League of Unpaid Film Critics Critique Cinema Paradiso Hi Bob. The movie the League of Unpaid Film Critics (by the way, the name you created for us has stuck) watched last week was Cinema Paradiso, literally "New Paradise Cinema") the 1988 coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. Set in a small Sicilian town, the film centers on the friendship between a young boy and an aging projectionist who works at the movie theater. This Italian-French co-production stars Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Leopoldo Trieste, Marco Leonardi, Agnese Nano and Salvatore Cascio. The film score was composed by Ennio Morricone and his son, Andrea, marking the beginning of a collaboration between Tornatore and Morricone that lasted until Morricone's death on 6 July 2020. Credited with revitalizing Italy's film industry, Cinema Paradiso has been cited as one of the greatest films of all time. It was a commercial success, and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Cannes Film Festival's Grand Prix. It was nominated for 11 British Academy Awards and won five; including Best Actor for Philippe Noiret, Best Supporting Actor for Salvatore Cascio, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Foreign Language Film. One of the primary themes of the movie appealed to me because, as you know, I was raised in a strict religious household where attending movies in theaters was not allowed. It turns out that many members of the LUFC, like you, were raised Catholic and had similar experiences due to movies being rated unfit for viewing by their diocesan newspapers. We all identified with the movie’s townspeople who never got to see a love scene because the town priest had them edited out. It led Jeff Copeland to wonder how Catholicism could have possibly spread around the world if movie love scenes were forbidden? How did those large families even get started? Poor Pete missed the whole James Bond genre. Other insights and grounds for debate and discussion by the LUFC: What was the writer/director trying to accomplish? Did he accomplish his goal, and was it worth your time and effort? Answer: It was a successful attempt at integrating multiple love stories. Was this a better, tighter movie when the focus was mostly on the love of movies, or more complete when it closed the circle of Toto and Elena’s love story? My apologies for the confusion I created by not making it clear that Elena was in both versions, albeit briefly in the Oscar-winning shorter version. Blame the fog created by the 35 year gap between viewing the two versions. Why was Alfredo’s advice to Toto to leave the island so adamant? Especially going to the lengths he did to make sure Elena and Salvatore never reconnect in their youth? Was Alfredo’s push to have Salvatore make movies more important than helping him find love? Donna and Pete suggested Alfredo may have been trying to live his own unrealized dream through Salvatore, even at the cost of his protege’s happiness. Kriss and other blue-eyed members of the LUFC saw lots of love stories in Cinema Paradiso;. Alfredo’s love of entertaining the townspeople, Toto’s love of learning to be a projectionist, Toto’s lifesaving love of Alfredo, Toto’s love of Elena. But Kriss could not abide Salvatore’s actions that kept Toto and Elena apart. I saw the townspeople as a collective of lovable characters. Did Salvatore lose out on watching those characters evolve during his lifetime, or did Alfredo help him escape from them and their annoying quirks? Mahoney had a special personal connection to the movie because he identified with Toto’s longtime absence from home, triggered by a fire that destroyed the building that housed his first TV job more than 50 years ago. Dr. Copeland admired another of the film’s characteristics: Cinema Paradiso reflects the evolution of movies; silent film to talkies, black and white to color, old crank projectors to state of the art systems. Did Cinema Paradiso foreshadow The Fablemman’s? Did the LUFC solve the mystery of the missing kissing scenes? Did kissing scenes censored by the priest get re-inserted into movies by Alfredo, once they were passed to other communities? If so, what made up the kissing reel? Consensus was that most scenes were put back in, but Alfredo’s occasional confusion or Toto’s rush to have the movies bicycled to neighboring towns left a collection of misplaced kissing scenes for Alfredo to put together as a death-bed gift for Salvatore. One final thing to love about this movie about love for movies: Donna asserted, Sanders agreed and I confirm that young Toto looks like my youngest grandson Cruz. Here’s a recent photo Bob. We miss you.

