Monthly Archives: May 2011
My Love For Woody Allen: Week 1
I recently finished watching every single film Woody Allen has ever directed, as well as most of the ones he either wrote or just starred in, but didn’t direct. His latest film, Midnight In Paris, is set to open at the end of the month. Thus I have decided to write a little bit about all of his films up until its premiere. I’m not going to go very in-depth, mostly because of the sheer volume of his body of work. Also, I’m going to start with Take The Money and Run because that’s the first film he wrote and directed (but you should still give What’s New Pussycat? and What’s Up Tiger Lily a watch). Other films I won’t write about but suggest you watch include Play It Again, Sam (based on a play Allen wrote and starring Allen and Diane Keaton) and The Front (a really great look at the Hollywood blacklist). So for this first week I’m going to go through Stardust Memories and then pick up at A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy next week, etc. etc. Also, while you’re at it check out this handy dandy aStore I set up featuring all of Allen’s work.
Movie Quote of the Day – Becket, 1964 (dir. Peter Glenville)
Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine: I gave you my youth, I gave you your children.
King Henry II: I don’t like my children! And as for your youth, that withered flower, pressed between the pages of a hymnbook since you were twelve years old, with its watery blood and stale insipid scent, you can bid farewell to that without a tear. Your body was an empty desert, madame, which duty forced me to wander in alone.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1939 (dir. William Dieterle)
Quasimodo: I never realized till now how ugly I am, because you’re so beautiful.
TCM Classic Film Festival: Citizen Kane
As many of you know, I recently covered the TCM Classic Film Festival for YAM Magazine. You can see the first of those articles here; there will be three more posted throughout the week. I’ll keep my general comments short and just say that it was fabulous and look for my article on YAM tomorrow for more details. I saw lots of really wonderful films on the big screen and I write about those experiences in the article that will be published tomorrow. That being said, I wanted to share one revelation I had while watching Citizen Kane. It is of the spoilery nature, so I thought it best to post it here, under the safety of jump-cut.
Movie Quote of the Day – Under The Tuscan Sun, 2003 (dir. Audrey Wells)
Frances: Buongiorno.
Katharine: Buongiorno.
Frances: Do I still look sad to you?
Katharine: No.
Frances: Ladybugs, Katherine. Lots and lots of ladybugs.
Katharine: Lovely.
Oscar Vault Monday – Mystic River, 2003 (dir. Clint Eastwood)
I hadn’t seen this movie until last weekend. I have no idea why I waited so long to see it. I mean, it has a stellar cast and Clint Eastwood is a favorite of mine (as a writer and a director). It’s also based on Dennis Lehane novel (who also wrote the novels on which Shutter Island and Gone Baby Gone were based), with a screenplay written by Brian Helgeland (who shares an Oscar with Curtis Hanson for their on L.A. Confidential). Despite all of that, it took me nearly a decade to actually watch the film. Boy was it worth the wait. It’s probably one of the most tense films I’d ever seen. It was nominated for six Oscars winning two: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress Marcia Gay Harden, Best Supporting Actor Tim Robbins (won), Best Actor Sean Penn (won), Best Director and Best Picture. Incidentally, this was the first time Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor had come from the same film since 1959’s Ben-Hur. The other films up for Best Picture that year were Lost in Translation, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Seabiscuit and winner The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Movie Quote of the Day – The Talented Mr. Ripley, 1999 (dir. Anthony Minghella)
Tom Ripley: I always thought it would be better, to be a fake somebody. . .than a real nobody.
April Showers, 117 Films, One Film Festival and Finishing Off Woody Allen
This month was a bit of a slow month for me. Lots of subbing and I spent the last few days at the TCM Classic Film Festival, so I had less time to watch films than previous months. You can see my month-in-review for January, February and March here. I watched a lot of great Ray Milland films this month (thank you TCM), some “Classic Cerebral Foreign Films” (or, that’s what Netflix calls them), as well as several of Georges Méliès short films. Last month I saw films from 11 different decades, this month I trumped that and saw films from all 13 decades that there have been films! I mean by that, at least one film from the 1890s-2010s; see the following list for a breakdown by decade. Oh, and I also (finally) finished watching all of Woody Allen’s directorial filmography. Starting in May I’m going to do an extensive look at his body of work leading up to the release of his 43rd feature Midnight In Paris.
Movie Quote of the Day – Spaceballs, 1987 (dir. Mel Brooks)
Radar Technician: The radar, sir, it appears to be. . .jammed!
Dark Helmet: Jammed? [tastes it] Raspberry!
the diary of a film history fanatic 