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30 aprile DK Holm Fundraiser A Smash! Yes! My good friend and colleague D.K. Holm's weekend fundraiser was a smashing success. Money was donated, friends were gathered, artists, musicians, filmmakers and then some entertained. All in honor of the great D.K. Sadly, I was not able to attend (which really bummed me out), but it appears D.K. received all kinds of great support, all of which he deserves.
My ex Oregonian colleague Shawn Levy wrote about the event. Here's a snippet:
"Because I know he sees life in terms of movies, I entitled this post about last night's benefit for D. K. Holm with a quote from the end of 'It's a Wonderful Life.' But throughout the evening, I was continually reminded of the scene in 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' in which Huck and Tom Sawyer, presumed dead by their kin, have the eerie experience of sneaking into town and attending their own funeral, where their finest qualities are eulogized by their loved ones. If Doug ever wondered where he stood in the hearts of his peers, friends, colleagues and fellow Portlanders, he knows for certain now."
Read more of Shawn's wonderful write-up here. I miss you D.K.! (And say hello to Jimbo who I spy sitting behind you!).
Also, don't forget to donate.
--posted by Kim Hot For Tony It's hot. I'm driving out to the desert (to work). I'm in a crappy mood. There's only one thing to do -- get my Tony Montana/"Scarface" on. Why does this over the top, shattered American Dream always make me feel better? (And it's not just La Pfeiffer in those fantastic slinky clothes -- and by the way -- it was her 50th Birthday yesterday --Happy 5-0 Michelle.). Anyway, I need to think about this:
“What's he got that I don’t?” asks the ambitious Cuban émigré Tony Montana — a focused young man whose intense drive for power and wealth will propel him into a rise and fall of epic proportions. Cocksure, flashy, broadly smiling and with a charismatic personality that simultaneously frightens and impresses people, Montana, the 'Scarface,' of the title, will swiftly rise from the hardscrabble have-nots to the luxurious haves, only to devolve (to quote that other reckless vision of American prosperity, Britney Spears) into a gimme more — far more.
Viciously directed by an inspired Brian De Palma and written with gloriously unsubtle gusto by Oliver Stone, the much-quoted “Scarface” (reworked from Howard Hawks’ original 1932 masterpiece starring Paul Muni) is now a rightful classic. In telling the story of Montana (played by Al Pacino), who with his best friend, Manny (Steven Bauer), covets and chases ultimate success and power, De Palma revels in the conspicuous consumption and unhealthy realizations of an especially fractured American dream.
The film opens in the early ’80s, when Fidel Castro allowed boatloads of emigrants out of Cuba, many of them from emptied jail cells. Montana enacts his first deed (or misdeed) by snuffing out a fellow prisoner in return for citizenship (“I kill a communist for fun, but for a green card, I gonna carve him up real nice”). He soon becomes right-hand man to Florida drug lord Frank Lopez (a terrific Robert Loggia), whom he will supersede in innumerable ways (including stealing his wife, Elvira, played by a memorable Michelle Pfeiffer).
With bodies left behind, Montana ascends to massive wealth and stature only to crash — spectacularly so. Unhappy with his unfulfilled wife, obsessed with his baby sister, Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and having cast out the one man he can trust, his best friend Manny, Montana precipitates the film’s tragic, much quoted finale with his overzealous attitude. If you’ve never heard “Say hello to my little friend,” then your first viewing of “Scarface” will be quite a ride.
A remake that ranks right alongside its original, “Scarface” (released in 1983) is wonderfully excessive, supremely stylized, vulgar, splendidly acted (especially by a bravura Pacino) and, often, weirdly beautiful. Teetering just over the edge but contained enough to maintain a sense of realism, the movie is stunningly operatic yet gritty and real. With a lot of bark and an equal amount of bite, “Scarface” isn’t just a movie but a bloody, brilliant experience.
--posted by Kim
Hulk Bulk For all you anger management fetishists, here's some new "Incredible Hulk" film photos (via ComingSoon)! Big Bad Green is on the loose and demanding re-writes! Ugh.
