Link Crazy Pt. 2: Randomness

Cinema Blend Katey Rich on Sex & The City 2's wardrobe budget "Marie Antoinette might call it a little much."
As Little As Possible Dan Zak on I Am Love "I kind of love the whole movie, either in spite of or because it is such a bald stab at profound auterism, and an exploitation of the visual mysteries of Swinton."
Peer to Peer an interesting interview piece on the decisions behind promotional materials for Red Cliff and Tilda Swinton's star turn in the glorious I Am Love
Kenneth in the (212) "If I had a gun" post = hilariously succinct evisceration of not one but two summer movies


SLatIFR interesting piece on different types of film buffs and where their limits are in terms of interest and history
The Fug Girls Juliette Binoche in The English Patient and at Cannes 2010
Hollywood Elsewhere Blue Valentine press business. I wonder about this "Cannes bounce" apparently the film is shorter now than when I saw it at Sundance. Seven minutes can make a huge difference in how a film plays. Must see it again

offcinema diversions
izasmile makes funny (well, several of them) with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs
Broadway.com makes a 'top ten stage stars of the decade' list. Unfortunately the list should be titled 'top ten film/tv stars who also do stage'. You can't really do justice to the past decade in theater without mentioning Donna Murphy or Sutton Foster

television
The networks have been busy with "Upfronts" lately which means new shows are announced (Ken Levine has advice for the newbies) and old ones are axed. Did you see that ABC is doing a riff on Pixar's The Incredibles mashed up with The Fantastic Four's origin story? It's called No Ordinary Family and mom, dad, daughter and son get superpowers from some crazyweird accident.



Uh... good luck competing with memories of the incredible The Incredibles... although it shouldn't be too hard to wipe the floor with the awful and finally cancelled Heroes.

Decade in Review: 2004 Top Ten

Moving on to 2004. What follows is my original top ten list, based on films released in NYC in 2004. If I have anything new to say that'll be in red after the original text.

Top Ten Runners Up (in descending order): Aviator, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Mean Girls, Maria Full of Grace, The Five Obstructions, Collateral, Goodbye Lenin!, Birth and Closer Yes, I'm absolutely horrified by the rankings now. Nothing about that ranking feels right now. I am most ashamed that Birth was only at number [cough] 19 in its year. In my self-flattering memory I "almost" put it in the top ten despite the then brutal reviews. I was ahead of my time! Oh well... at least I did actually name it the #1 most underappreciated film of the year. At the time I said...

Jonathan Glazer made a significant splash four years ago when his brilliantly acted heist film Sexy Beast debuted to much acclaim and some arthouse success. That film's success was attributed largely to its magnetic star Ben Kingsley. Glazer's sophomore effort is also built around a brilliant performance, Nicole Kidman's this time. The reaction has been decidedly different. It's far closer to hate than love. Birth is a confounding and unsettling movie and it's meant to be. Nevermind that it's on many worst lists. It's worth seeing because Glazer is going to be an important filmmaker. Despite an ending that feels like a fumble, there is much in Birth that's superbly handled, haunting, daring, and evocative. Stay tuned to Glazer's career.

That big career I was hoping for hasn't materialized (there's still no Birth follow-up) but the film has aged beautifully. But I still love everything on my top ten list so I don't know where exactly I'd put it now... or Mean Girls, which I've watched more than any of the films in the top ten list since. All of a sudden the dawning realization. Might 2004 be the best year of this decade rather than 2001?

10 Bad Education (Pedro Almodovar)Pedro's films have a way of growing stronger on repeat views. You become more attuned to their beautifully executed imagery and storytelling structures. Even if you resist they eventually win you over (though I've yet to succumb to Matador). So, on principle, I knew better than to leave this twisty 'fag-noir' out of my list, even if I loved the also-rans just as much.

Bad Education has many immediate virtues; Gael Garcia Bernal's carnality and triple-whammy star turn, and the expected visual thrills and chills. Curiously though, this fascinating noir also has one virtue that seems to be playing a double role as vice; the layers of stories that are actually all one story. Therein, at least at this writing, lies my tiny seed of discontent and the film's 10th place rank (low for a Pedro). I'm not sure that Bad Education's many superb threads weave expertly into one superlative garment. I loved the stories. I understand them as one story. But I waited for the grand emotional fusion which never quite came. The disparate threads are tightly knit in my head but not my heart.

09 I ♥ Huckabees (David O Russell)
A comedy of chaotic singularity. It's been a long time since we've seen rapid-fire sophisticated verbal joking alongside manic slapstick. It's been an even longer time since the last "existential detective comedy" (Wait --was there a last one?)

