tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60474295279020193312024-03-05T10:35:00.668-08:00Misfortune Cookie BlogJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-7242780540087466042012-06-11T22:50:00.003-07:002012-06-11T22:50:57.454-07:00Happy 100th, Paramount!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">As you may or may not know, this year (and this month) marks the 100th anniversary of Paramount Pictures. Being a Paramount employee, I am especially aware of this fact, and have been observing the occasion in high style - from on-lot events to special screenings. The company just unveiled their anniversary "group photo," a gathering of 116 Paramount stars of past and present that was taken last winter. (I got to work the event and Mark Wahlberg waved at me. It was awesome.) Below is a preview, but I'd strongly recommend going to <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/07/paramount-pictures-100th-anniversary-photo">Vanity Fair's website</a> where you can mouse over and enlarge each part.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">They also distributed these super-cool posters to all employees (including me!) with little icons representing a slew of Paramount films. See if you can name 'em all!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">But you don't have to be an employee to get in on the fun. There's been several new Blu-Ray releases of Paramount's catalog titles, including a gorgeous restoration of <i>Wings </i>(1927) that is not to be missed. And at least in the Los Angeles area, there's been a number of retrospectives, including a sidebar at the TCM Classic Film Festival back in April. Unsurprisingly, however, the films mentioned tend to be the obvious choices - your <i>Godfather, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Forrest Gump, </i>and so on. So for those who want to dig deeper, I've compiled a list of lesser-known Paramount titles for you to dive into and explore, one for each decade of the studio's existence. All are available on DVD unless otherwise noted.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>The Cheat </i>(1915)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Many people don't realize that Cecil B. Demille was actually a founding father of Paramount - his partnership with New York theater producer Jesse Lasky created the studio's inaugural hit, <i>The Squaw Man, </i>in 1914 and started the mass migration to Hollywood. Demille remained extremely prolific throughout the silent era, cranking out up to a dozen films per year. <i>The Cheat </i>was among them, and proves that he was already lightyears ahead of many of his contemporaries. The plot about a society woman falling prey to a predatory Asian man is a bit uncomfortable today, but that doesn't take away from the incredible atmosphere created by dramatic lighting and intense performances. To quote Kevin Brownlow, it features "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">the favorite DeMille mixture of sex, sadism and sacrifice" - not a bad way to spend an hour.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJVcGFaYBeT9kLd0RKkv9Nw489_zkwlFrBClcA-GXEmABb3a-NpZ51A8GUT4wHkoQvE-BCQC1ugCbLh8h76NTUKEnc6BKk9tzfCXpxT29tl3aUWf9fHdJgRTxHttY_LZCG3ZBfuhQ2GE/s1600/docks_of_new_york_PDVD_010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJVcGFaYBeT9kLd0RKkv9Nw489_zkwlFrBClcA-GXEmABb3a-NpZ51A8GUT4wHkoQvE-BCQC1ugCbLh8h76NTUKEnc6BKk9tzfCXpxT29tl3aUWf9fHdJgRTxHttY_LZCG3ZBfuhQ2GE/s400/docks_of_new_york_PDVD_010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>The Docks of New York</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"> (1928)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">And speaking of atmosphere, we move on to Paramount rock star Josef von Sternberg. Best known today for his collaborations with Marlene Dietrich, he did some stunning work in the silent era. For those who think silent films can't grip you by the throat, think again. <i>Docks </i>features a fascinating array of richly rendered blue-collar types, from the rough-and-tumble dock worker to the suicidal floozy he falls for. The mise-en-scene could give Orson Welles a run for his money, and the realistic romance might wring tears from even the most jaded viewers. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>Island of Lost Souls</i> (1932)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Universal was unquestionably the biggest name in horror in the 1930s, but that doesn't mean that other studios didn't give it a whirl. Paramount made a notable entry to the genre with 1931's <i>Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, </i>featuring an Oscar-winning performance by Fredric March that still resonates today. <i>Island </i>is somewhat of a gleefully demented cousin to <i>Jekyll, </i>featuring a delicious performance by Charles Laughton as one of the more atypically suave and bemused mad scientists you'll encounter (he supposedly based the character on his dentist). Bela Lugosi chips in a small but memorable role that he allegedly took due to bankruptcy, and you won't forget Kathleen Burke as the Panther Woman!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>The Big Clock </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">(1948)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>Clock </i>is a bit of an odd duck. It's largely classified as a noir, but noirs don't typically feature such a varied and unusual cast of characters or a sense of humor. The premise is simple: a crime reporter (Ray Milland) is both the hunter and the hunted in a murder frame-up. But the clues, twists, and character development in this adaptation of an equally excellent novel never let up. Charles Laughton lends his considerable talents once again to the role of the nefarious employer, while his real-life wife Elsa Lanchester is hysterical as a daffy artist. Even the kooky bartender shines. Consider it the cure for the common noir.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>The Mating Season </i>(1951)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I discovered this film a couple years ago by virtue of TCM. I figured that with the likes of Thelma RItter, Gene Tierney, and Miriam Hopkins and a screenplay by frequent Billy Wilder collaborator Charles Brackett, it had to be a winner - and I was right. It's like a blend of Lubitsch and Hawks with a dash of sugar. Tierney proves to bean adept comedienne, playing nicely off the always-great Ritter, the mother-in-law the former mistakes for a maid. The domestic confusion and misunderstandings might seem a bit contrived, but isn't that the case for most comedies? And when it's this much fun, does it even matter? (Not available on DVD, but it's on Netflix Instant)</span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Seconds </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">(1966)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Despite producing classics like <i>True Grit, The Odd Couple </i>and a slew of Jerry Lewis comedies, the 60s were a rough time for Paramount. The studio was trying to find its identity as it transitioned out of the studio era, and neared bankruptcy late in the decade before whiz-kid producer Robert Evans greenlit a series of hits. One of the results of that identity crisis was the trippy and disturbing <i>Seconds. </i>A man is lured in by a shadowy agency's promise of a new life, and they deliver at first, with head-to-toe plastic surgery and a new identity. But can you ever really start over? Not when director John Frankenheimer is masterminding your downfall, Jerry Goldsmith is providing the creepy score, and James Wong Howe is delivering warped, almost experimental cinematography. The casting of Rock Hudson in the lead came as a surprise to many, but he turns in a career-best performance. While I'm not sure I agree with the film's original tagline claiming it's too intense for even strong stomachs, it definitely feels like a nightmare, start to finish.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>Play it Again, Sam</i> (1972)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">If it walks and talks like a Woody Allen movie, then it is one, right? Not the case with <i>Sam, </i>one of a handful of films that Allen wrote but didn't direct. You get just enough Woody-ness, but for those who don't like his shtick, it's not as overwhelming as in some of his other films. It features the typical Allen trio of himself, Diane Keaton, and Tony Roberts caught in a Casablanca-esque love triangle. Taking the analogy further, Allen's character is haunted/mentored by the spirit of Humphrey Bogart (character actor Jerry Lacy, in a performance so uncanny I had to look up whether they digitally reincarnated Bogart somehow). It's light stuff, but for a film fan, it's to hard to beat a mashup of Casablanca and Allen.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>Top Secret!</i> (1984)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">A lot of lesser-known 80s flicks are that way for a reason (who could forget the Paramount classic <i>Gatorbait II: Cajun Justice</i>?). So <i>Top Secret! </i>isn't exactly unknown, but it does hold a pretty low place in the canon. The creative team of Zucker-Abrams-Zucker is far more known and appreciated for <i>Airplane! </i>and <i>The Naked Gun</i>, but I think <i>Secret </i>deserves to sit proudly alongside those two. Part of what makes the ZAZ movies work is the deadpanning of the straight man, typically Leslie Nielsen. But the straight man here is played to the hilt by Val Kilmer, in the role of an Elvis-like pop star. I constantly quote the line "I know a little German...he's right over there!" and based on the blank stares I get, maybe this movie IS kinda obscure.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>A Simple Plan </i>(1998)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The 90s were a time for blockbusters at Paramount, including three Best Picture wins for <i>Forrest Gump, Braveheart, </i>and a little movie called <i>Titanic </i>(shared with Fox)<i>. </i>But among all the epics and franchises was this little gem of a crime thriller by Sam Raimi. It features the 90s-tastic trio of Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda and Billy Bob Thornton in the leads, and falls into the subgenre of "simple thing that goes horrifically wrong in every way imaginable for everyone involved." The snowy setting evokes comparisons to <i>Fargo,</i> but there's no laughs here. Just a well-constructed, chilly exploration of morality.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>Wonder Boys</i> (2000)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">This is one of those films where each actor just shows up and does their trademark thing to its full potential. Michael Douglas has a midlife crisis, Robert Downey Jr. bounces around and makes witty remarks, Frances McDormand is headstrong, Katie Holmes plays jailbait. But it's Tobey Maguire who really steals the show - turns out he's a comedic genius. His chronically depressed prodigy James is the linchpin of the whole operation, and it's doubtful that any writer or director will ever use him this well again. Despite the guns, pills, theft of Marilyn Monroe's wedding coat, dog violence, and RDJ's appetite for transvestites, the film has a heart of gold at its center and never feels forced.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><i>Shutter Island</i> (2010)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Naturally, no film I pick from the last two years is going to be terribly obscure, especially since Paramount's output has become rather limited in recent years. So I'll focus instead on one I feel was unjustly overlooked. Scorsese's work here is no <i>Raging Bull, </i>sure, but why do we even bother comparing everything a director does to their highest achievements? It was an unusual move for him to dive into horror, but it's so much more than that. It's a mystery, it's a thriller, it's a drama about sanity, memory, and grief. The plot and acting can be a bit overheated at times, but this isn't a documentary - it's an exploration of a fractured mind. Leonardo DiCaprio gives an incredible performance, as does the illustrious supporting cast, and the aesthetics are painstakingly perfect. Give <i>Shutter Island </i>another shot without forcing it into the restraints of what you'd expect from Scorsese, and I think you'll be surprised.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Here's to the next 100 years! What overlooked Paramount films do you love? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /></span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-31989488745707730352012-05-01T22:12:00.000-07:002012-05-01T22:12:08.025-07:00This is...Cinerama!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIeMEbelnkgOfryB-rKTpRO-E0Nsh0rwuzB9hqUVqADVBk61iqd_uW8NZQgKY-_JMxEBbfIE4rhJzpX_MmpHGOuHdj9LbpoMfYcfz82UaLo9tedZNLuZh8it0qBaO44rt1KfPl_KxBzk/s1600/this-is-cinerama-ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIeMEbelnkgOfryB-rKTpRO-E0Nsh0rwuzB9hqUVqADVBk61iqd_uW8NZQgKY-_JMxEBbfIE4rhJzpX_MmpHGOuHdj9LbpoMfYcfz82UaLo9tedZNLuZh8it0qBaO44rt1KfPl_KxBzk/s400/this-is-cinerama-ad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I've always taken some issue with the notion that certain movies "must" be seen on the big screen. Obviously, theater viewing is always preferable, but is it ever so imperative that it renders any other form of viewing pointless? Prior to April 15 of this year, I would have dismissed that idea as hyperbole.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">But then I experienced <i>How the West Was Won </i>in Cinerama.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">For the uninitiated, Cinerama refers to both a filming and projection process that utilizes three synced cameras, resulting in a mega-wide aspect ratio. On paper, that doesn't sound terribly exciting. Breathless period advertising for Cinerama probably sounds just as quaint as ecstatic claims of "stereophonic sound!", if not more so. It was a gimmick developed so filmgoing could compete with television, and reads rather transparently as such. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Due to the costly and involved nature of Cinerama productions, only a handful of them were made, and only two were traditional narratives: <i>How the West Was Won </i>and <i>The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm</i> (the rest were shorts, travelogues, etc). I had never seen <i>West </i>before, and it certainly boasts an impressive pedigree - it's a three-hour episodic history of the West with segments directed by Henry Hathaway, John Ford, and George Marshall, featuring a mind-blowing cast that includes James Stewart, Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Debbie Reynolds, Gregory Peck, Eli Wallach, Richard Widmark, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Walter Brennan, Thelma Ritter, Agnes Moorehead, and more. I would have been happy enough watching the Blu-ray, but when the TCM Classic Film Festival announced that they were showing it in its original format I jumped at the chance.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Going in, I was still somewhat skeptical that Cinerama was anything remarkable. For me, I was just looking forward to seeing the film on the big screen, at Hollywood's Cinerama Dome, while harboring a bit of curiosity about this rare format. (I was also very sleepy, since the TCM folks decided to schedule this at 9:15 a.m. on a Sunday.) After all, it's just a really wide screen, right?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It basically is. But cinematic gimmicks are only as good as what you make of them, and <i>West </i>makes something spectacular.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Think about it. Would sound have made such a splash in movies if there hadn't been crackpot writers churning out unforgettable snappy dialogue? Would color have really stuck around if filmmakers like Victor Fleming and Vincente Minnelli hadn't created such breathtaking Technicolor imagery? Who would have given a hoot about widescreen if directors like Nicholas Ray and Frank Tashlin hadn't exploited it so marvelously? Is the modern-day ambivalence towards 3-D rooted in the medium's shift toward subtle depth perception over eye-popping thrills? Basically, you can only get out what you put in. The gimmick alone isn't worth a thing - it's up to the men behind the curtain to do something with it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Cinerama and the filmmakers behind <i>West </i>are a match made in heaven. The directors and cinematographers behind the film present a jaw-dropping panorama of the American West, as filmed all over the USA. Tracking and helicopter shots present mountains, rivers, oceans, deserts, forests, caves, even 1960s urban centers (spoiler alert: the West lasted beyond the 1800s) in a stunning 146-degree display. (It makes perfect sense that so many Cinerama films were travelogues; I could have watched various types of scenery in triple projection all day.) The three simultaneous projections meant you could frequently see two blurry vertical lines dividing the image, but it's such a minor detraction that it hardly bears mentioning. In fact, if anything, it keeps the viewer constantly aware of the unbelievable creativity and effort involved in creating such a spectacle. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">And spectacle it is! There's a raft drowning in currents, the Civil War, covered wagons crossing rivers, a river pirate attack, a buffalo stampede, and a chase and shootout on a moving train. Even tranquil moments such as James Stewart paddling downriver in a canoe provoked gasps from the audience, at the sheer beauty of both the composition and pristine condition of the print. And if frame composition seems like the unsexiest thing imaginable, you have to keep in mind that the view here is so wide that the directors basically crafted a new universe with each shot. Scenery, props, animals, actors, extras are all arranged painstakingly, as if for a painting. That was in fact one of the frustrations of working in Cinerama - production designers had to prep much larger areas than they were used to. You almost want to pause every frame and scan across it to catch all the details.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I should also mention the sound. Admittedly, I don't usually think much about movie sound except in terms of volume. Perhaps this is more a function of subpar sound systems in theaters (although I will say that when I saw <i>Thor </i>at the <a href="https://www.arclightcinemas.com/why-arclight/">Arclight Hollywood</a>, I enjoyed quite a bit of seat-shaking from the bass). Traditional Cinerama recorded with seven (!) discrete audio tracks, and the sound at the screening was incredible. Particularly of note was the music, which is a mix of original compositions and bombastically-arranged hymns. Much of it was composed just for the film, so the modern influence is undeniable but it still somehow works with the period.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">After the film, national treasure Robert Osborne did a brief interview with Debbie Reynolds, who is as spunky and kooky as ever. She mentioned how her character was originally supposed to be in just the first segment, but they just kept calling her back to do more and more. The filming was so long and intermittent that she gave birth to two children before it was all over. The production was an arduous one, too; Reynolds spoke of how the multiple directors pushed the talent to perform dangerous and life-threatening feats, and some stuntmen even lost their lives. On top of the physical challenges, the actors had to contend with the strange blocking that Cinerama required. If they acted out a scene the way they normally would, the eyelines and body language would be all wrong. In order for it to appear convincing in Cinerama, they were forced to perform otherwise normal scenes like avant-garde absurdist theater, facing away from and looking past their costars.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Is <i>West </i>even a good film outside of Cinerama? I honestly don't know. Most of the characters have such small roles that you never really get attached to anyone. The dialogue, while satisfactory, doesn't really stir the soul (although there is quite a bit of unexpected humor). As a history lesson, it's patchy and simplistic. But as cinema, there's nothing like it. I don't even mean that in a pretentious way, like how Godard might be cinema (and I'm not knocking Godard). I mean that no matter who you are, if you sat down in that theater and experienced what I did, there's no way you wouldn't have had your socks knocked off.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge! It's too wide even for this blog!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Human beings are limited in how well they can convey perceptive and esoteric events. Particularly someone like me, who's jaded enough that I don't often feel I've experienced something magical. But you'll just have to take my word for it when I say this was magic. (And not to be a crotchety old person, but this is coming from someone who has yet to be sufficiently impressed by IMAX or 3D.) I gasped. I literally gasped. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">These days, Cinerama is naturally pretty hard to come by. But if you live in the Los Angeles area, you're in luck - the organizers of the event alluded to a Cinerama festival taking place this fall.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Big props to the TCM Festival people for putting this together, and the five-man projection team (!!) for such a glorious presentation. More belated, miscellaneous musings on the festival will follow.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Have any of you ever had the privilege of seeing a film in Cinerama? </span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-62434496576964548502012-04-24T07:44:00.000-07:002012-04-24T07:44:21.234-07:00Perilous pups and killer kittens<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ever cruise around the internet and find something so tailored to your interests that you figure you probably created it in your sleep?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That was my thought process upon discovering a certain Listmania list on Amazon that combines two of my favorite things: film noir and animals. Some unspeakably wonderful person has compiled a lengthy list of dog and cat appearances in films noir. But the icing on the cake is that the descriptions are written in noir lingo, such as "Clinging cur makes and breaks Mad Dog" (<i>High Sierra</i>). Check out the list <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chien-fatal-Chat-fatal-Film-Noir-Dogs-and-Cats/lm/15HXQBXSC8445/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full">here</a>, and part II <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chien-fatal-Chat-fatal-Film-Noir-Dogs-and-Cats-List-II/lm/RQKWKFFRSCZ1C/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">More of a horse person? Don't worry, the list creator <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cheval-Fatal-Film-Noir-s-Fateful-Horses/lm/2BYZR2CCRWMG/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full">thought of that too</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I love the internet. So, so much.</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-13146418758928925172012-04-04T21:35:00.000-07:002012-04-04T21:35:02.619-07:00"Oh, you're too young to have heard of it"<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A large part of my job at Paramount entails giving tours to the public. Last week I gave a tour to a group of mentally disabled adults visiting from Chicago. They were an absolute blast - super enthusiastic, and full of questions. One gentleman in particular was especially inquisitive, and one of the group leaders warned me that he'd talk my ear off, but I didn't mind a bit. At one point, he asked "what's the name of that John Wayne movie with his son and Maureen O'Hara? And it's funny?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Without hesitation, I replied, "Oh, do you mean The Quiet Man?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A chorus of impressed murmuring ensued before he responded nonchalantly, "Nope, the other one."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The other one? I was stumped. I contemplated it for a moment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">At this point, one of the other group leaders interjected. Condescendingly, she told him "Oh, leave her alone. She doesn't know what you're talking about."