As I've said before, I'm one of few lone writers who loved the Ang Lee/Eric Bana "Hulk". In fact, I placed it near the top of my favorite comic book movie adaptations (albeit a few years ago).
Ang Lee’s "Hulk" was not only criminally underrated, but unfairly maligned by critics who didn’t get the director’s serious (and seriously fun) musing on that green, mean fighting machine. Adapted from the Marvel comic, Lee took a repressed Eric Bana and turned him into a frightening vision of male rage and paternal alienation. Shooting with exaggerated close-ups that looked exactly like comic book panels and purposefully creating a CGI Hulk that ran through cement, sand and dirt with the agility of Shrek (Hulk trips around a lot) but with the strength of 100 ultimate fighters, Lee made one of the first truly artistic comic book adaptations. It was almost Shakespearean. Mark my words — "Hulk" will be better appreciated through the years.
Yes, mark my words...
--posted by Kim 29 aprile Reels On The Rocks With "Iron Man" and "Hancock featuring heavy-drinking protagonists, MSN's Don Kaye looks at some of the most memorable drunks in movie history:
In the movies, we've tended to like our vices simple: Illegal stuff, like cocaine and weed, is almost always bad, but alcohol and cigarettes were acceptable, even cool, for a long time. Drinking especially used to be played almost solely for laughs -- isn't hiccupping, falling down and waking with a hangover hilarious? It wasn't really until 1945, when Billy Wilder directed Ray Milland in "The Lost Weekend," that the idea of alcoholism as a disease and the perils of the bottle became legitimate dramatic material on the big screen.
Since then, alcohol has had a mixed career in movies, with famous comic and tragic roles. That continues this summer, but with, ahem, a twist as alcoholism enters uncharted territory: the realm of superheroes.
"Iron Man," starring Robert Downey Jr., brings to the screen the pioneering Marvel Comics character of Tony Stark, who developed an alcohol addiction that nearly destroyed everything in his life, including his defense business and his career as a superhero. Stark's battle with the bottle added a depth and vulnerability to his character that had rarely been explored in comic books before, and Downey's Stark will begin to manifest the roots of his problem (although his descent into full-blown alcoholism is a development tentatively scheduled for the sequel).
On the comic side, July's "Hancock" will feature Will Smith as the titular superhero, alcoholic and homeless, whose image is rehabilitated by a public relations consultant (Jason Bateman) and who tries to find his place in the world again.
Depending on whether their films succeed or fail both commercially and artistically, Tony Stark and John Hancock have a good chance of joining our list of the screen's most famous -- or most memorable -- drunks.
Don Birnam (Ray Milland) -- "The Lost Weekend" (1945)
Billy Wilder's "The Lost Weekend" attacked the problem of alcoholism head-on, long before the entertainment industry and polite society itself acknowledged that dependence on booze was a legitimate issue. The film was built around Ray Milland's Oscar-winning performance as a blocked writer whose three-day bender turns into a nightmare. Milland, who ended his career in B-level horror pictures, was never better than in this crackling, confrontational film, which exposed both Birnam's and society's hypocrisies about the way we medicate ourselves, yet did so without taking a holier-than-thou stance. Wilder and Milland forced us to take a long, hard look in the mirror the next morning -- and wonder if we should have had that last "one for the road." Read more of the dipsomaniac honor roll here.
--posted by Kim Movie Odds and Ends--Oh my goodness! Miley Cyrus showed a portion of her back! What a strumpet! I mean, a 15-year-old and her back! I didn't even know they had backs! (Now can we all calm down about this? Or must every horny old man continue to blame Miss Cyrus for their uncomfortable lust?) Jeez. Excuse me while I watch Brooke Shields in "Pretty Baby."
--Some early "Iron Man" reviews (the movie opens Friday). All I'm reading here is, regardless of your take, it sure is an extravaganza. Or, as Tony Danza would say, an extravaDanza. What happened to his show? And remember his pervert teenage movie -- "She's Out of Control"? No one flipped out about that one...
