Friday Quote: Annie Hall

"After that it got pretty late, and we both had to go, but it was great seeing Annie again. I... I realized what a terrific person she was, and... and how much fun it was just knowing her; and I... I, I thought of that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs."

                                                                                                                                          Annie Hall (1977)

Actors Playing Actors (better than Lindsay Lohan)

After the premiere of that much-maligned Lifetime movie Liz & Dick (in which Lindsay Lohan stars as Elizabeth Taylor), I thought I'd do a mini-list of my 5 favorite performances where actors playing actors!  I recommend all these films wholeheartedly.  And no, I didn't watch the Liz Taylor movie. I don't think I ever need to.

Robert Downey Jr. as Charles Chaplin in Chaplin (1992)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

PULP (pulp) n. 1. A soft, moist, shapeless mass of matter.

2. A magazine or book containing lurid subject matter and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper.

American Heritage Dictionary: New College Edition  

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The first time I saw Pulp Fiction was at a slumber party where the volume was so low that I could hardly follow what was going on. The second time I saw it was in the censored for television version that aired on channel 5 featuring deleted scenes to pad the run-time after all the scandalous stuff was taken out. In spite of such less than stellar viewing circumstances, it quickly became my favorite film. It was just so damn cool. Everyone looked awesome, there was violence, swearing and Dick Dale's Misirlou was like a kick to the nuts. I instantly had to know everything about this film. 

Seeing as this was in the years before internet access, I had to seek out information in books. Over the next two years I was able to rustle up three biographies on Quentin Tarantino and read them cover to cover. Two of them have since found their way to garage sales and used book stores, but Wensley Clarkson's Quentin Tarantino: Shooting From The Hip has remained for one vital reason - it features "The Strictly Unofficial Quentin Tarantino Coolest Movies-of-All-Time List". This list is the reason I started watching Godard films. It's also the reason I know who Walter Hill is. This list let me know that it was OK to like Hollywood action films as well as French art films.

Sometimes I think about altering my favorite films list. As cool as it is, Pulp Fiction doesn't really hit me on an emotional level. There are even Tarantino films (Jackie Brown and Kill Bill) that speak to me on a more personal level. But then I try to come up with a film that could possibly replace it, and the mere thought of doing so feels like sacrilege and infidelity. How could I possibly replace the film that begat my cinephilia with some movie I likely would never have even seen in the first place if it weren't for this formative film?  I can't just toss aside my first love. And most importantly, Pulp Fiction is the film that let me know it was OK for high and low culture to co-exist within the same work and that the resultant work could itself be considered high art. Without Pulp Fiction, this blog would be short one co-founder. I guess since I owe this film everything, the least I can do is let it top my favorite film list from now until forever. Seems fair, right?

Show Us Your...

The other day, 'Becca'lise posted the following on our Facebook wall:

What does your film collection look like? Do you have a few special films? A few dozen? A hundred? A thousand? How is it organized? We want to know!

With many of you eager to share your fanaticism with us, this quickly became our most popular post ever. Friend of the blog Andi B. Goode even took it a step further and photographed her collection for her film blog The Sofa Cinephile. So now it is our turn to share with you. Here are some photos of our collection.

Keeping watch over our collection...

Double-Bill: Murder Most Quaint

Arsenic and Old Lace and The Trouble with Harry

Top-5: Color Commentary

I know I'm an old man for continuing to buy physical copies of things, but I just cannot help it. As much as I love buying music from the iTunes store, I simply cannot see myself buying movies that way. I want all that added-value content. I especially want the commentary tracks. Here's a list of five favorites that keep me coming back for more.

Roadhouse

After an extended riff about blind guitarist Jeff Healey and his presence in the film Roadhouse was included as part of a video intro to the 10th Anniversary DVD of Clerks, someone at MGM saw fit to contact director Kevin Smith and his producer Scott Mosier about doing a commentary track for the film. As they say, "hilarity ensues."

The Specials

What starts as a cute and chummy conversation between old friends James Gunn and Paget Brewster, gradually turns super awkward when Brewster brings up a "cult" that Gunn was briefly involved with. I'm kind of amazed that they kept this on the disc.

The Limey

From nearly the get-go this is an awkward track. Screenwriter Lem Dobbs does not mince words when voicing his dissatisfaction with Steven Soderbergh's direction of his script...right to Soderbergh's face. Don't worry though. There's apparently no bad blood between them. Just last year Dobbs wrote Haywire for Soderbergh. Sadly that disc does not get a commentary track.

