Daryl Hannah is 50.

I've always had a thing for mermaids. I can't truly remember if it preceded Daryl Hannah or if she caused it but in my movie addled brain I have come to blame her. I remember our first magical meeting vividly: I was fully clothed, she was naked.

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The Greatest Halloween Moment in the History of the Movies

"RAAAAACHELLL FLAAXXXX!!!"

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Cher, Christina Ricci, Mermaids (1990)

If you dare to disagree, you'd better list an inspired trick or a whopper of a treat in the comments!

Oh and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Tuesday Top Ten: The Best of 1984

For no reason whatsoever I have declared today 1984 day! It's a 25th Anniversary Jamboree or some such. (Don't ask questions. Just go with it) Herewith a tripled top ten: What the public liked, what Oscar liked, what I liked from the year that was. All movie title links go to their Netflix page in case you're interested in giving them a looksie. First a little historical entertainment context: Vanessa Williams was not starring on Ugly Betty but resigning her Miss America tiara due to nude photos (the more things change...), Ricky Martin was a new member of Menudo, people were just discovering what Madonna looked like on MTV, and Scarlett Johansson was fresh out of the womb.


What Oscar Liked
The Oscar nominees for Best Picture were the Mozart bio Amadeus (11 noms / 8 wins), the legendary David Lean's swan song A Passage to India (11 noms / 2 wins), Roland Joffé's war drama The Killing Fields (7 noms /3 wins), Robert Benton's farm widow period piece Places in the Heart (7 noms / 2 wins) and the stage to screen transfer A Soldier's Story (3 noms / 0 wins) still one of a scant handful of predominantly black movies to be shortlisted for the industry's top prize. It featured Denzel Washington in one of his earliest roles.

For a speculative AMPAS top ten I'd add these five as "runners up" since they were probably on multiple Best Pic' ballots: Barry Levinson's all star baseball drama The Natural (4 nominations), The River (4 noms and one special Oscar) another farm drama pictured left with Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek as the Mr & Mrs, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (3 noms), John Huston's alcohol-soaked Under the Volcano (2 noms) and maybe 2010 (5 noms... though all were technical).

What Audiences Liked
I'm not using actual box office numbers per se but I am adjusting for inflation (reports differ across the internet) to give you a vague "range" of box office success comparable to today's hits.

1. Ghostbusters & Beverly Hills Cop $400+
   
2. (websites disagree on which film won the year. Both were massive hits)
   
3. Indiana Jones & Temple of Doom $300+
   
4. Gremlins $250+
   
5. The Karate Kid $100+
   
6. Police Academy $100+
   
7. Footloose $100+
   
8. Romancing the Stone $100+
   
9. Purple Rain, Star Trek III and Splash $100+
   
10. (websites disagree on which order those three came in, too)
    

So many franchises were born in the 80s, never to die again. Even the dead franchises are only hibernating. I'm actually surprised it's taken so long for Hollywood to get serious about romancing that stone again.

What Nathaniel liked
This is an unholy amalgam of what loved back then, what I caught later, and how I remember them as an adult. It is by no means definitive. If I could add 8 hours to each day I'd probably use 4 of them for re-screenings of old pictures in order to finally nail down these retroactive lists. The List is Life! Consider these ten pictures rental suggestions if you're the cool kind of movie fanatic (i.e. the kind that understands that cinema is ∞ and exists outside of whatever year you're living in)

Honorable Mention: Careful He Might Hear You was hugely lauded in Australia and made a tiny critical splash in the US. The acting was phenomenal. Wendy Hughes won raves and Nicholas Gledhill offered up one of the best child performances I've ever seen. Alas, I don't remember details, just that it unnerved me something fierce. Netflix doesn't offer this one. So sorry.

10 Splash - Ron Howard's best movie if you ask me. You heard me. He's so much better at fluff than at serious drama. I wish he'd stick to fluff. It's not shameful to be good at that. Why do I love Splash so? Well, I do have a thing for mermaids. But perhaps it just comes down to Madison, her crimped hair, her unpronounceable name and her nude walk on Ellis Island. I've loved Daryl Hannah ever since.

