Classic Movie Picks: April

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.)

4/16 : "April Fools" - The Comedies of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker
8 PM - The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
9:30 PM - Top Secret! (1984)
11:15 PM - Airplane! (1980)
This is no joke, if you are looking for subtle humor or witty repartee - don't watch these films. These films are very silly. If you like watching silly films, well, then the work of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker (or ZAZ!) may be just what you are looking for. The directing and writing team of ZAZ takes a buckshot approach to comedy - throw so many gags onscreen that something is bound to hit. So, while some of the more topical jokes can fall flat (especially 30 years later) there is still a lot to laugh at in all three of these films.

BONUS FOOL: 1 AM - The Silencers (1966)
In this slice of pure 60s cheese Dean Martin stars as a playful James Bond knock-off named Matt Helm. This film, which would be the first in a series of Matt Helm adventures, finds Dino defending a nuclear testing ground - when he's not romancing Stella Stevens, of course.

4/18, 2:15 PM - The Palm Beach Story (1942)
4/28, 8 PM - Midnight (1939)
10 PM - Arise, My Love (1940)
Claudette Colbert was one of the most popular actresses of the 30s and 40s. She won the best actress Oscar for her role as a spoiled heiress on the lam in 1934's It Happened One Night. I loved her in that film and my appreciation grows with each new performance I see. She is probably best known for comedy, but she was just as skilled at drama. This month you get to see the two sides of Miss Colbert (ironic due to the fact that she was apparently hard to light and, therefore, often only filmed from one side). The Palm Beach Story and Midnight are two cracking screwball comedies; in fact two of her best films, period. Arise, My Love is a romance set in Europe on the eve of World War II. I've never seen Arise, My Love, so I am eager to discover another great Colbert performance.


4/22: Twenty Years of the Film Foundation
The Film Foundation is a non-profit organization, founded by Martin Scorsese and many other distinguished filmmakers, devoted to film preservation. Through partnerships with the nation's leading archives, the Foundation has funded the restoration of 525 films. TCM is showing 5 of these films tonight. Scorsese has called The Red Shoes and The River the two most beautiful Technicolor films ever made - that's got to be worth setting the DVR (or VCR) for tonight!
8 PM - The Red Shoes (1948)
10:30 PM - Once Upon a Time in the West (1969)
1:30 AM - The River (1951)
3:30 AM - Bonjour Tristesse (1958)
5:30 AM - The Night Club Lady (1932)


4/24: Vanity Fair's Tales of Hollywood
In a previous post I mentioned this recently published collection of excellent behind-the-scenes essays. Several of the films covered in the book will be screened during the TCM Classic Film Festival, but you can catch 4 of the films tonight on TCM. All four are essential viewing for anyone who loves classic film.
8 PM - The Graduate (1967)
10 PM - The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
12 AM - Reds (1981)
3:30 AM - Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Reading the Movies

As a native of Southern California certain things are in my blood - surfing, making salads, and show business. Consequently, I can't help but enjoy The Endless Summer, the music of Dick Dale, and beachy things in general and at least once a week I'll whip up a salad out of whatever is in the fridge. And, though I've never made a movie myself, I am fascinated by the filmmaking process.

Some people are content to be casual fans and take a film at face value, which is a perfectly valid and entirely healthy, approach. However, as a true movie nerd (and a native of Southern California which imbues me with a preternatural understanding of the movie business), I'm often interested in details such as who had final script approval and at what point during pre-production did the star become attached. So, it's not surprising that I really enjoy reading books which offer "insider's looks" or behind-the-scenes tales" of movie making, especially during the "golden age" of the studio system when so many of my favorite films were produced.