--Amy Poehler interview. Now she's out of control -- but in a good way.
--posted by Kim 28 aprile Big 'Mama'
With "Baby Mama" number one at the box office, it appears that yes indeed, a woman's comedy, and not a woman's picture necessarily, or rather, that dreaded term "chick flick" (which cover horomone replacement therapy classics like "Beaches," "Steel Magnolias," "Stepmom" and the "A Woman's Revenge: The Epstein Bar Story" -- OK I made the last one up...) can open big. Women and Hollywood offer a nice write-up: "Women went to the theatres this weekend and made the Tina Fey-Amy Poehler comedy 'Baby Mama' $18.3 million this weekend. A whopping 68% of the audience was WOMEN so we proved women we are moviegoers and we can definitely open a movie. 55% of the audience was over 25 so that means that us older women (yes, Hollywood thinks you are old if you are over 25) attended the film. "Members of my girl posse and I went to see the film and we enjoyed it. I still wish that Tina would have written it (the film was written and directed by SNL writer Michael McCullers) cause, at times, it felt that they were trying to hard to be funny. But Tina is awesome. (and if you don't watch 30 Rock on Thursdays on NBC, you are seriously missing something really funny.) The thing about Tina is that she's funny while being awkward and uncomfortable and unsure of herself which is the crux of her appeal. While the funny guys of Judd Apatow's comedies are pathetic schlubs that no girl would want to be with (but who always seem to get the girl), Fey is the real girl who is insecure in life while confident at work AND she's funny, so it's a winning combination. After this weekend both Tina and Amy's phones should be ringing off the hook with new jobs." Read her entire post here. --posted by Kim 24 aprile Best In Show Though her name hasn't been mentioned much since her Oscar win, forget Diablo Cody's ex clothes shedding shenanigans, my kind of stripper can be found here -- in the Paul Verhoeven/Joe Eszterhas world of "Showgirls:"
Here’s the deal with “Showgirls” — it’s not a bad movie. Over the top, laugh-out-loud hilarious, gleefully depraved, extraordinarily bizarre, trashy, cheesy, ruthless and vaguely exploitative, yes, but definitively bad? No way.
So why I’m discussing the infamous, universally loathed/universally cherished (by cultists) flesh fest as a primo piece of so-bad-it’s-good cinema may seem confusing, and yet … kind of perfect. If you take the time to truly think about the picture (after your eyes have adjusted to all that hair-whipping sexuality, campy cat fights and glittery pasties), you’ll see that the movie’s badness is really the point — that director Paul Verhoeven (who directed the superb satires “RoboCop” and “Starship Troopers”) and writer Joe Eszterhas (writer of psychosexual classics “Fatal Attraction” and “Basic Instinct”) cast their larger-than-life characters in a satirical cross-pollination of “All About Eve” and “Valley of the Dolls,” only their dead-serious players weren’t in on the joke. Or were they? The story (oh, the story!) finds one hot-tempered, hamburger-devouring babe named Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley, who at this point was most famous for the teen sitcom “Saved by the Bell”) hitchhiking her way to Sin City with hopes of fulfilling her dream of becoming a Vegas showgirl. But like every hard-working heroine we’re rooting for/want to see naked, she’s got to pay her dues, and since hot bod Nomi can dance, she winds up working the pole at a low-rent strip joint. Though the tacky club is miles away from the glamour of a chorus line, she never loses her drive, knowing that sex is her currency and sin is negotiable. So when smirky, sexy big-name star showgirl Cristal (Gina Gershon) and a sleazy hotel talent director (Kyle MacLachlan) discover Nomi’s talents, she makes her move toward the big time, and gets her shot. Nomi covers the bases while clawing her way to the top. Backstabbing, sexual favors, drugs, female bonding and female destroying all come into play in sequences that are almost inspirationally fulsome in their excessive drama and overacting. But Nomi’s entire life is about overacting. The way she eats, the way she dances, the way she makes love — all are a performance turned up to full volume. Set against Las Vegas, a city that doesn’t know the meaning of subtlety and moderation, the nutty actions of Nomi and company make absolute sense. So, with this, I have to state again that “Showgirls” isn’t a bad movie. Or a “so bad it’s good” movie. It’s actually quite brilliant. And if you can’t follow that kind of praise for a movie about strippers, I’ll just parrot Nomi and say, “It doesn’t suck.” --posted by Kim
23 aprile All Of Us Under Its Spell: The Muppet Movie “The Muppet Movie” holds up almost better than it has any right to. Yes, there’s the nostalgia factor, those warm childhood memories of watching Kermit, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and the rest on evening TV, memories that would probably make us adore the movie even if it didn’t meet our adult expectations.
