Sundance! .......or, How I learned to play the game and get other people to invite me along

So I have again not been writing in this blog, and I'm sure it has been a surprise to exactly no one. But, I must confess, that the neglect of this task has not been caused by ennui, or general laziness. It is because I have been quite busy on the other side of the industry. Script Supervising, Sundance hobnobbing, and thinking over offers on other future projects. This new lifestyle has even caused me to join the masses of cell phone owners.
The sad part of this story, is that I have had very little time to watch many movies, let alone find the time to pontificate on the subject of them. So I have decided to list films that I have seen lately, followed by my briefest thoughts on each.

Inland Empire-David Lynch: Three hours of hallways, anthropomorphic Rabbits and Laura Dern lost, shot in low resolution video. I should have hated it, but it seemed to keep me entertained.

Children of Men-Alfonso Cuaron:Stunning Sci-fi white knuckler, from a new Master. Never has the act of having children seemed so important or amazing. Visually marvelous as well!

Red Road-Andrea Arnold:Haunting debut feature film. A woman working for a Glasgow video surveillance company, recognizes a familiar face in one of her cameras. Leading her to stalk this mysterious person. Kate Dickie gives the female performance in the year. This film was made with the co-operation of Lars von Trier and Zentropa films. Two more films will follow, using the same Actors as the same characters in completely different stories, filmed by completely different directors in and around Scotland. I can't wait!

Zoo-Robinson Devor: Suprisingly sensitive look at a group of Washington State men involved in Horse bestiality, that lead to the death of a man known simply as Mr Hands. Quite thought provoking.

Chapter 27-J.P. Schaefer: Jared Leto gained 80 lbs to play John Lennon assassin Mark David Chapman. To bad Dude can't act! Think of the worst Taxi Driver rip-off, then imagine Travis Bickle performed my a fat Forest Gump, and them you might be able to imagine the pain of sitting through this shitty vanity project. Poor Lindsey Lohan! First Rehab now this! Lilo gives the only solid performance in this celluloid turd. What a Stinker!

Pan's Labyrinth-Guillermo del Toro: A brutally dark fairy tale set in the post Civil War Spain of the 1940's. A Childhood nightmare brought vividly to life for adults. Visually mesmerizing, and emotionally gut-wrenching, I loved it.

Almost a year ago I wrote a post looking forward to a new year of writing and expressing my feelings about films, then my computer crashed. Then I got it fixed, was lazy, then really busy, then it crashed again....for good. Now I'm back again, with a new computer, and a renewed hope to return to my original goal for this year. I hope that my experiences during '06, so far, will have helped my style mature.....but it might actually be more rusty. In any case. I will do what I can.
Sooner rather than later,
Derek

Something Flip

I'm actually a fan of Woody Allen's films, well at least a big fan of several of his films. Woody Allen's new film Match Point is ok, but not great, actually I'd say it's a bore. In fact my favorite moment while watching it, was leaving the film to take a leak. I tried to close my eyes and take a nap, but this proved to be an unsuccessful escape from the burden of watching this film. I would go into this further if I could muster the interest, but I really can't. Unless you really feel the need to watch Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Scarlett Johansson's lips out sensualize each other for the better part of 2 hours, I would like to recommend passing on this film to watch A Place in the Sun, the themes are almost identical, except it's actually interesting.

Brokeback Mountain

Gay themes are nothing new to the world of film. As far back to the silent era, there have been films that have dealt wholly or in part, with themes of gay or lesbian nature. During much of the last century, these themes have been handled sometimes with the slight of hand of a smuggler, or with a bold sense of protest, neither making much of an impact in the culture at large. Now, in the middle of the first decade of the new century, we find ourselves in somewhat of precarious position. Gay-exploitation is a booming business, and with such a large audience starving for a voice, there is an often indiscriminate acceptance for things of this nature. Personally speaking, I find Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Will & Grace a bit patronizing and out-dated, but marked mostly by their terrible mediocrity. Though in their own way have become milestones in American culture, I look forward to the day when they can die in a phoenix like fire, reborn as a more mature and complex beast. Gay-exploitation is hardly relegated to the television set. Feature movies are also caught by this tangled business, and every year more and more films are released with a gay market in mind. These films can range from important foreign, and independent films, to those made with big Hollywood names, (often in the hopes of winning Awards, particularly for the brave actors). I find the range in quality in American film, is often quite troubling. From the thoughtless caricatures of The Bird Cage, and In And Out, and to the outright homophobic "Queer" indy film The Delta. I have always preferred my gay characters imported, like fine wine. Personally, European and Latin film-makers have always seemed to have a better grip and a lighter touch with the subject.

