“I, along with the critics, have never taken myself very seriously.”

This month, courtesy of CS of Big Thoughts From A Small Mind, the LAMB is paying tribute to Elizabeth Taylor. I’d meant to celebrate Ms. Taylor’s birthday earlier this year by doing the usual top 5s, but other responsibilities prevented me. It’s been over a month since her death, but now’s as good a time as any for a retrospective Elizabeth top 5.

    

Angela Vickers in A Place in the Sun (1951)

“Seems like we always spend the best part of our time just saying goodbye.”

            

Elizabeth’s Angela is often forgotten. She didn’t earn an Oscar nod for it, and Stevens film endures less for her contribution and more for its general grace (with the exception of Alice Adams alone, perhaps Stevens films always seem to tower over their actors). Yet, I remember Angela. Elizabeth’s still in that limbo between child prodigy and smouldering temptress and the performance exudes that self-effacing sincerity which I find appealing. And, that final scene is just a beauty.

        

Gloria Wandrous in BUtterfield 8 (1960)

“Mama, face it: I was the slut of all time.”

Maggie Pollitt in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958)

“Maggie the cat is alive. I’m alive.”

Both Maggie and Gloria depend on that vaguely vampish charm which Elizabeth is often remembered for, but for a number of cinephiles they exist on opposite ends of Elizabeth’s spectrum of talent. I love The Apartment, and Shirley MacLaine in it, but I’m always unable to succumb to the general loathing surrounding BUtterfield 8. In fact, other than that ghastly ending I’m a fan of the film itself. Yes, Maggie is significantly more iconic – as is Cat On A Hot Tin Roof I remember them both as fine performances.

                   

Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew (1967)

“Of all things living, a man’s the worst!”

            

Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1968)

“You’re flops. I’m the earth mother and you’re all flops.”

            

It is perhaps not accidental that my two favourite performances of Elizabeth are opposite the excellent Richard Burton. For me, Elizabeth’s natural cadence is marked by her ability to go to toe with her fellow actors. She’s not, for example, a Vanessa Redgrave who’s at her best with long monologues. So, it’s only natural with both Martha and Katharina the fact that she has all those combative moments opposite her co-stars contribute to brilliance in the performances.

           

These are only five, but Elizabeth has contributed a number of indelible performances to the screen. Which is your favourite?

"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.

"If I Linked You..." (time and again I would try to say...)

I'm shining the spotlight on Twister's performance review of Jennifer Grey's performance in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. (Sidenote: My mom has an exasperating appreciation for "Dancing With the Stars", and Grey seems really frosty but, eh. Whatever.)
 
The blogosphere was a buzz this past week with the news of James Franco and Anne Hathaway set to host the Oscars. The Mad Hatter and RC  were just two that weighed in, but I was particularly amused by Jose's thoughts. In case you don't know, he's obsessed with Anne. Only last week he was planning on abducting her to keep her as a memento in his pocket...(or something like that...)

   
I don't know if he has any open slots, but Castor's hosting Part II of his Fantasy Draft.
                     

Ben Stiller recently got good reviews for his work in Greenberg. His only good performance as far as I can recall, Darren recalls Meet the Parents - a movie I find painful to watch (except for the lovely Blythe Danner who is just as resplendent as her daughter, moreso even).
          
Jess thinks I'm going to love Burlesque. I have no idea if she's right or not, but I love this post.

Nicholas does an extensive writeup on Serendipity. I have weird thoughts about John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, they both seem nice enough but I'm really uncertain about their "talents".

Paolo recently saw Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? while reading the book, that movie's a winner and so is the play...only recently Alex gave a short review of it.
      
Speaking of great movies...how great is The Little Mermaid? Very great says Luke, I agree....and on the topic of animation check out Rob and Robert (two different people) and their takes on Tangled
        
Remember Scott Pilgrim vs the World? I still love it very much, CS reviews it. (I'm still not sure why everyone keeps saying it's one for a niche-audience though. Unless I'm weird, I have no interest in video-games and no knowledge of this one, but the movie just amazing.)
       
And kindly head on over and congratulate Nick on this three-year blog anniversary. 
       
(PS. This screen-shot via Twister made my day.)

Today Should Have Been Brilliant...

...but it's been kind of awful. Still, it's Richard Burton’s birthday today and he’s only one of the most brilliant actors to grace the silver screen – womanising and alcoholism aside. I wouldn’t bother to do a retrospective on him, though in all his brilliance he does deserve one. Today’s been kind of awful, but George will not be kept back.

In other news, Alan Menken got a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today. I’m not the biggest fan of Menken’s work, but who can deny the brilliance of this?

