Author Archives: Keith Garlington

5 PHENOMENAL ACTRESSES WHO NEVER WON AN OSCAR

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I love the Academy Awards but they can also often times be the most frustrating things. Looking back on the history of motion picture’s biggest awards there are always those winners that leave you shaking your head. But there have also been some glaring snubs. I thought it would be nice to look at 5 great actresses that have never won an Academy Award. Now it’s important to note that I’m not counting lifetime achievement Oscars (Oscars awarded apologetically to deserving performers who never received one during their career). These are ladies who never received a Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress Oscar but who certainly deserved to. Now there are several that deserve to be mentioned so this isn’t the definitive list. But there is no denying that these five wonderful actresses are nothing short of phenomenal.

#5 – DEBORAH KERR

Deborah Kerr was a wonderful performer who received an amazing 6 Oscar nominations but yet never won the award. This lovely Scottish actress starred in many films in both England and the United States. She’s perhaps best known for her performances in “An Affair to Remember” with Cary Grant, “The King and I” with Yul Brynner, and “From Here to Eternity” with Burt Lancaster. But she also did great work in “Separate Tables”, “King Solomon’s Mines”, “The Sundowners”, and my personal favorite film of her’s “Black Narcissus”. When you look back on Deborah Kerr’s body of work, it’s truly amazing that she never won at least one Academy Award.

#4 – MAUREEN O’HARA

This Irish redhead had a penchant for playing tough fiery women. Her career started it the Hitchcock film “Jamaica Inn”. She later played roles in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and in John Ford’s Oscar winner “How Green Was My Valley”. She would go on to star in several other of Ford’s pictures opposite of John Wayne including “Rio Grande” and “The Wings of Eagles”. She would team up with Wayne in other well-known features including “McLintock!”, “Big Jake”, and of course “The Quiet Man”. But O’Hara is probably best known for her wonderful performance in the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street”. Maureen O’Hara starred in a lot of sub-par pictures but she was almost always good and there are some of her performances that were simply fantastic.

#3 – JUDY GARLAND

Judy Garland was an amazing entertainer known both for her incredible singing voice and sharp acting chops. It’s a shame that her personal story is one of the saddest in Hollywood history. Garland will forever be remembered for her role of Dorothy in 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz”. But she also gave many other memorable performances in films such as “Babes in Arms”, “Meet Me in St. Louis”, and “The Harvey Girls”. Sadly, personal demons caused several problems for her career. But after to trying to get her issues under control, she returned to film with the exceptional “A Star is Born” and “Judgement at Nuremburg”. She only managed a couple more movies before she died at the age of 47. There is no telling how many more wonderful films she could have made if her difficult life had not caught up with her.

#2 – BARBARA STANWYCK

An accomplished actress who was nominated for four Academy Awards, Barabara Stanwyck was an underappreciated performer who never received the Oscar prize she was due. Stanwyck played a wide assortment of roles dating all the way back to 1929 and she starred opposite of some of Hollywood’s leading men including Clark Gable, Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper, and Humphrey Bogart. She gave strong performances in the films such as “Stella Dallas”, “Sorry. Wrong Number”, “Christmas in Connecticut”, and the underrated “The Two Mrs. Carrolls”. But it was her work in the spectacular “Double Indemnity” that really drew me to this wonderful actress. She was simply fantastic and it’s a shame that she didn’t get her due until later.

#1 – GRETA GARBO

Greta Garbo’s career dates back to the silent movie era but her greatness onscreen really showed itself later. Surprisingly, Garbo made less that 30 feature films but in that short time she gave some incredible performances. She received four Oscar nominations including two in 1930 for “Romance” and “Anna Christie”, her first “talkie”. But my favorite performance from Garbo came in 1932’s “Grand Hotel”. Before retiring she would deliver several other fine performances in “Anna Karenina”, “Camille”, and the comedy “Ninotchka”. Garbo had amazing acting skills and a stunning screen presence. Greta Garbo never liked publicity and when she retired she stayed far away from the spotlight. But she left us with some great performances and it’s incredible that she never won an Academy Award.

