Tuesday
Mar112014
Open Thread - Three Questions
Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 10:44PM 
I'm a smidge under the weather tonight. So it's your turn to talk. Answer me these questions three:
- What movie is constantly on your mind lately?
- What kind of top ten list do you wish your were reading here right now since it is Tuesday and we really should be topten-ing?
- March 12th, which starts in 3...2...1..., is Liza Minnelli's birthday. She'll be 68. How do you plan on celebrating? Post Oscar we should all be celebrating since she deserved better.
Reader Comments (36)
a) Close Encounters of the Third Kind
b) Top ten movies of 1964/Top ten movies of 1939 (50th/75th anniversary)
c) Lucille Austero, of course.
1. cabaret
2. oscar nominated parents/children/siblings
3. continue begging for a cabaret hit me with your best shot
1. Cabaret for me as well, it's one of my favorite films and I've been contemplating watching it again for a good while now. I think I finally will tonight. Million Dollar Baby has also been on my mind a lot lately for some reason, I've been curious about watching it again. And I bought Cruel Intentions today at Goodwill for 2.99. :p
2. Ummm. Best sex scenes in movies? No idea, lol. That's just what first came to mind.
3. I guess that gives me more motivation to watch Cabaret tonight!
1. Under The Skin
2. Top 10 Films from 2010-2013
3. I'll be finally watching Cabaret in full. I know, I know, I am living an actressexual lie!
1. Match Point (current films? Nebraska - the bf just won't quit quoting June Squibb at me)
2. Top Ten supporting actress performances in Robert Altman films
3. By hunting down a copy of New York, New York which I've never seen.
1. A Woman Rebels-I know it's the upcoming film in A Year with Kate and I've been trying to remember as much about it as possible before Anne Marie's article pops up.
2. The top ten best actress performances of the 1940's.
3. I know I should say New York, New York or Cabaret but I have an old VCR tape of her 80's TV movie "A Time to Live" that I've been meaning to rewatch for years so I think this will finally get me to do that.
Philomena is the film constantly on my mind, I really cannot stop thinking about it and all other mothers out there who didn't get the closure she did.
Oh my gosh, can I second Travis' suggestion?
I recorded Wizard of Oz last night, what other way to celebrate than a double feature of this and Cabaret!
1. Blue Jasmine
2. Top Ten: Greatest Female/Male Film Performances
3. Learining every single word and dance move shown in Cabaret
My computer won't play my Cabaret DVD. Depressing.
1. Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1 because I watched it today and now I'm just dying to watch Vol. 2. And Uma Thurman is especially on my mind because she really knocked it out of the f*cking ball park.
2. How about ten greatest performances by an actress who was only in one scene? Or maybe top ten actresses you didn't particularly care for but then one performance or movie impressed you so much you had to reevaluate your opinion on them? Or have you done those already..?
3. I'll probably rewatch either Cabaret or New York, New York because while I love her in both movies I've only seen them once.
a) Oliver Stone's "Nixon." Hopkins and Allen are towering in it.
b) Top Ten Actors that you have either 1) disliked and now love, or 2) loved and now dislike. This ties back to part 'a,' since Hopkins circa 1991-95 was a completely different actor than the one he became afterwards.
c) I will celebrate by watching "New York New York," since I love Liza and De Niro in it, and De Niro is a similar case to Hopkins in my books (loved him now could care less of him). let's remember the good and not the bad about people
1. Gymkata, I'm afraid to say. I saw it for the first time a few days ago, and I'm still giddy whenever I think of it.
2. On a related note: Enjoyable bad movies. Mind you, not all of them are of the B horror variety. And something as bad but still as enjoyable as, say, Sextette is as rare and should be treasured as much as Citizen Kane or Vertigo.
3. To stay on the subject: Rent-a-Cop. I have seen it only once, and that was years ago, but as I remember it, it might be a cheerful way to spend an evening.
1. Howdy. The movie constantly on mind is Near Dark which I hadn't seen for at least a decade. God, how could I even live without Severen? As the undead sex symbol, Bill Paxton is better than Oscar's entire Best Supporting Actor lineup for 1987 - which was hardly a shabby one - combined.