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Welcome to the life of a 24-year-old classic film buff.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Look, I get it. There aren't a lot of us out there. If you were to assume that I preferred the onscreen company of Robert Pattinson to Humphrey Bogart, the statistics would be in your favor. I'm not necessarily begrudging the people who make this assumption, although it is narrow-minded and frustrating. What bothers me the most is when I prove that I know what I'm talking about, and people don't hear or listen. In the case of the above woman, I admit I was a tad confrontational. I said something like "I know perfectly well what he's talking about. You know what I did this weekend? Watched silent movies." That may or may not have been what I <i>actually </i>did on the weekend in question, but my point was that it happens often. She replied, as if I had just described my workout regimen, "Good for you!" but quickly added "you probably do it for your job, right?"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">NO.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Why could this woman not comprehend that I watched classic films of my own free will? And why is that okay to say, but I'd probably get smacked if I told her "Oh, I bet you haven't heard of Twitter because you're too old"?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What's especially puzzling is that movies (and TV) are the only art form(s) where this happens. No one blinks an eye when people are interested in the literature, drama, music, or visual art of a time before their own. Our culture keeps these artifacts alive - does it not do the same for cinema? Perhaps it's because other art forms are more likely to be taught in school - you're more likely to read Shakespeare and listen to Mozart than you are to be shown Godard. And people invariably know of <i>events</i> that occurred before they were born, so is knowing about that <i>culture </i>really such a stretch? My default comeback to "Oh, you wouldn't have heard of it, it was before your time" is "The Civil War was before your time. Have you heard of that?"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Again, maybe it's a bit catty, but the assumption that people are too ignorant or close-minded to explore culture other than their own is downright rude. I used to work at a video store where I'd get this all the time. Many people snapped out of it once I demonstrated I knew my stuff, but others would continue like the group leader woman and keep condescending to me because of my birth year. If you alter this sentiment somewhat, it pretty clearly becomes something you could not say in public. How about "oh, you wouldn't know about sports, you're a woman" or "you wouldn't know about Easter, because you're Jewish." Please don't think I'm classifying people's attitudes toward me as a hate crime or anything. But it's just so disrespectful to approach people like that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I know I don't. I'll give people the benefit of the doubt, no matter how small a chance they have of knowing what I'm talking about. If I'm greeted with a blank stare, only then will I go back and clarify. Giving tours day in and day out, you learn to cater to the lowest common denominator. But if people seem pretty savvy, I'll roll with it, no judgment.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So, I implore you: don't make narrow-minded assumptions about people's tastes based on external factors. Talk to them and find out. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Do you find this to be true? If you're a youngish classics fan, do you get this treatment? Or in general, do people make exclusionary comments about your taste based on some demographic you're in? Relate and commiserate! </span></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-11055783084067185932012-03-12T00:49:00.002-07:002012-03-28T08:54:38.907-07:00Employment in film<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Due to the unfortunate timing of my birth, in 2009 I found myself graduating from college smack-dab into a recession. With a film degree, no less. Needless to say, I had a rough couple years there before I wound up in Los Angeles and miraculously snagged an entertainment industry job. It's a temporary position, however, so I'll soon find myself out on the proverbial streets again.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Granted, I didn't have much hard job-searching experience before I graduated, but I can say with confidence that the system has become Kafkaesque and absurd. Applications for menial, minimum-wage positions get thousands of applicants within an hour. You need 2-4 years experience doing PRECISELY the job you're applying for if you are even going to CONSIDER bothering anyone with an application. If you're lucky enough to get an interview, employers ask trick "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Are-Smart-Enough-Work-Google/dp/031609997X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329885541&sr=8-1">Google questions</a>" to suss out vague and undefinable characteristics. Or sometimes you just need to be attractive - I've been to interviews where they clearly just wanted to look me up and down, and nothing else.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It wasn't always this way. How do I know? Well, my job-searching experience prior to the recession was relatively painless. A few emails, a few questions, and boom, I'm behind the counter of some retail establishment. But I also know because of movies. One of the many reasons I love cinema is that is gives you a glimpse not only into the more exciting and prominent aspects of a time and place (war, culture, social customs, etc.), but the mundane as well. From an anthropological standpoint, I love watching people in older films go about their everyday business. So as someone who has frequently felt the hopeless, infuriating frustration of unemployment, I have particularly latched on to depictions of work acquisition in films. Now, I understand that narrative films don't always show things exactly as they are - either to streamline them or make them more interesting. But you can still learn a lot about the employment culture of a period from its cinema. Therefore, I present a rough history of American employment as told through the movies:</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Obviously, in the way-back times, getting a job was a cinch. This becomes apparent from watching silent comedies, where a hapless hero would often have several jobs over the course of a single film. Normally, the process goes like this: Keaton/Chaplin/Lloyd etc sees a "Help Wanted" sign in a window, goes in to inquire, is asked "can you do (x)?" to which they naturally respond yes, and are hired on the spot. Now, I would imagine this has something to do with storytelling efficiency, especially since these films are often quite short. But the 1920s especially were bountiful times for America, so it's not hard to imagine that many blue-collar workers were hired in this way. (In <i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">College </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">[1927], Keaton even manages to find work as a "colored waiter" by applying greasepaint. Naturally, it backfires.)</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNVVeopYEj8yTJqs7xhPy_7GvtfW8w_-5xmikr6WxIs-XDqAYXAYscZ-slydcRpr9WrPH9SXMzSVuTIlmI-jyaynVfMygl0gkmYIonEvoI5hB1hQAtQ8mrK7A8ZU0bmLlNtbHgx80Z_8/s1600/CollegeWaiterKino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNVVeopYEj8yTJqs7xhPy_7GvtfW8w_-5xmikr6WxIs-XDqAYXAYscZ-slydcRpr9WrPH9SXMzSVuTIlmI-jyaynVfMygl0gkmYIonEvoI5hB1hQAtQ8mrK7A8ZU0bmLlNtbHgx80Z_8/s400/CollegeWaiterKino.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">But then, of course, came the Depression, and suddenly things weren't so easy. Even more upbeat films tended to always have the Depression in the background, such as in <i>Gold Diggers of 1933.</i> Four sassy showgirls are between gigs, and never know where their next meal is coming from (frequently, it's the neighbor's windowsill). They understand that job-searching is a full-time job, so they spend every waking hour cajoling, persuading, manipulating and seducing producers and backers in order to get a new show off the ground. Their resourcefulness serves as an inspiration to modern-day job-seekers (well, perhaps minus the seduction part).</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU68V3dLMRhbgBgIswUgMgnfFTJBMz8u0jgagOPaWZDzv5w3wEHJ2-44OBzC_L5ja5FvjouTKQOxEFGSQRyxeu3uEfZ6VwhuAaaYrVCppfDlKEBA3dEEyyG-yXCPTUgyTqXbZrKiqiwo8/s1600/macmahon-rogers-blondell-keeler-diggers-33_opt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU68V3dLMRhbgBgIswUgMgnfFTJBMz8u0jgagOPaWZDzv5w3wEHJ2-44OBzC_L5ja5FvjouTKQOxEFGSQRyxeu3uEfZ6VwhuAaaYrVCppfDlKEBA3dEEyyG-yXCPTUgyTqXbZrKiqiwo8/s400/macmahon-rogers-blondell-keeler-diggers-33_opt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Alternately, if you were an employer in the 1930s looking to hire, you could literally pluck men off the streets. That's the approach taken by wealthy families in both <i>My Man Godfrey </i>(1936) and the eerily similar <i>Merrily We Live </i>(1938). Both have daffy women in search of household help - in the former, she finds a butler at the city dump, and in the latter, a tramp on the doorstep becomes the new chauffeur. Irene Bullock in <i>Godfrey </i>finds the titular butler as part of a scavenger hunt, the item in question being a "forgotten man" (a common term at the time for victims of the Depression). Matriarch Emily Kilbourne in <i>Merrily, </i>by contrast, has a patronizing habit of "collecting" and reforming vagrants. There were certainly enough to keep her busy.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn4l96wbITZ8-j9dvVgTsaiTbpvUVR8UDp2s60XRPneWOFn4gsuDdFGemQnUvOLtCO82cRsRrROhQo7JLwkX2xSKhCdh43yyZ2oq07FE4KgNH1bqUnvwad7mX3AsezCwHRUd97KugiHA/s1600/mymangodfrey" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUn4l96wbITZ8-j9dvVgTsaiTbpvUVR8UDp2s60XRPneWOFn4gsuDdFGemQnUvOLtCO82cRsRrROhQo7JLwkX2xSKhCdh43yyZ2oq07FE4KgNH1bqUnvwad7mX3AsezCwHRUd97KugiHA/s400/mymangodfrey" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The economy improved with WWII, but men returning from overseas were often faced with the unsavory reality of either finding a new job or being stuck with the same one. Dana Andrews' character in <i>The Best Years of Our Lives </i>(1946) is forced back into the same minimum-wage soda jerk position he had before the war, working under a younger man he had previously trained. His disillusionment eventually gets him fired, and despite attaining the rank of captain in the Air Corps, he can find no corporate or civilian equivalent. Broke and refusing to parade around in uniform, his hastily acquired wife leaves him. Fortunately, he eventually convinces a fellow veteran to give him a job building houses, foreshadowing the growth of suburbia and the economic boom of the 1950s.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqthTQ2ob4RB3pCznRNI-gVHXKSO9x9op-ff263XfXice-4O5j7qBr7aTTnYqpf-sveTfo7NNnvRAf7JkaCRwhJGvOK4tP3zvByO0sA2rbwGrXsnmsIuk9W3uSn96MBcUURbDeuo5_Gw/s1600/Best+Years+4+Counter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqthTQ2ob4RB3pCznRNI-gVHXKSO9x9op-ff263XfXice-4O5j7qBr7aTTnYqpf-sveTfo7NNnvRAf7JkaCRwhJGvOK4tP3zvByO0sA2rbwGrXsnmsIuk9W3uSn96MBcUURbDeuo5_Gw/s400/Best+Years+4+Counter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Things get easier in the 50s. Smooth-talking Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) creates a position for himself at a newspaper in <i>Ace in the Hole </i>(1951), despite having been fired from many previous employers (no background checks or references!). The deal is sealed by the brilliant but desperate line, "I can handle big news and little news. And if there's no news, I'll go out and bite a dog." In <i>Imitation of Life </i>(1959), Lora Meredith (Lana Turner) rather suddenly hires Annie (Juanita Moore) as a live-in nanny simply because Annie found Lora's daughter on the beach and looked after her for a bit. Letting a total stranger live in your house? People were just more trusting then, I guess...</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_e6OejQp5vxiQRUF0TJu0gJBtK1f7E5e7QXIXkdE7drqKHkIjhlGZL6Za9gY6PrmCt-xtvvtXqSVk1Mhyphenhyphentc8_OJHfEauxp-0WPjBINkhQeRbvZcuUSgvoF4WG1PACsNpfSkmeQiEbyro/s1600/ace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_e6OejQp5vxiQRUF0TJu0gJBtK1f7E5e7QXIXkdE7drqKHkIjhlGZL6Za9gY6PrmCt-xtvvtXqSVk1Mhyphenhyphentc8_OJHfEauxp-0WPjBINkhQeRbvZcuUSgvoF4WG1PACsNpfSkmeQiEbyro/s400/ace.jpg" width="400" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">In 1961, <i>How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying </i>opened on Broadway; by 1967 it had gotten the silver screen treatment. Although the musical is a Pulitzer-winning satire, it's actually based on an autobiographical account of a man working his way up from the mailroom to the vice-presidency of a company. Its fundamental premise is that success is entirely contingent on saying the right things to the right people - words to live by to this day. A more direct form of deception was practiced by Frank Abagnale Jr, in the 60s-set true story <i>Catch Me If You Can </i>(2002). Starting at the age of 16, Abagnale conned millions of dollars by impersonating doctors and pilots. Con artists obviously still exist, but I'd imagine that technological innovations have made it exponentially more difficult (in case you were considering it as a career path).</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuAw_3I4z0BaS0ol9UzBSgzN_3il-lXu-krddTdxFnjAshfXNzBq3ZHxbbM0vO2w7qXmy83TqwmH0K-GOydALsbF_B-2UstNPEU_yGk46vmc41vlzIo0VTYDkNKkIJSSdAZcluKmaBNQ/s1600/how-to-succeed-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuAw_3I4z0BaS0ol9UzBSgzN_3il-lXu-krddTdxFnjAshfXNzBq3ZHxbbM0vO2w7qXmy83TqwmH0K-GOydALsbF_B-2UstNPEU_yGk46vmc41vlzIo0VTYDkNKkIJSSdAZcluKmaBNQ/s400/how-to-succeed-6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Films of the 1970s featured many drifters who seemed to pick up employment with ease. As with prior decades, jobs that now require advanced degrees and certifications were entry-level - such as Pinky's (Sissy Spacek) new gig at the start of <i>3 Women </i>(1977). She works at a physical therapy facility for the elderly, but based on the lackadaisical attitude and lack of qualifications among of the employees, it could just as easily be a roadside diner. Today, any physical therapy position (even an aide) requires two-year certificate. Lawsuits much?</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MdG-NogQqE7C9x99dr_1JkfLSd9x1bO8xZrpsychgkQsGc_VdOLQNfKvz9eGWzjy2MvgbYz9sB-fjtlMhwOC6zh9fSDbKiPyk3ADjd9LBUr25R1iKht4JiAY_-JexaAMWf2mTmEqS00/s1600/3women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MdG-NogQqE7C9x99dr_1JkfLSd9x1bO8xZrpsychgkQsGc_VdOLQNfKvz9eGWzjy2MvgbYz9sB-fjtlMhwOC6zh9fSDbKiPyk3ADjd9LBUr25R1iKht4JiAY_-JexaAMWf2mTmEqS00/s400/3women.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The 1980s saw Dustin Hoffman in <i>Tootsie </i>(1982) dressing up as a woman to get work as an actor (well, actress), and succeeding. I would not, however, recommend this as a course of action for job-seekers.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghalU_crK1aBvEgQUjVOoGBJwZDJrbzCRTsbIVNAhCUXZq6HnXCKdL_lnKFL4xV9TpK9fhehxTavBLoLMFsMqpKgJyRkrtGlRVL5Rk3Q1yLCWdl9nbQ30doGtLbbcdG3u3sjEEyBTW6kQ/s1600/Tootsie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghalU_crK1aBvEgQUjVOoGBJwZDJrbzCRTsbIVNAhCUXZq6HnXCKdL_lnKFL4xV9TpK9fhehxTavBLoLMFsMqpKgJyRkrtGlRVL5Rk3Q1yLCWdl9nbQ30doGtLbbcdG3u3sjEEyBTW6kQ/s400/Tootsie2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The freshly graduated slackers of <i>Kicking and Screaming </i>(1995) have mostly themselves to blame for their unemployment, but there is a moment that inadvertently foretells the current insanity: "You have a second interview - for a <i>video store</i>?" For the most part, though, the 90s are a boom time, but with abundance comes discontent. Thus in 1999, a significant trio of anti-establishment, job dissatisfaction films were released: <i>American Beauty, Fight Club, </i>and <i>Office Space. Beauty </i>focuses on a more all-around unhappiness, but does feature its protagonist theatrically quitting his corporate job and rebelliously taking up at a fast-food restaurant. (How ironic that many workers today are following similar patterns involuntarily.) Edward Norton's job in <i>Fight Club </i>could not seem more soul-sucking - greenish lighting, sickly-looking employees. <i>Office Space </i>takes a comedic approach, but still depicts the white collar workplace as a unique form of hell from which one must escape.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbWCeN1EP7IPPvzxRTd_9KJgwUHnyrvjp40HAXJESXIMsrDZhDFK3lonKfjD5OOtxNOO1eRBJuvsii9dWZi0UxBBqjVCHJuBKysbaWRlO86uX4oDpxPT1K1DS5anR-kyiMfT-J63Oncw/s1600/ambeauty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbWCeN1EP7IPPvzxRTd_9KJgwUHnyrvjp40HAXJESXIMsrDZhDFK3lonKfjD5OOtxNOO1eRBJuvsii9dWZi0UxBBqjVCHJuBKysbaWRlO86uX4oDpxPT1K1DS5anR-kyiMfT-J63Oncw/s400/ambeauty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Career abundance continued into the 2000s, which is why Seth Rogen's character in <i>Knocked Up </i>(2007) gets a cushy tech job despite having never worked <i>anywhere</i> before.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhEbZDM3PTdMWlWIh_H1SYxrFMeJClZffyL1ahG7ac4Y5Dn0AywbigVkArjGuHc2c-JhKYJ_WfJM9dIfrEOW27xAS4dVN-l5yulOwsD9dGtwthkQeiQxzFWP7rxa9B5sFG7LbWlOhOwM/s1600/fhd007KNP_Seth_Rogen_011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhEbZDM3PTdMWlWIh_H1SYxrFMeJClZffyL1ahG7ac4Y5Dn0AywbigVkArjGuHc2c-JhKYJ_WfJM9dIfrEOW27xAS4dVN-l5yulOwsD9dGtwthkQeiQxzFWP7rxa9B5sFG7LbWlOhOwM/s400/fhd007KNP_Seth_Rogen_011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">...And we all know what happened next.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Not many films have dealt with the recession head-on. The ones that have, such as <i>Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps </i>(2010) and <i>Margin Call </i>(2011), explore the actual happenings of Wall Street as opposed to the effect on the common man. More peripherally, <i>Wendy and Lucy </i>(2008) focuses on a young woman who's out of money and trying to relocate to Alaska, but the circumstances of her situation are vague. <i>Tiny Furniture </i>(2010) chronicles a mopey underemployed grad who mostly has herself to blame. The title character in <i>Larry Crowne </i>(2011) sets off on a journey of self-discovery after being laid off from the business where he has worked for 20 years. Shawn Levy's <i>Interns </i>will soon go into production, starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as two laid-off businessman who start back at square one as - you guessed it - interns. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1avCx5FgFFwGgRrzSrbOb5xA-YCCusg8pF5tImCdVR0JQzQO1fFXDiwSCDwnUZSJHTtoRJ9NW7ZH7lFBTScwU0XJ_oJlmw9wNqbg-QWmquTEpxgrmlbX8TtB95wGW0vP46Qs1RFl_lys/s1600/lc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1avCx5FgFFwGgRrzSrbOb5xA-YCCusg8pF5tImCdVR0JQzQO1fFXDiwSCDwnUZSJHTtoRJ9NW7ZH7lFBTScwU0XJ_oJlmw9wNqbg-QWmquTEpxgrmlbX8TtB95wGW0vP46Qs1RFl_lys/s1600/lc.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ultimately, what it comes down to is that recessions don't make for great cinema. You can't have forlorn hobos wandering through dusty roads, <i>Grapes of Wrath-</i>style. You can't have repressed office drones rebel, like so many movies of the 90s did. From my experience, recessions just create a million little frustrations and disappointments. Perhaps when something or someone breaks through the lingering effects of this recession, we can have a film about it. Another con artist, perhaps?</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is by no means comprehensive - please chime in with more employment-related cinema. How has the recession treated you? Any wisdom and/or horror stories gleaned from movies? </div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-90999450154874726452012-02-23T22:06:00.000-08:002012-02-23T22:06:59.439-08:00Is this actually a movie? #9<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvh5sQbp5XCKD2wlDo3cqi5wG648MzapDXa5sFN2u7bLNPnt2QcbUtMJ3Jhm3vFaa-zMy2LUAO3EMC-jChjlVH72ZZHzEUf88nMJI_20ndUhv0mHR3623OAgUEn2BmChtbKQ2k1U4nT4o/s1600/BMRCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvh5sQbp5XCKD2wlDo3cqi5wG648MzapDXa5sFN2u7bLNPnt2QcbUtMJ3Jhm3vFaa-zMy2LUAO3EMC-jChjlVH72ZZHzEUf88nMJI_20ndUhv0mHR3623OAgUEn2BmChtbKQ2k1U4nT4o/s400/BMRCover.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I frequently find myself thinking, "know what I could really go for? A comedic western starring Insane Clown Posse."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Not only does <i>Big Money Rustlas</i> adhere to the above description, but it features a slew of C-list cameos from the likes of Ron Jeremy, Tom Sizemore, Brigitte Nielsen, Vanilla Ice, and Dustin Diamond. It has rave reviews on Netflix, such as (and I quote) "This movie is by far too godly for you non juggalo hater noobs to even fathom so if you rented it then dont talk crap it is litterally the funniest movie EVER!!!" A couple fans do provide constructive criticism, such as "I thought the other Psychopathic artists could of [sic] had more lines or bigger parts like ABK and Blaze." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This masterpiece of cinema is available for your viewing pleasure on Netflix Instant. If westerns aren't your thing, however, there's still hope - this film is actually a prequel to <i>Big Money Hustla$</i>, which employs a cops and robbers theme.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If anyone is brave enough to watch this, let me know. After all, I'm fairly certain it's the only film ever made containing an image that even approximates this one:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0pd6s6Hshf0pFUnD39e6L-wtqnOuZVov2KfqqIVQJ_n951cWot2B01lenx8wrVfSA3fNFDx8CwIHyp6HkQhuXEU8wFmyBTZu_coV93Z3YN_NL9TsiYXUhqZVzrwLBPUS4wIVhKBigPU/s1600/big-money-rustlas-trailer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0pd6s6Hshf0pFUnD39e6L-wtqnOuZVov2KfqqIVQJ_n951cWot2B01lenx8wrVfSA3fNFDx8CwIHyp6HkQhuXEU8wFmyBTZu_coV93Z3YN_NL9TsiYXUhqZVzrwLBPUS4wIVhKBigPU/s400/big-money-rustlas-trailer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-50238225266807080052012-01-05T16:17:00.000-08:002012-01-05T16:17:08.253-08:00Best overlooked and underappreciated performances of 2011<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Well, kids, it's that time of year again - lists are sprouting up left and right of the year's top achievements in cinema. And although there's been a refreshing lack of consensus so far, you're going to see the same names and titles popping up again and again. Most of them have earned it, so I'm not complaining. But as is my tradition, over here in the peanut gallery I like to give a shoutout to the ladies and gents whose fine work this year was undervalued. Thus I present my annual list of overlooked and under-appreciated performances. As always, I offer my disclaimer that these are not necessarily replacements or alternatives for this year's batch of nominees/winners - they're simply worthy of more attention. Onward!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">BEST ACTOR</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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Rainn Wilson as Frank in <i>Super</i><br />
Dwight Schrute has always had a bit of a crazy streak, but Wilson takes that all the way here as a passionate but misguided vigilante. Believing he has been literally touched by God, he starts attacking thugs as part of a greater quest to win back his wife. By day, he's the ultimate sad sack, but by night he can be found bludgeoning people with a wrench for increasingly minor offenses. You know it's wrong, but you can't help but root for him.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Adam in <i>50/50</i><br />
The danger in making a "disease movie" is that the sick person can easily come off as a bland victim. I'm not diminishing the severity of cancer here, but it doesn't really make for compelling drama. Adam does have cancer, yes, but he also has a problem of letting the wrong people into his life and shutting the good ones out. Through JGL's skillful blend of comedy, pathos, and realism, the cancer story becomes a vehicle for a tale of a man letting others in.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as Tommy and Brendan Conlon in <i>Warrior</i><br />