Pete's Notes The Road to Perdition This movie came out in 2002. It was directed by Sam Mendes. Other films you may recognize from him are American Beauty, Jarhead, and Skyfall-the James Bond film where he once again worked with Daniel Craig. Heading up the cast was Tom Hanks as Michael Sullivan, the mob enforce for John Rooney played by Paul Newman and Daniel Craig, who plays Rooney’s sniveling backstabbing son. Tyler Lee Hoechlin delivered, at 15 years of age, what I thought was a brilliant performance as Michael Sullivan Jr. He unintentionally witnesses a shootout involving his father and Connor Rooney which necessitates them going on the run. Jude Law plays a quirky contract killer hired by Frank Nitti (played by Stanley Tucci) to kill Sullivan Jr. and Sr. He has an interesting proclivity whereby he likes to take pictures of his work upon completion. The movie had a budget of $80 million. It did $22 million it’s opening weekend, ultimately grossing $104 million in the U.S. and Canada and $181 million worldwide. The movie was primarily filmed in several cities in Michigan; however, the Catholic Church scenes were filmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Beecher, Illinois. This movie was nominated for six academy awards including Paul Newman for Best Supporting Actor. It was also nominated for Best Art Direction (set decoration), Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Music (original score). It won the Academy award for Best Cinematography. In total, nationally and internationally, it had 82 nominations and 23 wins. Other tidbits: • Tom Hanks wore a prosthetic nose to make him look more “gangster like”. • The actor playing Michael Sullivan Jr. had to learn to drive for the movie, a task he relished enthusiastically. However, as a precaution there was a stunt driver in the back seat with another set of controls “just in case”. • The piano duet by Paul Newman and Tom Hanks was really performed by them. • To create a villain that could challenge the physically imposing Tom Hanks, director Sam Mendes wanted Jude Law to seem “rodent-like”. In my view, mission accomplished. My takeaways: • The actors in this movie played roles that we do not tend to associate with them today. It took me a bit to reconcile Tom Hanks playing a bad guy since his roles tend to be the likeable good guy. If there is such a thing as a bad guy with redeeming qualities (family man, loyal, trustworthy) he nailed it. Similarly, and it was early in his career, but Daniel Craigs scumbag of a son character is a major departure from what we know him as today from the Bond films. I also loved Jude Law’s character. He was far from the suave debonair type we normally see in his roles. “Rodent like” indeed. • It was understandable that this movie was nominated for cinematography and sound categories. Visually the movie had almost a black and white film noir feel. This was especially effective during the scene where Michael Sullivan Sr. takes out Rooney and his bodyguards- in my view one of the most powerful scenes in the movie. I also thought the scenes that were trying to convey the period in which it took place- the Hotel Geneva comes to mind-really took you back to the thirties (assuming we know what the thirties were like). The music during the entire film heightened the tenseness. But when the scene called for tenderness (between father and son) it delivered. • All through the film there were questions that needed to be answered: 1. Would the mob successfully carry out the hits on the two Sullivans? 2. Would John Rooney’s love for his own son outweigh the affection he felt for Michael Sullivan? 3. Would Michael Sullivan exact the revenge he knew he must take on Connor Rooney (and anyone else who got in his way)? 4. Would Michale Sullivan Jr. choose a life in the footsteps of his father or take a different path? A final message to my colleagues in the L.U.F.C.- my apologies for missing tonight’s meeting. My wife and I committed to a performance at Kaufmann Center with my next-door neighbor two months ago that I completely forgot about. Had I remembered I would have recused myself from tonight’s pick. Having said that, I hope tonight’s selection can now begin the healing process and perhaps my own redemption that is required after my previous pick.

Angelo Badalamenti played one of the Castigliane brothers along with Dan Hedaya. Monty Montgomery, a movie producer, played the cowboy.

