Monday, April 1, 2013

Movie of the Month - L.A. Confidential

In 1997 a grand film with an even grander cast took everyone by surprise. L.A. Confidential, is based on the James Ellroy book of the same name, which is a neo-noir story that tells the tale of police corruption and societies obsession with celebrity. Set in 1950's L.A., it brings Hollywood's vintage years to life with an all-star cast featuring Kevin Spacey, Russel Crowe, Guy Pearce, Danny DeVito, and Kim Bassinger, in a role that would get her an Oscar. L.A. Confidential shows how cutthroat Hollywood can be, and how movie executives were like the mafia and how the police were in their backpocket, but thanks to the hard detective work of three officers who are not afraid to expose the truth. This compelling thriller was nominated for nine Academy Awards and still holds up as one of the best films of the last 20 years and one of the best American films ever made. While 1997 was the year Titanic sailed and conquered theaters and moviegoers, this was the film that should have taken home all of those Best Picture accolades.