Author Archives: Marya E. Gates
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!
Movie Quote of the Day – Spartacus, 1960 (dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Herald: I bring a message from your master Marcus Licinius Crassus commander of ltaly. By command of His Most Merciful Excellency your lives are to be spared. Slaves you were and slaves you remain. But the terrible penalty of crucifiixion has been set aside on the single condition that you identify the body or the living person ofthe slave called Spartacus.
Antoninus: I’m Spartacus!
Slaves: (one at a time, then overlapping) I’m Spartacus! I’m Spartacus! I’m Spartacus! I’m Spartacus! I’m Spartacus! I’m Spartacus! I’m Spartacus!
Movie Quote of the Day – The Ruling Class, 1972 (dir. Peter Medak)
Lady Claire Gurney: How do you know you’re God?
Jack Arnold Alexander Tancred Gurney, 14th Earl of Gurney: Simple. When I pray to Him, I find I am talking to myself.
Movie Quote of the Day – Airplane!, 1980 (dir. Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker)
Randy: Can I get you something?
Second Jive Dude: ‘S’mofo butter layin’ me to da’ bone! Jackin’ me up. . .tight me!
Randy: I’m sorry, I don’t understand.
First Jive Dude: Cutty say ‘e can’t hang!
Jive Lady: Oh stewardess! I speak jive.
Randy: Oh, good.
German Poster For Malick’s “The Tree of Life”
This poster seems to emphasize the domestic aspects of Terrence Malick’s newest films that promises to span millennia, including the origins of life – an dinosaurs! – as well as a look at the life of a boy’s relationship with his father. Brad Pitt is the father in the 1950s (or so) and Sean Penn plays the grown up version of the son. I absolutely love everything that Malick has ever done and am more than excited for this film.
The film is set to premiere on May 16, 2011 at the Cannes Film Festival before opening wide on May 27, 2011 in the United States.
the diary of a film history fanatic 