So mind you when I heard that Ang Lee was directing a film based on Annie Proulx's story Brokeback Mountain, and starring in this film would be Hollywood heart-throbs Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, as love struck cowboys, I was highly skeptical. My fear of a fetishistic film, that would rake in ton's of money from audiences dying to see two straight actors kick off their spurs and hop in the sack. Or the type of film that would again win Oscars for the actors for their bravery in depicting characters with the malady of being gay (so far it has worked for Tom Hanks, Hilary Swank, Nicole Kidman, and Charlize Theron, not to discredit their performances, each of which I enjoyed, but I feel this is still a trend worth raising my eyebrow to) My skepticism only grew after reading Proulx's short story. Needless to say, I found the finished film to be a masterpiece.


Residing in the final 30 pages of Proulx's collection of stories about Wyoming titled Close Range, Brokeback Mountain is an often heavy handed story of two cowboys whom fall in love one summer herding sheep, and continue a secret love affair for the next 20 years. I will give credit to the intentions of the story, obviously written in the aftermath of the heartbreaking murder of Matthew Shepard, Brokeback Mountain reads almost like an unfinished draft, containing scenes of great power and prose yet, falls apart due to the under-development of the actual characters and their relationship.

Well, somewhere along the lines the great writer of the modern west Larry McMurtry became involved with the story. McMurtry is no stranger to the screen, a number of his books have been adapted to the screen, and have become modern classics, such as Hud, The Last Picture Show, and Terms of Endearment. McMurtry (who was also Executive Producer on the film) along with Diana Ossana wrote a screenplay, that so brilliantly adapted the strengths of the Proulx story, while developing the characters with a sense of dignity and honesty, and placing them convincingly in the Western milieu that McMurtry excels in exposing. I would go so far as to consider the finished film a beautiful companion to both Hud and The Last Picture show, as a sort of trilogy of human destruction and desire in the modern west.

Ang Lee also deserves considerable credit for his sympathetic and mature direction of this film. Apparently, after his big budget debacle known as the Hulk, the chameleon-like director decided to work on a smaller, more intimate film that moved him deeply. From the sweeping vista of the Shangra La -like Wyoming mountains (actually filmed in Canada due to expense) to the claustrophobic towns that the characters are trapped in, Lee never loses focus on the intimacy of the story. The sex in the film is quite understated and rare. As where in Annie Proulx's story anal sex apeared to be the apex of masculine affection, the film places the emotional needs and complexities in the foreground.

Much has been said about the acting, and I will be the first to say that it is not unfounded. Heath Ledger's performance as Ennis Del Mar, is with such nuance and restraint as to be fully heartbreaking and remarkable. Expressing loss with such stoic understatement, is a testament to a greater talent than I've ever given him credit for. Jake Gyllenhaal who's sad doe eyes convey the sorrow of a life wasted, gives a beautifully sympathetic performance as Jack Twist, the cowboy dreamer who's patience is next only to Job.

Brokeback Mountain is one of the greatest films about unrequited love. For me it's only peer is Martin Scorsese's Masterpiece The Age of Innocence. Both films deal with characters living in a world where human emotion is a dangerous perversion of a fragile society, stacked like a deck of cards that would be brought down by a single whisper. This is a profoundly moving film, in fact the best film I've seen all year (new film that is) and in my opinion deserving of it's accolades. Highly recommended
P.S. I also think it a conservative conspiracy that this film is only playing at one theater in town (Fox) unless of course you also consider Bridgeport, then you have only two lonely theaters.

Now that the Holidays have come to a close and we approach the end of yet another year (and the first anniversary of livingfilm). I will now prepare to continue my journey writing about film. I hope over the past year I have been able to somewhat articulate my passion for film. But, with each post I feel it is almost impossible to completely convey. I know I have been a bit of a lazy blogger, but I plan to post with more regularity. There are So many films and film makers that I have yet been able to discuss and share, not to mention returning to those I have previously covered. I find some things are very difficult to express in words, film is such an emotional art (for me it is anyway), and finding the words to express why I always cry at the end of I Vitteloni, or the chills I get hearing a Bernard Herrmann score, is a difficult task. For some people film is a way to spend an afternoon in an air-conditioned theater on the hottest day of the year, or to kill the silence of an empty evening. For me film is a Religion, arguably more profane than those practiced in churches, yet, just as powerful.
My greatest joy, besides enjoying the films I love myself, is sharing them with other people. I hope that in the coming year I am able to find ways to spark your interests in the films I love. In any case, I'll try.
-Truly

Ivan the Terrible: Parts One & Two

Due to my busy schedule I've not found the time to write about any of the profoundly wonderful films I've been watching. So I will just be dropping a few quick post with only the slightest outline of these wonderful films. If you have further questions, drop me a line and I will then elaborate with more detail.




Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible is one of the great cinematic achievements. After only one viewing my faith in the power of cinema has been restored to a new high. Among the many incredible concepts that Eisenstein fills these films with, is the way he represents the different characters as different animals. Ivan himself is represented as a eagle, and his costume, make-up, and even his movements and gestures are choreographed to suggest a bird-like quality. Genius! I highly recommend watching these films.

Queen Christina

After renegotiating her contract with MGM in 1933, Greta Garbo was given greater control over the films she made. She now had script, cast and directorial approval. Her next project would be her greatest film, Queen Christina.
Based on the life of the 17th century Queen Christina Wasa of Sweden, the film 'Queen Christina' -directed by the brilliant Rouban Mamoulian, would be one of the greatest testaments to love ever committed to celluloid.
After inheriting the throne at the age of 6 Christina grows to be an educated and sympathetic Queen, who's primary desire is to lead her country out of a 30 year war against the resisting pride of her country men, and into a direction of intellectual progress.


Garbo's Christina took Pre-Code sexuality to it's limit. Christina is a Queen who behaves more as a King, dressed in masculine attire, she is conducting minor affairs with both her chambermaid and the national treasurer. Urged to marry by her royal advisors, so as to deliver an heir to the throne, Christina shows no interest in the effete royal suitors she is presented with,or rather the portraits they send. When it is suggested that she will become an old maid, she responds with rakish masculinity "No, I will be a Bachelor!". After one particularly tiring day when she has had enough of the royal bullshit, she slips out of the palace to hunt in the snow with her valet, only to find a Spanish emissary Don Antonio(John Gilbert) who's carriage is caught in the snow.
Rushing to his aide, she throws her coat under the wheels of the carriage to give it traction. Mistaken for a young boy, she is given a couple of coins for her service. Humorously it is her image on the coins. Seeking shelter from the snow for the evening, Christina rents the last suite in the village Inn. It is not long before Antonio also reaches the Inn and is in need of a place to bed for the night. Christina (still disguised as a boy) and Antonio share some drinks, and discuss the differences in which a Swede and a Latin make love. It is soon decided the only logical thing to do is share the same bed, which Antonio seems almost over anxious to get to. Antonio is a little confused as to why the young man he is sharing the bed with is hesitant to undress, but soon figures out why, and without skipping a beat embraces her. What follows, are some of the most beautiful images found in American film. The scene of Christina silently wandering the candlelit room in heavenly elation, is a film landmark, it would be replicated in Bernardo Bertolucci's 2003 film 'The Dreamers'. After an extended stay in the inn with Don Antonio, Christina returns to her kingdom with a new vitality. Though her bliss is cut short when she her affair with Don Antonio is revealed to her subjects. She is suspected of treason. Christina will later renounce the throne "to be a human being" and marry Don Antonio, living in exile of Sweden.

Now, I know that my synopsis sounds somewhat tongue in cheek, but this film is really quite sophisticated, and shows the complexity of human longing with more maturity than any film I can think of. The fact that this film was made at all is quite remarkable, only a year later the Production code was in full force and would never have allowed for such a story to be told. Also, the fact that Garbo was able to cast her ex-lover John Gilbert in the part of Don Antonio, against the wishes of MGM is quite in keeping with the themes of the film. John Gilbert had been the biggest star for MGM during the 1920's, but after endless battles with Louis B. Mayer, and a flagging popularity after the coming of talking pictures Gilbert was considered Box-Office Poison. Neither his image or name would appear in the trailer for the film.
This film is also interesting when compared to Josef von Sternberg's masterpiece 'The Scarlet Empress' in which Marlene Dietrich -surely Garbo's only true cinematic equal, portrays Cathrine the Great, a woman who understands that her sexuality is one of her strongest assets.
I highly recommend watching this film, even for the beauty of Garbo herself.

