"2002"

We all make mistakes. From leisure suits in the ‘70s, to “hypercolor” clothing in the ‘80s, to rat tail haircuts anytime, we Americans are notorious for making choices that seemed like good ideas at the time. Despite our less-than-stellar judgment, we tend to demand more of our finest institutions. In particular, we expect our most prestigious award-givers to choose the right winners. Is that too much to ask? Take the Academy Awards (please!). Today, we thought it might be fun to go back through history and point out the most obvious mistakes in the history of the Oscars. Focusing on past recipients of the three major awards (Best Picture, Actor and Actress), we’ll identify the times when Oscar really fell down on the job. And, sad to say, it’s happened more than once.

For those younger movie fans who only know veteran player Albert Finney from his more recent work in movies like “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007) and “Skyfall” (2012), this piece should take you on a voyage of discovery. In truth, you can be forgiven for not knowing just how accompished he is, because though Finney is extremely dedicated to his craft, he cares very little about publicity.

Many memorable films that aren’t strictly musicals have centered on the piano — those who play it, or teach the playing of it. Interestingly this discipline born of talent is not always portrayed in the most glamorous of settings or circumstances. In fact, as the following titles confirm, quite often the piano is the one concrete symbol of cultivation in an otherwise base and misguided world.

The world’s truly great cities have their own DNA:  their distinct characters and moods, strengths and weaknesses.  They say London is a masculine town, Paris a feminine one. Is it true? Regardless, it’s fun to debate. For those of you like me, who are unnerved by the sound of crickets, and who crave the energy and color of urban life, here’s a batch of capital titles, and the capitals that inspired them.

There's a lot of talk these days about disruption and disruptors. But there used to be another name for those who challenged norms: trailblazers. You might also have heard them called “rebels,” “visionaries,” or “iconoclasts.”

Why not go outdoors for a run, you ask? Because I find that by working out on that machine in front of a great action movie, I feel the exertion less and time seems to go by quicker. It all has to do with adrenaline, I'm told.

How often we wish we had a crack team of screenwriters scripting our lives, especially when the moment calls for a tart tongue. One of the many pleasures of the movies is that we can watch as others tackle the smack-talk for us, and revel in idealized comedowns delivered with serious relish.

The challenging, colorful lives of writers often make for solid drama on-screen. While the act of writing is hardly gripping, what it goes into it- the process of delving deeply and fearlessly into the mess and grit of life- can be. 

As producer/director Roger Corman once told me, movies are a kind of alchemy, an outcome of many complex elements. Bad movies can be forged from wrongheaded decisions, great ones can often be attributed to … plain dumb luck. The resulting concoction is all that counts. Of course, when you watch an amazing performance in a great film, it’s hard to envision how it could have been done any other way. Casting is crucial because most often we associate movies with the actors that star in them. But consider how differently a movie might have turned out if an alternate choice had been made. Just a tiny shift in the recipe can make a world of difference.  Here then is a list of 9 actual “what might have been” casting choices from some of our favorite films that prove my point.