TDOS Cabin by the Lake Movie Draft - DRAFT COMPLETED

[VF21]

With my penultimate pick, I went back to a real Disney classic.

Bambi - 1942

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034492/



I have always loved this movie. I never realized it before, but part of the reason I love living in the forest may be because of this film. Again, I'm sticking with my rule of only picking movies that have a personal meaning for me and a deer in the forest with true close friends fits the bill completely. (It may also explain why I have never been a hunter.)

Classic animation style, wonderfully cute characters and messages about love and kindness keep this film relevant even today. This was original Disney and I'm going to love watching this film in my cabin by the lake.

 

[bajaden]

Well, it would have been fun to participate in this, but it's too late now. Maybe next time....

 

[Telemachus]

Well, it would have been fun to participate in this, but it's too late now. Maybe next time....

You can do the joker pick when it comes back around.

 

[HndsmCelt]

With the 11th pick I select Gabriel Axel's Babettte's Feast (1985).


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092603/

I could easily have made my list 12 wonderful films about food, and this would have been number one. This is quite simply the best film about food ever made. It has the look and feel of a Bergman film for good reason, much of the cast and crew are regulars in his work. The Danish/French Babette's Feast is based on a story by Isak Dinesen, the pen name of Karen Blixen also the source of the very different Out of Africa (1985). Stephane Audran plays Babette, a 19th century Parisian political refugee who seeks shelter in a rough Danish coastal town. Philippa (Bodil Kjer) and Martina (Birgitte Federspiel), the elderly daughters of the town's long-dead minister, take Babette in. As revealed in flashback, Philippa and Martina were once beautiful young women (played by Hanne Stensgaard and Vibeke Hastrup), who'd forsaken their chances at romance and fame, taking refuge in religion, retaining strong emotional connections to the lives they had stepped away from. Babette holds a secret that may very well allow the older ladies to have a second chance at life. This is one of the great movies about food, but there are way too many surprises in Babette's Feast to allow us to reveal anything else at this point (except that Ingmar Bergman "regulars" Bibi Andersson and Jarl Kulle have significant cameo roles)

The stark cold Danish coastline makes a wonderful contrast to the warm life in Paris and it is the juxtaposition that allows the camera to explore the vital connections between the feeding of the soul and the delights of the flesh. This is a film that explores gifts as both generous tokens of the heart and talents we possess. But in the end it is about sharing earthy delights as spiritual communion.

 

[Double-K]

My next pick is one of my favorite horror thrillers...

Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1978)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077745/

Will be back for comment...

 

[Turgenev]

Apologies for my slowness. I live, work, and sleep in Australia. I'm also hosting someone at the moment so less free time.

Note. I chose a movie that was suggested to be inappropriate. I have since changed this selection.

Control. 2007.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421082/


Film about Joy Division. Stylish. Painful. Good soundtrack (obv). I first watched it at my mothers place, who has had a strong influence on my musical taste.

Msg sent.

 

[King-Da-Yah]

Round 11, pick 6:

Jaws - 1975

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/



Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum, Ba-Da-Dum!!!

Seriously, that has to be the most iconic audio from a film ever. They dare not reboot this franchise, because the original is a masterpiece!

I saw this film in my film class in high school, after having avoided it my entire adolescence because of a fear of sharks. Such an amazing movie, and a steal in the 11th round.

Pm sent to hrd...

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Picking "in absentia" on behalf of @hrdboild:


With the 7th pick of the eleventh round (167th overall)...

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
– Peter Weir / Action Adventure

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311113/
​

___Why are there are so few truly great film representations of naval combat in the age of sail? No matter, Peter Weir has got us covered with Master and Commander, a movie so well-made that I could tell you it came out last week instead of 15 years ago and I bet you would believe me. Don't let the cramped quarters of the ship decks, to which we are confined for most of the duration, fool you -- this isn't a movie that tediously explores military procedure. That ship is the entire world to this band of English sailors and we get an unexpectedly diverse range of characters to learn about. There's Russell Crowe's noble and egalitarian Captin Jack Aubrey, the ship's doctor and resident botanist played by Paul Bettany, tragically meek midshipman Hollom, 14-year old midshipman Boyle and so many others. They're in pursuit of French frigate Acheron and they're outclassed and outgunned right from the beginning. Will the crew of the HMS Surprise manage to escape capture and turn the tables on the enemy ship? Only if they've got their wits about them and the weather gage in their favor. Curiously, the ship they were chasing in the novel was actually an American frigate but evidently 20th Century Fox didn't think American audiences could handle being portrayed as the villains of the story. I know Russell Crowe wants a sequel and I'm right there with him!

