Where is the 'W' in Simply_Crispy's "Epinions Dictionary Write-off"? Search no more!
May 20 '03 (Updated Jul 03 '03)
The Bottom Line It's finally here...
When I looked in Webster’s Universal Dictionary and Thesaurus, I found these definitions for ‘W’:
W (Chemical symbol): tungsten
w (abbreviation): watt(s); west
Uh-huh. These are true, but the ‘W” I refer to is the twenty-third letter of our alphabet.
Just for the record, I have not seen the following ‘W’ movies (Shame shame):
Wait Until Dark (1967)
A Walk in the Sun (1945)
War and Peace (1956)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
Waterworld (1995)
The Westerner (1940)
What Women Want (2000)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
White Oleander (2002)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)
The Wild One (1953)
Winchester '73 (1950)
The Wind (1928)
Wings (1927)
Witness (1985)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Woman of the Year (1942)
The Women (1939)
Written on the Wind (1956)
Wuthering Heights (1939)
Helpful resource, aren’t I?
Well, this review won’t be much helpful anyway. Being that Chris is whining and moaning about people being late, I’ve decided to finally unleash this review. Many of these entries are a mess I understand, and your favorite film or actor may be missing. But I shall revise in the next couple of weeks in order to solve these problems (And add Simpson characters). So try to enjoy.
Walk-On
A minor role, usually without speaking lines. Many directors, most notably Alfred Hitchcock, are notorious for this.
Walken, Christopher (1943-)
An actor I know little about because I’ve seen few of his pictures (It’s not that I don’t care for him. I just haven’t had the initiative). He did however win an Oscar for The Deer Hunter and was recently in Catch Me if You Can. He also made a cameo, like so many others, on The Simpsons (Though it’s debatable as to whether it was actually him reading “Good Night Moon”).
Walla (Also called “rhubarb”)
(From IMDB) Background conversation. Historically, when a script called for "crowd unrest" or "murmuring", the extras would be required to mumble the word "rhubarb", as this produced the required effect. I saw a special about this on AMC and was quite fascinated.
Warner Bros.
One of the premier film studios in the world, Warner Bros. has many of the greatest movies of all time included in its vaults (Or at least now copyrighted to them). Best Picture winners Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest stem from this collection. Indeed, they now own a large bulk of the vintage films of the 1940’s.
Washington, Denzel (1954-)
Perhaps the most respected black actor working today, Washington has proven versatile in so many roles. With his handsome, finely tuned mannerism, he’s won two Oscars for Glory (Best Supporting Actor, 1989) and Training Day (Best Actor, 2001). He’s also appeared in roles ranging from action/drama (Crimson Tide) to just drama (Antwone Fisher, which was also his directorial debut). I’ll confess that, as with many entries here, I don’t know jack about the topic. But who does?
Wayne, John (1907-1979)
The most recognizable actor in America and possibly the world, Marion Morrison first got his start in movies as an extra. He worked in bit parts or low budget films for years before changing his name and finally hitting it big in 1939’s Stagecoach. He never looked back. He’s had the most leading parts of any actor in history, including classics such as Red River, The Calvary Trilogy (Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Rio Grande), The Quiet Man, The Searchers (His finest work), Rio Bravo, El Dorado, True Grit (Which won him a Best Actor Oscar) and The Shootist. Frequently worked with John Ford and Howard Hawks and is best known for his gruff voice and no-nonsense demeanor (Though he regularly kept a sense of humor).
Waynio
Wayne is one of the most underrated reviewers on site. He hasn’t been around as long as some, but already fits in right well. He joined Epinions in July 2002 (What seems to be the great year of Epinions arrivals) when he went nowhere as a hack screenwriter. On here, though, he’s sub-par, being able to add perception and wit to a review of any product. Check him out.
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Sentimental, clichéd but involving story of the first American action in Vietnam. Mel Gibson provides a sturdy performance as Lt. Col. Hal Moore, who led troops into the La Drang Valley in 1965. The cast, consisting of Madeline Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliot Chris Klein, Barry Pepper and others, are also excellent. And the battle scenes are destructive and gruesome without having to utilize toned down colors and nauseating hyper editing, as in so many war films today. I don’t think of it as superior to such classics as Apocalypse Now, Platoon or Full Metal Jacket (A misunderstood movie, I might add). Maybe because some of those people who say Soldiers is better were never fans of those films to begin with, which makes their opinions extremely biased. Either that or they may be ranking this film higher because it’s more patriotic and upbeat than those films, which is a plus in this crazy world we live in now (Though that also reminds me of a quote from Paths of Glory). But this is still a movie worth seeing, though nothing could replicate the experience I had seeing it in theaters.
