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Home Theatre: You Don't Know Jack
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Welcome to the one place to go for DVD and Home Video viewing tips!
Silly Thinking's "HOME THEATRE".
And here's your host for "Home Theatre": Jim Farris.
JF: Thank you Jim and hello everyone and welcome to "H.T."
Today we are going to look at the career of Jack Nicholson with review's of four landmark pictures from the 70's to the 00's!
1) In 1969 Jack Nicholson was nominated for his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor in "Easy Rider". The following year Jack made another landmark American movie and was nominated for Best Actor while the film racked up nominations in the Best picture, Director, and Screenplay categories.
It's kind of a lost America treasure and if you've never seen it "5 Easy Pieces" is now available on DVD from Columbia/ Sony Home Video.
The 70's is now called the second golden age of movies in this country, with the emergence of Martin Scorcese, Spielberg, Altman, and Lucas, but there were many other director's who produced brilliant films in the 1970's and were thought to be at the peak of an "American New Wave".
Bob Rafelson was at the forefront of this wave and this film was the first film of 1970 to set a high gold standard. It's a story of a country at the crossroads and the frustration of a generation burned by politics, war, and the love generation rotting at the core.
Nicholson plays a man who cannot live with the hypocrysy of his life and rebels against family, lovers, and himself. It is a terse postcard from an era now long forgotten. This film is a history lesson and great drama.
Rafelson went away after a few films and died in the early 90's. Supposedly burnt out by drugs and a reckless lifestyle. This was his masterpiece.
2) Ten years later, in 1980, Jack Nicholson was one of the most sought after actors in the world with a string of 70's classics in his wake.
It was then that reclusive Stanley Kubrick aquired the rights to Stephen King's "The Shining" and persuaded Nicholson to play the haunted Jack Torrence in his film adaptation of the novel.
This film has become a horror classic and Nicholson gives one of his signature performances ("Here's Johnny!") co-starring with beautiful Shelly Duvall.
Stanley Kubrick's historic tracking shots and moody set design work magic in the DVD format and the "Making of.." short (directed by Kubrick's wife) has shot's in private dressing rooms and quiet moments on the set you rarely get to see. You also get to check out the inner workings of that enormous set.
The DVD from Warner Brothers is in full screen but don't worry that's exactly how Kubrick intended it.
3. In 1997 Nicholson won his second Oscar for best actor in James Brooks' "As Good As It Gets". Brooks and Nicholson work well together (Jack won a Supporting Oscar in "Terms Od Endearment" two decades earlier) and this superb comedy is proof of a collaboration that is remarkable in film history.
The character Jack creates here is a remarkably unlikeable son of a bitch that you just love. He has a hard time with nieghbors, women, co-workers, and complete strangers because he calls them names and has NO tact. AT ALL.
To one degree or another all of these films are road trips and all portray Nicholson having a hard time with women. His relationship with Helen Hunt (who also won an Oscar for this film) is one of the finest written battle of the sexes stories ever commited to celluloid.
Columbia/Sony DVD in both full and wide screen with great commentary by the director and actors. Watch it twice! (The second time listen to the comments.)
4. In 2002 Jack Nicholson did "About Schmidt" (Disney Miramax) a departure role for the actor (who I began to think could not show us anything new). Here Nicholson is a middle aged retired business man in the suburbs whose wife dies suddenly. He goes on a journey of self discovery unlike any road trip before it.
This film is one of those great suprises that I enjoyed more the second time on DVD. The extra are intresting (The cut scenes are a must for any Nicholson fan) and the film's intimate subject matter is enhanced on the smaller screen.
Jack Nicholson's performance got better the second time, but really that's no suprise. This guy is like fine wine who just keep get better and better.
JF: Jim, back to you.
JF: Thanks Jim that was great. Join us tommorow when Connie Chung will be here to bring you all the
latest from tommorow's Democratic primaries.