Musical choice: Luigi Boccherini -- La Musica Notturna Delle Strade Di Madrid No. 6, Op. 30

Msg sent to @whitechocolate.

 

[whitechocolate]

White Men Can't Jump (1992), Ron Shelton​

​

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105812/?ref_=nv_sr_1​

I was raised in the '90s so it only feels appropriate to choose a childhood favorite of mine for this decade. White Men Can't Jump is the first R rated movie my parents took me to the theater to see and it's been a favorite of mine ever since. Where this movie shines most is the dialogue and the chemistry between Wood Harrelson's and Wesley Snipes' characters. The two main characters each have their own distinct swagger and watching their personalities both clash and get along is a joy. The dialogue is fast and filled with humorous trash talk. I have more of this movie's script memorized than any other film. Rosie Perez also gives a terrific performance and provides the wisdom that her character's boyfriend lacks. The clothes are very '90s and bring a sense of nostalgia for us older millennials. The lighthearted take on racism is also very '90s.

 

[R2D2]

Ben-Hur (1959) William Wyler



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052618/

In 1959 MGM unspooled a three-hour-and-37-minute Charlton Heston film with an unprecedented $15M budget. The outcome? An extraordinary motion picture, greater in dimension and significance than any similar film of its time. Ben-Hur is a highly rewarding dramatic experience, rich and complex in human values: a great adventure, full of excitement, visual beauty, thrills and unsurpassed cinema artistry. The story of Ben-Hur and his feud with Messala is fictional, but the authors and director of this film have presented this fiction in the best realistic tradition. It is a spectacle film, the story of how a man takes on the tyranny of the Romans, with all sorts of horrible consequences to himself and his family, is powerful and gripping. And as biblical epics go – Ben-Hur witnesses the crucifixion of Jesus – it's hard to beat, even if the moral ("death generates death") seems to have remained lost on the world in the six decades since the film was made. Ben-Hur, which won 11 Oscars, is still one of cinema's greatest milestones.

 

[Double-K]

Ben-Hur (1959) William Wyler

Had me worried for a second that you'd pick the remake

 

[R2D2]

Had me worried for a second that you'd pick the remake

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Annie Hall (1977) Woody Allen

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075686/

When the movie draft rules were laid down and we were required to select at least one film from each decade, I decided to hold myself to a slightly higher standard and select two films from each decade. Right off the bat, I knew that the '70s would be the hardest decade for me, and my plan going into the draft was to take Star Wars with my first pick (even at the risk of losing Casablanca!) However, I didn't get the #1 overall pick and that plan went straight out the window 30 seconds into the draft. Then in the second round The Godfather went right in front of me and the '70s became more or less a "punt" decade. I figured I'd take one of the Monty Python films (check) but after not only racking my brains for 70's films that I really wanted in my cabin but checking multiple lists of the best 200 films of the decade nothing ever stood out in front of Annie Hall. The plot is relatively simple - Woody Allen plays a neurotic Woody Allen (renamed Alvy Singer) reminiscing over a relationship that he had with Diane Keaton playing a ditzy Diane Keaton (renamed Annie Hall). It's funny and mostly lighthearted and eminently rewatchable - perfect for the cabin.

I'm a bit surprised that Annie Hall lasted this long, but all but two drafters had fulfilled their 70's requirement by the 6th round, and only Turgenev was left - and Annie Hall doesn't seem to fit into his theme so I figured it might be safe for a while and took the chance on 1977's Best Picture sliding a little.