Both Hardy and Edgerton should really be on your radar if they aren't already - if nothing else, they're your new Bane and Tom Buchanan, respectively. This film showcasing their great fraternal chemistry slipped unjustly through the cracks, with many blaming a perceived similarity to <i>The Fighter. </i>While it's true that both films feature brothers who participate in ring-enclosed sports, the similarities end there - <i>Warrior </i>is an almost mournful film about a severely damaged family, and how MMA (mixed martial arts) might be the only thing that could bring them together. Edgerton brings a natural realism to the role of the family man with the rowdy past, and Hardy is riveting as the enigmatic, uncommunicative drifter.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Conan O'Brien as himself in <i>Conan O'Brien Can't Stop </i>and Steve Coogan as himself-ish in <i>The Trip</i><br />
Cuz like, isn't life just a performance, you guys?! In all seriousness, the fascinating thing about these two films (the former a documentary, the latter a mockumentary) is that it's sometimes challenging to discern what's real and what's not. I doubt Coogan is a reckless womanizer, for instance, but is he actually that dismayed by the state of his career? O'Brien, on the other hand, seems like someone who is always "on" and is especially aware of the cameras, making it seem like he's always performing. One thing's for sure: both of them are very, very funny.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">BEST ACTRESS<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FQTxZor43ts/TwY4qgVJDBI/AAAAAAAABNM/OS5eEjryTY8/s1600/Hanna-Saoirse-Ronan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FQTxZor43ts/TwY4qgVJDBI/AAAAAAAABNM/OS5eEjryTY8/s1600/Hanna-Saoirse-Ronan.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Saoirse Ronan as <i>Hanna</i><br />
I never saw the point of classifying child actors separately - you've either got the goods or you don't<i>. </i>Ronan towers above others two or three times her age in this electrifying tale of a girl raised by her father to be an assassin. Although somewhat of a kindred spirit to Hit-Girl in last year's <i>Kick-Ass, </i>Hanna has been raised in the wilderness and never known anyone but her father. Thus scenes of her instinctively annihilating adults are mixed in with tender scenes where she tries to have the childhood she was denied.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Kristen Wiig as Annie in <i>Bridesmaids</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Aside from a surprise Globes nom, all of the acting love for this film has been directed solely at Melissa McCarthy. I'm not saying she's unworthy, but the fact that everyone is treating a woman doing gross-out humor as a comedic breakthrough is kind of sad. Frankly, I think Wiig's work here is much more nuanced and daring<i>,</i> as she's not only hilarious but fairly despicable and destructive throughout.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Jenna Fischer as Laura in <i>A Little Help</i><br />
As Pam Beesly on "The Office," Fischer plays nice. For her uglier side, turn to this indie, which is a bit uneven but shows off her acting chops. A former high school beauty turned hometown hot mess, she has petty and insulting fights with her young son and everyone else in her family, but she just wants them to like her. Fischer explores what it's like to have your life be in shambles, but not in the cutesy romantic comedy way (as in "oh no, my job is hard and I trip a lot!").<i> </i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Mia Wasikowska as <i>Jane Eyre</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Confession time: despite being, ostensibly, a girl, this was my first introduction to the tale of Jane Eyre.<i> </i>I therefore have no basis of comparison, but I dare anyone to play the role better than Wasikowska. Naturally, it's unfortunate that we have to go back over 150 years to find a female character this strong without an obvious hook (e.g. an assassin), but I'm grateful to Wasikowska for reviving her with such intelligence and passion.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X9nTkuRfTRw/TwY57E6kU_I/AAAAAAAABNY/ewIBidGn42M/s1600/Hugo15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X9nTkuRfTRw/TwY57E6kU_I/AAAAAAAABNY/ewIBidGn42M/s400/Hugo15.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Sacha Baron Cohen as the station inspector in <i>Hugo</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Cohen does not do subtlety<i>. </i>And really, would you want him to? Playing a man who could easily be a cousin of his garish barber in <i>Sweeney Todd, </i>Cohen is operating in his typically alternate plane of existence, which dovetails nicely with the world of <i>Hugo. </i>And yet, he does find a balance - despite possessing utter dominion over the train station, he is still rendered helpless by a lovely shopkeeper.</div></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Armie Hammer as Clyde Tolson in <i>J. Edgar</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Not content to rest on his laurels as a man so stunningly gorgeous it's scientifically impossible<i>, </i>Hammer has been one to watch lately. Here, he plays nicely off DiCaprio's Hoover, being the more socially adept half of their ambiguous partnership. But the most impressive part of his performance is how well he pulls off old age. So often when actors play older, they're going through the motions but something just feels off. Not the case here - I completely bought the athletic, 25-year-old Hammer as the 70-something, post-stroke Tolson.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ezra Miller as teenage Kevin in <i>We Need to Talk About Kevin</i><br />
Since the titular nightmarish offspring ages from 0 to 16 in the film, he is portrayed by multiple actors<i>, </i>including two talented children. But it's Miller as the teenage Kevin that really steals the show. <i>Kevin </i>is a nature vs nurture study about the origin of sociopaths that offers no clear answers, and Miller dominates every frame he's in with an utterly chilling and compelling presence.<br />
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Jon Hamm as Ted in <i>Bridesmaids</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Some people have all the luck...they're gorgeous, talented, AND hilarious. One would never expect the man playing Don Draper to have killer comedy skills, but lucky for us, he does. And they're on full display here, with Hamm as the filthiest, most degrading man you could ever date. <i> </i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zw9B68r4V5c/TwY8gLqmxoI/AAAAAAAABNk/_a4mwU2KT94/s1600/kk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zw9B68r4V5c/TwY8gLqmxoI/AAAAAAAABNk/_a4mwU2KT94/s1600/kk.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Keira Knightley as Sabina Spielrein in <i>A Dangerous Method</i><br />
Frankly, I'm surprised that awards-bestowing entities aren't all over this. She plays a historical figure with both physical and mental problems, for crying out loud! But it's never for its own sake - Knightley skillfully depicts Spielrein's journey from stuttering, hypersexual patient to insightful doctor, and walks away as the true focus (and star) of the film.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Jennifer Morrison as Tess Conlon in <i>Warrior</i><br />
Typically in sports movies, the love story is in the courtship phase (i.e. <i>Rocky, The Fighter, etc</i>). <i>Warrior </i>takes a different approach here by having one of the protagonists be married, thus showing the strain of his career decisions on a preexisting relationship (with kids). Morrison transforms what could have been a throwaway role into something remarkable, balancing a love for her husband with an urgent need to sustain her family.<i> </i><br />
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</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i> </i>Ellen Page as Libby in <i>Super</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My boyfriend always explains his unconditional adoration of Tom Cruise as an actor by saying that he completely commits to every role he plays, no matter how slight. Perhaps that's why I always love Page - she has an intense "there"-ness apparent in roles from normal to deranged. And boy, this is deranged - Libby gleefully attacks people, rapes men twice her age, and generally revels in chaos. In anyone else's hands it might have just been embarrassing, but Page knocks it out of the park.<br />
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Colette Wolfe as Sandy in <i>Young Adult</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Playing a gawky townie, Wolfe only has a few minutes of screen time at the end of the film, but she certainly makes her mark. In those few minutes, she summarizes the moral of the film (which isn't quite what you'd expect), makes you laugh with her deadpan comedy, and tugs at your heartstrings.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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OVERLOOKED ENSEMBLES<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tC_hu-BmvfQ/TwY8_wCmmYI/AAAAAAAABNw/ApsLJFdWKkQ/s1600/AttackTheBlock1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tC_hu-BmvfQ/TwY8_wCmmYI/AAAAAAAABNw/ApsLJFdWKkQ/s400/AttackTheBlock1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<i>Attack the Block</i><br />
Ever wonder why aliens only seem to invade the suburbs? Joe Cornish did, so he wrote and directed a film about an invasion in a South London hood. Unofficially tasked with defending the streets<i> </i>are a teenage street gang and the young woman they terrorized earlier in the night. Cornish's cast is comprised almost entirely of inexperienced actors making their debut (with the righteous exception of Nick Frost), and they bring a great energy and camaraderie to the film while replacing time-worn alien-fighting archetypes.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<i>Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy</i><br />
Gary Oldman is being rightfully recognized for his performance here, but it's really more of a group affair. It's a who's who of British actors working together beautifully for the sake of the story - not even recent Oscar winner Colin Firth has that big a role, but everyone is an important piece of the puzzle.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<i>The Ides of March</i><br />
This cast is an embarrassment of riches<i> </i>that could easily fill a trophy case with their combined awards. Stars like Marisa Tomei and Jeffrey Wright chip in mere minutes of screen time to this well-crafted, simmering political tale. Additionally, many of the players are going against type - George Clooney as a semi-villain, Ryan Gosling tapping into his dark side without killing anybody, and Paul Giamatti being only <i>somewhat </i>pathetic.<br />
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What are your favorite performances of the year that you feel aren't getting enough love?</div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-90115386719411371222011-12-01T10:50:00.000-08:002011-12-01T10:51:34.596-08:00The year in dog<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin: 0px;">Movies and dogs are pretty much my two favorite things in the world. So when you combine the two of them, I'm in hog heaven. This year, some canine talent burst onto the scene that could easily be compared to the star power of Asta or Lassie. Beyond those career-defining roles, various films this year were positively peppered with pooches. I'm not just calling them out for being cute, but I truly believe that they were all strong screen presences, even those with limited screen time. Oh, and they're cute!<br />
<br />
THE STAR TURNS<br />
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Uggy in <i>The Artist</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRajx99kvjKDc-KQe3SmL_cTEoFS1YGYKFSutGavknFXVdngzbz9RUkNPSeL-QGfVKmxEXHNL9_Uh00zKXXK9xUC-4W1CPwaeghnGK5A7gxiqBgfBq4zpA3CszeSny-AbeAD6Di_QSy0/s1600/theartist_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRajx99kvjKDc-KQe3SmL_cTEoFS1YGYKFSutGavknFXVdngzbz9RUkNPSeL-QGfVKmxEXHNL9_Uh00zKXXK9xUC-4W1CPwaeghnGK5A7gxiqBgfBq4zpA3CszeSny-AbeAD6Di_QSy0/s400/theartist_large.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We'll start with the pup that won big at Cannes. Yes, Uggy is the lucky recipient of this year's Palm Dog award, which the Cannes jury awards every year for best canine performance. (I pretty much died when I found out that this was a real thing). To call Uggy a scene-stealer would be to call <i>Citizen Kane </i>a pretty good flick. Director Michel Hazanavicius knew the star he had on his hands, so he cleverly cast him as a spunky sidekick, both onscreen and off, to the film's actor protagonist. When I saw the film at the AFI Fest gala event, Uggy was in tow with the film's cast, as if to scoff at the notion that he wouldn't be.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Arthur" in <i>Beginners</i></div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O_BscoIGN3qSQO0JLFMembAfr_VVDTMhTU9SAvwvciGoGkH1w923KHPqEiZH9G29Q5WGPCkUwLIB5xqW_ZvmcCX6xDP3CJa0cyZVDiyBFECOv4xea9WNaDtcGKiVJ05CA45U0_Mgt-A/s1600/Beginners+Dog+Cosmo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O_BscoIGN3qSQO0JLFMembAfr_VVDTMhTU9SAvwvciGoGkH1w923KHPqEiZH9G29Q5WGPCkUwLIB5xqW_ZvmcCX6xDP3CJa0cyZVDiyBFECOv4xea9WNaDtcGKiVJ05CA45U0_Mgt-A/s400/Beginners+Dog+Cosmo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">Not only does it appear to be the year of the dog in cinema, but more specifically, the dominance belongs to the Jack Russell terrier. The breed is no stranger to showbiz, having popped up in everything from <i>The Mask </i>to "Frasier," but 2011 was the year it would really shine. In addition to Uggy, Cosmo the Jack Russell gives a great leading performance as Arthur in <i>Beginners. </i>"Leading performance" was not a typo - this dog is in nearly every frame, and has the expressiveness of his fellow actors. Costar Ewan McGregor was so taken with him that he wanted to adopt him after filming, but his trainer wouldn't let him go. And honestly, who would?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">The Doberman and dachshunds in <i>Hugo</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFKcxdD91DemmpiG3OAYdtPl30zIJ9Cbv3yktqexcKJmxldGbsE9Q3JAmoZULQ6zd5G76MYFmWDBKs6LYPyq0OkQNuSPC28T8jTK8JbxkR4gctRQDB3CeSQz40JOa8zYzsXEqsYQlcp0/s1600/hugo-sacha-dog-560x478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFKcxdD91DemmpiG3OAYdtPl30zIJ9Cbv3yktqexcKJmxldGbsE9Q3JAmoZULQ6zd5G76MYFmWDBKs6LYPyq0OkQNuSPC28T8jTK8JbxkR4gctRQDB3CeSQz40JOa8zYzsXEqsYQlcp0/s400/hugo-sacha-dog-560x478.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">You'd think that anyone would disappear into the shadows acting alongside the theatrical Sacha Baron Cohen, but someone found him in a perfect foil in the form of a stone-faced Doberman. Cohen's character essentially regards the dog as a human sidekick, and their relationship is all the better for it. There's also a single shot of the two of them that I won't spoil, but it might be the most delightful doggy moment I've ever seen onscreen. The film also features, in a much smaller role, a hot-tempered dachshund that finds love.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">THE SUPPORTING PLAYERS</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Skeletor" in <i>50/50</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cyz1WX6Aijowk0OFUfiIFeXQsY5f8oAWY3xGVrrWHv6JvK4qGTjNhLOXIYNkFD5UJOw0zTaKa192bE4W1vha45ljqDpgNW50b_gJgvpCmGwrCk6K5NSek_e2zbVLhsf_KS0rPiRhUXs/s1600/5050_skeletordog_hd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1cyz1WX6Aijowk0OFUfiIFeXQsY5f8oAWY3xGVrrWHv6JvK4qGTjNhLOXIYNkFD5UJOw0zTaKa192bE4W1vha45ljqDpgNW50b_gJgvpCmGwrCk6K5NSek_e2zbVLhsf_KS0rPiRhUXs/s400/5050_skeletordog_hd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Although Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) is hardly the best girlfriend to cancer patient Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), she does bring an adopted greyhound into his life as a coping mechanism. Adam doesn't quite take to Skeletor at first, but the dog's mournful eyes from his past life in a shelter radiate empathy, and the two become inseparable. There's a part where the two are snuggled up in bed where I seriously thought I was going to cry. As a doggy bonus, I believe Skeletor also briefly encounters a bulldog when out on a walk.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Laika in <i>Le Havre</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiX375EMU9gK5qkuBaoN0l4CcxqIN-34B1esbdl7NtqgjII4ymYc8QNYHbt9oSGpmN20Am5TdYX_HhAXHJgErkUd3SvK1FQijwxOqq2OOTbFjg3_vr64fg-RmP_z7_Z_psM0N6Z1aewpM/s1600/lehavre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiX375EMU9gK5qkuBaoN0l4CcxqIN-34B1esbdl7NtqgjII4ymYc8QNYHbt9oSGpmN20Am5TdYX_HhAXHJgErkUd3SvK1FQijwxOqq2OOTbFjg3_vr64fg-RmP_z7_Z_psM0N6Z1aewpM/s400/lehavre.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">Even though the Palm Dog went to Uggy this year, a special jury prize was given to Laika. I'm not sure if that means Laika is a runner-up or actually superior, but either way, the adorable mutt provides a reassuring and super cute presence in the film.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Jankers" in <i>Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NTTNpbkTDt5fKHHm2p2CU11KTe8TitvCfEJoU_oIuvPAczAtqxhBTDGXsM6C_UV83mmS7p4UWSRZUUAqQEP7pD8QFWmWhh60qgEn-59Ph3QYy9x_OULwso16vWNEQFJKfONzJuegqZs/s1600/tucker-and-dale-vs-evil-alan-tudyk-dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NTTNpbkTDt5fKHHm2p2CU11KTe8TitvCfEJoU_oIuvPAczAtqxhBTDGXsM6C_UV83mmS7p4UWSRZUUAqQEP7pD8QFWmWhh60qgEn-59Ph3QYy9x_OULwso16vWNEQFJKfONzJuegqZs/s400/tucker-and-dale-vs-evil-alan-tudyk-dog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">(Full disclosure: the spelling of that name is a rough approximation extrapolated from a hillbilly accent.) Like the scary-looking but sweet titular characters, Jankers' odd exterior (indeterminate bulldog mix, different-colored eyes) hides a mellow and sympathetic disposition. Correctly assessing how much he means to Dale, one of the college kids even takes the dog hostage! (Jankers comes through okay though, don't worry.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">The bulldog in <i>Hipsters</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9rX5mlKebOd-f-bVSVTJxvkiEQKOQewGNxK7KEZOWyK2L9E31UJL3H4GS-NAbZ4LpGvn_sC5fWEjXaDTfcYhgBqFrhr2NSvbOz7Ub-C6SmNnzQVAy1_Co5IEGrADib385oZVvFfbVLY/s1600/Stilyagi_film15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9rX5mlKebOd-f-bVSVTJxvkiEQKOQewGNxK7KEZOWyK2L9E31UJL3H4GS-NAbZ4LpGvn_sC5fWEjXaDTfcYhgBqFrhr2NSvbOz7Ub-C6SmNnzQVAy1_Co5IEGrADib385oZVvFfbVLY/s400/Stilyagi_film15.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">Ever wish "Glee" was more like <i>Grease, </i>and in Russian? Have I got news for you! <i>Hipsters </i>is a charming little film about the rockabilly subculture of Russia in the 50s, complete with some of the catchiest songs and swell fashions of the year. Cool cat Fred, self-appointed leader of the hipsters, extends his style even to his dog, who has dyed fur and accessories for every occasion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><i> </i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">Rowlf in <i>The Muppets</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4eiFhoKD5ZnRprpn6XFyo8KV08FHTKCFyzCs5mEFeu2QDzQX1WNttvqLlMjlc6h9thzvUl19d3xMWT2BAahWwRqU2iFvINqjh4thzL6QlZv1D7hQtH29K356du4oDBw1g0SGMe0JI2Y/s1600/Rowlf2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4eiFhoKD5ZnRprpn6XFyo8KV08FHTKCFyzCs5mEFeu2QDzQX1WNttvqLlMjlc6h9thzvUl19d3xMWT2BAahWwRqU2iFvINqjh4thzL6QlZv1D7hQtH29K356du4oDBw1g0SGMe0JI2Y/s400/Rowlf2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">He plays the piano. Nuff said.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">Also notable, though I couldn't find a picture: the mutt in <i>Take Shelter</i>. Despite its totally laid-back demeanor, the mentally unstable Curtis (Michael Shannon) starts perceiving it as violent and keeps distancing it from his family. And let's not forget the veritable cornucopia of Golden Retriever puppies appearing as party favors in <i>Bridesmaids</i>! Despite the one pup per guest rule, feisty bridesmaid Megan (Melissa McCarthy) helps herself to a whole armload, and later admits she might have gotten carried away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;">And even though I haven't seen <i>Young Adult </i>yet, I'm going to go ahead and include its featured pooch. Just look at it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSoFg3k9sNX5aUf9bN_I5y1Igw72stKLXBCMlb2e24llLy4emzvIJqoybwA52eXpin9HttErILyKrpZdbcbOb1pG5NYLvAxCdfTaELPPISqa17wIO9BbfTWAJHlRQSfyJz6lQLME8ezk/s1600/young-adult.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSoFg3k9sNX5aUf9bN_I5y1Igw72stKLXBCMlb2e24llLy4emzvIJqoybwA52eXpin9HttErILyKrpZdbcbOb1pG5NYLvAxCdfTaELPPISqa17wIO9BbfTWAJHlRQSfyJz6lQLME8ezk/s400/young-adult.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Did I miss any? What were your favorite dog performances of the year?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-27575987176526166912011-11-04T21:15:00.000-07:002011-11-04T21:15:47.812-07:00Films that should have been something else<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's rare that films come into being because the idea was best suited for that particular medium. Adaptations obviously happen, as well as transformations during development ("Glee," for instance, was originally envisioned as a film), but it's not like a variety of artists are all chasing the same material. Consequently, it occasionally happens that you wind up with a film that (at least in my opinion) should have been something else, where the strengths play to a different medium entirely and the choice of art form drags it down. Here, then, are some films that I think were "born into the wrong body," so to speak. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><i>Scarface</i></b> (1932) as a graphic novel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When I finally got around to seeing <i>Scarface, </i>I felt like I was missing something. I love a good gangster picture as much as the next guy, and even <i>Scarface</i>'s notable contemporaries like <i>Little Caesar </i>and <i>The Public Enemy </i>seemed much more lively. To me, the film lacked the manic energy that made similar films work. There was too much dead space, too many awkward stretches, too much focus on plot. So I propose it would feel right at home as a graphic novel, where the pace can be more relaxed while still holding interest. The machine gun fire would explode in big graphic rat-a-tats, and stylized artwork (black and white, perhaps) would do the heavy lifting instead of mostly novice actors. I'd read it! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>The Producers</b> </i>(1968) as a musical</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Now, I'm aware this is sort of cheating, since the film HAS been made into a musical (albeit one I haven't seen, so I'm counting it). It's perhaps because I am aware of the musical that the film felt to me like a musical with the songs cut out. The plot is oddly arranged, the shtick gets old fast, and the vast majority of it is two actors stuck in a room getting hysterical at each other. The fundamental premise is so goofy that I think the full musical treatment would really highlight it and bring the absurdity to the max. (I'm clearly right, if a six-year Broadway run and 12 Tonys are any indication).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>Beetlejuice</b> </i>(1988) as an art exhibit</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Unlike many, I neither unconditionally love nor blindly hate Tim Burton - I take him one film at a time. My frustration with <i>Beetlejuice </i>was that it had wonderful production design - and that's it. The acting, directing, cinematography, editing and story were indifferent. He probably knew that he could get more financing for building a whimsically gothic collection of giant beasties if he shot a film with them. I've been to the recent Tim Burton art exhibit that's been touring the world, but the focus there is more on two-dimensional works and isolated movie props. Ideally, the world he created for <i>Beetlejuice </i>would have been transplanted into an immersive gallery environment where you experienced it firsthand, not once removed through a movie screen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhBBUzP_-Mg07pvAcobChU3BtsoE4xWN8JBKg1AQJM5bDlhLRx0MoHNeRSJyqfox8xMlwKZpEjJ0Ib-B14vmkKzq0OMIVO3986JdG4X0gJVoWgolRSGZvkdz57VN46Z4LUQ5cS5tOaJo/s1600/beetlejuicesandworm01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhBBUzP_-Mg07pvAcobChU3BtsoE4xWN8JBKg1AQJM5bDlhLRx0MoHNeRSJyqfox8xMlwKZpEjJ0Ib-B14vmkKzq0OMIVO3986JdG4X0gJVoWgolRSGZvkdz57VN46Z4LUQ5cS5tOaJo/s400/beetlejuicesandworm01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>Once</b> </i>(2007) as an album</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Once </i>is about music. Any plot developments or character arcs, most of them minor, are entrenched in the music. So why not just leave it as music? The film plays like a long music video, although that's not even the best description because music videos exploit their visual component. <i>Once </i>does not - the characters just sit around either playing music or just kind of hanging out. Make no mistake; the music in question here is absolutely fantastic. They just didn't need to build a movie around it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>The Man From Earth</b> </i>(2007) as a play</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I had heard a ton of great buzz about this little indie, but it proved to be a huge disappointment. There's an interesting premise buried underneath terrible acting, shoddy production values and elevator music: an immortal, non-aging man has seen all of human history unfold. Instead of being a 20-part history epic, however, the format is a bunch of intellectuals sitting in a room and talking. I don't have an intrinsic problem with this format and have seen many films that use it well, but <i>TMFE </i>is a textbook example of what not to do. Take a few of the sillier indulgences out of the script, cast a powerhouse ensemble of actors, and it could be a pretty great stage play. (Frankly, the way the film is made I was surprised to learn it wasn't adapted from one.)</span><br />