Here are some of the books I've enjoyed recently:

• Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood by Mark Harris
• Vanity Fair's Tales of Hollywood: Rebels, Reds, and Graduates and the Wild Stories Behind the Making of 13 Iconic Films
• Easy Riders and Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood and Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film by Peter Biskind
• Adventures in the Screen Trade and Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

On my summer reading list:

• The Studio by John Gregory Dunne
• Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops by James Robert Parrish
• George Lucas' Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success
• Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids: Thirty Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas by Alison Macor

Siskel & Ebert & Roeper & Phillips & Scott and Me

There's a movie from Norway called Reprise that I absolutely love. It's an incredibly creative story about two first time authors. The techniques used - flashbacks, flash forwards, omniscient narrator, split screen shots, hypothetical tangents - have been used before in different movies, but in Reprise the decisions behind these artistic flourishes are very sound and they work in concert to capture the lives of a group of young adults in Norway on the verge of finding direction. I loved this movie from just about the first minute after it started. The only reason I heard about this Norwegian film called Reprise, and watched it, is because of the enthusiastic recommendation by Michael Phillips on At the Movies. That was in early 2008, and the critics in the chairs at that time were Richard Roeper and Michael Phillips.

I've been watching At the Movies since I was 9 years old and stumbled across the show late one night. Whether it was Siskel and Ebert, Ebert and special guests, Ebert and Roeper, Roeper and special guests, Roeper and Phillips, or, currently, Phillips and Scott, I was always watching. I wasn't watching the show to find out which movies I should or shouldn't see, so much as I was watching it for the lively, intellectual discussion about movies. And that's what made me an avid fan. Whether they agreed, disagreed, or argued to the point of near hostility, their opinions were always backed with sound criticism.

When Ben Mankiewicz and Ben Lyons took over At the Movies in 2008 I gave it shot and kept watching. It was only fair. I'd seen Ben Mankiewicz introduce movies on TCM, but I didn't know who Ben Lyons was, though he was affiliated with the E! channel, which as far as I can tell has nothing to do with movies. I watched a couple of episodes, but compared to the critics that came before, I found their show lacking.

I guess it all comes down to who you can trust. Aside from close friends, there are not a lot of people, critics or otherwise, whose opinions I trust when it comes to movies. Throughout 2006 and 2007 there were a series of guest critics sitting across from Richard Roeper. It was fun and even exciting meeting the different critics, most were good, a few really good, a few not so good. There were couple of guest critics that I really liked, not because they liked or didn't like a particular movie, but because they were able to articulate why and genuinely knew what they were talking about. I really hoped that one of them, either Michael Phillips or A.O. Scott, would become the new permanent co-host of At the Movies. It was Michael Phillips. I was very satisfied, though "At the Movies with Roeper and Phillips" (never the official title) would be short lived.

Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert, and Richard Roeper seemed to always have in mind that their primary job as a critic was not to declare what movies are good or bad, but to recommend whether ro not I should see a movie and why. Their recommendations always felt like they were for my benefit. These weren't guys just doing their job. They were people that loved movies. I got the same feeling about Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott. Naturally, I was thrilled when it was announced that they would be the new hosts of At the Movies, though that will apparently also be short lived.

I was genuinely upset when it was announced that At the Movies would be over after mid-August. An article in the New York Times by David Itzkoff details the history of the show, its cancellation, and what it means in the greater scheme of things. I was surprised by the news. Only a few days before I was thinking about how well the show was going: great, credible critics and reviews, special segments, online Q&A, Twitter and Facebook presence, not to mention the radio and TV appearances Phillips and Scott have been making. Roger Ebert posted a blog about his plans for a new movie review show. The details about the show are vague but I hope it happens relatively soon and lives up the expectations that a movie review show produced by Roger Ebert naturally sets up for itself.

There are few things I love more than talking about movies. For the past several years I've been able tune into a great conversation about movies with Siskel and Ebert and Roeper and Phillips and Scott. Dare I say, from these fine critics I've learned how to make my opinion a sound opinion. I've learned a thing or two about criticism, about foreign and low-profile indie movies that I normally would not have heard about. I've learned that it's okay to have an opinion, even if it's different from what everyone else is saying. I've learned it's okay to talk about movies as serious works of art and even as trash. I've learned that if one person says something is good or bad, that's just their opinion, but if two people say the same thing then maybe they're on to something.