Carlton was resting in bed. It was another San Bernadino Sunday morning. He remembered that last night he had inadvertently cut off a motorcyclist. He was sad that he had done it. He needed to pay more attention to his driving. He knew he should gone back to help the guy out but he was in a hurry to make it to his movie that night called 'They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'. Lost in this daze, Carlton suddenly was aware of the sound a Harley Davidson makes as it comes closer and closer to his shack of a home on the outskirts of town. It sounded eerily like the motorcycle he had cut off the night before. "Damn" he thought. How could this guy ever find him. What could he do? There was no way out. He peered out his window. On the dusty road several hundred feet away he saw a motorcycle on the horizon. It could be the guy. Carlton was terrified. He needed to come up with a plan to save his life. Should he offer this biker drugs? Money? Beg for forgiveness? Finally came up with what he thought would be the best plan. He slid under his bed in his cabin home and hoped this rider would give up and think that he was not at home. The chopper pulled up just outside the cabin. Carlton could hear the sound of boots stomping across the wood patio floors in front of the front door. Then there was the terrifying knock on the front door. "Hey, you in there buddy?" he said. Then he slid a sheet of notebook paper under the door. "HEY!" he said. "These are the LUFC Minutes from Monday, July 10, 2023 - Easy Rider" And with that he turned around, got on his bike and rode off. I introduced the meeting by reading some facts from wikipedia about this 1969 motorcycle classic that shaped our young lives. Never mind that they were drug dealing hoods coming out of California, we admired the heck out of them. A short movie, I suggested that it was a movie of 10 scenes and that it could be easlly dissected that way. For a complete recap of the movie, refer to the youtube video here 23 07 10 League of Unpaid Film Critics EASY RIDER (1969) 23 07 10 League of Unpaid Film Critics EASY RIDER (1969) A few of the highlights It was Geoff with a G's first time seeing it. It made Geoff angry at points with the attitudes of the south particularly. He was 6 years old when it came out. The rest of us were around 16. Irish Mike observed that by 1969, their time had passed. Thus Captain America's belief that we had blown it. Terry reflected on the "What exactly was blown?" The 60's was a grand decade. He also mentioned that Jack Nicolson's appearance was iconic, like few other iconic actors. Jeff thought the cinematography was interesting. Particularly in the drug scenes. Gary mentioned that Hoyt Axton wrote 'The Pusher' and that Axton wrote a lot of diverse music. The sound track was interesting. Tall Mike talked about the obviously helecopter shot that took place at the end. I was an interesting shot not used elsewhere. Swedish Mike started a discussion around racism and segregation with the consensus being that the south is not nearly as racist as other parts of the county. He thought the movie highlighted the communal life. He also thought that Dennis Hooper embraced it the most. Next weeks pick should be Donna'a The Pick for Next Week The Last Detail, 1973, Jeff Other Suggested Shows The Wild Angels, Bill The Bear, Tall Mike (S02 E06 Incredible Jamie Lee Curtis episode) Black Mirror, Gary The Lobster. Tall Mike From Sanders: 370eea76-ab02-4041-b64f-318c1150faae.jpg The Lobster (2015) Runs: I hr, 59 mins The Trailer: kzbin.info/www/bejne/goWxi6CFf92od8U In this pitch black romantic comedy set in a dystopian near future, according to the laws of the city, single people are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner within 45 days or they are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods. It stars Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman and John C. Reilly. It is streaming on Max with a subscription and available to rent on the Big 5. On behalf of Bob Walsh LUFC Secretary, Emeritus. Bill Barnhart KCMO

Terry's Notes from the discussion www.sparknotes.com/lit/clockworkorange/terms/ My dearest malenky droogies My sincerest appy-polly loggies for being late with this week's report. I hope you are not razdraz with me and think I am bezoomny, gloopy, or prestoopnick! I had to gooly to Kansick Schnity to see some lewdies to govoreet and guff with. I beg you to pony. But if you do not then you can kiss my sharries. Last Monday we discussed a prestoopnick, grazzy, and sarky movie about ultra-violence and twenty to one. I thought it was horrorshow and of great shilarny. In that I was not oddy knocky In it a zheena was ultra-violenced by a shaika of droogs while her moodge watched. Also, a starry sharp was killed with a bolshy dildo shlaga. The main malenky chelloveck was a hound-and-horny nadsat that did not like to rabbit or go to skolliwol. He liked to gooly out at nochy to crast, have pol, to peet moloko with his droogs, to drats, and to filly. My brats I know I am bezoomy, grazzy, and full of cal but this is all the chepooka I am going to govoreet. I hope you kopat. Thank Bog! Terrick Adkickisong PS It was great radosty to see a devotchka's neezhnies and glazzies! www.sparknotes.com/lit/clockworkorange/terms/

Really nice description of the changes with some perspective from someone who experienced the original version. Nice job.