- Lost films I long for….
February 20, 2010 - MISSING: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS FILM?
February 17, 2010 - Film Museums part 2
February 12, 2010 - Keeping silents where they belong—-on the big screen
February 1, 2010
Written by 
AN EDUCATION: A Lesson in Seduction
With alternating emotions, subtle shifts and numerous layers, “An Education” is far more rich and complex and rewarding than one would think. After first viewing the trailer, I assumed it would be a melodrama filled with heartbreak and hand-wringing consequences, but the film is so much more than that…and so much better.
Based on the memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber, “An Education” chronicles her teenage affair with a man nearly 20 years her senior. In the capable hands of Denmark’s Lone Scherfig (“Italian for Beginners”), this film takes flight and becomes a delicate mix of emotions that never feels forced or unreasoned.
The story begins in 1961 with Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a bored teenager growing up in the dull London suburban of Twickenham. Jenny is passionate, curious and eager to burst out of her stilted day to day life. Her parents (Alfred Molina & Cara Seymour) meanwhile have their sights set on her acceptance into Oxford. They drill her constantly about her grades and her future. One day while walking home in the rain with her cello, David (Peter Sarsgaard), an attractive older man in his 30s offers her (or at least her cello) a ride home. He mentions that he is a music lover that she can walk alongside the car if it would make her more comfortable. He has a handsome face and an elegant Bristol sports car. Naturally, she can’t resist and eventually climbs in the car along with her cello. David is smooth, elegant, sophisticated but not in a slimy or creepy way. He is charming and always knows the right thing to say. He strikes up a relationship with Jenny and the seduction eventually becomes a multilayered one on both sides. Jenny’s parents are at first resistant, but David’s sincere way with words, generosity and seductive nature casts a spell on them. Meanwhile Jenny is being seduced not only by David, but his business partner Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Danny’s glamorous, shallow girlfriend Helen (Rosamund Pike).
David takes Jenny to concerts, auctions, drives in the country, shopping, nightclubs, elegant restaurants and even a weekend trip to Paris. Jenny longs for a worldly, sophisticated adult life and her relationship with David provides that and much more. It is an education for sure, just not the one her parents initially had in mind. Unable to keep her juicy affair a secret, she tells her classmates and word eventually reaches the headmistress (Emma Thompson) who gives her several stern lectures.
Carey Mulligan is a revelation in the role of Jenny and is sure to be one of the breakout stories of the year. She only has a few small roles on her resume including Kitty Bennett in the Keira Knightley starring film “Pride & Prejudice”. That will soon change. Her performance shows so many layers and depths and the subtle shifts in between. Her craving, yearning and excitement about life are so strong you can practically feel it radiating off the screen. The ever-reliable indie star Peter Sarsgaard is equally compelling in the role of David. His seemingly effortless charm and allure masks a man who is certainly not all what he seems to be. The script adaptation by Nick Hornby (“High Fidelity”) is also excellent as it navigates the emotional terrain of the story without being at all heavy handed or simplistic.
Ultimately, the heart of the film lies with Carey Mulligan who gives a performance that heralds the arrival of a great new talent. An Education is a well crafted, compelling film and so far one of the year’s best.
Official Website
“Save Film at LACMA” The fight continues….
When I first heard that LACMA was planning to kill their film program a few weeks ago, I was saddened but I can’t say that I was surprised. In the 7 years I’ve been running FilmRadar, I’ve witnessed the film program face numerous setbacks. The museum has curtailed the film department’s advertising budget to practically nothing and for a long time and getting the word out about their films has often been difficult. The film department appeared to me to have no support financial or otherwise from the museum. Ian Bernie, who heads the film department, has struggled for years and has done his best to keep it going. His passion and film knowledge is incredible.