If the cultural zeitgeist in 2004 had been all about playful soul-searching rather than blindly choosing sides, Huckabees may have hit big. The film's climax, a scene between two existential detectives (Hoffman & Tomlin) and corporate climber Brad Stand (Jude Law) is formed around the question "How am I not myself?" This inquiry is first posed as a throwaway. Brad's more defensive than curious. He's annoyed that the detectives have questioned his basic internal honesty. He exasperatedly asks "How am I not myself?" as if swatting them away. (What a silly thing to question!) But the detectives begin to repeat the inquiry aloud, spinning it around their own tongues to taste its true meaning. The comedy often emerges from the way they engage and disengage from conversations becoming distracted by their own curiousity. They are both service providers and true believers. But laughs are not the only purpose of this movie. The sequence darkens. Going about his day Brad moves from exasperation to self-loathing to fear, the question haunting him all the while. It takes on a mantra feeling by the end. It's a good question to answer, if you're up for it.

Like Mean Girls this is ridiculously rewatchable. I adore it and I still wish there could be a movie serial that ran before all features following the further exploits of Bernard and Vivian, existential detectives. In fact I wish they could interrupt every bad movie and start "investigating" the director, actors or screenwriter's issues. Why are you making this movie?

08 Dogville (Lars von Trier)
Prologue) In which we are stunned by brilliant staging and an impressive huge cast.
Chapter 1) In which Grace (Nicole Kidman) arrives and Tom (Paul Bettany) the

obvious director-surrogate in this parable gives a 'moral lecture' and is immediately chastized by the narrator for "lashing out somewhat haphazardly in all directions."
Chapter 2-5) "Happy Times" -The cast interacts lovingly...
Chapter 6,7) until their love is exposed as shallow self-interest and their "true face" emerges and the film becomes totally shattering.
Chapter 8,9) In which the director (Von Trier) lashes out somewhat haphazardly in all directions and the film ends.

Dogville is harrowing, excruciating in its inevitability, and unforgettable. While colder than the 'Golden Heart trilogy' (Breaking the Waves, The Idiots, Dancer in the Dark) which raised Von Trier's profile to an icon of divisiveness, Dogville is equally potent. Understandably misread as an Anti-American screed, it's closer to a condemnation of the entire human race. This town is "...not far from here."

07 The Incredibles (Brad Bird)
I saw The Incredibles three times within the month of its opening. And every time something else opened the following month that only looked half-appealing I thought to myself. "Now, self, you can always go and see The Incredibles again!" This great superhero film may be written off as comfort food, but it's not without nutritious value. I've never considered re-watchability to be the strongest indicator of quality but it counts as an obvious plus. The film's cheerful but serious inventiveness becomes more obvious upon repeat viewings.

Brad Bird, who also directed the last American 2-D animation classic The Iron Giant, deserves all the kudos he gets for this special toon. He also wrote the jam-packed, funny and relevant screenplay. He's not the first auteur to work in animation, but he's the genre's greatest superhero behind the scenes in quite some time. He may only be voicing Edna Mode ("I never look back! It distracts me from the 'now'.") but to me he's Mr. Incredible.

For more on Brad Bird, I suggest reading Robert's Directors of the Decade entry. I haven't seen this movie in too long. I'm totally watching it again as soon as this year's awards crush is over.

06 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (Kim Ki Duk)
Gorgeously humane and intimately scaled, Spring... is the spiritual tonic that the cinemas most needed in this year of religious-fueled fury (The Passion) and human pettiness and ferocity (Dogville). Director Kim Ki Duk also moved from cruelty (see previous films) to peace and meditation here. spring, summer, fall, winter...and spring is structured with complete simplicity (the title is truthful), but what could have been a precious and obvious film is instead profoundly moving.

05 Before Sunset (Richard Linklater)
Making a sequel to a film as delicate and "moment in time"-ish as Before Sunrise seems like a fool's errand. But writer/director Linklater and his stars Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke are no fools. This re-meet is less cute (though still cuddly), deeper, and more resonant. It improbably improves the original, which is a pretty awesome trick. Celine and Jesse have aged well. Before Sunset's purity (it's told in real time) gives a beautiful ebb and flow to the chatty conversation and emotional reveals, and culminates in one of the great movie endings.



The last two movies just get to me. Man, do they get to me. Tears!

04 Sideways (Alexander Payne)
He's four for four now. Payne first made a mark in 1996 when Citizen Ruth won many cinephile hearts for its satirical know-how, poking fun (with gusto) at both sides in the eternal abortion rights battle. Next up came Election (my personal favorite) a hilarious high-school-as-macrocosm of politics movie. And finally, two years ago broader audiences finally discovered his work (with the help of a genuine legend Jack Nicholson) in About Schmidt. Apparently though, for a complete triumph with the sacred trinity of Audience|Critics|Oscar, the fourth time is the charm.


The current backlash-generated question is: Are critics wrong to have been so unanimous in declaring Sideways, a light angsty middle age buddy comedy, the best film of the year? Perhaps. Is that anything to hold against this funny, incisive, memorable, and superbly acted gem? Absolutely not. Drink up!

