I'm not going to have much time to post over the next few days as the festival ends & partying and travel back to NYC begin, but I'm giving you the heads up on some upcoming topics. And a calendar to live by! (I'm imagining you all chanting "So say we all" -don't disappoint me) I know I haven't always been the most punctual writer in terms of my promises but I keep on trying and I have my strengths --f'rinstance: when have you ever had to go a day without something to read or look at on TFE?
Cast ThisEach month I'll give you the title of the book I'm going to read and on the last Thursday of the month you can discuss with me and throw casting ideas about! It's a cinematic twist on the book club. If you are illiterate and come here for the pretty movie star pictures, you'll have to stare dumbly at the screen one day a month. My apologies.
May's book: The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
This was recommended by a couple of readers as a "can't miss" and up for both a Hugo and a World Fantasy award in 2001. So let's take them on their word.
Requested Retrospectives
I'll do my best to stay on track. A calendar for you and me. Here are the tentative dates by which I will discuss movies and hopefully completely clear my backlog of promises so we can start fresh by fall. If you screen these prior to the post/review/discussion, I guarantee: more fun. Plus, it's a good incentive to stop putting off seeing something you've always meant to. You're not alone: the three movies with the asterisks here I have never seen.
5/12 The Piano (1993) netflix / greencine / blockbuster5/15 Network (1976) netflix / greencine / blockbuster
* 5/19 Abba: The Movie (1977) netflix / blockbuster
5/26 Moulin Rouge! (2001) "An Object of My Obsession (Pt 3)"
5/29 Cast This: The Curse of Chalion (i.e. book club)
* 6/02 A Touch of Evil (1958) netflix / greencine / blockbuster
* 6/09 Julia (1977) netflix / blockbuster
6/12 Maurice (1987) netflix / greencine / blockbuster
Play along. But be patient if I run late. Normal blogging will also occur (duh)
[P.S. These aren't blog-a-thons in the traditional sense but if you happen to write about these in time or in conjunction with the discussions here, let me know and I'll link up under "further reading" -Nathaniel]
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21 comments:
Oh, yay! This is good news all round. My local library just got rejuvenated , including a huge dvd collection. In the absence of any Netflix/Greencine equivalent here, this is most definitely a Great Thing. It means I finally saw The Piano last week and I know for certain I saw Network there, so I'll do my best to watch that before the date too.
The Moulin Rouge! promise...made my evening.
[gulp] when u say "promise"
ha ha
Yeah, I figured as much!
It's all cool though - the fact that it's on the agenda, however fragile, is something, right? Right? ....*tumbleweed*
TOUCH OF EVIL, particularly in its restored form c/o Murch and Rosenbaum, is one of the greatest American movies. I look forward to this retrospective.
"What's my future?"
"You haven't got any."
- The Opinionated Australian
i suspect your schedule will go awry after you watch abba: the movie; you'll need time to recover from that one
A Piano retrospective on Katharine Hepburn's birthday? Mr. Rogers, are you trying to seduce me?
honestly i've been putting these off partially because what the hell can i add to the conversation about movies that have been discussed forever. the piano and network. there's SO much written.
i feel intimidated by then! stop making me feel small big movies, big movies
Ooh, more things to look forward to that probably won't come to fruition. Coolio.
;) ... seriously, though...
hey now. take that back if i actually get it done. ;)
Love any discussion of The Piano. Can't wait.
Also, I haven't seen Touch of Evil, either. So this is as good a time as any, I guess.
But Nat, isn't it more interesting to write about films that aren't being discussed ad nauseum already? You could talk about Iron Man or The Piano, I know which I'd take.
//The Moulin Rouge! promise...made my evening.//
That made my morning! (However "fragile" it may be, as Catherine said.)
And the Piano - gah. I'm trying to keep my mouth shut until that time, because that movie blew me away when I first saw it and it blew me away AGAIN three years ago. Can't wait to hear your take on it.
I love Touch of Evil. I think it's even better than Citizen Kane, and definitely much more fun.
Touch of Evil--so fantastic. It's one of those movies you have either never seen or seen it a dozen times--at least that's the impression I get from most of my friends. The direction is so amazing you will have difficultly paying attention to the plot. Marlene Dietrich's cameo role is delicious.
I much prefer "A Touch of Mink."
;)
I enthusiastically await the Network post. As its biggest fan, I'll be commenting away.
"Marlene Dietrich's cameo role is delicious."
I know! I love her in this movie! Imagine - Marlene as a Mexican gypsy. "Honey, you're a mess!" Love it.
Oh yes yes yes. Book Club Book + Moulin Rouge + A Touch Of Evil + Maurice + ABBA I have died and gone to Film Experience Heaven. I wonder what else will come our way soon to sweeten the pot.
Thanks for all the fun stuff you've given us to look forward to! I especially love the "Cast This" idea and can't wait to discuss "Curse of Chalion" later this month. I think the challenge will be to think past the stars of LOTR and other fantasy and superhero movies (ah, but Viggo and Christian Bale are so good that they could transcend double-dipping, couldn't they?).
p.s. I loved your Comic Con coverage, even if I didn't comment!
I am with Emily on looking forward to casting "Chalion". No pressure on us, of course, since we are the "couple of readers" that touted the book. Dive in and share the love, folks! Now I have an excuse (like I needed one) to go back and re-read it. I am reading Bujold's latest right now, though, so this will have to wait.
Curses! I regularly "cast" books as I read them because I find that it helps me to visualize the action and the interaction in the story. And I already had the perfect cast for this book...but they are all seven years older now, so many of them are no longer a good physical fit for their roles. Well, I do love a challenge.
It is a coincidence, of course, but the same gentleman pictured in the "Day of Rest" post that started this is likely to be the universally acclaimed first choice for one of the leading roles. Read along, folks, and see which one you think it is (though, from her comment above, I suspect Emily already knows.)
This is a fantastic idea, Nathaniel! Have fun with it. Network is one of my favorite films, and scripts. Btw, just want to point out that we, GreenCine, also have the superior, newer Special Edition of that film:
http://www.greencine.com/webCatalog?id=177047
Which I own. :-)
"I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" Scary how relevant that film still is.
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