favorite movie #58: heaven can wait

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #58 - Heaven Can Wait (1978) - Warren Beatty directed, produced, co-wrote, and starred in this remake of 1941's Here Comes Mr. Jordan. He plays a football player, Joe Pendleton, who is mistakenly taken to heaven before his time — by his officious guardian angel (Buck Henry). Mr. Jordan (James Mason) is called in to rectify the situation and find Joe a body so that he can return to Earth and fulfill his dreams of going to the Super Bowl. "Temporarily" installed in the body of an almost-murdered industrialist, Leo Farnsworth, Joe meets activist Betty Logan (Julie Christie) who makes him think less about sports and more about saving her little town  and the environment. Dyan Cannon and Charles Grodin are hysterical as Farnsworth's murderous wife and her lover (also his assistant). Jack Warden brings heart as Joe's mentor, coach, and surrogate father. Warren Beatty is able to balance the comedy, drama, fantasy, and romance deftly, and he's got a great arm — he's quite believable as a would-be quarterback vying for his last shot at the super Bowl before he ages out of the game. A real charmer.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, as is evidenced by Dyan Cannon's bedroom and its riot of florals.

You'd never forget me either, would you? That thing you said you saw in me. Something in my eyes, remember? If some day somebody came up to you, maybe a football player, and he acted like he'd seen you before, you'd notice that same thing, right? You'd give him a chance? He might be a good guy. — He could even be a quarterback.

favorite movie #30: rebel without a cause

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #30 - Rebel Without A Cause (1955) - There are only three movies that James Dean starred in before his tragic death in 1955 in a car crash, but boy, did he leave an impression. A few months ago the kid and I caught Rebel Without A Cause on TCM. I hadn't seen the film in many years, and I was not only surprised by how easily he sucked me right back in to his character Jim Stark's awkward attempts to make his way in the world, but how affected my fourteen year-old daughter was by his performance, too (and Sal Mineo's tragic turn as Plato). We also recently watched Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of S.E Hinton's The Outsiders, which was heavily influenced by this film. The technicolor is amazing too, with Jim's bright blood-red jacket an immediate icon of "dangerous" youth.

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favorite movie #22 - picnic at hanging rock

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #22 - Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) - This movie is a mystery within a mystery. Beautiful and unsettling to behold. Sofia Coppola is spending much of her career trying to recreate it. A hypnotic mood piece.

favorite movies #21: the way, way back

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #21 - The Way, Way Back (2013) - Sam Rockwell is one of those actors who seems charming and effortless, but I suspect there’s a lot more roiling under the surface. I still think he has yet to find the perfect vehicle for his talent, but he’s come close in quite a few, and manages to steal every scene he’s in. This is a sweet coming of age story with a slightly dark underbelly (mostly in the person of Steve Carell), and I love it. It’s a perfect end of summer movie, too.

Duncan (Liam James): This is the only place I'm happy. 

Owen (Sam Rockwell): What's going on? 

Duncan: I hate him. 

Owen: Who? 

Duncan: Trent. My mom's boyfriend. He said I was a three. He asked me what I thought I was on, a scale from one to ten. He called me a three. Who says that to somebody? 

Owen: Someone who doesn't know you. 

Duncan: I didn't want to have to answer! I shouldn't have to answer! 

Owen: Listen to me. That's about him, man. That's all about him. It's got nothing to do with you. 

Duncan: [vehemently] Yeah? How do you know? 

Owen: 'Cause I know, okay? Don't worry about how I know. My dad was the same way. That's why I don't like patterns and rules. And that's why you can't buy into that shit. You gotta go your own way. And you, my friend, are going your own way.