Zodiac

There are lots of interesting people on this track (actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., screenwriter James Vanderbilt and producer Brad Fischer) but most interesting is the inclusion of crime author James Ellroy who had absolutely nothing to do with the production of this film. A personal favorite moment of mine is when Ellroy laments the fact that Mark Ruffalo has more hair than he does, Ellroy then consoles himself by stating the fact(?) that he is hung like a mule.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Need a little chaos in your commentary? Just add Kilmer. There is simply no controlling that man. I  am particularly fond of the faux contest where he challenges listeners to keep track of how many names he drops over the course of the film's run time.

Any classics that I left out?

On Film Snobbery

I was talking to somebody recently who claimed to be a "BIG time movie buff!" I perked up, because I love talking movies. But then she proceeded to give me blank stares when I talked about what upcoming movies I was looking forward to (having only heard of The Hobbit), and then later bragged about owning almost 200 movies. Needless to say I went into snob mode, being that together Craig and I have over 1500 films at home. "Ha! Foolish mortal thinking she can outdo me in movie buffness!" Well, I didn't say that out LOUD, but you get the idea. I get the same way when I hear people talk about Twilight, or Tyler Perry, or anything involving a fat suit or bad CGI.

However, when among "true movie buffs", I sometimes feel a little insecure. No, I haven't seen enough Ingmar Bergman, yes I sometimes find complicated movie plots hard to follow and I hate having to ask "Wait, what just happened?" Sometimes, when given a choice between something new and something I've seen a billion times, I opt for Spice World. Again. So who am I to say I'm a bigger fan than somebody else? But then again maybe I don't give myself enough credit. I took film history classes in college and I probably watch more films than the average person, so while I may not be a total expert, I guess I'm allowed to have strong opinions about things. I can group myself together with other movie buffs, even though I haven't seen The Fifth Element (I'm SORRY already!). I can watch my guilty pleasures and enjoy them just as much as genuinely brilliant films. So if people want to talk movies, I could probably be more polite about it.

The next time I hear somebody talk about sparkling vampires, I will bite my tongue and go home to my husband. There the two of us can watch a Marx brothers movie and all will be right with the world.

A Separation (2011)

After Simin (Leila Hatami) leaves her husband Nader (Payman Maadi), he must hire someone to take care of his senile father. Then things get complicated...

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In The West, all we really get to see of Iran is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denying the Holocaust and claiming that his country has no homosexuals. No wonder so many in this country fear Iran. When the person representing your nation to the world is a madman, it stands to reason others nations will view its citizenry as equally mad. Don't you remember the Bush years? Going simply by the title A Separation, you might assumed that this would be simply a film about divorce. When I sat down to watch it, I was expecting little more than an Iranian Kramer vs Kramer. Though still very much about a divorce, it gradually becomes a film about class, religion, gender, responsibility, family, love and guilt. It gives Western viewers an eye-opening look into a world they so rarely get to see. I want to show this film to that substantial portion of America that is in favor of war with Iran. I want them to see that it is a country filled with human beings. Human beings who laugh, cry, love and hate. Human beings who just want to live their lives. This is what truly great cinema can do. Truly great cinema has the power to generate empathy, all within the span of two hours.

Double-Bill: Kramer vs. The Brood

Kramer vs. Kramer and The Brood

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE MARTY!!!

MARTY SCORSESE TURNS 70 TODAY! Happy Birthday to our greatest living director. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful films as well as all the work you've done towards the preservation of film.  When you die (many, many, many years from now) we will do our damnedest to get you canonized as the patron Saint of Cinema! 

What's your favorite Scorsese film?

Friday Quote: A Little Princess

"I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags. Even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They're still princesses. All of us. Didn't your father ever tell you that? Didn't he?"

A Little Princess (1995)

Kubrick at LACMA

For Craig's birthday last Sunday we decided to check out the Kubrick exhibit at LACMA. The timing seemed perfect, especially considering the fact that we've been doing our monthly Kubrick movie parties this year. Anyways! The exhibit was amazing, and being around all the photos and lenses and clapperboards and costumes and props and note-covered scripts made me want to steal everything and spend the rest of my life cackling in my home, petting and talking to all of my stolen Kubrick swag like a crazy person. 

Luckily for everyone, we're not crazy, nor are we thieves (that would be rude), so we just took photos instead. Enjoy!

The Right Stuff (1983)

The decade spanning tale of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and everything they and their families went through to prove that they were made of...The Right Stuff.

