"Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"

Fess up!

Or maybe the answer will be obvious next Wednesday when we see your choice for "Best Shot" from The Wizard of Oz (1939). 

Don't forget the 4th season of Hit Me With Your Best Shot begins next Wednesday evening, and most Wednesday evenings thereafter in spring and summer. Make it the biggest most festive season yet by playing along. All you need is a web place (facebook, blog, twitter, tumblr, youtube, whichever) to post your choice for the film's best shot with or without a reason why. You can choose from aesthetics, personal connection, thematic impact, etcetera. Beauty being in the eye of the beholder. 

JOIN: March 6th (The Wizard of Oz); March 13th (Barbarella); March 20th (TBA); March 27th (Jackie Brown). Hit us and we'll hit you back!

there's no place like blog
there's no place like blog
there's no place like... 

Bunheads: They Dreamed A Dream

SusanP here, with thoughts on the season (series?) finale of Bunheads. A lot is at stake in the episode, but as in real life, not much is fully resolved. I’ll be disappointed if this turns out to be the last episode. Not because it was a bad, but it was anticlimactic for a finale. I’m anxious to spend more time in this world with these characters. I’d hate for this to be the last hour I get.

This Week on Bunheads…
A couple of weeks ago, TFE commenter Denny noted  that Bunheads is in many ways a show about what happens when an extremely talented person doesn’t catch a break and make it big. Denny wrote:

I like to think of Michelle as an alternate universe version of Sutton Foster - one in which she's almost exactly the same (except for focusing on dancing more than singing) but somehow always manages to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to make it the way Sutton has. And this feels very true to me. Growing up in the theater world, I cannot tell you how many supremely talented people I know who have just never made it, and not through lack of trying. This thread of "what does a talented person do when they just don't make the big time?" is one of my favorite parts of the show.

Potential can only get a performer (or a person) so far in life. The show tackles this idea head-on in “Next!” [more after the jump]

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Top Ten 1970s

for discussion & Oscar-break fun

The Tuesday Top Ten will get more article-like soon once we're clear of Oscar-Night Mania but since it was so fun to discuss the 1930s in brief recently, let's talk about the other greatest American cinematic decade for a minute, the 1970s. Like all of you I know I have holes in my viewing but off the top of my head here are my 10 favorites from that much obsessed-over decade.The order is semi random beyond the top three which are always my top three from that decade though the order has occasionally varied.

1. Manhattan (Woody Allen)
2. Cabaret (Bob Fosse)
3. Nashville (Robert Altman)
4. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola)
5. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)
6. Network (Sidney Lumet)
7. Annie Hall (Woody Allen)
8. All That Jazz (Bob Fosse)
9. Carrie (Brian de Palma)
10. Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman)
11. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola)
    
    oops i cheated... I forgot Carrie when I was typing it up.  

With apologies to: Klute, Three Women, Jaws, McCabe and Mrs Miller, and The Godfather (I know it's supposed to be everyone's favorite... but I'm allowed to think it's brilliant without personally loving it) and whatever else I forgot. I'm sure I did! And with a warm hug/shout out to four sentimental childhood favorites: Star Wars, Grease, Breaking Away and Superman.

Your Turn! I'd love to hear your list... especially if you want to champion something you think is criminally underseen or underdiscussed. Maybe it'll give others rental ideas. Hell, maybe it'll spur me on to finally see it. 

"Are you thoughtless in your remarks?" - The Master Winners

Maybe if we'd passed out free handjobs?Last week I asked readers to submit themselves to processing to enter a chance to win a copy of The Master on Blu-Ray. Whether it's the polarizing nature of the film or that I merely asked too much of you -- what's a little processing between friends? -- this contest had less participation than we usually get.

How come?

Nevertheless, The Master strikes me as the sort of film that those who enjoy will end up watching on loop to try to tease out its sometimes obtuse meaning.

Honorable Mentions: Apologies to Derreck whose entry was creepy sublime --- all right all right, we'll do The Talented Mr Ripley for Hit Me With Your Best Shot! --  and Checko whose entry was quite amusing. But I only have two copies to give away. Trust that I wish I had four. 

THE WINNERS ARE

Winner #1 is Kenneth.
This informal processing just gets better and better as it goes. Loves it.  I don't know if Kenneth is the bald one or the furry one but I'm crushing hard either way. 

Winner #2 is Manuel
Who also went the extra mile. He submitted Nicole Kidman for processing! Ha. What would Nicole make of this? LOL. I personally loved it and you will too if you have a little Kidmaniac inside of you... here's a taste:

Are you thoughtless in your remarks?

NO. Biting and truthful maybe. Never thoughtless.

Do you linger at bus stations for pleasure?

NO. I prefer train stations. They help me pass the hours.

So click on over to his blog to read the full processing. 

Gentlemen, your Blu-Rays are on the way (or will be as soon as you get in touch with me to arrange)!

Red Carpet Oscar Pt. 2: "Aaron Tveit Yourself"

Oscar Night in Review: Fun Arrivals, Winner's List , Seth's Hosting, Funniest Tweets, Jennifer Lawrence in the Press Room...

Today's Guest: Guy LodgeWe just talked Red Carpet Best Actress, so now we move on to the men.

NATHANIEL: Welcome back to Red Carpet Convos, Guy Lodge! I'm not even sure where to begin with this one. So many men. Abundant tuxes. We can't possibly discuss them all so here's a random assortment I'm tossing out at you. If we don't do it, who will? Nobody else ever covers the men.

GUY: Well, I think some of the men looked pretty great. So let's hear it for the boys!

NATHANIEL: I hear, via Twitter, that you were just on BBC. "Who" were you wearing?

GUY: I was indeed. Suit by Paul Smith. Socks by Uniqlo. As for who dressed me... er, myself

NATHANIEL: I was on CNNi this week albeit not all of me so you win -- even your socks in frame! I was shot just from the chest up, blue shirt by somebody or other. But chest up is fine. This way I didn't have to worry about how long it's been since I bought any new clothes.

GUY: By the look of his suit, neither does Tommy Lee Jones!

Most Oscar Winner, 2 Time Winner, Winner, 2 Time Winner, Hugh Jackman

NATHANIEL: Yes, let's do start with the nominees. [15 Men After the Jump]

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