09 Another Country was an English boarding school drama of clashing sexualities and politics. It often gets credited with being the feature debut of three new stars: Cary Elwes, Rupert Everett and Colin Firth. Firth and Everett had great chemistry onscreen but they apparently hated each other, only ending their long feud last year (!)

08 Romancing the Stone - previously discussed

07 Gremlins -I looooved this movie at the time and though I haven't seen it in years I suspect it's still richly macabre, clever and weird. If you've seen it recently, am I right? The concept itself was so terrific. One might say it impishly fused Jekyll & Hyde terror with pet ownership angst. We never know what our furry friends are thinking. What demons lurk within them just waiting to get out?

06 Places in the Heart -I remember this movie being quiet and gracefully moving (especially the ending) but it got a bad rap for what I assume were several reasons: Sally Field's infamous "you like me!" acceptance speech, the glut of farm dramas, not being as popular as Benton's previous Oscar hit Kramer Vs. Kramer, and accusations of sentimentality (especially the ending).

05 Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan Lord of the Apes is the style of movie I'm kind of hoping the upcoming The Wolf Man apes. It was a seriously expensive looking, prestige adaptation of a mythic character that's usually treated with haphazard 'make a quick buck' B movie gloves. This film briefly threatened to ruin Andie MacDowell's career (Glenn Close was called in to dub her voice) and briefly made French actor Christopher Lambert an international star. Within the next few years he was co-starring with the likes of Isabelle Adjani and Catherine Deneuve onscreen and Diane Lane offscreen and starring in the Highlander franchise.

04 This is Spinal Tap -It's hard to remember that Rob Reiner directed this film which starred Christopher Guest (among others) and which seemed to birth the whole Guest dominated mockumentary genre but damn if this movie isn't über hilarious. My favorite bits are the whole Anjelica Huston / Stonehenge debacle and the quotable "this one goes to 11" idiocy.

03 The Terminator - I'll discuss tomorrow... we'll use it to wrap up the 1984 party.

02 The Times of Harvey Milk won the Oscar for Best Documentary and, if you can believe it, it's even better and more moving than last year's Gus Van Sant picture Milk.

01 Amadeus, or Salieri vs. Mozart: Death Match, was a "wow" on just about every level in the 80s. Most surprisingly it was a major hit, finishing 12th at the box office for all 1984 films and earning, in today's dollars something like $100 million at the box office. Can you imagine a 160 minute costume heavy biopic with and about classical music doing that well today? Neither can I. I wonder if it holds up. Has anyone seen it recently?
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All that and no room to mention The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension, Irreconcilable Differences, Sixteen Candles, The NeverEnding Story and Birdy. Anyone love or hate those? A few of them I barely remember a frame of but I was into them at one point for better or worse. Two films I should definitely revisit: Blood Simple and Stranger Than Paradise both of which I was too young for when I first saw (not in 84). I didn't "get" them. I have never seen the much loved Paris, Texas and am deeply ashamed.

Were you even alive in 1984? Maybe people have forgotten your birthday. It happens.


Share your movie memories of any of these plentiful pictures in the comments... even if you didn't see them until the 21st century. For those of you who lived through it, put on some Prince or Madonna if it'll help jog your memory.

"Zip!"

The 7th Day of Christmas

The Flax Girls, All Grown Up

Noni & Christina, 1990 and 2008

Two responses come to mind...

1. Awwwwwww
2. Christ I'm old
   

I bet Cher is proud.
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Kelly @ the Beach

Kelly Lynch sprawled out on the sand for a photoshoot back in 1989. She was 30 years old.


Does anyone else remember her? 1989 was an important year in her career. She was getting attention for her sparkplug part in Drugstore Cowboy (a fine rental choice if you haven't seen it). Gus Van Sant handed her the funniest line in the movie, delivered to her always high boyfriend Matt Dillon

You never fuck me and I always have to drive.

