Tuesday
Jul122011
Open Thread
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 5:54PM What's happening in your film world? We're buried in off-blog demands but sound off in the comments. Inspire us with your movie madness.
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Reader Comments (22)
Juliette Lewis has signed on to a TV gig.
When Meryl earns her 3rd statuette, will she relax, and move to television?
In my film world - trying to get up the energy to watch The Headless Woman on DVD (my home is hot), hoping to see Beginners very soon, and hopefully also catch a film from the Garbo-Davis-Crawford series at the repertory theatre.
Also, been thinking a lot about Albert Brooks and Anne Heche lately.
After recently watching Cameron Diaz in "The Last Supper" on TV and "Bad Teacher" in the theater I am wondering what happened to her career. It seems she had much more discriminating taste in both indie and mainstream fare toward the beginning than presently, and I'm not sure if it's that the roles have dried up or that she's just complacent now. It's clear that she's no longer chasing Oscar, but that doesn't mean she has to totally give up.
Loved Beginners..made me refall in love with Ewan McGregor big time. Not always easy to play a leading man that you feel like you could know. Romantic role that he nailed..and he looked GREAT! Hope this gets him more traction in the business.
Also, super disappointed with the news about Netlfix and the new streaming/dvd rates!! What to do? I like having both and this is a huge increase per month! http://blog.netflix.com/
Le sigh..
I need to see Beginners!
Saw Rush from 1991 last night. Probably one of the most boring movies about drugs ever made. I couldn't stop staring at JJL's gorgeous hair but her southern accent was not working for me. Not much payoff from a film I'd been waiting 20 years to see and only knew from shots of the Clapton Tears In Heaven video.
Lawrence of Arabia for the first time, at The Egyptian on Hollywood Blvd., in 70mm. Incredible.
Troy H. - I was just having the same conversation re: Cameron D. Sigh.
All things Potter. I am watching all eight movies within one week. Just finished the fourth.
Ditto, John T.
Just watched Home (the Huppert/Gourmet "House near the highway" tragicomedy) making this a three film week so far. Wierd for me as I haven't been able to get up energy to watch movies a lot recently.
Inception is really growing on me, despite it's obvious flaws. Think it would make a kickass television series (which suits the heavily expository for a few episodes).
Can't wait for the Pottercraze to be over. Sorry guys, Now I know how LOTR agnostics felt.
Not sure what I'll watch tonight.
-Like John T & Kimberly, I've been re-watching all the Potter films. Got done with HBP today and will be watching DH1 before I leave to see DH2 Thursday Night (or maybe I'll watch it before I work tomorrow evening).
-My Birthday is Saturday and I usually do a double feature but might do a triple. Unless it's terrible, a second viewing of Potter is assured and I'll more than likely use my free ticket to see Transformers 3 but I might see Beginners or Midnight In Paris as well (or see one/both instead of TF3 because I only ever watch those films to kill time on my Birthday).
-Trying to get the DVD done for the short film I directed last month.
I've become obsessed with collecting VHS recently. Not sure why exactly. Bad economy, cheap movies? The covers (sometimes) are pretty cool too. I bought 10 recently, none of which I've seen and I can't wait to dig in. 3 American Catherine Deneuve films: The Hunger, Hustle, and The April Fools. Can't wait.
I spent the last week marveling at and falling in love with Billy Wilder's The Apartment. I had seen it before, several times in fact, but for some reason this week, it stuck with me more than it ever has in the past. Something about Shirley MacLaine's smile or Jack Lemmon's eyes did it. Or maybe it's that insane fixed perspective office set, built like an optical illusion with bigger desks and bigger people in the foreground and children at mini desks leading to a vanishing point in the background. Maybe it's the way the exposition never reveals itself as such, rather contenting itself to fold into the atmosphere of the film like butter into bread. I don't know. But it moved me in a way that hasn't happened in a while with a movie.
Also count me in on the Beginners love. Adored the movie (that dog!) and I'm equally adoring the new art house theater in my small town that showed it.
The Criterion sale is happening at Barnes & Noble! I picked up The Darjeeling Limited, Diabolique, Repulsion, and The Times of Harvey Milk. Can't wait to watch them all again as well as the fantastic supplements always included with a Criterion release.
Also, I watched Rachel Getting Married for about the 500th time recently and suddenly I have a strong desire to see Rosemarie DeWitt in a Woody Allen film. I just feel like she could do wonders with his words.
This is on my film awards mind...I just miss the days when the SAGs and critics choice awards weren't so popular because they actually had variety in nominees...and that made Oscars nominees more surprising. Now it's all about basically predicting the Oscars and the same nominees get in, if anything, simply because they've been around all season getting nominated.
