Cinema Cemetery

 In today's episode, we don our bomb disposal suits and venture into the intense and gritty terrain of Kathryn Bigelow's masterful war drama – "The Hurt Locker." Released in 2008, "The Hurt Locker" takes us deep into the heart of the Iraq War, following the harrowing experiences of an elite U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team. As we navigate the tension-f...

“Any specific reason?” “Just…because. It is written”.  Following the story of a “slum dog” turned nearly millionaire, this movie follows Jamal through a difficult childhood as he serendipitously uses his past in order to complete the quiz show in the present.  Is Jamal’s performance on the up and up, or is he hiding something?  Will he win the jackpot or lose it all?  Is this movie even worth watc...

"The coin don't got no say" "This coin got here the same way I did" Set in the desert in 1980,  No Country For Old Men follows a drug deal gone wrong, a retiring sheriff, and man in the right (wrong) place at the right (wrong) time, and a force of nature.  As characters find themselves caught up in the circumstances beyond their scope, all must ask themselves how much cont...

“We deal in deception here. What we do not deal in is self-deception”. Welcome to the Irish mob in Boston of the early 2000s. As Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) goes undercover to infiltrate the villainous Frank Costello’s (Nicholson) gang, he has to deal with not only the crimes of the week, but his own self doubt as well.  All the while, Colin Sullivan (Damon) works undercover for Costello as a cop. ...

"Oh why don't you stop annoying people!"  With such memorable quotes like that, what else could it be but  It's A Wonderful Life!   Kate and Dan revisit the old Christmas Classic to find out just what makes this movie tick.  Whether you're a longtime fan, or just a casual listener, but sure to check it out. Merry Christmas Bedford Falls!

“Sometimes we feel like we just need to crash into each other in order to feel something”. This opening line from the 2005 Best Picture winner starts off an episodic look at race relations in the early 21st century Los Angeles.  With a star studded cast, and a message that everyone would agree with, this film takes a heavy handed approach at a much more nuanced and complicated issue.  A surprise-w...

“Anyone can lose one fight.” “Always protect yourself.” “Well, you’ve got me” All simple but effective pieces of advice from Frankie (Clint Eastwood) to Maggie (Hillary Swank) as this over-the-hill trainer helps an past-her-prime boxer in the making.  Starting as a boxing story, yet morphing into something far more serious, Million Dollar Baby tells the tale of persistence and avoiding regret thro...

“There never was much hope. Just a fool's hope.” “But it is not this day.” “White shores…a far green country, under a swift sunrise”.  As Sauron’s army encroaches on the cities of men, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Gandalf, along with their newfound allies of Rohan seek to rally the troops to defend Gondor.  Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam move ever closer to Mt. Doom with their unreliable guide Goll...

"...And All That Jazz!" Set in the fast paced of nightlife of 1920s Chicago, this musical follows two aspiring showgirls turned criminals as they murder their lovers in a fit of rage.  A show about dreams, wrongs, crimes, and spectacle, Chicago combines the realism of the roaring 20s with the showmanship of a Fosse musical. Does Chicago still hold up 100 years after its set and 20 years...

It's been a long break but Cinema Cemetery is back!  Join us this time for a Russell Crowe double-feature as we start the 2000s with a look at Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. Two films of completely different styles and diverse legacies, we finally begin the 21st century.  Joined this week by special guest Teresa, Cinema Cemetery is back in action!   Current Rankings Lawerence of Arabia   The...

“My name is Lester Burnham. This is my neighborhood; this is my street; this is my life. I am 42 years old; in less than a year I will be dead.”  These opening lines set the stage for American Beauty , a turn-of-the-20th-century picture about the beauty…and dysfunction…of suburban American life.  As Lester awakens to the changes he needs to make to his everyday life, his wife and daughter follow s...

“It always works out?” “Why?” “I don’t know; it’s a mystery.” A play-within-a-play, or rather a play-beyond-a-play, Shakespeare in Love tells the fictional tale of the writing of another fictional tale as a young, upstart Shakespeare struggles to create a new comedy all while living a real-life romance/tragedy in the real world. With an all-star 1990s cast, and copious Shakespeare references and E...

