Friday
Feb072014
Open Thread
Friday, February 7, 2014 at 6:22PM We haven't done one of these in so long. Here's an open thread so tell us: What's on your cinematic mind?Any movie topic is welcome. I'm cooking up some things for you to take us through the Oscars and into March -- I think you're going to love March and April if you stick around so please do.
I myself keep fantasizing about this version of Frozen they were thinking of with a Bette Midler style Elsa. Just try to imagine it... Suddenly "Let it Go..." is a comic diva number of some sort and "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" gets turned into a bitchy retort duet.
Reader Comments (26)
I recently saw Nebraska and it finished my journey to see all nine Best Picture nominees before the show that I do every year. It made me wonder which one I'd like to see again as I have yet to see any of the nine more than once. While my favorite is most certainly 12 Years a Slave, I have a feeling I'd like to watch Her again before the show. How many times have all of you seen the BP noms this year and what would you like to watch again?
i just watched Double Indemnity again last night. wish i'd participated in Hit Me With Your Best Shot last year! are you doing it again this year?
The love for The Lego Movie is taking me by surprise. Also, I finally saw Georgy Girl last night, and I'm checking out Stalag 17 this evening - TCM's 31 Days of Oscar is the best.
I know you've been swamped with all the awardage going on Nathaniel but I keep hoping that I'll come on the site and see the final Supporting Actress Smackdown for 2003 come up. Any hope to see it before the Oscars or at least soon after?
I'm also looking forward to the return of Hit Me With Your Best Shot, and I'm totally loving the Year With Kate feature!
I just watched Body Heat for the first time and heard one of those lines of dialogue that's feels so true.
"Once they get a whiff of it, they trail you like a hound."
Wasn't it funny having ScarJo saying her "real job is saving the world", when her 2014 promises to be a year she'll spend avenging the world both on screen (Captain America 2 and Lucy) and behind the cameras (filming Avengers 2)... but then Oxfam appeared...
2 questions:
* should actors/actresses be so involved in political/social questions?
* is Scarlett going back to that time where she picked up paycheck works? I liked her a lot in "Hitchcock", "Don Jon" and "Her" that I wouldn't mind to loose her as a super hero
Your top 10 of 2013? I'm eagerly anticipating it.
About a week ago, I saw Bertrand Bonello's House of Pleasures and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. LOVED it. But when I went to look for reviews or coverage, the interweba turned up surprisingly empty. Has anyone here seen this film? I'm dying to talk about it. If you haven't though, it is on Netflix and it's as fine as any two hours you'll ever spend. It's gorgeous, it's moving, it's surreal, it's scary, it's funny, it's French. Bonus: it's about as actressexual as any movie can get. Seriously, it treats those actresses right.
I had this dream about 2 days ago of a Follies movie directed by Joe Wright with La Pfeiffer in the Phyliss role. And she was in the Story of Lucy and Jessie number, the red sequin dress, and by god it felt like an orgasm.
The cast was rounded by the Divine Miss M singing Broadway Baby, Christine Baranski (a staple of musical movies) doing the Mirror song and Glenn Close singing I'm Still Here. And then the dream ended before I got to see who was Sally.
Mustafa, I'm speechless. That. That sounds beautiful.
I dont know how long we have to wait to see that dream come true. Instead of the Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham mashup of Sweeney Todd we could have this theatre queen's perfect casting.
Divas check, show tunes check, why are we even debating this.
@Mustafa
I want YOUR dream come true!
I just want to share how much I loved The Lego Movie. I went in a bit skeptical, but the movie won me over. Extremely entertaining, both silly and adult without ever being crass. That twist near the end is predictable but also wonderful. As someone who played with Legos constantly as a kid, I can totally relate to the impulse to hold onto your creations forever.
Mustafa -- i am in love with this imaginary movie. LOVE
Mustafa, I'm almost with you, but I object to Glenn Close's singing on a very deep level. Joe Wright is a fantastic idea, though.
TB, I added House of Pleasures to my Netflix watch list.
Sean, I have seen each BP nominee once, except twice for Wolf of Wall Street (special circumstances). I also want to see Her again. I loved it so much. The only film I liked more this year was The Great Beauty, which had me tearing up at the end simply because it was ending and I couldn't watch it anymore. Did anyone else love it as much?
Like Sean Troutman, I also recently finished seeing all the major Oscar contenders by watching Philomena. It was fine, good even, and I'll always like watching Dench. I also enjoyed Coogan (never seen him before) and that he didn't shy away from his character's more unlikable traits. While I found the film touching and accessible, I can't help but think what a disposable Picture nominee it is, especially when Short Term 12 seems like such a fresher, better choice if we're going to have 9 nominees. I'd also swap out Dench for Larson in Actress. Dench is always good, but this role demanded very little. She practically had only one note to play per scene, and while she played it well, it feels like more of a default nomination than even Streep.
Also, in preparation for the 2003 Supporting Actress smackdown, I just saw House of Sand and Fog. Man, that is just not a very good movie. Heavy-handed, stagey, some terrible dialogue, etc. It occurred to me that it might be the director's first movie and, sure enough, it is. He was lucky to land such a talented cast (except Ron Eldard - what happened to him? He used to be a handsome, talented actor and he was the opposite of that here) and some of the cinematography was beautiful, but that's it. Aghdashloo was stuck with the Suffering Wife stock role but did it very well.
Just wanted to echo WJ - do yourself a favor and go see The Lego Movie. Seriously, it's gut-bustingly funny and really smart.
Vladdy - It's beyond my understanding why people don't like Glenn singing. She brings a certain depth of emotion in songs, she's no Lupone but she stirs emotions, gives more meaning to the lyrics. Haven't seen her in South Pacific though, but the YouTube videos sure are exciting.
Joe Wright and his team of costume designers, production crew and choreographer were made to do a musical, it would be their crowning achievement. Leave Peter Pan Joe, go to Broadway.
@DJDeeJay - I have to disagree with you about Philomena being a disposable BP nominee. I thought it was very good and very well done from everyone involved. Dench was superb and it might actually be my favorite of her leading performances. I'd have to watch Notes on a Scandal again to give you a final answer on that though. She's the perfect Irish mother in it and I love that somehow, despite everything, she keeps her faith in the end. I do like what you said about how Coogan is still likeable even after you see his numerous character flaws. Both actors were able to make those people very realistic. I suppose it does help that they really do exist lol but I still very much enjoyed it. I'd say Philomena will most likely be in my Top 10 of 2013 when all is said and done. I think it should win Adapted Screenplay but I would be happy with 12 Years a Slave too. I also have yet to see Before Midnight but, having just rewatched Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, I'm well prepared for that venture.
TB - the movie is better known as HOUSE OF TOLERANCE outside of the US (or, at least here in Australia), so you may have more luck searching for that title. I saw it at the French Film festival a couple of years ago and loved it also. (Why do all the great French dramas get lost amongst all the lame French comedies?) The physical scarring scene still causes me discomfort whenever I recall it.
vladdy - yes, I loved TGB in exactly the same way.
DJDeeJay - I disagree. In my personal rankings of the Best Actress nominees, I would put both Dench and Blanchett in equal first. Dench's performance was less about dialogue and more about conveying the emotions in a more subtle but equally powerful way (and not ina one-note-per-scene way, IMO). If forced, I would place Dench in first place, for the flimsy reason that she didn't have the benefit of a Woody Allen script to work with. (I am also keeping Dench in my predictions for a win, but that's mainly because I have predicted her since June, and I could not live with myself if I changed her and the unlikely event of her winning actually happened!)
Saw ROBOCOP yesterday (in one of those increasingly more common situations where we get a blockbuster before the US). I needed a reprieve from ticking off all the Oscar nominees (still have to see DALLAS BUYERS CLUB and NEBRASKA, as neither has opened here yet), and whilst it had pacing flaws, generally it was a fun and disposable diversion.
Everything is awesome when you're part of a team! The Lego Movie is my top movie of 2014. Will The Grand Budapest Hotel knock take the #1 spot? Will find out in a few weeks.
The only two Best Picture nominees I saw twice this year were "Dallas Buyer's Club" (my personal favorite film of the year) and "Philomena." I'll definitely watch "Gravity" "Wolf" and "American "Hustle" again, and maybe "12 Years..." if I re-psych myself up first. (It was great, but draining.) I have no desire to see "Nebraska" again, and I think once might have been enough for "Her."
I wanted to watch "Georgy Girl" but I promised my partner that I'd work on getting the DVR whittled down (it's at 75%--down from 90%--and has at least 4-5 movies on it from 2010). Ah well, next time. We did finally check off "1776" (stagy but dramatically juicy) and "Liberal Arts" (twee, but Elizabeth Olsen is going to be an amazing actress--she's already more than halfway there.)
Close can be an affecting singer--go back and watch the tribute to Barbara Cook for the Kennedy Center Honors, where Close sings "Losing My Mind," and reduces Anne Hathaway (in the audience) to a weepy mess. She'd be great in "Follies," though I'd love to see Streisand do "I'm Still Here." Aside from some special effects involving the big Follies finale, "Follies" would actually be a pretty low-budget film to do (it's almost all one set, in the old theater), and it's right up Bill Condon's alley after "Gods and Monsters" and "Dreamgirls"--both of which showed he knows how to cast.
"Lars kept saying I was overacting, but that's nothing new." (Uma Thurman)
Well, she gets points for taking herself less seriously these days.
This year will be a very special Academy Awards. It lands on the birthday of my all-time favorite actress, Jennifer Jones, who would be 95 this year. Damn.
brookesboy - I love Jennifer Jones, too. She never gets any credit for what a huge star she once was, but she made so many great movies. What's your favorite? Mine is probably Cluny Brown or Duel in the Sun. (And I think A Farewell to Arms is vastly underrated.)
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