Muriel Awards 2008 FYC #1

With the fall movie season just around the corner, I figure it’s not too early to begin plugging some of my favorites for consideration in the upcoming Muriel Awards. And I can think of few better places to start than with Rebecca Hall’s revelatory performance in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Hall first came to my attention in 2006’s The Prestige, in which she turned the role of Christian Bale’s troubled wife into a heartbreaking portrait of a woman slowly descending into madness because of her seemingly schizophrenic husband. But in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, she announces herself as a performer- and screen presence- to be reckoned with. As Vicky, the more sensible of the two titular friends, she initially finds herself along for the ride as Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) pulls her along on an excursion with hunky artist Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). But as the film progresses, Vicky becomes the story’s emotional and thematic crux, torn between the tedium of her new marriage and the possibilities of sexy danger coming from Juan Antonio. A lesser actress might have made Vicky shrewish or fickle, but Hall subtly reveals her internal conflicts, such as the small stutter she uses when Juan Antonio propositions her over dinner, or the increasing chilliness of her conversations with her boyfriend/husband. In addition, she reveals a flair for Allen’s style of comedy (the way she tries to cover for a late-film mishap is pricessless) and demonstrates a real knack for the cadences of Allen’s dialogue- no small accomplishment, that. Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem have gotten most of the film’s press to date, but while they’re both very good, it’s Hall who owns the movie. Not only is she the closest Vicky Cristina Barcelona has to an Allen surrogate, but she’s also the best female lead of any Allen film since he last worked with Diane Keaton in Manhattan Murder Mystery. Really, she’s just about perfect here, and if Allen knows what’s good for him he’ll find a way to keep using her in his movies.

Famous Last Words 3.12

Last week's quote came from Russ Meyer's Up! Here's the final quote of the round:

“My friends will come to avenge me. No one of yours will remain on this land.”

Submit guesses to this e-Mail address no later than 11:59 PM Eastern next Wednesday. Good luck!

Criterion Watch, August 2008

With this edition of Criterion Watch (covering the November '08 releases), we've got the first wave of Criterion Blu-Rays. But first, the new Criterion titles for your enjoyment:

Woohoo! I guessed this one a few months ago, and while I already own this the original Paramount edition is bare-bones. It's a great movie, and definitely worth the upgrade, and in time for Christmas no less.

Guessed this one too, although I'm not really all that psyched for it. Doesn't seem up my alley. But you never know...

Another movie I already own, and another double-dipper for the Christmas list. Would be nice to have a copy of this without all the Tarantino yammering.

Not my favorite Wes Anderson movie by any stretch, but it's nice to see Criterion continuing their commitment to his work. Though it remains to be seen whether Darjeeling Limited will get the Criterion treatment.

Along with the latter two titles shown above, November also brings the following pre-existing Criterion titles in new Blu-Ray discs, for those so inclined:

Finally, this month's clue was a stumper. Any ideas what this might be?

Famous Last Words 3.11

Last week's quote came from Carl Th. Dreyer's Ordet. Here's this week's:

“I gave you orders never to play that record again!”
“Jawohl, mein herr!”

Submit guesses to this e-Mail address no later than 11:59 PM Eastern next Wednesday. Good luck!

You three-headed, shape-shifting, son of a bitch!

I know I’ll take some flak for this, but I enjoyed the hell out of the 1999 Mummy remake. Great cinema it’s not, but it’s got a Velveeta charm that goes down easy, and no goals other than showing the audience a good time (any movie that begins with its leading lady knocking over a library full of book shelves clearly isn’t aching to be taken seriously). However, the sequel The Mummy Returns is a bloated mess that doesn’t have nearly enough fun with itself, and unfortunately the latest installment in the series, The Mummy: Curse of the Dragon Emperor, is closer to the spirit of the second film than the first. It’s an OK time-waster, but not much more than that.

Click here for the full review.

Famous Last Words 3.10

Last week's quotation was taken from Max Ophüls' exceedingly awesome Letter From An Unknown Woman. Here's this week's:

“Now life begins for us.”
“Life, yes. Life… yes. Life.”