What frustrates me about the whole thing is the contradictory nature of it all. LACMA director Michael Govan says that the program loses up to $100,000 a year, but I would greatly dispute this. For one thing, the entire film department at LACMA consists of only 2 people who are only paid modest salaries and several additional free interns. Secondly, I have seen numerous screenings that are sold out on a routine basis there. The film department only screens films during the time the museum is open so there are no additional operating costs to keep things going after hours. This $100K figure loss seems impossible. Govan has also stated that he wants to re-imagine the program and show films created by artists. So is this his way of saying that Erich Von Stroheim is not an artist? Is he trying to say that the films of Chang-dong Lee are not art? If he thinks the film program is losing money now, I doubt (with all due respect) that films created by Andy Warhol and Matthew Barney will be packing audiences in the theatre.
This entire incident seems to be LACMA saying that they don’t consider films as art and essentially they are not interested in highlighting them. Why is Martin Scorsese the only major filmmaker to come out and protest what is happening? Why don’t more powerful actors, directors, producers and executives get involved? I hope they do.
I have so many great memories of seeing films and speakers at LACMA over the years. I first saw the 4 1/2 hour reconstruction of Erich Von Stroheim’s GREED at LACMA, which played to a surprisingly crowded and enthusiastic audience. I saw the restoration of HEAVEN’S GATE there and got to see a post film Q&A with the legendary cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. LACMA’s film series marked my introduction to the work of director Chang-dong Lee and his film SECRET SUNSHINE. I could keep going on and on about all of the great films and guests I’ve seen there who have not appeared at other venues around town. LACMA’s film program has been a vital part of the Los Angeles film-going scene and deserves to remain.
Check out all of the below articles about this situation and I would encourage you to sign the petition and join the Facebook page
Click on the link below to follow the saga as it unfolds.
http://savefilmatlacma.blogspot.com/
LACMA slaps film in the face The museum’s decision to put its film program on ‘hiatus’ is an affront to the city.
By Kenneth Turan
LACMA’s cruelest cut
By Richard Schickel
The Lost Weekend?
By Richard Lacayo
Details on Michael Govan’s LACMA contract
Martin Scorsese: An open letter to Michael Govan and LACMA
LACMA Abandons Film
By Cari Beauchamp
Los Angeles County Museum of Art cancels its weekend film program
By John Horn and Susan King
Tony Curtis Tribute at the Million Dollar Theatre
This past Saturday, June 13th the Jules Verne Film Festival hosted a Tribute to Tony Curtis. As part of the event there was a screening of SOME LIKE IT HOT on Saturday night. Since I collect vintage clothing, I was asked along with others in the vintage scene to wear one of my gowns and pose in front of the theatre. They even had a big line of vintage cars there too. I feel SO fortunate that this was my 2nd time in the past month to get to see a movie in this theatre!!
Before the film, Tony Curtis was brought out on stage where he received a standing ovation and answered some questions. I found the Q&A to be rather frustrating, as he never really gave a straight answer to any of the questions asked. He sort of rambled and got off topic constantly, but considering that he recently turned 84 years old, it is understandable. It was neat to see him live and in person. I’ve now seen Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Jane Russell and Gloria Stewart up close and in person. Living in Los Angeles certainly has it’s advantages!
The lights went out and SOME LIKE IT HOT was magnificent. Every time I see a familiar film on the big screen, I always notice little things I hadn’t noticed before. That was certainly the case here. The dialogue in this film is so fast and funny. I first saw SOME LIKE IT HOT on TV when I was in high school and my entire focus was on Marilyn Monroe. I was very fascinated with her and she just took 100% of my attention. Everything else was a blur. The real revelation of the film this time around was Jack Lemmon. I think out of everyone in the cast, he seems to have the most fun and greatest sense of abandon. He also makes a great comic sidekick for Tony Curtis, who is clearly imitating Cary Grant through much of the film. What also struck me was how much more is going on below the surface of the story. There are so many observations about love, acceptance and relationships wrapped up in the comic situations.
