I Link You Just the Way You Are
Saturday, January 7, 2012 at 12:20PM 
Just a heads up. I was pleased that people passed this around twitter after I posted it but DO NOT READ The New Yorker review of A Separation before seeing the film. I recently named the movie Best of the Year but one of the greatest things about it, that I was careful not to spoil in my review or any of my subsequent writeups or awards postings is how it keeps defying expectations and throwing more and more complications your way. That New Yorker review, which is meant to be an enticement to see it and is otherwise beautifully written, will significantly damage your viewing pleasure as it gives away several twists and nearly the entire plot. You're welcome. And for shame Anthony Lane! Why do that to readers and potential ticket buyers?
Boy Culture Congratulations to actress Kristy McNichol, who is now out of the closet. That'll mean something to anyone over the age of like, um, 35 (?). Otherwise y'all might be like "who?". But she was a big deal in the late 70s/early 80s. Think "Family" or "Empty Nest" on television and summer camp classic Little Darlings (1980) wherein she was deflowered by Matt Dillon!
Thompson on Hollywood Christopher Tellefsen on the rhythms of editing. He did such great work on Moneyball I think.
Hello Giggles has 100 Things You Should Know About Downton Abbey
Deadline which films are popular in their home countries?
In Contention has the Central Ohio Critics film winners. But I can't deal with typing up ANOTHER list. No offense, Ohio!
Hey Deanie is not convinced by Bérénice Bejo in The Artist
NYT "Seeking the next red carpet knockout" interesting piece about young actresses trying to find the dress and what happens when they do. (Though it makes you appreciate actresses who never bother, too)
Rope of Silicon The biggest flops of 2011, budget to gross.
Flavorwire Audrey Hepburn's screen test for Roman Holiday. One of those first time's the charm Oscar smashes. Ah, I love that movie.
Electronic Cerebrectomy I love when people post super random extensive personal lists of their favorite things of a year. It's like a scrapbook of everything -- not just movies. I'd do that if I didn't have 100 other lists to make.
Serious Film 2011 Superlatives: Best use of profanity.
Google celebrates the centennial of Charles Samuel Addams best known as the creator of The Addams Family.
City Arts Armond White releases his annually inane "better than" list. I shouldn't like. It's such obvious trolling link bait. But I can't help myself. I do find his distaste for Lars von Trier highly amusing since you'd think the provocations just for the sake of provocations (Jack & Jill > The Descendants et. all) would mark them as soulmates.
Ugh, I used to love blog-a-thons so much. And then there were too many of them and I gave up. But then every once in a while you find one that looks so fun and you didn't know about it and you just want to die a little inside. Have you seen the BlogalongaBond?
It's hosted by The Incredible Suit which I've been reading for a month (and love). But I didn't know about it. It's been going on for a year already! One Bond film a month counting down to the 50th anniversary of Bond with the release of SkyFall (2012)! They're up to Octopussy (1983) now which is the very first Bond film I ever saw so if I weren't a crazy OCD completist type person it would be a great time to join in but I already missed 12 movies and all the Connery ones. Boo!
That said, how invested are you in James Bond movies, Bond Girls and the like? We might do something.
Reader Comments (12)
Being "deflowered" by Matt Dillon sounds like a true blessing... even when it's just in a movie!
By the way, where has he been?
I find the New Yorker reviewing system increasingly bizarre/off-putting. I'm a subscriber and I now make a point to avoid their reviews of movies I'm actually planning on seeing because I know that I'll be spoiled if I read them. It just seems so silly to me because you can absolutely write substantially about a film without giving away plot details. I just saw A Separation last night and knew almost nothing about it going in (by design) and I really think the experience was so much better for it. I had heard from so many people that it was incredible and I was a little skeptical near the beginning but was utterly won over as it progressed, and not having any clue where it was going (except that there was something to do with the law involved) was such a big part of that.
Morgan -- totally agree. The only thing i knew about it before seeing it (literally) was that it was from Iran and there were rumors it would be their Oscar submission. I thank the cinematic heavens that's all i knew.
Peggy Sue -- good question. He was supposed to be in Carnage ... which would have been such an interesting / new challenge for him but i guess Polanski or someone decided against it.
McNichol has pretty much been an open "secret" for as long as I've known who she was, or what an open secret was. I'm very glad for her personally that she's taking this step, which a lot of Hollywood actors never do, for reasons that are more real than they sometimes look from the outside. Still, it's harder to get excited about the trickle-down implications when people wait to come out until so long past the point where their lingering celebrity will reach the kids who need it -- the at-risk or self-hating kids whom they always say they're doing it for. Then again, not everyone who is in the closet or is bullied or is sel-hating for being LGBTQ is a kid, so I'm sure there are plenty of people taking McNichol's news in very happy stride.
Point being, I'm happy for her and applaud her, but at moments like this, I always save an extra clap for the Ellens and the Neil Patricks who came out exactly at the point in their careers when it was a bigger risk for them but did even more good for so many people watching, especially the kids.
I'm curious how you feel about film writing in publications like Film Comment. If I'm reading about a movie there, I know I have to see the movie first, because the magazine has kind of an academic bent and expects you to see the film you're reading about. I wonder if Anthony Lane feels that he's more of a film writer than a film critic, and so you should see the movie before reading the column.
(That said, this is the same magazine that couldn't wait a month to publish the Dragon Tattoo review, so that's probably not their angle.)
That list of which films are popular in their countries is so interesting. It's a shame people should know about Torrente (an American version? whaaat?), a broad comedy at its worst, cringe-worthy, a despicable way of making oneself a millionaire (limited actor turned director who has only directed this franchise).
That Downton Abbey recap was really funny, though I must say I don't share the wish for Lady Mary and Cousin Matthew to be together in real life. I think Cousin Matthew is the weakest link, he reminds me so much of the Hugh Grant school of acting sometimes.
Kristy was also so good in Only When I Laugh starring..... Marsha Mason!
(But she was seriously good in it.)
Good for Kristy! I was too young for Little Darlings when it came out but I finally saw it a few years ago and it had a rockin soundtrack - if you can find the original version. I loved her on Empty Nest. Last I heard she was teaching acting but retired from being in front of the camera. I wish she'd come back and do something.
I've been sick in bed all week and the only thing that made me feel better was watching 2006's "Casino Royale". I love James Bond...from the good to the ridiculous ones so bring it on. (And I'd be curious why you think gay men enjoy such a hetero-male series...because I know a lot of them that do. I mean, of course, before the arrival of Craig and his bathing suit.)
anthony lane does that all the time, especially (oddly) on films he really likes, and I've seen that sort of things on foreign films he recommends. And it's why I stopped reading his "reviews".
I think I've read a few articles about how during the early 80's people were wondering who would make the successful transfer to adult film roles better: Macnicol or Jodie Foster. We know which future lesbian won out there.
Shouldn't that be "once and future lesbian?"
Marsha Mason, are you really Marsha Mason? Would love to see you in a movie again...