First, I must send my apologies to the 10th Daughter of Memory folks. I finally entered a post and was supposed to vote on the other posts for the one I liked best. Well, I read all the other entries and then thought about them. Apparently, I thought about them too long because when I went to vote, voting was closed. So Mea Culpa.
I recently watched the A-Team movie. I loved that show as a kid and so found the movie totally amusing. My husband, who didn't really watch the TV show, didn't care for the film all that much. I wonder if that had something to do with it. I loved the Charlie's Angels movies and I watched the show as a kid. I liked The Incredible Hulk film. But that might have been because Edward Norton was in it.
Let's not forget the Star Trek films. Love them!
You know what they haven't made yet? A Bionic Woman movie. Oh, I just loved, loved that show. I especially liked it when they did Bionic Woman/Six Million Dollar Man shows together. That would be a fun movie.
As I watched CSI last night, I began to wonder what current TV shows might get made into movies in the future. CSI would be a good choice but only with the Grissom character. They could do an American Idol movie except turn it into fiction. You know, some kid from the sticks, against all odds wins the competition.
I like the show Burn Notice. That could be a fun, shoot 'em up movie. But the thing is, the TV show had to have some sort of hook or joke that could be carried into the film. Charlie's Angels had beautiful women with guns, now that's fun. In the A-Team, each of the guys has his own personality quirk.
I don't think a show like Glee could be a movie. Too bland.
Well, since I don't own a DeLorean, I can't answer the question about what current shows will eventually get made into films. I guess I'll just have to wait.
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Friday, April 29, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Inception: How Did You Think of That?
I watched Inception last night. This is the Christopher Nolan film about dreams with Leo Di Caprio in the lead. Mr. Di Caprio has to enter the dreams of the heir of an energy company and implant an idea into his head, making the heir think it was his own idea. It was pretty good, great special effects but nothing fancy. It could provoke and has provoked lots of discussions about what was real but I didn't really care. The entire movie could have been a dream and then what does that mean? Nothing. I did like the idea they used of waking up from one dream into another one. That happens to me all the time. I tend to dream a lot and I often wake up from one dream and find myself in another dream. Or at least I think that's what happens. Lately, I've been having a lot of nightmares which suck. Years ago, when I lived in Dublin, I would dream about saving the world. That was awesome, it was like my own private superhero show with me as the star.
The movie kind of reminded me of the film Synecdoche, New York with Philip Seymour Hoffman because both movies concerned creating alternate worlds for the characters as well as the question of what is real. Although in Synecdoche, NY, Mr. Hoffman creates a theatrical version of New York inside a warehouse casts actors to live in this fake town. Talk about alternate realities. To me it was definitely more thought provoking than Inception maybe because of the theatrical link or maybe because of Mr. Hoffman.
I really like Philip Seymour Hoffman as an actor. He tends to do a lot of weird indie flicks as well as some big blockbusters (M:I3 anyone?). And while I did like his portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote, I thought Infamous was a better overall movie about In Cold Blood. But I do like the fact that Mr. Hoffman continues to be involved with his New York theater company LAByrinth. He still directs and acts in their productions. Its my opinion that the film actors who came from the stage are better actors. I would love to see Mr. Hoffman on stage.
Not, however, in Othello. He did (about a year ago) a 4 hour Othello in New York. Not many people liked it I don't think. I don't think I would. 4 hours! I have better things to do with my time. I did see Patrick Stewart (of Star Trek/X Men fame) in Othello in Washington, DC at The Shakespeare Theatre. He was a white Othello in an all black cast. It was pretty good although Iago couldn't find his light. We were sitting near the front and the show started with a rain storm with actual rain on stage so we got a bit wet. It was a nice special effect though and really set the scene.
I worked with rain when I was an intern at Center Stage in Baltimore. It was for Twelfth Night. We had a rain system set up just outside the theater doors on the back wall of the theater. I had to open the doors for Sebastian to enter when he washes up on shore. Later Viola enters through those doors but it wasn't raining. Yes, I got wet; 8 shows a week for a few weeks. Oh the things we do to earn our stripes! But seriously, it wasn't that bad.
That was one of my favorite versions of Twelfth Night. It was set in an Ilyria that resembled a circus and Feste was a clown who played the master of ceremonies. He would do monologues at the beginning of each act quoting a bunch of different Shakespeare plays. But, I have seen some real weird versions of Twelfth Night probably because it lends itself to many interpretations. While in Dublin, I saw one set int he 1930's. At the end of the show, Malvolio came out to warn that he would take his revenge and then did a "Heil Hitler" salute and left. The rest of cast broke into a weird, group dance. Very odd.
Luckily, I did see some really good theater over there. In London, I saw A Walk in the Woods by Lee Blessing with Edward Herrmann (of Lost Boys fame) and Alec Guinness; as in Sir. Both were fantastic and to see Sir Alec Guinness on stage was something I'll never forget. Nice to see that he didn't sell out after Star Wars. Like he would. It's that type of play though with that caliber of acting that makes people think acting is easy.