 

[Padrino]

I'm a bit surprised that Annie Hall lasted this long, but all but two drafters had fulfilled their 70's requirement by the 6th round, and only Turgenev was left - and Annie Hall doesn't seem to fit into his theme so I figured it might be safe for a while and took the chance on 1977's Best Picture sliding a little.

Well, general audiences are having to reassess their relationship to Woody Allen and his films because of a wide variety of unsettling controversies he's left in his wake as an important and visible filmmaker. I know I have a bit of difficulty returning to his filmography, given many of the allegations that have been leveled at him. I especially find it hard to approach Woody Allen movies that feature May-December romances (and there are more than a few). Annie Hall certainly isn't among the biggest offenders on this point, and I think it remains Allen's most eminently-watchable film, and one of his best. But still... I'm less surprised that Annie Hall lasted this long than I would have been, say, even a decade ago.

 

[Padrino]

With my penultimate pick, the 171st of the TDOS Cabin by the Lake draft, I select...

Looper (2012):

Director: Rian Johnson
Dir. of Photography: Steve Yedlin
Writer(s): Rian Johnson
Score: Nathan Johnson
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels
Genre(s): Science fiction, action, crime drama, thriller
Runtime: 1 hour, 53 minutes

IMDb Entry: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1276104/?ref_=nv_sr_1

As a film lover, I tend to gravitate toward auteurist directors who tread across particular kinds of cinematic terrain. Maybe it's their approach to light that grabs me. Maybe it's the genre they most effectively operate in. Maybe it's their chosen material. Maybe it's the thematic concerns they carry from one film to the next. Maybe it's their partnerships with particular cinematographers, or actors, or musicians. Usually it's a combination of some or all of the above. In the spirit of that resonance, my draft has featured two picks each from Steven Spielberg--one of the "Movie Brats" who changed the very shape of cinema in the 70's and 80's--and Denis Villeneuve--one of the new millennium's greatest filmmaking visionaries. Rian Johnson now joins them as a director who has crafted two films I consider worthy of inclusion in my cabin by the lake. And he's the first to receive back-to-back picks in my draft!

--Sidebar: You can also play a little silent guessing game here. My next and final selection of this draft will likely come from another of the directors already on my list--

Rian Johnson's first two films (as well as his direction of three of the strongest episodes of AMC's Breaking Bad) were enough to bring him to the attention of Kathleen Kennedy, who scooped him up to direct The Last Jedi, and is eventually handing him the reins to envision an entirely new upcoming Star Wars trilogy of his own design. But prior to working for Disney on the biggest film franchise in existence, Rian Johnson crafted a strange and cerebral and exceptionally-taut little science fiction thriller called Looper.

The film is set in 2074, after time travel has been made possible. But it concerns itself with the seedy underbelly of a world in which time, as a concept, no longer matters. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun--called a "looper"--awaits to execute the target. It's assassination made easy. The catch is that, after the hired gun eventually outlives his usefulness, a future version of himself will get sent back in time for him to kill, thus closing his "loop." Enter Joseph Gordon-Levitt as "young Joe," one such assassin, and Bruce Willis as "old Joe," the future version of himself who manages to escape the circumstances of his own assassination. It's a wonderfully novel concept, and the film makes delightful use of its narrative twists and turns to tell a story of time travel unlike any other.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is slowly building a filmography filled with strong, understated performances, and Looper may be his finest hour, both for the layered approach he brings to Joe, and for the work he puts into reflecting Bruce Willis' performance for maximum verisimilitude (it's worth noting that Gordon-Levitt is also acting beneath a layer of facial prosthetics that function to approximate what a younger Bruce Willis might have looked like in this world). On the subject of Bruce Willis, it's harder than it looks to crowbar an engaged performance out of him in these latter days of his career, but Johnson managed to tap into that quippy, world weary, blue collar grit that Willis has made his trademark. Though his character is not as eminently watchable as, say, John McClane, Willis is clearly invested in the role, and it's a delight to see him giving-a-sh*t on screen once again.