As of now there are just over 4 months of At the Movies left and, just like since I was 9, I'll be watching every episode, enjoying every minute, and maybe even learning a thing or two, even if I don't know it.

(My List of) The Best Movies of the Decade, Part II

These are 15 movies that went beyond just entertaining me. They left me wide-eyed and filled with joy. I can analyze themes and hidden meanings, appreciate wonderful filmmaking, experience a great story, and, of course, sit back and be entertained. These are movies that I will always be in the mood to watch. I still get the same feeling after my 20th viewing that I had after the first time I saw these movies: Isn't life great when people make movies like this.

15. Zodiac (2007)
This period movie about the real life hunt for the Zodiac Killer captures just how maddening an investigation can be when there are so many pieces and few fit together. This movie, thankfully, is not layered with popular hit songs from the 60's and 70's to remind us that it's the 60's and 70's, but the time and atmosphere are authentically evoked. Close up shots of a wristwatch or a boot perfectly convey the ubiquitous suspicion surrounding the case and consuming the investigators struggling in vain for the answer to the Zodiac puzzle.

"Are You Watching Closely?"

14. The Prestige (2006)

A long time ago, before computers and digital effects were responsible for any unexplainable, amazing sight in a movie, there was such a thing as move magic. There was wonderment in audiences as the saw things they couldn't quite explain and wondered, "How did they do that?" The rival magicians of The Prestige live in a time of similarly amazed audiences and also at a time when science seemed capable of making anything possible. After Borden (Christian Bale) explains one of his tricks to his wife she says, "Once you know it's actually very obvious." That's also true for movies with twists and turns like this one. You could spend your time trying to figure out how everything is done and where it's all going, but I never try to figure out those things, I know I'll have a better time if, like at a magic show, I let myself be tricked.

13. Signs (2002)

There are moments in this movie that made me jump, but it's not a horror movie, it's a movie about a family and man regaining his faith. This movie is an incredible example of deliberate, precise filmmaking from M. Night Shyamalan. He builds suspense and restrains the use of special effects. But what really made this movie for me, that made it more than just an alien invasion movie is that it delves into the personal experience of the characters, especially Graham (Mel Gibson), the priest who lost his faith. The key scene in the film for me is where Graham and his brother, Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), are talking about what the strange lights in the sky could mean and Graham tells his brother, "See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?"

12. Lost in Translation (2003)

Sofia Coppola's story of a mid-life crisis meeting a quarter-life crisis might be more than just a love story. Or maybe, this a real love story. What I do know is that this a very intimate story about two people making a real connection with each other. In most other movies, the male lead and the female lead jump or fall into bed and deal with the consequences until they sort things out at about the 90 minute mark. These characters certainly don't do that here; there is a kiss but it comes at just the right point in the movie. Bill Murray gives his fullest, and most low key performance Bob Harris, an actor who's life seems to be stuck in stillwater. He meets Charlotte, Scarlett Johansson in her most fitting role, a newlywed that also feels adrift and lost. Their time together in Tokyo is the kind of story that you might find in somone's diary. I'm very glad I found it in a theater.

11. Adaptation (2002)

Even after watching this move I still want to be a writer. In this movie Charlie Kaufman (a real person) is hired to adapt a nonfiction book, The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (a real book and real person) into a screenplay. His twin brother Donald (not a real person) is also a screenwriter. Adaptation manages to be very funny, sad, and even philosophical. The movie at times seems to be self aware, like in a scene where a screenwriting guru rails against voice over in movies, the movie's voice over abruptly ends. The ending is wild and unexpected but it's also says lot about movies and life, both made up and real.

