Thursday
Apr282011
Open Thread
Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 6:35PM
We haven't done one of these in awhile and I'm having some scheduling difficulties in getting a few different articles finished. So... SPEAK UP. What's on your mind? Anything film related or film adjacent is just fine. (Perhaps it'll inspire us to write something.)
tagged getting to know you
Reader Comments (27)
Any news on Michelle Pfeiffer's new movie "Welcome to People?"
Today, one of the cable movie channels offered The Only Game in Town with Elizabeth Taylor and Warren Beatty. It's a very bad movie. But they cut out the only scene that I remember from it, when I first saw it in 1968. Warren has to pick Liz up and carry her. He struggles effortfully. I remember that the audience laughed at his struggles. I kept watching today wondering when we were going to see it. We didn't see it. Not fair. It was bizarre that we were supposed to believe that the short, squat, frumpy, overweight Liz was a Vegas chorine.
I was wondering what you think of Lindsay Lohan and her chances at having a respectable career? And why do you hate Helen Hunt and Renee Zellweger so much? You should make a most disliked list.
I've been listening to Cass McCombs, who duets with Karen Black on his song Dreams-Come-True Girl, which gets me thinking of all those actresses like her (Valerie Perrine, Sally Kellerman, Sylvia Miles) whose names I learned in Inside Oscar, but that were from a time just before mine, so I didn't really get to know them. And hearing Karen Black sing, of course, also makes me think of Nashville.
This is the video if anyone's interested. Ms. Black shows up around the 2:00 minute mark: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5l8lqNakPI
Nick's Twitter challenge to see the 1974 Best Actress nominees resulted in me watching all of the 1974 nominees...except for song. I generally just ignore those since the film itself has little to do with that category. I only have about five to go: The Little Prince, Shanks, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, and The Island at the Top of the World.
HI. I was wondering when is the "film bitch awards" gonna be finished. I would love to see witch 2010 scenes are the best for you. Bye.
I second Sebastian's comment :)
Nat, "In a Better World" finally opens here in Montréal tomorrow, so I'll finally have a chance to try to judge why the Academy voters preferred it to "Incendies."
Have you seen "Incendies" yet? If so, how would you compare it to Bier's film?
Having just seen the Transformers 3 trailer, a few observations:
- I never thought I'd live to see Marge Gunderson talking to Optimus Prime.
- Following that point, Frances McDormand is going to own this movie.
- Damn you Michael Bay, for making me want to see your latest explosion fest.
- Oh lord, the new girl doesn't have a single word in the trailer, and she still looks like a complete vacuum of talent. Can't believe I'm saying it, but: Bring back Megan Fox.
I second Sebastian's desire to see the 2010 film bitch awards completed! Also, just watched "The Killer Inside Me" last night. Loved the opening titles, strangely sluggish for a serial killer movie though. And did Jessica Alba really get buzz for this role? She rolled around on a bed in her skimpies quite well and gave a kind of lovely quiet sadness in her brief final appearance, but she's really set a low standard if this seriously impressed people.
Last night, my boyfriend and I watched the last chapter of HBO's Mildred Pierce and this whole morning I've been haunted by it. I'm appalled that many people were underwhelmed by the series and blamed it for being too slow. Maybe it's the fact that I didn't see the 1945 film adaptation but I loved Hayne's version. I thought it was impeccable in every aspect; cinematography, music, costumes, acting. Kate Winslet's performance, in my opinion, was superb and intelligent. She conveyed a wide range of emotions so smartly and quietly. And for the nth time I was convinced she is one of the greatest actors alive.
So, with my mind on Winslet, i can't wait to see Contagion and Carnage. Both films seem so far away.
In another note, I recently watched two trailers: The Help, Another World and Larry Crown. Could you do a Yes, No, Maybe for these? Or some? (I realized that it might be too much.)
Oops, I think I forgot to close that em tag... My fault. Sorry!
I just watched The Fabulous Baker Boys for the 2nd time and totally fell in love with the movie - it's so much better than it should be
I was thinking on how Tatooine (Luke Skywalker's home planet) has two suns, and most of the planetary systems are believed to be of dual suns. But our solar system has only one sun. How cool would it have been to see two suns rising in the morning (and how it would have affected the song Beauty and the Beast!). I am just rambling, I know.
