Academy-award winning movies

Ordinary People starring Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch

Posted on August 14, 2010 Written by ripitup

Ordinary People starring Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore and Judd Hirsch. Made in 1980, directed by Robert Redford. Image: cinemoviehistory.com

The life of an ordinary family has gotten turned upside down by 2 tragic and shocking events: First, the older son Bucky (Scott Doebler) died in a boating accident during a trip he went with his younger brother Conrad (Timothy Hutton). Then, some time after the accident Conrad attempted suicide by cutting his wrists and very nearly succeeded.

When C onrad comes home from a4-month stay at a psychiatric hospital, he tries to adjust his settings. While his father Calvin (Donald Sutherland) does his best to make him feel better, his mother Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) for some reason seems uncomfortable by his son’s presence.

Conrad goes back to his high school and the swim team but he can’t help but feel disconnected. He loved his brother a lot and his mother’s coldness isn’t helping matters. So he unwillingly starts seeing a psychiatrist named Berger (Judd Hirsch). Disconnected from his mother and friends, Conrad is missing the hospital.

Will Conrad eventually be able to let go of his anger, guilt and depression? Will Calvin manage to reconnect with his son and try to figure out his wife, who seems to be more interested in romantic getaways and social gatherings than her own son’s well-being?

***

Ordinary People, unlike its title, is an extraordinary movie. The plot summary might not have intrigued you all that much but trust me, this movie is an amazing emotional experience. The tagline “some films you watch…others you feel” couldn’t have been more appropriate. This very humane story is directed by Robert Redford. And even though a very young Timothy Hutton’s name is written 4th on the opening credits, the heavy-lifting is mostly on his shoulders as he brilliantly portrays Conrad, a character you like, understand and feel the pain of. And the academy agrees as Timothy won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar with this role. The movie has 3 more Oscars: Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Judd Hirsch, Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore are expectedly good (note that Judd Hirsch was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Moore for Best Actress) but if you do cry, it is probably gonna be Hutton who makes you.

Based on the novel Judith Guest. Written by Alvin Sargent and Nancy Dowd. Directed by Robert Redford.

Rated 7.8 on IMDB and a solid 8 from me, Ordinary People is a must see. The coldness and the weird way Conrad’s mother’s mind works will give you the chills and you won’t be able to help but feel for the father who is trying his best to hold his family together despite what’s happened and what’s still happening.

Fun notes:

The first time we see Conrad’s friends is when they pick him up for school. The guy in the front seat is a very young Adam Baldwin, who you might remember from Chuck- he plays John Casey.
Do you remember the classic Tom Cruise comedy Risky Business? You may not remember the fil exactly but it is the film where his parents go away for a while and our high school kid ends up having a relationship with the prostitute. The classic scene is Tom Cruise wearing a white shirt over his underpants and white socks, wearing sunglasses and dancing in the house. Well, that role could have been Timothy Hutton’s. But after Ordinary People and Taps, Timothy wasn’t really impressed with the storyline so he turned it town. You might see it as a strategic mistake but I have to say, I can see how Timothy would haven’t seen it as a challenge after these two.

Other Movies and Posts featuring Donald Sutherland

Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen and Donald Sutherland

Canadian Celebrity Trivia: Donald Sutherland, Jim Carrey, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Reynolds & More

Other Posts on Robert Redford Movies

3 Movies with Indecent Proposals: The Box, Indecent Proposal and A Perfect Murder

Lions for Lambs starring Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise

Other Movies and TV series with Timothy Hutton

The Absolute Timothy Hutton Trivia

The Killing Room starring Timothy Hutton, Chloe Sevigny and Peter Stormare

Serious Moonlight starring Timothy Hutton and Meg Ryan

City of Industry starring Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff and Timothy Hutton

French Kiss starring Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton

Taps starring Timothy Hutton, Tom Cruise and Sean Penn

Leverage TV Series starring Timothy Hutton

The Ghost Writer starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. Feat. Timothy Hutton

The Good Shepherd starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. Feat. Timothy Hutton

Children of a Lesser God starring William Hurt and Marlee Matlin

Posted on March 3, 2010 Written by ripitup

Children of a Lesser God, starring William Hurt and Marlee Matlin — Children of a Lesser God (1986), starring William Hurt and Marlee Matlin. What a beautiful name for a story. The movie is based on the play of Mark Medoff, written for the screen by Medoff himself. Directed by Randa Haines. The movie was nominated for 5 Academy Awards: Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. It won Best Actress.

James Leeds (William Hurt) the new speech teacher at the school for deaf people. Much to the horror and inconvenience of the principal, he is willing to try new methods to teach his students to read lips and speak using their own voices. His energy and fun methods engage most of the kids and he manages to bond with them.

However, not everyone is willing to learn from him- especially the school’s custodian Sarah (Marlee Matlin), who is one of the old students at school. He is intrigued by this extremely frustrated, angry and smart woman who claims to be content with her cleaning job, as long as she is left alone.

Even though she dismisses James’ efforts, she also finds herself attracted to him. They eventually start a relationship but misinterpretations, misunderstandings and temper will put them through many challenges…

This is a beautiful romance/drama with powerful performances. Marlee Matlin, deaf in real life as well, won the best actress oscar for her portrayal of Sarah and William Hurt was nominated for Best Actor. Sarah’s mother is played by Piper Laurie, another oscar nomination for the film.

