An American Legend

I found this tribute item of James Dean in a pop-culture filled store at a local farmers' market, which has a mix of produce, restaurants and general shopping. I've seen other representations of this image, stating that he was walking in New York City. Given his background in the city, I read online about a James Dean walking tour of NYC; I'm not sure if it is still active, though. Since my last visit there, I found a lot of interesting old Hollywood history connected to the places I went to or glimpsed while walking through midtown.

Old Hollywood Comedy

I just finished watching the 1938 movie "Bringing Up Baby," starring Katharing Hepburn and Cary Grant on TCM. It is listed on the AFI Top 100 Movies as well as on a Yahoo! list of movies to see before you die. As a fan of classic movies, I'm trying to check off as many of those movies so that's one more down after my first time watching the funny Hepburn / Grant movie involving a leopard.


Another comedy I recently saw was "My Sister Eileen," the 1942 version starring Rosalind Russell. This one seems hard to find on DVD, but since I've only seen it on a couple of times, I'd live to get my own copy. I usually find a different version on DVD when looking around online, but I haven't watched that one yet. In the '42 version, the things that happen to the career-driven sisters in their New York apartment are hilarious!


If you are a fan of classic Hollywood and the comedy genre, check these out on TCM when you get a chance.

Film Beyond the Classroom

My spring semester is over, the grades are in and I received a 'B' in film history. Following that, I am signing up for more English courses, including a concentration in film studies. I'll be making that official when my fall semester starts in late August.


I also decided to join the Bryn Mawr Film Institute as a student member. I thought it would be nice to see movies at a landmark theatre along Lancaster Avenue, besides the usual places I visit for watching movies. BMFI shows indie films, which I'm getting more and more interested in but don't often get to see where I usually go. Becoming a member of BMFI mainly had to do with branching out with my activities and going to film-related events, such as lectures that are held at the theatre, and supporting the work done there.

2011 MTV Movie Awards

This year's MTV Movie Awards are coming up soon and I voted for my favorites online at the MTV website. Here are my picks:

• Best Kiss - "Twilight" Saga, Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart



• Best Fight - "Inception," Hallway Scene



• Best Villain - "Harry Potter," Tom Felton



• Best Jaw-Dropping Moment - "127 Hours," James Franco



• Biggest Bad--- Star - "Inception," Joseph Gordon Levitt



• Best Scared As S--- Performance - "Inception," Ellen Page



• Best Line from a Movie - "Grown Ups"



• Best Breakout Star - "True Grit," Hailee Steinfeld



• Best Comedic Performance - "No Strings Attached," Ashton Kutcher



• Best Female Performance - "Black Swan," Natalie Portman



• Best Male Performance - "Harry Potter," Daniel Radcliffe



• Best Movie - "Inception"

Which actors, actresses and movies are you voting for?

More Movies

Since my last post, I saw trailers for some more movies that I'd like to see. Here they are:

• Thor



• Anonymous



• Apollo 18



• The Woman in Black



• The Three Musketeers



• The Rise of the Planet of the Apes



• POTC 4: On Stranger Tides



• Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows 2
  

Before I see the final installment of the "Harry Potter" movies, I'll have to catch up on a few of the previous ones.

13 Movies I Want To See

There are a lot of new films that I would like to see, varying from literary-based and historical figures and real-life stories to sci-fi, action and animations. I'll probably only go out to see a few of them, and wait for the rest to be released on DVD. Here they are:

• Jane Eyre


• Red Riding Hood


• The Adjustment Bureau


• I Am Number Four


• Rango


• Gnomeo and Juliet


• Dark Shadows


• J. Edgar


• Your Highness


• Mars Needs Moms


• Source Code


• Water for Elephants


• Soul Surfer

Which of the above films do you want to see, or don't want to see?

Next Friday, "Black Swan" will be playing at my college campus. I haven't seen it yet, so I'll probably check it out then.

Film History Class & Celebs in NYC

Yesterday was the due date for our term papers on various films. Next week, we will just have individual meetings with the professor about the papers and how they can be improved. I was working on mine up to yesterday morning, getting some final pieces added to it. There is also supposed to be slideshow presentations to compliment the term papers. However, they aren't due yet.