Like many young actresses A list opportunities didn't really pan out (the competition is insane. Not for the faint of heart these acting careers) but in the right roles she was a keeper. I loved her butch lesbian in Three of Hearts, too.

Time capsule: While Kelly was stretched on the beach, The Little Mermaid was beaching herself and restoring Disney to its former animated hit-machine glory (retrospective). Tim Burton's Batman was the toast of mainstream moviegoers and an archeologist named Indiana Jones was also back in theaters ... again. Franchises made up nearly the entire top ten of 1989. The past nineteen years have noticeably altered many Hollywood careers but they haven't altered moviegoing tastes much. It's still Indy, Batman, franchises and animated films that pack movie houses.


The only thing you'd never see today: Driving Miss Daisy was in that year's top ten grossers. Oscar bait and/or period films rarely rock the multiplex anymore. The audience for them apparently never leaves their TV sets now. I hate to sound supportive of something like Miss Daisy (yeesh, someone hand me some soap. I feel dirty) but here's to variety. It would help the cinema a lot if audiences still wanted a little bit o' that and a little bit o' this on their movie menu. Man cannot live on superheroes and franchises alone. Man will try. Man will eventually get hungry for something else. Maybe in nineteen more years. Here's to 2027!

If you could weekend at the beach with any movie character, who would it be?

My answer is Madison from Splash on account of... well, duh! You know why. What's yours?

Pssst , Susan and I are off to the beach for the weekend. If I can convince her to crimp her hair, say her name in high-pitched mermaid squeals or walk around naked on the Jersey Shore than I will totally share pictures when I get back.

Under Above the Sea

His Majesty's wedding but one day past was full of surprises. Fowl and fish attacked the wedding party. A beauty of fiery hair known only as Ariel was seen embracing the Prince in the chaos.

The bride to be shocked the royal court by transforming into a grotesque sea witch. Disrupting the nuptials, she abandoned ship dragging young Ariel with her. Brave Prince Eric dived into the stormy waters to rescue the maiden and destroy the foul beast.

Today the wedding will begin anew for our triumphant Prince. The bride Ariel ~ the very rescued mystery maiden herself! ~ will wear a white ball gown with foam green trim and a gold tiara. Prince Eric will be decorated in Royal Navy attire. They will be married under a pink canopy onboard the King's vessel.

The couple will reside in the castle and plan to live happily ever after.

Centuries old public posting archived by Nathaniel R., date unknown. Artist's rendering of the mysterious bride by Jenny Lerew.
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No Top Ten

Totally true reasons why I did not prepare a Tuesday Top Ten for today.

01. I was attending a junket for a freelance job. I met Brittany Snow so you know I had to ask her about working with Michelle Pfeiffer (on Hairspray). Yes, I am shameless.

02. I was working on future posts.

03. I had to run errands.

04. I'm still feeling like crap. I don't know why. I don't have health insurance so I can't speed up the throat healing with anti-biotics if it's viral. I'm not good at naps so I can't sleep it off if it's fatigue. And I don't have a church so if it's a tiny demon infestation, there's no chance of an exorcism. I'll have to wait till it gets bored and leaves. It will. Things are quiet.

05. I was cuddling with my kitty.

06. I was going to post something about Julianne Moore in her Ariel costume from that Disney portrait session but I got too embarassed on account of last night I was at a screening and a fellow critic, without any prompting on my part, told me I was almost as obsessed with The Little Mermaid as his tiny daughter. Tis true.

07. I ran out of Diet Coke.

08. Every top 10 I thought of only had 6 or 7 things. (I suck at math)


09. I was staring at photos of Norma Shearer and lost track of time. (Oh, like that hasn't happened to you!)

10. My internet went down temporarily due to some construction in my building.

What were you doing today?

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Top Ten: Princes in Cinema

tues top ten: for the listmaker in me and the listlover in you

With the release of Prince Caspian right around the corner, I thought we'd take a look at some other royal boyz 2 men in the movies...

