Has There Been Anything More Depressing...

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... ever put on film than the draining of Dorothy Malone's
wanton technicolor by the end of Written on the Wind?


I think not. It's like someone stuck a pin in Glinda's bubble
and all of Oz deflated in one fell swoop. There's no place like Sirk.
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Joan Crawford vs. Kate Winslet

Weirdest news of the week coming at'cha right now...

Kate Winslet, who we all thought would lie low for a bit after her Oscar win, is going to play "Mildred Pierce". Yes that Mildred Pierce! It's the restaurateur/mother/martyr role that won the immortal Joan Crawford her long coveted Oscar. HBO is expected to win the rights to the film which is, according to Variety, not a feature remake so much as a miniseries adaptation of the novel that the 1945 classic was based on.

But still...

What's infinitely better news than another classic being reworked? A classic being reinterpreted by the one and only Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven), that's what. If you they have to remake classic cinema --and they don't have to but never mind all that -- at least get someone with a true voice involved. Haynes has already made a mini masterpiece by riffing on the films of Douglas Sirk. He's adept at cinema on cinema or any kind of text on text for that matter. But will lightning strike twice? And for the small screen?

Joan Crawford could not be reached for comment but we hear she's pissed.


And you don't want to mess with Joan Crawford.

"CHRISTTTINAAAAA" "KAAAAAAAAAAATE !!!"

Link

Awards Daily the OFCS winners
/Film continuing the anticipation for Where the Wild Things Are
StinkyLulu the 2008 "Lulus", nominations in 4 supporting actress categories. Fun fun
Defamer Gael García Bernal "may very well fit in one's front pocket."


Nick's Flick Picks the 2008 Honorees in full swing. Woot
NY Times on the new twin DVD of Magnificent Obsession. (sigh) don't you love that movie? I mean, the Sirk version
MNPP intriguing quotes on I Love You Phillip Morris
MTV Cher is returning to the movies. Yay!

And two more to send you on your way...

For Martin Luther King Day i09 has a cool post on the great man's influences in science fiction comics, film and television. And finally, here's further proof that Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) is not really in 5th place for Oscar's Supporting Actor race anymore... (the exchange starts at about the 36 second mark)



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I'm flabbergastedhathawayed.

(thx to John for pointing this out)
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On This Day in Movie History...

The final American film from the great Douglas Sirk, Imitation of Life opened in New York City 47 years ago today in 1959.

Add it to your Netflix queue. You won't regret it. (It's also great fun to watch it back to back with the 1934 Claudette Colbert version to see the changes brought by two decades passing and a new director)