At least with the Golden Globes there's still a little variety with the comedy/musical category, and that can also sometimes open up a spot or two in the drama category.
But I wish SAG and the critics choice awards went back to how it used to be...people nominated because the actors or critics loved their performance.
Even back when the only two televised were the Oscars and GGs, there was more surprise to nominees because there weren't 5 million precursors in which the same nominees showed up over and over and it just got predictable. It made Oscar nods or GG nods feel truly earned.
Idk...lol.
/3rtfull -- i can't see Meryl moving to television. She's practically the definition of FILM ACTRESS
Mike -- it's good to think of Anne Heche regularly. Well done.
Philip -- don't we all. i really wish people would vote their hearts. I know each year people say they are but i really absolutely don't believe that all hearts want the same thing.
Holly ---ooh GREAT idea. I can totally see that. If only Woody was still hiring Woody-ready actors and not just "people who are hot with casting directors right now" which seems to be his current mode.
Arkaan -- i hear you. The difference with the LOTR agnostics is that they only had to survive three years. I've never before had to endure 10 years of mania for anything i didn't want to (that i can recall) except American Idol but i have an easier time shutting tv series out.
Oh I know. Here's the thing.
I read the first two HP books. Didn't care for them. Saw the first two movies. Hated them. Saw the third (Cuaron). Really enjoyed it for it's lack of Potterness. Didn't mind the fourth one, but it didn't seem worthwhile to continue at all.
I'd be fine with it if it was just an epic moneymaking franichise. Batman lasted eight years before the remake. Jurassic Park was seven/eight. Bond is never-ending and X-Men is what, a decade old now. But with Harry Potter, the fanaticism and the level of blindness floors me. Why are people pretending these works are... you know, great films/books? Why did Entertainment Weekly rate one of the books as the second greatest book of the past twenty five years (for those doing the math, that means greater than Beloved, anything Philip Roth ever wrote, and appproximately 1000 other books).
Now, maybe I'm wrong and it took Rowling three/four books before she made her masterpieces, but whenever I see Nathaniel write a movie review with the exact same complaints (one dimensional Malfoys, plot in which and adult seems bad before revealed as good) makes me doubt it.
It’s tragic to see Diaz getting nominated for SAG and Globes twice but failed to shoot through the Oscar. What is it with the voters? Actually I can’t believe Being John Malkovich didn’t get double noms for Supporting Actress
Tonight I'll be watching Uncle Boonmee on Netflix's instant viewing before I get rid of mine. Beginners was a great recommendation, and along with The Tree of Life and Bridesmaids, it's been a pretty good summer so far. (Last year had Inception, which I love to pieces, so it's not fair to compare.) Probably will have to see Potter next week, but even the action movies have been doing ok, with X-Men: First Class and Super 8. Plus, CAN'T WAIT to see The Dark Knight Rises trailer. Every Nolan film these days is an event to be celebrated.
This is the second time I'll publicly talk about Casey Anthony, because peaking of her, I might be rewatching L'Enfant - segue! - tonight at 2 in the morning. Hope I last.
Saw THE BEAVER a couple of days ago - I think it's one of the best films about mental illness around. I forgot how well Mel can play characters on the edge of sanity (and, given the past decade, it looks like he had plenty to draw upon, Method-wise).
Our local arthouse cinema is running a season on the New New German Cinema (New German Cinema being the 70s, with the emergence of Fassbinder, Herzog and Wenders. New New German Cinema has emerged over the last 10-15 years) - today I'll be going along to see one of Fatih Akin's early features, SOLINO.
And this weekend will be Australian mostly - a screening of one of Nicole Kidman's early roles (and apparently her best performance in an Australian film outside of MOULIN ROUGE!) in EMERALD CITY. Then I will finally get around to seeing Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham in Jim (son of Ken) Loach's ORANGES AND SUNSHINE.
I am waiting patiently for Michelle Williams to win her Oscar. I've been rooting for her since 2005 (last year is the beginning of the climate) There's a 50/50 chance that's might end next year. Can a girl dream?
Diaz got some talents in her, however she's keep choosing these shallow roles. She needs the right director and the right role. Ms Natalie Portman anyone?
I've been having a ridiculously run of first-time viewings. I've watched Talk To Her, The Piano, Days of Heaven, The 400 Blows and Holiday for the first time over the last couple of weeks. Also re-watched Sunset Boulevard, and you can never go wrong there. I'm wondering what monstrosity is going to trip me up. :P