Now let me begin on the worst movie I've seen:
3. A Man For All Seasons
This was one of the most boring movies I have ever seen (I think I dozed off one time). Based on the play the story follows Thomas More (Paul Scotfield); who during the 16th century in England, gets executed by the order of King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) (shortly after marrying Anne Boelyn) because he wanted to start his own church against the Catholic Church's consent. It is hard to believe that this movie won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. What made the Academy think this was a great movie? It's horrible and that's why, as I told my mother, that winning the Oscar is the biggest double standard in all of society because it could be the best thing or the worst thing that can happen (theatrically the double standard).
I'll give you some factors for this movie: Early on, there is a scene where Henry VIII arrives at More's residence and as he gets off the boat to greet him, he steps into mud. What does he do? He laughs right in More's face (Director Fred Zimmerlin won his second Oscar and what kind of direction was that?). Then there is the fact that Orson Welles appears as the cardinal for one scene and never appears again. Also, Scotfield's role has to be one of the worst to win an Oscar and as that were not enough, he almost speaks like Michael Caine! There were two bright spots: One was Vanessa Redgrave showing up as Anne Boelyn (she doesn't have a word of dialogue; which qualifies as a walk-on role) and the other was the nonconformist issue-which became the cinema's big topic during the last half of the decade. In some form, this movie was a prelude to the defining nonconformist movie: Cool Hand Luke. Both movies featured two Pauls (Scotfield and Newman) in which their characters are treated like dirt by the establishment until they die as a way to put them out of their misery; but unlike Newman's character (more about Luke later on), Scotfield doesn't cry or beg for his mercy.
And then there was the cou de gra in which the narrator at the end tells the viewer that More's daughter (Susannah York) kept her father's head until she died. I hope that wasn't a true story because that sequence freaked me out but for what? To prove he wasn't a monster? It's no wonder why they left for America in return, and I may be saying this as an American, but I think the British are the most craziest people in the world. Don't believe me? Consider that I was watching another historic British film Mary, Queen of Scots (not a 60's movie and also with Vanessa Redgrave) and I had to stop the movie a half-hour into it because I was having a headache. It took me a while to figure out why and now I know: That movie was boring the hell into me and making my head hurt!
2. Darling
Here is another movie that I was disappointed. Julie Christie stars as Diana Scott-a spoiled young British girl who suddenly becomes a model and while on vacation makes the dubious mistake of marrying an aging Italian prince. Dirk Bogarde co-stars as the news reporter and Lawrence Harvey as a single man-both trying to love Diana until she rubs both of their noses on the ground.
I think Christie's performance is among the worst to ever win an Oscar (over Julie Andrews for The Sound of Music?) and what was director John Schlegsinger (who would later admit to being gay) and producer Joseph Janni thinking of ripping off what happened to Grace Kelly? (and later with Jacqueline Kennedy)
There's a scene when Scott is so upset about her decision following a dinner party that she strips until she is naked. That doesn't sound Oscar-worthy.
1. The Manchurian Candidate
This was by far among the worst movies that I ever saw. I just hated it. Based on the novel and directed by John Frankenhimer, Frank Sinatra plays Benjamin Marcos, a former Korean War general who brings home one of his men: Raymond Shaw (Lawrence Harvey-yet again). But things aren't what they were as his mother (Angela Lansbury) wants to know what's he going to do with his life.
Then one night he receives a mysterious call and the voice tells him to play solitare. The voice also tells him what to do when he sees the queen of hearts. It is this that he goes on a murder rampage after when he was brainwashing while in the military.
Let's cut to the chase: There are two things that I didn't like. One was the climax in which Shaw kills his family members and himself at the presidental convention (more shocking is that he dresses up as a priest-a sign that religion is always at the heart of political problems). Because the whole sequence would be ripped from the JFK assassination a year later (the scoped rifle and the politician shot in the head) and director William Fredkin believes that was the reason why Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy: He saw this movie and believed that he was Raymond Shaw (more about Hollywood's impact on JFK's death later on). But the one scene that really upset me the most was when Sinatra's character arrives at a bar and not noticing that Shaw is playing solitare. When a bar patron tells a story about a drowning in the Central Park lake when the queen of hearts shows up, what does Shaw do? He gets up and goes to Central Park to do just that; with Marcos (Sinatra) have to bring him back. I think the people should be ashamed of calling this movie a classic.
The Two Movies That I Don't Want to See (but I have to):
1. Petulia
For years, I had heard of this movie. Then I bought it on DVD last year and when I saw the trailer on the disc I didn't know what the hell it was about. To make it worse, I saw some really bad women's fashion. Based on the novel by John Hasse "Me and the Arch-Kook Petulia" Julie Christie (again) plays the title character-who lives in San Francisco and her marriage to her husband (Richard Chamberlain) is in trouble.
But it changes when she meets middle-aged doctor Archie Bollen (George C. Scott) who has just divorced from his wife (Shirley Knight).
They start to like each other.
But back to the trailer for one moment: You know how in a movie there is an act one to three? Not in this one as the announcer tells the viewer that the movie begins in the middle of Act 2 and the movie ends at the end of Act 1-leaving out a chunk of the story!
To make it worse, it is rated R; which you not know how much I'm frightened of it; because watching an R movie is like swimming in a lake full of jellyfish-it's only a matter of time before I get stung in the butt. So that is my case against it.
2. Midnight Cowboy
I think there is reason that I picked this and it's because of all the nudity and language that I have heard of this.
Well, that is all for today.
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