First we had numbers, then we had colours, now we are featuring movies with name places in the title. Oh there are SO many to choose from--- in fact I almost considered doing a post just on 'M's'. Some are classics that hardly need pointing out, yet I will-well, because that's what I do. Others are a little more obscure but all are worth a look.

Casablanca--- previously featured in its own post, it bares mentioning again. This is one of my all time faves- it's right up there with Ben Hur (did you follow my recommendation and go see it's re-release on the big screen?). To my mind, this is one of the world's most perfect movies- love, honour, self sacrifice-all set against the backdrop of WW 2. Best writer, best director and best picture for 1942. You won't believe the famous lines that came out of this movie. Bogart, Claude Rains, and Ingrid Bergman at their very best. And don't forget Conrad Veidt.

In Bruges--- this should be a controversial one- love it or hate it, but I doubt you will be ambivalent towards it. This is just really hard to pigeonhole into any specific genre. But it you like bizarre and unexpected this is the movie for you. A close second in the bizarre and unexpected category would be the Coen's brothers Fargo. Except having said that, if you are a fan of the Coen brothers, you know to expect the unexpected.

Philadelphia-with Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks in one of his back-to-back Oscar winning roles. This is an award worthy performance -also a sad and occassionaly difficult movie to watch. Not to be confused with its' polar opposite 'The Philadelphia Story'. With Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart (Oscar winner for Best actor) and Cary Grant--- from 1940. Light-hearted and easy to watch.

L A Confidential- from 1997 with Kim Bassinger, Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell, Guy Pearce. This is the film that really brought Russell Crowe to North American audience's attention. Dark, brooding, moody, excellent plot- very 'film noir'.

Munich- I've seen this Spielberg offering twice and I am still not sure what I think of it. Depending on your age you may be unaware of the back story. The 'Munich Massacre' is the name for the real events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. By the end of the ordeal, the kidnappers had killed eleven of the athletes and coaches and a West German policeman. Five of the eight members of Black September were killed by police officers during a failed rescue attempt. The three surviving kidnappers were captured, but later released by West Germany following the hijacking by Black September of a Lufthansa airliner. That part is true. This movie is the story of the aftermath of these events, and the five men chosen to eliminate the ones responsible for that fateful day. Being as it was a highly secret black op it remains for the viewer to determine the degree of reality. But that is the case with most movies based on 'true events'.

With the exception of Philadelphia Story, all these recommendations are dramatic offerings. So for something a little lighter in the location department try Brigadoon and An American in Paris---all you dance fans should enjoy these charmers with Gene Kelly dancing his feet off, wonderful music and lyrics by Lerner and Lowe, and Vincent Minelli's excellent directing.

(Nice map huh!)

Moe is on holidays right now, so she's asked a few other Movie Maniacs to step in and write some guest blogs for her while she's away. I was totally fine with this prospect until she revealed exactly where it was that she'll be vacationing.

Hint: It's New Zealand.

Now! This is a pretty excellent destination to choose at any given time, but it just so happens to be the BEST destination at THIS given time.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Clearly you're not as big of a fan-girl as I am (neener neener)...

The reason why New Zealand is the place for any Movie Maniac to be right now is because Peter Jackson is currently working on the second leg of his new Tolkien epic, "The Hobbit" in that glorious country as I type.

Now what you have to understand, is that we're still AGES away from the release of this movie. The first phase of it JUST got into post-production, and they've still got loads of editing and tweaking and awesome-ifying to do yet, and everything else is in pre-production. This is ALSO only the first half of the journey -- they're splitting the novel into two films, like any smart adapter does these days.

Which means, my friends, that they are filming RIGHT NOW, in all their dwarvish make-up glory, in beautiful locations all across the land of the Kiwis. And I couldn't be more jealous of Moe for getting to be there.

If the set production vlogs are anything to go by (which I'm hoping they are, even though Jackson is not releasing them NEARLY as often as he should be...) this second leg of shooting will carry on well into December. And even though the sites and sets are a very closely guarded secret, this makes me hopeful that Moe might just stumble across a hobbit or an elf or a dragon here and there. She has told me they love drivng down back roads just to see where they come out, so with a little luck... At any rate, I've told her it's probably best to bring her lady-dwarf costume (beard and all) and some speedy running shoes for dodging the security guards.

As a tribute to the epicness that is Jackson's work in New Zealand, I've decided to include a couple of OTHER movies shot in this locale. Click on the titles for links to the Calgary Public Library catalogue!

Whale Rider, possibly the biggest film to actually focus on Kiwi culture and life, revolves around a young Maori girl and her search to fulfill her destiny. Beautifully filmed, beautifully acted, this one was up for an Oscar and 28 other awards. It won most of them.

