Whew. We made it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 

Any cinematic resolutions? I have them but they're all behind the scenes to make this blog the best it can be in a wide open new year.

#ImWithTweet

I know I promised no political talk on the blog until September so I'll let others do the talking as it was such a big political week that it's hard to avoid. That's reflected in our roundup of amusing tweets this week. But first let us begin with this giddy tweet from Patches who claims he had had a few drinks when he wrote it but to us it's the perfectly clear minded truth.

More after the jump of course...

Movies are insane. People pretending to be other people! Depicting reality, yet constructing it! Angles! Mood! Holy hell. Movies.

— Maester Patches (@misterpatches) June 10, 2016

Now that we're all getting behind Hillary Clinton, let's admit that Anne Hathaway has never once been bad in a movie.

— Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) June 8, 2016

Click to read more ...

A Year With Kate: Stage Door (1937)

Episode 13 of 52 wherein Anne Marie screens all of Katharine Hepburn's films in chronological order.

In which we've finally made it to the good stuff, so let's celebrate with Katharine Hepburn vs Ginger Rogers in a battle of the stars.

Hallelujah! Katharine Hepburn has arrived! From the ashes of Quality Street she rises, patrician and perfect. After 12 weeks of inconsistent performances, to suddenly be confronted with Kate in all her Mid-Atlantic, New England-born, iron spined, pants-wearing glory is a downright religious experience. And lo, Katharine Hepburn did star in a Kaufman and Ferber adaptation, and it was good.

Stage Door is the limelight dramedy of a gaggle of Broadway hopefuls living at the fictional Footlights Club in New York. The original play was an ensemble piece, but director Gregory La Cava and writer Morrie Ryskind remade the the movie in the image of its stars. Ginger Rogers, then between musical blockbusters, stars as Jean Maitland, a cynical chorine who falls for a slimy producer (Adolph Menjou). Kate is Terry Randall, a rich New England girl who decides to make it in showbiz. Rounding out the cast are Eve Arden, Gail Patrick, Lucille Ball, baby-faced Ann Miller, and Andrea Leeds, whose bland Olivia de Havilland knock off somehow landed her an Oscar nomination, and therefore a mention here.

Catfights and calla lilies after the jump

Click to read more ...

Til Death Do Us Link

Frontal Cortex on the Auteur myth and the genius of Hollywood's Studio System using auteur poster boy Alfred Hitchcock as the prime example. 
Super Punch clever Australian symphony posters for a "Space Classics" concert featuring film scores.
Arts Beat Whoa. Musical theater's #1 genius Stephen Sondheim is not happy about the changes they are making to opera classic Porgy & Bess for its reimagination / revival with the great Audra McDonald.
Boy Culture if you haven't been following the Luke Evans (Three Musketeers, Immortals) re-closeting scandal, Matthew has been keeping close track. Lots of testy developments including his management teams efforts to dub former statements "youthful immaturity" (that's right coming out is now IMMATURE!) and Chelsea Handler ribbing.

Luke Evans, Amber Heard, Taylor Lautner

Towleroad That new Taylor Lautner movie Abducted looks d-r-e-a-d-f-u-l (and yes it kills me to see major brilliant actors like Sigourney Weaver trying to prop him up way under the title billing) but this photo caption made me lol. 
Stuart Immonen draws Ginger Rogers on his phone. Love it.
Playboy has an interview with actress Amber Heard (Drive Angry, The Playboy Club, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane) on coming out in Hollywood (she's been dating a female photographer for a few years) and the pressure for actresses to look like "14 year old boys". Fun interview actually, she sounds like she's got bite.
Lens this book "Where Children Sleep" looks fascinating. It's portraits of diverse living environments all over the world, from the overprivileged to the homeless to the whaaaa? Take a look.

Remember that time a couple of years ago when Chris Evans' management  told him that he should top taking his shirt off all the time? Yeah, that was dumb. Thankfully also short-lived. Post Captain Americahe's back to his old tricks. Here he is in a scene from the new Anna Faris comedy What's Your Number?

poll by twiigs.com

Emmy Watch
Gold Derby has a piece up about the Comedy Supporting Actress category at the Emmys which I've discussed previously to offer a quite altered list. I am no Emmy expert so I have to trust them that the race is between Jane Lynch (1 Emmy) and Betty White (5 Emmys). But I'm dumbfounded as to why. ALL the other competitors are stronger than these two by leaps and bounds. I'm rooting for either of the Modern Family ladies Sofia Vergara (no Emmys) or Julie Bowen (no Emmys). "Slow Down Your Neighbors" was an instant classic episode for the Sitcom Hall of Fame thanks in large part to both of them.

Dead Link Me
Screened shares all the deaths in Final Destination. Previously on... Final Destination.
The Awl interesting piece on actors having to play death scenes with quotes from actors like Edward Furlong from American History X

Doing that scene took a long time—I was laying dead in a urinal for a whole day, and playing dead is terrible for me. Maybe I’m a little ADD, but it’s very hard for me to be still, not blink, hold my breath.

There's also vampire victims from both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood!

Reader of the Day: BBats

As part of Reader Appreciation Month, We're doing mini interviews with readers. Get to know other members of the Film Experience community!

First up is Alex or BBats. We featured one of his 'taste test' YouTube videos ages ago and so we're checking back in with him.

Nathaniel: Do you remember your first filmgoing experience?
Alex: My first vivid memory is seeing Tim Burton's Batman in the theaters.  I remember how scary and funny the Joker was and how dark and mysterious the color of the film was. Also, when they are messing up the museum looked like such fun.

When did you start reading The Film Experience?
I think I was a freshman in college, so 2003 or 2004. I just loved the language and how much affection for film there was.

I understand you're an actor yourself. What do you love about it and how is it going?
I love making films and the idea of creating stories and scenarios for characters to see what they'll do, cause and effect. Acting is going alright. Nothing happens overnight and sometimes it feels like your banging your head against a brick wall.  I haven't been auditioning as much recently because it can be really depressing. Once I auditioned for a car commercial, and when I didn't get it, I lost it.  Then I realized, "is this what I should care about?" So I've been doing a lot of writing, short films, and things I like and love.  I hope to make a film of some substance in the future.

Best wishes on that, truly. These days what does your moviegoing diet consist of?
Living in LA, I have the luxury of movie houses like the Cinefamily, The Vista, the Arclight and the New Beverly, not to mention the limited releases that open here.  I see a movie in a theater probably about twice a week, and Netflix Instant about four or five times a week. I am horrible at returning my Netflix dvd's, I still have Winter's Bone sitting here over a week after I watched it. 

Have you ever dressed up as a movie character for Halloween?
One of my first costumes as a child was Zorro. Zorro rules. 

Christian Bale in "Scenes From BBats Life"

Has a movie characters ever dressed up as you?
I'm pretty sure the when Christian Bale stepped off the helicopter with three ladies, he was dressed as me. 

Your favorite actress. Go!
Ginger Rogers. So pretty and versatile.  Anything with her and Fred Astaire is heaven. I love the actresses of old, something about that style of acting really brought out their sexiness, charm, and radiance.  Special mention goes to Ida Lupino.

all reader of the day posts: Yonatan, Keir, Kyle, Jamie, Vinci, Victor, Bill, Hayden, Dominique, Murtada, Cory, Walter, Paolo, Leehee, BBats