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In my opinion it is far easier to make a perfect film when things are kept small. With a limited amount of characters, a short run-time and with a clear narrative, less is left to chance. There can be far greater control. Once you go beyond that, things become drastically more difficult. It becomes a delicate balancing act and things can easily become unwieldy. Lots of big films come come extremely close to victory, only to fumble at the last minute. I was so relieved when this film didn't burn up on re-entry. Knowing the three-hour plus run-time in advance can be intimidating, but you absolutely do not feel it at all. And like the best long films (Apocalypse Now, The Great Escape, Seven Samurai, etc.) you come out the other end feeling like you've been on a journey. You feel as if you've lived through something. And like the Mercury program itself, this was the work of a whole group of extremely talented individuals operating at the top of their craft in the interest of a greater good. The performances are wonderful, the effects are amazing and the cinematography reminds you that Caleb Deschanel was someone before he was Zooey's dad. This movie literally has, "the right stuff".

Don't Tell Me What To Do!: The Revenge!

It's that time again. Time for me to tell the fine folks at Criterion what films they should be releasing. As it stands, none of the ten films I have suggested have gone on to join the hallowed ranks of boutique home video. But next week sees the release of a film that I had long planned to include in one of these posts (Michael Cimino's epic western Heaven's Gate) so yeah...I got that going for me. Anyhow, here's the latest crop of films I feel are worthy of a spine number.

Chimes at Midnight

Upon its initial release, this film was viewed by many as out of touch and too old-fashioned. In the years since, it has come to be hailed by many as the second greatest film of Orson Welles' career (Citizen Kane having long held that first place spot). Due to ongoing disputes over ownership rights, this film has not seen release on American home video since the days of VHS. Having already released Welles' Mr. Arkadin and F for Fake, Criterion would be the logical label to release this film after all the dust settles. The same goes for Welles' still unreleased final film, The Other Side of the Wind. Perhaps even release them in the same month. By any means necessary

My Favorite Slow-Mo Scenes

I love a well-placed slow-motion scene, don't you? They demand attention, whether it's a scene of grandeur or quiet observation, and usually set to great music. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Fall (2006)

The use of Beethoven in this scene really makes it for me.

Desperado (1995)

The continuing adventures of the mariachi with the guitar case full of guns (Antonio Banderas) and his quest for vengeance.

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When animator Frank Tashlin made the switch to live-action in the late 50s with films like The Girl Can't Help It, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and the Martin & Lewis vehicle Artists and Models, cineastes stood up and took notice the world over. His films were like nothing they'd ever seen before - CARTOONS COME TO LIFE! Anything could happen, physics be damned. I say all this because, though it might be considered sacrilege among the Cahiers du Cinema crowd, I like to think that if Tish ever directed a Mexican action flick, it would be Desperado. Think about it. You know it to be true. That gag when Salma Hayek causes two cars to crash just by crossing the street? Picture it with Jayne Mansfield. Or the way El is able to whip bullets around corners with a flick of the wrist. And let's not forget the machine-gun and rocket launching guitar cases. Isn't that really only a few steps removed from Wile E. Coyote? This is why I love Robert Rodriguez, he makes cartoons for the big kids.

Double-Bill: Hollywood Horrors

Sunset Boulevard and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Friday Quote: Wings of Desire

"When the child was a child, it was the time of these questions. Why am I me, and why not you? Why am I here, and why not there? When did time begin, and where does space end? Isn't life under the sun just a dream? Isn't what I see, hear, and smell just the mirage of a world before the world? Does evil actually exist, and are there people who are really evil? How can it be that I, who am I, wasn't before I was, and that sometime I, the one I am, no longer will be the one I am?"

Wings of Desire (1987)

In The Mood For Love (2000)

A man (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and woman (Maggie Cheung)  who are neighbors discover that their spouses are having an affair.

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Shooting a period piece in a rapidly modernizing locale like Hong Kong can be tough when your budget is small. Add to this countless scenes set in cramped hallways and apartments, and things can get downright claustrophobic. But for Wong Kar-Wai and the aching tales of longing he seems to specialize in, such limitations become assets. He and cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bin (along with Christopher Doyle) even double-down by employing extremely long lenses to further compress space and crowd the frame. How better to immerse an audience in this long-ago world of strict social mores and suppressed passion?  I am perfectly fine with this film being the highest ranking film of the 2000s on Sight & Sound's most recent poll. In the Mood for Love yearns like no other film I can think of. It's a secret worth sharing.

Election (1999)

The personal life of high school teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) gets...complicated. Oh and there's a student election going on too.