King Kong and Lovely Bones (both directed by Jackson) are not set in NZ, but do use its gorgeous locations as backdrops. Both are written by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, two collaborators of Jackson's on LOTR. Both also have all-star casts, and one of them has Jack Black. What more can I say?

If you're into horror, 30 Days of Night (originally a graphic novel series) is a terrifying, and R-rated, Vampire flick... I promise these blood-suckers don't sparkle. Almost half of the cast is either Kiwi or Aussie, but you can't tell, because they're all pretending to be from Alaska.

I swear, New Zealand must have the most diverse climates and landscapes of any country... where else could pass for Pennsylvania, Alaska, Middle Earth... or Pandora?

That's right, James Cameron's epic Avatar was shot there too. Wanna know why? Check out this article from "Film New Zealand".

Other epic NZ-based movies include The Chronicles of Narnia,The Bridge to Terabithia (starring The Hunger Games' Josh Hutcherson), and Spielberg's highly anticapted Tintin movie, out this Christmas.

Oh man, I am so excited about this I am actually counting the days. On Nov 9th, two Cineplex Odeon Theatres in town will be re-releasing BEN HUR on the big screen.

If you have read some of my posts before, you know that I am one of these movie maniacs who when they find something they like will watch it over and over and over again. Ben Hur makes it onto my top 10 fave movies of all time. In fact, I just recommended it in April of this year in my post The Bible and the Epics. (excerpt from that post follows).

Grand daddy of them all - Ben Hur. This is one of my favourite movies of all time and I would not be exaggerating if I said I have seen it 30 times (at 3 hours and 32 minutes that's a lot of Ben!). And I've had the joy of seeing it on the big screen. The sets are real- no CGI's here and the chariot race really is Chuck and Stephen Boyd tearing around the track. Still considered one of the greatest action sequences ever captured, the race took 3 months to film and used 15000 extras on the largest set ever built (see the picture- that's a set - with real people- and I can't get the whole thing to fit!). It won 11 Oscars, equaled only by Titanic and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy- and think of all the CGI in those films. It is a brilliant movie.

Don't miss this one folks - take the kids, take the grandparents, take everyone you know. Did I mention that I am counting the days?

And tickets are only $5.00!

In recognition of all the horses who participated in the Stampede, as well as Spruce Meadows recent North American show jumping contest, I thought it would be fun to look at the many titles that CPL has featuring man's second best friend. Several of these horse titles have been recommended previously under Guaranteed Embarrassement Free, but lets see what else we have.

Secretariat---Behind every legend lies an impossible dream. Witness the journey of Secretariat and the moving story of his unlikely owner, a housewife who risked everything to make him a champion. Includes bonus features.

The Horse Whisperer---heads up on the opening scenes, it is very intense, but the movie settles down afterward---good cast in this one.

The Man from Snowy River---there are several incarnations of this Aussie drama. My fave is still the original from 1982 with Kirk Douglas. There is also a series with the fine talents of Guy Pearce and Hugh Jackman.

Hidalgo---Set in 1890, this is the story of a Pony Express courier who travels to Arabia to compete with his horse, Hidalgo, in a dangerous race. This stars Viggo Mortensen fresh off his huge success as Aragorn in Lord of the Rings. It certainly isn't his strongest performance, nor the best movie, but the man sure knows how to sit a horse.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron---As a wild stallion travels across the frontiers of the Old West, he befriends a young human. Animated.

Seabiscuit---during the Great Depression this horse became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many. Another very stron cast including Jeff Bridges, Tobey Maguire and Chris Cooper.

Lonely are the Brave stars Kirk Douglas as a modern day cowboy trying to maintain his fiercely independent lifestyle as civilization steadily encroaches upon him. This is a really good film and you'll be glad you gave it a look.

They Shoot Horses Don't They---despite this title it has absolutely nothing to do with horses, but I wanted to put it in somewhere and this was as good a place as any! It is a very compelling movie set during the depression and gives us a look at the strange phenomenon of dance marathons-4 months anyone? By one of my favourite directors, the late Sydney Pollack and starring Jane Fonda in an Oscar nominated role.

There is always the 1947 Fury with Spenser Tracy, National Velvet, and Black Beauty, which we have just got as a series.

by Moe

The British monarchy has always been a great go-to for directors, screen writers and actors. And with good reason---the history is rife with scandal, sex, murder, revolt, religion, politics and royalty generally behaving badly. With all the buzz around this years front runner -The King's Speech (with 11 nominations and currently on order ot CPL) I thought I'd recommend some other movies and series based on Royals. A great many of these are previous Oscar nominees and big winners.