Ugetsu

Inspired by two of Aknari Ueda's nine 'Tales of Moonlight and Rain', and Guy de Maupassant's 'How He Got The Legion of Honor', Kenji Mizoguchi's 1953 film Ugetsu monogatari is a fantastic story of Love, Ambition, and Ghosts in the midst of War-time.
Ugetsu follows the story of two peasant couples (some sources suggest that the men are brothers, but I found no reference to this in the film, though a different translation might have suggested this), living in sixteenth century Japan, during civil war. At first we meet Genjuro a potter who is preparing to travel to a larger village to sell his pots where there is a boom in the local economy due to the war. His wife Miyagi pleads to join him, but he suggests that she should stay to care for their son. Genjuro is joined by his foolish neighbor and assistant Tobei who despite the outrage of his wife Ohama, longs to be a successful samurai. Genjuro quickly returns home after making a great profit on the pots he has sold. He brings a handful of silver, and beautiful kimonos for his wife and son. This scene in particular is quite touching. As Miyagi holds up the beautiful Kimono that Genjuro has bought for her, she explains that it is his kindness that makes her happy, and that all she needs is for him to be with her. This theme will echo throughout the film.
Tobei soon returns home as well, after he is laughed out of town by the samurai, who suggest he come back when he has an armor and spear. His spirited wife Ohama berates him for being a foolish dreamer instead of a reliable husband.
Genjuro, driven almost mad with ambition, plans to return to town to make his fortune, throws everything he has into making the largest batch of pots as he can, promising 30% of the profits to Tobei. Before they are finished, their village is attacked, and they all flee to the forest for refuge. The couples sneak back to the village to salvage the pottery and decide to take it to the city across Lake Biwa by boat. On the foggy lake, they encounter a phantom boat, the only passenger is a dying man who's last gasp is a warning that there are pirates on the lake, and that their wares and women were in danger.
Fearing the pirates, Miyagi and her son are deposited on land to return safely home as the others journey to the city. Once at the city, Tobei makes the money to purchase the needed armor and spear to become a samurai, Ohama is lost, then raped, and becomes a prostitute, and Genjuro become the object of a Mysterious lady's affections. Each of the four characters are sent on a different journeys, each haunting and harrowing.
Ugetsu is a remarkable balance between fantasy and harsh reality. The cinematography is breathtaking. The camera is almost always moving, and often vertically (about 70% of the film was shot with a crane). Mizoguchi's obsessive attention to detail, bring the world of these people vividly to life. This is a world of textures, it is as if you can actually feel the silk and fog. I cannot recommend this film enough. Beautifully photographed and directed, with wonderful performances all around. Ugetsu is a lyrical masterpiece, as mysterious as a dream and as thoroughly unforgettable.

Val Lewton & Cat People

In the imaginary hall of great Hollywood producers Val Lewton's picture would be right in between David O. Selznick and Roger Corman.

Born in Russia in 1904, Vladamir Leventon would move to the US in 1909, after his aunt Alla Nazimova found great success on the American stage, and later in silent film, often playing a vamp. Vladamir would adopt his family's new name Lewton. Young Val would prove to be extremely literate and would write obsessively. Anything from poetry, fiction, non-fiction, journalism, and often under various pen-names. His novel
No Bed Of Her Own would later be filmed as No Man of Her Own, and star Carol Lombard and Clark Gable. Val would follow his families footsteps and make his way into the film industry. He would become Davis O. Selznick's assistant and story editor, working on such literary projects as A Tale of Two Cities -where he would first work with future collaborator Jacques Tourneur, and Gone with the Wind.
Like most people, Lewton grew tired of working with the relentless Selznick, and resigned. Lewton would soon be hired by the often troubled RKO studio, to lead (as Producer) a low budget Horror film unit, to help bring in revenue after the brilliant but terribly expensive films that Orson Welles had just made at the studio (Citizen Kane, and The Magnificent Ambersons) brought RKO to it's knees. Lewton would be left relatively alone with the films he made, but there were a couple requisites. First, each film needed to be about 75 minutes, to be one part of a double bill, and second, the titles of the films were already chosen by the studio, and had been tested with audiences. Sensational titles like Cat People, Curse of the Cat People, The 7th Victim and I Walked With a Zombie, were presented to Lewton, and it was his job to create horror films to fit the titles. Lewton would take those pulpy titles, and create high cinematic literature.

