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Theme Week Wrap-Up (Week 11)

Theme Week Wrap-Up James Caan Tribute Week Hiya plebs! This was a heavy week of long runtimes, mostly 70s cinema, and mixed results. We skipped The Godfather on purpose to focus on James Caan in leading roles and came away with one clear winner plus a few uneven surprises. Top Pick of the Week Misery (1990) - 90/100 Pure edge-of-your-seat entertainment, with phenomenal performances from James Caan and Kathy Bates. Ranked Board Five films, one tribute week, and a broad quality gap. We got one classic thriller, one strong character study, one decent sports bromance, and two titles that did not age well for us. #1 of the Week Misery (1990) Score: 90/100 An intense and highly entertaining thriller with unforgettable performances. #2 of the Week Bria...

Funny Lady (1975)

Funny Lady is a 1975 American biographical musical comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Barbra Streisand, James Caan, Omar Sharif, Roddy McDowall and Ben Vereen. A sequel to the 1968 film Funny Girl, it is a highly fictionalized account of the later life and career of comedian Fanny Brice and her marriage to songwriter and impresario Billy Rose. The screenplay was by Jay Presson Allen and Arnold Schulman, based on a story by Schulman. The primary score was by John Kander and Fred Ebb. source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funny_Lady Story of singer Fanny Brice's stormy relationship with showman Billy Rose. source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073026/ ***SPOILER ALERT*** A Sequel Full of Showbiz Spark and Uneven Rhythm KRASNAYA: Hi there! We close our week with a charming musical dramedy from 1975 - Funny Lady. A movie that is the continuation of Funny Girl (1968), in which Barbara Streisand mad...

The Gambler (1974)

The Gambler is a 1974 American crime drama film written by James Toback and directed by Karel Reisz. It stars James Caan, Paul Sorvino and Lauren Hutton. Caan's performance was widely lauded and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Some see the film as a loose adaptation of the short 1866 novel The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gambler_(1974_film) Axel Freed is a literature professor. He has the gambling vice. When he has lost all of his money, he borrows from his girlfriend, then his mother, and finally some bad guys that chase him. Despite all of this, he cannot stop gambling. source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071532/ ***SPOILER ALERT*** A Sharp Character Study of Self-Destruction KRASNAYA: Fourth in line in our tribute to James Caan is The Gambler, a 1974 crime drama filmed by Karel Reisz. The screenplay for the film was written by James Toback. He wrote his own story...

Rollerball (1975)

Rollerball is a 1975 science fiction sports film directed and produced by Norman Jewison. It stars James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses Gunn and Ralph Richardson. The screenplay, written by William Harrison, adapted his own short story, "Roller Ball Murder", which had first appeared in the September 1973 issue of Esquire. Although Rollerball had a largely American cast, a Canadian director, and was released by the American company United Artists, it was produced in London and Munich source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollerball_(1975_film) In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game. source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073631/ ***SPOILER ALERT*** Corporate Dystopia, Violent Sport, and Mixed Impact KRASNAYA: The third movie of our tribute week to Jam...

Brian's Song (1971)

Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the life of Brian Piccolo (James Caan). The production was such a success on ABC that it was later shown in theaters by Columbia Pictures with a major premiere in Chicago; however, it was soon withdrawn for lack of business. Critics have called the movie one of the finest television movies ever made. A 2005 readers' poll taken by Entertainment Weekly ranked Brian's Song seventh in its list of the top "guy-cry" films. source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian%27s_Song Based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers and the bond established when Piccolo discovers that he is dying. source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068315/ ***SPOILER ALERT*** A Moving Story of Friendship and Loss KRASNAYA: Hello friends and Freddie! Our second film, Brian's Song, is based on true events, telling the story of the ...

Misery (1990)

Misery is a 1990 American psychological thriller film directed by Rob Reiner, based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name, starring James Caan, Kathy Bates, Lauren Bacall, Richard Farnsworth, and Frances Sternhagen. It received highly positive reviews and was a box office success. Bates' performance drew widespread praise from critics and won her the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 63rd Academy Awards, making Misery the only film based on a Stephen King novel to win an Oscar. King himself has stated that Misery is one of his top ten favorite film adaptations. source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_(film) After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse. source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100157/ ***SPOILER ALERT*** A Tense and Brutal Start to James Caan Week ...

Week 11 Announcement

Weekly Theme Announcement Welcome to Our 11th Week: James Caan Tribute Hiya everyone! Last week we lost another big screen gangster. We decided to skip our movie raffle and dedicate this week to James Caan who passed away on the 6th of July at the age of 82. We are doing a tribute just like we did recently with Ray Liotta. We found wonderful movies starring Ray Liotta and I think we will do it again now with Caan. I know we Caan... sorry. I picked 5 movies with James Caan in the leading role that seem really interesting. I can only remember him as Sonny and from not very significant secondary roles. It seems like his "golden age" was in the 70's, so 4 of his movies picked at the video store are from that decade. Join us this week in our celebration of James Caan life and work. "What I do quite honestly and seriously and not in any way being humble is not as important as what the garbag...