"I Can't Remember to Forget You"

10. Memento (2000)

Leonard has this condition. He can't make new memories. His wife was raped and murdered by a man named John G and Leonard is on quest to find him and kill him. How does he remember this? It's tattooed across his chest. Leonard's story is told out of order, and in order, but is easy to follow. By choosing to tell the story in this way we experience life Leonard does, no more than a moment at a time and with no continuity. But, luckily Leonard has photos and notes he can trust, they're written in his own handwriting, so he can trust them, right? This movie made me think about what really makes a memory and what memories can mean to you.

9. 28 Days Later

This is not a zombie movie. Everyone in the world has been infected and overwhelmed with a very human sensation: rage. 28 Days is all it takes for the modern world to end. But the thing to fear the most in this post apocalyptic world filled with rage infected creatures is other people. At the brilliant climax of the movie Jim (Cillian Murphy) is trying to save his companions Selena and Hannah from being raped by other survivors. The rage infected "zombies" are the least of their concerns. Jim has to allow himself to become infected with rage, metaphorically, to be able to attack and kill another human being. There are thrills and scares and this is a wonderfully made movie that really is about people.

8. Punch Drunk Love (2002)
If a song could turn itself into a movie that movie would be Punch Drunk Love and it would be simple but beautiful story about two people falling in love. There are times when it can feel like the music is creating the images on screen or the images are creating the music. The vivid colors of Lena's sweaters and Barry's blue suit bring a lively, vibrant tinge to the dull toned world in which Barry lives. Barry (Sandler) is a shy person that doesn't have a handle on his emotions and is being extorted by phone sex operator. Lena (Emily Watson) is the light at the end of the tunnel; his counterbalance that allows him to come out of his shell.

"Then I Woke Up"

7. No Country For Old Men (2007)

The dreary air of the real, changing world fills the atmosphere of this movie. The Coen Brothers, like a lot of good storytellers, tend to step back and simply observe the characters and world of a story. That puts in the place of Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) who can only watch as the world changes around him. The type of crimes he sees now, the kind of villain like Anton Chigurh, he knows he can't keep up with. But what if the world has always been like that? But this is also a suspenseful chase adventure as Chigurh (Javier Bardem) hunts Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who has a satchel full of stolen money. Javier Bardem is amazing as the specter like Chigurh, who is guided by a strict set of principles and is one of the most memorable villains I've seen at the movies in the last 10 years.

6. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)

I resisted seeing this movie for a long time. It sounds like a one joke movie that Rob Schneider would be in. When I finally saw it on video I had to pause the DVD many, many times because I was still laughing from something in the previous scene. This just goes to show what talented, funny people can do with even a gimmicky premise. I was surprised and delighted by how much of the humor in the movie was dialogue and character based. All of the characters even down to the minor characters feel like full fledged people and they're funny the same way that real people are funny. This a great grown up romantic comedy that best of all has a heart.

5. The Departed (2006)

I saw this movie 5 times when it was in theaters and several more times on DVD. The Departed may be based on the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, but Scorsese takes the material turns it into an excellent American cops and gangsters movie. This just may be his best film since Goodfellas in 1990. And like Goodfellas, The Departed finds it's stride in showing the down and dirty day to day dealings of gangsters and cops. This isn't an opera like The Godfather. Nothing about the life of a criminal or a cop is romanticized.

4. The Dark Knight (2008)

How do you confront something that is pure evil? A force that exists only to destroy, create chaos, that has no guiding principle or ethos. That is The Joker. He's played not as a comic book villain or a caricature but as a genuine psychopath. For all his plotting and even elaborate planning, not even greed motivates The Joker; he burns the literal pile of money he receives in one scene. How can The Batman, on the other end of the spectrum, defeat The Joker without sacrificing his guiding principles? Christopher Nolan's Batman films take place in the real world; the characters, Gotham, the villains, the technology employed by Batman all feel plausible and resonate heavily. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are the complete opposite of Joel Schumacher's Batman movies and even Tim Burton's Batman movies which also take place in a comic book world, albeit a dark one.

3. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)Here's the film that unleashed the auteurist style and sense of humor of Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson into the mainstream. I stand firmly by my claim that the Wes Anderson style has influenced current writers, directors, and TV shows and has created it's own subgenre. All the major stylistic aspects from Anderson's two previous film are found in The Royal Tenenbaums: inserts, slow motion shots, dry humor, that production design aesthetic, characters wearing their clothes like a uniform of self expression, music from the 60's and 70's. But this doesn't mean that Wes Anderson is out of ideas or repeating himself. There's just no other way he knows how to make a movie. He only knows how to be Wes Anderson. There's a scene in The Royal Tenenbaums where Margot asks if her father even knows her middle name. Royal responds, "That's a trick question. You don't have a middle name." Margot says back, "Helen." In the trailer I found that clip humorous, but when it plays in the movie it's actually a very sad moment. The Royal Tenenbaums carries, even more than his other movies, Anderson's tone of melancholy, humor, and sincerity.

2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)We get Michel Gondry's inventive, artistic, yet unpretentious style, Charlie Kaufman's equally inventive and original screenplay, and a wonderful subdued performance from Jim Carrey. The movies takes place wildly out of order and almost entirely in the mind of Joel (Jim Carrey), which means that just about anything can happen. Despite this license to run wild, the movie hold back and does not get lost in a gimmick; it retains humanity, has a deeply emotional heart, and is also an intriguing journey into the mind and memory. As his memories are erased, Joel, helpless to stop the process, begs to keep just one memory. Of course the procedure or memory erasure won't make Joel or Clementine different people; the things that drove the other person crazy are still there. Eternal Sunshine has a lot in common with Annie Hall, another inventive film about a failing relationship. And like Annie Hall I think Eternal Sunshine will hold up with viewers single or committed, miserable or happy.

1. There Will Be Blood (2007)

There is no dialogue for the first 11 minutes. No women in major, or even supporting roles. It's been called an epic. It's an epic character study of the oil man Daniel Plainview, the man that hates people. The performance Daniel Day Lewis gives in this movie is hands down one of the best I've ever seen. Paul Dano plays the rural evangelical preacher and vessel for the Holy Spirit Eli Sunday, Daniel's rival. Each enters into business with the other only for their own personal gain and become trapped in a permanent duel. Daniel Plainview is filled with hate and contempt for everyone that is not himself. Perhaps that is driving force behind his success; it is certainly the force that leads to the last third of the film. There seems to be a consensus that the last part of the film, which takes place in 1927, doesn't fit with the first two thirds but I think it's the only conclusion that a man with the life like Daniel Plainview's would have. What else could be expected from a man that shuts himself off and spends his life brooding?

But there's more to There Will Be Blood than the subtext about capitalism and religion. There's wonderful picturesque cinematography and production design that truly create the epic feel to this movie. This is writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's fifth film. It's by far his most ambitious film. There may not be stylistic flourishes like lens flare and long tracking shots but this feels very much like a P.T. Anderson picture. Just like in all his previous films Anderson and his camera step back and allow us to observe his characters and their lives and their decisions. There's no attempt to make the characters, especially Plainview, sympathetic. We see them just as they are, flaws and all. Anderson mixes art and entertainment and despite the apparent theme of capitalism and religion and how they exploit, no didactic statement is made. We can draw what we will from the life of Daniel Plainview.

Is cosmetic surgery ruining modern film?

In Sunset Blvd. Norma Desmond, the faded star of silent films played by Gloria Swanson declares, "We didn't need dialogue. We had faces!" Of course, Ms. Desmond is referring to the era before talkies when, out of some necessity, a facial expresssion conveyed all the audience needed to know.

The ability to show, not tell, is still a core principle of film craft. A skilled performer doesn't need to verbally explain her underlying emotions when a furrowed brow, tensed mouth, or raised eyebrow says it all in considerably less time.

