Introducing... Five Nominees From 1952

I've always been interested in the way characters / stars are introduced within their films. Sometimes you can feel the filmmaking underlining the moment: look here, you will love this character! At other times their intro is either sneaky or nonchalant as the actor waits for their key moment later on to really sell their character. We must make this a regular series I think! Let's use it now to plug this Saturday's Supporting Actress Smackdown. 

Consider the way the Oscar nominees of 1952 are introduced...
I've ranked them according to the quality of their filmed entrance though this should not be construed as a comment on their eventual ranking in the Smackdown.

Colette Marchand and Jose Ferrer in Moulin Rouge (1952)

Monsieur Monsieur, please! Say I'm with you."
-Marie's first line in Moulin Rouge

a prostitute, a  student, a nurse, a society wife and a movie star after the jump...

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Curio: Murat Palta's Classic Film Miniatures

Alexa here. I realized recently that I've been remiss, that I've failed to post on the amazing work of Murat Palta in this column.  Well, today I'll make up for it! For his senior thesis, the Turkish student strove to blend traditional Ottoman miniature book illuminations with classic Western cinema. Rightfully so, these amazing compositions received a lot of attention outside his academic circle. The blend is a perfect one: Ottoman artists used abstraction to highlight the transcendent in the stories told. What's more transcendent than these scenes, so familiar to our modern eyes? 

I won't caption them, as the fun comes in the moment of recognition. How many do you recognize? More after the jump

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Stage Door: Asher Lev, The Jungle Book, Love's Labour's Lost

How has "My Name is Asher Lev" never been made into a movie? The novel by Chaim Potok, about a young Hassidic Jew who becomes a controversial and successful fine artist (painting crucifixations of all things) is one of those mainstays of primary education so you'd think that there would be a movie. Most of those get-em-while-they're-young classic novels can claim multiple film versions. But there's only been runs at the stage. I recently saw a new adaptation by Aaron Posner at the Westside Theater. 

The production was minimally staged but the set was a moody beauty. The night I attended the understudy for the female roles (there are only three actors in the production) went on. Turns out she was Chaim Potok's actual daughter! Imagine that.

Ari BrandAri Brand was constantly on the stage in the title role but adeptly swung around between various ages from little boy to grown man to track Asher Lev's artistic awakening and simultaneous emancipation from and acceptance of his faith. But the chameleon in the cast was Mark Nelson who plays quite a few characters including Asher's father and is particularly memorable as his jovial uncle and Asher's mentor artists who speaks largely in manifestos about what art is and how artists should live. Asher's struggle couldn't be more specific (a Jew painting Christian iconography) but the themes are wildly flexible to any coming of age or coming into one's own spiritual or ideological journey which is surely why people love it when they're young. 

It's Your Last Chance: My Name is Asher Lev plays through September 1st at the West Side Theater. 

Movies and TV Moving to the Musical Stage
Playbill warns that there's a GLEE stage musical in the works? God Antoinette Perry help us all. We've really gone over the top and back down again with the cross pollination of mediums. In September HONEYMOON IN VEGAS hits Paper Mill in Jersey and over in Boston at the Huntington Theater Company they're launching Disney's THE JUNGLE BOOK which is aiming for Broadway (eventually) and one supposes they're dreaming of another Julie-Taymor-does-Lion-King size hit. Here's a Making Of with director Mary Zimmerman, whose biggest hit Metamorphosis was so good. Let's hope she doesn't fall into the Julie Taymor trap of not being able to edit herself. Bostonian readers who've seen the show do tell us what you thought! 

The great Norbert Leo Butz in BIG FISH

The migration continues directly on Broadway with Big Fish (Sept 2013), The Bridges of Madison County (Jan 2014) and Rocky (Feb 2014) among others. Which are you most interested in hearing about?

Exit Music
And did any of you get a chance to see the final Shakespeare in the Park for the season: Love's Labour's Lost? I'm still humming this particular show stopper. 

Heavy rotation on my playlists.

Jessica + Cate, Mary Music, and Other Linkables

Awards Circuit I guest starred on their podcast Power Hour this week. We talk Oscar's actress categories and Ben Affleck
Film School Rejects Diana gets a November release date
HuffPo interviews Eric Bana (Closed Circuit) who does not like Hulk
Final Girl lists the 5 best vampires of all time. This list LOL'ed me up good
Gothamist Patton Oswalt and Joss Whedon defend Ben Affleck's casting as Batman
Bad Ass Digest chooses the 11 best movies of the summer. Amidst all the fanboy titles are Short Term 12 and Blue Jasmine so well done. 

Jessica Chastain ♥ Cate Blanchett 
This was posted on the Actress's facebook page yesterday.

Sweet. And generous. And culturally aware just as we've come to expect from Chastain who by all accounts is a lovely person and real film enthusiast as well as one of the most important actors to emerge this decade.

Exit Music
Since we've been on a Mary Poppins kick this year what with that Best Shot steppin' time party and Saving Mr Banks coming out here's a music videdo that uses only sounds from Mary Poppins for its beats and melodies... 

Wanted: Yankee Bandits

Are you joining us for this week's Hit Me With Your Best Shot movie? It's the penultimate episode of Season 4 and we're looking at the Best Cinematography winner of 1969, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which you can Netflix Instant Watch before Wednesday night to join us. Just make your choice for best shot and post it. We'll link up.

Please note: The Bolivian police station needs to fire the sketch artist who made this Wanted poster in the movie - Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid are not played by the Brawny paper towel man and Patrick Swayze. Jeez. It's Robert Redford and Paul Newman and they're worth a lot more than this posters 'recompensa'

Just look at them. 

A million pesos doesn't even begin to cover it. Those faces! Those perfect perfect movie faces.