I've been enjoying this class so far, mostly because I've had to chance to watch some movies that I have never seen before. At the beginning of class, we also discuss any new movies anyone recently went to see. My professor said he saw the movie, "Paul," about two guys who encounter a little space alien.




I was in New York City on March 19 to see the musical, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," starring Daniel Radcliffe. The show was great! The musical was at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, near the Film Center building. A block away is the Actors Studio, although I didn't see it during that visit to the Big Apple. That will have to be for next time, along with a lot of other sightseeing!

Oscars 2011

I'm looking forward to the Oscars coverage tomorrow, from the Red Carpet to interviews of the winners. Although there seemed to be some controversy over the choice of hosts, I think both James Franco and Anne Hathaway will be great for this year's ceremony. I am a fan of both of these very talented stars and love the films they've been in. Now, onto my favorites...here are the ones I hope will win tomorrow, along with guesses as to the winners will be in a few categories.

• Best Picture - "127 Hours," "Inception," or "The King's Speech"
• Best Director - Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
• Best Actor - James Franco, "127 Hours"
• Best Actress - Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
• Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
• Best Supporting Actress - Amy Adams, "The Fighter"
• Best Original Screenplay - "Inception"
• Best Adapted Screenplay - "127 Hours"
• Best Animated Feature - "Toy Story 3"
• Best Foreign Language Film - "Biutiful"
• Best Documentary Feature - "Inside Job"
• Best Animated Short - ?
• Best Documentary Short - ?
• Best Art Direction - "Alice in Wonderland" or "Inception"
• Best Cinematography - "Inception"
• Best Costume Design - "Alice in Wonderland"
• Best Film Editing - "127 Hours" or "Black Swan"
• Best Live Action Short - ?
• Best Original Score - "127 Hours" or "Inception"
• Best Original Song - "If I Rise," "127 Hours"
• Best Makeup - "The Wolfman"
• Best Visual Effects - "Inception"
• Best Sound Editing - "Inception"
• Best Sound Mixing - "Inception"

I can't really choose for the three short film categories, not knowing much at all about the nominees. Also, I was glad to see "The Wolfman" had been nominated for Best Makeup. Some remakes aren't very good, as most people might say, and I usually agree that the original is better. However, that particular remake was really good due to the atmospheric look it was given, as well as the time period and filming locations it was set to.

My Favorite Directors

In honor of Oscars weekend, here is a list of my favorite directors in no particular order, including a sampling of their films.

• James Cameron - Aliens, The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, True Lies, The Abyss, Titanic
• Steven Spielberg - Jaws, Close Encounters, E.T., Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Catch Me If You Can, War of the Worlds (2005)
• George Lucas - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
• Terry Gilliam - Casanova, The Brothers Grimm, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
• M. Night Shyamalan - The 6th Sense, Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water
• Mimi Leder - Deep Impact
• Brian Helgeland - A Knight's Tale, The Order
• Peter Jackson - Lord of the Rings, King Kong (2005)
• Tim Burton - Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland
• Sean Penn - Into the Wild
• Clint Eastwood - Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, Space Cowboys, Hereafter, Invictus, Letters from Iwo Jima, Changeling, J. Edgar
• Wolfgang Peterson - Troy, The Neverending Story, The Perfect Storm, Poseidon (2006)
• Ridley Scott - Alien, Legend, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise, White Squall, Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood (2010)
• Ron Howard - Apollo 13, Far and Away, The Da Vinci Code, Frost / Nixon
• John Hughes - The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Uncle Buck
• Gore Verbinski - The Weather Man, Pirates of the Caribbean
• Cameron Crowe - Elizabethtown, Jerry Maguire, Singles, Say Anything
• Shawn Levy - Night at the Museum, Date Night
• Roland Emmerich - The Patriot, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, Independence Day, Godzilla (1998)
• Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight, Inception, The Prestige
• Martin Scorsese - Shutter Island, The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York, The Aviator
• Danny Boyle - 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire

Who are some of your favorite directors and why?