However, as cosmetic surgery procedures which paralyze and tighten facial muscles become more widespread, fewer actresses are able to actually furrow their brows. In a recent article from New York Magazine, author Amanda Fortini makes the case that modern film and television acting styles are changing in order to counteract the fact that many actresses (and actors) can no longer create recognizable human expressions.

The article brings to mind another line from Sunset Blvd., this time said by young screenwriter Joe Gillis (William Holden): "There's nothing tragic about being 50. Not unless you're trying to be twenty-five."

On other websites: Oscar Countdown Edition!

Tomorrow night, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the winners of their 82nd annual awards. In anticipation, I am gorging myself on Oscar-related articles and trivia. Here are a few of the things I'm reading.

My favorite is the round-up of Oscar coverage by Slate which includes articles about the nominated films, video guides to picking the winners, and a look at the career of Oscar co-host Steve Martin.

Martin himself offers a hilarious peek backstage as he “liveblogs” the big show. Of course, the ceremony hasn’t actually happened yet, but since he’s hosted twice before this is probably an accurate prediction of how the night will go.

Now for perhaps slightly less-accurate predictions…Movieline consulted a psychic, Maxine of Psychic Source, to find out what she foresees for Oscar night. According to her psychic vibrations Morgan Freeman could take home a second Oscar and Sandra Bullock will look “frumpy.”

And speaking of Oscar fashion, Out magazine has imagined a world in which the male nominees ditch those boring tuxes and show up in haute couture. Check out the slideshow!

Finally, if you are planning a viewing party for tomorrow night you must consult the official Oscar party kit. No party is complete without Oscar bingo!

10 Thoughts on the Academy Awards

This Sunday is Oscar night and naturally I'll be watching. There are 10 nominees for Best Picture this year and I thought I'd give 10 thoughts on the Academy Awards.

1. There is nothing that will ever make the Academy Awards a big hit with ratings. Having Beyonce sing all the Best Original Song nominees, having interpretive dance numbers, lengthy and unnecessary opening skits, cutting off non-celebrities from making acceptance speeches, changing the hosts, nothing works. No matter what the Academy Awards telecast producers do, the next day people that I can't imagine being interested in the Oscars in the first place will blab on about how long and boring it was.

2. If the Academy Awards telecast producers are so concerned with ratings, they should move to another network, a cable network where that would be glad to have the Oscars as a broadcast. If given the choice between broadcasting the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Oscars, I think I know which awards show TNT would choose to air.

3. Even if it's true, it's a cliche to say that the Oscars are easy to predict.

4. I hate the red carpet and the people that work it. To paraphrase comedian Brain Posehn, I wish I could travel back in time and punch the first person that asked "who are you wearing?" in the face. One year Roger Ebert was on the red carpet with Billy Bush. Billy Bush was asking the dopey, softball questions and Roger Ebert would ask serious (by comparison) questions. Example: Billy Bush asked P. Diddy standard "who are you wearing?" questions and Roger Ebert asked him if he'd seen and what he thought about the documentary Tupac: Resurrection. I wish the celebrities would get asked real questions like that.

5. I miss Ebert and Roeper going on the Tonight Show after the Academy Awards and giving their thoughts. I hope Phillips and Scott do something like that this year.

6. The Academy Awards broadcast doesn't learn from it's mistakes or follow through on anything. To prevent the Original Song nominees from being all from the same movie and cancelling each other out, allowing the one song not from that same movie to win, they declared that there would only be 3 nominees for original song. The next year two song nominees were from same movie. Now they're back to 5 song nominees and 2 songs are from the same movie and by the same musician. Great job guys.

7. I heard that there won't be performances of the Best Original Song nominees this year. That's the only "show" part of the broadcast that I liked (when they're not all sung by Beyonce for no reason). There would be big musical numbers with multiple singers, dancers, and set pieces, and then there would be simpler stripped down numbers, like Elliott Smith with just his guitar. Best of all they were relevant to the show. What do acrobatic dancers have to do with the movies?