As with The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson's auteurist chops are on clear display--both as a writer and as a director. He and cinematographer Steve Yedlin shot an absolutely gorgeous film that happens to be about very ugly human impulses. Johnson has also created a future that not only looks plausible, but feels deeply connected to now. After all, no future exists for humanity where sh*tty people decide to stop being sh*tty to one another. Some things change, but most things stay the same. Looper may not yet be quite as celebrated as other science fiction masterpieces of the last couple of decades, but it's absolutely worthy of consideration alongside any of the other films included in my list.

PM sent to @Sluggah.

 

[Lowenherz!]

Well, general audiences are having to reassess their relationship to Woody Allen and his films because of a wide variety of unsettling controversies he's left in his wake as an important and visible filmmaker. I know I have a bit of difficulty returning to his filmography, given many of the allegations that have been leveled at him. I especially find it hard to approach Woody Allen movies that feature May-December romances (and there are more than a few). Annie Hall certainly isn't among the biggest offenders on this point, and I think it remains Allen's most eminently-watchable film, and one of his best. But still... I'm less surprised that Annie Hall lasted this long than I would have been, say, even a decade ago.

Well, that being said, I picked Annie Hall in the 18th round last time we did this draft and, by my own rules, was only able to because it wasn't picked at all in the draft we did a decade ago. If anything, Cap picking it here in the 11th round demonstrates a net gain in popularity.

While it's easy to attribute a lack of current popular enthusiasm for Allen's films due to Allen's personal indecency (though Chinatown doesn't seem to suffer a negative "Polanski effect" as evident by these drafts) I think it has more to do with what Cap alludes to in his write-up: the rather "of it's time" phenomenom of American 70s cinema.

The New Hollywood wave's dark, gritty, uncomfortable realism may have been a fresh and exciting change from the studio system for audiences at the time, but the staying power of the films themselves is more elusive than their influence.

While there are certainly many films from the era I appreciate and admire from a narrative and technical standpoint, I'm lucky my personal favorite film was made in 1979. Otherwise I'd be hard pressed to pick a 70s film I love.

 

[Padrino]

Well, that being said, I picked Annie Hall in the 18th round last time we did this draft and, by my own rules, was only able to because it wasn't picked at all in the draft we did a decade ago. If anything, Cap picking it here in the 11th round demonstrates a net gain in popularity.

While it's easy to attribute a lack of current popular enthusiasm for Allen's films due to Allen's personal indecency (though Chinatown doesn't seem to suffer a negative "Polanski effect" as evident by these drafts) I think it has more to do with what Cap alludes to in his write-up: the rather "of it's time" phenomenom of American 70s cinema.

The New Hollywood wave's dark, gritty, uncomfortable realism may have been a fresh and exciting change from the studio system for audiences at the time, but the staying power of the films themselves is more elusive than their influence.

While there are certainly many films from the era I appreciate and admire from a narrative and technical standpoint, I'm lucky my personal favorite film was made in 1979. Otherwise I'd be hard pressed to pick a 70s film I love.

All of that is completely fair. I would only add that I think we can draw a distinction between Polankski's Chinatown and much of Allen's filmography, in that Chinatown doesn't exactly betray Polanski's horrid inner self. The incestuous subplot certainly does become creepier in light of Polanksi's personal indecency, but on the whole, the film stands well enough apart from the artist that created it. Allen's unfortunate... predilections... on the other hand, appear to be deeply embedded in the very soul of his work. Many of his films take on an entirely new meaning when filtered through the lens of his indecency.

 

[Sluggah]

With the 172nd of the TDOS Cabin by the Lake draft, I select...

True Romance (1993)



Tarantino’s first screenplay for a major motion picture and one of my top 5 favorite films during my teens and twenties. A love story, fantastic dialog, amazing cast, and naturally tons of violence. What’s not to love?

Message sent.

 

[Jespher]

With my 11th pick, I select:

Big Hero 6 (2014)



IMDB Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2245084/

Gotta have something for the kids, and this film checks all of the boxes for summer popcorn picture fun. Superhero flick meets sci-fi utopia, meets Disney animation, mixed in with Spider Man light family drama. The storyline of Hiro is complex, emotionally engaging, and inspires the audience to root for him even as he is making some selfish mistakes.