When I lived in Upstate New York and told other moms what I did, many told me that their dream was to act. They felt they could just audition for a show and they would be a star. These poor moms had no idea the years of training, heartache, and hard work the actors had to go through to make it look that easy. One woman actually asked me, "How do I get on stage at Capital Repertory Theatre?" This is a reputable, regional theater in Albany, NY, that casts most of it shows with New York City actors. But I didn't want to quash the dream so I mumbled something about acting classes, agents, etc. What I really wanted to say was: "Who gave you the idea you could act? You must be dreaming."
The movie kind of reminded me of the film Synecdoche, New York with Philip Seymour Hoffman because both movies concerned creating alternate worlds for the characters as well as the question of what is real. Although in Synecdoche, NY, Mr. Hoffman creates a theatrical version of New York inside a warehouse casts actors to live in this fake town. Talk about alternate realities. To me it was definitely more thought provoking than Inception maybe because of the theatrical link or maybe because of Mr. Hoffman.
I really like Philip Seymour Hoffman as an actor. He tends to do a lot of weird indie flicks as well as some big blockbusters (M:I3 anyone?). And while I did like his portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote, I thought Infamous was a better overall movie about In Cold Blood. But I do like the fact that Mr. Hoffman continues to be involved with his New York theater company LAByrinth. He still directs and acts in their productions. Its my opinion that the film actors who came from the stage are better actors. I would love to see Mr. Hoffman on stage.
Not, however, in Othello. He did (about a year ago) a 4 hour Othello in New York. Not many people liked it I don't think. I don't think I would. 4 hours! I have better things to do with my time. I did see Patrick Stewart (of Star Trek/X Men fame) in Othello in Washington, DC at The Shakespeare Theatre. He was a white Othello in an all black cast. It was pretty good although Iago couldn't find his light. We were sitting near the front and the show started with a rain storm with actual rain on stage so we got a bit wet. It was a nice special effect though and really set the scene.
I worked with rain when I was an intern at Center Stage in Baltimore. It was for Twelfth Night. We had a rain system set up just outside the theater doors on the back wall of the theater. I had to open the doors for Sebastian to enter when he washes up on shore. Later Viola enters through those doors but it wasn't raining. Yes, I got wet; 8 shows a week for a few weeks. Oh the things we do to earn our stripes! But seriously, it wasn't that bad.
That was one of my favorite versions of Twelfth Night. It was set in an Ilyria that resembled a circus and Feste was a clown who played the master of ceremonies. He would do monologues at the beginning of each act quoting a bunch of different Shakespeare plays. But, I have seen some real weird versions of Twelfth Night probably because it lends itself to many interpretations. While in Dublin, I saw one set int he 1930's. At the end of the show, Malvolio came out to warn that he would take his revenge and then did a "Heil Hitler" salute and left. The rest of cast broke into a weird, group dance. Very odd.
Luckily, I did see some really good theater over there. In London, I saw A Walk in the Woods by Lee Blessing with Edward Herrmann (of Lost Boys fame) and Alec Guinness; as in Sir. Both were fantastic and to see Sir Alec Guinness on stage was something I'll never forget. Nice to see that he didn't sell out after Star Wars. Like he would. It's that type of play though with that caliber of acting that makes people think acting is easy.
When I lived in Upstate New York and told other moms what I did, many told me that their dream was to act. They felt they could just audition for a show and they would be a star. These poor moms had no idea the years of training, heartache, and hard work the actors had to go through to make it look that easy. One woman actually asked me, "How do I get on stage at Capital Repertory Theatre?" This is a reputable, regional theater in Albany, NY, that casts most of it shows with New York City actors. But I didn't want to quash the dream so I mumbled something about acting classes, agents, etc. What I really wanted to say was: "Who gave you the idea you could act? You must be dreaming."
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Oscar Buzz
Buzz is that Natalie Portman will most likely get a nod and maybe even the gold for Black Swan. I hope not; she's good but I don't think it was her best work. Part of me thinks Hollywood will vote the scabs. What I mean is that people will look at her pulling skin off her finger or her webbed feet and consider that good acting. I know I'm going on a limb here and I'll probably be skewered for this next statement but I think that's what happened to Tom Hanks in Philadelphia. I never thought his character in that movie was that much of a stretch: a nice guy who is wronged by a law firm. Oh, yeah happened to be gay. He definitely deserved it for Forrest Gump but in my opinion not for Philadelphia.
No, I don't think Natalie Portman should get it. For my money, I'd like to see Annette Benning win. She was so good in The Kids Are Alright. Julianne Moore had the flashier part but I thought Annette Benning owned that film. Don't get me started on Nicole Kidman. Not only am I NOT a fan, but I saw Rabbit Hole on stage and the script is amazing. But it's a play written for the stage; I don't see how it can translate well to a movie. So I'm not going to see it but I'm sticking to my prejudiced, uninformed opinion. I feel so Republican.
