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RIP Sally Menke
Sally Menke was an integral player in the making of Quentin Taratino’s career. The two worked very close together to create the fast-paced, edgy feel of his films. Sadly, she passed away yesterday while out hiking, she was 56 years old.
She has quite a diverse filmography aside from her work with Tarantino:
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
- The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1991)
- Reservoir Dogs (1992)
- Pulp Fiction (1994) [ Nominated – Academy Award for Best Film Editing, Nominated – American Cinema Editors Eddie Award – “Best Edited Feature Film”, Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Editing ]
- Four Rooms, Segment: “The Man from Hollywood” (1995)
- Mulholland Falls (1996)
- Nightwatch (1997)
- Jackie Brown (1997)
- All the Pretty Horses (2000)
- Daddy and Them (2000)
- Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) [ Won- Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing, Won – San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing, Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Editing, Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing ],
- Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) [ Nominated – American Cinema Editors Eddie Award – “Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)”, Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing]
- Grindhouse, Segment: “Death Proof” (2007)
- Inglourious Basterds (2009) [ Nominated – Academy Award for Best Film Editing, Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Editing, Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award Best Editing, Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing]
- Peacock (2010)
I’ve seen about eight of those films. One of the things I look at in a film is the editing and I think Menke was one of the greatest editors working in Hollywood today. She will be sadly missed.
Movie Quote of the Day – Pulp Fiction, 1994 (dir. Quentin Tarantino)
Mia: Don’t you hate that?
Vincent: What?
Mia: Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it’s necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be comfortable?
Vincent: I don’t know. That’s a good question.
Mia: That’s when you know you’ve found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.
My Oscar Nominations Predictions
The Academy Award nominations will be announced at 5:30AM PST tomorrow, February 2nd. I’ve got predictions for 10 of the 24 categories. I’m also going to supply some alternates. I love being able to predict what the nominations will be, but at the same time, it would be nice for some surprises to sneak in there too!
Best Picture:
- (500) Days of Summer
- An Education
- Avatar
- District 9
- The Hangover
- The Hurt Locker
- Inglourious Basterds
- Precious
- Star Trek
- Up In The Air
(Alternates: Up, Invictus, A Serious Man)
Avatar – Visually Stunning, But Ultimately Boring and Predictable
I really did go into this film with an open mind. After about 30 minutes I was pretty sure I knew how I’d feel about the rest of the film. Why? Because I could see exactly how it was going to play out and all I really wanted was for it to end.
Miramax Offices Close – The End of An Era
I hear on the grapevine though that the Weinsteins, who were bought out of Miramax years ago and started their own company – The Weinstein Company, are still trying to get the name back. I hope they do.
All through the 90s and early 00s Miramax, under the Weinsteins, pretty much dominated the Academy Awards.
The Hurt Locker – Can A Good Old-Fashioned War Movie Win Best Picture?
I finally got to see The Hurt Locker today. I absolutely loved it. I am a big fan of War films and I’d put this one up there with my favorites, namely The Thin Red Line and The Longest Day.
Although I’ve yet to see Avatar, I do not want it to win Best Picture. I know I should reserve judgement until I’ve seen it. But I do not see how it can be as good as either The Hurt Locker or Up In The Air. To quote Quentin Tarantino “This CGI bullshit is the death knell of cinema. If I’d wanted all that computer game bullshit, I’d have stuck my dick in a Nintendo.”
Reflections on the Golden Globes
As shocking (and for many, upsetting) as Avatar‘s win over The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds is, it doesn’t mean it’ll take the top prize at the Oscars in March. It’ll be nom’d for sure, but that really is all that’s certain at this point.
the diary of a film history fanatic 