Submit guesses to this e-Mail address no later than 11:59 PM Eastern next Wednesday. Good luck!

Famous Last Words 3.9

Last week's quote was taken from William Peter Blatty's The Ninth Configuration. Here's this week's:

“Oh, if only you could have recognized what was always yours… could have found what was never lost…”

Submit all guesses to this e-Mail address no later than 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday. Good luck!

Famous Last Words 3.8

Last week's quote was taken from John Hancock's 1973 film Bang the Drum Slowly. Here's this week's:

"Hey, hold it- where did the St. Christopher medal come from?"

Submit your guesses to this e-mail address. Remember, submissions are due no later than 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday. Good luck!

"Slaughter Is the Best Medicine."

As much as any filmmaker currently working in Hollywood, Christopher Nolan makes movies that practically demand that viewers talk about them afterward. It would be easy to chalk this up to clever plotting- the “backwards” structure of Memento famously compelled audiences to sort the story out for themselves. But it would be a mistake to dismiss it as mere gimmickry, as Nolan’s best films (Memento, The Prestige, and now The Dark Knight) display a surprising amount of thematic heft that keeps them lingering in the mind after the storylines have long since been sussed out. Perhaps most miraculously, Nolan at his best is able to couch his themes so naturally in their stories that the movies are almost as enjoyable for passive viewers as they are for active ones. However, this tendency also makes it impossible to discuss the themes without talking about the plots themselves, which means you’ll have to click to read the rest of this review in the interest of protecting the spoiler-phobic.

Click here to read the review.

Famous Last Words 3.7

Last week's quote was taken from Godard's Pierrot le Fou.

Halfway through the round, and the prizes are still up for grabs. Here's this week's quote:

“From here on in, I rag on nobody.”

Submit your answers to this e-Mail address no later than 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday. Good luck!

Criterion Watch, July 2008

Before we begin the Criterion watching in earnest, I'd like to finally update something on last month's CW that's been left hanging all this time: the cover for September's release of Ozu's An Autumn Afternoon.

Moving on to October releases, the tenth month brings three new pressings of previously-released Criterions, although two of these are titles that were once solely available in a box set, which is good news for a cheap bastard like me.

I already own the third, and I'm guessing the sole difference between my version and this new one is that it won't include the corresponding volume of Carver stories. Which, truth be told, is sort of a bummer.

As for the new releases, nothing seems quite so momentous as last month's triple shot of Ophüls, but it's not too bad either. First off, it looks like Criterion is getting into the Costa-Gavras business. Not a huge fan of the guy, but I won't complain about his inclusion.

And of course, two new Melville releases certainly make for welcome news, especially when I haven't seen one of them, and that one stars the great Lino Ventura.

Another upcoming release for the fall is the Essential Art House box #1, which appears to be quite the eclectic mix. I think I speak for everyone when I say...

... Lord of the Flies? "Essential"? Really?

Finally, the clue from this month's Criterion newsletter doesn't exactly get the blood a-pumpin'.

I haven't seen the original Fanfan le Tulipe, but I haven't heard especially good things about it. Where's the promised Rossellini box, guys?

Edited 19 July to add: Reader Michael was kind enough to inform me of the latest addition to the Eclipse series, coming this fall.

I've seen two of these, and I concur with Michael about their awesomeness, particularly 1936's Sisters of the Gion. Nice catch, bud.

There's a Rainbow in Toronto...

... Unfortunately, I won't be following it this year.

There are several reasons for this. The first, of course, is money. Last year's trip was expensive, and I'm not sure I could afford it again without some serious scaling back in a lot of other areas. Between the cost of travel, lodging, and incidentals, to say nothing of the movies themselves, it was somewhat unrealistic of me to expect to return on a yearly basis in my current situation.

In addition, I'm currently planning some changes in my life starting this fall. I can't go into detail quite yet, except to say that they'll take up quite a bit of my time and would most likely make TIFFing unfeasible. But don't worry, it's nothing bad.

I'd be lying if I was to say I wouldn't miss it. Even though first year was my first TIFF experience, it was probably the best vacation I've taken in my life, and I met a lot of great people up there. I'd love to go again given the chance, but it'll just have to wait for now.