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</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimetrbE5ntc90Y9Q0gcv09gwMMXWQ7_-U6QrLtVnNi5_WcFTuFuzj8mju-uq0rbntSQcBdVE1gbcPe3W54NA3IAorxn-DnzpYRqpfatuKJADYEsk2sK0ZShiAfS4aBN-eKvqZByPM54qc/s1600/the-man-from-earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimetrbE5ntc90Y9Q0gcv09gwMMXWQ7_-U6QrLtVnNi5_WcFTuFuzj8mju-uq0rbntSQcBdVE1gbcPe3W54NA3IAorxn-DnzpYRqpfatuKJADYEsk2sK0ZShiAfS4aBN-eKvqZByPM54qc/s400/the-man-from-earth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>Black Swan</b> </i>(2010) as a ballet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'm well aware that the film uses the ballet Swan Lake as a launching point. But Aronofsky's dark, sexy, weird version of the ballet at the end of the film is like no Swan Lake I've ever seen. The offscreen drama of the finale is fantastic too, a virtuosic opera of madness that melds perfectly with the ballet performance. Unfortunately, the rest of the film is Natalie Portman whimpering and clipping her toenails. I'm not dismissing the film entirely, since the ending was one of the more inspired moments of cinema I saw last year. So why not combine the ballet of Swan Lake with the story of a ballerina going mad preparing for it? The histrionics fit the tone of "dance-acting," the production design can remain the same - just cast actual dancers who have been trained to emote through their bodies.<i><b> </b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><b>Le Havre</b> </i>(2011) as a photography series</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Aki Kaurismäki's latest film immediately pulls you in with its stunning lighting. It's a strange thing to single out, but it's highly theatrical and makes the rainbow palette of the film really pop. The rest of the film, however, isn't nearly as notable - flat characters, a story that overestimates its importance, and barely enough energy to keep the thing moving. But viewing stills from the movie, they look like a carefully choreographed photography series spring-loaded with possibilities. I can totally picture them in a gallery or museum. The nature of film as a moving picture really does these compositions an injustice.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASR-E6WerN5UUCWL4hoG9VZownMx8wSo_v-FzGq0TWqlErC7ltxoDHXWqqWWe0oPGQ2A1Wpju1duCwRPE3EEVfvlUB_88XsqgWC6RCCOfh6NkD_dtLLeLsj2zhTnHLPOGo7u-0WL6XVU/s1600/nyfflehavre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASR-E6WerN5UUCWL4hoG9VZownMx8wSo_v-FzGq0TWqlErC7ltxoDHXWqqWWe0oPGQ2A1Wpju1duCwRPE3EEVfvlUB_88XsqgWC6RCCOfh6NkD_dtLLeLsj2zhTnHLPOGo7u-0WL6XVU/s400/nyfflehavre.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXE5Pdu43ZRanbjgnOKAM_WF5rBKWifZi4-3ouCMW55tIt7htHwGkw1JdqBKszRWaXqqMSR8ZejucUSaPTkkzI3Scn02E6AnYHpkXCH9IQwd37opHgIgqEZ3aMpySd0ZPlvwERRTe0WbU/s1600/Le-Havre-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXE5Pdu43ZRanbjgnOKAM_WF5rBKWifZi4-3ouCMW55tIt7htHwGkw1JdqBKszRWaXqqMSR8ZejucUSaPTkkzI3Scn02E6AnYHpkXCH9IQwd37opHgIgqEZ3aMpySd0ZPlvwERRTe0WbU/s400/Le-Havre-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What do you think? Can you think of any films that seem destined to be something else?</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-25382954465006950072011-10-19T16:21:00.000-07:002011-10-19T16:21:42.864-07:00Second-tier and loving it<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">They can't all be winners.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Even the strongest, smartest, most talented directors will misfire occasionally. It happens, and it's forgivable. But what about the works that lie between masterpiece and failure? The films that, far from being nonentities, are proudly second-tier? It often seems that you can learn more about a director from these films than from their best works. Sometimes in plumbing the depths of a director's filmography I'll discover a film that I either consider generally underrated or actually superior to the anointed classics. But that's not what I'm talking about here - today I'm celebrating films that, despite being far from the big leagues, are still worth your time. After all, you have to have SOMEWHERE to turn after you've seen all of the best and brightest. So here are some of my favorite second-tier films, listed by director - because "minor (name of director)" doesn't always have to be an insult.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKb4KgaTsNPZiDj3gRY61JpbREXKKGl_NGopxfZ9UGLoMqJH8teQtZuWlcnhaJDXEZb_jEyzf_1GNKAg8u5Qf5DdT_5DZM2hBmfh4Wl5BogZywPbb4woPwXxlCZaQH-uWaTOlKqtuSM8/s1600/Foreign+Correspondent+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBKb4KgaTsNPZiDj3gRY61JpbREXKKGl_NGopxfZ9UGLoMqJH8teQtZuWlcnhaJDXEZb_jEyzf_1GNKAg8u5Qf5DdT_5DZM2hBmfh4Wl5BogZywPbb4woPwXxlCZaQH-uWaTOlKqtuSM8/s400/Foreign+Correspondent+03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Alfred Hitchcock</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>Psycho, Rear Window</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But do check out: <i>Foreign Correspondent </i>(1940)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I've long contended that a Hitchcock film is never a waste of time. Even if it's not a classic, there will be memorable scenes, shots, and tricks from the Master of Suspense. <i>FC </i>takes a bit of time to get going, but its greatest strength is that you never know who you can truly trust. Joel McCrea is fine in the lead, but it's the suave support team of Herbert Marshall and George Sanders who truly shine. Hitch's keen eye for imagery also gives us visual treats like a chase through a sea of umbrellas, and a tense encounter in a windmill. It never quite coheres in the manner of, say, <i>North by Northwest, </i>but it's entertaining nonetheless.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>John Huston</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But do check out: <i>Key Largo</i> (1948)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson face off as a hurricane traps them (and others) in a hotel. It's Bogie being Bogie and EGR being EGR, but I could watch that all day. Lauren Bacall's unique appeal is held back to "generic female" levels, but Claire Trevor steals the show as a pathetic, boozy broad (and won an Oscar for doing so). It's stagy, and not quite as tense as it perhaps should have been, but sweaty gangsters pointing guns at each other while the wind howls outside does cast a certain spell.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-v4WtoZe82blz2Yk2KZwyGON0ZvdZ4fQ93zoHIS7plZ419t-Euj0sX_vm_ErLA-3qK4fIt2r2O9U9zxZeRp9FUimM9lBKHtXIYYeRMozUxF4kql-WTQ446dR0jocBx0JCwjRKymCzftA/s1600/manhorn" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-v4WtoZe82blz2Yk2KZwyGON0ZvdZ4fQ93zoHIS7plZ419t-Euj0sX_vm_ErLA-3qK4fIt2r2O9U9zxZeRp9FUimM9lBKHtXIYYeRMozUxF4kql-WTQ446dR0jocBx0JCwjRKymCzftA/s400/manhorn" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Michael Curtiz</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>Casablanca, Mildred Pierce</i><b> </b> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But do check out: <i>Young Man with a Horn</i> (1950)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Curtiz' output is divided into two categories: <i>Casablanca, </i>and all the other stuff. In picking through the "other stuff," however, I've discovered that he was one of the most talented of the studio system's journeyman directors. Even without a distinctive style, per se, the consistent quality of his films suggests more than coincidence. So while I could go on and on about, say, <i>Four Daughters </i>or <i>Life With Father, </i>I'll focus on one of his more modest successes. <i>YMwaH </i>stars Kirk Douglas as a troubled jazz trumpeter (based on 1920s cornetist Bix Beiderbecke), and he elevates the film from the "forgettable studio system film" gutter it might otherwise occupy. He modulates perfectly between charm and pathos, all against a great soundtrack. Lauren Bacall costars as his tempestuous wife, and Doris Day is also on hand to play a shyer, more nervous version of herself. Even though the film opts to have the protagonist reform instead of dying the early death that Beiderbecke did, it's still fairly intense in its depiction of downfall (considering the era).</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Otto Preminger</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>Laura, Anatomy of a Murder</i><b> </b> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But do check out: <i>The Moon Is Blue</i> (1953)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Preminger is associated with noir and drama, not sex comedy. So it's a pleasant surprise to watch his deft handling of the latter. Known more as a curio that significantly weakened the Production Code, it's actually quite funny. The trio of William Holden, David Niven, and the otherwise unknown Maggie McNamara outwit and outflirt each other as they get into increasingly ridiculous situations. Oh, did I mention the main plot is that they're both competing to deflower her? The bad news is that it's pretty talky and starts to drag, and one can't help but wonder what it might have been like in the hands of a Hawks or McCarey. Still, it's quite amusing, with a knockout performance by McNamara as a horny ingenue (in 1953!). </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Stanley Donen</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>Singin' in the Rain, Charade</i><b> </b> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But do check out: <i>The Pajama Game</i> (1957)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Donen is one of my favorite directors, a man who, like Curtiz, has a body of work riddled with hidden treasures (<i>Two for the Road </i>and <i>It's Always Fair Weather, </i>for instance). So after watching <i>The Pajama Game, </i>I didn't think too highly of it. But later, in describing it to someone else, I found myself saying "Yeah, it's okay except for this one part. Well, and this other part. Okay, so just these three parts. Well..." The thing is, Donen can stage a musical number better than anyone in town. Add in choreography by Bob Fosse and the numbers here are truly special, from the sultry sizzle of "Steam Heat" to the no-holds-barred insanity of "Once-a-Year Day." If the film was all song and dance, it might be truly sublime - but since it isn't, the end result is rather uneven. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0RIRop2fI0xPwE73Qxj3wIOv6QNqTDw-1VZlQZmYHWOYK8vdn9ZAb2cRXIqoaqMS0lc3PGTNLo-7lxuAq0pizmVYWl1LE-axdCn7Yei6PXu7D70B3SNdvMH3sShbGTrHV1Rv_bO3_cE/s1600/party-girl_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0RIRop2fI0xPwE73Qxj3wIOv6QNqTDw-1VZlQZmYHWOYK8vdn9ZAb2cRXIqoaqMS0lc3PGTNLo-7lxuAq0pizmVYWl1LE-axdCn7Yei6PXu7D70B3SNdvMH3sShbGTrHV1Rv_bO3_cE/s400/party-girl_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Nicholas Ray</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>Rebel Without a Cause, In a Lonely Place</i><b> </b> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But do check out: <i>Party Girl</i> (1958)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My boyfriend prefaced my first viewing of <i>Party Girl </i>with "It's like, not that good <i>objectively, </i>but there's just something about it." Frustratingly vague as that is, I was forced to agree. Cyd Charisse is luminous but not exceptional, Robert Taylor is good but not memorable, and Lee J. Cobb is just straight-up hammy. Charisse's two dance numbers are bizarrely incongruous but entrancing. The plot is thin, but it all looks gorgeous. It's campy, tense, sad, and fun all at once. There's just SOMETHING about it!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Joseph L Mankiewicz</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>All About Eve, Julius Caesar</i><b> </b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> But do check out: S<i>uddenly Last Summer</i> (1959)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This somewhat campy offering is unusual fare for Mankiewicz, known for his solid studio films. On one hand you have Katharine Hepburn absolutely feasting on the scenery as a demented and delusional recluse, and on the other you have up and coming star Elizabeth Taylor giving a heartbreaking and shattering performance (with Montgomery Clift pulled between them). And let's not forget about homosexuality, cannibals, and lobotomies - oh my! It's based on a Tennessee Williams play, and it was as faithfully and competently adapted as possible considering the weirdness of the source material. It's been viewed alternately as a cult classic and just a regular classic, so watch it and decide for yourself!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Billy Wilder</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>Sunset Blvd, Some Like It Hot</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But do check out: <i>Irma La Douce</i> (1963)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Does reuniting the leads from <i>The Apartment, </i>relocating the action to Paris and making everything ten times sillier sound like fun to you? It is! <i>Irma</i> lacks the sophisticated sparkle of <i>Some Like It Hot, </i>the dark bite of <i>Sunset Blvd, </i>and the pathos of <i>The Apartment, </i>but it does have Shirley MacLaine as the world's cutest hooker and Jack Lemmon as a suitor pretending to be different customers so he can have her to himself. The humor is broader than in Wilder's other films, which isn't a bad thing but might seem that way to those familiar with his work. Some sources claim it's the first major Hollywood film to address prostitution head-on, and consequently there's a bit of a giggly feel to it all - but you'll giggle right along with it.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Pedro Almodóvar</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>Talk to Her, All About My Mother</i></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But do check out: <i>Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón</i> (1980)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It seems a bit improper to put a debut film on this list, but of the many Almodóvars I've seen, this seems to fit the bill best. Perhaps that's because it meanders amiably without getting into the more twisted stuff he became known for (although people DO pee on each other). It's good-natured anarchy that stays enjoyable, not awkward, as you watch an auteur find his voice.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3JCAUxYC82ZUVydHAg8-U4idAKesg3Vkq-zHPZ5_TbmRYp-KuO1fo9hujFCdsDyjveaCsPgMoA5Zx6UWXTGWgsQe1tIVRTb7jUZcPPgRNU-1he5olIF4XBZrv6NxaTRw4-OnvPTIU8M/s1600/everyonesays" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3JCAUxYC82ZUVydHAg8-U4idAKesg3Vkq-zHPZ5_TbmRYp-KuO1fo9hujFCdsDyjveaCsPgMoA5Zx6UWXTGWgsQe1tIVRTb7jUZcPPgRNU-1he5olIF4XBZrv6NxaTRw4-OnvPTIU8M/s400/everyonesays" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Woody Allen</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters</i><b> </b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But do check out: <i>Everyone Says I Love You</i> (1996)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I still can't believe that Allen has essentially cranked out a movie a year for the past four decades. When you're that prolific, you have the opportunity to touch on a variety of genres: slapstick, drama, crime, romance, mockumentary - and the musical! Despite the typical trappings like pop songs and choreography, this is hardly a traditional musical - his ensemble cast was told about the musical element only after they signed on, and he made everyone use their own singing voices, no matter how unimpressive. Viewers consequently discover that Edward Norton and Alan Alda are rather good singers and Julia Roberts is not, while navigating a feather-light plot through lovely locales (and a Groucho Marx party). Directors often trip up when working in homage, but Allen takes a relaxed enough approach here that everyone (audience included) has fun.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Joel and Ethan Coen</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Masterpieces include: <i>The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men</i><b> </b> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But do check out: <i>Intolerable Cruelty</i> (2003)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Coens' track record is so damn near perfect that any slight fall from grace is especially glaring. I actually avoided this film for a while because of its bad reputation, but was quite surprised to find it was a perfectly charming homage to screwball comedy (if there's such a thing as cool, even-tempered screwball comedy). Perhaps it's just my low expectations talking, but George Clooney steps nicely into the archetypal Cary Grant role (what an original comparison, right?) and Catherine Zeta-Jones proves to be an effective foil. Unlike classic screwball cinema, however, <i></i>the Coens have some trouble maintaining the needed level of energy and rhythm of dialogue. Yet it's a nice throwback to a genre that peaked 70+ years ago.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What are your favorite second-tier films of acclaimed directors?</div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-35465457462745314972011-10-03T20:36:00.000-07:002011-10-03T20:39:35.292-07:00Eight outrageous Pre-Code moments<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When you watch a lot of movies, like I do, it really takes a lot to shock or surprise you. I can sit through the most depraved sexuality or most graphic violence and not blink an eye - it's just a matter of expectations. A sudden blood-soaked battle royale in a Pixar film, for instance, is going to elicit double takes from even the most jaded viewers because you're not expecting to find it there. Fans of cinematic dissonance, then, would be well-advised to check out some Pre-Code cinema.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Long-time readers are probably familiar with the Code, but for those of you just joining us, The Production Code was a system of Hollywood film censorship in place from 1934 to 1968. Naturally, the existence of said Code means there was an era before it, which is generally considered to be between the birth of talkies and the strict enforcement of the Code (it was technically implemented in 1930, but without teeth). Consequently, films of this era could get away with a lot. Pre-Code transgressions, at least for me, fall into two categories: dryly anachronistic ("ah, since it's Pre-Code, that criminal act can go unpunished") and the truly startling ("WTF? I'm rewinding that!"). I'm not expecting that the average viewer would be scandalized by a lack of petticoats, but just to prove you can really get some kicks from the early 1930s I've compiled some of my favorite "wait - WHAT?" moments from Pre-Code cinema.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Lesbian kiss in <i>Morocco</i> (1930)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Marlene Dietrich, who was probably personally responsible for at least one film censor's heart attack, plays (what else?) a slinky cabaret entertainer who eventually falls for Gary Cooper. But before that, she finds time to plant a smoldering kiss on a female patron, mid-performance, FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON. My use is of all caps here is not to express indignation or disgust, but rather to underscore how profoundly random this moment is. It doesn't serve the story and is never mentioned again - it's just Marlene being Marlene. She was openly bisexual and added the kiss to the script herself - and insured its inclusion by taking a flower from the woman that would create a jarring continuity problem if the shot was cut.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPe7MPckX9zlUI6Q0B8wPeSHayLUwWWsBNbHOCimxsBscgxYodRA4784sz6ZNZoyydgnpLrgJpWJTJnYVm7xYZfKLuO9SbhtdhaU4stseh7kBcLnFwe7Gn2QzgOWaOEcPAklq16t2QuF0/s1600/DietrichKiss3%2528734x528%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPe7MPckX9zlUI6Q0B8wPeSHayLUwWWsBNbHOCimxsBscgxYodRA4784sz6ZNZoyydgnpLrgJpWJTJnYVm7xYZfKLuO9SbhtdhaU4stseh7kBcLnFwe7Gn2QzgOWaOEcPAklq16t2QuF0/s400/DietrichKiss3%2528734x528%2529.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Oh, and she's wearing a top hat and tux.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Laughed-off murder in <i>Night Nurse</i> (1931)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The perfect film for those who enjoy seeing Barbara Stanwyck prance around in lingerie, this film has it share of sordid and tawdry moments but none top the ending. Stanwyck's Lora has been engaged in courtship with a gangster, whose method of conflict resolution is sending a couple of thugs to rough up the person in question. Being a kind and reasonable person, she's initially horrified at this approach. But in the very last scene, a dead body (I won't say whose!) is delivered to the hospital, and we cut to the gangster admitting it was his thugs' doing as the two of them drive away smiling into the sunset. It's hardly prudish to say that a nonchalant murder makes a strange ending to a film that has otherwise upright morals.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">"Jazz Up Your Lingerie" from <i>The Smiling Lieutenant</i> (1931)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If your lover abandoned you for someone else, you'd probably be pretty upset and/or angry. Franzi (Claudette Colbert) is both of these things when she loses the lieutenant in question to a virginal princess (Miriam Hopkins), but by some insane twist of logic she figures that the guy might as well have good sex. So naturally she sings a song to her rival called "Jazz Up Your Lingerie" that is exactly what it sounds like. Really, it's the only logical outcome when one woman demands of another, "let me see your underwear."</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vCUf-RZYCJY" width="420"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This will be stuck in your head all day. You're welcome.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Cocaine use in <i>Three on a Match</i> (1932)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I would expect to see cocaine use in a movie (even a Pre-Code one) about the dangers of drugs. I was not expecting it to casually pop up as a byproduct of one woman's moral decline (particularly seeing as she is part of an ensemble cast). After her character is offscreen for a while, she reappears with dark circles under her eyes and a distinct nose-wiping twitch. Lest you think you're imagining it, a hoodlum played by Humphrey Bogart (!) chides her with "Oh, that" while mimicking her gesture. Her lover and some of his underlings appear to have the habit too, making their apartment a bona fide 1932 crack den.