HAPPY EASTER
Sincere holiday wishes to all of the members of the PCR world. I will be leaving this Thursday evening (hence the early Rant) for the great state of Minnesota, where I will meet for the first time several of my newly found brothers and sisters. Yes, there will be pictures next week!
READ ANY GREAT MOVIES LATELY?
This week, the Writers Guild of America released its list of the 101 Greatest Screenplays ever written. The list includes both original work and scripts adapted from other sources. Several writers, including William Goldman and Woody Allen, had multiple winners. Billy Wilder and the combo of Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo each had two in the top ten. The top 10 screenplays are:
1. CASABLANCA
2. THE GODFATHER
3. CHINATOWN
4. CITIZEN KANE
5. ALL ABOUT EVE
6. ANNIE HALL
7. SUNSET BOULEVARD
8. NETWORK
9. SOME LIKE IT HOT
10. THE GODFATHER PART II
Other notable choices: 12. DR STRANGELOVE; 16. PULP FICTION; 23. GONE WITH THE WIND; 35. THE USUAL SUSPECTS; 43. TAXI DRIVER; 60. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL; 63. JAWS; 67. ET: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL; 78. ROCKY; 88. FIELD OF DREAMS and 101. NOTORIOUS.
THEY WRITE THE SONGS
While realizing I'll have to wait many years before Matt is inducted, I CAN take the time to celebrate the following songwriters recently named to the Songwriters Hall of Fame:
Thom Bell, writer/co-writer of such hits as "Rubberband Man," "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time," "I'm Stone In Love With You" and "Love Train."
Mac Davis, who wrote "In the Ghetto," "Memories" and "A Little Less Conversation" for Elvis Presley, "Watching Scotty Grow" for Bobby Goldsboro and had his own hit records with "I Believe In Music" and "Baby, Don't Get Hooked On Me."
Will Jennings, who co-wrote two of my favorite Barry Manilow songs: "Look's Like We Made It" and "Somewhere In the Night." With Steve Winwood he wrote "Valerie" and "Back In the High Life," while penning the lyrics for Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven.," He won two Academy Awards for co-writing "Up Where We Belong" and "My Heart Will Go On."
Sylvia Moy and Henry Cosby, who wrote many hits, both together and separately, including "My Cherie Amour," "Uptight" and "I Was Made To Love Her" for Stevie Wonder.
MY FAVORITE FILMS - CHAPTER 15
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CADDYSHACK
Starring: Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield and Michael O'Keefe
Directed by: Harold Ramis
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FIRST SEEN: Plaza 3 Cinema, Kansas City, Missouri
FAVORITE LINE: "You'll get nothing and like it!"
FAVORITE SCENE: Chase and Murray "bond" during the search for a wayward ball.
AWARDS: Sadly, none that I could find.
Easily in my top 10 of funniest films ever, "Caddyshack," like "Animal House" before it, was a film that utilized it's great comic talents, both behind the camera and in front of it. Director Ramis (like co-screenwriters Doug Kenney and Brian Doyle Murray) was a product of the prolific National Lampoon family, as was Bill Murray. The humor was juvenile, and that's the way the public wanted it. Dangerfield, playing the very loud condo builder Al Czyrvik, was the perfect person to go up against Ted Knight's very snobby Judge Smails. O'Keefe is very likeable as caddy Danny Noonan (in the same year he would earn an Oscar nomination for his role as Robert Duval's son in "The Great Santini.") and trades lines like a pro with his comedy co-stars. Most of the best lines in the film were improvised, including my favorite scene which features the first star of "Saturday Night Live" (Chase) and the man who replaced him (Murray). Despite having almost come to blows the night Chase returned to host "SNL," the two made up long enough to quickly sketch out a scene and then ran with it. Owners of the DVD will see how easily the two play off of each other, which is is truly a testament to their talent considering the animosity between them at the time. Through in one of the greatest "Jaws" homages ever put on film (the candy bar in the swimming pool) and you can see why this film is so high on my list.
Next week I'll get all sentimental when I combine my two favorite passions, film and baseball, and highlight the film made of the 88th greatest screenplay of all time, "Field of Dreams."
Well, that's all for now. Happy Easter. Have a great week. See ya!
"Mike's Rant" is ©2006 by Michael A. Smith. Webpage design and all graphics herein are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2006 by Nolan B. Canova.