Not I.
          
Happy Wednesday night.
              
(PS. I want to make babies with Sherie Rene Scott. No kidding.)

“Pour Me A Drink, Sugar”

Drunkards – we hate them in real life, but we love them on the screen. One of the many riddles that I cannot answer for you. It’s strange, whether the drunk is a bit of comedic relief, an affable protagonist or a dastardly villain it’s always nice seeing an actor ham it up for our entertainment on the big screen. Making this list was actually difficult, there were a number of notable drunks to sift through (I considered dividing it between males and females) – but in the end, I believe these five are the most notable.

        

#5 Johnny Cash (played by Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line)

This isn’t a biopic on overcoming drunkenness, but Joaquin does an excellent job of delving into that territory. I love that morning after where he and all the boys are drunk and Reese’s June turn up. He’s an incorrigible drunk, but he’s also an affable drunk – except when he’s fainting on stage and all. But, I suppose we must take the good with the bad.

     

#4 Blanche DuBois (played by Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire)

If Blanche depended on the kindness of any stranger, his name was Jack Daniels. Like many drunks she often tried to hide it, but after her horrid birthday party all bets are off. It’s not so much funny as it is frighteningly unnerving.

      

#3 Terry Ann Wolfeyer…along with Denny (played by Joan Allen and Kevin Costner in The Upside of Anger)

Oh how I love Joan Allen, how I loathe Kevin Costner (but not here). Terry is an ultimate drunk, she drinks alone – which is a bit unnerving, until she gets Denny as a drinking buddy. But she can drink him under the table, anywhere. It could be at dinner, at her daughter’s graduation, just after her husband has “deserted” her – she’ll keep drinking with that same pensive look on her face. That’s what we call dedication.

    

#2 Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Sometimes I forget he’s a drunk and just presume he’s crazy. Perhaps, it’s a bit of both. He’s exaggerated, he’s histrionic and he’s a lot of fun to watch. For shame, Disney, what kind of licentiousness are you promoting? I love it.

        

#1 George and Martha (played by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf)

Who didn’t see this coming? It seems I may have to disqualify them; they’re topping too many lists (here, here). I can’t be the only one afraid to pick up a liquor glass after this watching these two having “fun and games”. Just look at the consequences of a nightcap. (Shudders)

  

Honourable Mention to Karen Walker, she’d suck the alcohol from a deodorant stick – if that’s not drunken dedication, I don’t know what is.

    

Which of these drunks would you be afraid to take on in a drinking match?

“Why Did We Get Married?”

f there’s one thing the cinema can do, it’s make an impression on you – and one thing that’s they’ve done constantly is make marriage seem like a sick-twisted game. Some couples do it for fun, and some do it because they’re incompatible. It’s a bit crazy when you think of it because if they’re irreconcilable why get married in the first place? Hence the title… (click on the links for thoughts on the films)

                 

Rhett: Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!

Rhett and Scarlet from Gone with the Wind (1939)

Of course they’d make the list…they made the other one too. What makes them smarter than the others it that at least they ended their marriage. They realised that this thing was heading nowhere. I still find Clark Gable a bit too audacious at times (am I the only one getting the Clooney vibe…whom I am not fond of) but the paring with the brash Scarlet works lovely even if they end up tearing their heads off in the end.

Reason #5 – don’t get married [The wife will be lusting for another man and the husband just will not give a damn.]

Reason #5 – get married [The wife will never go hungry again…but still the husband doesn’t give a damn…yikes]

         

Brick: How in hell on earth can you imagine you're gonna have a child with a man who can't stand you?

Brick and Maggie (the Cat) from Cat on A Hot Tin Roof (1958)

It’s a bit too different from the play, but I still love it so. I suppose that Elizabeth Taylor is the only one able to completely embody the iconic Maggie the Cat (I often wonder what Catherine Zeta Jones could do with the role). It’s a bit annoying that they pair her clad in a sensation white dress with Paul Newman and they don’t…you know, get it on. But, of course, that’s the entire conflict of the play.

Reason #4 – don’t get married [The husband will withhold sex and the wife will hate your in-laws.]

Reason #4 – get married [Maybe the husband will look like Paul Newman and maybe, just maybe, the wife be hot like Lizze, you can dream.]

Eleanor: I could peel you like a pear and God himself would call it justice.

Henry and Eleanor from The Lion in Winter (1968)

Really, they’re twisted. They move from whispering sweet nothing importants in each others’ ears to pulling out all the stops to make the other cringe. Just when you think they do love each other they turn around and are spitting venom. It’s all very confusing…and then they’re children too, self destructive but oh so lovely to watch…

Reason #3 – don’t get married [The children will hate the parents, the wife will try to conquer her husband’s territory – he’ll jail her and he will pick up with his son’s fiancée and threaten to annul his marriage.]