Sometimes passionate love stories make you wonder how the actors felt about each other in real life. In this case, William Hurt and Marlee Matlin were together for a while and maybe this adds to the effectiveness of the story.

I especially love William Hurt’s role.

Favorite scene:

– He is teaching a deaf student to feel music and then dances with her. Brilliant. So much fun.

Favorite Line:

James (Hurt): I am falling in…to the pool with you……

photos from:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VQ2GAM62L.jpg

http://randazza.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/children-of-a-lesser-god.jpg

Tom Cruise: The Actor Movie-Goers Love to Hate and Hate to Love

Posted on August 15, 2009 Written by ripitup

I thought about writing a “what on earth happened to you” sort of article for Tom Cruise, just like I did with Mel Gibson, but I thought it wouldn’t be fair. Because although Tom makes us question his sanity with his extreme commitment to Scientology and all the weird gossips going on around him, I still like him as an actor. Unlike Mel, Tom has not appeared in many movies that I don’t like, because apart from Eyes Wide Shut and War of the Worlds, I pretty much like all his work. His appearance also improved as he got older- from cute to sexy and attractive. In fact, the only problem I have with his appearance is his height. His 170 cm.s (5’7″) is not exactly star material. But hey, the guy is one of the richest in Hollywood and I believe his movies deserve that popularity.

My fav. look on Tom. Can be seen in Mission Impossible 2 and Vanilla Sky.

I started to question his sanity after he broke up with Nicole Kidman. Sure heightwise they weren’t the most compatible, Kidman being 179 cm.s (5′ 10″) but lookswise, hell they looked so beautiful together. And they were married for what? 11 years? I know relationships go awry all the time and marriages are even harder but still…If they stuck together that long in Hollywood, there must once have been so strong between them. Now he is married to Katie Holmes.

Tom with Kidman — Tom with ex-wife Nicole Kidman.

If people are going to complain about Matthew McConaughey or Kate Hudson or Ryan Reynolds taking on the same roles, playing the same people, they should really take Katie Holmes to the top of their list. When I was about 14 or 15, I liked Dawson’s Creek. First 2 seasons or so were good-until it became a partner-swapping story. Oh, you know: three guys, 3 boys. Intra-group dating. You imagine the so-called drama and the complications. And Katie Holmes’ pouting. Oh my God, she was- and is- so annoying. She really has one facial expression. Her movie roles did not bring out anything new and for me, Tom’s marrying Holmes seemed like a step down. Nicole’s beauty and versatility as an actress and then to Holmes…Oh well, they seem happy together so I’ll shut up about it. But of course Katie added another thing to the list of things I don’t like about Cruise. Plus, everything about their relationship was so in our face, they were so hard to avoid. There was a time we talked about his movies right?

So leaving his personal life aside… Sometimes I think 80s and 90s were much better times to become stars. Think of Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves and Tom Cruise- I am thinking it will be hard- if not impossible- to reach this kind of popularity and make this much money for male stars. Tom has evolved-both in appearance and acting-since his Risky Business days. He has played in comedy, drama, thriller, war, action and so on. He was nominated for an academy award for 3 times (2 for best actor and 1 for best supporting role). His harmless feel good movies such as Cocktail and Risky Business are classics. No need to mention Top Gun made him. Even though I find most Oliver Stone movies pretentious, I was genuinely touched by Born on the 4th of July. List goes on. But my favorite Tom Cruise ever is Jerry Maguire. It is one of the loveliest stories ever written and although it made me a follower of its writer/director Cameron Crowe, Jerry Maguire remains my fav.

Let’s take a trip in history:

(hey I can’t include everything, you know he has been in a lot of films!!!)

Tom Cruise as a teenager who gets to party home with friends and a hooker. 1983. Risky Business.

Flying School. Lots of action. Romance. Classic Tony Scott film. 1986. — Flying School. Lots of action. Romance. Classic Tony Scott film Top Gun. 1986. There is Val Kilmer too!

Dustin Hoffman won Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of the autistic older brother to Tom Cruise's character. It is an amazing road trip. Fun and deep. 1988. Rain Man is a should-see.

A young man is too willing to go fight in Vietnam. But then he loses a lot. in the war and his return makes for a great anti-war battle. 1989. — A young man is too willing to go fight in Vietnam. But then he loses a lot in the war and his return makes for a great anti-war battle. 1989. Tom Cruise was directed by Oliver Stone. Might be the only Stone movie I ever liked.

Military Drama/ Thriller. Amazing cast: Nicholson, Moore, Kevin Bacon and Kiefer Sutherland. 1992. Yep, there are at least "a few good men" in this film.

First movie of the triology based on the popular tv show of the same name. I prefer the second and the third. 1996. — First movie of the triology based on the popular tv show Mission Impossible. I prefer the 2nd and the 3rd. 1996.

Sports manager J. Maguire takes a big risk when he cares for his clients. He gets his ass fired and a life changing journey starts. I will write its own post. 1996. — Sports manager Jerry Maguire takes a big risk when he cares for his clients. He gets his ass fired and a life changing journey starts. 1996.

It is just a wonderful epic. Lots of action, great cinematography. Saw it 2 times at the theater. 2003. — The Last Samurai is a gloriously wonderful epic. Lots of action, great cinematography. Saw it 2 times at the theater. 2003.

Yes, I still love his movies. As long as he doesn’t talk about his “religion” and stops trying to prove how much he loves Katie on Oprah (remember the time he jumped around on the couch???) , I’ll be fine.