Spot the Oscar nominee of television:
Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters)
Kathy Bates (Harry's Law)
Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire)
Melissa Leo (Treme)
Laura Linney (The Big C)
Gabourey Sidibe (The Big C)
Jeremy Irons (The Borgias)
Toni Collette (United States of Tara)
Anna Paquin (True Blood)
William H Macy (Shameless)
Debra Winger (In Treatment)
Amy Ryan (In Treatment)
Chloe Sevigny (Big Love)
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Cloris Leachman (Raising Hope)
Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives)...
It's a fun list. Care to add?
I would absolutely love to see a certain movie mashup: "Speed 3: Riding the Bus With My Sister." Picture Rosie O'Donnell in her overwrought mentally impaired role saying, "Pop quiz, hot shot: Will you ride the bus with me?" and then being lowered under the bus to check for the bomb. "Speed" has long been my go-to guilty pleasure, and "Riding the Bus With My Sister" has long been my friend's -- what other movie mashups would be amazing?
Finishing my senior thesis for my English degree discussing the use of the surprise ending to indicate larger problems in Christopher Hampton's film adaptation of Atonement by Ian McEwan. Although I thoroughly love the film, I'm trying to show the difficulties in adapting such a postmodern text in which part of the power of the novel is the actual "novel-ness" of the work itself.
Explaining the use of the typewriter as indication of Briony's ultimate surprise at the end as well as showing a ever-moving camera when it comes to Briony versus Robbie and Cee.
Knightley and McAvoy do their best "Brief Encounter" imitation to gorgeous effect. Excited to see how it turns out.
I've been catching up on a lot of 2010 studio films...I'm kinda shocked about how much I liked these movies:
Unstoppable. Denzel and Chris Pine had great chemistry and the movie was suprisingly inspirational. Solid suspense and action. And Rosario doing Rosario - strong-willed and well-enunciated. She is so damn likable.
Knight and Day. Once again...the leads have great chemistry. They weren't trying hard and the comedy felt organic. So much fun.
The A-Team. This movie is LOUD and has a ton of action sequences. When it stops to breathe, it's brief. Loved Patrick Wilson and Brian Bloom as the antagonists. You can tell the four leads are having a great time and it's infectious. Bradley and Sharlto are charming.
Salt. If you want to see this film, watch the extended cut. The extended cut has a tearful interrogation scene and a revised scene involving Salt's husband that are ridiculously suspenseful and emotional. The closing sequence of the extended cut is to-die-for! If it had been a little less action and a little more drama, Angelina could have been nominated. Salt's disguises were so-so.
Nathaniel...maybe you can do a piece on lost 80's actresses...the one's who had a string of films then suddenly disappeared with the new decade...I just watched Valley Girl and Waxwork with Deborah Foreman (she also did My Chaffeur and April Fool's Day) ...she was really talented, but never took her career to the next level.
I'm thinking my current crop of high school drama students are one horrible arrangement of a well-known song away from sticking me with reorchestrating, conducting, and playing a cabaret show in a week. My co-music director is about to walk and I'll be stuck picking up the slack if she does.
But film wise, I'm going nuts trying to find my copy of Mirrormask. I moved into a new apartment in February and that is literally the one DVD I'm missing from my collection. I need my bizarre circus fantasy Wonderland fix. And I'm also thinking that I want to see Atlas Shrugged (in the way I just had to see Baby, It's You last week) but don't want to pay full price for it. The only theater is intentionally avoiding morning screenings because it hasn't been doing well around here.
I have a riddle!
I made two movies with Madonna
I made two movies with Dustin Hoffman
I made one movie with Liza Minnelli
Who am I?
/3rtfull -- warren beatty?
Nate Dog -- you know me. It's Kathy Bates -- she's a bit player in the following films:
Madonna was in Dick Tracy (1990)
Madonna was in Shadows and Fog (1991)
Dustin Hoffman was in Straight Time (1978)
Dustin Hoffman was in Dick Tracy (1990)
Liza Minnelli was in Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988)
Just wanted to say HI! I've been reading, but not posting lately since I've been so busy with work. Looking forward to posting more when things slow down in the summer!
To add something movie related... When am I supposed to find TRUST? It was supposed to be released a few weeks ago, and I live in a market that usually gets these films on the second or third week. Their website doesn't give info on expected release dates. So frustrating!
Can someone please explain to me why the hell Frances McDormand won the Academy Award for Fargo? Thank you.
Hey im new here.
Nice to meet everyone!
Hope you all have a good day
Hey im new here.
Im sam, how is everyone?
I look forwards to being a active memeber
"Effie" -- because she was brilliant. You're welcome!
TL -- welcome.