To Kill a Mockingbird Tagged Articles at Cinematical

With the Writer's Guild members on strike, it's time for you wannabe screenwriters to push through the picket lines and get noticed. I don't actually know how possible this is. I kinda shrugged off my own mother's suggestion of this idea thinking it not possible -- well, that and the fact that I haven't really wanted to be a screenwriter for many years now. But I figure, if possible, the easiest way to get noticed would be to write up a brilliant adaptation of a popular book that's been in need of a good script. Need some examples of such books? Check out The Onion's latest list, "If you film it ... : 21 good books that need to be great films, like now." Many of these books have already been optioned by or sold to producers and some of them are currently on the track to getting made. Others, like Confederacy of Dunces, have been attached to multiple filmmakers and stars for nearly thirty years now. Someday it will probably get filmed, but the point of this list is not that it needs to be adapted. It needs to be adapted well. Actually, better than well. In the satirical paper's words, it needs to be a great film.

To admit how badly read I am, at least with regards to popular fiction, I've only read three of the 21 books. The rest I'm at least familiar with through news of their respective film deals and/or development, much of which Cinematical has covered. Of those three I've read, one is something I was recently excited about being adapted until it fell through, one is something I can't imagine making a great film because memoirs hardly work cinematically, and one I've seen adapted once and could care less about being adapted again, especially since it's the subject of an annoying legal battle (can you guess the three?). Anyway, the list is pretty well-thought out, but it made me wonder what most people think makes a great adaptation. Do people really prefer movie versions to be literal translations, or do they want something less redundant in their adaptations? Personally, I've always championed the latter. To me, a great film is one that is brilliant enough that: 1) You don't easily say the usual, "the book was better," nonsense; 2) You can still read the book without it having been ruined by the film -- major points if you can even ignore the cast of the film while reading; 3) It utilizes the film medium so that it now seems necessarily appropriate that the story is being depicted visually rather than verbally; 4) That it communicates new ideas that the novel didn't communicate. I know of three adaptations that come closest to fulfilling these four standards of excellence, To Kill a Mockingbird, About a Boy and Adaptation. I'm sure there's plenty others, but like I said, I'm not well-read enough to be sure.

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If you're a true movie geek, you probably refuse to dress up at Halloween in anything but a movie-related costume. I guess I'm not a true movie geek, because two years ago I went as Family Guy's Quagmire, who as of yet is not in any movies. Last year, though, I was Harpo Marx. I haven't decided what to be this year yet, but it isn't definite that I'll be something with cinematic reference.

Of course, if I was a real, hardcore movie geek, I wouldn't just settle for the basic, predictable movie-themed outfit. I'd go for the gold, and be an uber-geek. How? I would doubly dress up as a movie character who is dressed up as somebody or something else. To do so, I would pick one of my favorite non-Halloween costumes and disguises depicted on film (it isn't as fun dressing as a character who is dressed up for Halloween). However, most of these would be difficult to achieve -- or at least too obscure to wear to a common party, where the crowd isn't as film familiar as you. If you attempt any of these, good luck! And please, please send me a photo.

1. Harpo Marx and Chico Marx as Groucho Marx in Duck Soup (1933, Leo McCarey)

See, now if I had really wanted to be geeky (or pretentious), I would have not just dressed as Harpo last Halloween; I would have dressed as Harpo dressed as Groucho. In one of the most famous sequences in any Marx Brothers film, Pinky (Harpo) and Chicolini (Chico) each disguises himself as Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho) in order to steal some war plans. The real gem of the sequence, of course, is the "mirror scene" (watch it if you've never seen it before, please), where Pinky pretends to be the reflection of Rufus until Chicolini appears and ruins everything. Although historically it was only Harpo and Chico who were often mistaken for each other, or for twins, all three brothers look so alike here, that when they're all together, it is almost difficult to tell who is who. If you want to pull this double-costume off, it won't be hard -- Grouch faces are easy to do, and then you just need a sleeping cap and gown -- but I doubt you'll get much tolerance when you constantly correct everyone who thinks you're simply Groucho.

It's Robert Duvall's birthday, and for once, I found exactly the image I wanted to share. Duvall is 75 years old today, but the above photo is from his first film role, when he was barely 30 years old. Describing the image is a tad spoiler-ish if you are one of the six remaining people who haven't yet read or seen To Kill a Mockingbird -- in which case, go rent the movie already, immediately, and come back when you're done. The rest of us surely remember Boo Radley, a nons-peaking yet memorable character, talked about but unseen until the last scene of the 1962 movie. I was a junior in high school when I first saw To Kill a Mockingbird in my English class, and I was just starting to become interested in movies. The realization that this pale, eerie chararacter was played by the same guy who portrayed Frank Burns in the movie M*A*S*H was a bit of a shock ... and when I tried to share the news with various classmates, I realized that no one else had seen the movie M*A*S*H, or any of Duvall's other films until that point (the late 80s). I also remember mentioning Diane Keaton to my classmates -- her birthday is today, too -- and having someone ask if she was a character on Family Ties. Ah, the sad and lonely life of the film geek.

