"13"

The best movies are a breed apart – exceedingly rare, and born of compelling human stories well told. A superb drama has the power to change how we see the world, while a first-rate comedy can provide sublime entertainment that nourishes both brain and spirit. Today, too many exceptional films are hiding in plain sight, obscured by big commercial titles that may divert us in the moment, but offer little lasting impact, insight or enjoyment.

I first saw what I still consider the quintessential haunted house movie, Robert Wise’s “The Haunting” from 1963, when I was about 11.

The topic today is old age — not always the most popular subject, particularly in Hollywood, land of botox, face lifts, and tummy tucks. Still, its universality is worth exploring, because let's face it: unless you chop your head off and stick it in a freezer like Walt Disney and Ted Williams, you won't be around in 100 years.   One movie that explores this theme with uncommon sensitivity is the multiple-Oscar nominee, “Nebraska.” Although this year’s Oscar for Best Actor went to Matthew McConaughey for his performance in “Dallas Buyer’s Club,” and although we’re fans of his since he graduated from projects like “Failure to Launch” and “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” we were pulling for Bruce to win. His fearless performance in “Nebraska” was unflinchingly honest, as was the movie itself. Sometimes the Academy will give its prized statuette to a veteran actor as a way to pay tribute not just to one performance, but a whole career. Such was clearly the case in 1970, and 1982, when John Wayne and Henry Fonda won for (respectively) “True Grit” and “On Golden Pond.” Though they’d both been previously nominated twice, neither star had taken home the golden statue.

Screenwriter, musician, composer, author, sometime actor, and man who never sleeps, Nick Cave is the epitome of prolific. From books to albums to movie scripts, Cave never seems to sit still. Today, we’re focusing on the music from an excellent film he had more than a hand in, “The Proposition.” With credit for both soundtrack and script, “Proposition” is very much Cave’s movie, a Western with a twist. Set in late 19th Century Australia and directed by John Hillcoat (who might claim it was his movie), you get the sweeping vistas and white-knuckle gun fights, only with kangaroos instead of rattlesnakes. 

In 1983, the Center for Disease Control reported 1,025 cases of AIDS. By 1985, it had claimed the lives of over 6,000 Americans. Still no word came from the White House. When Reagan finally addressed the issue in 1987, over 36,000 Americans had been diagnosed.  The Oscar-winning “Dallas Buyer’s Club” is set in the midst of this terrifying silence. It’s 1986, and heterosexual Rob Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), gets diagnosed due to unprotected sex. While searching for treatments unavailable in the US, he realizes he can make a buck selling those drugs to patients back in the States. The homophobic Rob begins an awkward partnership with the transgendered Rayon (Jared Leto), whom Rob initially sees as nothing more than a foot in the door to their largest customer base: gay men.        McConaughey and Leto won Lead and Supporting Oscars for their memorable performances, and joined a small cadre of distinguished actors to be nominated by the Academy for portraying men living with the disease.

It hardly needs to be said, but we love driving home the obvious: hostage movies are natural thrillers. You’ve got the innocent victim, the evil kidnapper, and (most often) the rescuer. Based on a real-life incident, “Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks and directed by Paul Greengrass, is one such film. And it’s a real humdinger, fully meriting its 6 Oscar nods, including one for Best Picture. Despite handing out those six Oscar noms, the Academy still managed to sit on their keys, metaphorically. In the ever-mysterious, vaguely arcane and often inane ways of the Oscars and its voters, Tom Hanks was passed over. It’s not the first time, nor the last, that a much deserving actor will get the shaft due to Academy politics, ageism, or sheer “Let’s give ‘Crash’ Best Picture”-idiocy. It boggles the mind.