Reader Writes: David O. Russell and Keira Knightley *LIVE*

Wanted to share two recent e-mails I got from longtime TFE readers about their own cinematic-adjacent adventures seeing the stars live.

BBats recently took in a double feature of Citizen Ruth and Flirting With Disaster at Cinefamily and Oscar-nominated directors David O. Russell (The Fighter) and Alexander Payne (Sideways) spoke to the crowd.

Alexander Payne and David O. Russell at the Cinefamily event

BBats writes:

I was listening to your latest podcast (love it) and wanted to share Russell's answer to a question about Nailed and if it will ever come out.  Russell said that the production company used Nailed, Taylor Hackford's Love Ranch, and a Philip Noyce film that would have starred Scarlett Johansson (never shot) as a shell game, shifting money between the three when it was needed. Hackford wouldn't work on Love Ranch unless he got paid first, and Russell got shut down for the final time that same week -- they had been shut down 7 or so times.  When trying to get it going again, Russell shopped it around in rough state like a "two dollar whore" and nobody wanted it.  He said he wanted to move on and leave all the badness behind him.

And with the success of The Fighter, I guess he won't be needing to beg for much work (my opinion).

BBats also recommends attending any event that Russell speaks at because he's hilarious. I can vouch for this myself as mentioned in this post about his Museum of the Moving Image interview. Payne spoke about Citizen Ruth, the 1996 abortion-debate satire starring Laura Dern, which you MUST see if you haven't.

The original title for Citizen Ruth was "The Devil Inside." Mr. Payne said two of his favorite jokes he's written are when Ruth punches the kid and the helicopter scene where Ruth shouts at her mother. (I won't spoil the joke for those who haven't seen it). The movie was given the go ahead by Harvey Weinstein in a Lincoln towncar. He was being pestered by producer Cathy Conrad and he relented saying, "Oh all right."  It took five years to get the greenlight.

Meanwhile across the pond, Rami saw the new production of THE CHILDREN'S HOUR on stage in London during previews.

Elisabeth Moss and Keira Knightley in The Children's Hour

The star-studded affair (Keira Knightley, Ellen Burstyn, Elisabeth Moss and Carol Kane. Whew) opens officially tomorrow. As you may know this is the play which inspired the movies These Three (1936) and The Children's Hour (1961), the latter starring Shirley Maclaine and Audrey Hepburn. Maclaine is now embarrassed about her participation (see the documentary: The Celluloid Closet, 1995) The play is about a school girl who spreads a lesbian rumor about two teachers at her boarding school. The rumor isn't true except that it hits too close to home for one of the teachers and sets in motion a terrible series of events.

Rami writes:

Overall I thought that the entire production was strong. The set design was effective if sparse, with the boarding school set consisting of blueish grey wood panels and a very tall bookshelf.

The first half, which could use some pacing work, focuses mainly on the young school girls. I have to admit that Hannah grated as Mary, sticking to one note of  ‘lying angry little girl’ and rarely getting out of it. However, there is a wonderful pivotal scene in the first half between Moss and Carol Kane (who plays her aunt) where they discuss Karen's (Knightley's) engagement. Kane pushes and prods and Moss gets angry while trying to control her emotions, trying not to admit what she knows is true.  

The second half of the play is much stronger, Ellen Burstyn does nice subtle work as the grandmother who is inclined to believe the child's lie. The final scenes are very strong. Moss is nothing short of exceptional, from her initial despair, to her confrontation with her Aunt, to the joy when she thinks they've been saved to her utterly heartbreaking confession of love. Knightley never overplays it and is mostly reactive, but the moment when she lets all her rage and fury flow out lingers after you leave the theater.

Oh how I wish I could fly to London at the moment!

Have you ever seen The Children's Hour or Citizen Ruth?

My First Dean

JA from MNPP here with my first post in Nathaniel's renovated home. Over at my own, I just asked the simplest of queries about James Dean on this here 80th woulda-been birthday of his - that is, which character of his was the hottest, natch - but I avoided making one terrible admission therein.

See... we've all got holes in our cinematic histories, right? Like I've been in a well-documented Gary Cooper fit lately - how I made it this far into my life without gaping much at him I still haven't wrapped my head around. Every time the light catches his face and he bursts off the screen I boggle anew. Where have you been all my life, Gary Cooper? And it was only a couple of years ago that I finally watched the Godfather films. It seems nuts to me for the longest time that I hadn't plunked down and done then, and then I did, and all was fine. Everybody has such instances. You do! There's an obscure Venezuelan documentary about rice production that you haven't seen, you know it.

