Classic Movie Picks: February

by Lani

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies Now Playing guide for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings or TCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

We all know that the Oscars will be awarded February 27th, but this month classic movie fans may be even more excited to see TCM's "31 Days of Oscar." All the films scheduled February 1 through March 3 have won or been nominated for an Academy Award. To bridge the gap between "then" and "now" I've picked some classic films that relate to this year's Best Picture nominees.


127 Hours
2/7, 3:15 PM - The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
2/19, 6:15 PM - Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Like 127 Hours protagonist Aron Ralston (James Franco), the main characters in these two films encounter some bad luck. In Snows, American writer Gregory Peck falls ill while on safari in Africa; as he lays dying in the jungle, he reflects upon his past mistakes and finds a will to live. As for Black Rock, well I'll just say that Spencer Tracy's WWII veteran has more in common with Ralston at the end of his 127 hour ordeal.

Black Swan
2/7, 1:45 PM - Black Swan (1942)
2/26, 2:45 PM - Frances (1982)
3/1, 10 PM - All About Eve (1950)
3/2, 4 AM - Obsession (1976)
Black Swan is the story of a talented, but timid ballerina (Natalie Portman) who is driven mad by too many thematic elements. So, I've had to pick several films to cover each of Swan's themes. In Frances, based on the life of Frances Farmer, a young actress cannot cope with the pressures of her career and her domineering mother. All About Eve is the quintessential backstage drama, in which an ambitious newcomer sabotages a star's career. Of course, there are two constants in Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky's films - obsession and pretty, dark-haired women. Obsession has both these elements, in the forms of Cliff Robertson and Genevieve Bujold, respectively, as well as the theme of the "double" which is so central to the plot of Swan.
And I couldn't leave out 1942's Black Swan, which shares a title with the 2010 Best Picture nominee, but that's where the similarities end. Nevertheless, both films have earned Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography. Leon Shamroy won in 1942, can Matthew Libatique win this year with his Swan?

The Fighter
2/4, 11:30 AM - The Champ (1931)
3/1, 2:45 AM - Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
The Academy loves films about boxers - think Rocky, Raging Bull, Million Dollar Baby - and often awards the actors who step into the ring. In The Champ, Wallace Beery fought his way to the Best Actor award as a washed-up boxer trying to care for a young son. Somebody is a boxing biopic (The Fighter is based on the life of boxer Mickey Ward), the story of world champion Rocky Graziano's rise from street fighter to prizefighter.

Inception
2/12, 10 PM - The Wizard of Oz (1939)
2/15, 2:30 PM - Alice (1990)
2/21, 4:30 AM - A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
After watching Inception audiences were left to wonder, "was it all a dream?" My three classic picks feature very different characters (a Kansas farmgirl, a Manhattan housewife, and a quartet of young Greeks) who are all transformed by dreamlike experiences.

The Kids Are All Right
2/2, 10 PM - Terms of Endearment (1983)
2/14, 4:45 AM - Cousin, Cousine (1975)
2/15, 4:15 AM - Two Women (1961)
When the two children of a lesbian couple try to form a relationship with their biological father in The Kids Are All Right, jealousies threaten the bonds of their tightly-knit family. Familial conflict like this provides ample opportunities for an actor to emote, and Kids's Annette Bening has been nominated for her performance as one of "the moms." Marie-Christine Barrault scored her Oscar nomination as one of two cousins whose close friendship inspires jealousy in Cousin, Cousine. Terms and Two Women both deal with the relationship between a mother and daughter earning their respective leads, Shirley MacLaine and Sophia Loren, Best Actress awards for their portrayals of strong mothers.

The King's Speech
2/1: "3 Films about Henry VIII"
8 PM - The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
10 PM - A Man for All Seasons (1966)
12:15 AM - Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
2/19, 1:30 AM - The Last Emperor (1987)
The one profession Oscar loves more than boxer? Royalty. The King's Speech, about King George VI's efforts to overcome a speech impediment, garnered 12 nominations this year, including one for Colin Firth's lead performance. Charles Laughton won Best Actor for his portrayal of a king in The Private Life of Henry VIII; A Man for All Seasons received 8 nominations with 6 wins; Anne of the Thousand Days received 10 nominations, but only won for its costume design. However, the real ruler of the Oscars might be Pu Yi, the titular Last Emperor - his film was nominated for and won 9 Oscars, including Best Picture.

The Social Network
2/1, 1 PM - Citizen Kane (1941)
2/7, 12 PM - Libeled Lady (1936)
2/27, 12 AM - The Informer (1935)
The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg as a young entrepreneur who alienates his friends and incurs several lawsuits on his way to becoming a billionaire. Sounds a lot like the story of self-made man Charles Foster Kane in Orson Welles's masterpiece, Citizen Kane. The Informer, also about a man who betrays his best friend, won 4 Oscars - Best Actor, Director, Score, and Screenplay (Social Network has a good chance in all these categories, too). Libeled Lady offers a more comedic take on lawsuits, and contains fast-talking dialogue worthy of Social Network writer, Aaron Sorkin.

Toy Story 3
2/16, 6 AM - Grand Illusion (1937)
2/22, 7:15 PM - The Red Balloon (1956)
Ok, so at first glance the animated adventure of Toy Story 3 may not have a lot in common with French anti-war classic Grand Illusion. But these two films share lovely messages about friendship and coping with the march of time. They are also both "prison-break" films with exciting escape sequences! And, they are also both rarities among Best Picture nominees - Grand Illusion was the first foreign-language film to be nominated for the big prize, and TS3 is one of a handful of animated films to earn the nomination.
I'm also re-recommending my December "pick" Red Balloon, which is also a film about a child's toy come to life.

True Grit
2/11, 2:45 AM - Cat Ballou (1965)
2/19, 11:30 AM - Captains Courageous (1937)
2/25, 4 PM - The Search (1948)
The plot of Cat Ballou is remarkably similar to that of True Grit - a young woman hires a gunslinger to seek revenge after the death of her father. In Ballou, Lee Marvin's role as cantankerous drunk Kid Shelleen earned him the Best Actor award. Grit's Jeff Bridges won last year for playing a drunk in Crazy Heart, can he win again for his performance as cantankerous drunk Rooster Cogburn?
The other star of True Grit earning praise is 14 year-old Hailee Steinfeld. Her character's bond with Bridges's Cogburn is the center of the film. The Search and Captains Courageous also focus on a friendship between a young person and an older person. Captains stars Freddie Bartholomew, one of the most talented and popular child actors of all time; Bartholomew was 13 at the time he made this film - the same age as Steinfeld was when she made Grit. The Search's Ivan Jandl received a special Oscar for outstanding juvenile performance for his portrayal of a homeless boy who befriends a soldier.

Winter's Bone
2/1, 6 AM - Eskimo (1933)
2/16, 8 AM - Chang (1929)
2/11, 5:45 PM - Little Women (1949)
Winter's Bone paints a vivid portrait of a life of poverty in the Ozarks. In this respect, it follows in the tradition of films like Eskimo and Chang which examine "alien" cultures and show how people survive harsh living conditions.
Little Women is a quite different film tonally from Winter's Bone, but at the center of both of these films is a determined young woman who makes sacrifices for the sake of her family.

I hope you enjoy "31 Days of Oscar," but don't miss out on the nominated films from 2010! All of them are either in theaters now, or available on DVD!