“I’m king of the world!” “Jack, I’m flying!” “A real man makes his own luck” “I’ll never let go Jack” “A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets”.  You know the quotes.  You’ve heard about the event, now it’s time to take a look at the film itself.  Nominated for a record-tying 14 Oscars and winning a record-trying 11, Titanic took the world by storm at the end of 1997.  Not only was the film the...

“New lovers are nervous and tender, but smash everything. For the heart is an organ of fire.”  Set at both the beginning and end of the Second World War, The English Patient tells the tale of the eponymous Count Almaszy, burn victim and hospice patient attempting to tell his story and recover his memory in his final days.  As the consequences of his actions circle, other characters struggle to fin...

“Fight and you may die.  Run and you will live…at least for a little while.  They may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom!” These iconic words by William Wallace lead off a Scottish resistance against a long-standing English occupation.  As Wallace’s life is shattered by a brutal English lord, he leads a brave band of warriors to fight back against a far financially and technicall...

“Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you’re gonna get”. With this classic line, we meet Forest Gump, the man who “truly” wrote the second half of the 20th century and influenced many of the great movers and shakers along the way.  From his humble beginnings living with his single mother in boarding house to serving in Vietnam, to meeting the President (x3) to s...

“It is written that whoever saves one life saves the world entire.”  Schindler’s List tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a Nazi opportunist who originally sought to use the German occupation of Krakow for profit who became a savior to nearly 850 Jews during the Holocaust.  Part narrative, part historical record, this movie shows the truth of the Holocaust on full display.  Directed by Stephe...

"I've always thought it was out of character for David to drink anything as corrupt as whiskey." "Out of character for him to be murdered too." Rope tells the story of two friends, Brandon and Phillip, who set out to put a horrific experiment to the test: Is it possible to murder purely for the sake of danger and killing? As the two do away with their friend David, they pr...

"I've killed women and children. I've killed everything that walks or crawls At one time or another. And I'm here to kill you, Little Bill, for what you done to Ned."  Unforgiven, the Clint Eastwood anti-Western from 1992 tells the tale of William Munny, reformed outlaw who is brought back into the assassin game after learning of an unprovoked attack on a young woman. As M...

“Did you kill him?” “No, but best thing for him really; his therapy was going nowhere”. 1991’s Silence of the Lambs tells the tale of FBI trainee Clarice Starling called him to interview Hannibal Lecter in hopes of catching a lead to arrest serial killer Buffalo Bill.  As Hannibal toys with Clarice and the department for his own fun, he leads Agent Starling to not only catch a killer, but learn ab...

Welcome to a special Cinema Cinemetery Double Episode as we close out the 1980s and begin the 1990s with Driving Miss Daisy and  Dances With Wolves . Here we'll be exploring two films which couldn't be more different; one exploring racial differences in the mid 20th century south and the other examing the plight of the Lakota Sioux on the American plains.  Nevertheless, both movies combi...

“I don’t have my books, I’m going to be bookless”.  1988’s Rain Man tells the story of Charlie Babbit, a quasi-successful businessman looking to continue his string of high-risk, high-reward deals.  When his estranged father passes, he initially thinks he’s hit the windfall, only to find nearly all inheritance has been sent to his long-lost brother Raymond.  Raymond, an “autistic savant” in the fi...

“The Emperor has been a prisoner in his own palace since the day that he was crowned, and has remained a prisoner since he abdicated. But now he's growing up, he may wonder why he's the only person in China who may not walk out of his own front door. I think the Emperor is the loneliest boy on Earth.”  1987’s The Last Emperor tells the tale of Pu Yi, the eponymous last emperor of China. ...

“Looking back, we did not fight the enemy, we fought ourselves, and the enemy was in us.” Set in the thick of the Vietnam War, Platoon tells the tale of naive enlisted soldier Chris Taylor as he realizes the horrors of war both beyond, and within, the Platoon.  A film in the spirit of The Deer Hunter and All Quiet on the Western Front , Oliver Stone’s winning film depicts a cinematic version of hi...

“I had a farm in Africa…”  What happens when you cross a farm, Africa, Crocodile Dundee, and discount Lawrence of Arabia ?  You get Out of Africa, loosely based on the life of Isek Dinesen as told in the novel of the same name.  This film follows Karen Blixen as she travels from Europe to Africa to start a coffee farm with her new husband. The episodic film explores themes of colonialism, relation...