But, in fact, “The Muppet Movie” does meet our adult expectations — and then some. A movie that’s as good-hearted, silly and childlike as it is subversive, absurd and progressive, “The Muppet Movie” is one of those rare television-to-movie adaptations that gives a back story but dips and swerves into so many different experiences that you hardly feel like you’re watching anything remotely television-like. Which truly was in the spirit of the TV show — there was nothing quite like it. And there never was (or has been) anything like “The Muppet Movie.” The picture (the first of a series of live-action movies featuring Jim Henson’s famed creations) works as a road movie, wherein croaker Kermit leads the story of how the Muppets found each other. Kermit is a simple boy frog living an idyllic life in a swamp, where he plays his banjo and sings — most memorably the lovely “Rainbow Connection” (written by Paul Williams), a song that nearly rivals “Moon River” in its bittersweet beauty. After he’s encouraged to follow his dreams (by, of all people, Dom DeLuise, who just happens to be hanging around the swamp), a road trip ensues (starting with Kermit on his bike — a sight that nearly knocked me out of my theater seat as a child). Kermit’s off to Hollywood, but not without speed bumps along the way, chief among them a predatory businessman (Charles Durning) who seeks the talented Kermit to represent his frog leg empire. After fantastic musical numbers, many adventures, numerous close calls and memorable celebrity cameos (including Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Bob Hope, James Coburn, Madeline Kahn and Orson Welles), Kermit realizes that the world outside of the swamp isn’t exactly like him — sweet. But when looked at with the right spirit, it’s not all that bad, either. The most charming leap from TV to the big screen, “The Muppet Movie” is an unusual but ultimately poignant picture that is, for some of us adults, even more touching today. --posted by Kim Maxim's 300 I could get all snobby on you here and throw out the "Citizen Kane," the "Contempt" the "Battleship Potemkin" but you know and dude...If you haven't seen "The Big Lebowski," you should be dead. What the eff is wrong with you?
Nevertheless, Maxim (better known as the Sarah-Jessica-Parker-is-the-ugliest-woman-on-the-planet magazine -- such gentleman!) gives us a list of 300 movies you must see before you die (which, naturally, includes "The Big Lebowski").
So here's the link.
Think of it what you will. I'm not sure what to make of it because...Those Maxim fu**s! "This whole fu**ing thing... I did not watch my buddies die face down in the muck so that this fu**ing strumpet..."
Sorry...when my inner Walter Sobchak comes out, this agression will not stand...
--posted by Kim 22 aprile Crushing The ClassicsDavid Fear musters up the courage (and believe me, it takes courage) to take down some of filmdom's most beloved "classics." Since I sliced through all those overrated romantic movie classics (and on Valentine's Day!), I feel for you Mr. Fear -- be prepared for the hate mail.
Here's a sample of his story:
Like the accepted canon of English Lit 101 touchstones, there's an unofficial list of classic American movies that gets passed down to each new generation of film lovers. "Citizen Kane," "Casablanca," "The Wizard of Oz," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Singin' in the Rain" -- these are rightfully considered the high points of Hollywood's output. But if you revisit that roll call of yesterday's greats on a regular basis, you're likely to run across a few flicks that don't stand up to the test of time. There are true landmarks, and then there's the stuff that's been dubbed "classic" yet leaves you scratching your head as the credits roll. Wow, you think: So this is what I'm supposed to think of as "the best"?
