American Idol 2008--Live Thread II

americanidol.com ^ | 3-25-08

[retrokitten]

He’s got to be in his 80’s, because Michael Douglas is in his 60s.

Gone With the Wind #4?!?!?!!? RECOUNT! I demand a RECOUNT!

[silent_jonny]

The slave girls with full hair and make up always kill me.

LOL!!

[silent_jonny]

And did you notice how they just brushed GWTW aside and moved on to the next movie?

[retrokitten]

I’ve never seen Schindler’s List. I have a hard time watching/reading things about the holocaust.

I listened to Victor Frankel’s, “Man Search for Meaning” on audiobook and it was just gut wrenching.

[silent_jonny]

Lawrence of Arabia at #1

[retrokitten]

I did. I don’t get it. That is the definition of an epic movie. That’s one of my mom’s favorites and I saw about 500 times growing up. It’s got everything.

No Braveheart??? What’s wrong with these people?

[silent_jonny]

I’ve never seen Schindler’s List.

The first time I saw it, I had to stop the tape about 1/4 through. I kept dreading what I was about to see.

And it doesn't pull many punches.

[Netizen]

Isn’t Rope any good? I haven’t seen that one, I keep missing it when its on.

[silent_jonny]

I think they’re shunning Mel Gibson.

[retrokitten]

I don’t think I could handle that. Believe it or not, I’ve got depressive tendencies and things like that really upset me. Rightfully so, I guess.

[retrokitten]

I bet you are right.

[silent_jonny]

Isn’t Rope any good?

It's okay. I just thought it was boring. It was directed by Hitchcock but it feels flat, like a movie version of a play, which I think it was.

[Netizen]

Did Spartacus come in anywhere?

[retrokitten]

Yes, I believe it was #3. I’m trying to get the full list, but everyone else must be trying, too, because it’s taking forever.

[silent_jonny]

Then you should avoid that one, lol

I've seen Schindler's List three or four times ... I never get used to it, even though I know what's coming.

[Wolfstar]

I am really stuck at how many of these movies have Jimmy Stewart in them. They don’t make them like him anymore.
They sure don't. And he was a solid conservative too.

Jimmy Stewart is my all-time favorite actor, bar none. He was in so many movies that are now considered classics that it's hard to list them all. There are at least 17 that easily come to mind, plus many more that are still seen on TV every year.

My all-time favorite movie is 'Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.' There are so many great pieces of dialogue in it that are still resonant in today's politics. The portrait of senatorial corruption shows us that politicians featherbedding their own pockets on the backs of the public trust is nothing new. The portrait of the cynicism of what is today called the inside-the-beltway crowd, from reporters to society types, also could have been written about Washington in 2008. But that film was released in 1939.

Jimmy Stewart was a great guy in real life, too. A decorated WWII hero who flew many combat missions over Germany, he attained the highest military rank (Air Force Brigadier General) of any Hollywood actor. He remained in the Air Force Reserves for many years.

He married just one woman, his beloved Gloria. They were married for 45 years and were separated only by her death in 1994. He never really got over her passing, and he died just three years later.

The American Film Institute named him the #3 greatest actor of the 20th Century behind Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant. I vehemently disagree with Bogart being #1, and suspect he got it because he had been a staunch Hollywood Leftist who openly defied the HUAC hearings. But Bogart's acting range was highly limited to crime melodramas, off-beat romances like Sabrina, and the occasional comedy.

Cary Grant deserved his #2 spot, but Jimmy Stewart should have been #1. Bogart, in my opinion, should have been much further down the list. No one had the brilliant acting range of Jimmy Stewart. Cary Grant came close, but not Bogart.

[silent_jonny]

Spartacus was #5 in Epics I think

[Netizen]

I’ve never seen Schindler’s List. I have a hard time watching/reading things about the holocaust.

I had a hard time reading Sophie's Choice, I kept crying.

[retrokitten]

Yes, he should have been #1. I know it hasn’t aired on the west coast yet, but he’s in at least a quarter of the movies.

[silent_jonny]

Hi, Wolfstar :)

Jimmy Stewart should have been #1.

I agree. Bogart was a good actor, but Stewart could act circles around him.

Have you ever read a book called "Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot"?

It was written by a man who served with Stewart in WWII. His men adored him.