Though I still think the backlash was as suspect as it claimed the critical reaction was, I readily admit that I don't love this as much now. Before Sunset feels richer when it comes to romantic baggage and if the negatives of this and, say, Birth were on fire. I'd be trying to save Birth. You know? But it's a good movie. So there.

03 Vera Drake (Mike Leigh)
Leigh is most frequently thought of as an ensemble director. His now famous method of working involves months of rehearsal and improv with his team of actors before the movie has a real script and before any footage is shot. His films tend to have uniformly strong work from their entire teeming cast... even the bit roles are perfection. What is less often remarked upon is the way his film's are often built organically around one magical, lived-in and accomplished lead performance from a character actor. Add Imelda Staunton's Vera Drake to the list that includes Brenda Blethyn's teary Cynthia Purley (Secrets and Lies) and the great Jim Broadbent's towering, magnificent William Gilbert in Topsy Turvy.

I wish I had given Imelda Staunton my gold medal that year. I was too caught up in that silly Bening vs. Swank round two stuff. Argh! Done in by Oscar punditry and my own actressexual "issues".

02 Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi)
The first film in years to make me feel like a little kid again. Absolutely joyous from start to finish. My gratitude goes out to Tobey Macguire and Kirsten Dunst who continue to exhibit a rare chemistry. Kudos also to the team behind Doctor Octopus. Superheroes need a great rogues gallery and Doctor Octopus alone makes 2 a significant improvement on the original. I don't know if "there's a hero in all of us" but Sam Raimi is one in my book. He continues to show complete acceptance and love for that most maligned genre; the comic book film. This webslinging adventure is, quite simply, the greatest superhero movie ever. "Excelsior!"

01 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry)

When I first published my top ten list I never entered any text to explain my number one choice. For a movie that's at least partially about self-erasure, I suppose that's appropriate. The movie is utterly brilliant. Unlike Joel's memories, it will endure forever.

I know you love Eternal Sunshine, but what else made 2004 great for you? Oscar went crazy for Million Dollar Baby (I like it more now than I did back then), the public went crazy for Shrek 2 and The Passion of the Christ and The Bourne Supremacy. You?
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Directors of the Decade: Brad Bird

Robert here. My initial thought for my series on the directors who shaped the past decade was to combine the Pixar guys into one big entry. Five minutes later I was filled with great shame. How dare I think that just because these men make animated films, they don’t deserve their own entries. It was ghettoization all over again! Sure, Pixar films all tend to have similar themes but that doesn’t mean that the great Pixar directors are interchangeable. Over the next few weeks we’ll take a look at them and see what makes them the same and different. First up: Brad Bird.

Number of Films: Two.
Modern Masterpieces: One. With my apologies to The Incredibles, which is an incredible film, the masterpiece is Ratatouille.
Total Disasters: Not even close.
Better than you remember: If you think either of these could be better, you should probably just stop reading now.
Awards: Best Animated Film Oscar for The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Best Picture nomination for.... oh yeah, nevermind.
Box Office: Both films topped 200 mil. The one without the french name topped 260 mil.
Critical Consensus: Beloved and beloved.
Favorite Actor: John Ratzenberger’s name will likely show up for all the Pixar guys.

Let’s talk about:
Complexity. First off complex relationships. Even more specifically complex family relationships. Now we’re getting somewhere. The difference between Brad Bird films and the other Pixar guys’ films is that the families (or “families”) involved don’t just have to work together to save the day, they have to work together to save themselves. Bird’s films both feature families that are, to one extent or another, broken. So it inevitably follows that the relationships between members of these families would be a frequent topic for the director. But the broken bonds go well beyond the simple you might expect from kiddie fare (which is unfair to say since we know that great animated films aren't just for kids, but in a way it took Pixar to remind us of that this decade) . Sure we want Remy’s father to respect him as an artist, yet he makes good points via the safety of the community. Yes we can empathize with Mr. Incredible’s desire to do superhero work again, but it’s still wrong of him to betray his wife, who herself is thankfully presented as reasonable and not villainous (I’m looking at you American Beauty).

Peter O'Toole provides the voice, Brad Bird provides the perspective

But complexity isn't just limited the relationships. It's everywhere in Bird’s work. Look at his directorial style. Bird throws more camera angles, movements and tricks at his films than his compatriots, all of them purposeful and brilliantly conceived. Bird’s direction isn’t just complexity for its own sake. His camera always empathizes with his characters without drawing any undue attention to itself (Please don’t take this to mean that I consider certain more simplicity-inclined Pixar directors to be inferior. Quite the contrary, I love all of these Pixar movies and find them to be perfect versions of themselves). In fact, Bird’s films require complex direction more than others at work at Pixar Studios. Whereas other films may give us an A, B and possible C storyline, Bird’s just keep piling up the conflict layer upon layer upon layer. So we don’t just get father fish looking for son fish (A story) as son fish tries to get home (B story), we get rat yearns to cook (A) while getting displaced from family (B) while meeting human who needs job (C) and teams up with rat to cook (D) as he develops a romantic relationship with co-worker (E) and may be the rightful heir to a restaurant (F) while rat tries to reconnect with family by potentially sabotaging human (G). All the while a grumpy critic waits and waits for a life-changing dish of ratatouille. Layers. Seriously.