But don't feel too bad. Instead of the Toronto trip, I'll be making some smaller excursions this year. For example, I'm looking forward to taking Angela up to Cleveland for her birthday to see Radiohead. It's not the massive event TIFF is by any means, but it's just as special in its way- perhaps more so.

Enjoy Toronto, TIFF pals. I'll be with you in spirit this year. Until we meet again...

Famous Last Words 3.6

Last week's quote was from John Sturges' Bad Day at Black Rock. Here's this week's:

“It’s ours again.”
“What is?”
“Eternity.”
“It’s just the sea.”
“And the sun.”

Somewhat longer than usual, but what the hell. Remember, all guesses must be submitted to this address no later than 11:59 Eastern next Wednesday. Good luck!

Famous Last Words 3.5

Last week's quote was from A Day at the Races. Here's this week's quote:

“First time the Streamliner’s stopped here in four years.”
“Second time.”

Submit your guesses to this address no later than 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday. Good luck!

Famous Last Words 3.4

Last week's answer: Five Easy Pieces. Here's this week's quote:

“I have a little confession to make. I really am a horse doctor, but marry me and I’ll never look at another horse.”

Remember, e-Mail answers to this address no later 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday. Good luck!

"By the power vested in me..."

"I'm an asshole... with an Uzi!"

"My body is a roadmap of pain."

"Sheriff! You are violating my territorial bubble!"

Jeffrey Combs is so awesome as Dammers. That is all.

Criterion Watch: June 2008 edition

Aside from its ongoing commitment to awesomeness, I don’t really have any exciting news to report as regards my relationship with Angela. So I’m sorry to say this month’s Criterion Watch will be markedly less exciting than last month's. That said, plenty of goodness to go around.

Naturally, the big Criterion news for September is the release of three of Max Ophuls’ most celebrated films on snazzy new DVDs. Like it or not, the majority of movie lovers watch classic films primarily on DVD, which may explain why Ophuls doesn’t have the same rep as, say, Douglas Sirk or Nicholas Ray. So of course, this release is very, very good news:


While I’m a tad disappointed that Letter From an Unknown Woman will be part of this release, I expect it’ll end up in Criterion’s hands sooner or later. Besides, I haven’t yet seen Le Plaisir, so this will afford me the chance to do so.

Also, more Ozu! The final Ozu, to be precise. Box cover art to be posted when it's announced.

And let’s not forget about Eclipse, the scrappy lil’ brother of Criterion. Eclipse previously announced the upcoming release of a Larisa Shepitko box set:

But I’m even more excited about the release that follows that:

Can a box set that includes Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatjana and Drifting Clouds be far behind? I sure hope not.

Finally, here’s this month’s teaser from the Criterion newsletter:



That would be Martin Ritt’s masterful adaptation of the John le Carré novel, The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, right? After all, Criterion's doing Paramount now, at least since Days of Heaven. If this is the case, itwould be my first double-dip in ages, and I’m completely OK with that.

Famous Last Words 3.3

Last week's quote was from Once Upon a Time in America. Here's this week's:

“Where we’re goin’ it’s gonna get colder than hell.”
“Nah, it’s OK. I’m fine. Fine, I’m fine.”

Remember, e-Mail answers to this address no later than 11:59 PM Eastern on Wednesday. Good luck!

Actual content to come later this week, time permitting.

Famous Last Words 3.2

Last week's quote: Manhattan.

This week's quote: “I hope the investigation turns out to be nothing. It'd be a shame to see a lifetime of work go to waste.”

Remember, answers get sent here and are due by 11:59 Eastern on Wednesday. Good luck!

Famous Last Words: The Return (Week 1)

For those of you who haven't been visiting The Screengrab lately, I've kicked off the next round of Famous Last Words over there. So if you'd like to play along, I'll go ahead and post the quotes here as well. Here's the first week's quote:

“Not everybody gets corrupted. You have to have a little faith in people.”

Remember, submit all guesses to famouslastwords@nerve.com no later than Wednesday at 11:59 PM. Good luck!