2. The ten greatest distinctive features of the stars - head territory (like Bette's eyes, Kirk's dimpled chin, Catherine's hair, Paul's eye color, Clark's mustache...).
3. Rewatching Cabaret. No, that's what everyone does. How about rewatching Arthur?
1. Le Bonheur (Varda)
2. Top Ten Uses of Colour in Films
3. Lucille 2 and finally watching Cabaret
1.- Blue Jasmine. Why I don't love it?
2.- Abrasive snubs
3.- Liza with a Z
1. Non-Stop. Because barely two weeks after watching this movie, one of the greatest mystery and tragedy happened to our national airline MAS where one flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing went missing shortly after taking off. No one knows what happened even after five days of searching and the mystery is as thick as the first half of the movie. I just hope everyone from that plane makes it back safely just like the passengers from the movie.
2. Top 10 songs that should be made into movie, with plot and cast and everything. I am addicted to this group called Bastille and their album recently, and I realized a few of the song titles from their album were movie titles as well, like Pompeii, Things We Lost in the Fire & Oblivion, or they are movie related like Laura Palmer. I will do this list myself if you are not going to, starting with this Bastille album LOL.
3. Not familiar with her work (I don't think SATC 2 count), not even Cabaret. it's hard to get it here and I'm not very good at online streaming, so don't kill me if I say I'll start by reading the full Wikipedia article about her.
1 - Chile's Gloria (what a towering performance!)
2 - Something about Latin American actresses.
3 - I think I'm gonna see The Sterile Cuckoo. I've never seen it and everybody is always obsessed with Cabaret and NY NY (of course, great movies) and I think this one deserves a look.
1. The Piano (well, I've seen it just recently)
2. Top 10 of best period films
3. I still haven't seen Cabaret.... Yes, I'm ashamed, but hopefully will see it asap. I might copy her head into the Oscar selfie she wanted to be in so badly, but I can't decide which head I'd take. Maybe Lawrence??? *lol*
N--hope you feel better soon!
1. Short Term 12 - can't stop fretting about all the kids aging out of foster care with no place to go
2. Top Ten Movie Musicals - I know this is overdone, but since I've been listening to Sweeney Todd soundtracks (both Angela and Patti versions) then watched the Depp/Bonham Carter version, I thought "ugh". I would also like to include top TV musical episodes, because Buffy's Once More with Feeling is the BEST!
or
TFE's version of 10 pairings of Fuck, Marry, Kill (inspired by Billy-on-the-Street's answers on 3 Streep performances--hilarious)
3. Cal Roth--nice pick! I don't think the Sterile Cuckoo gets the attention it deserves, and hardly anyone younger than 50 would seek it out. It was Liza's first Oscar nom. For me, I'm going to listen to "Live from Radio City Music Hall"--I saw one of her performances that year.
1. Robert Altman's The Company--since I just finished mere moments ago and it's sticking to my ribs like a good stew
2. Appropriately...a top ten films of 2003....preferably a podcast with the gang discussing your favorites. Such an oddly mainstream Oscar year, but such great work throughout
3. Finally purchasing my copy of New York, New York on Amazon because it's cheap and I owe it to myself to finally see it.
1. THE VERONICA MARS MOVIE OPENS IN TWO DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!
2. I would love to see Nathaniel's personal Top 10 movie musicals if he hasn't done so already.
3. Uh, I don't know about you, but I celebrate Liza EVERY day.
1. Spring Breakers
2. I second Drew C. about Top 10 films of 2003
3. Arrested Development
1. Only Lovers Left Alive. I feel like everyone has already seen this but me.
2. Funniest scenes with two actresses.
3. Just watched Meet Me in St. Louis with Liza's introduction last night. That Vincente Minelli sure makes a beautiful looking movie.
1) I keep thinking of Death Becomes Her because the universe keeps suggesting that I watch it. I've heard it mentioned four or five times in the last couple of months.