Brad Bird, Mr. Complexity. First on Left.

In another sign of his fascination with complexity, Bird has a greater desire to explore the artistic process within his films than the other Pixar directors. The Incredibles puts its entire story on hold several times as we visit costume-design artist extraordinaire Edna Mode who gives us the lowdown on her own genius. And Ratatouille, which is naturally filled with ruminations on the art of cooking, goes even farther, visualizing the concept of taste and combination of taste in a way that no other film has. Bird loves the mind of the artist, and it shows.

So Brad Bird is Mr. Complexity. And where did this come from? A long history in animation. For most of us Bird entered our radar just this decade with The Incredibles. For the lucky few of us, self not included, who weren’t frightened or off put by the thought of a non-Disney animated film, the introduction was by way of The Iron Giant. But even that was in 1999, just on the cusp of this modern decade. Still if you find yourself watching old episodes of The Simpsons or The Critic (I’m not the only one who still watches old episodes of The Critic am I?) You’ll see his name. He's been doing this for a while. The relentlessly talented Brad Bird finally finding a home at the ever-brilliant Pixar is in retrospect both incredibly obvious and one of the finest developments of the decade. As for the next decade, Bird is working on the live-action earthquake film 1906. due out in 2 years. It’s exciting to see Bird spread his wings and take on something new, but waiting until 2012 for it seems like a bit of cruelty worthy of Syndrome himself.

UP Vodcast Review

We're back with round two. This time Katey and I are discussing Pixar's latest Up.



Would love to hear your thoughts on Pixar's latest film and protagonist Carl Fredrickson (we didn't get into this in the video but isn't it strange that Pixar films never have female leads?). I take it many of you already took that balloon ride.

related post: Pixar Top Ten

Top Ten: PIXAR

tuesday thursday top ten: for the listmaker in me and the listlover in you

What follows is a reworking of a post originally published in 2007. It's two years later and you know what that means: Pixar has given us two more classics. UP brings their feature film count to ten. You know what Ten means: Top Ten Time!

Pixar by Preference

Cars (John Lasseter, 2006) 117 min.
Pixar's only dud. Chief among its problems: the anthropomorphics were forced. Let me get this straight: Cars as bugs on windshields of cars as cars who act like humans and they even sleep in hotels for cars -- What? What? It's not quite Shark Tale in the realm of painful "they're just like us!" pandering but it's not 'good' either. I would give it a second chance except it's also Pixar's longest feature... too long by about 23 minutes. Thankfully, they seem to have reversed their bloated running time trending. It peaked here and began coming back down to 90 minute levels.
Best character: n/a
Oscar noms: 2 (Original Song and Animated Feature)

Good Movies

09 A Bug's Life (Lasseter & Andrew Stanton, 1998) 96 min.
Not as memorable as the other films but a solid entertainment.
Best character: Heimlich "finally, I'm a beautiful butterfly!"
Oscar noms: 1 (Score, Musical or Comedy)



08 Finding Nemo (Stanton & Lee Unkrich, 2003) 100 min.
Pixar's biggest hit and the appeal is obvious. It's consistently funny and it looks like a million billion bucks. And I'm not just talking about the color palette (fish were such a brilliant subject for an animated film) but the intermittently serene bliss of the uncluttered frame. Animated films tend to overstuff and err on the side of visual and narrative chaos, desperate that the littlest eyes in the audience might wander. Pixar is more confident than that (though I could've done without some of Nemo's lamer gags like "surfer" turtles. 'Whoa')
Best character: Dory, possibly the best celebrity voice casting ever for a toon. In non-Pixar efforts the casting is usually only about the marquee value of the name. Pixar almost always does right by casting. It's character first. Ellen DeGeneres's whole comic persona serves the fish and not the other way around.
Oscar noms: 4 (Animated Feature*, Score, Sound Editing, Original Screenplay)

Toy Story 2 (Lasseter, Unkrich and Ash Brannon, 1999) 92 min.
The last time I made a Pixar list I asked if it was as great as some claim? But unfortunately I didn't seek an answer for myself. I loved its basic story concept but I don't remember it well.
Best character: They're mostly holdovers but I do remember that that Barbie sequence was bananas.
Oscar Noms: 1 (Score). 1999 was the year that prompted the Academy to create an animated feature category, which became an official category in 2001. The collective critical response to Toy Story 2, The Iron Giant and Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke which were all released stateside in 1999 was basically along the lines of 'these animated movies are as good as any live action movie'. AMPAS decision seemed like a good move at the time, but now the category has become a ghetto preventing films as rich and lauded as WALL•E from landing in the Best Picture category where they belong.