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When I first saw Election (on VHS) I had never even heard of Alexander Payne. Though already an avid indie-film nut and familiar with its sleeve at the video store, I had not yet seen Payne's debut feature Citizen Ruth. This coupled with the fact that Election was being released by MTV Films, lead to some seriously low expectations on my part. I mean how could a movie featuring the least interesting guy from American Pie be any good? Well as you can likely tell by the fact that I am writing about it on this blog, I really really liked the movie. And come to think of it, I'm actually kind of thankful for the totally generic teen-movie marketing that this film received.  It warms my heart that a film as cynical and biting as this was able to be seen by such a wide audience. I love it when the public can be tricked into watching art.

Before Sunrise (1995) / Before Sunset (2004)

I can't believe I waited so long to see these films! I had heard only good things about them, my mom had them on DVD, but for some reason I never got around to watching them until a couple days ago. And the romantic in me just DIED. So lovely!

In Before Sunrise, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) meet on a train in Vienna. Sparks fly, he convinces her to join him in Vienna to spend one night talking and exploring the city before they have to leave each other. They fall in love, naturally, and we are left with an ending that both satisfies and leaves us expectant. What will happen to these two? Before Sunset, an almost perfect sequel taking place nine years later, answers that question.

I love films that take place in one moment. One city, one night. One perfect love story caught in time. Before Sunrise has a romance that perhaps wouldn't work in real life, in this world or in theirs. The characters (and the audience) have idealized it. Seeing the pair nine years later with their unhappy life experiences and bitterness shows us that maybe staying trapped in a perfect memory does more harm than good. But the very fact that these two found each other again has a magic in and of itself. Sometimes you just can't shake that special someone.

The acting from Hawke and Delpy is great, the chemistry is believable. Their romance is emotional but not cheesy, and despite the fact that these characters are talking about the universe and reincarnation and dreams, we feel like we know them and can relate in some way. I'm very happy that I finally watched these films and that they moved me so much. Long live cinema!

Argo (2012)

Based on the unbelievable true story of the mission to extract six American diplomats hiding out in Iran after the embassy siege...by passing them off as a Canadian film crew.

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After the flat-out success of the small-scale Gone Baby Gone, director Ben Affleck attempted to up the ante with the much more epic The Town. While I know a lot of people who loved that film, I found it to be a weird mish-mash of capable action and drama that never really came together as anything meaningful. When I first heard about Argo, I was dreading a repeat of The Town. When I saw the trailer I was dreading something akin to George Clooney's abysmal Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Thankfully all my worries were ill founded. Ben Affleck knocks it out of the park on this one creating a riveting story full of tension that is also capable of taking a break for a few chuckles. It's a very delicate balance that few films are able to pull off, but this one does. When I saw that shot of the wineglass being carried on a tray from the costumed script read-through to the back kitchen where a TV is showing hostage crisis coverage, I was blown away. The perfect hand-off. Ben Affleck is the real deal folks. To anyone who says otherwise I say, "Argo fuck yourself!"

Double-Bill: Wild At Heart

The Wild Child and The Master

Fall Fashion at the Movies

After a sweltering summer in southern California, the weather is finally cooling down. Naturally, as a cinema-lovin' fashion-conscious gal, I turn to the movies to inspire my cool weather wardrobe. Lots of classics, coats, browns and blacks, and a touch of quirk. Here are 6 of my favorite fall looks from some of my favorite films.

Audrey Hepburn as Jo Stockton in Funny Face (1957)

What's a fashion list without Miss Hepburn? As a beatnik-bookworm-turned-model, she dons a lot of fabulous couture outfits. It's her pre-makeover clothes, however, that have me inspired. In a black turtleneck, black pants, black flats, trench coat, and simple ponytail, she is the very definition of gamine-chic!

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

When two young kids (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) run away together, the whole island of New Penzance is thrown into a tizzy.

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Moonrise Kingdom is a beautiful composite of Wes Anderson's entire career both thematically and aesthetically. It's like a thesis film of sorts. Kids, animals, tracking shots, meticulous design, parental damage, love, pop music, saturated colors, restrained emotion, montages, written correspondence, awkward sexuality, rebellion, narration etc. all come together in a beautiful whole. Even his experience making The Fantastic Mr. Fox comes to bear with a more effective inclusion of animation than that of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. If you're one of those cold-hearted people that hates Wes Anderson, this film will not change your opinion. But then again that's your loss. Sure his range as a director is insanely narrow, but I like that. There's comfort in that. Personally, I don't ever want to see a Wes Anderson film that looks like anything other than a Wes Anderson film.

"I like stories with magic powers in them. Either in kingdoms on Earth or on foreign planets. Usually I prefer a girl hero, but not always."