We call the members of this latter category the "Unclassics": movies that have been coroneted as the crème de la crème over the years but, frankly, no longer cut the mustard. The following 10 titles are all commonly name-checked as films of high quality and lasting value; we'll respectfully suggest that their status may need to be re-evaluated. After polling a number of critics, colleagues and fellow cinegeeks, we've determined that 1970 is the cutoff point, and everything after that falls under the heading of "modern classics." If you've got suggestions for a list of "modern unclassics" -- and there are more than a few -- send 'em on in. (Link here to heymsn@microsoft.com.) 10. "Love Story" (1970) 9. "Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944) Continue reading his list here. Mr. Fear even ticked me off by including George Stevens' "Giant." "Giant"?! Those are fighting words David!
--posted by Kim
18 aprile Friday Night At The Movies The Judd Apatow produced/Nick Stoller directed/Jason Segal starring and co-writing (and apparently real-life-living) comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is getting mostly good to rave reviews. It's funny. But what kind of funny? The differing takes:
Ty Burr is laughing from the throttle of his stomach: "Like 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin,' 'Knocked Up,' and 'Superbad' before it, it delivers belly laughs that explode from the meeting of wit and shock."
Michelle Alexandria finds it funny to not be, as they say, busting a gut: "The funny thing about this movie is, that it's not that funny. Oh, you'll get a few chuckles, but it's not laugh out loud funny. It actually tries to be a little subtle and show more heart."
Hmm...maybe it's just explosively subtle and they can call the whole thing off? Is that possible?
--posted by Kim
'Hulk' Hullabaloo Here's part of Edward Norton's official statement about The 'Hulk' movie skuttlebutt.
From Entertainment Weekly:
"I grew up reading Marvel Comics and always loved the mythic dimension and contemporary themes in the stories, and I’m proud of the script I wrote. In every phase of production, including the editing, working with Louis Leterrier has been wonderful...I've never had a better partner, and the collaboration with all the rest of the creative team has been terrific. Every good movie gets forged through collaboration, and different ideas among people who are all committed and respect the validity of each other's opinions is the heart of filmmaking.
"Regrettably, our healthy process, which is and should be a private matter, was misrepresented publicly as a 'dispute,' seized on by people looking for a good story, and has been distorted to such a degree that it risks distracting from the film itself, which Marvel, Universal and I refuse to let happen. It has always been my firm conviction that films should speak for themselves and that knowing too much about how they are made diminishes the magic of watching them. All of us believe The Incredible Hulk will excite old fans and create new ones and be a huge hit...our focus has always been to deliver the Hulk that people have been waiting for and keep the worldwide love affair with the big green guy going strong.''
Is it just me, or is this becoming a little silly? Also (and barely anyone agrees with me on this one) but...I liked, no, loved the first 'Hulk' -- Ang Lee, Eric Bana and a nutty Nick Nolte. Inspired! It'll take time, but that film will be appreciated one day...
--posted by Kim 17 aprile You Can Never Write Fast Enough...