Very Good. Sometimes Great.

06 Up (Pete Docter & Bob Peterson) 96 min.
This ranking might be too high or too low. But the film is brand spanking new. I'll need time to settle with it... float back down to earth. I always feel high in the sky after a Pixar... even the ones that don't include helium balloons. Our Vodcast Review
Best character: Carl Fredricksen. I love how square his face is, how it ages and how expressive it remains throughout the film, despite being as boxed up as his life in his old house.
Oscar noms: We'll know in January 2010. I'm going to guess three (Score, Animated and one Sound categories)

Monsters, Inc. (Docter, Unkrich and Lee Silverman, 01) 92 min.
One of the most underrated films of 2001, arguably the best cinematic year of the decade. How can this be underrated when it made hundreds of millions and people generally like it, you ask? Because they should love it. It's got all the Pixar strengths in abundance: inventive screenplay, memorable characters, complicated gags, glorious production design. Those people (including Academy voters) who thought Shrek was better? They're monsters! My screams when it lost the Oscar could power Monstropolis for a year.
Best character: Boo
Oscar noms: (Original Song*, Animated Feature, Score, Sound Editing)

04 Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 07) 111 min.
Left the movie theater with a huge smile on my face... interrupted only by an occassional shudder from the heebie-jeebies. You know, hundreds of rats... in a kitchen... touching food! Pixar is totally gourmet. You always feel that the films are crafted with great skill and love. They make a mint but it's plain as day that's not their soul purpose. It's not an assembly line. One hopes this anti fast-food approach eventually rubs off on the increasingly soulless direct to DVD Disney.
Best character: Gusteau
Oscar noms: 5 (Animated Feature*, Score, Sound, Sound Editing, Original Screenplay)

For the All Time Lists

03 Toy Story (Lasseter, 95) 81 min.
I'm not sure if it's the 99th best film of all time as the AFI claims but I'm glad animation is represented on that list. We were both excited to see it as we were ahead of the populace on the Pixar curve. I don't remember how I obtained it but I had a bootleg VHS tape of all of the Pixar shorts that had been made before they risked going into features. I had already converted my whole family to the cult of Pixar and even considered buying stock in the company went it first went up for sale even though I was a poor college student (Oh, to have done so). As long as I live I will never forget the first time I saw the film. I went with my brother. The moment that lifted it into a complete comedic classic was 'The Claw' My brother and I literally hurt from laughing. That's a good kind of pain.
Best character: Buzz Lightyear
Oscar noms: 3 (Score, Original Song, Screenplay... and a special Oscar for John Lasseter for making it all happen)

02 The Incredibles (Bird, 2004) 115 min.
From my top ten of 2004 review: "I saw The Incredibles three times within the month of its opening. And every time something else opened the following month that only looked sort of appealing I thought to myself. "Self, you can always go and see The Incredibles again"
... Gah. Pixar is so awesome. Group hug!


Best character: Elastigirl. She keeps this family together... and not just with those rubbery arms that can literally do so.
Oscar noms: 4 (Sound Editing* Animated Feature*, Sound Mixing, Original Screenplay)

01 WALL•E (Stanton, 08) 98 minutes
One of the best pictures in recent years from any medium or genre. Since it's still fresh in mind I'm guessing we've discussed it enough for awhile. I was wild for it as you know. See my annual awards for further proof.
Best character: Read my ode to EVE here if you missed it.
Oscar noms: 6 (Animated Feature*, Score, Original Song, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Screenplay)

Next up for Pixar? I hope they don't spoil their status as "most consistent studio on the planet" but they're moving into two pictures a year now, instead of one. When Disney sped up in the mid 90s, things started going downhill.


2010: Toy Story 3 which will be directed by Lee Unkrich, who is finally getting his own movie after co-directing three of their giant hits.
2011: Newt about the last remaining male and female blue footed newts... who hate each other and Pixar's first fairy tale (moving into Disney's realm, eh?) The Bear and the Bow
2012: Brings a weird double feature: the one I'm least excited about, Cars 2, and the one I'm most excited about John Carter of Mars. The latter will be a real departure for the studio, a sci-fi adventure / adaptation that's not specifically aimed at children. UPDATE: Apparently Andrew Stanton is being essentially "loaned out" for this one and it won't be a proper Pixar film after all. Live action. Barsoomia is tracking the project closely.

Pixar shorts top ten, a bonus list. Here's my top ten.