Top 10 Princes

10 "Prince Hector" (Eric Bana) in Troy
Straddling the abyss that opened between Brad Pitt's worst performance and Orlando Bloom's least sympathetic role, Eric Bana's massive thighs, chest and biceps performance emerged as this misguided 2004 film's only selling point and a breakthrough for him as a rising star. It remains one of the only times in this history of cinema where another male actor has managed to rip my eyes away from Brad Pitt. (Brad played all the roles in Fight Club, Sleepers, Legends of the Fall and Interview with the Vampire, right?)

09 "Prince Eric" in The Little Mermaid
He wasn't just tall, dark and handsome but he was so sweet and sensitive that you knew that Ariel needn't have given up her voice at all to be with him. True maybe she did. The film's sexual politics were all over the place but their love was true and came through in the line drawings and vocals and made that happily ever after plausible. You sure wanted him to "Kiss the Girl" [plentiful Little Mermaid posts. My apologies to the Disney averse]

08 "Charlie Princ(ess)" (Ben Foster) 3:10 to Yuma
Because he practically made the movie worth watching all by his lonesome. Free advice to all supporting actors in sleepy films: strut through the movie like you own it and you will. [Drawing to your right by Joanna. See prev post for more thoughts on this film]

07 Satan in South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut
Because the Prince of Darkness as Saddam Hussein's bitch is an appropriately irreverent, immature and inspired conceit. Satan himself would probably LHFAO.

06 Prince Karl (Edmund Purdom w/ the voice of Mario Lanzo) in The Student Prince
Because he starred in the first movie musical I ever saw at the Redford Theater where I fell in love with old movies as a kid. Sentimental value, you know. I still try to go there to catch something whenever I'm in Detroit.

05 Prince Edward (James Marsden) in Enchanted
Few things last year made me happier than Marsden's send up of Prince Charming. From the fist biting to the bravado and bombastic enthusiasm. I heart Edward.

"116th and Broadway!!!"

04 "The Little Prince" in The Little Prince
Not so much for his cinematic outings per se but just for his existence and his profound and simple wisdom. I love Antoine de Saint Exupéry's classic so much that I've read it in three languages.

03 Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty
Hands down the best of all the fairy tale princes. He's a fuller character than most of them (who essentially have to be only square jawed marriage-material for the princesses). He's the actual hero of his film, too --a brave heroic dragon slayer. He looks great on a horse, giving the kiss of true love, flirting with a maiden in the forest, or bound and gagged by an evil pissed-off sorceress. In short: he's even hotter than David Beckham who played him in the Disney Dreams photo series [pictured, left] and just as believable as an underwear model.

02 Prince (Prince) in Purple Rain
I know, I know. He goes by "The Kid" here but His Purple Majesty has only ever played himself, don't you agree? And for that we're grateful. But mostly we're just grateful for the CD which we still listen to 24 years later whenever the mood strikes. Soundtracks don't come with better tracks than: Let's Go Crazy, The Beautiful Ones, Darling Nikki, Wednesday, Purple Rain, I Would Die 4 U, Baby I'm a Star, Father's Song and When Doves Cry. They just don't. If you ask us, Purple Rain was the true Thriller of the 80s.


01 "Hamlet" (most actors in the known universe) in Hamlet
Like The Little Prince, he can lounge in the throne room of this list, not for any particular outing but for his longevity, his indecisiveness (Hot. Well, not really... but relatable!) and Sybil-like quality: how can you not love a character big enough to morph into Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier, Asta Nielsen, Richard Burton, Kenneth Branagh, Maximillian Schell, Kevin Kline, Campbell Scott, Ethan Hawke and beyond?

I'm sure you'll tell me who I've forgotten. Perhaps I'll be thrown into the stocks for this sin of omission.
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Tony Award Nominations (For Movie Fans)

The TONY Award Nominations for Broadway were announced today. Here's a look at the more celluloid friendly entries...

Plays & Revivals
As you may or may not have heard, the classically cruel French aristocracy play, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (familiar to moviegoers from the Oscar nominated classic Dangerous Liaisons) is back on Broadway. It received a nomination for Best Revival (the other nominees are Boeing-Boeing, The Homecoming, and Macbeth with Patrick Stewart who, clearly, was also nominated).