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Marijuana in <i>Jewel Robbery</i> (1932)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before Danny Ocean, before Thomas Crown, you could get your sexy, suave criminal fix from William Powell. Playing a jewel thief whose heists are like acts of seduction, he has Kay Francis at hello. But since not all of the witnesses are equally charmed, he subdues them with his secret weapon - marijuana cigarettes! They're not explicitly referred to as such, but the giggly behavior of those smoking them makes it pretty obvious.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">The dress gag in <i>This Is the Night</i> (1932)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This film opens with Thelma Todd snagging her dress on a car door and having it ripped off. This causes virtually the entire population of Paris to stop what they're doing and excitedly sing "The lady has lost her dress!" Throughout the film, it seems that the inanimate objects of the world are conspiring to see Ms. Todd in her skivvies, as her dress is ripped off over and over. In fact, the film is wryly summarized in the BFI database with the single sentence "Comedy in which a flirtatious wife keeps getting her dress caught in doors."</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">The premise of <i>Design for Living</i> (1933)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">What if you were in love with two people and didn't have to choose? That's the notion put forth in the film adaptation of the Noel Coward play, though one of the lines of the love triangle (the one connecting the two men) is removed. Scheming Gilda's solution to the fact that she's been sleeping with two best friends is to have the three of them move in together. They explicitly declare that there will be no sex in this arrangement, but let's just say that if they were successful at maintaining that rule, the film would be a lot shorter. The scandal is somewhat lessened by the fact that Gilda somewhat staggers the ensuing affairs and has them in different locations, but ultimately the film seems to endorse polyamorous relationships.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibw4oUdNefbDkWqh12raEtXMiuCrsReC1coeGn_IthP6rnLdqpnxkVDc1HgS-6MiR7dLIDS90-rPcYQMhGwDdqYrFvccFjelDwdor-Wh78vqak7qY2ug43-J-0ymmMX6fs4T4YWWpRQlA/s1600/design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibw4oUdNefbDkWqh12raEtXMiuCrsReC1coeGn_IthP6rnLdqpnxkVDc1HgS-6MiR7dLIDS90-rPcYQMhGwDdqYrFvccFjelDwdor-Wh78vqak7qY2ug43-J-0ymmMX6fs4T4YWWpRQlA/s400/design.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">The premise of <i>Baby Face</i> (1933)</span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I almost didn't want to mention <i>Baby Face</i> because it's so obvious - anyone can tell you it's basically THE Pre-Code film. But you can't avoid it. It's about Barbara Stanwyck sleeping her way to the top of a corporation. It makes "Mad Men" look subtle and progressive. Some of the setups seem like the start of pornos, except the characters shut the door on the audience instead of letting them watch. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I also want to give a shoutout to <i>Ecstasy</i> (1933), which I can't technically include since it's not an American production, but it features gratuitous female nudity and an extended scene of female orgasm. In 1933!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Let me offer the disclaimer that not all Pre-Code films are this racy, or even very good. But there's a lot of fun to be had, and with many of these films running about 60-80 minutes in length you don't have much to lose. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">What are the most outrageous Pre-Code moments you've seen?</span></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-6668854927013700582011-09-06T20:48:00.000-07:002011-09-06T20:49:13.692-07:00I know it's wrong, but I prefer...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1B-tHltykNpkIkQB3H8kL4_JPU_UnpaWsVIGeYymb3Ke8NfOKpgKPAe6H_DMOh8ydnYK5DkucY89_PDY7xQCTOh9PDCUUI1bIFOcusU-PK9_ng2xuszNLjCRu_1fPaSt3SFrY_OOlpHA/s1600/Pennies_From_Heaven-838477249-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1B-tHltykNpkIkQB3H8kL4_JPU_UnpaWsVIGeYymb3Ke8NfOKpgKPAe6H_DMOh8ydnYK5DkucY89_PDY7xQCTOh9PDCUUI1bIFOcusU-PK9_ng2xuszNLjCRu_1fPaSt3SFrY_OOlpHA/s320/Pennies_From_Heaven-838477249-large.jpg" width="241" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SX6VkYMXWTNjc23n77vVZ28fTnNdn6H92KHUsR39vs9kghETe0yBZ1PBQglcOjbYLBXf4J-zLkrU-ZQ-QIEcbk00yPUmcbC_VL9zkpynl3T5SHY1Xbk18yVD_1zrJ1HeHnJEnf9eapQ/s1600/West+Side+Story.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SX6VkYMXWTNjc23n77vVZ28fTnNdn6H92KHUsR39vs9kghETe0yBZ1PBQglcOjbYLBXf4J-zLkrU-ZQ-QIEcbk00yPUmcbC_VL9zkpynl3T5SHY1Xbk18yVD_1zrJ1HeHnJEnf9eapQ/s320/West+Side+Story.jpeg" width="205" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In my interweb travels, I have picked up a fun little meme called "I know it's wrong, but I prefer..." (scientists are working round the clock to come up with a catchier name). Basically, you name a universally revered film, and then offer up the name of a similar but less-acclaimed one (same director, similar plots, etc) that you like better. The "I know it's wrong" element could reflect either actual guilt or just reinforce the fact that you're in the minority. So here are some of mine...feel free to debate, berate, etc., but offer yours in return!</span><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I know it's wrong, but I prefer...</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of Kurosawa: <i>The Bad Sleep Well</i> to <i>Rashomon</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of Ford: <i>The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance</i> to <i>The Searchers</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of Fellini: <i>Nights of Cabiria </i>to <i>8 1/2</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of Altman: <i>3 Women </i>to <i>M*A*S*H*</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of Bogdanovich: <i>Paper Moon </i>to <i>The Last Picture Show</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of early Jimmy Cagney: <i>Picture Snatcher </i>to <i>The Public Enemy</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of Jack Nicholson: <i>As Good As It Gets </i>to <i>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of hobos: <i>O Brother, Where Art Thou?</i> to <i>Sullivan's Travels</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of absurd comedies: <i>Zoolander </i>to <i>Airplane!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of musicals with dramatic heft: <i>Pennies from Heaven </i>to <i>West Side Story</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of Brontë adaptations: <i>Jane Eyre </i>(2011) to <i>Wuthering Heights </i>(1939) (and yes I realize those are two different Brontës)<i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of 30s screwball comedies where a rich and daffy matron hires a hobo butler who falls for her daughter: <i>Merrily We Live </i>to <i>My Man Godfrey</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of courtroom dramas: Either <i>Judgment at Nuremberg </i>or <i>Inherit the Wind </i>to <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of 2009 animated films: <i>Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs </i>to <i>Up </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of early Universal horror films: <i>The Invisible Man </i>to <i>Dracula </i>and <i>Frankenstein</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of expressionist German cinema: <i>Pandora's Box </i>to <i>Metropolis</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Of this year's releases: <i>The Green Hornet </i>(Hornet, not Lantern!) to almost any of this summer's blockbusters except maybe <i>X-Men: First Class</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What do you prefer, despite knowing (or being told) that's it's wrong?</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-69561010884292019662011-08-25T22:06:00.000-07:002011-08-25T22:08:26.348-07:00What's in a CinemaScore?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bK641sYm6FCu303Ypb4rMKXWvF-nYEs8Zz6FnI6q5rH-qAxL9exivpvDnnXJ1Z5NAqbdQkkfvwkJQSvMetMzwehkfmWgofgGOntrdXzGD3HSkzINwVeKOp5EK-mmOXrl3zMPRGuM6CE/s1600/cinemascore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bK641sYm6FCu303Ypb4rMKXWvF-nYEs8Zz6FnI6q5rH-qAxL9exivpvDnnXJ1Z5NAqbdQkkfvwkJQSvMetMzwehkfmWgofgGOntrdXzGD3HSkzINwVeKOp5EK-mmOXrl3zMPRGuM6CE/s400/cinemascore.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Every so often, an entertainment journalist rediscovers CinemaScore and declares it to be a near-perfect predictor of box office performance. For the unfamiliar, CinemaScore is a simple survey passed out to filmgoers who give the movie in question a letter grade (typically administered in the very beginning of a film's run). Recently, much fuss has been made over the fact that <i>The Help </i>received a coveted and rare A+ rating, and the guaranteed box office success that entails. It's a tempting analysis to make - what better indicator of a film's resonance can you find than man-on-the-street opinions?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's true that many high-rated releases performed well and vice versa - you can't overlook the correlation. But I think for the most part, analysts aren't looking at what CinemaScore data actually measures. They're a bit too hasty in dismissing the results that don't support their hypothesis. The entertainment industry at large likes to rely on shortcuts and trends to guide their decisions, and they hear what they want to hear. It's a lot easier, for instance, to interpret the success of <i>The Dark Knight </i>as an audience hunger for an easily replicated "gritty feel" than to admit that a particular film had a certain alchemy that people responded to. Similarly, it's nice to be reassured that your newly released film will have a long and fruitful run. But I think they're missing the point.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">First, let's look at the participants. These are paying customers that want to see the film anyway, and so much so that they're there on opening weekend - predisposed fans, essentially. I'm guessing that <i>Justin Bieber: Never Say Never </i>got an A not based on its objective merits, but because the audience was filled with diehard Bieber fans. Tyler Perry films always have glowing CinemaScores, because the man has a devoted empire. Most kids' movies score pretty high too, probably because they're mostly attended by kids.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So what about the failures? It's true that there aren't a whole lot - on the whole, the reviews typically hover between A- and B-. Because of that fact, a C or less is considered a kiss of death. Here's a list of some films that haven't fared with with CinemaScore: <i>The American </i>(D-), <i>Rango </i>(C+), <i>Hanna </i>(C+), <i>Priest </i>(C+), the remake of <i>Solaris </i>(F), <i>The Box </i>(F). Do you notice anything these releases have in common?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I do - these films were all either deliberately or accidentally misrepresented to audiences in their marketing campaigns. <i>The American, </i>which plays like a contemplative European film of the 60s, made a risky grab for its opening weekend by marketing itself as an action movie with lots of running. <i>Rango </i>was assumed to be a kids' movie because it's animated, but it's a bizarre spaghetti western full of grotesque characters. <i>Hanna </i>features a slew of elegant Oscar-nominated talent coming together for an violent action thriller. The very title of <i>Solaris </i>conjures up images of a space adventure, but it's really a moody melodrama that's rather coincidentally set in space. I haven't seen the other two films listed, but my understanding is that their advertising contained ambiguities that left people disappointed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">From this data, it's hard to see CinemaScore as anything other than an evaluation of expectations versus reality. I suspect that the A+ for <i>The Help </i>stemmed from the fact that it was based on a best-selling book, and fans of the book rushed out and received exactly what they expected and wanted. I'm not being cynical - many films receive the CinemaScore they deserve - but with this system set up as it is, I can't really fathom what else it might measure. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The best objective measure of any film's quality would probably be to show it to a group of people in some remote tribe that was unfamiliar with it and all affiliated talent. After all, how often are our feelings toward a film just a reflection of our expectations or preexisting prejudices? Audiences were downright angry with <i>Inception </i>when, despite being a solid film, it failed to be the savior of a remake and sequel-filled industry. Conversely, movies that people have low expectations for often turn out to be hits.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And what about that outlying data I mentioned? Not every well-CinemaScored film is a hit - far from it. Many films garner enthusiastic responses in niche or sparse audiences and nowhere else. <i>Akeelah and the Bee, Cinderella Man, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Lottery Ticket,</i> <i>Life As We Know It, Burlesque, Soul Surfer, </i>and <i>Monte Carlo </i>all scored within the A range (many with a perfect A+) but failed to set the box office on fire - some didn't even make back their budgets. There's also plenty of films that scored in the B range that didn't gross a fraction of what comparable B-scoring films did (<i>True Grit </i>and <i>The Next Three Days </i>both received a B+).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Will <i>The Help </i>be a hit? Yes, but I'm guessing it's because it's based on a book that just about every woman in America has read. Unfortunately for studio bigwigs, there's no crystal ball - sometimes you just have to sit back and see what happens.</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-71660650028328614522011-08-17T19:06:00.000-07:002011-08-17T19:28:57.659-07:00War of the sexes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBoK_2dFtpKp5iz-WFGtEvXVttc99IZQ_Q9oQzNfH5t_vro0MKrmo4mu1iRXWuCXf4Eg6GCS2BSf32sTM5FUX2_4FLX2CCNo4qjVSnn_oxWrac8Ett8NV9T0172aMqqdoY46esFoB49E/s1600/the-awful-truth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBoK_2dFtpKp5iz-WFGtEvXVttc99IZQ_Q9oQzNfH5t_vro0MKrmo4mu1iRXWuCXf4Eg6GCS2BSf32sTM5FUX2_4FLX2CCNo4qjVSnn_oxWrac8Ett8NV9T0172aMqqdoY46esFoB49E/s400/the-awful-truth.jpg" width="337" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">***Friends and countrymen, I have returned! The excuse I offer to my millions of devoted fans is that I got a job at Paramount - yes, that Paramount - and have been going through a grueling training process. But I'm back, and ready to dish up more of the wit and biting insight that you all adore. Onward!***</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span">It's no secret that the media influences (and reflects) society. Most people agree on that point, but can't reach a consensus on the what or how. The most famous argument is that movies and TV (but also video games, commercials, etc) promote and glorify violence. Conservatives complain that the media is too liberal, and vice versa. Minorities lament their poor representation, or complete lack of it. TV shows like "Glee" are accused of promoting a gay agenda. You could have endless debates on any of these points, but I'm not going to focus on any of them for the time being. Instead, I'll direct your attention to a media trend I not only find quite troubling, but very insidious and rarely addressed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span">I worry that the media is driving men and women apart.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Let me back up a bit and refer to some history. In films of the late 1930s and into the 40s, men and women were quite often equals. No matter how different their backgrounds, they could typically spar, scheme, and dream on the same wavelength. Screwball comedy comes to mind as the best example of this, but film noir typically had a dame that was just as cunning and deadly as her leading man. It's no coincidence that this period in cinema coincided with WWII - women were supporting most of the homefront war effort and leading scrappy, independent lives. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Then the war ended and, as we all know, Americans retreated into the suburbs and women retreated into the kitchen. Rosie the Riveter was dead; long live the housewife and mother. The cinema of the time reflected this change, and many romantic comedies become downright antagonistic. The plot was typically that the woman was trying to trap a man into marriage, while he was trying to trick her into sex (the films that Doris Day and Rock Hudson made together are a perfect example of this). To paraphrase the author of a great article that I unfortunately cannot find, the cinematic couples of the 30s-40s played </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">with </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">each other, but in the 50s they played </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">against </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">each other. So that brings me back to my main point: when you turn on a TV or walk into a movie theater these days, the gender dynamic is often 1950s 2.0.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></div></div><div style="font: 12px "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">This dynamic is usually played out in stereotypes that make both sexes look bad, but typically the onus is on the woman, depicting the Castrating Wife. The CW can take one of two forms: 1) a woman who makes totally unreasonable requests of her male significant other, or 2) a woman who makes totally reasonable demands, but it still portrayed as unreasonable and controlling. Having a character be the former is lazy; having her be the latter is just unfair. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Leslie Mann's character in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Knocked Up </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">is a good example of the first type of CW - many criticized Judd Apatow for creating that type of character, but he's hardly alone in doing so. Stu's fiancee in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">The Hangover </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">is so strict that he flees into the arms of a stripper. Nick's wife in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Hot Tub Time Machine </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">somehow bullies him into hyphenating his last name after their marriage (because they can't just discuss it like adults, apparently). In </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Grown-Ups </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">(or the trailer, anyway - I respect myself too much to watch the movie), Kevin James looks on in helpless disgust while his wife continues to breastfeed their four-year-old son against his pleas. In </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">The Proposal, </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">Sandra Bullock forces Ryan Reynolds to marry her for a green card. These are not little indie movies. These are movies that made a ton of money. I also watched a couple episodes of the new ABC sitcom "Happy Endings" recently and, despite the otherwise sharp writing and younger, hipper audience, the character bio of Brad on Wikipedia is just that "he does whatever his wife says."</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">The other type of CW is found more frequently on TV, in both shows and commercials. The main premise of "According to Jim" was essentially that Jim Belushi hates women. Debra Barone on "Everybody Hates Raymond" looks like a jerk for trying to get Ray to help around the house. As much as I love "Scrubs," Carla would sometimes fall on this spectrum. In the five or so minutes I saw of one episode of "Two and a Half Men," Charlie is annoyed that his girlfriend wants to do something other than have sex, so he pawns her off to his brother so they can do totally lame shit like see movies and have meaningful conversations. The CW also runs rampant in advertising (as does her counterpart, the Castrated Man), such as the Coors Light commercial where a man lies to his girlfriend about studying for the bar exam so he can go out drinking. Dockers' "</span><a href="http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-12-09/entertainment/17942999_1_khakis-new-dockers-ads"><span class="Apple-style-span">Wear the Pants</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span">" campaign blames disco and salad bars for "leaving men stranded on the road between boyhood and androgyny." There was a similar commercial a couple years back (I don't remember what it was for) about reclaiming your manhood by rejecting your wife's requests to do completely reasonable things like clean your hairs out of the sink after shaving.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></div><div style="font: 12px "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">These are just what I can think of at the moment. How many times on screen has a man chafed at a request to do housework? How many times has a woman made it her mission to keep her man from attending guys' night out? Why do men and women seem to hate each other so much?</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I want to blame the predominantly male writers. But the new NBC show "Whitney," created by comedienne Whitney Cummings, is being promoted with nuggets like "women are like emotional ninjas." So that can't be it. Plus, it hardly helps my crusade to point my finger just at men.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Is it the chicken or the egg? In real as well as reel life I wonder why men hitch themselves to women they seemingly can't stand, or the other way around. Men tell their sons things like "the woman is always right" and try to prep them for dating high-maintenance women; mothers tell their daughters that they can expect men to be infantile and need constant care (my own mother said as much). We perpetuate and enable the worst of each gender by creating conditions in which the bad apples thrive. I always joke that if men knew that women like me existed - women who don't really like girly stuff and take an uncomplicated, rational approach to life - the diva types would die out, Darwin style.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">You may notice the pattern that all the examples I cited are comedies. I think another reason that these archetypes rub me the wrong way is because I think that comedy of differences doesn't really make sense in modern culture. I think comedians of all stripes have fully explored all differences between races, sexes, ages, etc. - there's nothing left to say, and in a fragmented society like the United States, why would you want to keep saying it? I'm not saying everyone has to hold hands and be super PC all the time; I love offensive humor as much as the next guy. I just feel that comedy of "isn't it silly when men do this" or "ever notice how all black people do this" is stale and played out. My favorite comedians, sitcoms, and comedic films focus on the humor in either specific individuals or the human race as a whole.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">So what, you say? Well, this is a movie blog, and I'm always fighting the good fight for better content on our screens. But furthermore, despite all the real-world knowledge we acquire to the contrary, people still draw on fictional media characters on which to model their own relationships, whether it be a notion of a fairytale Disney romance or the </span><a href="http://misfortune-cookie.blogspot.com/2007/09/what-movies-get-wrong-about-sex-and-why.html"><span class="Apple-style-span">procedure and biology of sex</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span">. Honestly, a fair share of couples in sitcoms or comedies are fundamentally mismatched and dysfunctional and are only together for comedic value. But it seems entirely plausible that single and/or younger people viewing this media mistake these relationships for healthy ones. Or perhaps commercials that side with men in saying that cleaning your hair out of the sink is too much to ask will subconsciously bolster their resistance against their wives. It's hardly the downfall of Western civilization, but I do believe that these types of signals are absorbed and digested in ways that can't be quantitatively studied. Pushing past these types of depictions might provoke not only unity, but more creativity as well.