Billy Wilder was one of the greatest screenwriters who ever lived and his movies always have such a sparkle and sophistication that modern day film is lacking entirely. He was also such a versatile writer/director who could tackle just about any material from comedy to drama to film noir. I was gushing to a fellow cinephile earlier today about Wilder and he said, “Well, SOME LIKE IT HOT is one of Wilder’s lesser films.” I said, “I disagree but in any case I would gladly take a lesser Wilder film over the greatest work from most other directors.” I’ve gone to the Academy library and read through some of Wilder’s telegrams and personal letters and even those are entertaining. Wilder is buried at the Westwood Cemetery which is also where Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon are buried as well. His graves bears the words, “I was a writer, but then again nobody’s perfect.” While that may be true, to me Wilder is as close to perfection as it gets.
20th Annual Silent Film Gala
If you are a die hard silent film lover (and even if your just discovering it) the annual Silent Film Gala is one of the best events of the year. This year the event had celebrated it’s 20th Anniversary. I have a friend who is just delving into the world of silent film and has shown an amazing amount of interest and enthusiasm. She had never seen a silent film on a big screen with an orchestra before, so I chose her as my guest. I HAD to show her what it is like to see a silent film in the best possible way. Watching it at home on the DVD player just can’t compare. Leonard Maltin (one of my heroes) gave an articulate and insightful introduction. Dustin Hoffman usually does this, but he was away in London on business.
This year’s film was Charlie Chaplin’s THE GOLD RUSH from 1925. In the film the little tramp plays a lone gold prospector who braves the elements to search for love during the Klondike gold rush. This film contains many of Chaplin’s most famous comic bits including eating his shoe and the famous dance of the dinner rolls. Chaplin was quoted as saying, “This is the picture that I want to be remembered by.” Sure enough 84 years after the initial release, the audience gave the film a standing ovation. Where ever he is right now, something tells me that Chaplin is in no way surprised. He knew his work would stand the test of time. The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra also did a magnificent job accompanying the film. I wish they played to silents more often!
I was fortunate enough to get to attend the VIP after party as well where we all feasted on seafood, k-bobs, hot soup and chocolate souffles.
My most favorite moment was when I glanced at my friend sitting there in the dark watching the flickering image….with a big smile on her face enjoying this film the way it was meant to be seen.
BUCK PRIVATES at the Million Dollar Theatre
There are many annual film events that I look forward to every year and Last Remaining Seats is at the top of that list. I love the old movie palaces in downtown and everything about them. I love the old theatre smell, the architectural details, the lavish design and the enthusiasm of the crowd. Even if I have seen all of the films in the series, I still cannot resist the lure of seeing them on the big screen in a movie palace. Last night I went with some friends and saw BUCK PRIVATES at the Million Dollar Theatre. The Million Dollar was original built in 1918 (which is incredibly old by Los Angeles standards) and was the first local theatre to be run by showman Sid Grauman, who would eventually take over the Egyptian in 1922 and then the Chinese in 1927. Sculptor Joseph Mora designed the elaborate and highly dramatic exterior facade and the auditorium was designed by William L. Woollett. The exterior and interior design form a Spanish Baroque look that is gothic and theatrical. In the late 1940s the Million Dollar became a showcase for Spanish language performers and films. It was eventually closed and re-opened in 2008.
The Last Remaining Seats show was intended to give us the feeling of being back in the 1940s during a live war time radio broadcast. Host Maxwell Demille was on hand along with musician Dean Mora and the Fort McArthur Officers Orchestra. The Satin Dolls also provided some vintage allure by performing two numbers including “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”. Singer Kayre Morrison provided a beautiful rendition of “I’ll Be Seeing You.” That song always gets to me. Then they had a “Salute to the Troops” where everyone stood up and we all sang the national anthem. While it may sound cheesy to some, this was a very moving and sincere tribute. My Dad fought in Vietnam and both of my grandfathers were in WWII, so I grew up with an understanding of what that meant.
After the big tribute they showed a “News of the Day” newsreel about WWII and then the film….Abbott and Costello in BUCK PRIVATES. Made in 1941, this film was actually screened at the time in a theatre right down the street for wartime audiences. The comedy was great, but I was even more excited about seeing The Andrews Sisters, who perform several songs in the film. All in all, last night was a wonderful, old fashioned night at the movies. It is nights like that when I fall in love with Los Angeles all over again and when I remember what made me want to be here in the first place.