There are several wonderful actresses that didn’t make this list. Do you agree with my picks or are there others you would choose? Please take time to share your thoughts.

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Big thanks to Tyson for this great little project.This was loads of fun.

Tysoncarter182's avatarHead In A Vice

Keith from Keith & the Movies has kindly submitted his Desert Island Films. Read on for his choices and reasons, and be sure to check out his site.

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REVIEW: “Fright Night” (2011)

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Hollywood is head-over-heels in love with remaking movies from the 80’s right now. So far we’ve had everything from “Footloose” to Total Recall” remade with a modernized story and gloss. Many more already have release dates or are in production. As someone who grew up in the 80’s watching the original pictures, I’m still waiting for one of these recent remakes to really blow me away and make it feel worthwhile.

So along comes “Fright Night”, a 2011 version of the 1985 vampire film that I truly loved. The original was a fun and occasionally creepy horror flick that played around with elements of vampire, werewolf, and haunted house movies. It had its share of old-school special effects and classic horror cheese while also maintaining a thoroughly compelling narrative. So I had a natural curiosity and concerns about the remake. Would the Hollywood modernization process be able to capture what made the original so entertaining? Well, not exactly.

The remake’s story is built upon the clever premise of the original “Fright Night” film. Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) and his mother Jane (Toni Collette) live in a small suburb of Las Vegas. An attractive single man named Jerry Dandrige (Colin Farrell) moves into the house next door. Over time we find out that Dandrige is a vampire and Charley, his mother, and his girlfriend Amy (Imogen Poots) are right in his new neighbor’s crosshairs.

There aren’t many other significant ways that this “Fright Night” resembles the original. One of my biggest disappointments with this film was with how little effort went into building more tension between Charley and Dandrige. The original spent a lot of time with Charley trying to convince his mother, friends, and the police that his neighbor was a killer responsible for the disappearances of many area women. This made for several creepy confrontations between the two. This version gives us only a scene or two of this, choosing instead to jump headfirst into more action-based horror that seems specifically designed for 3D rather than deeper storytelling.

Charley’s predicament is so dire that he seeks the help a Las Vegas horror illusionist Peter Vincent (David Tennant). This Peter Vincent is a boozing, profane, and abusive jerk void of any of the sympathetic charm that made Roddy McDowall’s character so memorable. There was nothing at all in this character that was the least bit interesting. To be fair, it’s not that Tennant’s performance is bad. This is a writing issue that’s a direct result of a story direction choice. This is an instance of modernizing a great character from the original story with pretty poor results.

The movie is plagued by several fairly generic characters outside of Charley. Poots is good as Charley’s girlfriend but she isn’t given much to do. Charley’s mom is about as shallow as they come and then there are a couple of his friends that are just thrown in. Then you have one of the first film’s more memorable characters “Evil” Ed (this time played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Here he’s actually developed into a fairly sympathetic character before quickly being thrown aside. Farrell is fun and sometimes charismatic, but he’s only asked to talk in a creepy tone, wipe his mouth and lick his fingers after “feeding”.

The special effects were a big part of what made the first film such fun. It had some over-the-top gore but it fit in perfectly with the story. Here the effects are fine although in several places the CGI is clearly evident. And with the exception of a pretty spectacular car chase sequence, there isn’t much that has stuck with me. And this leads into the fact that this “Fright Night” just isn’t scary at all. There are a couple of loud jump scares but in terms of actual creepiness, nope.

I know it seems like I made a lot of comparisons between the original movie and this new version of “Fright Night”. I try not to do that. Maybe I’m just too big of a fan of the original to help myself. But I also think this film has flaws that keep it from being as good as it could be. The decision to spend far more time on horror-based action actually strips the picture of the spookiness that made the first picture so much fun. It’s not boring and there are a few good laughs scattered throughout. There’s also a fantastic cameo from Chris Sarandon (Dandrige from the first film) that really hit the spot. But in the end, I’m still waiting for an 80’s remake to blow me away.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

5 Highly Anticipated Fall Films That You May Not Know About

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It looks like this could potentially be a tremendous fall movie season. We all know about the big movies that are scheduled for release – movies like “The Hobbit”, “Skyfall”, “Red Dawn”, “Django Unchained”, “Cloud Atlas”, and my personal most highly anticipated film “Lincoln”. But there are also several movies that will hit the big screen this year that may be flying under the radars of many moviegoers. So instead of listing the most anticipated fall films that you’ll see on many people’s list, I decided to mention five movies that may not be tops on your list but look very, very promising.

