The first time I consciously remember obsessing over exact typography in a film title was in 1995 when David Fincher's Se7en emerged and then again when Moulin Rouge! hit in 2001. With the latter I got angry every time I saw someone type that title without the exclamation point. Bazmark movies require their specific punctuation. (See also: Romeo + Juliet. It's just not the same at all with an ampersand!)
Surveying 1968's film releases recently I couldn't help but wonder if that era, a seminal time for the world and the cinema, and that year specifically was the peak of exclamatory film titles? No less than four major films released that year asked you to shout their titles rather than politely sound them out.
BOOM! with Liz & Dick. Which also wins our Best Tagline of '68 for "together they devour life" OLIVER! the only exclamation point film title to ever win the Best Picture prize (though not the only nominee obviously) BANDOLERO! with Jimmy Stewart, Dean Martin & Raquel Welch. The exclamation point wasn't exclamatory enough so they had to add all caps in the tagline "a NEW kind of western" STAR! with Julie Andrews ! as Gertrud Lawrence
Are you fussy about people using exactly correct titles? I am. I mean if you say Moulin Rouge without the exclamation point it's just a dusty Jose Ferrer biopic, don'cha know.
The only excuse for ditching the exclamation point is when you're just not feeling it.
♪ ...or by a comma when the feeling's not as strong... ♫
Have you heard that Baz Luhrmann wants to convert Moulin Rouge! to 3D? On principal we should tsk tsk this because sensible people hate what 3-D hath wrought (ticket price inflation and obsessive preferencing of new technology rather than obsessive quality control) but the very best and only great thing about the 3-D movement is the rare opportunity it has afforded us the chance to see beloved movies back on the big screen -- yay Jurassic Park -- albeit in bastardized form.
But still. Consider...
"She is mine!"
Moulin Rouge! is such a Spectacular! Spectacular! Tiered Cake of Visual Goodies that it could surely handle yet one more layer of frosting. And the stage craft on "Hindi Sad Diamonds" was already desperately trying to go 3-D to begin with.
I'm making excuses for 3-D because any chance to see it on the big screen again is welcome. I'd be there with bells on and absinthe in hand. That five times during its initial release was wondrous and here's to number six. Not that on should hold one's breath waiting for Baz Luhrmann to follow through or get back to work. You know how he do inbetween features.
Last night I had the wildest dream (with spoilers). Baz Luhrmann had delivered a Moulin Rouge! remake with vampire characters set in the world of F Scott's Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby". No matter what happened to the characters -- whether they were shot, or run down by custom cars, or what have you -- they just kept getting back up good as new like genetically modified super soldiers or like, well, vampires.
One should never say that 'this = that', emphatically, with dreams since they're often inscrutable but the last three movies I watched were Kiss of the Damned, Iron Man Three and The Great Gatsby so perhaps this nightmare was inevitable.
When I woke up I knew it was only a dream... except for the part about Baz sucking Moulin Rouge!'s blood.
We're getting to know the Film Experience community. Today we're talking to Joey from Pittsburgh. He's currently performing in Godspell on stage. If you're in Pittsburgh there's two more shows this weekend.
When did you start reading The Film Experience?
Around the time that Far From Heaven was released in theaters. I was realizing that Julianne Moore was my favorite actress, so your blog was mecca when I was in college. I love the site because it doesn't just celebrate movies, but it helped me realize that movies can be bad with something great in them (and vice versa).
What's your earliest movie memory? JOEY: The earliest memory I have is when my Dad took me to go see Beauty and the Beast. I remember playing around outside, and he asked if I wanted to go. I didn't actually answer his question, because I got so excited and just got into the back seat of the car and buckled myself in. The music floored me, and I wanted all of the household objects in my house to come to life.
What's your moviegoing diet like in a year?
JOEY: I see more movies in theaters than I do on demand or RedBox. My dad and I would always go on Saturdays and see at least two (the day we saw Gangs of New York, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and Two Weeks Notice was a long day) When I worked at a movie theater, we had a competition to see who could see the most movies in the theater, and I was always the biggest bitch and killed everyone else. When I was really trying to see everything just to see everything I saw 191. It's calmed down considerably, but I will see anything.
What's the last movie you watched?
Stoker. I never want to have Park Chan-wook direct the story of my life, because it was just be so terrifying. It would be gorgeous and edited nicely, but it would scare the crap out of me. Also, I didn't realize how well Nicole Kidman was aging until I saw it. I kept leaning over to my friend and whispering compliments to her, "She's gorgeous...I love her hair...she's soooo beautiful..."
