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Interview: Artemis Women in Action Film Festival Founder Melanie Wise
I was fortunate enough to speak with Melanie Wise, the founder of the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival yesterday, and what perfect timing since today is International Women’s Day! After the cut, please find the interview. I hope you enjoy and if you can spare even $5 please donate to the festival’s IndieGoGo campaign!
Movie Quote of the Day – Indecent Proposal, 1993 (dir. Adrian Lyne)
John: Dance?
Diana: I should go.
John: I remember once when I was young, and I was coming back from some place, a movie or something. I was on the subway and there was a girl sitting across from me and she was wearing this dress that was buttoned clear up right to here. She was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And I was shy then, so when she would look at me, I would look away. Then, afterwards, when I would look back, she would look away. Then I got to where I was gonna get off, and got off, the doors closed, and as the train was pulling away she looked right at me and gave me the most incredible smile. It was awful, I wanted to tear the doors open. And I went back every night, same time, for two weeks, but she never showed up. That was 30 years ago and I don’t think that there’s a day that goes by that I don’t think about her. I don’t want that to happen again. Just one dance?
Oscar Vault Monday – A Few Good Men, 1992 (dir. Rob Reiner)
This is one of those movies that I have seen so many times I don’t have an accurate count. It’s also one that I mostly watched edited on television, so when I watched it for the first time on DVD there were so many things that had either been cut out for time or censored for content; it was shocking. Moral of the story: make sure you watch this movie on DVD. My mother and I always joke about how if this movie is on television, no matter what we are doing, we will leave it on because we just have to see that ending scene. It’s definitely one of the greatest endings in film history. A Few Good Men was nominated for four Academy Awards, though it failed to win any: Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Supporting Actor Jack Nicholson and Best Picture. Rob Reiner failed to receive a Best Director nomination despite the Best Picture nod. His place went to Robert Altman for The Player, which failed to receive a Best Picture nomination. Always strange when that happens. The other films nominated for Best Picture that year were: The Crying Game, Howard’s End, Scent of a Woman and winner Unforgiven.
Oscar Vault Monday – Ghost, 1990 (dir. Jerry Zucker)
I love this movie way too much. It has always been a favorite of mine and I think it always will be. I just feel like it is one of the most passionate films ever made. I think it has aged well (yes, even the special effects) and I think that is because of the strength of the story and the performances of all the actors involved. Ghost was ranked #19 on AFI’s 100 Years. . .100 Passions list and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two: Best Original Score (Maurice Jarre), Best Film Editing (Walter Murch), Best Original Screenplay (won), Best Supporting Actress and Best Picture. The other films nominated for Best Picture that year were Awakenings, The Godfather Part III, Goodfellas and winner Dances With Wolves. There will be quite a few spoilers for this film if you haven’t seen it, so beware.
Movie Quote of the Day – G.I. Jane, 1997 (dir. Ridley Scott)
Lt. Jordan O’Neil: Master Chief…
Master Chief John Urgayle: Lieutenant, seek life elsewhere.
Lt. Jordan O’Neil: Suck my dick!
Zero-Time Academy Award Nominees (part 2) – 20 of the Best Contemporary Actresses Who’ve Never Been Nom’d For Oscar
This list was a lot harder to come up with because most of the actresses I like/consider to be great at their craft are Oscar nominees or winners. I was thinking perhaps the reason there are less underrated actresses is because there are less great roles for actresses and thus less actresses are able to really shine. That being said I did come up with a list of 20 contemporary actresses who have never been nominated that I think have given at least one Oscar-worthy performance, if not filled their career with them.
the diary of a film history fanatic 