Weirdo_87
What can be said about this man: He’s simply brilliant! He’s got an electic, versatile taste in movies, a great group of friends and the best damn profile pic on site. If this blasted place had any sense, he would be a top reviewer by now, maybe even advisor, and be on tens of thousands of trust lists. Sure he isn’t as productive as other reviewers, even being frequently late (And I mean late) for write-offs. But that’s intentional. It makes each of his opinions all the more special (Note: If you want to see writers at the complete opposite of the spectrum, check out mfunk75, lemon_lime or Simply_Crispy, all of whom are just horrible).
Welles, Orson (1915-1985)
G. Orson Welles was a prodigy from the moment he was born: By the age of ten he was putting on magic shows. By 1938, he had established theatrical productions in New York and on radio with “Mercury On the Air”, which led to the infamous “War of the Worlds” broadcast. Many people around the country became convinced that Martians were attacking, causing a nation wide panic and forcing Welles to publicly apologize. In Hollywood, he was given unprecedented creative control over a film project. After two false starts, he finally got the ball rolling on a film project the RKO management gave the name “Production 281”. The result, Citizen Kane, is often considered the greatest motion picture of all time, with it’s innovative editing, cinematography and narrative techniques (It also caused a stir of controversy for it’s supposed depiction of media mogul William Randolph Hearst). But his time in Hollywood wasn’t so glamorous after that. Following the debate over Kane, studios didn’t want to get into trouble anymore. So from The Magnificent Ambersons onward they would regularly interfere in Welles’ projects by tinkering with them after he’d finished. None of these movies exist today in their intended forms (The exception is Touch of Evil, which was restored in 1998 by using notes Welles had written). But they still received acclaim, nonetheless, which certainly says something (And I don’t think it was out of sentimentality for Welles, since Kane was topping “Great Movies” list while he was still alive and well). In addition, Welles also had lead or supporting parts in these and other pictures, most notably in The Third Man. By the end of his life, Welles was so desperate for work that he was appearing in commercials to make ends meet. He apparently also left several films unfinished. A sad end to his life, but not the end of his legacy. Received 1975’s AFI Lifetime Achievement Award and, to the Academy’s credit, shared an Oscar for writing Kane (Only an Oscar!?!?!).
West Side Story (1961)
Overlong, oversentimental but still entertaining mix of Shakespeare, street warfare and musicals. Winner of 10 Oscars, including Best Picture (Though it beat The Hustler! But nobody ever said Oscar was accurate).
Western
(From IMDB)A movie set in the "Wild West" of the late 19th-century United States (Which often involved going through uncharted lands and/or engaging the natives). Was also a regular star vehicle for actors such as John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood and James Stewart.
The Internet Movie Database has a list of westerns at http://us.imdb.com/List?genres=Western&&tv=on
"What we've got here is failure to communicate."
The most memorable line in Cool Hand Luke (1967), which is muttered by the Prison Warden to a misguided Luke Johnson. Sums me up well, though for different reasons (I just can’t communicate…).
When We Were Kings (1996)
Documentary on 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle”: Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman. Very good stuff with behind the scenes looks into the lives of both contenders. The Rock so mimics Ali in his trash talking (“I’m dancin’! I’m dancin’!”)
Where Eagles Dare (1967)
Entertaining, if admittedly unbelievable, World War II action/adventure yarn about an allied commando mission on a hidden fortress. Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton lead the troops, whose objective is to rescue a captured allied general. Or at least that’s how it starts. Very good, but get Guns of Navarone if you can.
White Heat (1949)
James Cagney, in what maybe his best performance, portrays a psychotic gangster whose kept from the edge of insanity by his loving mother. But while in prison, he suffers a breakdown when he learns his Ma has died. He pursues the people who did it and gets rounded up in another robbery. The picture is a bit over the top, but it’s consistently engaging and suspenseful. The supporting characters played by the likes of Virginia Mayo and Edmund O’Brien help out as well. And Cagney never had a better end scene: As Pauline Kael wrote, “He literally explodes”.
