Randomness: Bollywood

I revealed in a meme some time ago (remember when memes where unavoidable?) that I used to be a major fan of Bollywood cinema which isn’t quite an embarrassing fact, but one I still wince at saying because by major fan I mean keenly obsessive. That’s passed, though, but today is the birthday of Kajol who was actually the star of the first Bollywood film I ever saw - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. All Bollywood films have this tendency – regardless of ostensible genre – of being a romance at the heart. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is about this high school lothario with a tomboy best friend who realises she’s in love with him when he falls for a new girl at school. Then, there’s a ten year time jump where the tomboy gets dolled up (which means growing her hair) and so on and so on. It’s running time is well over three hours (as is wont for most Bollywood films, with all those nonsequiter musical numbers and what not). Still, I haven’t lost my appreciation for this one.

For all its emotional manipulation, and gamut running time it's a legitimately good movie - it's funny, sad, romantic, and the music is actually good. (And Kajol is lovely.)

        

Anyone ever seen it? Any Bollywood fans?

To Myrna...

My mother's name is Myrna, but before my romance I always thought it was one of those "made-up" names like Cher, or Beyonce...or...you get my drift, right? Consequently, I feel sort of bad because I have squalid knowledge of Myrna Loy's filmography - her birthday is today. I saw one of the Thin Man movies, but that was probably over a decade ago and I can't even remember which it was (there are so many) and I saw her in The Best Years of Our Lives, but I might has well have gone to Lacuna after I saw that one because all I remember is finding Teresa Wright vaguely annoying in it.

She's just another classic star that makes up my collective cinematic blindspot. She seems fun, though. Any Myrna fans out there? Any films of her are required viewing?

To PSH on his Birthday

It seems like an impossibly strange thing to say, but I actually think Philip Seymour Hoffman is underrated. He’s remembered for his recent Oscar work and whatnot but the man’s been acting sine the beginning of the nineties and has been a great number of critical smashes. True, he’s also been in some abysmal ones. Whilst flipping the channels last week Along Came Polly came on and I realised that he was in. I’d forgotten that, as well everything else about that awful film, I’d also forgotten that he was in Scent of a Woman in 1992. He’s become a bit ubiquitous recently, and I think that ubiquity has made people forget how good he is. Here’s a refresher.
       

Freddy Miles in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

 

“Tommy. How's the peeping? Tommy, how's the peeping?”

Father Brenda Flynn in Doubt (2008)

“Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.”

     

Truman Capote in Capote (2005)

“Sometimes when I think of how good my book is going to be, I can't breathe.”

Jon Savage in The Savages (2007)

 

“We're not in therapy now- we're in real life.”

Andy Hanson in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)

 

“Hank, you're so stupid!”

             

And he's done a lot of good work that I haven't even touched, I have a soft spot for his ridiculous hambone performance in Cold Mountain. He's got three features coming out this year - MoneyBall with Pitt, The Ides of March with Gosling and Clooney and A Late Quartet with Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener (who he was brilliant in Capote with). Maybe it'll be like 2007 where he'll give two great performances and one good one, and they'll nominate him for the least distinguished. So, I predict that he gets nominated for MoneyBall. What do you remember Hoffman for?

Randomness: Clarissa Vaughn in The Hours

Today’s the birthday of Meryl Streep, insert description of her laurels here – yada yada ya. I’m not the biggest fan of Meryl, which most of you know but I go absolutely crazy for her work in The Hours. With the exception of her excellent voicework in The Fantastic Mr. Fox it’s my favourite performance of hers which was done in my lifetime. It was on TV the other day and I only caught the last forty minutes but it’s still beautiful to watch. Officially, my favourite portion is Virginia’s but really each part of the trio is excellent. Sure, Meryl is a chameleon and what not but she has one of the warmest off-screen dispositions I’ve seen and one of the reasons I love her Clarissa Vaughn so much is the warmth she brings to the character. Next to Dillane’s Leonard (an often underrated triumph) she’s probably the only character who’s not completely broken. It remains as one of the most exasperating Oscar snubs for me. I love this thinking shot. (It's so ironic because she's so organic and non-technical here.)

Happy birthday, Meryl. I may dislike you on principal for breaking Katharine Hepburn’s nomination thrice over, but Clarissa eviscerates any bad feelings. What's your favourite Meryl from 1990-2011?