I first saw Duvall in The Great Santini, and although I haven't seen the movie since childhood, I still remember that nasty and powerful scene in which he plays basketball with his son. Over the years, Duvall hasn't been afraid to play unsympathetic characters, but even when he's mean or ornery, he's a treat to watch. He's been in some of the best movies of the 1970s: the first two Godfather movies, Network, Apocalypse Now. At QT Fest last year, I enjoyed watching him in a more obscure 1973 film, The Outfit, based on a Donald Westlake novel. He won an Oscar for his role in the 1983 film Tender Mercies. In recent years, he's continued to take memorable roles, whether he's the center of attention, as in The Apostle, or in an amusing supporting role, as in Thank You for Smoking. Now tell me which of your favorite Duvall films I haven't mentioned.

We like to give celebrities a lot of crap about their baby naming practices. Of course, names like Apple and Suri and Banjo and Rumor and Moon Unit seem ridiculous to most of us normal folk who prefer common names like Michael and Elizabeth, but a lot of non-celebrities are just as guilty with their name choices. I'm talking about movie fans and other celebrity-obsessed parents. A recent survey in the UK has revealed a lot of interesting names given to newborns, including Gandalf, Superman and Harry Potter. None of these are exactly movie-related, and they could be the result of fans of literature or comic books, but I'm willing to bet they have more to do with the recent film versions of the works in which these characters appear.

Other baby names that should lead to future torment include Addidas, Reebok, Tiger, Snoop, Gazza, Arsenal and Apple (after Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter). Some popular names associated with famous people, though less likely to garner ridicule, are Madonna, Kylie, David Beckham, Peaches, Keanu and Britney. This isn't that strange, though. Many of the people I know were named after someone famous, whether an actor, musician or writer.

I have to admit honestly that I can relate to parents wanting to reflect their fandom at the expense of their poor children. For most of my life, I claimed that I would name my first son Atticus. Then, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore had to name their daughter Scout, and I didn't want to seem like a copycat. The final blow to my idea, however, came when I heard that Atticus was the name of one of Jake Gyllenhaal's dogs (the other is named Boo).

Last week on The Poll (calling it The Poll makes it sound as if it's more important than it really is and, since I like to feel special, I may do that from time to time), we talked about controversial films. Entertainment Weekly came up with a list of those they considered most controversial,and we debated which ingredients belong in such a film -- and some of us even mocked EW for coming up with yet another crappy list.

For this week's (Episode? Edition? Version?) of The Poll, we will focus on a different list: AFI's 100 most inspirational films of all time. And yes, I'm curious -- what makes a film inspirational? Not surprisingly, they chose It's a Wonderful Life as its top pick.  Ya know, some guy learns the meaning of life after an angel shows him what things would be like if he never existed. There's not a Christmas film that exists in which this one isn't on a television somewhere in the background. Has it ever inspired me to be a better person? No. Has it made me feel good? I suppose. And I guess feeling real good after watching a film is a form of inspiration.

Some other films ranked high on the list include Rocky, To Kill a Mockingbird, Schindler's List and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. One of my personal favorite feel-good flicks is Rudy, and I was somewhat peeved to see it all the way down at number 54. I mean, how does one film make you feel better than another? How do you rank inspiration? Honestly, at the end of the day, if there's anything this list inspires me to do, it's to never read another one of these lists.

So, I ask you: In your mind, what makes a film inspirational? And, after taking a look at AFI's list, do you feel some films should have been ranked higher than others or is it impossible to rank such a thing in the first place?

 

Oscar-winning art director and production designer Henry Bumstead has died from prostate cancer, according to the Los Angeles Times. Bumstead, who was born in Ontario, California, in 1915, began his career during the Depression as an apprentice draftsman at RKO Studios but was quickly hired by Paramount Pictures where he was taken under the wing of art-department head Hans Dreir (Oscar-winning art director for Sunset Boulevard). After World War II he began designing films for Paramount and by the middle of the next decade his stint at the studio led him to work with Alfred Hitchcock on The Man Who Knew Too Much and then Vertigo, the latter which got him his first Academy Award nomination. In 1960 he moved on to Universal and collaborations with Robert Mulligan. He won his first Oscar in 1963 for Mulligan's To Kill a Mockingbird. Then the 70s saw him working a few times with George Roy Hill and earning his second Oscar for The Sting.

Bumstead had a fairly weak period during the 1980s, but after teaming with Martin Scorsese on the remake of Cape Fear in 1991, he was hired by Clint Eastwood for Unforgiven, which led to another nomination. From that point he worked with Eastwood on eight more films up until he was diagnosed with cancer during production of Million Dollar Baby. In 1998, Bumstead, who was known as "Bummy" to friends and colleagues, received a lifetime achievement award from the Society of Motion Picture and Television Art Directors.

In an interview with MovieMaker Magazine, Henry Bumstead summed up his life as a great success: "I'm very happy. Nobody could've had more fun than I had. I've seen the world first class and worked with lots of talented and wonderful people. Sometimes I wake up in the night and just can't believe that I've been able to raise four kids, send them all to universities and, at the same time, been so lucky to do what I've always loved to do. It's been a great life every minute of it."