So don't judge me when I admit that -- Well, I haven't seen any of James Dean's films. Quelle horreur! Not exactly an obscure Venezuelan documentary about rice production, I know. But before you throw me all the deserved shade I got coming I'm looking to you folk, you kindly cineastes, to help me right my wrong. I'm asking you to tell me which of the three films which his legend rests upon - Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause, Elia Kazan's East of Eden, and George Stevens' Tex-epic Giant - that I need to sit down and watch immediately. 

And then I will go and watch this movie you tell me to go and watch, and then I will report back to you with my impression. Feel free to make your case (and scold me, of course) in the comments!

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poll by twiigs.com

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The poll ends on Saturday, so vote yourselves silly until then, and look for my report back next week.

Curio: Dishes I'd Rather Be Doing

Alexa here. If Valentine's Day finds you alone, crying over your Netflixed copy of Never Let Me Go while eating a specially made meal for one, here's something to pick up your evening.  How about drying your dishes with one of these "Dishes I'd Rather Be Doing" towels by Dear Colleen? While my selections may have varied a bit (Jon "no undies" Hamm is the dish I'd order), I have to applaud her style and wit.  

This Hollywood set includes Jake, Owen, Johnny, George, and Brad:

Johnny: "His cheek bones are so high you can see them from space."

She also has a special costume drama set for you Anglophiles out there, including our soon-to-be golden boy Colin Firth:

Colin: "Mr. Darcy, the first ambassador for wet t-shirt competitions."

It's enough to make you want to wash all those dishes by hand.

Move Over Natalie, Rodarte's Dressing Elle Fanning Now.

Rodarte aka the Mulleavey sisters,who recently won lots of press (some of it unwanted) for their featherly jeweled contributions to Black Swan, continue to make Hollywood inroads. Elle Fanning is now wearing their Spring Collection creations exclusively in a fashion short. If you didn't get enough of hazy leisurely shots of Elle Fanning lolling about in Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, you're in luck.

Dakota's little sister stars in Todd Cole's short film for Rodarte called "The Curve of Forgotten Things" which debuted on Nowness this morning. The look is golden 70s, referencing dusty films like Badlands. But since it's a fashion short, Fanning gets a bigger wardrobe than Sissy had in that seminal classic. (In reality Fanning is a fashionista and collects vintage wear, the 1950s being her favorite.) The droning eery Lynchian soundtrack might be a bit much but it's beautifully shot and the transitions between outfits are amusing.

Short fashion/merchandise films are all the rage these days (you'll remember Marion Cotillard's Lady Dior vehicles, surely). Still, we have yet to see the likes of The Hire repeated. That series starring Clive Owen as "The Driver" was just so special.

Meryl Streep is... Iron Lady

The first picture of Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher is out. Courtesy of the BBC.

Meryl Streep and Margaret Thatcher, The Iron Lady

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poll by twiigs.com

I worry about this biopic given that the director of Mamma Mia! is helming. Hopefully she learned what a camera was and what editors do and somesuch on that practice run. I'm also curious about what drew Streep to the project. I don't know a lot about British politics but I know enough to know that Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister, was no friend to the liberal artsy set (i.e. Meryl's people) and I've heard Thatcher vilified in films like Hunger (2008) and in various songs from the likes of  Sinéad O'Connor. Anyone remember that kick off to Boy George's "No Clause 28" which was fighting against anti-gay legislation at the time?

[Thatcher impersonator] "The aim of this government is to make everyone as miserable as possible!" ♫

I'm sure there are more examples of famous progressives publicly hating on her or at least the politics she embodied as Conservative Leader.

But back to Streep. What I really want to know is why Meryl so rarely works with the great auteurs? Imagine the potent combo. I mean think of Daniel Day-Lewis paired with P.T. Anderson or Emily Watson with Lars Von Trier. If Meryl ever faced a director on her level the earth might spontaneously combust from the artistic fire.

Remember that awesome speech Nora Ephron gave about Meryl Streep playing you? So so funny. Here it is again just for kicks. The best comedy bit that Nora Ephron ever wrote?