Happy Belated Birthday to Kate the Great (or How I Think I Caused Blogger's Meltdown)

I’ve been sinfully busy these past few weeks and it wasn’t that I forgot that Kate Hepburn’s birthday was on Thursday (I’m not a heathen) but it wasn’t until the lovely Anna of Defiant Success asked me what my favourite Hepburn performance was that I decided to make anything big about it. Then, blogger started fucking with me. I swear, it's as if as soon as they knew I was planning something for Kate they decided to shut down. Is blogger secretly run by Meryl Streep and the ghost of Bette Davis and Ginger Rogers? They swallowed my original post, but I managed to write this one up....

              
I digress, though. I always thought that my favourite Kate performance was common knowledge to all. Whenever I hear the name of Our Lady Kate the first thing I think of is Eleanor Aquitaine.

“My, what a lovely girl. How could her king have left her?.”

I swear that image is imprinted in by brain, but then that could be said of almost any image from The Lion in Winter. I like to think that of all her post-50s performances (with the exception of Amanda Bonner, of course) Eleanor is the best example of Kate using her natural cadence to do fascinating work. I am not a believer in fate, but I think it is a perfect confluence that the brilliance of this woman just happens to be one of the roles she won her Oscar for. It is not a Tracy/Hepburn flick, but I always think of Spencer when I see it, if only because it's Kate's first performance after his death. And yet, the performance is strange. The very fact that it is so brilliant seems to defy logic because “great” acting is all about eschewing what one is usually like and transforming oneself. The thing is, Eleanor is Kate but Kate becomes Eleanor in the way that’s difficult to say where the character ends and the actor begins.

There’s a host of reasons why Kate has my undying devotion but it’s always that voice that gets me and it’s on full showcase here. Those caustic lines of Goldman allow her that opportunity to devastate, amuse, touch and even infuriate. And all to perfection.

“I dressed my maids as amazons and rode bare-breasted halfway to Damascus. Louis had a seizure, and I damn near died of windburn, but the troops were dazzled.”
Dazzled indeed.

And head over to these two great people who also chose to celebrate Kate's birthday:
Tom of Reinvention: The Journal of a Dog Lover, Movie Goer and Writer 
Joana of For Cinephiles by a Cinephile
Ben of Runs Like A Gay
and Anna wrote this great anecdote on Tracy Lords:

"When Katharine Hepburn comes to mind, I tend to think of Tracy Lord from The Philadelphia Story. She's snooty but at the same time you're drawn to her, curious on what makes her tick. Is it her impending wedding? Is it her ex-husband (Cary Grant) showing up? Is it the reporter (Jimmy Stewart) that came to cover the wedding? You'll just have to watch to find out."

Random: The Parent Trap

Is it possible to not like The Parent Trap? Okay, don’t answer that. No, I’m not binging on Lindsay – even though I was thinking about Mean Girls the other day. Today is Natasha Richardson’s birthday and I hate to admit it, but it’s the first role of hers that always comes to mind. When she died the first thing I thought was that it’s a shame she never did more films. I really think she’d have killed it as a comedienne, which is precisely why I love her work in The Parent Trap.

            

When I was young and making my fake “awards” ballots I remember having her on my list of favourite supporting performances which is – I admit, an overstatement but I was am crazy child man...

Still, she’s so hilarious in this, no?

"Never mix, never worry."

With only about two hours of leg-room she moves from this...

...to this.

Today is Sandy Dennis' birthday. I suppose, in a way, it's awful that her Honey from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is the performance of hers that I always reference, but it's easily one of the strongest supporting performances ever - so I think that I am forgiven. What makes Sandy's performance all the more special for me, though, is the fact that Sandy is really the only true supporting player in the film. Yes, George Segal is a supporting actor but he's much more a character of the main arc than Dennis who's forced to perform on the sidelines and still give an absolutely brilliant performance. Not that I can call it my favourite, though. I can't choose between the quartet...but Dennis is brilliant.
          
Happy birthday.

“Happy Birthday, Renee.”

I’ll just come right out and say it – I like Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain. I don’t like to make excessive use of the superlative, but this is probably the most hated Oscar win of the last decade and with it Zellweger has turned into arguably one of the most loathed Oscar winners of all time – which is a shame because she’s a fine actress, and a talented comedienne. Sure, she’s not my favourite actress – or anywhere especially near, but as it’s her birthday now is as good a time as any to count down my five favourite performances of hers.

Dorothy Boyd in Jerry Maguire (1996)

“This is an occasion for genuinely tiny knickers.”