I return to this film as a bridge between my childhood and my children. I still have my superhero action figure collections from the 1980s and 90s, from the D/C super power figues where you can squeeze the flash's arms and he runs, most of the X-Men, TMNT, Master's of the Universe (mostly without those rubber band appendages), G.I. Joes, and transformers. This film brings the hero play back in a child like and fun way, with Fred's enthusiasm, Hiro's heartfelt loss, and a huggable robot.

Quotes:

Spoiler

Hiro: Okay. If my aunt asks, we were at school all day. Got it?
Baymax: [loudly] We jumped out a window!
Hiro: No! Quiet! Shhh!
Baymax: [whispering] Shhh! We jumped out a window!
Hiro: You can't say things like that around Aunt Cass. Shhh!
Baymax: Shhh!
[Hiro walks up the stairs. Baymax tries to follow and faceplants on the first step, then pops back up]
Baymax: Shhh!
Cass: Hiro? You home, sweetie?
Hiro: Uh, that's right.
Cass: I thought I heard you. Hi.
Hiro: [casually] H-Hey, Aunt Cass.
Cass: Oh, look at my little college man. Oh, I can't wait to hear all about it! Oh, and wings are almost ready.
Baymax: Weeee!
Hiro: [whispers] Will you be quiet!
Cass: Yeah, weeee! Weeooh!
[as Hiro desperately tries to push Baymax upstairs, unseen]
Cass: All right, get ready to have your face melted! You are gonna feel these things tomorrow, you know what I'm saying? Okay, sit down, tell me everything.
[She turns around and Hiro's not there]
Hiro: [hurrying back down the stairs] Um, the thing is, since I registered so late, I've got a lot of school stuff to catch up on.
[Loud thud]
Cass: What was that?
Hiro: Mochi. Ooh, that darn cat!
[notices Mochi rubbing up against his legs]
Cass: Well, at least take a plate for the road, okay?
[Hiro quickly tosses Mochi into his room]
Cass: Don't work too hard.
Hiro: Thanks for understanding.
Baymax: [petting Mochi] Hairy baby! Hairy baaaby!
Hiro: All right, come on.
Baymax: Health care, your pers... personal Baymax companion.
Hiro: One foot in front of the other.
[Baymax tries to step into his charger, and keeps missing the step]

Fred: [talking through camera] Hiro, if I could have any superpower right now, it would be the ability to crawl through this camera and give you a big hug.

Wasabi: [During the car chase] Why is he trying to kill us?
[He sticks his head out the window]
Wasabi: Um, why are you trying to kill us?
Fred: It's classic villain. We've seen too much!
Honey Lemon: Let's not jump to conclusions. We don't KNOW he's trying to kill us.
Fred: [spots a car flying towards them] CAR!
Honey Lemon: HE'S TRYING TO KILL US!

Fred: [singing] Six intrepid friends, led by Fred, their leader, Freeeeed! Fred's Angels, mm-mm-mm! Fred's Angels, mm-mm-mm! Harnessing the power of the sun with the ancient amulet they found in the attic! Mmm-m-mm! The amulet is green! Mmm-m-mm! It's prob'ly an emerald...
Wasabi: Fred? I will LASER-HAND you in the face!

Tadashi: Wow, a lot of sweet tech here today. How are you feeling?
Hiro: You're talking to an ex-bot fighter. Takes a lot more than this to rattle me.
Go Go: Yep, he's nervous.
Fred: Oh, you have nothing to fear, little fella.
Honey Lemon: He's so tense.
Hiro: No, I'm not!
Honey Lemon: Relax, Hiro. Your tech is amazing. Tell him, Go Go.
Go Go: Stop whining. Woman up.
Hiro: I'm fine!
Wasabi: What do you need, little man? Deodorant, breath mint, fresh pair of underpants?
Go Go: Underpants? You need serious help.
Wasabi: Hey, I come prepared.
Fred: I haven't done laundry in six months. One pair lasts me four days. I go front, I go back, I go inside out, then I go front and back.
[Wasabi dry-heaves]
Tadashi: Wow, that is both disgusting and awesome.
Go Go: Don't encourage him.
Fred: It's called recycling.