Warner Archive on Demand!!!
The big announcement has come that Warner Home Video is releasing titles for DVD on Demand!! Many of these titles have been hard to find in the past and now I can order them with the click of a mouse! I can’t tell you how excited I am about this!!!!!!!! I really have to salute George Feltenstein at Warner Home Video because he REALLY seems to love film and care about putting these titles out. He and his team do a fantastic job!!!!
Here is the link where you can click to preview the current offerings: www.WarnerArchive.com
I am also thrilled to death to see how many silent films are included! Make sure to log on to the site and vote on which title you’d most like to see come out on DVD!
Some of the gems that I’m going crazy to see include:
Garbo silents!! These include LOVE, THE KISS, THE SINGLE STANDARD, THE TEMPTRESS and WILD ORCHIDS!
Jean Harlow in BEAST OF THE CITY-this early gangster film has some priceless dialogue!!
Joan Crawford CHAINED, DANCE FOOLS DANCE, MANNEQUIN and many more!
Marion Davies in THE RED MILL (a very rare silent!)
Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in POSSESSED (a very juicy pre-code) and LOVE ON THE RUN!
Myrna Loy and Clark Gable in MEN IN WHITE, which is a very pre-code film WAY ahead of its time!
Norma Shearer in IDIOT’S DELIGHT, PRIVATE LIVES and STRANGE INTERLUDE.
Below is the press release, which goes into more detail about everything:
WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT GROUP OPENS THE WORLD’S LARGEST FILM VAULT WITH THE LAUNCH OF
“WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION”
Offers Movies Never Before Available on DVD; 150 Titles at Launch Including “Abe Lincoln in Illinois,” “The Citadel” and “All Fall Down”
Burbank, Calif., March 23, 2009 - Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (WBHEG), today announced the debut of the “Warner Archive Collection” (www.WarnerArchive.com), a selection of movies spanning more than 60 years of filmmaking never before available on DVD. The world’s largest film and television vault is finally open to consumers who can now purchase authentic DVD and digital downloads of more than 150 classic titles for the first time drawn from Warner Bros. Entertainment’s unparalleled film library consisting of pre-1986 MGM, RKO Radio Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures films. They include Academy Award(r) nominee “Sunrise at Campobello,” “The Citadel,” “Mr. Lucky,” and many others from the Golden Age of Hollywood and beyond.
To order their movies, fans visit WarnerArchive.com, select their titles, and upon purchase, a state-of-the-art manufacturing on demand (MOD) system creates a made-to-order DVD indistinguishable in quality from a standard pressed DVD. The system places the DVD into a hard plastic Amaray case featuring custom artwork; shrink wraps it and ships the finished package to the customer which arrives in approximately five days. The cost per title is $19.95, plus shipping. Alternatively, movie fans can purchase digital downloads of these classic films to enjoy immediately on their PC. The cost for a digital download is $14.95 per title.
Initially the Warner Archive Collection offers 150 sought after titles including “Possessed” starring Clark Gable and Joan Crawford; “Once Upon a Honeymoon” starring Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers; and “All Fall Down” starring Warren Beatty and Eva Marie Saint. Every month approximately 20 classic films and television programs will be added and by year’s end more than 300 titles will be available online. For a complete list of current titles visit WarnerArchive.com.
“With a cinematic legacy as rich and varied as that found within our library, the challenge has been to meet the voracious demand of consumers who are seeking their favorite films on DVD,” said George Feltenstein, senior vice president, Theatrical Catalog Marketing, Warner Home Video. “Whether it’s an Academy Award(r) -winning classic from Hollywood’s Golden Age, a Sci-Fi cult favorite from the ‘70s, or a silent rediscovery from the ‘20s, the Warner Archive Collection has something for everyone. This unprecedented initiative represents a tremendous effort from Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and is representative of the company’s continued dedication to film preservation.”