Jim Farris presents Doug Lain with Silly Thinking. It really all is here!
Silly Thinking's "HOME THEATRE".
And here's your host for "Home Theatre": Jim Farris.
JF: Thank you Jim and hello everyone and welcome to "H.T."
Today we are going to look at the career of Jack Nicholson with review's of four landmark pictures from the 70's to the 00's!
1) In 1969 Jack Nicholson was nominated for his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor in "Easy Rider". The following year Jack made another landmark American movie and was nominated for Best Actor while the film racked up nominations in the Best picture, Director, and Screenplay categories.
It's kind of a lost America treasure and if you've never seen it "5 Easy Pieces" is now available on DVD from Columbia/ Sony Home Video.
The 70's is now called the second golden age of movies in this country, with the emergence of Martin Scorcese, Spielberg, Altman, and Lucas, but there were many other director's who produced brilliant films in the 1970's and were thought to be at the peak of an "American New Wave".
Bob Rafelson was at the forefront of this wave and this film was the first film of 1970 to set a high gold standard. It's a story of a country at the crossroads and the frustration of a generation burned by politics, war, and the love generation rotting at the core.
Nicholson plays a man who cannot live with the hypocrysy of his life and rebels against family, lovers, and himself. It is a terse postcard from an era now long forgotten. This film is a history lesson and great drama.
Rafelson went away after a few films and died in the early 90's. Supposedly burnt out by drugs and a reckless lifestyle. This was his masterpiece.
2) Ten years later, in 1980, Jack Nicholson was one of the most sought after actors in the world with a string of 70's classics in his wake.
It was then that reclusive Stanley Kubrick aquired the rights to Stephen King's "The Shining" and persuaded Nicholson to play the haunted Jack Torrence in his film adaptation of the novel.
This film has become a horror classic and Nicholson gives one of his signature performances ("Here's Johnny!") co-starring with beautiful Shelly Duvall.
Stanley Kubrick's historic tracking shots and moody set design work magic in the DVD format and the "Making of.." short (directed by Kubrick's wife) has shot's in private dressing rooms and quiet moments on the set you rarely get to see. You also get to check out the inner workings of that enormous set.
The DVD from Warner Brothers is in full screen but don't worry that's exactly how Kubrick intended it.
3. In 1997 Nicholson won his second Oscar for best actor in James Brooks' "As Good As It Gets". Brooks and Nicholson work well together (Jack won a Supporting Oscar in "Terms Od Endearment" two decades earlier) and this superb comedy is proof of a collaboration that is remarkable in film history.
The character Jack creates here is a remarkably unlikeable son of a bitch that you just love. He has a hard time with nieghbors, women, co-workers, and complete strangers because he calls them names and has NO tact. AT ALL.
To one degree or another all of these films are road trips and all portray Nicholson having a hard time with women. His relationship with Helen Hunt (who also won an Oscar for this film) is one of the finest written battle of the sexes stories ever commited to celluloid.
Columbia/Sony DVD in both full and wide screen with great commentary by the director and actors. Watch it twice! (The second time listen to the comments.)
4. In 2002 Jack Nicholson did "About Schmidt" (Disney Miramax) a departure role for the actor (who I began to think could not show us anything new). Here Nicholson is a middle aged retired business man in the suburbs whose wife dies suddenly. He goes on a journey of self discovery unlike any road trip before it.
This film is one of those great suprises that I enjoyed more the second time on DVD. The extra are intresting (The cut scenes are a must for any Nicholson fan) and the film's intimate subject matter is enhanced on the smaller screen.
Jack Nicholson's performance got better the second time, but really that's no suprise. This guy is like fine wine who just keep get better and better.
JF: Jim, back to you.
JF: Thanks Jim that was great. Join us tommorow when Connie Chung will be here to bring you all the
latest from tommorow's Democratic primaries.
Jim Farris presents Doug Lain with Silly Thinking. It really all is here!
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