Link on a Hot Tin Roof
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 7:45PM 
Movie|Line Posters for Jean Dujardin's latest film, the sex comedy Les Infidels, have been deemed too racy for France. For France? Really? This surprises me.
Guardian has a funny piece on blaming Twilight for everything but particularly the explosion of supernatural characters. Saturation point!
Coming Soon I am really scared of this new photo of Emma Stone from The Amazing Spider-Man. Emma Stone is gorgeous and only 23 years old. She doesn't need photoshopping and definitely not photoshopping that makes her look like a CGI creation!
In Contention wonders if it might be Brad Pitt's year after all. STOP TRYING TO GET MY HOPES UP.
IndieWire sexually explicit Serbian drama Klip wins big in Rotterdam
Awards Daily When Jessica Chastain met Meryl Streep.
Washington Blade has a good piece on Madonna reemerging in the Lady Gaga era and what it all means. I love that Matthew Rettemund calls it "homosexual civil war" but Matt and I both agree it's silly. There's no rule that says you can only enjoy one pop diva at a time. I certainly have never been monogamous with my actressexuality and I never will be. Boring!
Finally, RIP to Ben Gazzara, the original "Brick" from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Paul Newman took over his part for the movie version but Gazzara had an enduring career in all three Actors Playgrounds: film, stage and television. On the movie side he was part of the winning cast of Anatomy of a Murder (pictured right) but he'll most likely be rememberd as a key star in John Cassavettes repertory of actors. I always love reading Sheila O' Malley's pieces on stars who have passed on. Here's a small taste...
He was in his 40s when he found himself on the cutting edge of the independent film scene in America. He wasn’t a young, hungry guy. He was middle-aged. Married. With a kid. They all were married, with kids. It wasn’t a hipster sensibility, or a Bohemian type of “let’s make a movie with my friends” kind of thing. They were artists. Who understood compromise, they all had had extensive careers, but nothing compared to the roles that Cassavetes gave them. Gazzara had already been around forever. He had worked with Hitchcock, for God’s sake. And Kazan. So to take that risk … to sit in the theatre watching Cassavetes’ Faces and admitting that he felt jealousy. Jealousy of Cassavetes’ talent, and also – an ambition: I must work with that guy."
And as always the Daily Notebook has a collection of quotes and obits.
Andy Serkis, Jean Dujardin, John Cassavetes, Madonna, RIP, Twilight
Reader Comments (18)
I didn't read the link (because none of them works ;) ) but the critics of the posters didn't find them racy but misogystic. Those sex or pre-sex positions are all to be found in a typical sexual contact, but they're the most man-domineering ones. So, yeah, I kinda agree with the critics. :p
Oh, and, Jessica Chastain is close to becoming my new no5 favorite person in world!
(No1to4 don't change)
if only the links worked for me....OH THE HORROR!!!!
Poppy & James -- the links should be working now. wow that was a weird glitch. i had to redo 4 posts. WAY TO KILL TIME, COMPUTER.
Okay,
james t -- which begs the question who are #4 through #1
I said that a few times, but, please, do yourself a favor and see Opening Night. Gazzara is the director of a play starred by an actress in turmoil played by Gena Rowlands (don't you love actress in turmoil movies?). It's the best movie Gazzara and Cassavetes did together, but, I must be sincere to you, I am recommending it mainly because of the towering perfomance by Rowlands. Btw, Gazzara was brilliant in The Killer of a Chinese Bookie, one of the six or seven masterpieces Cassavetes directed, and surely the most underrated.
The killing, I mean
Nathaniel - Wait, is this the moment someone asks me to make a ranked list for the first time?!
Your wish is my command though I don't include family, friends, you, Nick etc
1) Lina Nikolakopoulou (if only you spoke greek.. she's a marvelous lyricist and a beautiful person)
2) Kate Winslet
3) Meryl Streep
4) Judi Dench
Yeah, no2-4 was more or less predictable for fellow actressexuals :p
@cal roth I agree with you. Rowlands performance in Opening Night is one the five greatest performances by an actress ever captured on film.
The poster controversy makes no sense to me since their trailer for the film is an instant NC-17. A scene of doggie style in a doctor's office while the doctor watches--the male partner gets caught in the act--all of this mind you is in the fucking trailer. The French are freaks. I didn't realized how nasty it gets.
The Les Infidèles poster controversy is totes bizarre as it's no worse than anything for Californication or Nip/Tuck (OK, at least the one with DuJardin). Besides, I'm pretty sure American Pie broadsheets were way more racy...and that was 13 years ago, for God's sake!
Even more bizarre is this Gaga vs. Madonna imbroglio. Can't we all just acknowledge that both have their merits and appeal as entertainers (Madonna being the innovator, Gaga having the chops)? It shouldn't be a zero sum game with those two, and, moreover, it's quite obvious that Gaga lifted her base persona from Truth or Dare anyway.
I remember reading that Ben Gazzara was renowned in theatrical circles for his extraordinary vocal projection. No matter how large the theatre, you could always hear him, even when he was speaking in a whisper. No wonder they called him a visceral presence.
One time a group of friends let me pick the movie and I chose a showing of Death of a Chinese Bookie. I really liked it, but they all loathed it and never let me choose again.
I have asked this in the last link post already, because I think it would deserve a mention: have you seen the "Game Change" trailer with Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin and Ed Harris as John McCain ? Looks very interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IPhh7mch5zo
Ok that poster is slightly crude and misogynist, but HELLO JEAN DUJARDIN. He looks super hot in that poster.
Whenever I think of Ben Gazzara I can't help but recall Elaine Stritch's incredible recounting of their ill-fated relationship in her one-woman show 'At Liberty'. Heartbreaking. Please tell me Nathaniel that you've seen this on DVD at least?
"At Liberty"? I saw it live. Best one person show I ever had the pleasure of seeing.
And since cinephile put there the GAME CHANGE trailer,
Here's the HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN trailer, the HBO film starring Our NICOLE KIDMAN and CLIVE OWEN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd7KuCFwZvo&feature=share
Nathaniel, I would have bet money you saw 'At Liberty' live, as did I. It's my favorite one-person show as well and one of the few shows in general that I return to on DVD often and allow myself to be "awed" by every single time.
Have you seen the trailer for Hemingway & Gellhorn? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDP93eTdp1Q
What do you think? I know its way to early but Kidman for the Emmy, etc/ Or will we have a repeat of 2002: Moore vs Kidman. Will Kidman become Swank to Moore's Bening?