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">What do you think? Have you noticed this phenomenon, or am I just overthinking it?</span></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-85873460636829238592011-07-06T18:11:00.000-07:002011-07-06T18:26:16.239-07:00The renter's lament<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxn2_NwjE4zmqKeyXULE1G-zqAk80NWUW1OI8JDi6ir1ewUR92FcMXsLUNQjRYwH4sKjy6i5rpu_KMW0INSv-13Vp6RSFhyltteaEYLC1aKOuZweX7OT9ixNiO-mmrHISaQbLV3NKSOM/s1600/pile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxn2_NwjE4zmqKeyXULE1G-zqAk80NWUW1OI8JDi6ir1ewUR92FcMXsLUNQjRYwH4sKjy6i5rpu_KMW0INSv-13Vp6RSFhyltteaEYLC1aKOuZweX7OT9ixNiO-mmrHISaQbLV3NKSOM/s400/pile.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Remember when Netflix had everything?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Or more accurately, remember when Netflix was enough?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">My history with movies by mail goes all the way back to 2005, when my local Blockbuster couldn't keep up with my hunger for classic films. My subsequent subscription to their online division kept me more than satisfied, and after returning home from my freshman year of college I resumed the service. Although the local library made a noble effort, my little Massachusetts burg had virtually nothing to offer the film lover, so Blockbuster Online was an embarrassment of riches. I rented everything from the Chaplin classic <i>The Kid </i>(1921)<i> </i>to the Emir Kusturica epic <i>Underground </i>(1995). I received every blue envelope in the mail with a kind of bashful gratitude - "Really? For me?"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">When I started dating my boyfriend in college, I "married into" his Netflix account by default. He still made all the final decisions, but he weighed my input and together we sampled everything Netflix had to offer. He made the leap to the Blu-ray plan when the time came. Around the time we moved in together, Netflix started offering their streaming service. It was a cinephile's heaven, and for a paltry monthly sum!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">As the honeymoon phase wore off, some of Netflix's faults became more apparent. We had forgiven it the occasional out-of-stock film in the past. We found ourselves having to go to <a href="http://moviemadnessvideo.com/">Movie Madness</a> (our local video store at the time and probably the best one in the universe) to get the preferred version or edition of some titles. We could live with these concessions. But then my boyfriend began to get quite peeved at their omission of some Criterion (and other classic titles) on Blu-ray. From my perspective, there was hardly enough evidence to constitute an epidemic, so I dismissed his concerns as nitpicking. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">But time proved him right. Several months later, Criterion announced that they were formally "divorcing" Netflix in favor of Hulu Plus. This meant that Netflix would slowly remove all Criterion titles from streaming and stop purchasing physical copies, whereas Hulu would eventually be streaming the entire Criterion library (plus hundreds more titles that Criterion has the rights to). Coupled with the fact that we were already relying on regular Hulu for TV shows (but skirting the fee by connecting my laptop to the TV set), we started plunking down the $9 a month for Hulu Plus.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">THEN one of us noticed that the revamped Blockbuster Online (now Blockbuster Total Access) carries all the Criterion Blu-rays. We went ahead and snagged their free two-week trial, but didn't cancel it in time and now we have it for the next month. Or two. Or three...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">When does it end? Currently we have three subscription services, as well as a membership to a local video store and cards for three local library systems. And that's not even considering that we live in LA and see at least two movies in a theater per week. By my count, that's eight different means by which we can watch a movie at any given time. And we don't even have cable - but when we can afford it, you'd better believe we're snatching it up for TCM and AMC. (And that's not even counting single-serving options like Comcast On Demand or Amazon Instant, which we've dabbled in.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Look, I'm all for competition - it's the cornerstone of capitalism. I'm not one of those people who think that the wide variety of ketchup brands in the supermarket is the downfall of civilization. But at present, all systems of media rental seem to have been ingeniously designed by some evil overseer to each lack a key feature, which necessitates having all of them. Netflix lacks Criterion titles. Hulu lacks movies of any value outside of Criterion (and now Miramax). Blockbuster lacks unlimited streaming. Cable lacks a wide movie selection. Video stores lack flexibility. Libraries frequently lack Blu-rays and can have a limited rotation of new releases. You try to play Jenga and see which services you can add or remove. Maybe getting cable would remove the need for Hulu? Nope, because of the Criterion thing. Well, maybe the library would suffice instead of Netflix? But then you lose streaming.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Again, let me state how grateful I am for the opportunity to see more movies and TV shows than ever before. But with that opportunity comes a compulsion in the hearts of all cinephiles to keep every possible avenue of media open in order to maximize consumption. It's exhausting, and it gets expensive. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">What configuration of media services do you have? Is it working for you? Do you want to add or cut down?</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-40124247147899181152011-06-15T10:56:00.000-07:002011-06-15T10:57:27.359-07:00Nuggets<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Today's IMDb Hit List spurred me to two film-related discoveries you might want to check out - one for residents of Los Angeles, and one for anyone with a computer.</span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">First, I just found out today about the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Memorabilia Collection. It appears that Reynolds has been collecting bits of classic Hollywood for decades now, with the hopes of turning it into a museum. Bizarrely, despite featuring over 5,000 props, costumes, and even whole sets from some of history's biggest hits, no investors were interested and the collection is instead headed for auction. Now, again, let me emphasize that this is not obscure ephemera - the collection contains, among other things, Charlie Chaplin's bowler hat, Dorothy's ruby slippers from <em>The Wizard of Oz, </em>and Marilyn Monroe's famous white dress from <em>The Seven Year Itch</em>! There are rumors that her insistence on having her son manage the collection destroyed many potential deals, but that's neither here nor there. Starting this Saturday, these pieces of movie history can go home with whoever ponies up the most cash. "But," you protest, "I am but a shallow-pocketed cinephile who sits around reading second-rate movie blogs! I cannot afford such decadence!" Of course not. But luckily for you, the collection will be open to the public at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills, today through Friday. You can find details <a href="http://www.paleycenter.org/2011-spring-debbie-reynolds">here</a> and <a href="http://www.profilesinhistory.com/">here</a>. I happen to work nearby, so you better believe that I'll be sneaking over on my lunch break!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For non-Angelenos, here's something everybody can enjoy. NPR has a <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/06/11/137086345/the-secret-musical-life-of-jack-lemmon">neat piece</a> about the "secret musical life" of Jack Lemmon, who apparently was never very far from a piano. The article briefly mentions that he released an album of jazz and standards called <em>A Twist of Lemmon </em>in 1959. Intrigued, I hopped on Amazon and found that the 25-track album is available for download! Even if you're just mildly curious, you can check out a preview of each track. It's pretty surprising to discover that the man who played perpetually flustered and nebbish characters is quite the crooner, and a pretty slick pianist as well. I wasn't even totally convinced it was him, until his very recognizable voice crept through in bits. Download one or download em all at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Twist-Of-Lemmon/dp/B004UU68M0/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1308157783&sr=8-8">Amazon</a>.</span></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-27054702736042006402011-06-14T09:34:00.000-07:002011-06-14T09:34:42.584-07:00Between the lines of "His Girl Friday"<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I found this gem yesterday and just had to share. Somebody edited out all the parts of <em>His Girl Friday </em>(1940) that feature someone talking, leaving an 8-minute short film that still essentially communicates the plot and humor of the full-length version. If you're not familiar with <em>HGF, </em>it's a screwball comedy known for containing one of the highest ratios of dialogue per square inch. It constantly overlaps and barely offers the cast (or the audience) a chance to catch their breath. The wordless version, then, reads kind of like an alternate reality, even though the material is all pulled from the original. Whether or not you've seen the film, you'll love this (particularly if you're a fan of the funny noises Cary Grant makes in his comedies). I've embedded it below for the lazy, or you can find a higher quality version <a href="http://www.dvblog.org/movies/03_2007/his_girl_friday_between_the_lines_edit.mov">here</a>. Either way, enjoy!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HY33tYVDvfk" width="425"></iframe></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-26672020814078274992011-05-31T12:04:00.000-07:002011-05-31T12:04:50.299-07:00Auteurist amusement parks<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img height="266px" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2022/2068521931_d080214256.jpg" width="400px" /></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Today's IMDb Daily Poll asks an intriguing question: which filmmaker's work most deserves its own theme park? "Deserves" is probably the wrong word choice, but I got to thinking about which directors' oeuvres are most <em>suited </em>to a theme park. Cinephiles and thrill-seekers alike, rejoice!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Steven Spielberg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: By my count, at least four Spielberg films have been adapted into actual theme park attractions. But none of them compare to the thrill of the Minority Report Tilt-A-Whirl, which boasts consistently short lines because anyone who even thinks about riding it is preemptively arrested.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Martin Scorsese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: Travis Bickle's Taxi Ride. An animatronic Bickle guides you through the seedy underbelly of a small-scale New York. Hopping out and providing guidance to the various underage prostitues scattered about is encouraged.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Steven Soderbergh</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: It's hard to say...all the rides are so different...are you sure this is all the same park?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Federico Fellini</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: The 8 1/2 Coaster. Enjoy the delightful Nino Rota music in the background and pay no attention to the fact that they're building the coaster as you ride it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Quentin Tarantino</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: Quentin's Scrambler. The ride itself is an homage to this obscure underground Scrambler that Tarantino rode once in Japan.</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Christopher Nolan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: Inception Teacups. You're spinning around in a teacup...which is inside a </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">bigger teacup...inside a bigger teacup...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Lars von Trier</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: Lars' Freefall. It's an excruciating descent into the ground and upon impact, everybody dies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Robert Altman</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: Altman's Bumper Cars. Up to 30 people can ride it at once, frequently crisscrossing and interacting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The Coens</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: Rooster Cogburn's Wild West Show. With a script completely devoid of contractions!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Woody Allen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: Woody's Wooden Kiddie Coaster. See, it's small cuz uh, I get indigestion and the scary rides remind me of my mortality, ya know? JEW already go on it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Alfred Hitchcock</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: Hitchcock is the most obvious candidate for his own theme park - where to begin? Get soaked on Marion Crane's Psycho Shower Water Ride. Swing on the Lifeboat Pirate Ship. See the whole park from the Strangers on a Train Miniature Railway (comes with one free murder of your choice), or L.B. Jeffries' Observation Deck. There also used to be a Vertigo roller coaster, which has since been torn down and replaced. Butif they just gave it a new coat of paint, it'd be a dead ringer for the old one...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Stanley Kubrick</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Main attraction: Humbert Humbert's Carousel. You must be <em>less than </em>this tall to ride.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">What auteur amusement parks would you like to see?</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-12072242024412556832011-05-17T11:11:00.000-07:002011-05-17T11:11:40.866-07:00Tick tock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fPKsKkysHqh0lLdebEAjwqZ27SG5tsdbbflcibR9knY3QR9LAr-SAkyieG67yHbU4dsk5CsdT2WHMhq-irLKoxDJfJvW2Rrq9PyI7x2LJguVuX72h5mZeKJFU4-2XcYNMKTS9to0DyY/s1600/img-article---gopnik-all-night-art_172024233021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fPKsKkysHqh0lLdebEAjwqZ27SG5tsdbbflcibR9knY3QR9LAr-SAkyieG67yHbU4dsk5CsdT2WHMhq-irLKoxDJfJvW2Rrq9PyI7x2LJguVuX72h5mZeKJFU4-2XcYNMKTS9to0DyY/s400/img-article---gopnik-all-night-art_172024233021.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Be honest - hearing the phrase "24-hour video installation" makes you recoil a little. It sounds like work, not fun - something you experience because it's "good for you," like medicine or exercise. But if you're lucky enough to see a part of Christian Marclay's <em>The Clock, </em>it may be one of the more fun and exciting cinematic experiences you can have this year or any other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>The Clock </em>is a 24-hour film that assembles thousands of movie clips to create a cinematic clock, with shots of timepieces and/or characters stating the time. It also corresponds to real life - when a clock in the film shows 2:37 pm, it's really 2:37 pm. Now, that might be a bit of punishing exercise if that's all there was, but Marclay also lets most clips run a little longer, letting viewers in on the action, suspense, comedy, romance, or horror that made the source film compelling in the first place. Additionally, at least half the clips feature a clock in the background where you'd never notice it otherwise, meaning the primary focus is elsewhere. LACMA (LA's primary art museum) played the film in a good-size theater for an uninterrupted 24 hours, and I managed to head over and watch an hour and a half's worth. In that time, (5:30-7:00 pm), I watched Derek Zoolander and Hansel puzzling over files "in" the computer, Bernstein reminiscing about Charles Foster Kane, George Wells explaining his time machine, Roy Munson making out with Claudia, Guy Haines playing tennis, Rose Loomis getting a refund on a now unnecessary train ticket, Margo Channing taking a car ride, Troy and Gabriella running down the hall, Mr. Banks singing about the consistency of his life, and more. It's the ultimate movie montage, starring every actor and actress imaginable. (Plus, you never need to check your watch!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I think that's why it's such a hit - when it screened in a tiny gallery in New York, people waited for hours in the cold to catch a glimpse. It doesn't talk down to you. It's egalitarian. It gives equal weight to undisputed classics and throwaway B-movies. You can ponder what its structure means about the passing of time, or you can just have fun trying to identify the clips. You can watch as much or as little as you want. There's truly something for everyone, and as an <em>LA Weekly</em> piece noted, it's rare that a single work generates this much interest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Anything popular receives an inevitable backlash, however, and many in the art world scowl that it's mundane, unoriginal, or - gasp! - <em>too </em>accessible. I say that anyone complaining about people coming out in droves to experience art is way off base. If nothing else, you can make the Harry Potter argument - "hey, maybe the books aren't masterpieces, but at least it's getting kids to read." To me, <em>The Clock </em>has the earnestness and transparency of, say, an 18th-century portrait; the artist in both cases is saying "I used my skills to produce something aesthetically pleasing that I hope you enjoy."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And lest you think Marclay is merely a passive curator, let me stress that his editorial skills are indeed stunning. With grace and humor, he intercuts clips to create themed sections or new meanings. Characters from different films have telephone conversations, eyelines match, someone opens a black and white door to a color world, various cinematic train stations are cut together as one. The audience loved, for instance, when crosscutting made it appear that Helen Morse in <em>Picnic at Hanging Rock </em>was flirting with Kurt Russell (in some film I couldn't identify). A surge of chimes, shrieks, and whistles often signal the change of an hour. I'm also told that it gets really exciting at midnight, but I can't verify that personally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So why am I telling you this, since it was a one-day only engagement that has just ended? To gloat! (Kidding, kidding!) Seriously, though, if you live in LA, you still have a chance to catch <em>The Clock, </em>at least partially. Apparently LACMA formally acquired the piece, and will have it playing in some capacity in their Art of the Americas wing through the end of July. Unfortunately, it will only be during regular museum hours, so the 9 pm to 11 am portions will remain a mystery. And don't hold your breath for a DVD release - holy rights issues, Batman! I could see it having sort of a roadshow presence in years to come, however, in a similar fashion to the similarly clip-laden <em>Los Angeles Plays Itself. </em>Basically, if any opportunity arises to see it, GO! Even the most modest of cinephiles will get a kick out of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Angelenos, New Yorkers, or Londoners: have you had a chance to check out <em>The Clock? </em>Or would you want to?</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-36001676144248163702011-05-15T23:07:00.000-07:002011-05-15T23:09:27.160-07:00USA Network's Character Project<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A couple of weeks ago, I received an email inviting me to to the exclusive LA premiere of the USA Network's Character Project short films. It seemed pretty legit - eight new short films produced by Tony and Ridley Scott, a discussion moderated by Elvis Mitchell, non-transferable invitations, and free hors d'oeuvres. I immediately assumed that I had received this email for one of the following reasons:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">1. By mistake</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2. As part of an elaborate murder plot devised by someone who knows I am unable to resist free hors d'oeuvres</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I ruled out the first reason pretty quickly, since I have a pretty unusual name and the person inviting me was citing my blog in some detail. The second seemed more accurate, but since the screening was at the Arclight (10 minutes from my apartment), I figured it was worth a shot (but I brought along my boyfriend for security).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I am happy to report that there were no murder attempts - at least as far as I could tell. Rather, I was treated to a delightful evening of entertainment courtesy of a network that I must commend for trying something different.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">For six years now, "Characters Welcome" has been the slogan of the USA Network. In recent years, the network decided to move past it as a mere catchphrase and actually use it as a springboard for a concept, and thus the Character Project was born. Last year's incarnation was a photography exhibit, where 11 renowned photographers took to the streets to capture the character of America. This year took it a step further, as the network commissioned eight short films about interesting characters, both real and fictional. I'll admit that I'm totally oblivious to the world of short films - it's such a huge, uncurated mess that I tend to ignore them entirely. Technology like digital cameras and YouTube have provided great platforms for shorts, but they've also chipped away at the legitimacy of the form - after all, doesn't a Funny or Die sketch or a montage of your dog technically count as a short film? But I have to give kudos to the USA Network for reminding its audience of the prestige and quality that shorts can have. Below is a rundown of each film, accompanied by my thoughts.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTnay6nCAkUS-MJiwAPd6-5S5msilaJxy_MFrLzQJsjP3LZW_yt3xUfZu8vinDdua-Hg74ZDJBrFX5FnpkbZ4x_jcE7zJgJqt3ZhLzDkNGPvfd2sxVG0EjlUwNR9YR_ZKEDidc81YDGU/s1600/overview-duck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTnay6nCAkUS-MJiwAPd6-5S5msilaJxy_MFrLzQJsjP3LZW_yt3xUfZu8vinDdua-Hg74ZDJBrFX5FnpkbZ4x_jcE7zJgJqt3ZhLzDkNGPvfd2sxVG0EjlUwNR9YR_ZKEDidc81YDGU/s1600/overview-duck.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Duck </em>(dir. Jakob Daschek): <em>Duck </em>features no quacking animals but instead tells the story of 10-year-old Emmanuel, who suffers from an extreme fear of being touched (haphephobia, as it's apparently called). Now, it's normal to not be a touchy-feely person, but Emmanuel goes to great lengths to avoid even brushing by someone on a crowded bus. Fearing for his development and facing complaints from teachers, Emmanuel's mother signs him up for boxing lessons. Now, I know this is a short, but the film offers no explanation as to why his mother chose this strangely specific course of action - she just suddenly drops him off at a gym. There, Emmanuel discovers that his supposed weakness could work for him in a way he never knew. The film was well-acted, especially by the surprisingly soulful boy in the lead, and aesthetically confident except for a bit of an over-reliance on the handheld camera. Daschek did say in the Q&A, however, that a lot had to be cut to keep it within the time limit, and there was somewhat of a pervading feeling that the film was fighting against its short length.