As for the boys, I hear that Colin Firth has it locked up for The King's Speech. Word is that he'll get it this year because he deserved it last year for A Single Man. I don't feel like seeing The King's Speech though: Colin First becomes king
- He has a stutter
- He meets Geoffrey Rush
- Brilliant acting ensues
- The king gives a speech
- The nation is moved.
Let me know if I left anything out. The funny thing is that supposedly Jeff Bridges (who won last year for Crazy Heart) should have won this year for True Grit. Well, I didn't see Crazy Heart but I did see A Single Man and I do want to see True Grit. So I'll watch True Grit and say I saw both Oscar winning performances. Make sense?
As for supporting, I loved both Christian Bale and Melissa Leo in the The Fighter. There is some buzz around Mark Wahlberg but I just don't think that guy can act. Easy on the eyes, produces a great TV show but acting, not so much. And while I do think Amy Adams can act, I didn't think her part in The Fighter was that good. I found it rather boring: I'm with you, I'm not with you, I'm with you. Yawn. But oh, oh, oh, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo were soo soooooo so good. I kept having to remind myself that Christian Bale was Batman.
Maybe, I'm just cynical this year about the Oscars. First, they get James Franco (who also has a chance at the gold for 127 Hours; and no I don't want to see 2 hours of James Franco pinned by a rock no matter how cute he is) and Anne Hathaway to host which seems rather vanilla to me. Then, the movies all seem to be re-runs of films that have already won Oscars.
As a kid, my brother and I had heard that there are only 7 or 8 storylines and every film can be boiled to one of those storylines. So before watching any movie, we'd joke: "Oh, is this the mom has a rare disease and the daughter discovers the cure story?" Or some such thing.
"Is this the Academy Awards where the actor wins the Oscar for breadth of work?"
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Daniel Day-Lewis and Me
As I was lamenting over the meaning of my life, I was watching Nine, the movie version of the stage musical directed by Rob Marshall. It was fine; some good moments, some yawners. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis as a famous Italian movie director of the 1960's who has lost his way and is trying to figure out who he is. So it was a perfect film for me, as I too, am trying to figure out who I am. Of course, I'm not a famous Italian director who is cheating on my wife with Penelope Cruz (although if she knocked on my door...). And, Nicole Kidman is not my muse, which is totally fine because I'm not a fan. Oh yeah, I'm definitely not Daniel Day-Lewis.
He's delicious isn't he? I would not kick him out of bed for eating crackers. Not only that, ladies and gentlemen, he acts too! Sure, he does some schmaltzy stuff but I'm there anytime he wants to tell me: No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you. Dude, you had me at the waterfall.
Even better, in his off hours, he makes shoes! What a great life - acting and making shoes. I guess he never questions the meaning of his life, huh?
I heard a story about him a long time ago. Round about the time he was breaking into our consciousness as an "eat crackers in bed" kinda guy. Now, I doubt this story is true, in fact there are so many holes in it that it's probably not. But I want it to be true. I want him to be that guy.
I heard this from the cousin of the friend of the woman that it happened to. So we're close to the source, hmm?
Anyway, he did My Left Foot in 1988. This woman, who worked for Miramax at the time, saw the film and told her bosses that they MUST get the distribution rights to this film. According to the story, she risked her entire career on the film. Well, Miramax got the rights and the film, as we know, went on to be nominated for several Academy Awards. As a distributor of the film, Miramax got a couple of seats to the awards ceremony. But does this woman, who risked her career for the film, get a seat? Oh no, they go to some executives instead.
It's Oscar day in Los Angeles and the poor woman is hanging out with nothing to do (apparently), when she receives a phone call from none other than Daniel Day-Lewis. He says, "I heard what you did for our film and I appreciate it. Would you be my date for the Oscars this evening?"
How she got a dress, I have no idea. BUT I guess more importantly is that while her bosses were sitting in the nose-bleeds, she was the "plus one" of the guy who just happened to take home the Best Actor Oscar. She wasn't sitting in no nose bleeds, am I right?
Wouldn't it be great if that story were true? Sure, he may already be an incredibly nice guy but still it'd be fun if it were true.
And, now, I think I know what I should do in my free time. I'm going to become a cobbler.
Go Phillies!
He's delicious isn't he? I would not kick him out of bed for eating crackers. Not only that, ladies and gentlemen, he acts too! Sure, he does some schmaltzy stuff but I'm there anytime he wants to tell me: No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you. Dude, you had me at the waterfall.
Even better, in his off hours, he makes shoes! What a great life - acting and making shoes. I guess he never questions the meaning of his life, huh?