As a companion to the Warner Archive Collection, WBHEG will launch an exciting new podcast series titled the “Golden History of Hollywood.” Available in late March on iTunes (www.itunes.com) as well as numerous online sites for free, the “Golden History of Hollywood” features captivating archival recordings from the studio’s vault including behind-the-scenes interviews with stars, radio editions of movies and much more.
Classic movie fans are invited to offer their input on future titles they would like to see in the Warner Archive Collection. Visit WarnerArchive.com and vote for a number of the next 20 titles that will be offered in April.
My Trip to the Academy Awards
I have a very good friend who works at the Academy and each year she gets to attend the Academy Awards with a guest. She has been rotating the honor amongst her friends and this year she invited me!!! It was a once in a lifetime chance that I couldn’t pass up. The first major thing I obsessed about was what I was going to wear. I collect vintage gowns from the 1920s - 50s, so I decided to focus on trying to look like a Hollywood star in the 1930s. Myrna Loy was my key fashion inspiration.
I have to give credit where credit is due. Charlotte Del Rose is a fantastic vintage clothing expert, designer and stylist who selected my dress and helped to put the look together. Then the amazing vintage hairstylist Reina Salas did my hair and helped with the make up! If you want to work with either of these brilliant ladies, I will gladly give out their information.
I wore a dark blue velvet bias cut dress that was made in the 1930s that I purchased at Playclothes. It has a gold deco belt buckle with faux diamonds and saphires. I also wore gold t-strap 1930s style high heels and carried a gold beaded clutch purse on loan from a friend. I found a fantastic hair dresser who made my long hair look much shorter, as that was the fashion at the time. The hair and make up took close to 3 hours, but here is the result…..
We drove in my friend’s car and believe me, the process of getting there took a long time! There were a bunch of protesters standing at the corner of Highland and Sunset holding up really hateful, cruel, homophobic signs. One of the signs even read, “Heath in Hell.” That was horribly mean, insensitive and entirely out of line. Those people were just complete fools. We pulled up to the valet area and they had bomb sniffing dogs and numerous security people open up our car. They even had mirrors on sticks that they ran under the car and they opened the trunk and went through everything. After we checked the car in, we had to get our tickets and IDs out and check in for the show. Then the fun part….we got to walk the red carpet. I used to work for a publicity executive at a studio and have been on red carpets before, but it was always as an employee. This was my first time to be there as an actual guest. It was a nice change of pace. The red carpet was very very crowded. They tell everyone to keep moving all the time, but no one really does. Everyone was just walking around very slowly to watch what was going on. The stars of course were constantly stopping for photographs and interviews on the carpet. Somehow, I ended up walking in right behind Robert Downey Jr. and his wife and someone told me I was even visible on the E! Channel.
When we got inside, someone from the Academy took all of our pictures in front of one of the giant Oscar statues. We went upstairs and attempted to get some hors d’œuvres, but that proved to be very difficult. The waiters kept zipping by so fast and by the time I would grab them, the tray would be empty. My friend and I literally hung out by the kitchen so we could pounce on the waiters immediately when they came out with the food. While some people there were intent on gazing at Brad Pitt, I was more focused on eating crab cakes.
Being that my friend and I are not famous, our seats were pretty much in the attic of the theatre. We were waaaaaaaaaaaaay up high at the back of the highest balcony. It was steep, dark and there was not much railing…and I am clumsy by nature and was wearing heels. I was afraid I was going to fall and tumble off the balcony and plummet to my death. During the commercial breaks, tons of people in the balcony kept getting up to get drinks and hang out at the bar on the floor level where the stars all congregate. We decided not to do this. Seeing stars is ok and all, but we just preferred to stay put and enjoy the show.
I’ve read on the internet that most of the critics hated it. Personally, I really enjoyed it!! I think the problem is that people just expect too much!!! It is an awards show and not a work of masterpiece theatre or something. Besides, the critics have hated Chris Rock, Ellen, Jon Stewart and pretty much everyone who has ever hosted in recent memory except Billy Crystal. There is just no pleasing the critics. I thought the show had a great energy, it moved along quickly and I loved having 5 past winners from different eras present the acting awards. I thought that was an excellent new addition to the show. I also loved Hugh Jackman. He was fantastic. I liked how the production designer of the show re-imagined the stage, which was set up to look like a 1930s style cabaret.