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioECtBmHue0ShI_GtEC3KVeXnN-2NuIDyZSeJk0tYK6DE49g_-58TcUUKIngjeaAWDGk8QrEy0FfENqki_nBnCRG3_G2gWygThxlpsLBT1zmvyKFF2aZLggrVt6IugeJBO1fGoVsyxG7M/s1600/overview-fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioECtBmHue0ShI_GtEC3KVeXnN-2NuIDyZSeJk0tYK6DE49g_-58TcUUKIngjeaAWDGk8QrEy0FfENqki_nBnCRG3_G2gWygThxlpsLBT1zmvyKFF2aZLggrVt6IugeJBO1fGoVsyxG7M/s1600/overview-fish.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Fish </em>(dir RJ Cutler): Cutler is best known for helming the documentary <em>The September Issue, </em>which takes a behind-the-scenes look at editor Anna Wintour's efforts to assemble said issue of <em>Vogue. </em>He provides another entry in the people-doing-their-job genre with <em>Fish, </em>which documents chef Jon Shook's efforts to get his new seafood restaurant off the ground. Now, Shook isn't just any chef - with partner Vinny Dotolo and virtually no experience, he opened Animal, which quickly became LA's hottest restaurant. Shook is a fascinating contradiction because on one hand, he's a dudebro from Florida who opened the restaurant because he "never really felt like working for anybody else," and on the other hand his skills and expertise have made him one of the top chefs in the world. The seafood restaurant Son of a Gun is his latest venture, and in keeping with his dedication to providing fresh and local food he goes out fishing and sees what he can make from his catch (which ends up being some bizarre fish I've never heard of). Cooking, like nuclear physics, is one of those disciplines that I am completely unable to wrap my head around. And I get frustrated by <em>recipes - </em>cooks have to invent their own, and unlike other art forms the result has to look AND taste good. My boyfriend lamented that the film seemed a bit "reality show-esque," but for all the junk on Bravo and TLC these days, their earlier shows like "Project Runway" are truly compelling displays of professional skill and creative problem-solving. That kind of problem-solving also creates suspense and drives a narrative - hell, it's basically the meat of the <em>Bourne </em>trilogy. Plus, Cutler resisted the urge of many documentarians to crowd the film with intertitles, graphics, and over-editing, letting the story tell itself organically. Coming from someone who can barely boil water, I have to say that I quite enjoyed <em>Fish.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Love Without Regret </em>(dir. Tom<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">ás Pe<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">ña): This film was listed in the program, but not shown. So yeah. The only explanation I can think of is that the synopsis seemed to prominently mention the use of a Lexus CT Hybrid, meaning perhaps it was more of a commercial...?</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytv69pLx81EInjE48BKObnJdLzCaMvUMwMWcZz_trgsbVr3ZCgDWEHfFoHmxjjEAsOwwTaTzfyx37Uk44Sa6-pzxemZ7ZcvWeMAlQLUCwJt-TGI0b01paJXMl4gsP3gJbb9JRTDndXNs/s1600/overview-monster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytv69pLx81EInjE48BKObnJdLzCaMvUMwMWcZz_trgsbVr3ZCgDWEHfFoHmxjjEAsOwwTaTzfyx37Uk44Sa6-pzxemZ7ZcvWeMAlQLUCwJt-TGI0b01paJXMl4gsP3gJbb9JRTDndXNs/s1600/overview-monster.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><em>Monster Slayer </em>(dir. Caskey): This film is a narrative that tells the story of Ben, a young man suffering from an unspecified psychiatric disorder. It opens with his girlfriend calling him out for avoiding his medication, the outcome of which becomes apparent as Ben starts seeing a host of fanciful characters. It begins innocently enough in the form of a cute little girl with wings (who, it should be noted, appeared in costume at the premiere), but the characters intensify in size, aggression, and construction, eventually putting him face-to-face with menacing stop-motion beasts. Somewhat reminiscent of an indie <em>A Beautiful Mind, </em>the audience starts out wondering why on earth Ben wouldn't take his medication, but we come to see how much a part of him these characters are. On paper, this film sounded obnoxious - the combination of stop-motion animation and mental illness sounds like a student film gone wrong. Turns out, however, that it navigates a tricky subject well and avoids the obvious pitfalls. The characters are sympathetic and real, the creatures are imaginative, and it doesn't overstay its welcome.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0e2bMIHqjRetLH4i5XvLfCxA5_via0i47s7Uh7e26G-e01OM3srvHLYn1siSYTQ7ziN5Q_27sbwZzz6iSWpeSJCFcKldZGKYEtB68jvEMqWihPdoHckT7ts_vhFeJMMsWEOoLXZet9U/s1600/overview-perfect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0e2bMIHqjRetLH4i5XvLfCxA5_via0i47s7Uh7e26G-e01OM3srvHLYn1siSYTQ7ziN5Q_27sbwZzz6iSWpeSJCFcKldZGKYEtB68jvEMqWihPdoHckT7ts_vhFeJMMsWEOoLXZet9U/s1600/overview-perfect.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Perfect </em>(dir. Amie Steir): Of all the films, <em>Perfect </em>was the most traditional narrative and seemed the likeliest candidate for expansion into a feature, but without feeling abridged. It's also the most star-studded of the bunch, featuring Carla Gallo (recognizable for having a kooky bit part in almost every Judd Apatow production) and Tony Hale ("Arrested Development"), as well as talented newcomer Maria Blasucci in the lead. Unless you're an only child, you can probably relate in some way to the story, which concerns Anne (Blasucci) being overshadowed on her wedding day by the arrival of her beautiful, perfect sister Sara (Gallo). Steir mines some great comedy from Sara's hyperbolic achievements, amplifying them in the context of the small-town setting. Events take a hilarious and rather touching turn as Sara hogs more and more attention...but not for the reasons you'd think. I'd also have to say that this film was the most confidently directed of the night, possibly because Steir was, surprisingly, the only director to have helmed other shorts (also featuring some big names, which would explain her ease with actors). </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGN__NpstocdyLImZkQXntqE3ZB0bt93Gq7Vw3yCd5KcP7kgE-s6PtOtPA5c4DNwCqY5tDsEQJYUEg6SFsb6FbYkbnOELj0_-KSrh8cNqTiOMZ0j-XPNMuGrpDSXE485F4flHuVlIGuss/s1600/overview-dude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGN__NpstocdyLImZkQXntqE3ZB0bt93Gq7Vw3yCd5KcP7kgE-s6PtOtPA5c4DNwCqY5tDsEQJYUEg6SFsb6FbYkbnOELj0_-KSrh8cNqTiOMZ0j-XPNMuGrpDSXE485F4flHuVlIGuss/s1600/overview-dude.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>The Dude</em> (dir. Jeff Feuerzeig): Everyone knows the character of the Dude, immortalized by Jeff Bridges in <em>The Big Lebowski. </em>But did you know that he was based on a real person? Indeed, film producer Jeff Dowd served as the inspiration to his friends Joel and Ethan Coen in creating the character. Unfortunately, Feuerzeig has so much faith in the appeal of his subject that he slacks in the director's chair. There are many aspects to Dowd's personality and life, and Feuerzeig tries frantically to touch on all of them in the film's short running time. We hear about his political activism and involvement in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Liberation_Front">Seattle Seven</a>, his film career, his friendship with the Coens, follow him to a Lebowski Fest, and even see him re-enact the beginning of <em>Lebowski </em>shot-for-shot, all while being drowned in excessive camera angles and other stylistic choices. For all of that, the film barely touched on what about Dowd led to the creation of the Dude - there's little more than a throwaway sentence about the Coens picking up on some of his mannerisms. Now, it may seem harsh to say that Feuerzeig mismanaged his subject, and I might not lay all of the blame on him if I hadn't seen Dowd in person. He was the rock star of the premiere, liberally distributing hugs and being trailed by an ever-expanding pack of groupies. Even before we knew who he was, my boyfriend and I could just tell that he had to be somebody famous. In a way, I learned more about Dowd from just seeing him mill around than I did from the film. Although I was the most excited for this film coming in, I found it to be the most disappointing.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWzXDDDGvOZASxaPKD97L7UxeH60Edg-6S8Nq8VX4cQCGUrk5jCMkErvGnfE-ZHY4btULeRa0CHonENgTxeXKuSMSRoZiGojLaWAsdBhK2k6PKETcOV1suCXuZ9cSDQkYm5m9Y9whtYg/s1600/overview-fickle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWzXDDDGvOZASxaPKD97L7UxeH60Edg-6S8Nq8VX4cQCGUrk5jCMkErvGnfE-ZHY4btULeRa0CHonENgTxeXKuSMSRoZiGojLaWAsdBhK2k6PKETcOV1suCXuZ9cSDQkYm5m9Y9whtYg/s1600/overview-fickle.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>The Fickle </em>(dir. Bryan Poyser): There's not much to say about this one other than the fact that it's a simple concept done incredibly well. Expanding on the conceit that all your insignificant sexual and romantic encounters kind of blur together, the film is a SINGLE SHOT depiction of a morning with a nameless hookup, as portrayed by about two dozen different men. The choreography is so seamless that I didn't even realize until the director mentioned it later that it was in fact a single shot. It's the very definition of short and sweet, and truly embraces the form.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm70LHNCnLMwPq9-m7owuPZ9gk2d4P3KJgK4C9Iue6tCOjVjY9kwasxHFUqqfYx_d5wEaeVA4R1jwxQXWKdg3g_mTZ55SmiFKJEV0REa388tNl6-gQZTy1DVFNfl67uhXiJlHXEsqUzyI/s1600/overview-wyckoff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm70LHNCnLMwPq9-m7owuPZ9gk2d4P3KJgK4C9Iue6tCOjVjY9kwasxHFUqqfYx_d5wEaeVA4R1jwxQXWKdg3g_mTZ55SmiFKJEV0REa388tNl6-gQZTy1DVFNfl67uhXiJlHXEsqUzyI/s1600/overview-wyckoff.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Wyckoff Place </em>(dir. Lauri Faggioni): Based on a highly unscientific assessment of buzz, this seemed to be the crowd favorite. The film is a documentary chronicling several children of various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds living in harmony in a Brooklyn apartment building. I know that sounds like a cheesy 80s TV show that exploits kids of different backgrounds for laughs and "awww"s, but it didn't play that way at all. I can't stand children and wince whenever they're used for cuteness or comic relief, but Faggioni seemed genuinely interested in discovering what makes these kids tick. She explained in the Q&A that she expected the kids to be more aware of each other's differences, but said that their primary concern was the impenetrable Berlin Wall of boy vs. girl. That isn't to say that the boys and girls didn't play together and get along, but they were constantly aware of that insurmountable divide. As someone with a great interest in psychology and sociology, I loved watching the scenes of the kids playing together and seeing the complex social and power structures that formed. Special mention goes to scene-stealer Clark, an eight-year-old with the vocabulary and awareness of someone three times his age. In all likelihood, based on his behavior and speech patterns, he had Asperger's or ranked higher than average on the autism spectrum, but he was still liked by his peers and had apparently captured the hearts of all the girls. For all this rich material, Faggioni seemed a bit overwhelmed by the task of editing, and mentioned that she had hours and hours of footage she regretted having to leave on the cutting room floor. Indeed, this could easily be a feature, and seemed to struggle against its length. Consequently I also had some trouble keeping the kids straight, since the editing made it unclear who the "main" kids were supposed to be and other kids meandered through without so much as an introduction. Ultimately, however, Faggioni's hands-off approach provides a good (if somewhat uneven) platform for the great material.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Lucky for you commoners who don't get invited to premieres, you still have a chance to catch these films. If you live in LA, Chicago, or San Francisco (or New York and you have access to a time machine, since it was this past weekend), you can attend a touring roadshow that apparently takes place in tiny, state-of-the-art screening rooms made from shipping containers WHAAAT?! True story, folks. If you do not live in the aforementioned cities, you can check them out online. Although that may seem like the more appealing choice, those tiny magical screening rooms sound pretty sweet. Anything and everything can be found at the <a href="http://characterproject.usanetwork.com/#">Character Project website</a>. Support USA Network's effort to be more than "that channel with the Law and Order reruns!" (I'm not being facetious - I think it's really cool of them.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Check out the films and let me know what you think!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">(Special thanks to Emily Garvey of 360i for inviting me to this event. All images courtesy of USA Network.)</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-46327716553276783402011-05-08T09:05:00.000-07:002011-05-08T09:08:06.236-07:00TCM Classic Film Festival wrap-up - Part II<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When we last left our intrepid heroine, she was leaving a screening of <em>Pennies From Heaven </em>and talking in the third person. I went straight from there to <strong><em>La Dolce Vita</em></strong>. I had seen the film before and been underwhelmed, but at my boyfriend's urging (it's one of his favorites), I decided to give it another shot. Mankiewicz introduced the film by saying that "la dolce vita" is Italian for "Donald Trump is an idiot" (heh), but on a more insightful note he said that you could watch the film without subtitles and still understand everything that was going on. I bore that in mind while viewing, and it turned out to be surprisingly true.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijh7asqKCcXijA02KV5gLImlcu1t6mf1Rj0laV2c4q4M9w4VrWYbP94_fEBurKMijbmT4pjWsR1NBhjBiM5LlilnsKGELgjIKVfXl1HKxYII1EiaNqDrGdc-9dtxY7gKpVndtoXd6WF8E/s1600/IMG_7307_pt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijh7asqKCcXijA02KV5gLImlcu1t6mf1Rj0laV2c4q4M9w4VrWYbP94_fEBurKMijbmT4pjWsR1NBhjBiM5LlilnsKGELgjIKVfXl1HKxYII1EiaNqDrGdc-9dtxY7gKpVndtoXd6WF8E/s400/IMG_7307_pt.JPG" width="317px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lobby card provided at the screening</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The technical details deserve special mention. The presentation was a joint restoration by the Film Foundation and Gucci, and it looked GORGEOUS - the FF does not mess around. Even better was the fact that we were sitting fairly close and the screen was huge, so we were positively enveloped in the shimmery silvery goodness. Since the film (at least for me) was mostly an aesthetic experience, the nature of the viewing really made a difference. There was trouble in paradise, however - just before the famous fountain scene, the sound cut out! It turned out to be a problem with something on the projector called the "exciter" (Mankiewicz: "I can't believe there's something called the exciter"), but they fixed it, rewound it, and all was right with the world again.</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As for the film itself...well...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Going back to what Mankiewicz said, perhaps the film would have been better off without dialogue. To me, it just reads as a serious of vignettes in a short span of one man's life, but you keep expecting that with a three-hour running time it's going to add up to something. It doesn't, really. I'm okay with that type of film in theory, but I guess that for the amount of time invested, I wanted to know more about the character of Marcello; he seemed like more of a vehicle to take us through the events. There are certainly some indelible images and great scenes, but perhaps I just don't have the stamina for whatever brilliance lies within.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I hadn't planned on attending anything on Sunday, but then I received word that two of the films I had regrettably missed were getting encore showings. Thus, I headed on down to the craziness that calls itself Hollywood Blvd and got in line for <em><strong>This Is The Night</strong></em>. The film has been nearly impossible to see for decades, and although I hadn't heard of it prior to its inclusion in the festival, the promise of screwball misunderstandings and a young Cary Grant was all I needed to hear. The crowd received a warm introduction to the film by film scholar Foster Hirsch, who provided some historical background and said of its sauciness, "if you think 'wait, did I just hear them say that?' - you really did."</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmg4mEk-1Ip-IVIQN-ile0YmjP9U0gaqTZgC4msu1yyywybOoI-E8HMrysCrYmM9rFydWK_YzdsXllSUcCkJcUyi66tUU62loFGn2mX7ApgbrCuJtv7bMwCeAfkWcxPKAc5Vz2RRL9V0/s1600/ttisnght05.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmg4mEk-1Ip-IVIQN-ile0YmjP9U0gaqTZgC4msu1yyywybOoI-E8HMrysCrYmM9rFydWK_YzdsXllSUcCkJcUyi66tUU62loFGn2mX7ApgbrCuJtv7bMwCeAfkWcxPKAc5Vz2RRL9V0/s400/ttisnght05.bmp" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Three men and a javelin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And indeed, like the best pre-Code flicks it had scandalousness to spare: unpunished adultery, allegedly heterosexual men drunkenly saying they love each other, women's dresses constantly being torn off, javelins as phallic symbols, and enough double entendres to make Michael Scott blush. It's far from perfect - far too much screen time is given to the cardboard Lily Damita, in a role that really could've been something with a talent like Joan Blondell or Carole Lombard. Plus, although it was Grant's screen debut and he's fifth-billed, you can't help but want to see more of him. Having said that, it's a lot of fun, with great gags and one-liners set against a beautifully fake Paris and Venice (tinted blue for night scenes). It's like Lubitsch lite, and there are far worse ways to spend 80 minutes. If that sounds good to you, you're in luck: TCM has rescued the film from obscurity and released it as a double feature with the Marlene Dietrich rarity <em>Song of Songs</em>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Speaking of Dietrich, I returned to the theater that evening to see MoMA's restoration of the final Josef von Sternberg / Dietrich collaboration, <em><strong>The Devil Is A Woman</strong></em>. Minutes before it started, my boyfriend told me the news about bin Laden (he has an iPhone), and it was strange to possess that knowledge in a room full of classic film fans who didn't. I put that aside to mentally process later, and settled in for some von Sternberg lusciousness. The print looked beautiful, as did Marlene, of course. The character of Concha is in some ways the quintessential Dietrich character - seductive, alluring, destroyer of men - but she's also borderline sociopathic. I don't mean that as a criticism of the character or the film; rather, it's the simplest way to convey Concha's proclivity for toying with human lives for pure amusement. Typically the Dietrich character's soft spots and desires are revealed throughout a film, but here she doesn't appear to have any.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkgqh5BQ6Ptayc1-5YVyY9GqvD6sTvJMY5GF3QAx4j05Bj3x2c4V7Xrbq7Qa2-DSEyPm65Mt-trZrGTMbughPgL0TX-lrm3OCLDrsHnUqrP7j8Vm5P2qhjGORE1fkMRi9S8G0TZtnSkA/s1600/devilwoman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkgqh5BQ6Ptayc1-5YVyY9GqvD6sTvJMY5GF3QAx4j05Bj3x2c4V7Xrbq7Qa2-DSEyPm65Mt-trZrGTMbughPgL0TX-lrm3OCLDrsHnUqrP7j8Vm5P2qhjGORE1fkMRi9S8G0TZtnSkA/s400/devilwoman.jpg" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">No words necessary.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's fairly bleak, but surprisingly lively, and somewhat humorous to the absurd extent that men let her betray them repeatedly. Not only is Marlene beautiful, but everything that surrounds her is too - from the extravagant trappings of Carnival Week in Spain to the unbelievably ornate costumes and accessories that only she could pull off. It's a must for Marlene fans, and probably a good introduction for neophytes as well.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I left the theater that night lamenting that the festival was over, and wishing it could go on year-round. My boyfriend pointed out, however, that living in LA basically is a year-round film festival. I had to agree. But that doesn't mean I won't be totally amped for next year's fest.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Did you attend the festival? What was your experience? If you couldn't make it, what would you have liked to see?</span></div>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-86902296455874307582011-05-03T11:14:00.000-07:002011-05-05T20:14:17.129-07:00TCM Classic Film Festival wrap-up - Part I<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last year, while the first-ever TCM Classic Film Festival took place in Hollywood, I followed the proceedings online from several thousand miles away while seething with envy. This year, I walked 10 minutes from my apartment and experienced it firsthand, and I was in absolute hog heaven. As is the case with many festivals, everyone's experience is different, so I thought I'd share mine.</span> <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">THURSDAY</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I didn't attend any screenings, but I half-coincidentally stumbled upon the red carpet arrivals for the festival. I planted myself on the sidewalk opposite the action, and before long I spotted the silver stallion known as Robert Osborne ("Bobsborne," as I call him). As my boyfriend can tell you, I have an utter obsession with Bobsborne that frequently manifests with me screaming "HE'S A NATIONAL TREASURE!" In all seriousness, though, as the face of TCM he really has done great things for the world of classic cinema, and I know even my boyfriend begrudgingly respects him. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, but I savored his classiness from across the street. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Before long I heard two girls behind me wondering what they were witnessing, and I told them. We got to chatting, and I learned that they were visiting from Wisconsin and had only been here for an hour. In that hour they would go on to see more celebrities than I had seen in three months of living in LA. We became celeb-spotting buddies, teaming up with other people around us to deduce the identity of the faraway and partially obscured faces. Ultimately I saw Peter O'Toole, Kate Flannery (Meredith from "The Office"), Ben McKenzie, Tippi Hedren, Ben Mankiewicz (the other TCM host), Illeana Douglas, Priscilla Presley, and Hugh Hefner with his fiancee (also flanked by an additional Playboy Bunny, presumably for symmetry). Later internet research revealed I had also seen Ann Rutherford, Hayley Mills, and Patricia Ward Kelly (Gene Kelly's widow). That sated my craving for celebrity sightings for a while!</span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwYYHgaUsQ_V48Bs7LWs0-Ye736GzujbQwpbh9xM8XCkboudAOZWD_rGs_I_rkRy8rmHGEY0fWnngwlQ8RdRsox82GE3vpuqVWgBDIg5mymIag1yy8Yx_JMSePfDrZ-Mpm8gpMpahVak/s1600/Crystal%252BHarris%252BTCM%252BClassic%252BFilm%252BFestival%252BOpening%252BXJvdqWnPUaLl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwYYHgaUsQ_V48Bs7LWs0-Ye736GzujbQwpbh9xM8XCkboudAOZWD_rGs_I_rkRy8rmHGEY0fWnngwlQ8RdRsox82GE3vpuqVWgBDIg5mymIag1yy8Yx_JMSePfDrZ-Mpm8gpMpahVak/s400/Crystal%252BHarris%252BTCM%252BClassic%252BFilm%252BFestival%252BOpening%252BXJvdqWnPUaLl.jpg" width="277px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;">Hef and his ladies (picture courtesy of someone with a significantly better view)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>FRIDAY</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I had work during the day, but the night was dedicated to a screening of <em><strong>Spartacus</strong> </em>in the legendary Grauman's Chinese Theater - with Kirk Douglas in attendance! Not being a passholder, I got into the line for mere mortals (standby) over an hour early and there were 50 people ahead of me. They managed to get the whole standby line in - no small feat, considering that the 1100-seat venue was completely sold out. I had never been inside the Chinese, and lemme tell ya, they hold all the premieres there for a reason. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Bobsborne took the stage, and as far as I was concerned, I was seeing the Beatles circa 1964.