Widescreen
To this day, many people are still unaware of the advantages offered by watching a movie in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, or Anamorphic Widescreen. The more common format is 1.33:1 “Academy” (Also “standard” and “Pan and Scan”) ratio, which fills up the whole television screen. Many people (Dumb blondes and druggies, in particular) think they’re getting more in academy ratio because the whole screen is filled and hate Widescreen mainly because of those “Black bars”. Those black bars, my friend, are common. They’re there when you’re in a god-forsaken movie theater! Thus, you’re getting the movie in exactly the same way that the director originally intended for it to be shown. But this doesn’t mean that we can savor every movie in all it’s cinematic glory. The first Widescreen film (The Robe I believe) didn’t come out until 1953, which means Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca and so many others will forever be in pan and scan. And some directors today still prefer the standard ratio. But you should otherwise take and embrace Widescreen like oxygen or a [hot] woman willing to give you a lap dance.
The Wild Bunch (1969)
It is a gruesome picture, but buried inside are themes dealing with humanness and manliness and responsibility. Okay, I’ll admit that I only watched the first side of the DVD before I had to return it. But I intend to get that second side someday. And the movie is boldly shot and directed by Sam Peckinpah, with excellent performances by William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan Edmond O’Brien and others.
Wilder, Billy (1906-2002)
Wilder was truly a master filmmaker. His pictures often featured cynical, lonely characters, but that could be why they stand so fresh. They don’t delve into sentimentality, which make them He’s often considered a comedy director/writer, since his most popular films fall into that category (Stalag 17, Some Like it Hot and The Apartment, though all three have a certain harshness to them). But he also made his stamp on film noir in Double Indemnity (One of the genre’s benchmarks in dialogue, plot and characterization) and Sunset Boulevard (Which is a tough cookie to categorize, but has more nourish trademarks). His most well known foray into drama was with The Lost Weekend, which is melodramatic and admittedly dated, but also undoubtedly compelling. Won Oscars for writing Boulevard and Writing/Directing Weekend and Apartment, including one for producing the latter, and received 1986’s AFI Lifetime Achievement Award and an honorary Oscar that same year. We need more like him.
Willis, Bruce (1955-)
Unlike many contemporary action movie stars, Bruce Willis hasn’t lost his touch. Arnold Schwarznegger is the Hulk Hogan of Hollywood. Granted, he’s kept himself in great shape, but how much longer can he keep up his work schedule alongside other twenty or thirty-something actors? Steven Seagal is a has-been (Have you seen the guy recently?) and Sly Stallione never was (Except for a brief moment that was soiled by 18 sequels). Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan and Jean-Claude Van Damme are passable, but have never had much box office appeal (Well Chan does, but when was the last time Van Damme made a movie that lasted a week? Maybe that’s why he changed his name to Rob and became a pro-wrestler.) Willis, though, is the one that has best survived. Maybe because, even in his bleakest hours (The fun but overblown, self-important Armageddon and The Story of Us, which no one can be too harsh on), we can forgive him. After all, he brought us the average police cop turned hero in Die Hard and, to a limited but strong extant, the two sequels. He’s also shown he can act, for he dominated in Pulp Fiction (At least in his vignette).
Okay, so I may not know that much about him. But I would have looked stupid putting him in the reject box.
Wipe
(From IMDB) An editing technique in which images from one shot are fully replaced by the images of another, delimited by a definite border that moves across or around the frame.
For an example of this, watch the first opera performance in Citizen Kane: When the camera moves upward through the theater to some stagehands on a balcony, the camera moves from a real set through a model and back to real. That’s the magic of editing.
Wise, Robert (1914-)
Wise is one of the most versatile and acclaimed, yet also underrated, directors of all time. Beginning as a film editor, Wise is most well known at this time for doing the innovative editing tricks on Citizen Kane. He also oversaw the studio demolishing of The Magnificent Ambersons, though the film probably turned out better than if he had left it up to the studio alone. He began his directorial career in the mid-1940’s. His most famous projects are The Day the Earth Stood Still, Run Silent, Run Deep, West Side Story (Best Picture and Director, 1961) and The Sound of Music (Also Best Picture and Director, 1965). He’s also been president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Director’s Guild of America and received 1998’s AFI Lifetime Achievement Award.