My newest writing gig, (in my humble, auto-centric opinion) might be one of the coolest opportunities I've ever had -- Garage Magazine. The eternally bitchin' hot rod mag asked me to pen a column that combines two of my favorite things -- cars and movies -- so there was no way in hell I could say no. I struggled with just what to cover in my debut column -- my head spinning like my Torino doing cookies in the desert. And yet, the same movie continued to surface -- "Two-Lane Blacktop." It was so obvious, too obvious, I wondered, but on final ponder, I put my brain in park and told myself: It's my favorite car movie, I've written about it numerous times, and I love it enough to expand, explicate and worship further. Why not christen my column with the best of the best? An added bonus was my magazine photo session with the incredibly talented artist/badass LA photographer Estevan Oriol. He's snapped everyone from Ice Cube to Forest Whitaker to Dennis Hopper to Rob Zombie to Juliette Lewis and more and created some gritty, gorgeous work concerning street life as well. I was in more than able hands (also, he loved my car, so naturally he's one of my favorite people). The issue is on newsstands now, so make sure to pick it up. Dita Von Teese graces the cover and centerfold, while other stories include a look at the great Hollywood/cheesecake photographer Bernard of Hollywood, a prison interview with famed skater Jay Adams and a look at DC based punk rock motorcycle couriers from the 1980's. You will not be disappointed. And stay tuned for my next Garage column which will cover famous cinematic mental breakdown car moments. (If you scroll down to my Bette Davis homage, you'll see one of the greatest). Read my entire post here. (Photo credit: Estevan Oriol) --posted by Kim Knocked Out: Judd Apatow From Jim Emerson's Judd Apatow ("Welcome to Apatowland") essay at MSN Movies:
"Writer/director/producer Judd Apatow, the man Entertainment Weekly recently crowned the 'Smartest Person in Hollywood,' has made a solemn promise to put at least one penis into every movie he makes from now on. He's slipped penises into his pictures before, of course: all those obsessive-compulsive drawings in "Superbad," his own on comically disconcerting display in 'Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,' and Jason Segel's for a humiliating breakup in 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall.' Sometimes, too, his films include breasts and vaginas. And there are perfectly good reasons for that. Not the least of which is that all genitalia and externally visible glands are funny.
"Apatow was created when his dad's ... well, you know how that works. He has built himself into a powerful Hollywood brand name by mashing together the sweet and the randy, the smart and the sophomoric, and the masculine and feminine psyches (and their anatomical playgrounds). Apatow earned his reputation as a writer and producer on 'The Ben Stiller Show' and 'The Larry Sanders Show.' After building up his farm team on a pair of brilliant but underwatched cult TV shows about high school ('Freaks and Geeks') and college ('Undeclared'), he finally found an audience in movies as a producer of the Will Ferrell comedies 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' and 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.' As a writer, director and producer, he and his collaborators have reinvented popular goofball comedy, and particularly romantic comedy, with 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin,' 'Knocked Up,' 'Superbad' and, now, 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall.'"
Read the entire essay here.
--posted by Kim
15 aprile Honeysuckle Owe It's tax day. For me, a day not of wine and roses but, wine and wine and wine and hard liquor and whatever I'm gonna get my hands on to soften/inebriate the blow after I send in my check.
If you see me at the bar (the Frolic Room), I'll be the girl yelling "Drinks NOT on me!"
Anyway, with that in mind, here's the top ten troubled tax celebs, including Buster Keaton, Judy Garland and my current favorite Wesley Snipes.
And...God bless you Willie Nelson!
--posted by Kim
DK Holm Fundraiser Here's the deal: No matter what I adore writer DK Holm.
We've been through a lot during our (ten? More? Oh my God!) years as friends and colleagues, and have spent hours discussing everything from our love of the movie "Klute" (seriously, DK and I are unnaturally obsessed with "Klute"), to our fascination with the homoeroticism of "Brute Force" (we spent an entire Skype call watching the movie together -- DK pointing out every single damn bit player on screen -- even singing along with Sir Lancelot's "Calypso" character) to our never-ending defense of Lindsay Lohan's career to, of course, numerous cinematic disagreements (too many to list here).
Since moving from Portland to Los Angeles, I've had to change my phone plan three times to accommodate our conversations and we've became, oddly, even closer. So when I learned my friend had come down with esophageal cancer, I was deeply concerned and yet, knowing how strong DK is encouraged he'd be OK.
However, being a freelance writer (and a great writer), he is indeed facing what he's called, "the American nightmare" -- no insurance.
Oregonian film critic M.E. Russell has put together a site alerting friends and colleagues of Doug's situation, "uninsured and facing thousands of dollars in medical bills for chemotherapy and surgery." To help these costs, colleagues and friends have put together a fundraiser.
When?
Sunday, April 27, 2008, starting at 7 p.m. Where?
Cinema 21
616 NW 21st Ave. (503) 223-4515 Cost?
Suggested donation at the door is $10. What will happen during the fundraiser?