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Then Kirk came out, to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. He's slowed down by age and by the stroke he had many years ago, but his mind and wit are as sharp as ever and he has the same twinkle in his eye (or so I presume - I was sitting pretty far back). He was quick to point out that he was <em>only</em> 94 and wouldn't be 95 until December, and finished all his rambling trains of thought with a cheeky "did that answer your question?" Though it's common knowledge to many film buffs, it was great to hear the man himself rehash stories of how his devil-may-care attitude merged with his social conscience to implement changes in Hollywood. Specifically, he recalled his insistence that blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo be properly credited for <em>Spartacus, </em>and his reaction upon reading the script for <em>Paths of Glory: </em>"This picture won't make a nickel, but we have to do it." Douglas also said that his personal favorite film he did was a 1962 curio called <em>Lonely Are the Brave, </em>where he plays a cowboy unable to adjust to modern life. I've seen the film and didn't really care for it, but Douglas was great as always and I could see how it's a role an actor could really connect with. He concluded by expressing humble gratitude to the hordes of people who came out to see a film he made over 50 years ago.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0e9dPMV6tX_AEdjfdtkWE3zkk6GZy82OrCV6LNk74cVECVz2Us7s_OHrxRaztmVySlxqkK0shd53JBGb_w5A3Jnxe2FxZemJWR_MqizXUvqurSLuEXbV_d_WA7zasor0mF0pFxiNIGk/s1600/IMG_7300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0e9dPMV6tX_AEdjfdtkWE3zkk6GZy82OrCV6LNk74cVECVz2Us7s_OHrxRaztmVySlxqkK0shd53JBGb_w5A3Jnxe2FxZemJWR_MqizXUvqurSLuEXbV_d_WA7zasor0mF0pFxiNIGk/s400/IMG_7300.JPG" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;">Despite the darkness and 10x digital zoom, I assure you that this is Kirk Douglas and Bobsborne.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The film itself, which I hadn't seen before, was predictably great. The famous Alex North score hooks you from the overture and doesn't let go. Although I have a short attention span and long movies typically make me fidgety, this one held my attention pretty well (although I was rather sleepy at the end from having worked that day). As with most epic films, I enjoyed the first half a lot more, since it contained the origin story part (as compared to the second half of this or any epic, which usually consists of large battles and cramming in huge chunks of time and plot). The film was infamously a director-for-hire gig for Stanley Kubrick and is derided for not being very Kubrickian, but there were definite echoes of <em>Paths of Glory </em>in the stark life-and-death reality of the gladiators' lives. Douglas' charisma anchors the thing, but the supporting cast is one for the ages, and was apparently made possible by Douglas basically lying to each actor about the size of his part. Peter Ustinov in particular stands out, providing comic relief in an Oscar-winning role, as does Charles Laughton and a delightfully miscast Tony Curtis bringing his Noo Yawk accent to ancient Rome. I was glad I hadn't gotten around to seeing the film before, because this was certainly the way to do it!</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>SATURDAY</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I decided that I didn't have the energy for a 9:30 A.M. showing of <em>This Is the Night, </em>so I hung tight until the 3:30 showing of <em><strong>Citizen Kane</strong>. </em>It was my fourth or fifth time seeing it, but my first on the big screen. Ben Mankiewicz came out to introduce the film, and while I grumbled at being deprived of my beloved Bobsborne, I had a change of heart after remembering that <em>Kane</em> was cowritten by Mankiewicz' grandfather (which BMank made a point of mentioning several times, as Welles notoriously took full credit). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Also present was Norman Lloyd, an actor who appeared in a range of films as well as being a member of Welles' Mercury Theater. Asked to compare Welles to Hitchcock (who directed Lloyd in <em>Saboteur</em> and <em>Spellbound</em>), Lloyd said that Hitchcock was essentially a storyteller, while Welles was more invested in the theatricality of cinema. He also shared a great anecdote about Welles: upon discovering ex-partner John Houseman's plans to produce a film adaptation of Julius Caesar (which the two had previously staged for the theater), Welles threw a can at Houseman's head in a restaurant and shouted "you stole MY play!" Extreme, sure, but as Lloyd noted, the world needs people who are that passionate about their material.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUURAXvH47IZRRXum3shjOzR-i5YfwVx4eqppqzs-ZZB5dNvqZNE3sKrjNb-hPMYo8osCznq4X0bOYazwBrBE6aFkRWyoU5Wsth0gdjzz4YsrUoHtO_gqUJ_PCjY6AkeV7nZN23PWsJ2Y/s1600/IMG_7302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUURAXvH47IZRRXum3shjOzR-i5YfwVx4eqppqzs-ZZB5dNvqZNE3sKrjNb-hPMYo8osCznq4X0bOYazwBrBE6aFkRWyoU5Wsth0gdjzz4YsrUoHtO_gqUJ_PCjY6AkeV7nZN23PWsJ2Y/s400/IMG_7302.JPG" width="400px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Norman Lloyd and Ben Mankiewicz (I promise!)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>Kane </em>was presented as a digital restoration, but I was somewhat disappointed to discover that the picture quality wasn't anything exceptional (maybe it was just me?). Nonetheless, time spent watching <em>Citizen Kane </em>is always time well spent. For the intimidating behemoth of cinema that it seems to be, it's actually quite compulsively watchable (and re-watchable). Once you're familiar with the "meat" of the story, you can savor the little details, like Agnes Moorehead's brief but chilling performance, Jed Leland saying "dramatic crimicism" while drunk, or Bernstein's great anecdote about the lady in the white dress.</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">From there, I scrambled off to catch <em><strong>Pennies From Heaven</strong>. </em>Illeana Douglas introduced the film, which I hadn't seen before, and offered some amusing Christopher Walken stories. Apparently he has a penchant for breaking out into song and dance not only on set, but while cameras are rolling. She also recalled that they used to carpool to a film set together, and one morning he wasn't in the car. About half the ride passed before she realized he was in the backseat, to which he replied in his typical Walken manner "Sometimes I like to disappear. I don't tell anyone."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The film was fantastic, and I'm glad the festival gave it some love. It's pretty much a Fred and Ginger musical with all the harsh realities of life (and the Depression) thrown in - poverty, prostitution, sexual fetishes, adultery, murder, and hopelessness. It sounds like a strange combination - and it is - but it works on a meta level, combining the escapist entertainment of that time with the lives of the suffering people viewing it. Steve Martin is great in the lead, walking a line between pathos and comedy, and is ably supported by Bernadette Peters and Jessica Harper. And let's not forget Christopher Walken, playing a sleazy pimp with a knack for tap dancing. Now, I had heard about his performance in this film and figured that people were grading on a curve - that is, praising his ability because it's more than you'd expect of Christopher Walken. Not so. Had he been born earlier (and had a different mug), he would have been Gene Kelly. Peters and Martin show off their moves too - Martin spent months in training, and it shows. The only thing that was somewhat odd was that none of the actors sang their own songs, despite being notably capable singers. Instead, old recordings are used, which does lend a nice period vibe but still seems like a waste. Also a bummer was that the film print, which was allegedly new in honor of the film's 30th anniversary, looked like a VHS dub. Even though the theater was only about half full, the crowd was great, applauding enthusiastically after every dance number.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300px" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3446/3405150587_f88bd67f2f.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400px" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A still from <em>Pennies From Heaven...</em>look familiar?<em> </em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In the next installment, I'll cover Saturday night through the end. I know you can only handle so much of me at once.</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-57750576889923566872011-04-25T15:35:00.000-07:002011-04-25T16:13:34.657-07:00Aural pleasure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmuzB2ndii6Res8G-8PeOL8avvbOKHHOKZF1SYFZhqCG_1S_xNd9YyddXdfeUS7fLzQ86XCV8rxCmzdvc5HipFiflMW7qWgHa5a-JdDCKt8Tax1slQf9qG6a8JHyiNpJfOhU4XTqhGUE/s1600/command%252520performance%252520line-up%2525201944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181px" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBmuzB2ndii6Res8G-8PeOL8avvbOKHHOKZF1SYFZhqCG_1S_xNd9YyddXdfeUS7fLzQ86XCV8rxCmzdvc5HipFiflMW7qWgHa5a-JdDCKt8Tax1slQf9qG6a8JHyiNpJfOhU4XTqhGUE/s400/command%252520performance%252520line-up%2525201944.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Tired of what's on your iPod? Craving something new for your boring workdays or commute? If you meet that criteria AND consider yourself a fan of classic Hollywood, then I have a solution for you. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Having exhausted my music library while working at my data entry job, I thought I'd try to find some old-timey radio shows streaming online. The results fall into two basic categories - narrative shows and variety. The narrative shows can be a lot of fun too (frequently adaptation of popular movies, often with the original stars), but today I'm really into a variety show called Command Performance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It appears to have been a wartime show that ran in the 40s, and was transmitted directly to troops overseas. There was no regular host - the hosts and guests were "nominated" every week by the requests of servicemen (although a small batch of usual suspects tended to dominate hosting duties). The roster of talent is a who's who of the era - Crosby, Hope, Garland, Sinatra, Bogart, Bacall, you name it. Although some of the humor hasn't aged so well, it's surprising how much of it has. It's great to hear these stars letting loose and ripping on each other - I learned, for instance, that Frank Sinatra's small build was a source of great amusement among his peers (seriously, every episode he was on was a merciless assault on his manliness). Even though the shows are scripted, the constant teasing, giggling, and in-jokes of the stars makes you feel like a fly on the wall at a Hollywood party. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Listen in <a href="http://www.dumb.com/oldtimeradio/radio/16/Comedy/Command_Performance.html">here</a> or <a href="http://www.myoldradio.com/old-radio-shows/command-performance">here</a>, or download episodes via iTunes. (Note: some of the shows seem to consist almost entirely of musical performances, so you may have to shuffle around a bit.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">This discovery has definitely brightened my Monday. And if that wasn't enough, apparently one of their special episodes was an hourlong musical adaptation of Dick Tracy! Enjoy!</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-65024398409604312692011-04-07T11:25:00.000-07:002011-04-08T15:12:52.005-07:00Does the communal aspect of moviegoing really matter?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjbZGuH1KFDIUWcXxhmi9j1t5EBTWBApwtQgTqjBZZWDGL7W_riIQ5LkHYjoWQtPptfMRpeEtsP3KxDFWSLUlpE1NUkmvclDLw5UQgnK3VJee6lDfzBm-B4QnLb5T_jFV9MEMC8lh88I/s1600/photo-chicago-chicago-theater-crowd-on-state-street-night-huge-crowd-waiting-for-movie-stars-note-marquee-on-right-with-news-1940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjbZGuH1KFDIUWcXxhmi9j1t5EBTWBApwtQgTqjBZZWDGL7W_riIQ5LkHYjoWQtPptfMRpeEtsP3KxDFWSLUlpE1NUkmvclDLw5UQgnK3VJee6lDfzBm-B4QnLb5T_jFV9MEMC8lh88I/s400/photo-chicago-chicago-theater-crowd-on-state-street-night-huge-crowd-waiting-for-movie-stars-note-marquee-on-right-with-news-1940.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There is no doubt or disagreement that movies are best viewed on the big screen. If you present people with the option to view a film any way they choose, if all methods were equally priced and equally convenient then the theater would win out every time. Even all the kids watching movies on their iWhatsits wouldn't argue that point. Unfortunately, however, the iWhatsits - along with various other forms of digital and personal media - are killing off movie theaters, as every critic and blogger is quick to note.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But many are also quick to note (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/movies/the-24-hour-movie-and-digital-technology.html?pagewanted=2&ref=movies">Manohla Dargis</a>, most recently) that the death of theaters doesn't just extend to the physical structures containing large screens, but the communal viewing experience. We're watching movies sequestered away in our homes, or on tiny screens that only one person can view at a time. Many articles cite this phenomenon as the biggest casualty in the shift away from traditional moviegoing. I am alone, then, in wondering why it's such a big tragedy?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Dargis' article spells out in numerous ways how audiences are becoming fragmented, but doesn't really explain why that's a bad thing. She boasts that she spent two hours waiting in the cold to see <em>Raging Bull </em>with other eager beavers<em>, </em>but doesn't really articulate why or if that made the viewing experience better. I watched <em>Raging Bull </em>by myself on DVD and it was still fantastic. Ultimately, she just comes off as scared and resentful that times are changing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The biggest argument in favor of communal viewing is shared emotions, which I don't entirely disagree with. However, there are really only some genres that benefit. Comedies obviously receive a boost when a whole crowd is laughing along, and some shrieks and gasps might enhance a horror flick. But that's about it, and even then an audience doesn't always improve the experience. I've seen comedies where the jokes weren't connecting with anyone in the audience but me, and the silence surrounding my laughter was stifling. Similarly, an excessively vocal viewer can deflate the tension in a suspenseful film. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">But what about drama? Documentary? Mystery? Isn't the best you can hope for that people just shut up and you forget that they're present? The whole notion that you're, like, sharing an emotional mindspace or whatever is a bit new-agey for me. How often in a theater are you really existing in that mindspace instead of thinking "wow, that's incredibly sad" or "LOLZ" or "so it's a dream WITHIN a dream?!" The best case scenario, at least in my opinion, is that the film is absorbing enough that you forget everything else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">People can be assholes at the theater. Even in the earliest days of cinema, moviegoers had to contend with <a href="http://oldhollywood.tumblr.com/post/2846531767/1910s-era-movie-theater-etiquette-public-service">women's ornate headpieces</a>. Those days are gone, but we still have <a href="http://misfortune-cookie.blogspot.com/2010/01/middle-aged-people-who-cant-behave-at.html">talkers</a>, texters, shushers, hecklers, chewers, coughers, latecomers, <a href="http://misfortune-cookie.blogspot.com/2010/03/possible-explanation-of-why-older.html">indiscriminate laughers</a>, crazy homeless yellers, and crying/screaming children. And let's not forget the occasional patron who <a href="http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Moviegoer-Tells-Woman-to-Stop-Talking-On-Cell-Phone-Gets-Stabbed-in-the-Neck-87144462.html">stabs people with a meat thermometer</a>. The odds are really stacked against you when you enter a theater, and yet most people manage to behave themselves. But are they really adding anything to your experience? Would an empty matinee showing be less enjoyable than a packed evening one, even one packed with perfectly behaved viewers?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I've had many solo or intimate viewing experiences that I wouldn't trade for the world. I watched the entire five and a half hour TV version of Ingmar Bergman's contemplative <em>Fanny and Alexander</em> with my boyfriend in our gloriously quiet apartment. I've watched comedies with a handful of friends that share my exact comedic wavelength. I've helped my boyfriend plan around his then-roommates' schedules so we could watch certain films in a sacred zone free of interruption. I've watched some kooky and/or culty films alone or with my boyfriend, knowing full well that the mysterious spells they cast would have been violently obliterated by nonstop seizures of laughter from audience members who interpret anything slightly off as riotously funny. Some films need room to <em>breathe, </em>and a packed house can suffocate it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The line is also blurry when you consider television. Another favorite topic of bloggers these days is how we're in a TV renaissance, with content like <em>Mad Men </em>and <em>Breaking Bad </em>resembling, rivalling, and often surpassing what we can see in a theater. Where's the demand for these shows to have a communal experience? Why do we need to watch all films (even subpar ones) in a theater for the full experience, but no one questions that we're watching similarly (or more) cinematic content at home on TV? Probably because, like movies in a theater, that's just how it's always been done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'll keep going to the theater, because I want to see films sooner and because the presentation is better than it would be at home. I don't just dismiss the whole experience in one fell swoop - none of this "stupid kids and their Inceptions and textphones and it all costs a million dollars and I'll just stay home!" nonsense. (And by the way, all those articles saying that a night at the movies for a family of four costs more than a Porsche can suck it. Go sometime other than Saturday night at 7:00pm, find a coupon, bring your own damn food, and quit whining.) But when I strike it rich, I'm building myself my own personal <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArcLight_Hollywood">Arclight</a> and shipping in new prints every day for myself and my closest friends. You should probably start sucking up to me now, just in case.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">What do you think? Is the communal aspect of moviegoing important to you?</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6047429527902019331.post-52942907101379721052011-04-01T14:58:00.000-07:002011-04-01T14:58:32.107-07:00Movie Memories: Dunston Checks In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxxpXrdBY7XyVbMC5s88OIpcguZTwcugIcnl2STZiVKiulMcfQMjjcMFe9JOae4EJ4uJwiRRoDS3Z6lp_USyj8KohBqAcanIr4BagWBZbTl-vJEsLcaU3Q52kp3nK2oM5Y5al8KIg6Xs/s1600/dunston_checks_in_ver2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxxpXrdBY7XyVbMC5s88OIpcguZTwcugIcnl2STZiVKiulMcfQMjjcMFe9JOae4EJ4uJwiRRoDS3Z6lp_USyj8KohBqAcanIr4BagWBZbTl-vJEsLcaU3Q52kp3nK2oM5Y5al8KIg6Xs/s400/dunston_checks_in_ver2.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In the <a href="http://misfortune-cookie.blogspot.com/2010/08/movie-memories-hot-fuzz.html">last edition</a> of Movie Memories, I teased an upcoming feature involving a very minor celebrity. And now that time has come. Get pumped.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It just so happened one day that I found myself watching <em>Dunston Checks In</em>, a kiddie flick detailing the escapades of a rascally orangutan and the patrons of a luxury hotel, with its star. Unfortunately I'm not referring to the monkey, but rather its child star, Eric Lloyd.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">How did this come to pass?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I never went to a sleepaway camp in the traditional sense, but in the summer before my junior year of high school, I went to film camp. The knee-jerk reaction of comparing it to band camp upon first hearing the phrase is actually rather apt - it's a group of teenagers with raging hormones thrown together in a residential environment to hone a craft. It was a one-month program at Harvard where we produced several short films on 16mm, from soup to nuts. And man, it was a wild ride. I had crushes on at least four guys, at least four had crushes on me, and three of those ended up going somewhere (four if you count the guy who intermittently stalked me for years afterward). There were friends and enemies, heartbreak and rapture, celluloid and digital. I learned a lot about myself. And I learned who Eric Lloyd was.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Barely two hours after arriving at camp, buzz started to circulate that there was a celebrity in our midst. It wasn't immediately obvious, because the individual in question was known primarily as a child star, but it was soon revealed that our fellow camper was "the kid from the Santa Clause movies, y'know, the one who plays Tim Allen's son." He tried to downplay this fact in his introductions, but begrudgingly admitted that it was true. He said he was interested in being on the other side of the camera, however, and we mostly respected that and dropped the subject.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Until the last night, that is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We were all high off the accomplishment of finishing our final projects, which we had screened earlier that day. In the final week, someone figured out that our dorm building had a "secret" basement with a huge TV and foosball table that no one had bothered to tell us about. Despite the fact that over the course of the session, the campers had sort of split into two factions (myself being one of the few people who could claim membership in both), we all came together on this joyful night. While debating how to celebrate, someone suggested that we watch <em>Dunston Checks In. </em>This would have been a very strange suggestion indeed, if not for the fact that we would have the unique opportunity of watching it with its star, seven years after its release. Everyone jumped at the idea - except Eric, naturally. I have to say, however, that he proved to be a tremendously good sport about the entire affair. He was actually a really nice guy, and seemed immune to the cool kid repellent I seem to have mixed into my bloodstream.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm not even sure why this movie was so readily available (perhaps someone had rented it just in case?), but someone got it and popped it in. Eric was planted front and center on the couch, so everyone could watch him squirm. Watching embarassing home movies is hard enough - imagine if your childhood antics and awkwardness were preserved as major theatrical releases? He really took it in stride, though. Whenever we glanced at him after a particularly groan-inducing bit, he just gave a shrug and a chuckle. We really weren't trying to humiliate him - it was more for the trippy experience of watching the screen, then turning around and seeing the same person seven years older. (Cries of "he's on the screen! he's right here!" punctuated the first third or so of the movie). He even provided behind-the-scenes commentary - we learned, for example, that costar Jason Alexander is a trained masseuse and offered massages on set. (Seinfeld fans, insert "it moved" joke here.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">So there we were, a bunch of cinema-loving teens, watching an unapologetically bad kids' movie on our last night together. Yet instead of the snarky irony that usually accompanies such occasions, the mood here was strangely warm and affectionate, possibly because we would all be parting ways the next day. It's possible that I'm just remembering it incorrectly, but it remains in my memory as a happy ending to a crazy month.</span>Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13487413374850257707noreply@blogger.com2