Beauty vs Beast: Tip Top Trophy Wife
Monday, April 27, 2015 at 3:31PM Happy Monday, folks - Jason from MNPP here with this week's edition of "Beauty vs Beast" - guess who is celebrating a birthday this week? If you guessed "Nathaniel's Queen Bee" Michelle Pfeiffer then give yourself a cookie... or a toot of the finest Colombian maybe? (The Film Experience does not endorse drug use.) The cocaine reference leads us to this week's competition -- we're slipping into our tightest disco pants and taking on Brian De Palma's Scarface, of course.
Nine years ago this week Nathaniel actually held a Michelle Pfeiffer blog-a-thon and I wrote up my adoration of her performance as Elvira Hancock then - you can read that here. I thought about that post as I gathered my wits about this one today - I might be blinded by my own love but I think this is probably an unfair fight that's gonna leave Al Pacino as bloodied as a body in a bathtub. Oh well. You think he cares? He'll take our fuckin' bullets!
PREVIOUSLY "Artificial Intelligence Week" is still going strong here at The Film Experience but a week ago we kicked it off with Fritz Lang's Metropolis and a tale of Two Marias - would Good Maria triumph over Evil Robot-Maria just like in the movie? Heck no! We wanna dance dance dance! Said RobMiles:
"I voted for Robot-Maria, but have to salute Brigitte Helm for playing both roles perfectly. PS. I've done a similar dance in my time!"
Reader Comments (11)
Scarface is the moment when Pacino went off the rails, never to return again.
Such a hard decision. Al Pacino´s role means so much. You have no idea how many aspiring actors (myself included) have tried to tackle this role in acting classes. I´m not the biggest Pacino fan but I think this particular performance is one of his very best. The whole movie has had so much impact on so many.
Michelle, on the other hand, was just unforgettable here. I couldn´t take my eyes off her every time she was on the screen. Since then I became a Pfeiffer fan. And I still am. Always rooting for her to come back, give a performance for the ages and get that damn Oscar.
Michelle's lack of Oscar recognition for this stunning star turn is ridiculous. She's absolutely incredible here and steals the whole movie, even in the midst of Pacino's parading.
Pfeiffer ALL THE WAY! No contest.
And I'm definitely about to dig into those old blog-a-thon articles, I wish I had known about this site back then!
I've got to go with Al here. Pfeiffer is technically very good indeed, but she is so cold, whereas Pacino manages to get us (well, at least me) caring for Tony even when Tony is (literally) getting away with murder.
Team Elvira. No question. Love a woman in green.
I'd rather be on Team Manny than Team Tony.
Admit you didn't vote for Elvira on this blog at your own peril.
I voted for Pfeiffer for the restaurant scene alone. "Can't you see what we're becoming, Tony? We're losers. We're not winners, we're losers."
I'll take all the peril folks can dish out since I don't share the love for Pfeiffer. I'm literally working at a screening of Mangelhorn and I can hear Al's voice through the theater doors.
And for this B v B, Team Tony for sure!
Elvira for the win. For the swimming pool scene alone.
Gotta go for Team Elvira. She's so magnetic in every scene she's in...