July. It's a Wrap
Friday, July 31, 2015 at 10:35PM One more hot month before Prestige awards-hunting Season. Are you getting excited yet? If you have been away at the beach here are 12 highlights of the month for your reading pleasure.
Halfway Mark - Best of January through June
Rhythm Hunger Nation - Katniss Everdeen does her best Janet Jackson
Blurb Whore - Nathaniel's on a movie poster!
Oldest Living Screen Stars - all 200 of them from de Havilland to Eastwood
Titus Andromedon and the "GBF" investigating the 'type' post Emmy noms
[Safe] & Sunset Boulevard - made for awesome "Best Shot" episodes
Oscars vs. Blockbusters? - Not that simple
Jake vs Jake - which kind of Gyllenhaal?
"CAN SHE BEAT 'THE MRS TOM CRUISE' THING?" (hilarity in old headlines)Nicole Kidman's Breakout Year - part of our '95 retrospective
Omar Sharif (RIP) - we said goodbye twice: once for Hollywood, once for Egypt
The Revenant Buzz - are Oscar campaigns starting early or are they fending off "troubled" buzz?
COMING THIS WEEKEND
The 1995 Smackdown this Sunday
COMING UP IN AUGUST
Ricki and The Flash, Grandma, Mistress America, Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run, Angels in America, a small screen series, and more. Plus: Jennifer Lawrence turns 25. Viola Davis turns 50. And all month long we'll celebrate THE INGRID BERGMAN CENTENNIAL. P.S. Our year of the month will be 1954 so which movies would you love to read about?
Reader Comments (12)
You have done great work all year. It's an increasingly more sophisticated site, and as we know, there are only a handful of really great actors or writers on film, so I do appreciate your efforts. Slowly coming out of the closet with Bradley and Jake. Chris Pine and Leo. I am so pumped for this next phase!
For 1954 I would like Magnificent Obsession please. Jane Wyman, gorgeous Rock Hudson and Patron Saint of Character Actors Agnes Moorehead. What's not to like! The Screenwriter, Robert Blees, actually died in February.
If we're talking 1954 then it has to be all about REAR WINDOW!
Yes to Sirk's Magnificent Obsession! Also: Carmen Jones (historic Oscar nomination), Brigadoon ("Gene Kelly's Butt"), Animal Farm (Tim?) and River of No Return (Mitchum/Monroe!). I guess we've already discussed Johnny Guitar, A Star Is Born, On the Waterfront and Rear Window...
For 1954 movies, I'll second and third Carmen Jones and Magnificent Obsession (which I've never even seen) respectively. I'd love to see something about Visconti's Senso as well.
For 1954 I'd love to read your thoughts on Japanese filmmaking (seemingly) breaking out internationally in a big way: Seven Samurai (Akira Kurasowa), Godzilla (Ishiro Honda), etc. I know Rashomon came out a few years earlier, but it's interesting to think about Japan's rising from the ashes of WWII, including cinematically.
Also, though she's far from your favorite actress, how about a retrospective of Grace Kelly's truly magnificent year in film: Rear Window, The Country Girl, and Dial M for Murder (which remains highly rated but weirdly seldom talked about today.)
Kthxbye!
I haven't seen that many movies from 1954 (except the musicals) and have to catch up on some of the great ones (still haven't seen On the Waterfront).
It might be fun to look at some of the "B" movies of the year. I'm thinking of two British comedy series that spawned sequels, The Belles of St. Trinians with Alister Sim, and Doctor in The House with Dirk Bogarde. They're so wonderfully goofy.
I've always found Bogarde fascinating, with his range of roles and sharp distinctive personality. The other actor of that era that appeals to me in a similar way is James Mason. In 1954, Mason was in A Star is Born, and was also Captain Nemo, the great classic hero.
1954 - maybe a James Mason adventure double feature with "20,000 Leagues" and "Prince Valiant"? When I think of the mid 50s I think of widescreen spectacle. Ooh, or what about a Cinemascope post/series? So many films of that time were struggling to figure out what to even do with a broader canvas, like the mixed-but-fun "Black Widow"...
1954 also has Two Judy Holliday/Jack Lemmon pairings! If memory serves the odd "Phfft!" is more interesting than "It should happen to you", but that's a heck of a double feature.
Sorry for the multi-post, but last thought for now: 1954's "Red Garters" is a true anomaly, with technicolor, Brechtian set design that defies description. I love it, but it also helps that I'm partial to Jack Carson.
I'm in favor of any and all posts dealing with Rear Window and James Mason.
@Dave S.: I have the DVD of Black Widow. I bought it because I'm a fan of Hugh Wheeler, who wrote the book for the musicals of Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, etc.
Black Widow was based on one of the mystery series Wheeler co-wrote under the pseudonym Patrick Quentin (Puzzle for Fools, Puzzle for Fiends, Puzzle for Pilgrims, etc). I've read all of those I can find. The Black Widow Nanny Ordway character reminds me of The Hand That Rocked The Cradle.