I heard a story about him a long time ago. Round about the time he was breaking into our consciousness as an "eat crackers in bed" kinda guy. Now, I doubt this story is true, in fact there are so many holes in it that it's probably not. But I want it to be true. I want him to be that guy.
I heard this from the cousin of the friend of the woman that it happened to. So we're close to the source, hmm?
Anyway, he did My Left Foot in 1988. This woman, who worked for Miramax at the time, saw the film and told her bosses that they MUST get the distribution rights to this film. According to the story, she risked her entire career on the film. Well, Miramax got the rights and the film, as we know, went on to be nominated for several Academy Awards. As a distributor of the film, Miramax got a couple of seats to the awards ceremony. But does this woman, who risked her career for the film, get a seat? Oh no, they go to some executives instead.
It's Oscar day in Los Angeles and the poor woman is hanging out with nothing to do (apparently), when she receives a phone call from none other than Daniel Day-Lewis. He says, "I heard what you did for our film and I appreciate it. Would you be my date for the Oscars this evening?"
How she got a dress, I have no idea. BUT I guess more importantly is that while her bosses were sitting in the nose-bleeds, she was the "plus one" of the guy who just happened to take home the Best Actor Oscar. She wasn't sitting in no nose bleeds, am I right?
Wouldn't it be great if that story were true? Sure, he may already be an incredibly nice guy but still it'd be fun if it were true.
And, now, I think I know what I should do in my free time. I'm going to become a cobbler.
Go Phillies!
Monday, January 18, 2010
The Golden Globes and Arts Education: A Bit of a Rant
I know The Golden Globes and Arts Education seem not to have a lot in common but see if you can follow me (I wish you luck).
I watched The Golden Globes the other night but only half-enthusiastically. The movies this year haven't really excited me or I guess I haven't seen enough of them to care. I'm not sure what it is. I've seen some good movies but I guess I just don't care who wins.
Don't get me wrong, I'll watch The Oscars (well, after my show, I have a performance that night of Romeo and Juliet) and love it but I'm not so invested in who wins.
I did love Ricky Gervais though (he hosted The Globes), especially his irreverence; he made fun of everyone and everything Hollywood. He put it well when he said, "It's not like I'm going to be doing this again." As true as it might be, I enjoyed that he was pulling the Hollywood elite down a peg. Sometimes, I think they live in such a fake world, they truly feel the work they are doing is life-altering. I believe it was during Adrian Brody's Oscar acceptance speech for The Pianist, that he stopped the "get off the stage music" with "This is important."
Really? A gold statue for PLAYING a Holocaust survivor is important? I'm thinking the actual Holocaust might be oh, just slightly more important. As much as I love the movies and Hollywood, I do think they are full of it sometimes.
But at the end of The Golden Globes, Jim Cameron won for Avatar and he said, "Give yourselves as a hand. We have the greatest job in the world." It was nice to hear someone recognize that. I mean, I work in theater, I hardly make any money, but it's truly the best job in the world.
So that's a long way around to thinking about how exactly I can help the world. I just saw a French movie called The Class about a teacher in an economically disadvantaged arrondissement of Paris. It chronicles a school year as he deals with a class of teenagers who don't want to learn, or have trouble learning. Many of them are immigrants and dealing with home problems and the government, etc. Plus, over the weekend, I had dinner with my sister who works in such a school in Bridgeport, CT. So these people are doing good work, helping students in less than glamorous education. Now, that's important, Mr. Brody.
So, how is what I do important? Or is it important? Here's my answer (rationale?):
Teaching students math, English (French in the case of the film), reading, et cetera gives them the tools they will need to help them get out of their current situation. What arts education and theater in particular, can help them with is the desire and courage to try to change their situation. Growing up in an impoverished setting and seeing the same people stuck in the same jobs with no money does not give anyone incentive to break out and try to change their circumstances. Theater can teach young people that they are not alone; the emotions they have are universal and, that they can choose a different path.
I'll take Romeo and Juliet as an example since I'm reading that show right now in prep for rehearsals. The society that Romeo and Juliet live in chooses violence as a way to deal with their emotions. The "feud" between the Capulets and Montagues is described only as an "ancient feud." It has been going on so long, no one knows what it's about; they just know they don't like each other. Out of this society come two people who defy everything they have learned and love each other, and would rather die than live in the conventions of this "hateful" society. It's a powerful lesson; love is stronger than hate. But will such a tale really help troubled students?
I think it's possible. I think it's possible to expand people's minds with stories; to allow them to experience different situations or similar situations where different choices are made. I may be wrong, I don't know, but I do know that I feel more empowered when I know that someone out their feels the same way I do.
If you've made it all the way down here, thanks for listening and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I watched The Golden Globes the other night but only half-enthusiastically. The movies this year haven't really excited me or I guess I haven't seen enough of them to care. I'm not sure what it is. I've seen some good movies but I guess I just don't care who wins.