Anne of the thousand days/Mary Queen of Scots---you all know the story---and these are excellent retellings.

Becket-Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole---the story of the friendship between Henry 2 and his close friend and confident.

A Man for All Seasons- an Oscar win for Paul Scofield playing Thomas Moore, the man who stood up to King Henry VIII when the King rejected the Roman Catholic Church for not allowing a divorce and remarriage.

The Queen---Helen Mirren's big win from 2006 as Q E 2. The resemblance is uncanny, the performance excellent, the story highly respectful.

Elizabeth and Elizabeth the Golden Age with Cate Blanchett ---there are actually many more Liz the First to choose from in our collection (so many in fact it almost needs it's own post). Another fave of mine is The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex with Errol Flynn and Bette Davis.

The Lost Prince- a big Golden Globe winner for TV drama from 2003. The story of the British royal prince locked away because of his epilepsy.

Lady Jane---from 1986 with Helena Bonham Carter (nominated this year for Best supporting Actress in The King's Speech), and Cary Elwes. A not so well known story about the 9 day reign of Lady Jane Grey.

Lion in Winter- two versions, the Peter O'toole, Katherine Hepburn and the Glenn Close Patrick Stewart television remake. Hepburn won an Oscar for best Actress for hers. At the time she became only the third perfomer to win consecutive best acting awards and the first prerformer ever to win three Oscars for a lead.

Young Victoria---Emily Blunt as Victoria during her early turbulent years

Mrs. Brown---Judi Dench as Victoria during her later widowed years.

The Tudors--- the steamy, highly popular television series wherein Henry VIII comes off as incredibly sexy and not terribly despicable. I don't know how historically accurate it is, but it certainly is entertaining. We have four complete seasons.

The Madness of King George---in his case, it was not good to be King. The royal who 'lost the colonies'.

And just becuse it is so much fun, the wonderful musical Camelot.

You'll be surprised (or maybe not) how the same faces keep recurring- O'Toole, Burton, Jacobi, Stewart, Dench, Mirren.

(Jan 25, 2010) This morning, nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards were announced. The King George VI drama 'The King's Speech' leads the overall race with a whopping 12 nominations. The Coen Brother's remake of 'True Grit' recieved 10 nominations followed by 'The Social Network' and 'Inception' each with 8.

A full list of the nominees can be found here.

In preparation for the big show (February 27, 2010) here is a list of films that are available (or [On Order]) at the Calgary Public Library. Most of the nominated films are still being shown in theatres around the city. Click the links to place a hold:

Social Network [DVD hold link][Blu-ray hold link (on Order)] - 8 Nominations including: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg)

Inception [DVD hold link][Blu-ray hold link] - 8 Nominations including: Best Picture

Toy Story 3 [DVD hold link][Blu-ray hold link] - 5 Nominations including: Best Picture, Best Animated Film

Winter's Bone [DVD hold link] - 4 Nominations including: Best Picture, Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)

The Kids Are All Right [DVD hold link][Blu-ray hold link] - 4 Nominations including: Best Picture, Best Actress (Anette Benning), Best Original Screenplay

How To Train Your Dragon [DVD hold link] - 2 Nominations including: Best Animated Film

Alice In Wonderland [DVD hold link][Blu-ray hold link] - 3 Nominations including: Art Direction

I Am Love [DVD hold link][Blu-ray hold link] - 1 Nomination: Costume Design

Iron Man 2 [DVD hold link][Blu-ray hold link] - 1 Nomination: Visual Effects

Salt - [DVD hold link] 1 Nomination: Sound Mixing

Restrepo - [DVD hold link] 1 Nomination: Best Documentary Feature

The Town - [DVD hold link] 1 Nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Jeremy Renner)

Animal Kingdom - [DVD hold link (on Order)] 1 Nomination: Best Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver)

Exit Through The Gift Shop [DVD hold link] - 1 Nomination: Best Documentary Feature

Gasland [DVD hold link] - 1 Nomination: Best Documentary Feature

Inside Job [DVD hold link] - 1 Nomination: Best Documentary Feature

The Wolfman [DVD hold link] - 1 Nomination: Make Up

Enjoy the films and good luck in your Oscar Pools!

Who would have thought that adorable little Opie from the Andy Griffith show would grow up to be one of the most respected and successful directors of his time? Well Ron Howard did just that and he has an impressive number of hits in his c.v. Try any or all of the following- he is almost without fail a good bet.