I have some friends who watched the show on TV at home and most of them didn’t like it at all. Perhaps it was something that was much better live than on TV.
As for the winners themselves, there were few surprises. The only big upset for me was that WALTZ WITH BASHIR was totally robbed of the Foreign Language Film Award. That really shocked me. Otherwise, everything else was pretty much predictable. I was thrilled that SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE won. I was also thrilled for Sean Penn and Dustin Lance Black, the screenwriter for MILK. Those awards were well deserved and their speeches were very moving. I just wish there weren’t so many other award shows leading up to the Oscars, as it makes everything so anti-climatic!
From where I was sitting the stars looked about like the size of ants, so I often had to rely on watching the monitors that were up near the balcony. I was really hoping to see at least one old movie star up close and as I was leaving the show, I got my wish. Jane Russell was standing outside the Kodak theatre all by herself. I’ve seen many of her movies, so I walked up to her and said, “Hello Ms. Russell, I’m so glad to see you here this evening!” She gave me the nastiest “go to hell” look I have ever been on the receiving end of in my entire life. She didn’t say a word. I smiled, shrugged and walked away.
All in all, I had a really great time with my friend and I was grateful to have experienced this 81 year old Hollywood tradition live!!
Director Oliver Stone live at Vidiots this Friday!!!!
Meet Writer / Director Oliver Stone for the DVD release of W. at Vidiots on Friday, February 13th at 7:30 p.m.
Oliver Stone is known for taking on controversial political and cultural subjects. His work has won him three Academy Awards. Vidiots will screen scenes from the film W. followed by a Q & A. session.
DVD copies of W. will be available for purchase and signing as well as other Stone films including, SALVADOR, PLATOON, BORN ON THE 4th OF JULY, THE DOORS, WALL STREET., JFK and TALK RADIO.
Vidiots is located at 302 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, California. Admission if FREE. For further info call (310) 392-8508
Cinema adventures in Paris
I’ve always been fascinated by Paris France. For ages I’ve longed to travel the world and Paris was the first place on my list. I have been there twice and I am already longing to go back. I love the historic architecture, the rich history, the excellent food and of course the cinema! The French are major cinephiles and I was delighted to discover a ton of places all over the city where I could see old movies!
Below is a photo of the Cinémathèque Française, which is an amazing archive of films, research materials and information. I was stunned to find out they are fully funded by the French government!! They have 3 different levels with exhibits and three different sized theatres inside. This building was designed by famed architect Frank Gehry. If you want to learn more about the Cinémathèque, then make sure to rent the documentary film Henri Langlois: Phantom of the Cinematheque. I went to all three exhibitions including the one about silent film pioneer Georges Melies and another big exhibit about Dennis Hopper. They day of my visit, they were showing a rare Dennis Hopper film called The Trip made by Roger Corman in 1967. In the film Peter Fonda decides to drop acid and experiences visions of sex, death, strobe lights, flowers, dancing girls, witches, hooded riders, a torture chamber, and a dwarf. He also runs naked through part of West Hollywood. It was lovely!
I also stopped by the Cine Tamaris display at Rue Daguerre in Montparnasse. This is the headquarters of filmmaker Agnes Varda’s production company. She directed numerous films (several available from Criterion) including La Pointe Courte, Cléo from 5 to 7, Le bonheur and Vagabond. Note the Jacques Demy DVD box sets in the window display. They were married and he directed numerous French classics including The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort. I was freezing cold when this photo was taken!
There is a section of Paris called “The Latin Quarter” that I really enjoy visiting. There are tons of small theatres in the area and almost all of them are showing old Hollywood classics! I couldn’t resist coming in from the cold and watching a Hitchcock matinee! The theatre was nice and warm, the seats were very comfortable and the print of Rebecca was stunning!!!!
I took many long walks through the city and saw a great shop that carried old Hollywood posters.