#5 – “ARGO”

Ben Affleck has shown that he is a more than capable director. “Argo” is his follow-up effort to last year’s “The Town”. It’s a political thriller that takes place during Iran hostage crisis of 1979. Affleck also stars in the picture which documents a government plan to rescue American hostages by posing as filmmakers in the country to make a fake film. Not only does this sound like an engaging story but it features a fantastic supporting cast including Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, Kyle Chandler, John Goodman, and Victor Garber. This one has a lot of potential.

#4 – “FLIGHT”

“Flight” is director Robert Zemeckis’ first life-action movie since “Cast Away” in 2000. Denzel Washington plays an airline pilot who miraculously saves the lives of everyone onboard his plane after making an emergency landing. But an investigation turns up evidence that the pilot may not be completely innocent. Washington is joined by Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo, John Goodman, and Bruce Greenwood along with Alan Silvestri handling the score. This is an intriguing concept with a superb cast and I’m anxious to see what Zemeckis has in store for us.

#3 – “THE MASTER”

“The Master” is written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the genius behind 2007’s “There Will Be Blood”. “The Master” is getting high praise from critics but not a lot of mention from moviegoers. Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams star in this movie about a charismatic man who starts his own religious organization following World War 2. It looks strikingly funny as well as bold and provocative. This is one that very well may be deserving of the early critical buzz. The best thing is it opens this weekend!

#2 – “ZERO, DARK, THIRTY”

I love Kathryn Bigelow and I was thrilled when she took home her Oscars for “The Hurt Locker”. Now she’s back with a military thriller that documents the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Mark Boal rejoins her and writes the story. Even more exciting is the wonderful cast attached to the project – Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong, and Edgar Ramirez. The story has went through a pretty drastic change from its original conception, but I’m still completely sold on this picture. I was really excited about this film at first, but now the teaser trailer has me just plain giddy.

#1 – “LOOPER”

While it’s just now starting to get some TV commercial promotion, it was a while before Rian Johnson’s wild sci-fi thriller “Looper” garnered any attention. But how can you not be excited about a sci-fi action flick starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and the beautiful Emily Blunt that’s also from the director of “Brick”? This looks like a stylistic mindbender about hitmen who kill targets sent back to them from the future. From all indications this is a highly original film and one that could be a real treat of the movie year. A spectacular cast, an intelligent director, and some exciting material make “Looper” a must see during the fall movie season.

THE THROWDOWN : Buster Keaton vs. Charlie Chaplin

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Wednesday is throwdown day at Keith & the Movies. It’s when we take two movie subjects and pit them against each other and see who’s left standing. Each Wednesday we’ll look at actors, actresses, movies, genres. scenes, and so much more and see how they stand up one-on-one. And it’s not just my opinion that counts. I’ll share my take and then open up the polls to you. Visit each week for a new throwdown. Vote each week to decide the true winner!

This week we throw two silent movie icons into the ring together to see who’s left standing. These two men aren’t just giants from the silent movie era, but they are two of the greatest comics in motion picture history. Hopefully you’ve seen some of the work of these two masters because now it’s time for your voice to be heard!

Buster Keaton vs. Charlie Chaplin

How can you love movies and not love Buster Keaton? This master of physical comedy had no problems taking the limitations of silent movies and creating huge laughs. Keaton is known for giving us some of the wildest comedic moments, many times putting his own life in danger. Part of Keaton’s humor was his classic deadpan expressions regardless of the situation he was in. But nothing could beat his amazing physical abilities displayed in such classics as “The General”, “Sherlock, Jr.”, “Steamboat Bill, Jr.”, “Our Hospitality”, and “The Navigator”. Keaton made several films after the silent era but for my money he will forever be linked to that great period of cinema.

