And now here's Part 2...
Inglourious Basterds (2009; Quentin Tarantino)*Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent
That Inglourious Basterds did not win Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars is the 2nd biggest crime in Oscar history. What makes this screenplay far superior than the other nominees is that each character speaks in a distinctly colorful way: Pitt is a jokester, Waltz is eloquently twisted, Laurent is quietly ferocious and (my favorite performance) Diane Kruger is deceptively flirtatious. IB is a winning neo-classic that unfortunately did not get its due.
Jackie Brown (1997; Quentin Tarantino)
*Pam Grier, Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson
After the bang-bang-bangitty-bang of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, one would expect Tarantino to deliver another exercise in bloodbath-chic. But Jackie Brown is an elaborate character study of several unique yet uniformly frustrated characters that is masquerading as a heist drama. It is also a love letter from Tarantino to Pam Grier as she is lovingly photographed and given an extraordinary part. The film contains many sequences that are pure Tarantino--like how he goes back in time to show what a different set of characters are doing in the same time frame. Jackie Brown is probably Tarantino's most mature crime saga.
The King & I (1956; Walter Lang)
*Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner and Rita Moreno
Even if the Introduction of Royal Children takes about 10 hours to get through, it is a minor flaw when you consider the whole of this glorious musical. The film very gracefully walks the tightrope between lavish production and human drama. Unlike other musicals from this era, The King & I doesn't exchange character development and real character honesty for extravagant dance sequences and gaudy costumes. And from the heartbreaking "We Kiss in a Shadow" to the affectionate "Hello, Young Lovers" to the self-reflective "A Puzzlement," every song is a hit.
Pride & Prejudice (2005; Joe Wright)
*Keira Knightley, Matthew McFayden and Rosamund Pike
Kissed by the camera, Keira Knightley does the impossible: she successfully delivers a modern take on a classic literary heroine. In fact, the entire adaptation is accessible to a modern audience. That is in no small part due to Wright's innovative camerawork; it is more fluid than other Jane Austen films which tend to be rather stiff and stuffy. The supporting cast is impeccable especially the golden-haired and expressive Rosamund Pike in a sadly overlooked performance as Jane Bennett.
Rear Window (1954; Alfred Hitchcock)
*James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Thelma Ritter
The biggest crime in Oscar history is that Alfred Hitchcock never personally won an Oscar. Oh, sure, he was nominated five times (for Rear Window, Rebecca (1940), Lifeboat (1944), Spellbound (1945) and Psycho (1960)) but he's never won. If I had to pick the film out of all those that would have won him an Oscar it would be Rear Window. The way he stages the story is nothing short of revolutionary: all of the action is seen from one location which gives the film a claustrophobic and helpless feel. And he extracts career-best performances from the entire cast--Grace Kelly has never been so beautiful, so charming, so witty, so empathetic.
Look out for Part 3!
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