But, quelle dommage!, The Lovely Laura Linney was passed over for Best Actress in a Play. She plays the Merquise de Merteuil. We rarely get to see Linney with claws out but it's usually a treat --she's awesome in a malevolent supporting role in The House of Mirth (2000). But apparently the TONY voters didn't think so. The only acting nominee is Ben Daniels (as Valmont) which makes these TONY nods the flipside of the Oscar nods back in 1988 when Michelle Pfeiffer and Glenn Close where honored but their Valmont (John Malkovich) was snubbed.

When it comes to the Original Plays, the winner is already locked up. It will be impossible to beat the sensation that is August: Osage County. It's a dysfunctional family drama from the writer of Bug (I've raved about Tracy Letts work before) that people can't get enough of. Remember how enthused Famke Janssen was about it in her recent interview with The Film Experience? That reaction is common here in NYC. The hot play received seven Tony nominations in total including three for its actresses. When the movie version happens (you know it will) expect an all out war amongst Hollywood A-listers for the roles.

I should also note that Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, a play about an employment agency in the 90s, which stars wonderful actresses like Elizabeth Marvel, Mary Beth Hurt, Martha Plimpton and Marisa Tomei (who talked about this role on the TFE podcast) didn't do so well. Only Plimpton was nominated. Here's a little opening night video from Broadway.com

Musicals & Revivals
Broadway's "Best Musical" category continues to become "Best Original Musical Adapted From a Movie" as the transferring continues en masse. This year, two of them were lucky enough to get nominated: Cry Baby (adapted from John Waters' 1990 film which starred Johnny Depp) and the über gay and brilliantly campy Xanadu (adapted from the infamous Olivia Newton John 1980 rollerskating movie musical which I love to the ends of earth, through brick walls and on to neon'ed Mt Olympus). Neither is the frontrunner. That'd be In the Heights which leads all nominated entries with an incredible 13 honors.

Two blockbusters movie transfers got the stink eye from voters. Mel Brooks' adaptation of his own 1974 Young Frankenstein, which has been plagued by 'it's not all that' reviews and bad press resulting from Brook's greed (ridiculous ticket prices and everyone knows that greed from all sides is destroying Broadway), received only three nominations including one for featured actress Andrea Martin (Mel Brooks deemed Cloris Leachman's too old to reprise her "Frau Blücher" role which also contributed to the bad press). Disney's movie-to-stage transfer The Little Mermaid, which was filleted by most critics was an even bigger bomb with voters, receiving only two nominations (Score and Lighting). On the bright side: that's still one more nomination than their last cartoon to live-theater disaster, Tarzan (see previous posts).

In other movie-familiarized stage musical news, the 7,426th revival of Gypsy (this one stars Patti Lupone) won 7 nominations and will be singing out Louise for the main trophy... but chances are South Pacific will carry the night with its big haul of 11 nominations. Stephen Sondheim's brilliant (well... 2/3rds of it) Sunday in the Park with George, which has never been made into a movie and shouldn't be, could be a dark horse.

ONJ ~ unofficial mascot of the 2008 TONYs

In more horrific news the 1,002nd revival of Grease --yeah, the one that had its own idiotic reality show to pollute your airwaves --was also nominated in the revival category.I hate stage versions of Grease but I love this Olivia Newton-John theme that the TONYs have going on. She better be invited to host or present or something. So, let's go back to Xanadu to wrap up.

TFE favorite's theatrical hunk Cheyenne Jackson was passed over for lead actor which was no great surprise. He's game for those short shorts and his voice is super (as always) but "Sonny" has never been much of a role. Kerry Butler (pictured right), previously TONY snubbed for funny work as Penny Pinkleton in Hairspray a few years back, was justly honored though with a Best Actress nod for her gut-busting Aussie accent and Olivia Newton John send-up.

I smiled and laughed so much watching Xanadu on Broadway (seriously) that I can't recommend it highly enough. It's deeply deeply silly. If you love silly, go immediately. If you don't, avoid at all costs.