“With”
Credit utilized for the supporting players in a film following the main leads. These sometimes turn out to be the best parts in the respective film.
Wizard of Oz (1939)
When people think of timeless movies, they think of this one. Young and old, sane and insane have enjoyed this one for 60+ years. The plot, in case you don’t know, involves a young girl who experiments with drugs and goes on the ultimate acid trip. Her house gets blown away to a very brightly colored land, with midgets dancing in circles, cowardly lions, talking scarecrows and tin men and flying monkeys!
At least that’s how I think it goes.
Wokelstein
I tried writing out an entry for Wokel using my own words. But I think my buddy Chris does the job better in his Epinions Awards (http://www.epinions.com/content_3152126084, for I still haven’t mastered the customizing of hyperlinks):
Bloody hell, this boy can talk, with a typical review clocking in at 3,195 words. Explaining every single aspect of the film, not to mention his own personal emotions and viewing environment for a film (something he quite rightly asserts can have a genuine affect on your viewing experience) Wokelstein has proved himself to be a consistent, and laboriously pleasurable writer of film essays over the past three years.
[So Chris isn’t as horrible as I originally thought. I promote him to mediocre, which is still bad, but is leagues above Mike and Chad:).]
Wood, Edward (1924-1978)
The king of low budget pictures. Ever seen Ed Wood? That’s all you need to know…
Word-of-mouth
The thing that could make or break a film’s success. Positive word of mouth occurs when a movie is expected to do bad or isn’t highly anticipated, but is saved and seen by more people due to positive criticism from viewers. On the other hand, negative reaction could occur if a film is highly promoted as the bang of the year, but turns into the whimper of the millennium.
Several films have gone by word of mouth. The Shawshank Redemption was a dud when initially released, but became a sensation on home video. Titanic was also anticipated to be a flop, but is now the highest grossing film in the world (Though the initial hype was very much correct). And the recent My Big Fat Greek Wedding seemed to be in theaters for a decade before it landed on home video (And is still playing in some, I believe). On the other hand, you can look towards Cleopatra, Heavens Gate and the recent Gods and Generals as proof that film studios can make very bad decisions. VERY bad.
Working Title
(From IMDB) The name by which a movie is known while it is being made. This is sometimes different from the title with which it is released.
I believe that one of the initial titles for Citizen Kane was American. Sunset Boulevard was also called A Can of Beans while in production (Though this was done more to mislead nosy Hollywood producers)
World Wrestling Entertainment – WWE (Formally known as World Wrestling Federation – WWF).
Ah, the ultimate guilty pleasure. Vincent K. McMahon should be honored by all of us (Or at least all males). The man turned professional wrestling from a regional business to a national, multi-billion dollar company providing “Sports Entertainment”. He appealed to many people by incorporating soap-opera-esque storylines into his major shows (RAW on Monday, SMACKDOWN on Thursday, Pay-Per Views monthly) and sprinkling on some cartoonish violence (Steel chairs solve all problems) and racy content (Everybody needs some T & A). The recipe worked, as many teens, young and old adults have been lured into it. One of them is me. I don’t quite know why: I can’t deny that the sport is trashy. And several story-lines have been awful (Weddings and wrestling have not, do not and should not mix). “Vinnie Mac” has also made some bad business decisions (A football franchise? Bad, but not as much as the buy-up of longtime rival WCW, which made him pro-wrestling’s dictator but also eliminated competition to improve his own product. That and their name change in May 2002 due to the animal molesting World Wildlife Fund). But the sport has element that appeals to my adolescent mind. No wait, it actually has a universal appeal. There are many people (And I do pity them) who have never watched a minute of the programming brought out by Mr. McMahon. Yet they know competitors such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Triple H, Ric Flair and possibly Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar and Chris Benoit (Or at least you will). Perhaps when I’m older and more cynical, I will look back at this time of my life and laugh at how I could like such a thing. But I can assure you that it is no fad: Professional wrestling will always be here because it speaks to us in the way that any testosterone filled sport does. Like boxing, football or hockey. But now you may be saying “Isn’t wrestling fake?” It is pre-planned, but there has been too many bad bumps taken or severe injuries or even fatalities to make it “phony” or “gay”.
