A Star Is Born: Kirsten Dunst in 1994

by Cláudio Alves

For all its controversies, Alex Garland's Civil War has gifted us with more than just an (a)political provocation. The chosen format limits the film's considerations of conflict journalism, and its overall construction has flaws aplenty. Yet, in the picture's lead, Kirsten Dunst delivers another worthwhile turn as a disillusioned photographer. Exhaustion laces every gesture and actorly choice, and though Garland seems to abandon her for the film's final act, whenever the camera finds Dunst, she delivers. Whether portraying cynical apathy or shell-shocked grief, apprehensive over a younger colleague's fate or breaking down at the eleventh hour, the actress can weave straw into gold and elevate any material.

Considering her latest performance, I couldn't help but reminisce about Dunst's early days and how, thirty years ago, she became a star at just twelve years old…

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Horror Actressing: Kirsten Dunst in "Interview With the Vampire"

by Jason Adams

All of the best moments in Interview With the Vampire belong to the eleven-year-old. Re-watching the film now here on its 25th anniversary there's a lot to like (Tom Cruise allows himself to be camp in ways that he usually is but this time purposefully, and Neil Jordan floods everything with opulent blood-red atmosphere) and there's a lot to hate (it's a slog and Brad Pitt is awful) but there's really only one thing to love, and that thing is Kirsten Dunst every single second she's on-screen as the immortal vampire trapped in a little girl's perpetual curls.

The story goes that Dunst was the first girl that they auditioned for the role of "Claudia" but that she auditioned twice -- her agent supposedly told her she was terrible the first time through and forced her back into the room to do it all over again. "How avant-garde," indeed. Still that gambit worked, and one of our greatest actresses got her start by slashing up multiple nannies and kissing Brad Pitt on the mouth -- an experience Dunst maintains was "gross," speaking for exactly zero other people aged eleven to one hundred and eleven...

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Beauty vs Beast: Love Among the Dino Droppings

Jason from MNPP here - before I saw Call Me By Your Name in theaters 18 times this past winter the movie that held my personal record of "seen the most times seen in the theater" was Jurassic Park, which I saw in the theater 15 times in 1993. Meaning I can place where I was exactly 25 years ago today, since today's the 25th anniversary. I can also place where I was tomorrow 25 years ago, and the day after that 25 years ago, and the day after that 25 years ago... I saw it every single night for a straight week. It was my Star Wars.

Every progressive sequel's dulled the impact a bit more but that first movie, man I can still feel the tingle up my spine the first time the camera panned up that brachiosaurus and John Williams' music swelled and Spielberg cut to the distant dinos bathing themselves in the sparkling sunlight... it was like the four walls of the house my imagination lived inside of were kicked down all at once. Utter movie magic. Every kid that ever smashed their little dino figures together felt it. And yet the human characters kick ass too. With actors like this around...

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PREVIOUSLY Last week's Interview with the Vampire race stayed tight and vacillated often but it was Tom Cruise's Lestat who crawled out of the swamp and unto victory over Brad Pitt's Louis at the end. Said Jaragon:

"Lestat is a lot more fun and he gets the last bite."

Beauty vs Beast: Queens of the Night

Happy Tuesday, Jason from MNPP here with our weekly "Beauty vs Beast" fun - the year of movies in focus for June is the year 1994 thanks to the Smackdown (Nat just introduced you to the panelists) and so I'm going to take you back to a movie of 1994 for this week's poll... namely Neil Jordan's Interview With the Vampire, which starred Tom Cruise as Lestat and Brad Pitt as his blood heir Louis locked in a battle of diabolical foppery from the story by Anne Rice.

Handily this is also a film that works thematically for Gay Pride Month too, although lord knows it should've been far, far gayer - no doubt the forthcoming TV series rights that wrong. But whose side will you take today? The unrepentant and giddy evildoer, or the sad romantic that looks like Brad Pitt in 1994? As Lestat says, "Don't be afraid, I'm going to give you the choice I never had..."

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PREVIOUSLY Most of expressed feeling bad that you were voting against Christina Ricci in our Opposite of Sex poll from two weeks back but that sure didn't stop you - Lisa Kudrow's Lucia trounced her with almost 80% of the vote. Said James From Ames:

"Have to give it to Lucia. They've both overbearing as hell, but at least Lucia's comes from a messed-up sense of protectiveness, right? One of my favorite movies of all time, and Ricci's best performance in my opinion. I don't remember when exactly I first saw it -- but I never was the same again after that summer."

Stream This: Young Adult, Saved!, Weiner-Dog, and more...

It's that time again. Let's look at what's new to streaming on Amazon Prime this month, by random screengrabs wherever the scrolling bar drops us in the movie...

Oh Mary, please don't tell me you're a lesbian."

Saved! (2004)
I've never seen this Christian high school movie but given how often its devout fans bring it up or quote it perhaps I should? 

Please help us...

Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Don't do it, Brad! Kiki is BIG TROUBLE even though she comes in a tiny cute package. 

six more movies after the jump...

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