Wednesday
Mar212012
Open Thread
Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at 10:00AM What's on your cinematic mind?
p.s. "hit me with your best shot" returns tonight with 80s fantasy Ladyhawke. Are you participating?
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getting to know you
Reader Comments (26)
I've gone off the deep end for The Hunger Games. I've been writing about it. I've been encouraging my students to read the books and see the film. I've even been dreaming about it. I can only hope the 4 disc Blu-ray of Battle Royale snaps me out of it when it arrives on Friday.
No Ladyhawke participation here. I only just put DVDs back on my Netflix and it didn't arrive in time. Sad.
Not to be all Hunger Games, but holy crap is that movie so much better than I thought it would be. Hollywood has trained me so well to lower my expectations with blockbusters; it was a genuinely excellent film and not merely loud noises, kissy faces and mediocre acting.
I can't stop thinking about 'Weekend', which I saw for the first time yesterday. I can't remember the last time a movie moved me so much emotionally, especially its devastating climax.
Nathan I get that "hit me with your best shot" are about the visuals, but since I'm unfamiliar with the bulk of Michelle Pfeiffer's filmography, maybe a review column for the unenlightened? Although, it maybe meaningless for me since the pinnacle of her career "The Fabulous Baker Boys" left me with a cold—that's the end?
I recently caught the tail end of Ordinary People on cable. I realized I'm still not over Mary Tyler Moore's Oscar loss. What a fabulous performance (great movie too).
I've been thinking about John Carter. Saw it last night. It feels like watching two movies condensed into one, or watching a four hour movie on fast forward. Stanton and Chabon bit off significantly more than they could chew on a story level, and it overwhelms everything else. Theme and character development given short shrift in favor of the kind of relentless pacing required to get through this much story in under 2.5 hours. Stanton's got the goods as a live action director, and maintaining the pace that he did is impressive - but this is a very flawed and incomplete work, full of unforced errors that should've been ferreted out in the script stage. Everyone else does good and valiant work, but its all in service of a fundamentally flawed foundation. Bummer.
The news on the all black cast of Steel Magnolias had me worried Hollywood has found yet another way to exploit the same story.
We already have remakes of all kinds, franchises, movies that go Broadway that go back to movies (Nine), Tv shows that become movies (Sex and the City), exploitation of popular names/movies seen from "different" perspectives (My Week with Marilyn), plus the more traditional approach of having the same (old) story in two different projects (Mirror, Mirror and the other one), stories which have been worked and reworked lots of times (Robin Hood). And now, there's a new approach: the another ethnicity version. You can't go wrong with that, you can have everybody happy and you don't have to go for the real thing with real color blind casts.
All this is sad from the point of view of spectators. I find myself lately looking for old movies I've never seen when I want to see something "new and fresh", and it shouldn't be the case.
But what about the writers? From the point of view of writers, it has to be incredibly depressing. The stories you want to write about don't seem to interest Hollywood at all, now more than ever. Original stories seem to be becoming more and more rare. And I wonder, will there be a lost generation of writers? I'm sure that there're a lot of talented writers out there who are wasting their talent rewriting unoriginal stuff. In the past, you could have Tennessee Williams or Raymond Chandler writing for the movies, where are their equivalents today? Probably writing Charlie Sheen jokes for some lame show.
Is this Hollywood's revenge for the writers strike several years ago?
^
A Star Is Born
I'll be hitting you with my best shot tonight. What's on my mind? The Hunger Games. I'm both nervous and excited about it. Hope it's awesome.
I was wondering about who should play Mattie Fae in August Osage County. Maybe Margo Martindale would be a great choice.
I've been obsessing over Children of Paradise which I saw the first time on Sunday. Any New Yorkers out there get yourself over to Film Forum before next Tuesday (unless they extend the run)! What an astounding, gorgeous film. I nominate it for Hit Me with Your Best Shot.
And, yeah, okay Hunger Games too. The books are precious to me and it's an enormous relief to hear all the positive reviews so far. I'll be seeing it at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Don't ask me why.
Also, I was thinking how much I'm hoping Helen Mirren to be nominated for The Door. It would be a little bit of a triumph for my country (like Bening's nod for Being Julia) plus she's just amazing as Emerenc in the adaptation of my favorite book of all time (I so enjoy I saw her before anyone else). Fingers crossed for Dame Hotness.
I've been thinking that they have kept the 'Django Unchained' filming incredibly under wraps. there's no info for it.
Corey: It's a film involving slavery. They have to keep the eventual controversy at bay until closer to release.
Watched Thief. I can't get over the diner scene. Magnificent performance from Caan who was dangerous, sexy, and vulnerable all at the same time.
Excited about going to see Casablanca tonight on the big screen tonight.
@dinasztie
I've had the very same thought for the past few weeks. Margo Martindale would make a great Mattie Fae.
Too bad Streepers Kathy Bates is Mattie Fae!
I finally saw Martha Marcy...I was worried Elizabeth Olsen was totally overhyped by the media...not so... she was fantastic...an Oscar nomination worthy performance...and why no Oscar nom buzz for Sarah Paulson?
Right now, actually only The Hunger Games. Twenty hours to go until I'm seeing it!
Juno is on TV and I'm being reminded of what an amazing film it is. Definitely one of my favorites. I realized as I was going through I kept saying "Omg, I love this part." Beautiful film.
Saw The Wings of the Dove yesterday cause I've been craving for some Helena Bonham Carter and That became a must-see for my appetite, seeing as it's one her most recognized. Movie was alright, made me think about relationships and whatnot but I still needed more of her. Tried watching Sweet Revenge afterwards, courtesy of Netflix, I think I'll wait to see some of her better, less boring movies. Or maybe I'll just youtube some interviews of her.
Hard Candy is starting now on tv, so that's next!
Re:Juno - I also wonder how Jennifer Garner didn't get any traction for her performance. I guess the focus was just so heavily on Juno.
Also, it's sad that Ellen Page couldn't win the musical/comedy GG that year since an Oscar frontrunner was in her category.
My Battle Royale Blu-ray showed up way early today. I just rewatched the theatrical cut and I feel like someone punched the air out of my lungs. I'm now more convinced than ever that if people just read this and The Hunger Games or saw both films, the "OMG! Suzanne Collins stole from Battle Royale" meme would end. They're nothing alike beyond the surface value of "kids fight to the death."
Philip, I remember big arguments on IMDB between Jennifer Garner supporters and Juno haters. It was bad enough to say "I love Juno." It was somehow worse to say Garner deserved a Supporting Actress nomination. Great performance that mysteriously got no traction.
I was going to post yesterday how I watched Weekend the night before and it's lingering on my mind but it seems conicedently Benji beat me to it!
I've been thinking about the last 6 Best Actress winners I still haven't seen. Mary Pickford, Norma Shearer, Helen Hayes, Olivia De Havilland (To Each His Own), Audrey Hepburn and Julie Andrews. Hope to do so soon (although Pickford and De Havilland are nowhere to be found...)