Walters - A year of movies: 365 films to watch on the date they happened

A Year of Movies

A Year of Movies

365 Films to Watch on the Date They Happened

Ivan Walters

Rowman & Littlefield

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Walters, Ivan, 1963

A year of movies : 365 films to watch on the date they happened / Ivan Walters.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4422-4559-4 (hardback : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4422-4560-0 (ebook) 1. Motion picturesCatalogs. I. Title.

PN1998.W28 2016

791.43'75dc23

2015019467

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To Page and the rest of the staff at the York County Library, Rock Hill branch, for their invaluable help in assisting with the research necessary to complete this book

Contents

Readers Note

This book is based on a very simple concept. For each day of the year I name a movie in which at least one scene takes place on that date. I got the idea when Terminator 2: Judgment Day was shown on television in August and I said to myself, Theyre showing it a few days early. They should show it on August 29, because thats Judgment Day in the film. That got me to thinking about other films that could be shown on the day they occur, like The Longest Day and Back to the Future . I started to wonder if there was such a film for each day of the year. This book is the result.

In developing this book I was fortunate in that I found a movie relatively easily for practically every day of the year. The only film that had to be forced into a date was Excalibur . I had a hole on April 25 and put Excalibur there because, first, I really like the film, and second, the sword-drawing scene takes place on Easter, which can occur on April 25. The film does not give us the year, so it could have been on that date.

The time references I give for each film indicating the scene or moment in the film where the day of the year is revealed are of course from the version that I watched. As you may be aware, quite a few films have numerous versions of varying length. There has been a recent trend toward release of a directors cut, which may differ from the regular release. The times given may be different on the version you are watching.

A word of warning: the plot summaries all contain spoilers, so be aware of this from the start.

If you know of a film you think should be listed for a particular day, let me know. If I use this film in a future edition and you are the first person to suggest the film, I will credit your suggestion. Reach me at . I also invite additions or corrections.

January

ROCKY

Year : 1976

Genre : Drama

Run Time : 1 hour 59 minutes

Date Revealed in Film : 30:21

Availability : DVD, Blu-ray (MGM Home Entertainment)

Director : John G. Avildsen; Screenplay : Sylvester Stallone

Cast : Sylvester Stallone (Rocky Balboa), Talia Shire (Adrian Pennino), Burt Young (Paulie Pennino), Burgess Meredith (Mickey Goldmill), Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed)

In November 1975 Rocky Balboa is a small-time boxer and a not very effective collection agent for a local loan shark in Philadelphia, where the world heavyweight championship is to be fought on New Years Day. When the challenger injures his hand, the champion, Apollo Creed, picks a local boy, Rocky, to fight instead. Rocky trains hard, practicing on the carcasses in a meat packing plant where his best friend, Paulie, works. He is dating Adrian, Paulies shy sister, and the night before the fight Rocky tells Adrian he knows he cannot win, but just wants to go the distance and stay on his feet to the end of the bout. When the fight starts on January 1, 1976 (1:39:15 to 1:57:12), Creed does not take the fight (or Rocky) seriously, but he soon regrets that decision. Rocky and Creed battle it out in a slugfest that will leave you cheering.

One of the classic underdog movies where the little guy gets a shot at greatness. This is also a love story between two almost painfully shy people who find each other. The main cast give understated performances that make it seem even more real, and the fight is well choreographed. A film that leaves you with an up feeling.

Awards : Academy Award Wins : Best Picture, Best Film Editing, and Best Director. Academy Award Nominations : Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Sylvester Stallone), Best Actress (Talia Shire), Best Supporting Actor (Burt Young and Burgess Meredith), Best Original Song, and Best Sound. Golden Globe Win : Best Motion PictureDrama. Golden Globe Nominations : Best DirectorMotion Picture, Best Motion Picture ActorDrama (Stallone), Best Motion Picture ActressDrama (Shire), Best ScreenplayMotion Picture, and Best Original ScoreMotion Picture

Alternate Film : Platoon

THE THIN RED LINE

Year : 1998

Genre : War

Run Time : 2 hours 50 minutes

Availability : DVD, Blu-ray (The Criterion Collection)

Director : Terrence Malick; Screenplay : Terrence Malick, based on the novel by James Jones

Cast : Sean Penn (1st Sgt. Edward Welsh), Adrien Brody (Cpl. Geoffrey Fife), Jim Caviezel (Pvt. Robert Witt), Ben Chaplin (Pvt. Jack Bell), John Cusack (Capt. John Gaff), Elias Koteas (Capt. Bugger Staros), Nick Nolte (Lt. Col. Gordon Tall)

In the South Pacific during World War II, Private Witt is arrested while living AWOL with the natives and is sent to Guadalcanal with reinforcements. Their commander, Lt. Col. Tall, wants to use this battle to get promoted, but Captain Staros refuses Talls order to take a strategic Japanese bunker at all costs. On January 2, 1943 (1:29:19 to 1:45:11), a detachment is able to outflank the bunker and capture it, but Staros is relieved of his command for disobeying orders. Witt considers going AWOL again but does not and instead is sent out on a patrol that forces him to decide what kind of a soldier he is.

A very good combat film. Explores combat in an almost mystical way. Tries to get to the inner core of the men who are fighting for their lives.

Awards : Academy Award Nominations : Best Cinematography, Best Director (Terrence Malick), Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Picture, Best Sound, and Best Adapted Screenplay

Source : Morrison, Samuel Eliot. The Struggle for Guadalcanal. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1959. This book at page 337 gives the date of the attack.

Alternate Film : Crime of the Century

SHADOWLANDS

Year: 1993

Genre : Drama

Run Time : 2 hours 11 minutes

Availability : DVD (HBO Home Video)

Director : Richard Attenborough; Screenplay : William Nicholson, based on his 1983 screenplay

Cast : Anthony Hopkins (C. S. Jack Lewis), Edward Hardwicke (Warnie Lewis), Debra Winger (Joy Gresham), Joseph Mazzello (Douglas Gresham), James Frain (Peter Whistler), Julian Fellowes (Desmond Arding), Michael Denison (Harry Harrington)

In 1952, author and Christian apologist C. S. Lewis (known as Jack) lives a very retiring life at The Kilns with his brother Warnie and lectures at Oxford University. Then he meets Joy Gresham, an American writer, and Jack invites her and her son to spend Christmas there. Joy confesses to Jack that her husband is a drunken adulterer. After Joy and Douglas leave on January 3, 1953, Jack misses her, even if he wont even admit it to himself (44:45 to 45:35). Joy divorces her husband and moves to England. Joy asks Jack to marry her so she can stay in the United Kingdom, and he agrees. They are married in a civil ceremony and tell no one except Warnie. Then something happens to Joy that will change her life and her relationship with Jack forever. Jack will have to decide if he really believes what he says or not.