Film Class Update

During the last three nights in film class, we watched "Double Indemnity" as an example of the film noir genre, followed by "On the Waterfront" to represent the 1950s.


I saw "Double Indemnity" before on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and loved it from that first viewing. My in-class screenings of "On the Waterfront" was the first time I saw that film, yet also was an instant favorite. Both films have are loaded with such great talent.


Most recently, we watched the French new wave film, "Breathless," which had a lot of jump cuts. As mentioned in the class, French new wave filmmakers were fans of classic Hollywood and "Breathless" showed some elements of that through the lead male character.


Along with film screenings, the process of writing a semester term paper has begun. I'm writing my paper on "Rebel Without a Cause," one of the film choices we were given, and I just need to get one more source for the bibliography. We had to turn in our thesis statements during this week's class meeting, so now it's onto the rough drafts.

127 Hours (2010)

I haven't been able to see "127 Hours" yet for various reasons. However, I have a free pass to use at my local Regal cinema and will be writing a film review on the Danny Boyle film for my campus news. So, I'll probably try to see it within the coming week. I only know one person who has seen it at this point, even after it was given a wider release. Before the wider release, I tried to find where it was playing near me. No exaggeration, it was only playing at two theaters within a 75 mile radius of where I live. One was in Center City Philadelphia, and the other was somewhere in northern New Jersey (or the uppermost part of Central New Jersey). Neither of those theaters would have honored my free pass, since they were part of different cinema companies. So I'm glad that this film was finally given a wider release in theaters.

Anyway, once I see "127 Hours" and write my review of it, I'll post a link to it instead of posting the actual review on here. Going by the previews I've seen, James Franco does a great job in it and is well-deserving of his nominations. He is one of those actors that I feel will win at the Oscars during his career.

SAG Awards 2011

As promised, here are my favorite nominees to win at this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards. Some are guesses as well, based on previous wins this award season.

• Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture - "The Social Network" or "Black Swan"
• Outstanding performance, male actor, lead role - James Franco, "127 Hours"
• Outstanding performance, female actor, lead role - Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
• Outstanding performance, male actor, supporting role - Christian Bale, "The Fighter"
• Outstanding performance, female actor, supporting role - Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"
• Outstanding performance, ensemble in a drama series - "Boardwalk Empire" or "Mad Men"
• Outstanding performance, ensemble in a comedy series - "Glee" or "Hot in Cleveland"
• Outstanding performance, male actor, drama series - Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire" or Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
• Outstanding performance, female actor, drama series - Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: SVU"
• Outstanding performance, male actor, comedy series - Chris Colfer, "Glee"
• Outstanding performance, female actor, comedy series - Betty White, "Hot in Cleveland"
• Outstanding performance, male actor, TV movie / miniseries - Al Pacino, "You Don't Know Jack"
• Outstanding performance, female actor, TV movie / miniseries - Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin"
• Outstanding performance, stunt ensemble in a motion picture - "Inception"
• Outstanding performance, stunt ensemble in a TV series - "Southland"

Sometime next week, I may be going to see "127 Hours" now that it has been given a wider release. So, I'll post my thoughts about it on here.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Just a short post for now, recognizing the 60th anniversary of the a great example of 1950s sci-fi films. I've seen it a number of times, but for anyone who hasn't seen it, it's a must-see that was ahead of its time.

Four New DVDs

One is an historical biopic, based on an English literary figure. The second one is based on the true story of a woman's self-discovery through distant travel. The third is an action-packed blockbuster, full of special effects. Last but not least is an independent film and biopic on a 20th century poet. They are "Bright Star," "Eat Pray Love," "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" and "Howl," respectively. **Spoiler Alert ** - If you haven't seen any of these, some scenes are described below.

"Bright Star"


Only the 2nd film that I've seen either Abbie Cornish ("Candy," 2006) or Ben Whishaw ("I'm Not There," 2007) star in. However, their talents are so strong that they are definitely among my new favorites in acting. "Bright Star" itself is very beautiful, with romantic settings to compliment the story of writer John Keats and his love, Fanny Brawne. If you're a fan of writers from Keats' time, as well as films based on literary figures and their works, this is one for you.