An evening of entertainment, wine and hors d’oeuvres -- plus a silent auction featuring local artwork, restaurants, vacation rentals, and more.
 Who's on the entertainment roster?
Pink Martini frontman Thomas Lauderdale on piano
A screening of the latest film by "Collectors At Large" director Patti Lewis Dover Weinberg and friends Steve Cheseborough Portland luminaries reading some of D.K.’s most deliciously vitriolic reviews and hate mail What will be sold at the silent auction?
Original art by Tom Cramer and other local artists who have generously donated their work.
Restaurant and theater packages, dinner and hotel packages, and overnight beach packages, including: Dinner for two at Cassidy’s with two tickets to Portland Center Stage Dinner for 4 at Kenny & Zuke's Deli in the Ace Hotel Dinner for 4 at the Aalto Lounge 3 VIP packages -- including dinner and a stay at the Hotel Vintage Plaza and Pazzo Ristorante I want to help! Who can I call?
To pitch in, to contribute silent-auction items, for more information, or for press inquiries, call Cindy Mason at 503-866-7951. Can I make a direct contribution to Mr. Holm?
Yes. Make check payable to "Doug Holm" and mail to: Doug Holm
P.O. Box 4146 Portland, OR 97208-4146 Read more about the fundraiser and check out all of DK's writing and books here.
--posted by Kim
14 aprile Brilliant Blue Kentucky Girl Here's my write-up on one of my favorite biopics. If you don't like it, you're going to "fist city":
Michael Apted’s biopic “Coal Miner’s Daughter” is an intriguing work of contradictions that tie together so seamlessly, one is almost surprised by just how affecting it is. Among the contradictions: The movie is refreshingly honest yet wonderfully mythic; it’s gorgeously filmed, at times glamorous, yet down-home, gritty and grindingly real; and it’s rags-to-riches conventional yet incredibly unique, avoiding easy hillbilly stereotypes and folksy Southern niceties.
In fact, the movie’s a lot like its subject, legendary country singer Loretta Lynn, a young woman from the Appalachian Mountains who remained married to her teenage love and sang to the good-old-boy country music establishment with womanly candor while creating some of the genre’s most feminist-oriented songs. Take a listen to her controversial “The Pill” (about, yep, birth control) or “Fist City” (about beating up the woman running around with her man) or, years after the 1980 picture, her album “Van Lear Rose” — made with assistance from White Stripes mastermind Jack White — and you perceive a woman of singular passion, cleverness, will and mystery. And the movie taps right into these elements of Lynn with a subtle, yet inspirational, power. With a fantastic Sissy Spacek playing Lynn (and singing all of her songs splendidly), the story takes us through the typical biopic tropes without feeling typical. Lynn is a sexually innocent child-bride in 1948 when she marries Doolittle Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones), an ambitious man who goes against the wishes of Loretta's father (Levon Helm) by moving his daughter far from home. The two have children, but not much of a life, and after giving Loretta a guitar as an anniversary present, Doolittle almost inadvertently unearths his wife’s boundless talent. From then on, it’s up and up and up. What makes “Coal Miner's Daughter” so much different than other by-the-numbers biopics is its view of Lynn’s background. With British documentarian Apted (famous for the “7 Up” series) at the helm, the film looks at the hills of Kentucky with an intriguing mixture of exotic beauty and unromanticized sharpness. Not once does the movie make Lynn’s underprivileged family members appear simply quaint or depressingly poor, instead showing their struggle and charming grit, much like Loretta and Dolittle, particularly during the couple’s journey toward stardom. And the cast is brilliant — with Spacek giving a tour de force performance that spans many years, many triumphs and a few tragedies. A lovely tribute to an exceptional artist, “Coal Miner’s Daughter” does Loretta Lynn’s life, just as she sings in her iconic song, proud. --posted by Kim Marilyn Monroe Sex Tape Remains Private