The TONY Awards will air on CBS on Sunday, June 15th.

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Back to the main blog if you're done with the stage: the movies await. Or dance on over to further reading if you're a Broadway nut: ModFab gets into the nitty gritty of the snubs and surprises * TONY's official site for the complete nomination list *
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Julianne Moore as Ariel for Disney

In Julianne Moore's ongoing efforts to win me back, she has definitely struck gold. I am hereby renewing my vows. She did it by serenading me under the sea

...under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me....

What better way to renew our long time love than by portraying Ariel from The Little Mermaid (one of my all-time fav' films) for Annie Leibovitz. This image is for thatDisney Dream series which has featured Whoopi Goldberg as Aladdin's genie, Jessica Biel as Pocahontas (er...), Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella and Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan in the past]

Julianne and I are officially back together! May we never have a trial separation again. "What about Next with Nicolas Cage?" I hear you asking... "You hated that!"

"Never heard of it!" I reply forcefully before singing 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' whilst covering my ears to block out any more of your evil and petty reminders of dark times I've put behind me.

P.S. 1 Here's Julianne to your left taking her daughter Liv to the Broadway version of The Little Mermaid. Oh the synergy. [image from Broadway.com obviously]

P.S. 2 the Liebovitz photo I got from Towleroad who buried the lead by making this photoshoot all about Michael Phelps as a merman. What?! It's freaking JULIANNE MOORE. Respect! I can't find a better copy of the image for now but I shall search. Oh yes, a sparklingly clear version shall be mine.

Inappropriate Disney Hunks

Um....

Before you click on this link, you'll want to first make certain that you're not offended by beefcake soft-core imagery related to your childhood heroes or maybe your actual child's heroes (perhaps you have young'uns whose taste for repetition has burned every frame of every Disney movie into your brain). However, anyone who loves pop culture imagery that plays irrevently on famous characters in unauthorized ways can stay. I understand both responses. I'm not here to judge: I was once totally scandalized by a naughty drawing I saw of The Smurfs that a classmate showed me in Junior High. But now I tend to giggle like, well, an adolescent. I do things backwards.

Artist David Kawena has taken it upon himself to render several Disney's princes, heroes, and even supporting stars as underwear models. The results are pretty cheeky (pun intended). I love the mermaid tattoo on Prince Eric here to your left, although I think his bedroom stare is way too salacious. If you ask me, it's Ariel that was the horndog in that relationship (see my earlier Little Mermaid retrospective for more on that theory).

Hercules (above) makes the switch with the most ease because you know he'd be the David Beckham of the Toon Town set, he's so vain. But where is Gaston (Beauty & The Beast), his brother in vanity?

My favorite inclusion is probably Thomas from Pocahontas because no one ever speaks of him, but I always dug him as a supporting player. In fact I love that whole movie, naysayers be damned. It's so beautifully animated.

What's more, I always felt that Disney was sending off Thomas-secretly-loves-John Smith vibes. Smith didn't know it --it was kind of a Ben Hur/Messala 1959 type deal... only less risqué.

Whether you think this kind of art project is fun, hot, juvenile, clever, sleazy, too-gay-to-function or offensive, we can all probably agree on one thing: Mel Gibson would not approve of this drawing of his character John Smith.

Once again, here's the whole gallery (site is NSFW)

or click for newest TFE postings



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A Little Merman

I've returned from ocean dips and lazy beach strolling. sigh. Nothing relaxes me like the water. If I had to be a mythical creature instead of a human, I'd definitely go with something in the merfamily. I don't normally spend any time thinking about Tom Hanks movies but the ending of Splash always makes me so jealous. Living in the ocean would be awesome but for the terrible internet connection.

Before I begin with the large task of getting caught up with everything non R&R related I want to say thank you to my guest bloggers. Big hugs to StinkyLulu who gaily carried on the screenshot series y'all keep asking for more of, My New Plaid Pants who kept us up to date on the cinematic here & now and Nick Davis who came out of internet hibernation to sing Pfeiffer's praises in my absence (how thoughtful!)