1. For the Birds (Ralph Eggleston, 2000) 3 min. Oscar winner
   
2. Knick Knack (Lasseter, 1989) 4 min.
   
3. Boundin' (Bud Lucky and Roger Gould, 2003) 5 min. Oscar nominee
   
4. Tin Toy (Lasseter, 1988) 5 min. Oscar winner
   
5. Geri's Game (Jan Pinkava, 1997) 4 min. Oscar winner
   
6. Luxo Jr (Lasseter, 1986) 2 min. Oscar nominee
   
7. Lifted (Gary Rydstrom, 2006) 5 min. Oscar nominee
   
8. Presto (Doug Sweetland, 2008) 5 min. Oscar nominee
   
9. Red's Dream (Lasseter, 1987) 4 min.
   
10. One Man Band (Mark Andrews and Andrew Jimenez, 2005) 4 min. Oscar nominee
    

Your Pixar Experience

Which was your first in theaters? Which film has shifted the most in your opinions about it over the years? How would you rate them on a scale of dud to all timers? Or are you, like Armond White, tired of hearing about their awesomeness? If so, how soon do you think a backlash will happen?

related post: UP Vodcast
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June Weddings

Helen and Bob Parr were married June 1st, 1989, at the church on St. Pablo Ave. Justice of the Peace Brad Bird presided. The bride is the daughter of Mr and Mrs. Conyers Georgia. The groom is the son of Mr and Mrs Craig T Parr. The bride wore an ivory silk Valenta ball gown. She carried a bouquet of white daisies. Best man was Lucius Best.

The bride is a graduate of Metroville University with a degree in hydrocarbon polymerology. She currently serves the public as a superhero. The groom also performs heroics. They plan to continue incredible crime fighting and reside in downtown Metroville.

[excerpted from the Municiperg Tribune, June 2nd, 1989]

Tuesday Top Ten: Holly Hunter

TTT: for the list-lover in you and the list-maker in me

Let the rest of the world have Julia Roberts, my favorite Georgian movie star is Holly Hunter and she's celebrating her 49th today. For those who've wondered why I can so regularly be found bitching about ubiquitously cast actors it's merely this: There's so many brilliant thespians out there who we hardly ever get to see. I want the wealth spread a little bit.

I shouldn't lie and say that I'll see anything with Holly in it (I have skipped a few --often because her roles are wee or she's playing third fiddle to people less talented than her pinky) but for the most part, she's a huge draw. Her best work rivals anyones. I miss her.

Ten Favorite Holly Hunter Performances

10 I'm reserving this spot (or a higher one) for...
"Wanda Halloway" in The Positively True Adventures of the Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom (1993)
Full confession: I have never seen this all the way through but I already love the performance. I laugh every time. I am interrupted every time I try sitting through the damn thing. Hunter won the Emmy for this. 1993 was definitely the peak of her career (see also #9 and #1)

09 "Tammy Hemphill" in The Firm (1993)
I have virtually no memory of this Tom Cruise legal thriller other than that Hunter (Oscar nominated) and Gene Hackman provided the spark and charisma whilst Cruise ran away with the credit for its huge hit status.

08 "Elastigirl" in The Incredibles (2004)
I hate the modern trend of animated voice casting (only celebrities allowed!) but at least Pixar knows how to do it without offense. You won't find them casting a celebrity just for a name. They have to have a memorable character specific voice, too. The Incredibles is great fun (2004 top ten list) and Hunter grounds the super family with maternal fire, sass, confidence and her own impeccable (one might say incredible) comic timing.

07 "Helen Remington" in Crash (1996)
David Cronenberg's freaky adaptation of the J.G. Ballard novel about a community that sexualizes vehicular carnage turned off many viewers. I saw it twice in one week, marvelling at its bravely and in your face eroticism. I particularly loved Hunter's blend of self-horror and fearless compliance. Her face in the car when she exposes her breast. The way she navigates that sex scene with Rosanna Arquette's troublesome leg. Always this blend of subversive comedy with actual dramatic potency. How does she do it?

Have I mentioned that I love Holly Hunter, yet?



06 "Jane Craig" in Broadcast News (1987)
The performance that made her a star. She'll meet us 'at the place near the thing where we went that time.'

05 "Claudia Larson" in Home For the Holidays
Nobody loves this movie like I do. Well, maybe Nick.

04 "Judith Moore" in Living Out Loud (1998)
Nobody loves this movie like I do.

03 "Melina Freeland" in thirteen (2003)
I've talked about this performance several times before: 2003 top ten list and supporting actress gold medal for Holly's powerhouse work as a desperately loving single mother.