"Eat Pray Love"


In this movie, Italy is my favorite destination out of the places in which writer Elizabeth Gilbert, portrayed by Julia Roberts, travels to. However, I loved seeing the cultural aspects throughout the movie because it showed something I never saw before from each place. I've seen a number of movies that feature Rome, yet never saw the insides of the Octavian (Augustus) catacombs in which Roberts sits and reflects as Gilbert. During her stay in India, a vibrant traditional wedding ceremony comes alive in great detail. The time in Bali shows the agricultural scenery that Gilbert bicycles through, showing how the residents' lives are tied to the land. This movie definitely inspired my travel dreams, and I can totally relate to the "travel box."


"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"


In my opinion, the best aspects of "Prince of Persia" are the special effects and the action scenes. There is an interesting twist among rival characters because there is the leadership of a kingdom at stake. Of course, that is only a part of the story integrated into the larger part concerning the power of a treasured dagger. It is definitely worth seeing, with so much action throughout to make for exciting entertainment.



"Howl"

This was a very different movie, with scenes going back and forth between animation and live action. The animation depicted images reflecting what Allen Ginsberg wanted to say in his poem "Howl," read in voice over by James Franco who portrays the poet. Live action includes an interview of Franco as Ginsberg in his apartment, moments of typing the poem, a reading of his poem in a smokey 1950's coffee house and court hearings that debate the poem as a literary piece. The live action is shot in color as well as black and white film, adding to the visual variety throughout. There is a lot of content, both in words and animated imagery, that constitute the film's rating...hence, the court hearing about the poem. However, great acting by Franco and his co-stars (David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, Treat Williams). During both animated scenes and live action coffee house scenes, Franco reads Ginsberg's poem with strong expression of emotion.

Golden Globes 2011, Updated

Here is an updated list of my favorite nominees for this year's Golden Globes, along with a few guesses. Most of my definite favorites are within the film categories. Some guesses are based on certain wins at last night's Critics' Choice Awards, while I'm sticking to definite favorites in certain other categories. I haven't watched most of the TV nominees, but have heard a great deal about them and can see how popular they are.

• Best Motion Picture, Drama - "Black Swan," "Inception" or "The Social Network"
• Best Performance by an Actress, Drama - Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
• Best Performance by an Actor, Drama - James Franco, "127 Hours"
• Best Motion Picture, Comedy / Musical - "Alice in Wonderland"
• Best Performance by an Actress, Comedy / Musical - Anne Hathaway, "Love and Other Drugs" or Emma Stone, "Easy A"
• Best Performance by an Actor, Comedy / Musical - Johnny Depp, "Alice in Wonderland" or Jake Gyllenhaal, "Love and Other Drugs"
• Best Animated Feature - "Toy Story 3"
• Best Director - Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan" or Christopher Nolan, "Inception" or David Fincher, "The Social Network"
• Best Screenplay - Simon Beaufoy & Danny Boyle, "127 Hours" or Christopher Nolan, "Inception" or Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"
• Best Foreign Language Film - "Biutiful" or "I Am Love" (Where's the Critics' Choice nominee and winner, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" at?)
• Best TV Series, Drama - "Mad Men"
• Best Performance by an Actress in TV Series, Drama - Katey Sagal, "Sons of Anarchy"
• Best Performance by an Actor in TV Series, Drama - Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
• Best TV Series, Comedy / Musical - "30 Rock" or "Glee"
• Best Performance by an Actress in TV Series, Comedy / Musical - Tina Fey, "30 Rock" or Lea Michele, "Glee"
• Best Performance by an Actor in TV Series, Comedy / Musical - Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" or Steve Carell, "The Office" or Matthew Morrison, "Glee"
• Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV - "The Pacific" or "Temple Grandin"
• Best Performance, Actress, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV - Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin"
• Best Performance, Actor, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV - Al Pacino, "You Don't Know Jack"

So, we'll see which actors, actresses, movies and television works win tomorrow night. Then, the SAG Awards are at the end of the the month. I'll post my SAG Award favorites closer to that event.

