the good guy

as you can tell from this blog, i rarely watch contemporary films. still, every once in a while i come upon one that grabs my attention. while showing the trailer for 'never let me go' to a friend yesterday, i was immediately caught with tears in my eyes by seeing the face of andrew garfield. his character in this stunning movie broke my heart in a perfectly satisfying way.

he is now making a film based on an 'oprah' approved novel. brand new hardcover copies of that book are for sale on amazon for 75 cents. what is this world coming to? ain't no one reading real books? fahrenheit 451 here we come...

johnny and vanessa

just like everyone else, i too am kinda sad to see this end.

where to draw the line

fred macmurray took a big chance when he took on the role of 'walter neff' in director billy wilder's genius film 'double indemnity.' the year was 1944 and fred was known mostly as a likable character in lots of films. he was blessed with the role of 'walter', a guy whose ordinary life as an insurance salesman goes way south upon seeing the anklet on the wife of a potential client. said anklet was on the slim ankle of barbara stanwyck.

her performance is exceptional. these two have over two hundred credits between them but it is 'double indemnity' that is the most deeply etched in cinema history. i have seen this film more times than i will confess. hallelujah for actors who break free from public perceptions of them.

stamina

how does she do it? we all know that living with sam shepard must have been intense. still, when i watched jessica win her golden globe the other night, i was once again seduced by the fizzy concoction of confidence/sincerity (with a dash of bashful) that the woman continues to exude.

my introduction came with 'tootsie.' her performance in 'blue sky' knocks one's socks off. 'frances'? forget about it. the genius actress kim stanley played her mom in that. if i am not mistaken, at the golden globes she seems to have been carrying kim within her.

i'm not about to watch the scary series she just won for but clearly she is still knockin' people's socks off.

what's it all about

i believe this is the scene in 'alfie' when he calls his girlfriend (one of many) 'cloth ears.' i love british expressions big time. i also loved michael caine's performance in this classic film. it is never too late to hear the story of a man's ascent to consciousness. everyone is splendid as the cast of characters who tolerate and come to extricate alfie from their lives.

thanks to sherry for the great photo.

art imitates life

'Kim Stanley in the film The Goddess as the best performance ever in film. Recommended viewing for anyone interested in the “Golden Age” of film and Broadway.

'1958 Columbia Pictures drama film starring Kim Stanley and Lloyd Bridges. Others in the cast include Steven Hill, Betty Lou Holland, Joan Copeland, Patty Duke, and Elizabeth Wilson. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

'In her movie debut, Kim Stanley gives a heart-rending performance in one of the very few films to show what effect Hollywood or show business, in general, can have on a single person. She captures the character’s restless misery, fragile turmoil and neurosis, brought about by the rejection and unhappiness of childhood.'

it has been said that this film is about marilyn monroe. maybe it is.

dang

garbo and gilbert had serious chemistry. when she began to make films in hollywood he was the biggest star of all. they fell in love, the talkies came, and as garbo rose to greater fame gilbert was out of a job due to audiences laughing at the sound of his voice. cruel!

when garbo made 'queen christina' she had them cast gilbert opposite her. i never really liked that film but i surely admire greta for reaching out to the one who gave her guidance in her early days.

what makes a legend most

short and sweet

fade to black

seems there is a new wave of black and white movies being made. they look so bland! in this techno age we are living in, why aren't they processing the film to get gorgeous contrasts?




black and white can be BEAUTIFUL, as this image proves.

gimme plenty clementi

leave it to pierre clementi to play the role of a man teaching a class to make a bomb.

j.d. squared