Thursday, July 15, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
A Year of Movie Connections
Last year, I decided that every movie I watched had to connect somehow to the previous one. Because I see a lot of movies in the theatre, I didn’t want to include those – having to connect them would severely limit my cinema-going – so I only connected movies I watched on DVD, Blu-ray or TV. It wasn’t easy but I did it. All told, from January 1 to December 31, I was able to watch 66 films this way in 2009 (down from 106 the year before), and each one had some connection – however tenuous – to the previous.
So without further ado, here is a round-up of the films and how they connected (what follows is a transcript of the youtube video), starting with:
The Deer Hunter
which starred Meryl Streep, who was also in
Adaptation
written by screenwriting twins (technically), just like
Casablanca
which starred Ingrid Bergman, who is not the same Ingrid once married to, or even related to BUT shares the same last name with, Ingemarr Bergman, who directed
The Seventh Seal
which starred Max von Sydow, who was also in
Hannah and her Sisters
which featured J.T. Walsh, who was also in
A Few Good Men
which starred Jack Nicholson, as did
The Shining
which figures creepy twins, just like
Big Fish
which stars Ewan McGregor who had two shows about buddy cross-country motorcycle rides, which is similar to the plot of
Easy Rider
which features a location where once lived an aging film star, just like in
Sunset Boulevard
directed by Billy Wilder, who also helmed
Irma la Douce
that took place in Paris, as did
An American in Paris
which features the premise "come-from-away” falls in love with someone from the film’s location, just like
A Sunday in Kigali
in which Genocide features prominently, just like in
La Vita e Bella (Life is Beautiful)
which is a Holocaust film, as is
The Pianist
which is about a composer, as is
The Red Shoes
which was made by “the Archers”, just like
A Canterbury Tale
which was a “buy bonds” propaganda film from WWII, as was
Lifeboat
directed by Alfred Hitchcock, just like
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (not the Branjelina one)
which centers on a couple who are broken up for most of the film, just like in
The Tiger in the Snow
Featuring a war that America “shouldn't have been in" as its backdrop (Iraq) AND has a well-known actor playing outside his nationality: Jean Reno (a Frenchman playing an Iraqi) which is just like
Tigerland which, besides having the word Tiger in the title, features another war that America “shouldn't have been in" as its backdrop (Vietnam) AND ALSO has a well-known actor playing outside his nationality: Colin Farrell (an Irishman playing a Texan). And it is a war film, as is
Conspiracy
which is about Nazis, the singular of which rhymes with
Tsotsi
which was a co-production, made by a white guy about characters that aren't white, just like
Map of the Human Heart
that features Patrick Bergen mapping the Northwest Passage, which Frobisher was sent to find by Elizabeth I, played by the incomparable Catie Blanchett in
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
where royalty features prominently as it does in
Marie Antoinette
which takes place in Paris or it’s suburbs, just like
Charade
that starred the stunning Audrey Hepburn, as did
War & Peace
which was based on the book by Leo Tolstoy, who wrote the story filmed as
Night Sun (Il Sole Anche di Notte)
which featured an actor who played Hemingway (Julian Sands) in another film, as did Paul Newman one time, who starred in
The Sting
which featured 1. Paul Newman, 2. Robert Redford and was directed by 3. George Roy Hill, who all did the same in
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
shot by Cinematographer Conrad L. Hall, who also shot
American Beauty
edited by Tariq Anwar, who also edited
The Madness of King George
which starred Helen Mirren, who, amazingly kept her clothes on as she did in
Gosford Park
that starred Kristin Scott Thomas, as did
The English Patient
which starred Juliette Binoche, who was also in
Caché (Hidden)
which starred Daniel Autieul, who was also in
La Placard (The Closet)
on which Michel Filippi was ADR Supervisor who was also the post-synchronization engineer on
Amelie
that starred Mathieu Kassovitz, who directed
La Haine (Hate)
a French film that takes place in France (go figure!), just like
La Femme Nikita
which was a stand-in for Léon (The Professional) – both ‘hitwomen’ films by Luc Besson. The Japanese peace lily that Nicholas Angel brings with him and takes care of is much like Léon's plant in the movie Léon. When (Nicholas) talks about it, similar dialogue is used in
Hot Fuzz
where the line "Forget it, Nick, it's Sandford" is just like the last line "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown." from
Chinatown
that starred John Huston, who directed
The Maltese Falcon
which starred Peter Lorre, who also starred in
M
that features a serial killer who is terrorizing a city, as well as cops and organized crime both trying to stop the killer, just like
Summer of Sam
directed by Spike Lee, who also directed
Malcolm X
which starred John Sayles, who directed
Sunshine State
that featured Sam McMurray, also featured in
L.A. Story
in which Patrick Stewart had a bit part and he was in Star Trek: TNG with Denise Crosby, who had a bit part in
10
in which Nedra Volz had a bit part and she was in 4 episodes of One Day at a Time with Valerie Bertinelli, who played herself in
Saved
which follows the zany hi-jinks of a gaggle of high school girls, just like
Mean Girls
which starred Neil Flynn, who was in the TV show Scrubs with Zach Braff, who directed and stars in
Garden State
which starred Ian Holm, who is also in
Time Bandits
which featured Katherine Helmond, as did
Family Plot
Production Designed by Henry Bumstead, as was
Flags of our Fathers
where the Negative Cutter was Mo Henry, who did the same on
Before Sunset
that featured Louise Lemoine Torres, who was in an episode of the long-running French television show Commisssaire Moulin entitled La promesse, just like the film
La promesse
which features "illegal aliens" coming to a new world and trying to get by just making a living, which is very similar thematically to Johnny Depp’s character where he is an inventor's creation (NOT like the rest of us!) and thus has no Social Security Number, etc. putting him in the same boat (as it were) in
Edward Scissorhands
where the main characters only kiss each other once and virtually not until the final scene, just like in
Pride & Prejudice
but not the one with Colin Firth – which would have also connected to the next film – but the one with Keira Knighley, which also starred Carey Mulligan, who was in
And When Did You Last See Your Father
which DID star Colin Firth but also featured Matthew Beard, who played almost-love interests with Carey Mulligan, as they ALSO did in
An Education
which starred Alfred Molina, who played Diego Rivera in
Frida
which featured Ashley Judd, who starred in
Bug
which had Brian F O’Byrne, who is in FlashForward with Joseph Fiennes, who played Shakespeare in
Shakespeare in Love
that featured Tom Wilkinson, who was also in
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
which was written by Charlie Kaufman, who wrote and directed
Synecdoche, NY
In which Amy Wright played the Burning House Realtor who – to get us all the way back to movie one from January 1 and bring us full circle for this Year of Connections – just happened to play one of bridesmaids in
The Deer Hunter
Thanks to Gina for doing all the hard work on the video!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Movie watched: Synecdoche, NY
Connection to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Charlie Kaufman wrote the screenplay for both films. On a related note, Amy Wright, who played the Burning House Realtor in Synecdoche, NY also played a Bridesmaid in The Deer Hunter - which brings us full circle to the movie that started the year.
And that is a Year of Movie Connections. Sixty-six movies watched over the course of 2009 (on DVD or Blu-ray - new movies in theatres were not included unless they did connect).
Stay tuned to this blog and YouTube for a special round-up of the Year of Movie Connections.
And what's ahead for 2010? Inspired by the book Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris, we'll be selecting 12 groups of films from various prizes/years and see if each - especially the winner - stands the test of time.
Happy New Year everyone!
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