picture & Best Costume Design wins. (Best Screenplay loss, interestingly enough.)
*A great cast like that worked really well together. Man, I love Kathy Bates and she was great as the Unsinkable Molly Brown.
So, what did you think? Did you see it in the theater and survive? I'm curious!
Next up: The Crying Game
(pinch-hitting for Dead Man Walking. Even thought I know the surprise! twist! I know it wasn't listed as an alternate, but I just wasn't in the mood for any of them.)
Comments
Was it long enough that they might have had an intermission? I remember that happened when seeing Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet in the theater.
Bingley--now, there you go spoiling it for people. ;)
I liked the way the movie looks, that's probably the best thing I can say about it.
Smoke breaks! I hadn't thought of that. And of course you were getting all stressed out about poor Rose and that made you smoke more. Right? Ha ha ha.