"Titanic" Times Three. And Forever.

I had grand plans for the Titanic centennial, plans filled with a supersize hubris not unlike the power players at the White Star Lines albeit without the deadly consequences. It would be the biggest boldest blog post ever and would compare every last detail of all film versions of Titanic from costuming to art direction to special effects to young loves lost in the icy waters.  Film Experience readers would feel as if they'd won the lottery for a first class ticket, no slumming in steerage required! But before I drive this analogy into an uncomfortably tone deaf iceberg moment -- like the one James Cameron collided with when he mixed "King of the World" bragging with that moment of silence for a 1517 souls lost on the tragic night -- I will stop and just get on with it. Picture time!

Titanic (1943), Titanic (1953), and Titanic (1997)

Here is a brief visual history of the Titanic sinking via the greatest of all art forms, The Movies. All images are culled from films named Titanic directed by Germany's Herbert Selpin, the Romanian Hollywood success Jean Negulesco, and Canada's box office colossus James Cameron in 1943, 1953 and 1997. These are hardly the only films about the infamous oceanic disaster even if you exclude the filmed narratives where the disaster is only a minor plot point in everything from one of the earliest best picture winners Cavalcade (1933) to today's popular British series Downton Abbey (2010-)

The three Titanics begin very differently... before settling in as narrative siblings.

The German film begins with a board meaning at White Star Line staging the event as a cautionary tale about big business. The 1953 picture begins with an eery human-free depiction of the forming of an iceberg that Malick might love (though it instantly flips back to a stuffy 50s drama). The 1997 blockbuster begins with a contemporary dive with an explorer (Bill Paxton) and an old survivor Rose (Gloria Stuart) about to reminisce... cue three hour flashback!!!

After that they're much more similar. We get...

Click to read more ...

Box Office: Hunger Milestones & Reader Questions

With the box office ever in its favor, The Hunger Games just keeps climbing the all-time charts. With $337 million in the US alone in just four weeks, it will soon outgross last year's biggest hits (Harry Potter 7.2 and Transformers 3). If it can pass Toy Story 3's $415 million it'll be the biggest hit released since (gulp) Avatar stateside.

That fire dress was prophetic. Unfortunately that movie's bonfire heat makes writing about the box office even more boring than it usually is... which is why I always gussy it up with photoshop fun & reader question games.

chart via box office mojo

So herewith...

Eight Questions

1. How many times have you seen Hunger Games?
2. Did you at any point want someone beside Katniss to win?
3. How many times have you seen Titanic in the movie theater (then & now)?
4. Have you recently snuck into a movie so you didn't have to pay for a ticket?
5. What kind of movies would you fund with $337 million?
6. Who are the crazy people who paid for The Three Stooges this weekend? Justify your behavior!
7. With Mirror Mirror about to hit $50, has the movie made back its costume budget yet?
8. What did you see this weekend?

I'll kick things off by answering in the comments. Tag, you're it.

The Nineties.

Good evening America. It has recently come to my attention that I enjoy the nein•a•dees. I came upon this realization on Saturday whilst watching Titanic (1997) starring Billy Zane, The Unsinkable Annie Wilkes... and Suzy Amis. After removing my misty used 3D glasses sponsored by The Lion King, I gazed wistfully at photos of blk dnm's "leather jacket 8" modelled by Juliette Lewis and Chloe Sevigny. In two dimensions. 

Later indulging in buttery spaetzle, courtesy of Hallo Berlin and nein-a-dees university mates, we considered trapeze lessons and discussed the puzzling career of Mira Sorvino before spotting Primal Fear's Edward Norton in the 10th row at "The Lady From Dubuque" starring four time Oscar nominee Jane Alexander. She twirled her angelic shawl with all the grace befitting an Albee abstraction. Or Stevie Nicks at a Fleetwood Mac reunion tour.

The Titanic Centennial weekend festivities were sponsored by Three Olives vodka, Junior Mints, and memories of Celine Dion's chest-thumping Oscar ballad. I'll never let go, Jack.

This post is dedicated to Drew Droege, Leonardo DiCaprio's Elfin Youth, And Jenette Goldstein as "Irish Mommy"

All This, and Linking Too

Matt Patches gives us the best news of the day for New Yorkers. The Alamo Drafthouse is coming.
Lists of Note Preston Sturges "11 rules of box office appeal" Tee hee.
Cinema Blend new details on Matt Damon's Promised Land. It involves fracking.
Scanners a wonderful interview with Bette Davis circa 1988. She would have turned 104 this weekend.

Pajiba the highest grossing female led action films (not adjusted for inflation)
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The Awl unanswered questions about teen movies. Here's a sample:

Say Anything…: How many times did Lloyd use the boombox trick in future relationships, and was his song selection always “In Your Eyes,” or did it change to reflect the current hits?

Tom Shone on the Titanic 3D conversion. I love Tom Shone.

Finally Boy Culture reminded me of this  year old interview with one of my favorite character actresses (and incidentally one of my favorite lesbians) Miriam Margolyes. I love her in everything -- remember how fun she was lusting after The Bening in Being Julia?. She is hilarious and she was totally dissing the Oscars for their big stars in supporting categories problem.

It was a very good film called The Age of Innocence and I was marvelous in it. I was! The reason I wasn't nominated was because of WINONA RYDER AND I DON'T LIKE HER! What happened was she was nominated as a supporting actress instead being nominated as a leading actress. If she'd jolly well kept herself to herself and been a leading actress, they would have nominated me as supporting. I was livid."

Someday My Link Will Come...

The Playlist P.T. Anderson's The Master is coming on October 12th. Five long years for a new PT.
Gawker Rich Juzwiak on the reign of PG-13 "safe, sanitized, and worth shitloads of money"
Cinema Blend "the envy of lady bookworms everywhere"... Mia Wasikowska moves from Jane Eyre to Madame Bovary.
Empire has an hour long interview w/  General Zod himself Terence Stamp.
La Daily Musto "Newsies is the new Annie" love that headline for this review of the film turned stage musical.

Movie|Line apparently Leonardo DiCaprio was just too busy to attend the Titanic 3D premiere. James, Kate and Billy made the time.
WOW Dakota Fanning in Wonderland magazine. She's looking a bit Carol Kane, yes?
Thought Killer an imagined conversation between four girl icons: Buffy, Bella, Hermione and Katniss from Hunger Games
The Capitol Interesting piece on Jennifer Lawrence and the career she might have if she plays her hand well.

Her presence is palpably earthy and unfussy, reminiscent of Ingrid Bergman, another natural beauty who seemed uninterested in playing up her looks.

Flavorwire on the music used in Hunger Games (strangely much of the score is not on the soundtrack album 
Zephyr A must for horror fans: what horror icons from the past might look like today. 
Old Hollywood awesome storyboards from Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver.

Finally...
NPR Snow White is having a moment. Why now?

... and I suppose this as as good a time as any to announced that I'm taking Jorge's suggestion. We'll do Snow White and the Seven Dwarves for the April 11th Hit Me With Your Best Shot.  If you join in your prince will come. Someday. Promise.