Don't get me wrong, I'll watch The Oscars (well, after my show, I have a performance that night of Romeo and Juliet) and love it but I'm not so invested in who wins.
I did love Ricky Gervais though (he hosted The Globes), especially his irreverence; he made fun of everyone and everything Hollywood. He put it well when he said, "It's not like I'm going to be doing this again." As true as it might be, I enjoyed that he was pulling the Hollywood elite down a peg. Sometimes, I think they live in such a fake world, they truly feel the work they are doing is life-altering. I believe it was during Adrian Brody's Oscar acceptance speech for The Pianist, that he stopped the "get off the stage music" with "This is important."
Really? A gold statue for PLAYING a Holocaust survivor is important? I'm thinking the actual Holocaust might be oh, just slightly more important. As much as I love the movies and Hollywood, I do think they are full of it sometimes.
But at the end of The Golden Globes, Jim Cameron won for Avatar and he said, "Give yourselves as a hand. We have the greatest job in the world." It was nice to hear someone recognize that. I mean, I work in theater, I hardly make any money, but it's truly the best job in the world.
So that's a long way around to thinking about how exactly I can help the world. I just saw a French movie called The Class about a teacher in an economically disadvantaged arrondissement of Paris. It chronicles a school year as he deals with a class of teenagers who don't want to learn, or have trouble learning. Many of them are immigrants and dealing with home problems and the government, etc. Plus, over the weekend, I had dinner with my sister who works in such a school in Bridgeport, CT. So these people are doing good work, helping students in less than glamorous education. Now, that's important, Mr. Brody.
So, how is what I do important? Or is it important? Here's my answer (rationale?):
Teaching students math, English (French in the case of the film), reading, et cetera gives them the tools they will need to help them get out of their current situation. What arts education and theater in particular, can help them with is the desire and courage to try to change their situation. Growing up in an impoverished setting and seeing the same people stuck in the same jobs with no money does not give anyone incentive to break out and try to change their circumstances. Theater can teach young people that they are not alone; the emotions they have are universal and, that they can choose a different path.
I'll take Romeo and Juliet as an example since I'm reading that show right now in prep for rehearsals. The society that Romeo and Juliet live in chooses violence as a way to deal with their emotions. The "feud" between the Capulets and Montagues is described only as an "ancient feud." It has been going on so long, no one knows what it's about; they just know they don't like each other. Out of this society come two people who defy everything they have learned and love each other, and would rather die than live in the conventions of this "hateful" society. It's a powerful lesson; love is stronger than hate. But will such a tale really help troubled students?
I think it's possible. I think it's possible to expand people's minds with stories; to allow them to experience different situations or similar situations where different choices are made. I may be wrong, I don't know, but I do know that I feel more empowered when I know that someone out their feels the same way I do.
If you've made it all the way down here, thanks for listening and I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Games People Play
I've been having way too much fun. Seriously. The cast of The History Boys are a blast to hang out with. We have an entire week of fun and games!On Saturdays, we have Dollar Day. Each cast or crew member writes his or her name on a dollar bill. All the dollar bills go into a pot. At intermission, we draw one dollar bill out of the pot and the person whose name is on the bill gets the entire pot. I won last week, almost $20.
On Wednesdays, we go to Sugar Mom's, a bar just around the corner from the Arden, which has 50 cent perogies and $1.50 PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) tall boys. Of course, I'm too old to drink crap beer and I have to drive so if I'm only going drink one or two beers, it's going to be good beer. Of course, $1.50 PBRs works well for young, unsophisticated taste buds.
On Thursdays, we have wine night. Everyone or most cast members brings in a bottle of wine and we open them in the green room after the show. Sometimes someone will bring cheese or cookies or whatever. We all just love hanging out with each other and it's cozy and we chat and discuss wine and whatever else.
I'm going to be soooooo bored when this show is over.
Anyway, out and about this past week, I learned about a new way to play 20 questions. I love those trivia question games that can be played anywhere a group of people are together. Here's the new version I learned, plus another game that I like to play. I'm hoping some people out there in the "sphere" will contribute their favorite game. I'm always looking for new forms of entertainment!
Reverse 20 Questions: One person thinks of a celebrity and gives only the first letter of the last name. In order for other people to ask a question about the celebrity, they must first stump the person with the celebrity with another celebrity whose last name begins with the same letter.
Here's an example: I choose David Bowie so I say my person's last name begins with B. Matt then asks me: Was your person involved in the baseball steroid scandal?
If I know who is talking about, I'd say: No I'm not Barry Bonds. And if I don't know then Matt can ask me a yes or no question about my person: Is it a man? Is he a singer? etc. Then the next person tries to stump me with another celebrity whose last name begins with B. 1980's TV stars work really well here. It keeps going until someone guesses David Bowie.
Here's an example: I choose David Bowie so I say my person's last name begins with B. Matt then asks me: Was your person involved in the baseball steroid scandal?