Ransom -1996- now I know Mel Gibson isn't on a lot of peoples must see list at the moment, but that aside this is still a good movie. Gary Sinise co-stars.

Backdraft- 1991- Kurt Russell, Scott Glen, Robert deNiro, Donald Sutherland and some really well done pyrotechnics.

da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons---Howards' go-to guy, Tom Hanks stars in both of these movies, which are based on the incredibly popular Dan Brown books. I prefer the second title---suspend disbelief and just go along for the ride.

Apollo 13- 1995--- again with Hanks, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris and a very unhappy Kevin Bacon. Why, you ask? In order to get the amazing shots of weightlessness they filmed in something called the 'vomit comet'. This is the nickname for an aricraft that briefly provides a weightless environment and is used to train astronauts, conduct research and film motion pictures. For about 25 seconds out of a 65 second loop, you become nearly weightless. Kevin Bacon had a particularly hard time with the shoot as the loops can produce extreme nausea. You can see in most of the shots that he is pretty close to loosing his lunch---and it works great because it just looks like extreme anxiety, fitting the situation in which the astrounauts find themselves.

A Beautiful Mind---this won Howard an Oscar for best director and the movie received best picture that year (2002). Starring Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, and Paul Bettany. Biopic of the famed mathematician John Nash and his lifelong struggles with his mental health.

Splash-largely responsible for launching Hanks movie career, this 1984 film is still good for quite a few laughs. Mermaids and a very funny John Candy.

And of course we have all 8 seasons of the Andy Griffith Show, which is just wholesome fun at its best and a real trip down memory lane for lots of people. Or join Richie Cunningham, Potsie, Ralph Malph and The Fonz in the hugely successful Happy Days, which ran for 11 seasons---which was several more than it should have. But we have the first 4 and they were very good.

Piano themed movies have done incredibly well over the years---especially come Oscar time. Every actor in the following four movies took home a best actor statuette for his/her performance. So to those actors who are feeling neglected by Oscar, perhaps they should brush up on the old ivories and see if the Academy will smile upon them. One other thing- along with the really fine acting performances, all four actors did their own playing, and there are some pretty impressive performances.

The Pianist 2002- with Adrien Brody playing real life Polish Jewish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman, struggling to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto of World War II. At the age of 29 Brody became the youngest Best Actor recipient. Best director went to Roman Polanski.

The Piano-1993 with Holly Hunter, Sam Neill, Anna Pacquin and Harvey Keitel. Best actress to Hunter and best supporting to 11 year old Paquin (you'll recognize her if you are an X-Men or True Blood fan). And no, she is not the youngest to ever receive an Oscar. That title is still held by Tatum O'Neil for her wonderful performance in Paper Moon. The Piano is a strange and oddly compelling movie.

Shine- with Geoffrey Rush pre Captain Barbossa fame (as in Pirates of the Caribbean, where the 4th installment of the incredibly popular series currently is in production ). Rush plays real life pianist David Helfgott, who struggles to come back after suffering a complete breakdown.

Amadeus 1984- with Tom Hulce taking on the role of Mozart and F Murray Abraham as his nemesis Salieri. Both actors were nominated for best actor and the win went to Abraham, so perhaps my opening statement breaks down a little here. The exceptional playing is done by Hulce, not Abraham. Regardless, this is an excellent film, also winning best movie and best director for Milos Foreman. What ever happened to Tom Hulce? Last thing I remember him in is Parenthood from 1989.

Now although not Oscar winners these next are worthy of a mention;

Great Balls of Fire-The story of Jerry Lee Lewis, arguably one of the wildest musicians of the 1950s. With Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee.

We have many performances by piano players just being themselves including four from Elton John. Check out Elton John: The Red piano concert. or the always popular Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Or how about virtuoso Arthur Rubenstien or a Chopin Celebration. Or sit down yourself and teach your children how to play with Easy Piano for Children.

In the mood for some good laughs? Try any of the three years of the Victor Borge show. For those of you unacquianted with Borge you are in for a real treat. The shows are charming, funny, suitable for the whole family and also feature some brilliant playing. Need a little more flamboyance in your life---try the Legendary Liberace.

So there you are- movies with pianos and players as a common thread---maybe next time I'll do wind instruments.

My previous Guaranteed Embarrassment Free post (The Yearling) got me thinking about Gregory Peck---not a bad way to while away a few hours! He started making movies in the 40's, remained very popular for the 50's and 60's and then hit a dry spell after his oscar win. He saw a resurgence of his career with the unexpected 1977 hit, The Omen. More roles appeared after this and he did several turns on television. He was the recipient of many awards, including an Oscar for Best Actor, the Academy's Jean Hershold Humanitarian Award and the Medal of Freedom. On June 12, 2003 just days after the AFI named him as the screen's greatest hero for his role as Atticus Finch, Peck died at the age of 87. Tall, rugged, handsome and by all accounts a very decent human being, he played many a heroic character over the years.