 

[Lowenherz!]

I'm left with about a dozen alternate picks at this point, which is a good problem to have, but makes these final two picks tough.

I've decided, in the spirit of these drafts giving the spotlight to movies others may not have seen, I'm tabbing one of the films on my list that has never been picked yet.


Escape from New York - 1981

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082340/

What to say about this post-apocalyptic gritty/goofy John Carpenter cult gem?

Kurt Russell is an eye-patch wearing anti-hero called Snake (with an extra hiss) who breaks into the world's biggest maximum security prison, Manhattan Island, in the far flung post world war 3 future of 1997 to save the President of the US.

Yeah, that's enough. Now enjoy these awesome posters.

 

[Telemachus]

I'm left with about a dozen alternate picks at this point, which is a good problem to have, but makes these final two picks tough.

I've decided, in the spirit of these drafts giving the spotlight to movies others may not have seen, I'm tabbing one of the films on my list that has never been picked yet.
View attachment 8188

Escape from New York - 1981

What to say about this post-apocalyptic gritty/goofy John Carpenter cult gem?

Kurt Russell is an eye-patch wearing anti-hero called Snake (with an extra hiss) who breaks into the world's biggest maximum security prison, Manhattan Island, in the far flung post world war 3 future of 1997 to save the President of the US.

Yeah, that's enough. Now enjoy these awesome posters.

View attachment 8189 View attachment 8190 View attachment 8191

Hey, Snake! I thought you were dead.

 

[Double-K]

With my penultimate pick, the 171st of the TDOS Cabin by the Lake draft, I select... Looper (2012)

After your last pick, I was not at all surprised that you'd pick Looper. Haha...

 

[foxfire]

11th pick Avatar - 2009



Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/

I need another adventure movie, and this will do nicely! More cool animals, nature vs science, and finally,

Spoiler

nature wins!

 

[Jack Jack]

Withe the Joker pick, I choose:

Despicable Me 2 (2013)



The sequel is funnier. Let's bring some minions!

IMDB Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1690953/

 

[Warhawk]

11th pick Avatar - 2009

View attachment 8195

Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/

I need another adventure movie, and this will do nicely! More cool animals, nature vs science, and finally,

Spoiler

nature wins!

Nice choice. Fun movie, awesome visuals, and one of the few movies I have ever felt were actually worth seeing in 3D. Another Cameron movie, by the way. If you look at my list you will see some of his work there.

 

[Warhawk]

For my final selection (unless VF decides to extend the draft a bit.... ) I wanted something to remind me of home:

Lady Bird - 2017

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4925292/

A love letter to Sacramento wrapped in a coming-of-age story of Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson who is a high school senior in Sacramento in 2002. She wants to get away from her overbearing mom and go to school in New York, ultimately realizing how much growing up in Sacramento meant to her.

This isn't, in case you can't tell by looking at the rest of my list, a typical "Warhawk" type movie. Much more my wife's speed than mine. But we went and saw it on a "date night" when our son was out with friends and I really, really enjoyed it. The story was alternately funny, touching, and a bit sad at times, but the hometown connections and the feeling that growing up in Sacramento means something really gets to me.

I'm glad to have this excellent movie on my island when I want to slow down a bit and remember that growing up around here was something I don't take for granted.

I'm not going to go into all the accolades and awards it was nominated for. I'll leave you with a couple of quotes from the film:

Marion McPherson: I want you to be the very best version of yourself that you can be.
Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson: What if this is the best version?

Sister Sarah Joan: You clearly love Sacramento.
Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson: I do?
Sister Sarah Joan: You write about Sacramento so affectionately and with such care.
Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson: I was just describing it.
Sister Sarah Joan: Well it comes across as love.
Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson: Sure, I guess I pay attention.
Sister Sarah Joan: Don't you think maybe they are the same thing? Love and attention?

Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson: Hi Mom and Dad, it's me, Christine. It's the name you gave me. It's a good one. Dad, this is more for Mom. Hey, Mom, did you feel emotional the first time that you drove in Sacramento? I did and I wanted to tell you, but we weren't really talking when it happened. All those bends I've known my whole life, and stores, and the whole thing. But I wanted to tell you I love you. Thank you, I'm... thank you.

 

[VF21]

With my last pick, I am very pleased to add a movie I watch every single July 4.

Independence Day - 1996

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116629/

I love Will Smith and I think this role, while not his most famous and obviously not the most serious, is my favorite of all his films.

So many great lines in such a fun flick. I'm glad it was still here to cap off my 2018 Cabin by the Lake movie list.

 

[Lowenherz!]

For my final selection (unless VF decides to extend the draft a bit.... ) I wanted something to remind me of home:

Lady Bird - 2017

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4925292/

A love letter to Sacramento wrapped in a coming-of-age story of Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson who is a high school senior in Sacramento in 2002. She wants to get away from her overbearing mom and go to school in New York, ultimately realizing how much growing up in Sacramento meant to her.

This isn't, in case you can't tell by looking at the rest of my list, a typical "Warhawk" type movie. Much more my wife's speed than mine. But we went and saw it on a "date night" when our son was out with friends and I really, really enjoyed it. The story was alternately funny, touching, and a bit sad at times, but the hometown connections and the feeling that growing up in Sacramento means something really gets to me.

I'm glad to have this excellent movie on my island when I want to slow down a bit and remember that growing up around here was something I don't take for granted.

I'm not going to go into all the accolades and awards it was nominated for. I'll leave you with a couple of quotes from the film:

Marion McPherson: I want you to be the very best version of yourself that you can be.
Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson: What if this is the best version?

Sister Sarah Joan: You clearly love Sacramento.
Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson: I do?
Sister Sarah Joan: You write about Sacramento so affectionately and with such care.
Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson: I was just describing it.
Sister Sarah Joan: Well it comes across as love.
Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson: Sure, I guess I pay attention.
Sister Sarah Joan: Don't you think maybe they are the same thing? Love and attention?

Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson: Hi Mom and Dad, it's me, Christine. It's the name you gave me. It's a good one. Dad, this is more for Mom. Hey, Mom, did you feel emotional the first time that you drove in Sacramento? I did and I wanted to tell you, but we weren't really talking when it happened. All those bends I've known my whole life, and stores, and the whole thing. But I wanted to tell you I love you. Thank you, I'm... thank you.

View attachment 8202

I also had Lady Bird in the running for my last pick largely for the same reasons you laid out. It was a darkhorse option to be sure, as I'm reluctant to draft movies I've only seen once a few short months ago, but the Sacramento connection is powerful and very real.

In its own right, the film is a pitch perfect coming-of-age story, with complex characters and relationships, and brilliantly understated humor we just don't see in modern major release comedies anymore. But even more than that on a personal level, hearing characters in a major release film discuss Granite Bay, The Fabulous 40s, Tower Bridge, et al, ticked every nostalgia and homesick bone in my body that I didn't even know I had.

But it goes beyond merely being set in the city where I grew up (and the tingles I felt during the dialogue exchange Warhawk posted when Christine/Lady Bird realizes she truly loves the very town she's trying to escape and how that relates to her relationship with her mother). The film is also set in the last year my own mother was alive.

By happenstance, the movie inadvertently acts as a time capsule of my mom's final year in Sacramento. Christine discovering the letters from her mom that she just couldn't find the right words to finish, and Christine's final voice message back are cinematic moments that will forever speak to me on a personal level. They gave me uniquely sweet sorrow understandings of how much I love and miss both my mom and Sacramento and how closely the two are tied together in my mind and soul.

Just like Lady Bird.

If we do this draft again in a few years, maybe Lady Bird will have found its way into my top 10.

 

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COMISSIONER NOTE: I am chagrined beyond all belief to confess that I did not send a PM to hndmcelt last night after I posted my last pick. For that reason, I cannot in good conscience penalize him if he does not make his pick in the next 25 minutes. I am very sorry. My only excuse is ... I have no excuse.

 

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HndsmCelt has timed out. Double-K is on the clock and yes, I'm sending a PM to him.