Since I have a huge passion for historic cemeteries, I managed to visit several graves of French film legends including: Henri Georges Clouzot and his wife Vera, Francois Truffaut and American actress Jean Seberg.
Stay tuned for more about my trip to Paris and my recent visit to the cinema offerings in London as well.
Thoughts about the Academy Award nominations
Since the Academy Award nominations come out today, here is my $.02 cents on them:
BEST PICTURE: I’m surprised that The Reader made the cut, as I didn’t expect that to happen. I have no problems with the other nominees, but I hope that Slumdog Millionaire will win. That is hands down my favorite and I think the momentum is with it.
BEST ACTRESS: I was thrilled out of my mind that Melissa Leo was nominated!!!! Frozen River was one of my most favorite films of 2008 and she was simply outstanding in it. I was disappointed that Sally Hawkins was left out for Happy Go Lucky, but at least she won the Golden Globe. I was also sorry to see Kristen Scott Thomas not included for I’ve Loved You So Long, but then again there are always people who get left off the list each year. All in all, I hope Kate Winslet wins. She is really great in The Reader and since this is her 6th nomination, she is long overdue.
BEST ACTOR: This is a really tough race. I was so happy that Richard Jenkins got a nod for The Visitor!!!! I always tend to root for the underdog and films like The Visitor don’t tend to have the marketing muscle and huge budgets of something like Benjamin Button. I really hope that his nomination means that more people will see this film. I think that ultimately the race will boil down to a match between Sean Penn in Milk and Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: This is also a great roster of performances. I was glad that Marisa Tomei was nominated. People still joke about her winning the award a long time ago for My Cousin Vinny, but with performances in In the Bedroom and The Wrestler she has more than proven herself worthy. Ultimately, I think that Penélope Cruz will take the prize.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: I was super happy that Michael Shannon got a nomination. He is riveting in Revolutionary Road and his nomination is very well deserved. I was also glad to see Josh Brolin included as well. He has been doing a fantastic string of films and is really one of the best actors working right now. I think Heath Ledger is really a lock for this award though.
BEST DIRECTOR: I really hope that Danny Boyle takes this.
With regards to the other categories, I really have to catch up on all of the foreign films, shorts and documentaries before I can issue any sensible predictions.
I enjoy the Academy Awards, but I always have mixed feelings about them. Giving awards for art always feels very strange to me since it is so subjective. There are always so many talented and deserving people who don’t win and often times lesser talents who do. There is also a great deal of hype, marketing/campaign money and glad handling that goes into the whole thing. I saw Meryl Streep in an interview a while back talking about how she hated the “campaign” aspect of the Oscar race. She said that it wasn’t like this in the 70s and 80s and now she feels as though she is running for office or something. Then again Mary Pickford had Academy members to tea at Pickfair and Hearst launched an unsuccessful campaign to win an Oscar for Marion Davies in 1935 for Peg of My Heart. The political aspect is nothing new, it just feels a lot more intense and magnified now than it used to.
Regardless, I will be watching the awards on February 22nd and will have a good time watching it all unfold.
Must see French cinema coming to the big screen
For those of you who love French cinema, keep reading! There are 2 limited runs coming soon to the Nuart that you won’t want to miss:
Friday, January 9th - Thursday, January 15th
THE WILD CHILD directed by Francois Truffaut
The year is 1798, and farmers in the south of France, on the hunt for a predator, instead find a naked young boy, presumably grown up in the wild without human contact. As the latest sensation, he’s paraded before fee-paying gawkers at the institute for the deaf and dumb, while Dr. Itard (played by director Truffaut himself) debates with a colleague: is the boy a purely natural human, a tabula rasa, or simply an idiot? Itard takes the boy into his own home in an attempt to educate and civilize him.
