Best Shot Schedule - Final Episodes

The first half of the 5th season of "Best Shot" began with the most robust participation ever. I hope we can kick it back up to that notch for these final  episodes. Here's what's on tap so adjust your queues and join the fun... 

we're risking two enigmas in a row...

Tues July 22nd UNDER THE SKIN (2014)
Scarlett Johansson arrives in alien form in this hypnotic visually driven and disturbing motion picture from disappearing act Jonathan Glazer (Birth, Sexy Beast). If you saw it in theaters you'll want to revisit and if you didn't, you're in for a unique experience. [It arrives for rental and sale on DVD/Blu-Ray on July 14th.]

Tues July 29th CRIES & WHISPERS (1973*)
Since we're celebrating 1973 all July to coincide with the Smackdown, here's your Best Cinematography winner. Ingmar Bergman's extraordinary movie about sisters and death. Cheerful! 

*IMDb lists this as a 1972 picture claiming it was released in '72 in the States (and it's true it was nominated for the Golden Globes that year). I haven't done the research but that's mighty confusing since that would seemingly make it ineligible for Oscar play in 1973. It premiered in Bergman's own Sweden in March of 1973 and was a huge out of competition sensation at Cannes in May in 1973 and was up for five Oscars for 1973 (by some accounts, it was Bergman's biggest hit of all time stateside) so I consider it a 1973 picture. Curiously Sweden made no submission for the Oscars in 1973 though this film would probably have trumped the beloved winner, Truffaut's Day For Night.  

Tues August 5th TBA

Tues August 12th SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER (1959)
I've been waiting for an opportunity for us all to jump in on Anne Marie's "A Year with Kate" action, so here's our most visually elaborate chance. Her awesome series hits this landmark gothic this week. Since the Tennessee Williams films was directed by four time Oscar winner Joseph Mankiewicz (All About Eve) and stars Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor (both nominated for Best Actress!) and Montgomery Clift that's five great artists of the cinema all grouped together for our sensationalistic amusement in this insane story of predatory homos, evil mothers, and more... with some of the best taglines the cinema ever gave us outside of Susan Hayward pictures:

...suddenly last summer Cathy knew she was being used for something evil!"

The one they're all talking about"

These are powers and passions without precedent in motion pictures."

[Amazon Instant | Netflix | iTunes]

August 19th TBA

August 26th TBA

September 2nd TBA - SEASON FINALE

Any suggestions. It gets harder and harder to find movies readily available on multiple platforms now that Netflix keeps losing Instant Watch titles beyond endless B to Z grade movies and doesn't care about their DVD business. Can you believe that Collateral, for example, which is only 10 years old is not available for rent on Amazon or iTunes? And not Instant Watchable on Netflix either. I wanted to do that one but I don't think enough people would participate given its bizarre scarcity.

Visual Index ~ Goldfinger (1964)

For the mid season finale of Hit Me With Your Best Shot, and since we've been revisiting 1964 for its 50th, we're looking at the James Bond classic Goldfinger (1964). After selecting the movie I began to worry that perhaps the early image of a dead beauty suffocated in gold paint was too iconic to have people looking elsewhere but trust this crowd to keep their eyes open and receptive to varying beauties. Or maybe the Best Shot club (open to all -why haven't you joined?) was just purposefully avoiding it due to its fame? 

Click on the images for the corresponding article...

GOLDFINGER'S BEST SHOTS
9 shots chosen by 12 secret agents of blogging
(in chronological order within the film)

The image, created by Robert Brownjohn is nearly prophetic and totally inadvertently so... 
-The Movie Scene  *new participant* welcome!

Girls, Girls, Girls..."
-The Film's The Thing 

The all-time perfect collision of the things that, to my mind, make Bond Bond..."
-Antagony & Ecstasy 

Margaret:  Sexy, sexy violence.
Anne Marie: I suppose that’s what happens when you bring your work into the bedroom.
-We Recycle Movies 

What I always loved about James Bond is his ability to get under the skin of his opponent - to instinctively know which buttons to push..."
-The Matinee 

 A cramped space that nonetheless is full of detail...
-Drew Byrd *new participant* - welcome! 

Hamilton and director of photography Ted Moore shoot much of this film from wide-angles, which makes the film look "big"..."
-Entertainment Junkie 

There's something beautiful about the Bond movies when they slow down..."
-Basket of Kisses via TFE  *new participant* - welcome!

Three layers of depth here..."
-Allison Tooey 

One of the most fascinating things about this iteration of James Bond is how ineffective he is...
-Film Actually 

Goldfinger, however, does know how to pop some colors..."
-Coco Hits NY 

We need to talk about James Bond's cock in Goldfinger..."
-The Film Experience 

Please check out these fine articles. I really enjoyed this finale - some really funny and interesting pieces this time. This is our midseason finale. If you'd like 'Hit Me' to return in July, please do comment and support the series through comments, shares, tweets, and likes.

We Need To Talk About James Bond's **** in "Goldfinger"

[This article contains 50 year-old spoilers.]

Goldfinger (1964) Directed by Guy Hamilton.

If you're alive and semi-conscious about pop culture you know the James Bond template even if you've never seen one: Action Prologue, superfluous; Bond Girls, multiple not all of whom survive; Locations, multiple across the Globe; Talkative Villains; Impressive Gadgetry; Salty Quips; Fancy-Ass Title Sequence (with its own mandatory template items). Much of that was established or fine-tuned right here in the third Bond film Goldfinger (1964).

But we need to talk about James Bond's cock. By my count, imagination, and visual cross-checking [ahem] he is exceptionally virile, has an impressive rock-hard member, and beds three women in Goldfinger.

And yet...

Click to read more ...

Best Shot: Deborah's Choice From Goldfinger (1964)

Hi, Deborah here, from Basket of Kisses.  We're currently experiencing a site outage, but will be back up soon! Meanwhile, Nathaniel is graciously hosting my entry in Hit Me With Your Best Shot.

Best Shot is one of my favorite blogging series anywhere, but I've never participated until now. Nathaniel tempted me unbearably, though, by selecting a Bond movie. Goldfinger is a movie filled with iconic imagery; imagery that springs immediately to mind. So I should warn you right now.

This is not my best shot... [more]

Click to read more ...

"A Matter For James Bond"

Have you watched Goldfinger (1964) for the Hit Me With Your Best Shot mid season finale on Tuesday night?

a Life cover 50 years ago... in a verybig year for Bond with two movies in US release

Auric Goldfinger, Pussy Galore, Jill Masterson and 007 himself await your curious eyeballs in what is surely one of the most definitive of Bond films on Amazon Instant or Netflix Instant.