8. Even if it's pretty clear who's going to win it's still fun to make predictions and pick who you want to win and you think is going to win.

9. The "smaller" awards are where all the excitement really is. You don't know who's going to win, there usually isn't a front runner for Art Direction and I feel like it's a more fair race, but when there's a big movie like Avatar with nominations in all the smaller, technical categories it tends to win them all. I like the speeches the "unknown" people give for the "uncared" about categories. They've worked hard, done their best, and their work is meant to fit seamlessly into a movie. When one of these people gets recognition and actually gets a chance to say how they feel and thank who they want and actually get to do it on TV, that's a great thing.

10. I keep watching the Academy Awards because I love the movies. It's frustrating to see a movie win just because it's popular and actors win more so for recognition of their body of work rather than performance in a movie. But sometimes the actor or movie that really deserves to win does and sometimes the people that win are legitimately happy to have won and that makes me happy. Still, the main reason I've watched the Academy Awards every year since I was 13 is because it's great to get together with friends and watch a celebration of movies.

Classic Movie Picks: March

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.)

3/9: Akira Kurosawa Tribute
To mark the 100th anniversary of Kurosawa's birth, TCM is showing the films of this legendary Japanese director during primetime every Tuesday in March (starting 3/9). On his birthday, 3/23, they'll up the ante with a 24-hour marathon which kicks off with his debut film, Sanshiro Sugata. Here's a list of all 26 films on the schedule, check out the Kurosawa feature on TCM.com for times and film descriptions:
3/9 - Ikiru (1952), Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Hakuchi (1951), The Lower Depths (1957)
3/16 - The Bad Sleep Well (1960), High and Low (1963), Red Beard (1965), I Live in Fear (1955), Scandal (1950)
3/23 - Sanshiro Sugata (1943), The Most Beautiful (1944), The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945), Sanshiro Sugata: Part Two (1945), No Regrets for Our Youth (1946), One Wonderful Sunday (1947), Drunken Angel (1948), Stray Dog (1949), Rashomon (1950), Seven Samurai (1954), Yojimbo (1961), Sanjuro (1962), Dodes'Ka-Den (1970)
3/30 - Dersu Uzala (1975), Kagemusha (1980), Ran (1985)

BONUS - 3/21: Films inspired by Kurosawa
Compare these two American remakes with the originals airing 3/23.
8 PM - The Outrage (1964) - a remake of Rashomon starring Paul Newman as a Mexican bandit whose crimes are interpreted by 4 different witnesses. Now you can see where they got the idea for the label on Newman's Own salsa.
10 PM - The Magnificent Seven (1960) - this remake of Seven Samurai also moves the action from feudal Japan to the Old West. Seven gunmen, led by Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, join forces to protect a village from bandits.

3/11, 6:30 PM: It's a Dog's Life (1955)
This charming film tells the story of a bull terrier named Wildfire, from the dog's point of view, as he goes from rags to riches. Wildfire plays himself with Vic Morrow providing his voice in narration. CGI effects had yet to be invented, so thankfully you'll be spared the sight of the dog's lips contorting to "speak" a sassy one-liner. This is a great film for children, but unfortunately it isn't well-known or widely available.

3/29: Marx Brothers Marathon
8 PM - Monkey Business (1931)
9:30 PM - Horse Feathers (1932)
10:45 PM - Duck Soup (1933)
12 AM - A Night at the Opera (1935)
2 AM - A Day at the Races (1937)
4 AM - At the Circus (1939)
If you've never seen the Marx Brothers in action, or if you've only seen one or two of their films, tonight's marathon is your chance to catch up. The films on schedule tonight are definitely the cream of the Marx filmography, and I would certainly recommend them all. However, if you must choose one, Duck Soup is generally regarded as their best. Once you finish watching tonight's films, you can choose a side in the great Marx debate: extended musical sequences - highlight or hindrance?

Sayonara until next month!