2) I love Arkaan's suggestion. It'd be nice to see a 1939 retrospective in particular. Other ideas- Top Ten Foreign Language Oscar winners, Top Ten Female-Driven Comedies (think: Clueless, Mean Girls, Bridesmaids).
Only Lovers Left Alive. You are not alone, adri.
Top 10 Best Supporting Actor NOMINEES.
I'm gonna put the New York, New York soundtrack in my car stereo and delight to Liza's versions of "The Man I Love," "Just You, Just Me," "You Are My Lucky Star," "But the World Goes 'Round" and the title track. Also love Georgie Auld's arrangements of the instrumental tracks.
1) The Grand Budapest Hotel, which I won't be able to see until Friday.
2) Top 10 top 10 lists of the last 10 years.
3) I did not honor Liza's birthday in any way because I only just saw this post. I'll be honest, Liza's not that big a deal for me, Cabaret aside. I know that's probably grounds for TFE excommunication, but oh well. :)
arkaan and others. we will definitely be hitting 1964 and 1939 because you know how i like my anniversaries. but the topics are so large that im debating about how to proceed. especially 1939 it's like OMFG how to even...
1) I just saw The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie last night for the first time in its entirety. Maggie Smith was terrific, and the rest of the movie was just okay I think. I'm kind of suprised she won an Oscar for it since I don't know if it was nominated for a single other Oscar. Watching it reminded me of Scarlett O'Hara actually (from the book) - the description that she wasn't actually beautiful but was fascinating to men. Reminded me of Maggie in this.
2) Because I'm thinking of TPOMJB noted above, whatever happened to Pamela Franklin? She probably came in sixth place for a Supporting Actress nod and I've never seen or heard of her since. So my Top Ten list would be "whatever happened to?" or maybe "Sixth place for Supporting actress?"
3) Maggie's biggest competition for the Oscar was probably Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses Don't They, a tragically beautiful depressing period movie. Jane even had Bette Davis eyes in it as I recall. But, one other nominee for Best Actress of 1969 was none other than Liza Minnelli. I'd love to track down The Sterile Cuckoo and force myself to watch it. Other than that, I think I will listen to LIza Live At The Winter Garden because it's brilliant and not as overplayed chez moi as Liza With A Z.
dave -- yeah, maggie is a wonder in that movie. i cant even get started on THEY SHOOT HORSES though because i love it more than words.
I guess that Maggie beat Jane just because JEAN BRODIE was such a stellar one-woman show. THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY felt much more like a collaboration of all the actors (probably a personal best for Susannah York, Michael Sarrazin and Gig Young), the music, the costumes and art direction. Plus that killer ending which was quite a bit more devastating than having Miss Brodie get double-crossed by her brattiest student. Only a fool wouldn't have seen that coming, and maybe that's the point.
And speaking of lists, has anyone ever done a study where they look to see if you are more likely to win an Oscar if your character name is in the title? I bet it's pretty likely. Just this year it was Blue Jasmine. And 1969 it was Jean Brodie. Funny Girl, Mary Poppins, Annie Hall, even Monster and Million Dollar Baby, etc.
My vote goes to Jane Fonda.
Dave -- Sadly that didn't work for Turner.
I want something personal, like a top ten performances that made you fall in love with that actor. I mean performances that just sealed your lifelong fanship of that actor within that movie alone. something like that.
I would also like to second that I'd love to see a list (but how would it be done?) of actors or actresses who you just hated until they did something amazing and you had to rethink everything.
For me there are at least two that come to mind: Julia Roberts who was dull and obvious to me until I saw My Best Friend's Wedding, and even more so, Madeleine Stowe who I was convinced was the worst actress in the world until I saw Last of the Mohicans and changed completely and utterly in the opposite direction.
I would love to see a top 10 of the best speaking voices of actresses.
1. "Lost Horizon" - 1973 musical version.
2. Guilty Pleasures (see above) by genre? Such as "Top 10 Guilty Pleasures - Sci Fi"
3. Just ordered the blu ray of "Sterile Cuckoo."