La Pfeiffer was so robbed in 2002Take an Oscar away from someone. Give it to someone else.
Can I give a nomination away instead? Take Queen Latifah's nomination from Chicago and give it to Michelle Pfeiffer for White Oleander. Pfeiffer was running circles around everyone else, and she could freeze me with that icy stare any day. I get stupidly angry over a lot of Oscar winners, so if I had to pick an actual winner, I would take away Jennifer Lawrence's and give it to Emmanuelle Riva. I mean...COME...ON!!!
I understand you love musicals and you're a singer/actor. What are your favorites or favorite roles.
Sweeney Todd because, well, it's Sweeney Todd. I've had the pleasure of playing both Tobias and, more recently, Anthony. It lead to two completely different experiences, and I treasure them both. I have three dream roles at the moment (they change every time my iPod changes). I want to be Gabe in Next to Normal, because that show DESTROYS me every time I listen to it. I need to hit the gym before I even consider auditioning for it. Gordo in A New Brain is something I have wanted to play for years, but no one ever does it. I also want to be Jamie in The Last Five Years someday. His songs are so great, but his last one (where you find out he was unfaithful) is my favorite because it shatters his likability right then and there. I can imagine that is just a treat for actors to play.
Godspell commercial with Joey in the cast / NPH doing Sweeney Todd's "Tobias" role in concert
When I was a theater student in college, I was always told I could a lot with my voice, but I am really short and I look like a child. It's a weird dynamic, I guess.
I also love The Wild Party. Both versions.
There should be a movie! The Wild Party (LaChiusa version) is the only imaginary movie I ever obsessed over directing even though I'm not a director. But I interrupted you. One more favorite?
Moulin Rouge! because I'm human and that movie makes me openly weep. I could be at the most professional event of my life and if someone says "Satine dies at the end" I would just ugly cry the entire way home.
In our ongoing 'get to know The Film Experience community' project, here's another Reader Spotlight. This time we're talking to Tony who grew up overseas and now lives in Texas. He sent me the nicest note once about the site that really cheered me up on a down day.
What's your first movie memory?
TONY: I spent my entire childhood watching Disney movies. It was literally everything I did when I wasn't in school. They were mostly dubbed in French so it was a little bit of a revelation to rediscover them in English when I grew up. But my very first movie memory that I can recall semi-vividly is watching The Beauty and the Beast with my cousins. I was so captivated that I had to move to a different row in the movie theatre to sit away from my cousins because they were distracting me so much.
I love it. A well behaved moviegoer from the start! When did you start reading The Film Experience?
TONY: When Nathaniel was drunk on Moulin Rouge! I must have found the site by trying to read everything related to the movie. That movie was and still is a dizzying experience. I was hooked on "Film Bitch" at the time. Checked the website every day. I was in Lebanon at the time. No one around me knew what I was talking about which made it all the better!
Three favorite actresses?
I have a very open mind about actresses. Almost any actress can win my heart with the right role. Nicole Kidman is my absolute favorite, though. Ironically my first memory of her is Batman Forever. I thought she was the perfect woman! Moulin Rouge! came and sealed the deal. I can't think of anyone else who combines the same amount of talent, style and courage. The choices she makes are quite admirable even when they don't pay off and auteurs are lucky to have her. Isabelle Huppert is another favorite of mine. Such a powerful presence. Her words always manage to cut through the screen. Third is probably Cate Blanchett. I miss her!
Take one Oscar away. Regift it.
I think the oscars are like a time capsule. It's always fun to go back and contemplate what the Academy chose to reward in a given year and for what reason. And for that I usually don't talk about stolen oscars. But if forced to choose I would take away The King's Speech's oscar and give it to The Social Network. I thought that was a bit embarassing. I mean the latter was clearly clearly the superior movie by any standard.
If you were in charge of Hollywood for a year...
I would greenlight all the cold political thrillers. Think Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Cerebral well acted well designed movies with great stories are my favorites. Also international movies. Like Babel but better.
Have you ever broken up with someone because of their taste in movies?
I don't know if I've broken up with someone because of their taste of movies yet but I definitely can see that happening! It's okay not to be a huge movie fan but it's not okay to be a huge fan of the wrong movies! I kid I kid BUT I can't promise that I won't secretly judge someone who declares The Life of David Gale one of their favorite movies (true story).
Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 4:45PM 
We're celebrating the 1968 film year sporadically as countdown to the Smackdown! 