If I know who is talking about, I'd say: No I'm not Barry Bonds. And if I don't know then Matt can ask me a yes or no question about my person: Is it a man? Is he a singer? etc. Then the next person tries to stump me with another celebrity whose last name begins with B. 1980's TV stars work really well here. It keeps going until someone guesses David Bowie.
M_O_V_I_E_S Game: This is for the movie lover. I name a film. The next person has to name an actor in the film. The next person has to name a different movie that actor was in. The next names a different actor in that film. So I say Risky Business. Matt says: Tom Cruise. Jane says: Days of Thunder. Carol says: Nicole Kidman.
If someone can't name a movie or actor, he or she gets an "M." It keeps going until someone gets all the letters of MOVIES and thus is out. It's like HORSE in that way. There are no repeats allowed in a round.
Okay, your turn, what games do you people play?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Who's Your Falstaff?
Megan over at All I Need Is Everything (I know, great blog name) posted her 10 ten favorite movie characters. I loved this idea and so I'm copying it. But, the thing is, I'm much more attuned to actors as opposed to characters. I can list 10 actors that I love to watch without even thinking about it: Daniel Day Lewis, Jodie Foster, Sean Penn, Judy Davis, Joan Allen, Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Dame Judi Dench. Of course it begs the question: does the actor make the character or is the character great to begin with? Ah, another post maybe.
CAPT. SHAKESPEARE: And Yvaine, I have some lovely dresses, take your pick
John Cusack - in anything he does, let's face it he does tend to play the same character, loveable though he is.
I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, buy anything sold or processed or process anything sold, bought, or processed or repair anything sold, bought or processed. You know as a career, I don’t want to do that.
I do believe Marsellus Wallace, my husband, your boss, told you to take ME out and do WHATEVER I WANT. I wanna dance, I wanna win, I want that trophy, so dance good.
I'm Harvey Milk and I'm here to recruit you.
I don't have to say it do I? Y'all know his name.
Katherine Scarlett O'Hara Wilkes Kennedy Butler. I save the best for last because as God is her witness, she is never going hungry again.
When I mentioned this dilemma to Brian, he said, "Ah, the question is, who's your Falstaff?" And so, here is a list of my Falstaffs, I couldn't quite make it to 10. I'd love to hear yours! Or we could start another list such as favorite movie quotes (I got a bunch).
Megan listed each character and gave a quote from the film so why mess with success:
Marie LaTour
I need to have fun. I'm still young after all.
Captain Shakespeare
CAPT. SHAKESPEARE: And Yvaine, I have some lovely dresses, take your pickYVAINE: I'm fine.
CAPT. SHAKESPEARE: Honey, you're wearing a robe.
John Cusack - in anything he does, let's face it he does tend to play the same character, loveable though he is.
Mrs. Mia Wallace
I do believe Marsellus Wallace, my husband, your boss, told you to take ME out and do WHATEVER I WANT. I wanna dance, I wanna win, I want that trophy, so dance good.
Harvey Milk
I'm Harvey Milk and I'm here to recruit you.
Susan Vance
"He's three years old, gentle as a kitten and likes dogs." I wonder if Mark means he eats dogs or is fond of them?
James Bond
I don't have to say it do I? Y'all know his name.
Katherine Scarlett O'Hara Wilkes Kennedy Butler. I save the best for last because as God is her witness, she is never going hungry again.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Golden Globes Recount
A few thought on the Golden Globes:
Laura Dern: Great actress, great dress, great acceptance speech!
Yeah, I know that I'm supposed to like Wall E much better than any other animated film but I think Kung Fu Panda rocked!
A note first: I'm writing as I watch and I'm posting directly after so please forgive grammar and spelling mistakes.
JLo's dress - not so much. And what did she mean by: "Mama talkin' now"? Really, doesn't she know that no kid listen to their mother?
Ahh, I didn't know that Bruce Springsteen wrote the music for The Wrestler. That puts it into higher contention for the Oscar now (think Philadelphia).Laura Dern: Great actress, great dress, great acceptance speech!
Yeah, I know that I'm supposed to like Wall E much better than any other animated film but I think Kung Fu Panda rocked!
Heath Ledger -could have predicted this one. Eternally missed but never forgotten - yeah, I think Mr. Nolan got that one right.
Why do the foreign language films always look more interesting than the American films? I know we started the whole movie thing but sometimes I think the other countries perfected it.
And, here's an odd thing, the Golden Globes are the Hollywood Foreign Press awards - so why do they give an award for a foreign language?
What is with the poofiness on the dresses?!
Seth Rogen - Not so funny.
Screenplay Award? Slumdog Millionaire - a great film, I'm hoping it wins Oscar gold but it won the screenplay award here which usually means "runner up" for Best Picture. It's not often a film wins both - Screenplay and Picture.