02 "Edwina 'Ed' McDunnough" in Raising Arizona (1987)
One of the best comedic performances in one of the greatest comedies ... ever. I love her work in Broadcast News but she was Oscar nominated for the wrong performance says me. It's her absolute commitment to Edwina's rigid worldview that just shoves the comedy into even funnier places. And it's already hilarious to begin with. My personal favorite moment (so many to choose from) is her instant staccato sobbing when meeting her (stolen) baby "I...love...him...so...much"

01 "Ada McGrath" in The Piano (1993)
One of those rare awards sweepers (like Mirren in The Queen) that deserved to dominate. I've been asked to write more about this movie as part of that fundraising offer so I'll do a retrospective on The Piano in April. Stay tuned.

I showed you mine. Now show me yours. Which Hunter charms you most?

Blogosphere Multiplex: Dylan Meconis

We normally do the Interviews on Monday but that's a holiday, sillies. So enjoy this early "quirky" bird. Readers who followed me over to my guest posting gig @ Modern Fabulousity will remember I was breathless over some illustrations of the Battlestar Galactica cast as Simpsons characters. That witty fusion was brought to you by Dylan Meconis, an illustrator hailing from Oregon. You can read Dylan's blog, see her website, or visit the communal pants press sketchblog that she frequents.

Dylan is very talented and, as turns out, really fun to chat with. Here's the interview:


10 questions with Dylan Meconis

Nathaniel:How often do you go the movies?

Dylan: Two to three times a month, although since I've moved to Portland, I've been going more often. I live within shooting distance of three or four excellent old-time movie houses that show second-run and classic shows for a pittance, and serve pizza and microbrew beer. It's kind of hard to resist seeing Mary Poppins for three dollars, especially with an IPA and a three-cheese pizza backing it up.

Nathaniel: Dear Lord! If I wasn't so happy with Manhattan that'd be like an effective recruiting campaign for Oregon. I hear you just got back from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. What did you see and what is your favorite Shakespeare film adaptation?

Dylan: This year I only saw three plays. This time it was Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, Intimate Apparel (a contemporary play), and a really fun production of Two Gentlemen of Verona.

As for my favorite Shakespeare film - the one that has made the biggest impression on me is Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. I went to see it as an 8th grader at the local arthouse theater in my Seattle neighborhood, and I came out with eyes the size of dinner plates. I just thought it was marvelous and vibrant and that Branagh wasn't afraid to be very bold in his directing choices - but he avoided any big gimmicks with the setting or staging.

Really I like all of Branagh's Shakespeare films - Henry V (the prologue, read by Derek Jacobi, striding through all the studio equipment...gah! Awesome!), Much Ado About Nothing, Othello...all very enjoyable. As for my least favorite, well, She's The Man was pretty horrifying.

Nathaniel: Which movie stars would you switch teams for?

Dylan: Ooh...tough one, since I've played both sides... However, let it be known that I would totally marry Alan Rickman and Catherine Zeta-Jones. At the same time. The ceremony would be lovely.

Nathaniel: Ha ha. love it. Though I must say I find the combo baffling. I'm reading on your blog about your kung fu injury... Goodness you're a girl of many talents. Which martial arts heavy films do you love?

Dylan: I've never been much for the martial arts genre, so I'm mostly lame and like the Kill Bill movies. I have to say that all the wire-fighting, super-fast kung fu stuff doesn't do it for me - I really prefer stage combat to have weight and consequence. Kill Bill was obviously fantasy, but at least I believed in the physical damage being inflicted. I think I'm the one person on earth who didn't like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Don't hate me.

Nathaniel: It's too late. No I kid. I can't hate you after reading that post you did on Tony Jay and his voicework on Hunchback of Notre Dame. I totally agree. I love pieces of that movie so much. What are you favorite films or characters from animated films?

Dylan: Oh, well, obviously Frollo from Hunchback, and for that matter, Phoebus and Clopin from that movie, as well. Such great character animation and voice acting! I was completely obsessed with that movie as a teenager, and I still adore it.

Probably my favorite animated film of all time is The Incredibles, though. It's just flawless. I could watch it on loop and never get sick of it. I also think Spirited Away is pretty amazing. The rest of Miyazaki is pretty and I enjoy it, but he's not very good at telling coherent stories, and Spirited Away is just abstract and dreamy enough that you don't mind so much. For classic Disney, you can't beat Sleeping Beauty ---gorgeous, with all of those painstakingly researched and handpainted backgrounds. And Maleficent, who's another magnificent cartoon villain.

As for things I can't really justify in any way, I really like the Korso character (voiced by Bill Pullman) from the inescapably mediocre Titan A.E. I have no idea why. Maybe it's an illness.

Nathaniel: I have just started looking at Bite Me!, your webcomic. I am a huge fan of vampires. Who are your favorite cinematic vampires and why do you think they never go away from pop culture? It's not like frankenstein is continually in vogue.