 Being a romantic/comedy lead is something that seems less than impressive but even though it’s Cuba and Tom who were nominated Renee’s Dorothy is imperative to this one. It’s such a sweet performance (no other words come to mind) and overflows with honesty, which is important to measure of protagonist against. Without her, it would be difficult to love Jerry as much.
         
Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones’s Diary

“ I just want to be inspired.”

It’s her first Oscar nominated role, and it’s become a little less prestigious because of that sequel but the whimsy humour of this one is irresistible. No, it’s not Pride & Prejudice (regardless of what they say) but it’s funny enough and Renee sells it all – the insecurity, the accent and the humour.

Barbara Novak in Down With Love

“This is Barbara Novak.”

This remains as one of the most hilarious romps of the decades. McGregor and Kidman had Moulin Rouge, Zellweger and he have this – and sure, this might not be as great as Moulin Rouge, but it features excellent work from the two leads – especially Renee. She manages to pull off the film’s less than stellar portions (remember that revelation monologue?) and she pulls it all off with a great amount of charm that a number of actors wouldn’t have been able to accomplish.

Mae Braddock in Cinderella Man

“Every time you get hit, it feels like I'm getting hit too.”

In a smack-down, I’d be more willing to support this Crow/Howard film than A Beautiful Mind and it’s a shame it was such a miss with the awards’ bodies. I’d have nominated Zellweger’s excellent turn as wife of boxer Jim Braddock. There’s real potential for this role to turn mawkish, but Zellweger avoids it. It easily triumphs as the strongest dramatic work I’ve seen her do – it’s a shame so few remember this one.

Roxie Hart in Chicago

“He loves me so, that funny honey of mine...”

I don’t understand when persons lament the potentials who Renee won the role from (Colette, Theron) – perhaps they might have been good, but it’s folly to deny that Renee was excellent here. Catherine uses her voice to sell Velma and Renee uses her excellent comedic timing to good use. It’s a tricky character, but Renee sells it excellently. Sure, she wasn’t my favourite of the lot – but I do love the performance nonetheless.
        
To celebrate Renee's birthday, which performance would you rewatch?

Happy Birthday to the other KH

I’m not in the habit of writing tributes to actors on their birthday, unless I have a mass of time at hand or I’m a big fan but I couldn’t help but sidle out a few lines for Kate Hudson. I’d be pushing if I called her one of my favourite actors; in fact I’m little more than indifferent towards her. It’s probably just my kneejerk propensity to defend the underdogs which makes me automatically come to her defence when she’s regarded as a bane to good cinema. That and the fact that anyone who was born of a Banger Sister can’t be all bad.

 

What’s so weird about Kate trajectory – upward and downward – was that you’d probably find more than a small throng who’d wager that she was robbed of an Oscar in 2000. I was in single figures at the time and the only interest I retain in the Oscar race that year is merely retrospective (and for the record, Marcia deserved it). I’m neither here nor there on Almost Famous in the first place, so I’m probably not as “offended” as diehard fans who’re insulted at how Kate has squandered her talents. Still, as some passably impressed with her work there I’m always more moved to remember her work in 2003’s Le Divorce as anything potential seminal. And, that’s an opinion that more often than not gets me into trouble....

Merchant Ivory’s quasi-comedic French tale is remembered most often with revulsion – just take a look at the Rotten Tomatoes’ page. I have no shame in admitting my appreciation for it - it's in my top 10 for 2003, and most of that stems from the great rapport Kate shares with her onscreen sister Naomi Watts. It’s not that I remember my fondness for Le Divorce unencumbered by her lesser moments (two opposite Matthew McConaughey, and a couple other missteps); and I don’t think the fact that she was the least memorable in Nine (another film I liked) is proof of her infallibility. She’s not exactly accountable for her extraneous character, right?

I suppose the problem with Kate is that after continuous poor script choices audiences begin to hold her culpable, which is unfortunate. Heaven knows why she chooses the scripts she chooses. Desperation? Folly? A terrible agent? I’m sincerely willing to believe that Kate has a(nother?) good performance up her sleeve. And not only is she the daughter of an Oscar winning Banger Sister, she has the same initials as a cinematic icon, but then she has the same initials as this Katherine – who’s the object of much loathing. But, then, I like that other Kate too. But, that’s a whole other post...

              

For, now I’ll wish this Kate a happy birthday. Hopefully she emerges from the cinematic doldrums sometime soon. Good lord, woman, you're 33 - no time like the present.

 

 

So pretty...

Happy Birthday (times Classics, times three)

Some weeks are lucky to have one legend born in them, but not just this week – this day – marks the birth of three Oscar winning legends of the cinema: Bette Davis, Gregory Peck and Spencer Tracy. Because I’m such a devout follower of Kate Hepburn, it’s difficult for me not to think of Tracy in conjunction with her. He, obviously, has worth outside of his tempestuous liaison with the First Lady of Cinema. Tracy was the first man to win consecutive Oscars. Davis, was the second woman to win two Best Actress statues and I’m sure if I looked hard enough I’d find some Oscar record that Gregory Peck was a part of.

Of the three, I know the least of Peck – he reminds me of James Cagney in the sense that he’s obviously revered as an archetype of his time, but his name doesn’t endure like Brando or even Gable. I know that Paolo is a unremitting fan of Davis, another actor I can’t help but thinking in conjunction with Kate. When Kate won her third Oscar for The Lion in Winter Bette famously quipped that she’d never accept “half” an Oscar, which I find hilarious. I also think of her in conjunction with Kate because she was 1/3 of a flawless Best Actress trio in 1940 (other two being Hepburn and Fontaine) – naturally, none of them won, but I digress.

            

I can’t confess unmitigated love for all three – but I won’t deny that they’re each irreplaceable as far as classic cinema goes. Which three films of theirs would you remember them most for? My three: All About Eve, Woman of the Year, To Kill A MockingbirdWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Inherit the Wind, To Kill A Mockingbird.

        

Which three films of theirs are your favourites? Which of their performances do you prefer?

Ten for Tennessee

I love Tennessee Williams. It’s so strange, because he encapsulates most of the things I find exasperating in contemporary playwrights – hysterical characters, overwrought scenes, a consistency in themes from decade to decade bordering on monotony – but I do love him. Aside from Shakespeare, he’s my favourite playwright. What I find odder, though, is that despite an ostensible theatricality to Williams’ his plays make for such brilliant films, moreover – brilliant performances, so I'm celebrating his birthday by celebrating the performances he gave us.

    

I’ve seen seven film adaptations of Tennessee’s work *Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958), Night of the Iguana(1964), The Rose Tattoo (1955), A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), Sweet Bird of Youth (1962), This Property Is Condemned (1966) (Baby Doll doesn't count - it's an original screenplay of his.)

                  

Six of these appear on the list below as I make a special top ten, featuring eight actors who owe thanks to Tennessee for eliciting some of their greatest performances: 3 of them leading to Oscars, 6 leading to nominations and one ridiculously snubbed, but still brilliant.

#10 Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer

I often used to wonder why Elizabeth seemed so “flittery”, and I won’t deny I’m simultaneously awestruck and confused by what Mankiewicz does with the adaptation (more than the play, even). Katharine Hepburn noted in one of her biographies how professional Elizabeth was, and she really does emanate – sort of throwing herself into the role with an endearing way that seems (rightfully) out of place with all the ludicrousness in the plot.

#9 Karl Malden in A Streetcar Named Desire

I have a latent appreciation for Karl Malden, he’s – for the most part – a consistently good actor and it’s a shame that my two favourite performances of his often get thwarted in memory by their proximity to my two favourite Brando performances. In the wake of the hysteria happening in A Streetcar Named Desire the flash of gentility from [ ] is much appreciated. Malden already has that natural cadence that makes him perfect for the role, and he’s such a supporting actor. It’s easy to write him off, but it’s an Oscar well deserved.

#8 Elizabeth Taylor in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

I often feel a little conflicted about Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, I love it for all its deviations and issues and Elizabeth is a significant part of that. From a literary perspective, I don’t see Maggie the Cat as iconic a character as most Tennessee lovers. Yet, Liz – more than the words on the page, I’d wager – turns it into that incessantly emotive, emotional, explicit and sensual woman that demands our attention.

#7 Richard Burton in Night of the Iguana

The casting of Richard Burton as the defrocked minister who may, or may not, be a drunkard is rich with irony. The performance is something brilliant. As fine as he is in Becket, the fact that Burton neither earned a win nor nomination for this fine performance is just one in a long line of Oscar injustices. Tonally, Night of the Iguana represents a departure from Tennessee at his most impetuous and Burton – who is so naturally conflicted, symbolises that latent unease perfectly. It’s, oddly, not as remembered as you’d think but that doesn’t mitigate its brilliance.

#6 Anna Magnani in The Rose Tattoo

I’ll admit, I’ve actively prayed for Pedro Almodóvar to make an adaptation of this with Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, but that isn’t any suggestion that Anna Magnani isn’t powerful. I’ve never seen Magnani in an all Spanish production (I heard she’s masterful in her own language), but if this is her giving an average performance I’m floored. The Rose Tattoo – for me, is Tennessee’s forgotten classic**, and it’s unfortunate that the boorish, mis-casted Reynolds presents a potential blight to Magnani. She doesn’t allow that, though, delivering with intensity – a performance so raw I can’t bear to grudge her for beating out the competition. Ferocious.

 

#5 Paul Newman in Sweet Bird of Youth

I contemplated the logistics of a Tennessee Williams’ top ten without Newman’s work in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof – but as interesting a performance as his Brick is, I’m much more enamoured with his Chance. Chance manages to come off as one of Williams’ brutes who's not really that brutish and it's because Sweet Bird of Youth is - at its heart - not about human nature at its most violent, but at its most romantic. Romanticism seems to emerge naturally, even in the sordidness of that hotel room and a lot of that has to do with how much Newman seems made for the role of Chance Wayne.

        

#4 Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer

Hepburn admitted to feeling the slightest discomfort at the macabre nature of character, and perhaps it’s this occasionally tentative characterisation of hers that makes me much more interested in Mrs. Venable on screen than I do on paper. Suddenly, Last Summer is such an odd film, I can only imagine how odd it must have seemed to the audience at the time. It’s should function as a trio of Monty/Elizabeth/Kate but it’s really Kate/Elizabeth...still, when Kate tackles those monologues – it’s just Kate (which is why I love the first half more than the second).

        

#3 Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire

I’m an unapologetic Brando fan – even if I’m not that vociferous about it and though he doesn’t top the list, he is my favourite male performance from Tennessee. Forgive, but I’ll never think of Tennessee in tandem with men – his most interesting male remains Tom Wingfield, and I’ve yet to see a cinematic version of The Glass Menagerie. A Streetcar Named Desire is a puzzling piece, not least because it could have so many interpretations – sometimes Brando plays Stanley less as the ogre that some care to see him as, and more as a man trying to tend to the worn illusions of his own family.

        

#2 Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire

Someone once pointed out the irony of the very British Leigh representing two of the most iconic Southern-Belles, but it’s all part of the brilliance of acting. More than any of the players in the film, I’d say she gets better and better with age – I do wonder what Tandy did with the role, but it’s difficult imagining anyone else here – Vivien is so perfect. Yes, there's a slight inch preventing me from loving the performance uninhibitedly, but love/like it's a tour-de-force performance. Blanche may not have a strong grip on reality, but Vivien has a strong grip on Blanche and from her most lucid moments to her most heady Vivien delivers beautifully.

       

#1 Geraldine Page in Sweet Bird of Youth

I’d like to think my citation of this performance here as an apology for so often forgetting Page’s work here. I so often forget about the film, actually, even if I consider it to be severely underrated (the film and the play). With her own set of neuroses, the Princess often gets forgotten when considered against the likes of Blanche, Amanda or Mrs. Venable but Page – so beautiful here – is just captivating. I hate she didn't win, but not as much as I’d like to (that 1962 line-up was pure brilliance). Most notably, though, Page avoids the most theatrical pitfalls that could occur in putting the Princess to screen. She’s just captivating to watch.

                          

It takes more than a great role on paper to make a great performance, but there’s no doubt that each of these performances manages to be so brilliant because of their source material. Tennessee may not have written the screenplay for each film but the connection to his original plays is irrevocable. I like to think that his literature will always endure, I’m a literature student after all – and they’re all classics. I’d like to think that these ten performances will (continue to) endure, too. They’re classics as well.

     

* I’ve also seen two TV adaptations, the Jessica Lange version of A Streetcar Named Desire (an enchanting performance in its odd way) and the Arthur Kennedy version The Glass Menagerie. Unfortunately, I haven’t the version of the latter with our lady Kate the Great.

       

** When it comes to readability, I’d pick up The Rose Tattoo or Sweet Bird of Youth first. The former is one of the oddballs in Tennessee’s portfolio, not the least bit Southern, but it’s so quick and rewarding. On the issue of best, I’d debate between A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie and Night of the Iguana, though Sweet Bird of Youth retains a sentimental hold on me, but I’m never certain if it’s brilliant or if I love it too much.