Wow. I almost don't believe this story: "A 15-minute film of Marilyn Monroe engaging in oral sex with an unidentified man will be kept from public view by a New York businessman who has bought it for $1.5 million, the broker of the deal said on Monday. "Memorabilia collector Keya Morgan said he recently arranged the sale of the silent, black-and-white film from the son of a dead FBI informant who possessed it to a wealthy Manhattan businessman who wants to protect Monroe’s privacy. “'The gentleman who bought it said out of respect for Marilyn he’s not going to make a joke of it and put it on the Internet and try to exploit her,' said memorabilia collector Keya Morgan. 'That’s not his intention and I would never get my name involved if that were to happen.'” In this day and age, to call the buyer a "gentleman" is a supreme understatement. Read the entire piece here. --posted by Kim 10 aprile Good Cop Bad Cop
One character Hollywood never tires of is the cop. And as formulaic as these characters can become, the never-ending obsession makes perfect sense. Viewers never tire of cops. They may hand us speeding tickets or throw us in the drunk tank, but we love examining their very specific culture and lifestyles and, let's face it, their ability to legally pull guns on people. Look at some of our favorite television shows from the past ("Dragnet"), present ("The Shield"), and finished ("The Wire"). Or think of some of our more legendary cinematic icons, from Dirty Harry to Bullitt to Popeye Doyle and then some. We may call them the fuzz, the man, the po-po, or those brave men in blue (which is what I'm required to say -- my dad was a cop), but we heart badge-wearing crime fighters in all their incarnations.
With this in mind, and as we await the newest look at cop culture, "Street Kings" (starring Keanu Reeves, pictured here, and Forest Whitaker), we're looking at our favorite fuzz -- cops we find good, bad or ... well, you decide. With so many officers to choose from, we had to make some hard decisions, and though this list certainly isn't complete, it offers an intriguing array of the movie cop. And if you don't agree, we expect your report on our desk tomorrow morning. But who likes doing paperwork?
So let's start with...
"Serpico" (1973)
Boy in blue: Frank Serpico (Al Pacino)
The case: Oh, Frank Serpico, you were just too good weren't you? And isn't it sad that such goodness was a dangerous principle to possess? Based on the real life cop (who testified against police corruption in 1971), Final report: He's a good one. Too good.
Read the rest of boys (and girls) in blue here.
--posted by Kim 08 aprile Happy 100, Bette Davis
Bette Davis would have been 100-years-old this past Saturday April the 5th and I just wish (I wish) I could have met her in my life. I wouldn't have cared if she hollered at me, made me pull her anti-aging tape straps under her wig, blew cigarette smoke in my face or crisply informed me that my apartment was a "dump" -- whatever -- I'd take abuse from Ms. Davis just to listen to that voice. And maybe, perhaps more than likely, she would have been nice. (After all, I'm nothing like her back-stabbing, ungrateful daughter B.D.) In any case, I would loved to have solicited some advice from that woman. Bette Davis as life coach. That could work for me. For if there is or was any female figure to whom others should turn to in times of crisis, loneliness and despair, it is Miss Bette. Why? Because Bette Davis is every woman (and some men) wrapped into one: ugly and beautiful, sweet and biting, honest and deceitful, classy and vulgar. There isn't a side of Bette that every woman doesn't see in herself. Her face -- those buggy eyes flickering with homeliness and yet an odd beauty (never forget how uniquely gorgeous Bette was as a young starlet), sadness, insanity, malevolence, rage and finally, strength. And her little body -- coiled up and ready to strike (as in "Another Man’s Poison") or sloppy and cruelly casual (like in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?": “Here’s your lunch” she announces to Joan before promptly serving her a rat) or lovely and wary (as in "All This, and Heaven Too") or brassy and swishy (as in "Jezebel") or an elegant liar (as in "The Letter") or mousy turned gorgeous (as in "Now, Voyager") or just plain gloriously melodramatic then vulnerable (as in "All About Eve") or heart-breakingingly desperate (as in "The Star"). There are moments when Bette seems almost turned inside out, as if she’s revealing the innards of the female psyche -- which is exactly why she can appear so damn terrifying at times. Read the rest of my ode to Bette at Sunset Gun. --posted by Kim
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