Charlie Chaplin was involved in motion pictures for years. But he really made a name for himself during the silent movie era. In fact, many movie lovers automatically think of Chaplin whenever silent films are brought up. No one could sell the loveable loser character to an audience better than Chaplin. He will forever be remembered for his roles as The Tramp in such classics as “The Tramp”, “City Lights”, “The Gold Rush”, and “Modern Times”. Chaplin was a highly skilled filmmaker as evident by the fact that he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in many of his pictures. Silent movies still hold a special place in my heart and Charlie Chaplin was one of the reasons why.

So now it’s up to you. Both of these cinema greats have earned their statuses as groundbreaking filmmakers. Both have an assortment of great movies that have stood the test of time. Both men were brilliant comedians. So who will it be? Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin? Vote now and leave your comments below.

5 PHENOMENAL FOOTBALL MOVIES

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With the NFL and college football underway I thought I might as well do the exact same thing I did at the start of the baseball season. This week’s Phenomenal 5 will be looking at football movies. This was an interesting list to put together and when the final cut was made, I was surprised to see the variety (something I aim for with these lists). So here they are, five football movies that I thoroughly enjoyed. Now I know there are a few popular ones that didn’t make it therefore I wouldn’t call this the definitive list. But there’s no questioning that these five football films are certainly phenomenal.

#5 – “INVINCIBLE”

This 2006 football picture is based on the unlikely true story of Vince Papale, a down-on-his-luck bartender who is encouraged to participate in an open tryout for the Philadelphia Eagles. Mark Wahlberg plays Vince who catches the attention of Eagles coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear). Obviously he makes the team or we wouldn’t have a story but at its heart this is a fun movie for football fans. While Kinnear doesn’t quite make me think of Dick Vermeil, Wahlberg is a lot of fun and “Invincible” is a movie I still enjoy.

#4 – “THE PROGRAM”

“The Program” is certainly a movie with its share of flaws but it’s still one that strikes a chord with many football fans. This movie takes an edgy look at college football through the fictional ESU Timberwolves. It looks at academic fraud, steroids, Heisman pressures, and even ventures into troubled kids dealing with split families and alcoholic fathers. I completely admit that “The Program” tries to do too many things and the writing is sometimes silly. But this is a compelling look at the NCAA program and James Caan is excellent as the head coach trying to balance it all. “The Program” is just a solid football movie, flaws and all.

#3 – “RUDY”

“Rudy” is one sports movie that almost everyone is familiar with. It’s the story of Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin), a college kid who is small in size but with a huge heart. He has a dream of playing football for the University of Notre Dame. He first has to overcome the hurdle of being admitted to the university and then he has to make his way onto the practice squad by impressing his coach with his determination and effort. Against all odds, Rudy finds himself not only dressing out for the final home game of the season, but playing to the chants of “Rudy, Rudy”. It’s an utter feel good movie but it’s also a classic football film..

#2 – “THE FRESHMAN”

If you haven’t seen this 1925 silent movie gem you’re missing a real treasure. The great Harold Lloyd plays an enthusiastic but clueless young man who is entering his freshman year at Tate College. To gain popularity with the college crowd and with a young girl that’s caught his eye, Harold decides to join the university’s football team. He goes from being the team’s tackling dummy (literally) to water boy to football hero. It’s a charming and often times hilarious story. Lloyd is great and I’ll never forget the little jig he does as a greeting. Watch the movie and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

#1 – “BRIAN’S SONG”

“Brian’s Song” is amazing for several reasons. First, it wasn’t initially a theatrical release. This ABC Movie of the Week from 1971 tells the story of the friendship between the chatty, wise-cracking Joe Piccolo (James Caan) and the shy, reserved Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams). Both are competitors for the same position on the Chicago Bears and their unlikely friendship grows even amid racial tensions and career threatening injuries. Things do turn weepy at the end but it works thanks to the wonderful relationship we watch unfold both on and off the football field. Caan and Williams give really good performances and that helps make this a great football film.

There you go – 5 Phenomenal Football Movies. I know of several that I’m sure some would put on their list. So what about you? What’s your favorite football film?