Dylan: I love vampire stuff too, but I also realize how ridiculous it all is. Which just adds to the fun, really. Favorite cinema vampires...well, that's easy enough. I'm not a Tom Cruise fanatic by any stretch of the imagination, but he was brilliantly cast as Lestat in the original Interview film. (Brad Pitt as Louis was a sad mistake; I hold that Johnny Depp would've been much more accurate casting.) Other than that, you have to give props to Christopher Lee's nine million Dracula appearances. And on the anime front, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is still one of the most perfect vampire flicks ever. Still waiting for a decent female vampire role; Parker Posey in Blade 3 was at least funny.

As for eternal appeal (ha, ha), well, vampires are cool. They are sexy. They dress fashionably. They can be heroes OR bad guys. They can live forever, but die with extreme flare. There's just a lot of immediately enjoyable features to draw from, and you can pick and choose. Whereas Frankenstein's monster kind of, what? Lumbers, and throws small children into lakes, and groans with pathos? Only so much you can do, there.

Nathaniel: Hee. so true, though I have to say we part ways on Tom Cruise as Lestat. That movie hurts me. And not in the good way.

OK. last time I interviewed an illustrator I had to ask this and I will again. What's your feeling on movies about artists -- Girl with a Pearl Earring or artist biopics like Friday. Any general or specific feelings about the genre... hate? love?

Dylan: I can't say as I seek them out. I really enjoyed Frida, but in general, something bothers me about artistically interpreting an artistic interpreter. It seems a little bit like a snake eating its own tail. And, frankly, a lot of wildly famous artists are depressing, narcissistic jerks.

Frida I enjoyed in part because the artist herself was actually decent as a human being and a woman, despite all of the hardships life threw at her. Even when her art expressed pain, it was vibrant and joyous, and the film captured that. I adore Julie Taymor, who did such a wonderful job at turning the whole look of the film into a sort of living Kahlo painting in that way. Of course, now I look at Kahlo art and have a false impression that I "know" Frida Kahlo, which isn't true. I know an impression of her as presented by the people involved in that film. That bugs me.

Nathaniel: Interesting. But to some extent isn't that true with all biopics?

Dylan: Sure it is, but's it particularly extreme in the case of artists - art about art is kind of a dangerous feedback loop if not done very well.

Nathaniel: That "knowing" affect is true of our culture of celebrity, too. We feel like celebrities aren't complete strangers...which of course they are. If you could hang out with an actor, director, or a movie character who would it be?

Dylan: If I could hang out with an actor, I'd honestly be interested in somebody like Hugo Weaving, who's played a really wide variety of roles in everything from huge stupid American smash-up movies to Australian fringe theater. I sort of want to be him when I grow up, and it'd be neat to hear his war stories. For dead actors, Leslie Howard, who gave Bogart his big break.

For directors, I know the folks I admire, but they all strike me as being a bit intense and possibly unpleasant. Glen Keane is directing for Disney now, though, and he would be really fun to hang out with and talk animation. And movie characters...can I be a total dork and say David Thewlis's portrayal of Professor Lupin, from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? Not to make out with him, just to chat quietly and roam about Hogwarts. That sounds nice.

Nathaniel: You are always welcome to be a total dork! Speaking of: Here's a geeky sophies choice for you: Arwen or Eowyn?

Dylan: Hell-oooooo, Eowyn! I have little use for a lady who can't be described as "feisty". Arwen is mostly good for weeping crystal tears and having somber visions shot through gauze, whereas I get the feeling Eowyn would be totally down for wacky roadtrips, boxing classes, and cuddle sessions in fleece pajamas in front of old Tracy/Hepburn flicks. Also, she would buy me a pony and I would ride it with her across the great plains of Gondor. That would be hella romantic.

Nathaniel: That's great. OK. Wrapping up now: They make a movie of your life. Who plays you? Who directs? What's the title? rating?

Dylan: Playing me: Since Winona Ryder can't really act and is in career hell, I'm going to have to go with Johnny Depp in yoga pants drag. It would be amazing. Really. I would trust no one else to portray me with such honesty. However, they will probably cast Natalie Portman: it could be worse.

Directing - well, me, of course. Unless I'm dead, in which case, Rian Johnson. My only stipulation to him would be the inclusion of the musical saw and the theremin in the score, and at least one original David Bowie song. The title: Heroine of the Hour: the Dylan Meconis Story Rating: Oh, let's go with a PG-13. Enough to make it edgy, without cutting into ticket sales. I want this in the art house AND the multiplex.

Thanks Nathaniel! I had fun.

Nathaniel: Thank you. And best wishes on a blooming illustration career.


Film Experience (for newbies):
Previous Interview w/ Martha of Cinematical * An Object of My Obsession -Moulin Rouge! * Far From Heaven vs. Brokeback -Whose side are you on? * She's a Bitch (@ the Movies) * The FB Awards -My Annual Prizes *

Tags: movies, Shakespeare, Frida, Hamlet, The Incredibles, Interview with the Vampire, cinema, Hugo Weaving, film, animation, celebrities, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Oregon, vampires, Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp