Today's 5: Tilda's miraculous Julia, Drew's dangerous Lolita, and more
Monday, May 8, 2017 at 12:45PM It's a brand new week. Ready to get this one started with some pizazz?
Five showbiz anniversaries for May 8th as mood boosters
2009 Julia opens in limited release in the US. It's arguably Tilda Swinton's greatest performance and also as against-type as it comes for the actress who was surprised Erick Zonca thought of her for the motor-mouthed titular sociopath. If you haven't seen it, what in the universe are you waiting for?
In its honor today: Do something totally atypical today, surprise yourself!
1992 Poison Ivy opens in theaters, serving as Drew Barrymore's buzzy "comeback"... yet she was only 17 years old. Child stars grow up fast, y'all...
In Drew's honor today: Flirt with someone who reminds you of either Sara Gilbert or Tom Skeritt
1958 Christopher Lee takes his first bite at the immortal Dracula role, new in theaters.
In their honor today: Start something you plan to stick with and perfect!
1920 Saul Bass, one of the all time great graphic designers, born in New York. His influence is still all over showbiz, albeit usually in credits sequences like Feud or Catch Me If You Can rather than in movie posters where it belongs. I mean is there a movie poster better than Vertigo?
In his honor today: Think graphically. Embrace dynamic lines and bold colors today
1912 Paramount Pictures was founded on this very day though they weren't called "Paramount Pictures for another 2 years. At first they were "Famous Players Film Company". Rank their 12 Best Picture winners: Wings (1927), Going My Way (1944), The Lost Weekend (1945), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Pt II (1974), Ordinary People (1980), Terms of Endearment (1983), Forrest Gump (1994), Braveheart (1995), Titanic (1997), and No Country For Old Men (*Paramount Vantage, 2007) in the comments.
In their honor today: You are the mountain. Imagine the stars orbiting you all day -- you're just grand!
TRY THOSE MOOD BOOSTERS IF YOU DARE AND REPORT BACK
OTHER BIRTHDAYS:
Phyllida Law (Emma Thompson's actress mom!), Lex Barker (briefly Tarzan), Roberto Rossellini (Journey to Italy), Melissa Gilbert (of Little House on the Prairie and SAG presidency fame), Miyoshi Umeki (the only Asian actress to win an Oscar *sigh*), Stephen Amell (TV's hunky "Arrow"), and underappreciated Jodhi May (of Last of the Mohicans and A World Apart fame... currently onscreen in A Quiet Passion).
WHERE'S HER BIOPIC?
In honor of Hidden Figures we need to start highlighting minorities who deserve biopics. There are more stories worth telling than just famous musicians and politicians! How about a movie on Phillis Wheatley, born around this day in 1753 who became the first published African-American poet? She was sold into slavery as a child but to a family that, though slave owners, recognized her gifts and encouraged her education. It's a fascinating complicated and ultimately sad story (she died very young in poverty) but one worth telling.
OTHER ANNIVERSARIES:
Hot Pursuit (2015), Tomorrowland (2015), Star Trek (2009), Deep Impact (1998), Gardens of Stone (1987), The Corpse Vanishes (1942), and In this Our Life (1942, the third of Bette Davis & Olivia de Havilland's six film collaborations) all opened on this day in US theaters
Reader Comments (14)
I've seen 8. Here's how I'd rank them:
8. Titanic (It's a bloated and dumb "expansion" of an actual classic, An Affair to Remember. Not badly performed, but also not worth a BP win.)
7. Terms of Endearment (Showcases some crackerjack performances, but that's it. Don't really get this as a BP win, except as an obvious sign that actors can have a bit TOO much power over Academy choices.)
6. Forrest Gump
5. The Lost Weekend
4. Braveheart
3. No Country For Old Men
2. The Godfather Part II
1. The Godfather
Volvagia: You mean A Night to Remember!
Here are the 10 I've seen (I'm missing Going My Way and The Lost Weekend), with rankings:
10. Braveheart
9. Wings
8. Forrest Gump
7. The Greatest Show on Earth
6. No Country for Old Men
5. Titanic
4. Ordinary People
3. Terms of Endearment
2. The Godfather Part II
1. The Godfather
My last two are among the worst winners in the category’s history in my opinion. From best to worst.
Wings
The Godfather
The Godfather Pt II
Ordinary People
Terms of Endearment
No Country For Old Men
Going My Way
The Lost Weekend
Titanic
The Greatest Show on Earth
Forrest Gump
Braveheart
Tilda Swinton gave a compelling performance in Julia. But the movie itself is a chore to watch without a satisfying resolution. Even an unhappy ending would be better than the pointless middle of nowhere we got. Especially dragging us to Mexico making it seem like the scariest place imaginable. Also, it's another one of those adults and kids are too close for comfort movies that nobody calls it for their creepiness.
Paramount was my favorite studio growing up because of how pretty their logo was to me. New Line was my least favorite because they were home to Freddy Kruger.
Godfather pt. 2, Godfather, No Country, Terms of Endearment, Ordinary People, Titanic, Forrest Gump, Braveheart (The last three movies in my opinion are not worthy of BP Oscars. I'll argue Tom Hanks' validity to the death tho). I haven't seen the other films.
The Godfather
The Godfather, Part II
No Country for Old Men
Ordinary People
Going My Way
Terms of Endearment
Wings
The Lost Weekend
Titanic
Forrest Gump
Braveheart
The Greatest Show on Earth
That 09 Actress roster is incomplete without Tilda.
Here's my Best to Worst Paramount BP winners - funny how the studio put out some of my all-time fave BP winners as well as 2 of my all-time bottom 5 (#'s 11 & 12; the other ones I really hate are Crash, Gigi & The Great Ziegfield):
1. Ordinary People
2. The Godfather
3. Terms of Endearment
4. The Godfather Pt II
5. No Country For Old Men
6. The Lost Weekend
7. Titanic
8. Wings
9. Going My Way
10. The Greatest Show on Earth
11. Braveheart
12. Forrest Gump
Jodhi May won the Cannes Film Festival best actress award in 1988 for her performance in A World Apart. It was shared with co-stars Barbara Hershey and Linda Mvusi. BTW, I'd have to double check, but Barbara Hershey is the only actress to win Cannes Best Actress two years in a row! She had already won in 1987 for Shy People.
My choice:
The Godfather, Part II
The Godfather
No Country for Old Men
Ordinary People
Terms of Endearment
Wings
The Lost Weekend
Titanic
Forrest Gump
Going My Way
Braveheart
The Greatest Show on Earth
Swinton should've joined that exclusive club of actors who've won both leading and supporting Oscars. Swinton, Julia >>>>>>>>> Bullock, The Blind Side.
Marcos -- I would drop kick Terms of Endearment closer to the bottom of the list, but other than that, I pretty much agree with your rankings.
I watched In This Our Life and it is pretty good. I don't know why it hasn't gotten more love over the years. The internet (because you can always believe it) says that the film was too ahead of its time. Hmmm ...
From Best to Worst. of the ones I've seen
1. Godfather part 1 and 2 (I know, but I saw them both so long ago I can't separate them in my mind)
2. No Country for Old Men
3. Ordinary People
4. Titanic
5. Terms of Endearment
6. Forrest Gump
7. The Lost Weekend
8. Braveheart
I'd maybe switch 6 and 7, now that I'm looking at the list.