‘The Schumies’: honoring 2012’s films

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Friday, 04 January 2013 11:47

As film critics around the world name the best of 2012, “The Schumies” honor the most nutritious achievements of the movie year!

Baked to Perfection: Lincoln

At a time in our world that demands real leadership, director Steven Spielberg reveals what it takes for a leader to look beyond himself to bring out the best in his nation. In an Oscar-worthy performance, Daniel Day-Lewis explores the President’s mind and heart during a defining moment in our history, strongly supported by Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones.

Cream of the Crop: Argo

As the news from the Middle East fills today’s blogs and broadcasts, director Ben Affleck recreates a critical moment of daring, clarity and ingenuity during the Iran crisis that began in 1979. With care and detail, Affleck reminds us that only when we learn from the past can we prepare ourselves for the future.

Cooking with Gas: Django Unchained

Leave it Quentin Tarantino to ring in the New Year with a wildly entertaining romp through the pages of history. In an outrageous tribute to iconic Western films from Hollywood’s past, this creative director delivers a stunning and ultimately moving commentary on the impact of slavery before the Civil War.

Bursting with Flavor: Les Misérables

For everyone who loves this show, the magnificent movie version beautifully honors the original novel by Victor Hugo, celebrates the splendor of the stage production and reinvents the musical film for a new generation. Hugh Jackman is dynamic as the honorable Jean Valjean; Anne Hathaway breathtaking as the tragic Fantine.

Succulent Sensation: Beasts of the Southern Wild 

With life on a Southern delta as a location, and events surrounding a major storm as a catalyst, this lovely films examines how one child learns to save herself, protect her father and nurture the people she cares for. The film also proves that, when the right people are in front of and behind the camera, the budget is irrelevant.

Bringing Home the Bacon: Silver Linings Playbook

The ever-talented director David O. Russell breathes new life into the romantic movie comedy with this delicious dissection of a most complicated relationship between two almost-lost souls. Look for Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence to be in the hunt for Oscar nominations for their stunning performances.

Calorie-Free Popcorn: Skyfall

Just when some wondered if James Bond still matters at the movies, Skyfall breathes new life into the franchise. Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes brings an energetic pace and depth of characters rarely seen in the series to a most exciting roller coaster ride that ranks with the best of Bond on screen.

Proof Is in the Pudding: The Master

With this devastating study of self-destruction, director Paul Thomas Anderson proves he is a master cinema chef who dares to challenge with a unique mix of celluloid ingredients. Like the most nutritious films, this fascinating work prompts meaningful discussion of how people behave, what they deny and what lessons they learn.

Slice of Life: Moonrise Kingdom

At its heart, Wes Anderson’s comedy helps us experience how people react differently to the emotional wilderness that even the best-intentioned families create. The writer/director also reminds us that, even when parents do what they think is best, a child surrounded by love may still hurt noew and then.

Re-heatable Favorite: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Like an enjoyable evening with old friends, this film greets us with familiar faces, comforts us with predictable conversation and moves us with a sincerity of spirit. And even though it may all feel a bit familiar, the film welcomes us with open arms. You may want to visit this hotel many times.

Bitter Aftertaste: Anna Karenina

Rather than prepare us for the inevitable tragedy of the story, or move us with complex characters, the movie makers stage the classic story in an exaggerated, theatrical manner that emphasizes the superficiality of the narrative. What may have creatively appealed to them results in a movie as confused as its heroine.

The Movie Menu

What’s on your family’s movie menu this week? Choosing what films to offer is a lot like planning what meals to serve: You want to savor something you will enjoy at the same time you nourish the mind, heart and body. These nutritional movies are available this week on cable for you and your family.

The history of the United States is a fascinating story of brave people daring to conquer new lands. And while there are thousands, perhaps millions of individual tales to mark the evolution of this country, one film captures the essence of the American spirit that shaped this land. How the West Was Won is second best to traveling in time to experience, almost first hand, what early Americans faced as they settled our nation.

This film, showing Saturday at 5 p.m. on Turner Classic Movies, introduces your family to the challenges of the brave men and women who ride the rapids of the rivers, cross the country by covered wagon, fight in the Civil War and, ultimately, defend the new land against criminal elements. Throughout their struggles they define what we commonly label “the American Spirit,” a magical combination of hope, determination and grit, defying the odds to survive and even thrive in an unforgiving wilderness. You will feel their struggle, sadness and joy as they make the new land their own.

Centering the narrative on one family, the fictional Prescotts, helps the film focus its narrative twists and turns on one group of people. Through their ambitions, disappointments, ends and beginnings, we see the evolution of the land through the eyes of illustrative characters on the ground. And we are reminded that nothing came easily in the new land; everything accomplished in America was acquired from hard work, determination and a refusal to ever give up. This is an essential film for families to share.

For unforgettable fun at the movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark is hard to beat. After all, we all wish, at moments, we could be adventurous enough to get the most out of every moment. That’s what Indiana Jones tries to do every time he searches for a rare antiquity. Of the possible characters for an adventure film, this seemingly dull professor may seem the least likely candidate to be the hero. Students in his college archaeology class likely consider him an ordinary oddity with a passion for old rocks. But, because we are at the movies, we know this guy offers more than meets the eye. And, in Raiders, he immediately lets us know that nothing will get in the way of his sense of daring.

This tasty cinema adventure plays with all the things we can and cannot hide. In a perfectly crafted opening, Indiana’s intentions are simple: deliver an antique figurine to a museum at his college. To do that, he must out-run a giant bowling ball, avoid being killed by a slew of poisonous arrows, navigate a squishy floor, outfox an angry tribe of natives and deal with a snake in an airplane, just as the opening credits conclude. The sequence perfectly establishes the film’s balance between real danger and reel heroism as it whets our appetites for what may happen next. And this all happens while the credits roll.

What makes Indiana such an interesting character — and an effective foundation for the story — is he never loses his sense of humor or takes himself too seriously. There is always something going on in his mind. He’s an ordinary guy who happens to land in some extraordinary places and we’re lucky enough to go along for the ride. By making the character vulnerable, capable of fear and heartache, the Spielberg and Lucas create an everyman who quickly connects with an everyday audience. We believe in Indiana from the start. Even when he is tossed into a cave of snakes (which he hates) we know he will think of something. And when he is tied to a stake in the finale, though the outcome doesn’t look promising, we have faith this guy will not let us down. Look for Raiders on Spike at 7 p.m. Friday.

Serving nutritious movies can be as easy as turning on the television. And be sure, as you watch together, to share what you observe, question and consider. Watching movies together can prompt valuable family discussions.