To Kill a Mockingbird---Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice. Depending on the age of your own children, say about 12 and up, it's one for the whole family to watch and discuss. This won Peck the best actor Oscar and was his own personal favourite from his many roles.

Captain Horatio Hornblower---if you've been reading our blog over the past months you know that we have recommended the Hornblower series from A&E. This film predates it by several years-decades actually, and Peck does an excellent job playing the swashbuckling hero.

Roman Holiday---with Peck and Audrey Hepburn in her Oscar winning role. A lovely, charming movie. Interesting bit of trivia here. The on-screen credit and Academy award for best Screen Writing were originally credited and given to Ian McLellan Hunter. Hunter was the 'beard' for Dalton Trumbo, who was one of several Hollywood writers blacklisted during the infamous McCarthy era. In December 1992 the Academy decided to change the records and to credit Trumbo for his achievment. Ian Hunter was removed from the Motion Picture Story category and the Oscar was posthumously present to Trumbo's widow on May 10 1993.

Boys From Brazil---one of his very few outings as a villian---and what a villian! He plays an aged Doctor Josef Mengele to Lawrence Olivier's equally aged Nazi hunter. I particularly like the scene with the telephone encounter between the two. This is based on the book of the same name by Ira Levin---who wrote many good stories adapted for theatrical release, including Rosemary's Baby.

Cape Fear--- the styish film noir original from 1962 (not the abysmal Robert De Niro remake). He plays another small town lawyer---this time one being stalked by a truly terrifying Robert Mitchum. (This makes the second time we have recommended a movie in which Mitchum is the heavy---the other being Night of the Hunter. One of our regular followers suggested a 'who's afraid of Robert Mitchum' post. After seeing this movie I'm sure you'll agree we ALL are).

Moby Dick---he is riveting as the maniacal, obsessed Captain Ahab. I once heard the book described as 600 pages of how to boil whale blubber, and after two failed attempts at reading it I just gave up. This movie will fair you much better.

On the Beach-based on Aussie writer Nevile Shute's story of the same name. In 1964 after atomic war has wiped out the northerrn hemisphere, all that remains of civilization is to be found in Australia. With the growing realization that their days are numbered as well, people struggle to carry on with a normal life. This is not your typical post apocalpytic movie.

Guns of Navarone--- the plot is so convincing that for years many believed that this movie was a retelling of an actual war time event. It is entirely fictitious and is an above average war/adventure movie.

The Big Country---Peck was no stranger to westerns, and this is a solid offering even though having a fairly well-worn 'fighting over water rights' plot. With Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston, and Burl Ives.

This is an author who really knows how to write a great story. Three of his books have been turned into excellent films and the first two have been nominated for a total of 9 Oscars. Watch for Shutter Island to get a lot of Oscar nods for next years event, including I hope, a nomination for Leo for best actor.And Lehane stories attract the big guns- Scorcese and Eastwood as directors and A list for actors.

You can also check out his books---they are great reads. Do an author search under Lehane Dennis to see everything else by him.

For another one of my favorite writers check out the earlier post on Paul Haggis.

Mystic River---2003---this was Sean Penn's first win for Best actor (his 2nd being Milk in 2008). Who would have thought the misfit character from Fast Times at Ridgemont High would become one of the best dramatic actors of the decade? The movie also scored a well-deserved best supporting statuette for Tim Robbins. Also features Kevin Bacon, Laura Linney, Laurence Fishburne and Marcia Gay Harden.

Gone Baby Gone--- Ben Affleck directs younger brother Casey in this tale of two Boston area detectives investigating a little girl's kidnapping. Like Mystic River this one also deals with very dark subject matter and can be almost painfully real at times. Strong supporting performances are turned in from Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris (when do they not?). The decisions made at the end of the movie should provide lots of foder for discussion. What would you have done?

Start lining up now folks---we are getting Shutter Island and you do not want to miss this one! This features another excellent performance from Leo DiCaprio, who is fast turning into one of my 'never miss' performers (I think I will have to devote an entire post to him shortly). Martin Scorcese directs this and it is quite an achievment. Along with Leo it also includes Sir Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Max von Sydow (still able to command the screen at 81 years old), and Patricia Clarkson. If anybody tries to tell you anything about it before you watch it, beg them to keep quiet, or if they won't, walk away! You deserve to be astonished by the ending.