tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14169925.post3503699496801879066..comments2024-02-27T10:53:43.331-05:00Comments on Big Media Vandalism: Big Media Vandalism's Sight and Sound Ballot (50-41)Steven Boonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533736956366847765noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14169925.post-5303181093789540572012-08-21T23:29:11.591-04:002012-08-21T23:29:11.591-04:00Hal, I think you are right on both counts. It'...Hal, I think you are right on both counts. It's Tyson's debut and that may well have been Diana Sands. Both of them had such lovely ways of speaking dialogue. I was talking about Sands last Friday and I mentioned how much I loved her famous line from your favorite movie and mine, <b>Willie Dynamite</b> (Will-ayyyy! oh oh Will-ay D, yeah! Will-ay D!), not to mention her "Miss Sepia 1957" from <b>The Landlord</b>. Her Claudine would have been something!odienatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10926978706604468636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14169925.post-31532869414947764192012-08-21T23:23:35.533-04:002012-08-21T23:23:35.533-04:00Kevin, thnaks for the long, insightful comment! Cl...Kevin, thnaks for the long, insightful comment! Clockers is indeed the movie I was citing, and I love both the book (which takes place in my hometown) and Lee's film. <br /><br />I watched the Boondock Saints and I didn't see what the big deal was. I guess I'm one of those time-wasters who watches melodramatic stuff!<br /><br />40-31 is up now, and it plays like a shrine to one particular star. That was completely unintentional, to be honest. Check it out.<br /><br />As for Gina Prince-Bythewood, she recently adapted and directed <b>The Secret Life of Bees</b> which, I am almost ashamed to admit, I really liked.odienatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10926978706604468636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14169925.post-12836586628062071422012-08-21T23:21:33.309-04:002012-08-21T23:21:33.309-04:00I like ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW too, despite the too-...I like ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW too, despite the too-familiar ending you mention in the review. Was this Cicely Tyson's first film? I believe I spotted Diana Sands in the same scene that had Tyson bartending--Sands had no lines. I'm pretty sure it was her.<br /><br />CROOKLYN is probably my favorite Alfre Woodard performance. Picking out her best is like trying to choose the best painting from a wall of Picassos though.<br /><br />Will be following the countdown...Halhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09291930694234773688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14169925.post-68996934886233562382012-08-21T01:52:07.268-04:002012-08-21T01:52:07.268-04:00Great stuff, Odie. The sentiments of your list mat...Great stuff, Odie. The sentiments of your list match the sentiments of mine. I look forward to following along with this. A few thoughts on these selections:<br /><br />47. Crooklyn -- A million yeses for this choice (probably my favorite Spike Lee film). I remember seeing this in the theater when I was 12, and I remember being in love with it then. It's really one of the few Lee films that has left an indelible mark on me (Do the Right Thing and 25th Hour would be the other two). Even as a 12 year old kid, I remember vividly that opening (what a great field trip that was for me seeing as how I grew up in your typical, stuffy white Northwest suburb) and Lindo's performance which was great (is he ever bad in ANYTHING?). I also remember those POV shots and the way the camera captured what it was like to look at the adult world through the eyes of a child). Great choice. And honestly, once I saw this selection, I knew I was going to love your list even if you put nothing but Norbit on it from here on out. Oh, and I'm assuming that other one-title film was Clockers? Never finished it. <br /><br />46. The Best Man -- When I worked at Blockbuster I remember watching this film in the back. I often get it mixed up with The Wood for some reason (cast overlap? same release date on DVD? I can't recall...), but I remember really liking it when it was out. It's funny, though, because I was a senior in high school and many of my friends wondered why I wasted my time watching such mainstream, melodramatic stuff when I should be spending more time watching shit like The Boondock Saints~! Ugh. Needless to say, I'm not friends with them anymore. <br /><br />45 Love and Basketball -- Gotta be honest here: I used to pull this DVD out whenever I had a girl over so they could see my sensitive side. It's actually a beautiful and poignant film that does what it needs to do and does it with finesse. It doesn't strain too hard or overreach in order to elicit a tug at the heartstrings. I love the way she sets up their relationship throughout the film (especially when he's younger and sneaks into her room because his parents are fighting. I used to always keep my door open for a friend in a similar fashion when I was in high school) until it all comes together in that final one-on-one scene that, as you say, seemed so trite in the trailer but was a beautifully done moment. I especially like the way Prince-Bythwood keeps the camera on Epps' face as he continues to score point after point on her in what is actually a sweet moment between the two. I really like that you single out the scene between Lathan and Woodard. I also love the moment near the end between Haysbert and Epps. Both parent/child dynamics were done well. <br /><br />Whatever happen to her as a writer/director? Oh, and this is the film where I simultaneously fell in love with Lathan and garnered a healthy man crush on Epps. <br /><br /><br />Whoa...that turned out longer than I expected. Great stuff, and I can't wait for the rest of the list!Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.com