The first film would be Cat People. This would also be the first of three films Lewton would make with the brilliant director, Jacques Tourneur. Cat People would become one of the most unusual and effective Horror films ever made. One of the most important decisions made in the early stages of production was to ground the story, and each of the following films, in reality and common fears. Also, to suggest rather than show Irena's transformation into a Panther, would prove to be both believable and an inexpensive way to utilize the low budget the film needed to work with.
RKO, expecting a run of the mill horror picture was quite nervous about the finished film that was presented to them. Cat People is the story of a young Serbian woman named Irena (Simone Simon), who has recently moved to New York, and meets a young all American engineer named Oliver Reed (Kent Smith) at the Zoo. They soon fall in love and then marry. But Irena has a little problem, she fears that she the victim of an ancient Serbian curse, that will cause her to turn into a cat if she is aroused sexually or emotionally, leaving her husband Oliver on the other side of the door on their wedding night. The film also suggests quite cleverly, that Irena's nervousness is caused by her lesbianism. In one of the films most famous scenes, a strange woman who looks like a cat, approaches Irena at her wedding reception, and says something to her in a foreign language, and disrupts the entire table which falls silent. Irena's reaction is one of terror, as she later explains to the other guest that the woman asked Irena if they were sisters.
Oliver's reaction is one of disbelief. Through out the film we are shown the obvious differences in the characters of Irena and Oliver. Irena is foreign, superstitious, moody and possibly even lesbian. While Oliver is very American (he always orders apple pie), he doesn't believe in anything he can't see (accept God) and claims to have never been unhappy, and does not know how to deal with the fears and complexities of Irena's character, and often tries to comfort her by telling her that her fears are based on childhood stories that she can later tell their grand-children.

There is plenty more to discuss about this film including the brilliant fear inducing set pieces that have made this film a classic, but they are best experienced and not described here, besides I don't have time. I'll be back to discuss the other film soon.

Go West!

Hollywood has always been a honey pot of sexy ladies. And over the years a select few become legendary. Dietrich, Garbo, Monroe, Harlow, each still evoke a sense of glamour and sex appeal, even among those who may have never seen one of their films, but have seen pictures of them on postcards and magazines. One such lady, who's stock has unfortunately fallen considerably since her death in 1980 is the incomparable Mae West.

Mae West was one of the brassiest women in show business, she was obsessed with three things, herself, sex, and herself having sex. And she wasn't afraid to tell you so either. Mae West's early films are gems, actually her later films are still pretty great, but the censorship of the times really cramped her style. She wrote all of the dialog in her films herself, and they contain some of the most brilliant exchanges in film history, and they never come across as stagey. West was credited with personally saving Paramount studios during the 30's with her sexy comedies. Mae West would later prove to be very popular with feminists during the 1960's and 70's, as an icon of a self possessed, and straight forward woman. But then, why has she been so neglected over the past 25 years?

One of the reasons I find is that her style, her dress, her mannerisms, don't hold with modern sensibilities regarding feminine beauty, and charm. Mae West was never a gentle fawn, she knew the score and she thought it was great. Her mannerisms were almost masculine, leading more than one person I've talked to find her dikeish. Well what ever their reasons are, I can't understand. Because Mae West will always bring me joy. I think she is terribly sexy, and her wit is only one of her good parts. And she don't show her good parts to strangers. For you beginners, I recommend watching I'M NO ANGEL for starters, it is full of her sexy wit in full-force. Enjoy!

The Silver Screen and the Grey Convertible

I know the point of this blog is to highlight my personal musings on film, but I would like to share with those interested, essays that I find fascinating. I have just found one that I thought was highly interesting. It is about the changes in the importance of film in our culture. It is a winding essay covering many topics, and might be a bit long winded, but I recommend it to anyone with a few minutes to spare. The title of this post is a link to the essay.
I'll be back!

Ben-Hur (1959)

So last night after I got home from my long day of Jury duty, I was so exhausted I didn't think I had the energy to even watch a movie. Then the thought occurred to me "I should watch Ben-Hur". I know it doesn't make sense that I would choose such a long film to cap my sleepy evening, yet somehow it was just the thing I needed.
Ben-Hur was one of my childhood favorites. I've always been a sucker for big epics, but over the years many of the films that I once loved have become taxing to watch, such as Cleopatra, and My Fair Lady. Not the case of Ben-Hur. For being such a Hollywood "Sword and Sandal" spectacle, Ben-Hur still holds up as good film making. I think part of this is because, though it is awfully long, it doesn't seem to have a lot of filler. The film doesn't stop to let you marvel at the sets and costumes, it just keeps the story moving. There is plenty to marvel at, but it never takes precedence over the characters. And of course the legendary Chariot race is truly marvelous, the stunts and camera work are virtuosic. The stunt coordinator was the legendary ex- stunt-man Yakima Cunutt, who besides performing stunts in countless Hollywood classics, performed the still hair-raising stunts in Stagecoach. Also, I find the Christian themes of the movie to be suprisingly light-handed considering the time the film was made. Though not for everyone, Ben-Hur is still high entertainment.