As Wh*re Mike pointed up in my comment box, the name of the sport is really erratic. Up to the '70s it was called “Wrestling” and considered a legitimate sport. “Rasslin’” has always been a nickname for it, but is associated largely with the feel good '80's. You know, when “Hulkamania” was running wild (And when Hogan had hair). “Sports Entertainment” came in the 1990s when the then WWF said that what they do is pre-planned and staged (“Fake”, in simpleton words). So contrary to what had been previously established, they weren’t a real sporting event. This lost the company recognition from many sports networks, but also released them from restrictions established by the NCAA such as drug tests. Vince McMahon was actually put on trial in the early '90's for illegally allowing steroids to be used by his wrestlers, several of whom testified. The charges were dropped due to a lack of sufficent evidence.
Wrap
To finish shooting on a film, either for the day or period.
Wrestlemania (The WWE Pay-Per View)
Wrestlemania is the father (Okay, grandfather) of WWE Pay-Per View events. It’s been pro-wrestling’s equivalent of the Superbowl, the Playoffs and the World Series since it's inception in 1985. It features the grandest matches (Rock vs. Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon). And it takes place in the grandest arenas (Attendance records were set for the past three events at Seattle’s SAFECO Field, Toronto’s Skydome and Houston’s Astrodome. Next year’s event-the twentieth- will return to it’s birthplace at Madison Square Garden. And who could forget 93,000+ fans in Pontiac’s Silverdome on Wrestlemania III). Celebrities come out to play at Wrestlemania (This year’s Wrestlemania XIX had a live performance by Limp Bizkit and a match with the Miller Lite Catfight Girls. But the list has also included Muhammad Ali, Burt Reynolds, Mike Tyson and Pete Rose). And it’s the place where legends are born or destroyed. But above all else, being in Wrestlemania makes you immortal, makes you stand in the Hall of Greatness. Hence, it is known as the “Showcase of the Immortals”.
Sadly, few editions of Wrestlemania can qualify to be the undisputed greatest events in Sports-Entertainment, though there’s always at least one great match. An example that comes to mind is WM 13 in 1997: Most people think that it has the worst overall card ever for a Wrestlemania (The main event: Undertaker vs. Psycho Sid?). Yet those same people would also agree that it contains one of the greatest matches in the history of wrestling: Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart.
Writer
Writers are probably the most important people involved in a movie. Hell, without a writer, you don’t got a movie, which means you got sh*t (Sorry. Random flash of anger). “Writer” is applied to someone who makes the screenplay, novel, play or teleplay. They’re represented by the Writer’s Guild of America.
“Written by”
Credit utilized for the screenwriters of a motion picture. Also called “Screenplay by” or “Written for the screen by”.
Wyler, William (1902-1981)
Acclaimed director of various epics and dramas, and even did some comedies and a musical. Like Capra, his films sometimes delved into sentimentality. But it would be difficult to tear him down. He directed Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives and Ben-Hur to Oscars (Though it’s often argued that other films deserved it more those years). In addition, he also did Memphis Belle (Documentary), The Heiress (Best Actress for Olivia de Havilland, 1949) and Funny Girl (Best Actress for Barbara Streisand, 1968), gave Bette Davis some of her best roles and was the recipient of 1976’s AFI lifetime achievement award.
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Thus concludes this brilliant, if small, dictionary entry. If you think anything is missing, do tell. But, as I’ve said before, a revision is currently planned. So your suggestion may already be on the list.
My apologies to Chris for this entry’s lateness. If I got out of my damn house or school more often and kept up with current events, I would know more titles and people!
For further reading, check out the other participants:
Artbyjude - B
cripper - F
dedemw - Y
d_fienberg - O
DrDevience - A
food_critic - M
JackSommersby - T
lemon_lime - R
Lynus -K
MACRESARF1 - I
mfunk75 - U
millinocket - C and Q
Pffrdfdus7 - J
Psychovant - D
Simply_Crispy – N and X
Skbreese – G
sleeper54 – P
SusiDee34 – Z
Vormancian - L and V
Weirdo87 - W
Wokelstein - S
Xxxxer -E
Youngchinq – H
Thanks go out to Greatestfilms.com and imdb.com for providing titles and helping me with those I didn’t know or had forgotten.
Thank you for reading this review despite the risk of losing your sanity.
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