Author Archives: Marya E. Gates
Auteur of the Week: Spike Jonze
My first memory of Spike Jonze came about when I was 13 years old and I read about his upcoming film Being John Malkovich in a Q&A between John Malkovich and then Time Magazine reporter Joel Stein. At the time I was madly in love with both Malkovich and Joel Stein. I was an odd child. Needless to say the movie did not come anywhere near my little hamlet of a town and I had to wait and rent it. At the time we still didn’t have a DVD player so I had to rent it on VHS tape and I hadn’t gotten my own TV/VCR yet (a present I would get upon 8th grade graduation a few months later) and thus was stuck watching it out in the living room. Let’s just say every time a parent or my brother came out of their respective rooms to get something from the kitchen, I immediately turned it off and pretended I was watching something on television. I really do not think I could have watched that in mixed company. Regardless, I really loved it and it marks the beginning of my love for strange, offbeat films.
Trailer, Poster and Stills for Julian Schnabel’s “Miral”
The film stars Freida Pinto, Willam Dafoe, Hiam Abbass and Vanessa Redgrave. It’s an adaptation of Italo-Palestinian Rula Jebreal’s book about the real-life Palestinian woman Hind Husseini, who started the Dar Al-Tifl orphanage in Jerusalem in the wake of the 1948 partition of Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel. The story will span the years 1948-94. It’s being released by The Weinstein Co. on December 3.
Trailer after the cut.
New Stills From Mark Romanek’s “Never Let Me Go”
The more stills I see from this the more I can’t wait to see it. Although, I will admit I started reading the Kazuo Ishiguro book on which the film is based a few weeks ago and I got bored after about 20 pages. Maybe it picks up. Regardless, I am determined to finish it before the movie releases.
More photos after the cut.
Oscar Vault Monday – Moonstruck, 1987 (dir. Norman Jewison)
I don’t even remember when I first saw this movie, but it must be over 15 years ago now. I love it so much. I used to own in on VHS, yes VHS, and I’d watch it anytime I needed a pick-me-up. There’s just this wonderful energy about the entire film. It’s a lot of fun and full of heart. It was up for six Academy Awards, winning three: Best Actress – Cher (she won), Best Supporting Actress – Olympia Dukakis (she won), Best Original Screenplay – John Patrick Shanley (he won), Best Supporting Actor – Vincent Gardenia, Best Director – Norman Jewison and Best Picture. It was up against Broadcast News, Fatal Attraction, Hope and Glory and winner The Last Emperor.
Movie Quote of the Day – Some Like It Hot, 1959 (dir. Billy Wilder)
Jerry: Oh no you don’t! Osgood, I’m gonna level with you. We can’t get married at all.
Osgood: Why not?
Jerry: Well, in the first place, I’m not a natural blonde.
Osgood: Doesn’t matter.
Jerry: I smoke! I smoke all the time!
Osgood: I don’t care.
Jerry: Well, I have a terrible past. For three years now, I’ve been living with a saxophone player.
Osgood: I forgive you.
Jerry: [Tragically] I can never have children!
Osgood: We can adopt some.
Jerry: But you don’t understand, Osgood!
[Pulls of wig]
Jerry: I’m a man!
Osgood: Well, nobody’s perfect!
Movie Quote of the Day – A League of Their Own, 1992 (dir. Penny Marshall)
Jimmy Dugan: Are you crying? Are you crying? ARE YOU CRYING? There’s no crying! THERE’S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!
Movie Quote of the Day – The Wedding Singer, 1998 (dir. Frank Coraci)
Father of the Bride: You are the worst wedding singer in the world, buddy!
Robbie: Sir, one more outburst, I will strangle you with my microphone wire. You understand me?
The DVD Collection of a Film Awards Fanatic
I’ve decided it’s time I share with my dutiful readers my beloved DVD collection. A few things to start with; firstly, I organize my DVDs chronologically by when they were first released in theaters. I definitely have the years right and try to have the order of films within that year as close to right as possible (I’m not 100% anal about it). I’ve done it this way ever since I first had a pitiful DVD collection of about 10 films. Now it’s just under 300 and I still keep it that way. Before you ask, yes I can find any DVD I have at any given time. I think about films based on the year they come out and thus I organize them that way. It often confuses the casual film watcher, but I know there’s at least a few of you out there who would have no trouble finding something in my collection. Secondly, this collection contains classic films, indie, art house, guilty pleasures, childhood favorites, things people bought me that I’d never seen before and a handful of films I haven’t actually seen but saw in the $3 bin at Big Lots and thought “what the hell?” Thirdly, like I said some of these films were gifts I hadn’t asked for, some are gifts I had, some are from Amazon, A LOT are from Amoeba/Rasputin in Berkeley/San Francisco and most recently a lot have come from the $5 bin at Wal-Mart and the $3 bin at Big Lots. I cannot say enough about the $3 bin at Big Lots. I’ve found both guilty pleasures and amazing classics in that bin. I highly recommend it. Lastly, there are so many films that I love that I don’t own. For proof, I submit to you my Amazon wish list (well, one of five) that contains roughly 150 films. “On with the list!” you say. And on with the list I shall go. But first, here’s a crappy camera phone photo of the film part of my DVD collection. (I’m going to list my TV on DVD, though I won’t post a picture)
Movie Quote of the Day – Sophie’s Choice, 1982 (dir. Alan J. Pakula)
SS officer: You may keep one of your children.
Sophie: I beg your pardon?
SS officer: You may keep one of your children. The other must go away.
Sophie: You mean, I have to choose?
the diary of a film history fanatic 