I'll be back to regular posting in mere hours but until then here's a few of my Zoom In articles you can catch up with or opine about in the comments: Will Hairspray Tease Up More Box Office?" which looks at the top 20 movie musicals (box office wise) of the past few decades. "Foodies" a few DVD recommendations since No Reservations and Ratatouille are both working the restaurant fantasies in theaters. And finally I do much bitching about a Top 100 List I was asked to participate in ("The Online Film Community's Top 100"). Lists....they just never satisfy, do they?

"That's Why It's Hotter Under the Water"

The Broadway bound The Little Mermaid begins its out of town tryouts tomorrow in Denver so expect opinions to start flooding the web. Before the stage version is upon us and we're all rethinking the adaptation of the Disney adaptation of the famous fairy tale, I wanted to pimp my earlier piece on this Disney revivifying toon in case any readers missed it back in December.

I'm like a proud papa... or mama rather; it was a long painful labor squeezing that article out.

...it's easier and more appropriate to read The Little Mermaid as a hormonally addled sexual awakening fable. Ariel does writhe around ecstatically in a bikini but the pleasure she's imaging is inchoate. She (and Disney) is just growing up. It's worth noting that this signature song is not initially about a man. She will meet Prince Eric in the next scene and he will give shape to her longing. The song gains its true title "Part of Your World" [italices mine -ed] only in reprise, after Ariel rescues Eric from drowning. She caresses his face and sings it to him, her desire now tangible. To have him, to grow up, she must become human. This becomes her goal but it's also a frightening journey. The moment her wish is granted is telling, played as it is for sheer terror with thunderbolt flashes of light, her fin splitting --legs opening. What has this young girl done?!

read the full article

I'm doubtful that a Broadway version aimed at the tourists will be as rich with subtext as the animated film but we'll see. Break a le--- er, fin.

Blog News: I am leaving town for a few days for some sun and sand and I had planned to blog as I travelled. Unfortunately my laptop died a not entirely swift & not entirely painless death so I am turning over the reigns to some ol' reliables. You know their work: gratuitous JA from My New Plaid Pants, actressexual icon StinkyLulu and the one and only Nick Davis (OMG. He lives! --it's almost worth quitting for a few days just to hear from him again) will all be popping in to chat movies in my absence.

#98 The Little Mermaid

This is the next installment of my personal canon "Movies I Think About When I Think About the Movies"

American members of Generation Y and Z may have a good deal of trouble imagining this but it's true: once upon a time, animated movies were considered highly uncool. They were strictly for babies. Teenagers disdained them. Adults took their children under duress. They barely caused a ripple at the box office. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences ignored them. CGI was not part of the national vernacular. Strange but true.

In a very short window of time, from November 1989 through February 1992, three major events changed modern perceptions of the animated film in a gargantuan way. Let's take them in reverse order: The final big-bang was the moment when Beauty & the Beast (1991) was nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture, the first (and still only) time that a cartoon has received that pinnacle mainstream honor. The middle part of the three-part revolution was when hipster American audiences began to discover that there was more to the form than Walt Disney. Katsuhiro Ôtomo's anime sci-fi classic Akira was the key that opened the door for anime, now very big and influential business in America. Which brings us to the beginning: the first key event of animation's turnaround was the release of Disney's "28th animated classic" The Little Mermaid; an orgasmic reawakening of the most flexible and fantastical of film mediums.



Continue reading "She's Gotta Have It"...
for more on Ariel's coming of age, Britney Spears and Madonna, the rebirth of the musical, and more --yes, this one's all over the place.

Tags: movies, cinema, The Little Mermaid, moviemusicals musicals, animation,film, Britney Spears, Madonna,Walt Disney, mermaids,cartoon, fairy tale

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Cinematical on Robert Altman's next vehicle (pun intended)
Black Wing Diaries has a beautiful tribute to The Little Mermaid
Esquire names the sexiest woman alive.
Golden Fiddle tunes in to Marie Antoinette