Reason #3 – get married [The wife will look good even when she’s near sixty, and they both will have a knack for brilliant line readings.]

           

Carolyn: Oh, you don't complain? Then please, excuse me, I must be psychotic, then! If you don't complain, what is this?          

Lester and Carolyn from American Beauty (1999)

Hmmm, they’re just all around toxic. It’s so hard to imagine when they’ve ever had better days. She’s just too neurotic and he’s just too…well, he’s just not interested. It’s a pity, though. Their scenes together are so lovely.

Reason #2 – don’t get married [The child will feel alienated and pick up with dope fiend, the husband will smash plates and lust after teens and the wife will hate him and have an affair.]

Reason #2 – get married [“I will sell this house today”, well that’s what the wife thinks and thus husband will look good naked, or so he hopes.]

               

Martha: If you existed I'd divorce you.

George and Martha from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)

How could they not be on the list? They’re so twisted and the reason they’re at the top of the list is because they seem to enjoy it so much. It’s like all this violence is some twisted bit of foreplay that they cannot do without out, and it is so brilliant (and brilliant I mean scary and by scary I mean excellent) that I cannot look away.

Reason #1 – don’t get married [They both will be drunks and he especially will despise his father in law.]

Reason #1 – get married [Did you see this movie…? The upside is you die

               

Take your pick. Which spousal argument is your favourite? My favourite is #3, the most dastardly is #1.

"All In A Day's Work"

Entertainment Weekly is always up and about making lists, and I always end up having severe issues with them. Their most recent is one on the best films that occur within 24 hours. They've got some fine choices there (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, America Graffiti) but they really missed the ball on some rather obvious choices. So, I've done my duty to make my own list - my top 5 films that occur in a day. I'm not ranking them on merit, but on how well they incorporate the one day theme...

#5 - Picnic (my review)

I don't particularly grudge them for not including this on the list, it's not really a popular film. Still, it's a favourite of mine somewhat. In Picnic Hal (played by William Holden) - a good-looking good-for-nothing shows up on the day of their Labour Day Picnic and rocks the town. It's based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play by William Inge and features an ensemble cast with Kim Novak and Rosalind Russell. I suppose Picnic can get a little sentimental at times, but that's part of its appeal I think.

         
#4 - The Philadelphia Story (musings on Kate)

I suppose this doesn't really happen in a day, which could explain why this classic piece is missing from the list. It begins with a prologue and then flashes forward to the morning before Tracy Lord's (Katharine Hepburn) wedding. As the day unfolds she's torn between her fiancee, her ex-husband (Cary Grant) and a newsreporter (James Stewart). After a night of craziness she comes to the right decision in the morning. The film doesn't happen in a day, but it happens in 24 hours - so I say it's eligible. And this one's based on a play too...

             
#3 - Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (my review)

Trust Entertainment Weekly to ignore Liz Taylor at her sexiest. In a nutshell, it's about a woman who's trying to convince her husband to sleep with her while her father-in-law may (or may not) be dying and the vultures are gathering around in anticipation the will. It's a depressing film, but Tenneessee Williams excellent writing makes it very accessible and Taylor and Newman give some scintillating performances. Classic...and based on a classic piece of literature too.

     
#2 - Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? (my review)

It almost topped the list, and with good reason. It has its haters, but this film really makes excellent use of the one day plot point. Mr and Mrs Drayton (Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy) are a white couple who love all races, but they're still somewhat surprised when their daughter Joey (Katherine Houghton) brings home a black man 14 years her senior hoping to get their blessings. The conondrum is that Dr. Prenticehas to leave tonight, so time is of the essence. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner isn't exactly perfection, but it is enjoyable, smart and classic.

        
#1 - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (my review)

 

What an egregious snub. This film doesn't utilise the full 24 hour, it doesn't even use twelve. This one's based on a play too, incidentally. Martha and George are two sadists (Richard Burton and Liz Taylor). He's a college professor, she's his wife and the daughter of the dean. They may, or may not, have a child. They invite the new young professor and his wife (George Segal and Sandy Dennis) for a night of fun and games. We get games, but not so much fun. After seeing this you'll probably want to stay away from marriage and from liquor, I know I did.

                     

What have we learnt? Entertainment Weekly needs to get better list makers, I like way too many classics, and plays are the best source material for film. All in day's work.

"Violence! Violence!"