Kevin Connolly (Entourage) looked so disappointed when he lost for Supporting Actor, I like him so much on the show. But he was up against Alec Baldwin - that's like being up against Daniel Day Lewis.
Paul Giamatti in John Adams. I hear the critics didn't like the mini-series so much but so far three wins and, okay, I love Paul Giamatti. Have you seen Sideways? Or American Splendor? And, he is exactly one year older than I--yup, same day, off by one year. Hmm, I'm feeling like I need to do more with my life...
30 Rock - shocked! Okay, not really. Who doesn't love Tina Fey after the Sarah Palin impersonation? It is the rest of the world we're talking about. I was just in Cancun with friends who live near Washington, DC. When Mexicans found out where my friends were from, they would say, "Oh, you're near Barack Obama."
Best Score - Slumdog Millionaire, so deserving except I didn't see the rest of the nominated films but I LOVED the music in Slumdog Millionaire. If you haven't seen it, do stay for the credits, they are so great. Okay, what do we think - Screenplay and Score? I don't think it's winning best picture.
Tina Fey - best actress. Hmmm, yeah, could have predicted that one. Plus Ms. Fey is funny.
Commercial Break - the Eagles in the Super Bowl? Did the Phillies start something? We shall see.
Isn't Martin Scorsese so flippin' cool? Everything he said about Mr. Spielberg could be said about Mr. Scorsese. Yes, Mr. Spielberg is a great director and deserving but Mr. Scorsese is just that much cooler in the way that Frank Sinatra is cooler than Bono. AND-yeah, we all need mentors but Mr. Spielberg, couldn't you be interesting?
So I keep searching to find out how many films won both best screenplay (either adapted or original) and best picture. If anyone has this information, please let me know.
Dustin Hoffman is drunk again, I think.
Wow! So wrong there! Danny Boyle, Best Director for Slumdog Millionaire. Yay! I love being wrong when this happens! Might not win Best Picture but c'mon, this award really brings it home. Great film--go see it if you haven't.
Colin Farrell--Best Actor for Comedic or Musical Picture for In Bruges. He's going on and on as if he'll never win another award in his entire life. Of course, if this speech goes on, we may not have time for any other movie, ever.
I thought Sacha Baron Cohen's comment about Madonna was funny but no one in the room did. Oh well, can't laugh at your own. What does that say?
I love it when Woody Allen wins (for Vicky Cristina Barcelona). He just makes films. He loves to make films. We can talk about all that other stuff but why?
Kate Winslet: Double Win! Wow, when has that happened? Yeah, it's the Golden Gloes but 2 wins in one night. Nice. Haven't seen either film but I am looking forward to Revolutionary Road.
Mad Men won best drama for television. I don't get that show. I tried to watch it but got bored. Men sitting around drinking and being chauvinists--now that's entertainment.
Mickey Rourke won best actor! Didn't I tell you he'd be Sean Penn's competition? Yeah, Hollywood loves a comeback kid so let's see what happens on Oscar night. And, you can tell that Mr. Rourke hasn't spoken to another adult in a while, yeah?
Slumdog Millionaire - the little movie that could!
Doesn't this make you all itchy for Oscar night?
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Most Wonderful Season of All
While reading the New York Times yesterday, I discovered the return of The Carpetbagger, a seasonal blog about all things Oscar (as in the Academy Awards). I realized with delight that we have now entered my favorite season, Oscar season.
I love the movies, no make that adore the movies. While living in upstate New York, I had a standing date with a friend of mine every Tuesday night. We'd go see a movie in Albany, and then return home and stop off at a local bar for a beer. The bartender knew us and we always chatted with him about the latest movies. Actually, most of the people in the bar knew us (it was a true local) and they called us the Oscar club.
Man, I miss that.
It's been difficult here to find movie buddies. I'm not sure if it's the late night on a weekday or the idea of seeing a movie without one's husband. Either way, I'm on my own for movies most of the time. I don't mind seeing a movie by myself but it is nice to have a friend to motivate you out of the house.
I haven't seen too many movies lately and most of them with my kids (I can't imagine High School Musical 3 will be up for anything). After Candide, it took me a while to get back into the movie swing of things. I jumped in by watching Body of Lies and Quantum of Solace - not really Oscar fare.
But now, it's serious and I have to weigh my movie decisions carefully. I'm looking forward to Milk (I can see Sean Penn walking to the podium now) but I'm not so sure about Australia (I'm not a Nicole Kidman fan so that may color my judgment.) One of my favorite aspects of the season is reading movie reviews and trying to second-guess the Academy: Has anyone made a major comeback this year? Has any "deserving" artist been overlooked?
It really is the most wonderful season of all and while I don't have a movie buddy, I do have everyone who reads this blog. I'll keep you posted on my picks, let me know yours.
I love the movies, no make that adore the movies. While living in upstate New York, I had a standing date with a friend of mine every Tuesday night. We'd go see a movie in Albany, and then return home and stop off at a local bar for a beer. The bartender knew us and we always chatted with him about the latest movies. Actually, most of the people in the bar knew us (it was a true local) and they called us the Oscar club.