Groucho, I Love You!

I never would have thought that I would become one of those people that loves the Marx Brothers. I mean, it has always seemed to be a certain type of person that was really into them. And, I foolishly have always categorized The Marx Brothers with The Three Stooges, which I still hate. But Groucho is SO funny! He just slays me.

I have a certain fondness for the other brothers, Chico I think would be my second favorite, followed by Harpo. Harpo does have some brilliant moments, but his style kind of gets boring sometimes. Zeppo. Now really I shouldn't take it out on Zeppo, because he is the straight man. But the other brothers don't need a straight man, the rest of the world is their straight man, and Zeppo is kind of just dead weight. I'm sure he was very nice, but he was a bore. Groucho on the other hand is a genius. He is kind of like a funnier Woody Allen minus the Bergman. I'm reading this book HELLO, I MUST BE GOING -GROUCHO AND HIS FRIENDS and it is also hilarious. I had to buy it, the celebrity endorsements were unbelievable. Everyone from King Vidor, and Mae West, to Jacques Tati and Woody Allen. I couldn't pass it up, and I'm glad I didn't because it's so fucking funny. Hopefully it will help me pass the time tomorrow while I wait to be called for Jury duty.

Robert Wise

STANDING: Robert Mulligan, William Wyler, George Cukor ROBERT WISE, Jean-Claude Carriere, Serge Silberman, SEATED: Billy Wilder, George Stevens, Luis Bunuel, Alfred Hitchcock, Rouben Mamoulian. At a luncheon in honor of Luis Bunuel in 1972.

I love this picture. This is a gathering of cinema Gods. Sadly missing from this picture are John Ford, who had to leave this lunch early due to his poor health, Fritz Lang who wasn't available until the following day, and Jean Renoir, and I don't know why he wasn't here, but he should have been.

I have been thinking about this picture today because of the loss of one more of these great directors Robert Wise who passed away yesterday. Leaving Robert Mulligan and Luis Bunuel's writer Jean-Claude Carriere as the only survivors of this photo.

Wise would work his way up through the studio system, first uncredited, as a sound supervisor, then film editor, and finally feature film director.
Robert Wise was Orson Welles' editor on Citizen Kane(He was the last living crew member), and would later be in charge
of the legendary re-edit of Welles' Magnificent Ambersons. Wise began directing films for the legendary producer Val Lewton, who is best remembered for a string of brilliant low budget Horror films at RKO, including Jacques Tourneur masterpiece Cat People. It was actually The Curse of The Cat People that would mark Wise's directorial debut.
Over the next twenty years Wise would prove himself as a skilled director, at ease with virtually every conceivable genre. His films include, Born to Kill, The Set-Up,
The Day the Earth Stood Still (coincidentally I was preparing a post about this film when I read of his death),
I Want to Live!, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Odds Against Tomorrow, Run Silent, Run Deep, The Haunting. But he is most remembered for his brilliant direction of possibly the two greatest musicals of the 1960's
West Side Story, and The Sound of Music. He would win Best Director Oscars for each. After helming those super-productions, Wise would have more difficulty finding projects that suited him. He would continue to direct a wide range of films such as The Sand Pebbles, Star, The Andromeda Strain, Audrey Rose, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Robert Wise turned 91 last Saturday. The twilight of the film gods is now a little dimmer, with his passing.

Easter Parade

I'm just sitting on a wonderfully rainy summer afternoon watching the delightful Technicolor musical Easter Parade, starring Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Ann Miller and Peter Lawford. This film is so much fun I don't care that it isn't Easter. So much talent! I really wish that actors still had to be so multi-talented. Now we are lucky if actors are merely attractive, charisma isn't necessary. Good acting now is often measured in how convincing the actor looks, or how much weight they gained/lost to play the part. Well fuck those people. I'll take Judy Garland, and Fred Astaire, two actors who would never get a job based on their good looks, but boy did they have talent.