                

This post is quite a mouthful, but as I said – I love Tennessee. Which of these performances inspired his genius endures most for you? Which inclusions surprise you? Do any of his plays emerge as a favourite of yours?

Happy Birthday, Keira

What is Cecelia thinking? I do love Atonement dearly, much more than I love Keira Knightley but I do love her. True, I'm sort of antsy waiting to see what her next good performance will be - and I'm wondering what she'll be like opposite Joe Wright for the third time. I sort of hate that she's referred to as a "Period" Actress because even if she's best in films that aren't contemporary it seems the slightest bit disingenuous to refer to Cecelia Tallis and Elizabeth Bennett as women of the same time. Sure, they're both periods but the 1800s are a far cry from the 1940s...period or not. Ah, well.
           

I did love her best in Never Let Me Go, but then that filmed seemed like such a disappointing. A rewarding disappointment - but still disappointing. Owing to general laziness, and other things taking up my time I didn't even compile a list of films I was anticipating for 2010 and as much as I loved Cronerberg and Mortensen 2005 venture I'm not  sure that I'll love A Dangerous Method, although I'd love if both of them (along with Keira) knock it out of the park. I'm doubtful as to whether she'll ever top Elizabeth Bennett, but I'll remain hopeful. I mean, how can one not have faith in a face like this? She's only 26, she has plenty years ahead to prove me wrong...
               
I'm not the only Keira fan around hereabouts, am I?

To David Lean...

I'm having computer troubles at the moment, which is just ghastly. I had so many articles to finish completing, but it is what it is. I'm too lazy now to finish the actual article I'd planned on doing for David Lean. It's difficult to avoid Lean's more overt characteristics of being a prelude to Anthony Minghella (whom I adore). I always feel just a bit bad for not loving Lean indiscriminately, though I do love him on occasion. Not that he needs absolution from me, the man has two Oscars. I'm still not certain about how I feel about The Bridge on the River Kwai (though I think it was the best of the nominated five - not having seen Sayanora), but the one for Lawrence of Arabia is more than deserved. It's a shame he won his Oscars for the films devoid of female emotion since I think he does so well when he takes a look at them (Summertime, A Passage to India even Brief Encounter or Doctor Zhivago)....but, we know about Oscar/Best Picture and Women.

               

His trump card will always be his attention to detail. His directors of photography almost always did brilliant work; just look at that beautiful shot from Doctor Zhivago below.

I didn't even know he worked as his own editor on A Passage to India. I still haven't seen either of his Dickens adaptations or a few others of his significant ones, but I love these three the best - and these three performances, each of them so very timeless. Yes, I'd have Oscar-ed them all.

Ultimately, I'd remember David by heading back to Summertime - it's unnaturally low-key for him, but I think it's remarkable (and he reportedly loved it most of his films). How would you celebrate his birthday?

A Stephen Sondheim Musical Interlude

This is a movie blog most times, sometimes a TV blog but I can't let today pass without celebrating one of the greatest composers and lyricist - Stephen Sondheim. He won his only Oscar for his work on Dick Tracy, so you can't say he has nothing to do with le cinema

And good lord, Madonna is just phenomenal in that live performance. Talk about iconic. And, though I'll admit as much as any that Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is far from flawless I can't fault Johnny and Helena for their acting at the best of times.

And, now for three of Sondheim's greatest songs...

 

            

           

Happy Birthday, genius.

“Women are obliged to be far more skillful than men.”

Today is Glenn Close's birthday, I mean to give her a proper writeup since she's wonderful and all - but computer troubles abound - so,  no time. I take a quick look at my five favourite performances of hers - she's so diverse an actress, even if it's often forgotten. I keep hoping she'll get the leading in Sunset Boulevard: The Musical, but I wager that she's definitely too old now. Shame. I can't wait for Damages to return, though, at least I'll be able to see her semi-regularly. She's got so many Emmy's and so many Tony's and yet that damned Oscar keeps eluding her. Ah well.

Claire Wellington in The Stepford Wives (2004)

“I asked myself, ‘Where would people never notice a town full of robots?’ Connecticut!”

Queen Gertrude in Hamlet (1990)

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”


Sarah Cooper in The Big Chill (1983)

“We put on a great funeral here.”

Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction (1987)

“You play fair with me, I'll play fair with you.”

Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

“When one woman strikes at the heart of another she seldom misses, and the wound is invariably fatal.”
          
Pick a favourite.