Based on an actual case, and with its voiceover narration (an adaptation of Itard’s two reports into diary form), this is Truffaut’s nearest approach to documentary, with Nestor Almendros’ striking b&w photography evoking the earliest days of the cinema, and a much-imitated all-Vivaldi score. As l’enfant sauvage, Jean-Pierre Cargol, a French Roma boy picked from over 2,500 hopefuls, is alternately ferocious and docile, while as Dr. Itard, Truffaut is superb. (Alfred Hitchcock wrote Truffaut asking for “the autograph of the actor who plays the doctor, he is so wonderful,” while Steven Spielberg was so impressed by the director’s compassionate performance that he cast Truffaut in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.) Cast partly because he realized he’d be directing the boy within the film, Truffaut imposed on himself a “no smiling” rule - he lapses briefly once - to attain a kind of gravity, but then this only reinforces his ruthlessly unsentimental treatment of potentially treacly material, even as the inevitable question (“Was it worth it?”) arises.
“Unlike any other film Truffaut has ever made, yet only Truffaut could have made it. It is a lovely, pure film. A CLASSIC!”
-Vincent Canby, New York Times
“Truffaut’s most thoughtful statement on his favorite subject: The way young people grow up, explore themselves, and attempt to function creatively in the world. Truffaut places his personal touch on every frame of the film. So often movies keep our attention by flashy tricks and cheap melodrama; it is an intellectually cleansing experience to watch this intelligent and hopeful film.”
-Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Friday, January 16th - Thursday, January 22nd
MADE IN U.S.A.
Writer/director Jean-Luc Godard’s mod film noir from 1966, first intended as a reworking of Raymond Chandler’s classic The Big Sleep, but essentially based on novel The Jugger by Donald Westlake (under his pseudonym “Richard Stark”), is a Pop Art mixture of loving homage to the films of Nicholas Ray and Samuel Fuller and the realism favored by Godard. It is one of the filmmaker’s pivotal features, and the last he made with his wife/star Anna Karina (Alphaville, Band of Outsiders, Pierrot le fou), who plays a young woman caught up in a mysterious, convoluted Cold War conspiracy. Due to legal difficulties, Made in U.S.A. never received an ‘official’ U.S release, but can now be seen in a new 35mm widescreen print (from the original camera negative) with a new translation and new subtitles. Co-starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, László Szabó and Marianne Faithfull as herself, singing “As Tears Go By.” Cinematography by the legendary Raoul Coutard.
“BEAUTIFUL, GOOFY, AND EXPLOSIVE! Anna Karina was never lovelier in dazzling color and scope and Godard’s ultimate statement about his love/hate for the aesthetics/politics of American movies/life is an event to be savored and celebrated…HAS ALL THE ELECTRIC THRILL OF A RAUSCHENBERG PAINTING IN MOTION!”
-Jonathan Rosenbaum
“Godard’s hymn to vulgar modernism.”
-J. Hoberman.
“The many shots of Anna Karina, with their wide variety of mood—each a different pose, angle, expression—serve as a catalogue of remembrances. The close-ups are the most expressive ones in color that Godard has made to date.”
-Richard Brody.
Undying respect for Hugh Hefner
For as long as I can remember, Hugh Hefner and Playboy magazine have been ever present in popular culture. When I first flipped through an issue for myself, I felt that the magazine was promoting an image of the female body that 99% of us can’t possibly live up to. I felt annoyed, but not much more than that. However, the more I have learned about Hugh Hefner, the more I have come to really admire him and his passion for movies. When I went to my first “Festival of Film Preservation” at UCLA a few years back, I was stunned to see that Hugh Hefner had paid for a considerable amount of these projects. I know that Hefner has also funded several documentaries produced by Timeline films on Clara Bow, Louise Brooks and Marion Davies. I’ve also admired his dedication to the LA Conservancy. Every year, he sponsors the silent film night at the Last Remaining Seats series. He even attends each year with an entourage of playmates and security guards. Then I read a story about him today in the LA Times, which made me love him all the more. I can totally relate to Hefner’s lonely childhood and to his escape into a darkened theatre to see the movies. His bookshelves are full of Hollywood history books???? Mine too! After reading this article, I seriously wish I knew this man. I wish I could throw on a pair of pajamas and go over to his mansion to watch an old movie with him. I have far more in common with Mr. Hefner than I ever could have imagined.