Man, I miss that.
It's been difficult here to find movie buddies. I'm not sure if it's the late night on a weekday or the idea of seeing a movie without one's husband. Either way, I'm on my own for movies most of the time. I don't mind seeing a movie by myself but it is nice to have a friend to motivate you out of the house.
I haven't seen too many movies lately and most of them with my kids (I can't imagine High School Musical 3 will be up for anything). After Candide, it took me a while to get back into the movie swing of things. I jumped in by watching Body of Lies and Quantum of Solace - not really Oscar fare.
But now, it's serious and I have to weigh my movie decisions carefully. I'm looking forward to Milk (I can see Sean Penn walking to the podium now) but I'm not so sure about Australia (I'm not a Nicole Kidman fan so that may color my judgment.) One of my favorite aspects of the season is reading movie reviews and trying to second-guess the Academy: Has anyone made a major comeback this year? Has any "deserving" artist been overlooked?
It really is the most wonderful season of all and while I don't have a movie buddy, I do have everyone who reads this blog. I'll keep you posted on my picks, let me know yours.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Where's the Story?
For the past few days, I've been searching for something to read. I had started a book about Fidel Castro but the author used the word thusly which set me off. Plus, she jumped around in time a bit and confused me.
So in my quest for a good story, I came across this article in the New York Times about how M.I.T. in conjunction with Hollywood executives will be studying the demise of the story. The Center for Future Storytelling is examining if texting, visual clutter and the like are eroding the traditional methods of telling a story; namely with a beginning, middle and end.
It reminded me of the time I took a writing workshop and we all had to come up with an incident for a personal essay. I talked about how, as a stage manager, I see the oddest audience behavior: people eating their lunch, sleeping, texting of course, and more. A woman brought up that kids these days are used to doing their homework while listening to music and IM'ing their friends. She suggested that theater would have to seek a different way of communicating with their audiences to accommodate such multi-tasking patrons. I wanted to argue that kids should just learn how to sit still and focus, but I didn't want to sound like a curmudgeon.
As I looked further into this Center for Future Storytelling, I came across the press release from MIT. It explains that the idea of the center is to "transform audiences into active participants." Perhaps that woman in the writing workshop was right. Or, maybe the NY Times, like myself, is a bit of a curmudgeon. Many of the blogs that reported on this new endeavor found it exciting and different.
I'm not sure where I stand on the issue. I love a good, well-told story as well as those mindless romps that seem to have no plot; it all depends on the mood I am in at the time. For the most part though, I tend to skip a lot of movies these days because the I can tell the entire story from the preview. When I was young, I had heard that there are only seven story lines in the world and that every story is a variation on one of those seven. My brother and I would watch a movie and say, "Oh yes, it's the old boy meets girl and blows her head off, love that storyline." So it will be interesting to see if the Center actually comes up with more story lines or just new ways of re-inventing them: "Oh yes, the old boy meets girl and tries to blow her head off but hits an audience member instead."
But story or no story, I still don't have anything to read.
So in my quest for a good story, I came across this article in the New York Times about how M.I.T. in conjunction with Hollywood executives will be studying the demise of the story. The Center for Future Storytelling is examining if texting, visual clutter and the like are eroding the traditional methods of telling a story; namely with a beginning, middle and end.
It reminded me of the time I took a writing workshop and we all had to come up with an incident for a personal essay. I talked about how, as a stage manager, I see the oddest audience behavior: people eating their lunch, sleeping, texting of course, and more. A woman brought up that kids these days are used to doing their homework while listening to music and IM'ing their friends. She suggested that theater would have to seek a different way of communicating with their audiences to accommodate such multi-tasking patrons. I wanted to argue that kids should just learn how to sit still and focus, but I didn't want to sound like a curmudgeon.
As I looked further into this Center for Future Storytelling, I came across the press release from MIT. It explains that the idea of the center is to "transform audiences into active participants." Perhaps that woman in the writing workshop was right. Or, maybe the NY Times, like myself, is a bit of a curmudgeon. Many of the blogs that reported on this new endeavor found it exciting and different.
I'm not sure where I stand on the issue. I love a good, well-told story as well as those mindless romps that seem to have no plot; it all depends on the mood I am in at the time. For the most part though, I tend to skip a lot of movies these days because the I can tell the entire story from the preview. When I was young, I had heard that there are only seven story lines in the world and that every story is a variation on one of those seven. My brother and I would watch a movie and say, "Oh yes, it's the old boy meets girl and blows her head off, love that storyline." So it will be interesting to see if the Center actually comes up with more story lines or just new ways of re-inventing them: "Oh yes, the old boy meets girl and tries to blow her head off but hits an audience member instead."
But story or no story, I still don't have anything to read.
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