Film History Class & Critics' Choice

Judging from my first night of film history class, a lot of interesting conversation will take place to compliment the reading and writing. During introductions, we took turns memorizing names to repeat after saying our own and then naming a favorite film. I thought that was a unique class introduction style, having to repeat the names of others who introduced themselves before each turn. Most of the class had introduced themselves before it got around to my turn. Besides classmate names, I remember some of them mentioned favorite movies such as "Cool Hand Luke, " "Inception" and "Scream." So there's a great variety among my film history classmates.

Later, some of my classmates gave their thoughts on "Black Swan," "True Grit" and "Tron: Legacy." One girl seemed disappointed in "Black Swan," while another said that when she saw it, there were a lot of elderly couples watching it too. That girl said she thought they were probably expecting a totally different style of film instead of seeing certain aspects in it. One of the guys who saw "True Grit" felt that Matt Damon's performance deserved more attention than it's getting. A guy who saw "Tron: Legacy" compared it to "Star Wars" in terms of the story in it.

My professor discussed a term paper that is expected for the class, and he gave us 6 films to choose from for our research. "Umberto D." (Italy), "The 400 Blows" (France), "Yojimbo" (Japan), "Forbidden Planet," "The Graduate" and "Rebel Without A Cause" were our choices. I've never heard of the first 3 films in that list, although based on the other 3 choices, there is something very good about them as well.

Last night I watched the Critics' Choice Awards and was surprised by the wins in certain categories. By that, I just mean that certain movies I heard a lot less about up to that point while hearing so much about others. The same goes for acting performances as well. Finally getting to see clips of all nominated performances throughout the award ceremony definitely showed that all nominees are very talented. It just seems like some didn't get as much publicity as others did.

As far as publicity goes and how many people hear of a film, I was trying to find where "127 Hours" is playing near me. It turns out that it is only playing at a particular location in Philadelphia. Most of what I heard of it was by way of Facebook, but it looks like a very good film. James Franco is an awesome actor in my opinion, and I was hoping he'd win last night for his role in it. Whether or not he wins throughout the rest of this year's award season, he's one of those actors who I feel will win at the Oscars in his career. Anyway, there have been a lot of films, especially independent ones, in the last few years that I wish were playing closer to where I live.

I was not surprised by Natalie Portman's best actress win for "Black Swan," nor was I surprised regarding the technical wins for "Inception." I hoped that Leonardo DiCaprio would get into the nominations for Critics' Choice through Oscars this year, but that didn't happen. He's another one that I've been waiting for to win an Oscar.

Next, of course, are the Golden Globes tomorrow night and I'll be watching. I'll list my favorites to win, and some guesses, in my next post shortly.

The Reivers (1969)

Last night, I was watching a Steve McQueen movie that I never heard of before on TCM. I've also never seen it featured in Steve McQueen movie collections, in which you would see "Bullitt," "The Great Escape," or "The Cincinnati Kid." In "The Reivers," McQueen plays Boon who travels with his two friends to 1905 Memphis. The story is based on literary works by William Faulkner, with narration by an elderly character reflecting on his youth. As a youth, he joins Boon in adventures that involve societal issues, a prized Flyer car and racing horses.


The era represented in "The Reivers" had a very authentic look due to numerous details throughout. Women wore costumes that included large, fancy hats with delicate netting draped over their faces. Men wore suspenders and vests over buttoned-up shirts that had somewhat puffy sleeves. The roads were narrow, windy and either dusty dirt or filled with mud. A train in one scene made its way into town through a very tightly-squeezed space between old buildings.


Some of the societal issues representated were surprising, although obviously used for purposes of historical accuracy. I would recommend "The Reivers" to anyone who likes a time-period movie with a mixture of comedy, drama and action.

Film History Class

In 10 days, I'll be starting a new semester and one of my classes will be on film history. The class covers from 1950 to present day, so I'm looking forward to it.


I know that there will be some heavy reading as well as term papers, as this particular class counts for credit under the English department. It also works as credit for communications and is marked in the catalog as ENG/COM or COM/ENG, depending on a student's major. Despite the work involved in the film history class, it'll be one of my favorite classes this semester. When I have a strong interest in the subject, it removes the feeling that assignments are "work."


As a fan of many films, I'm trying to watch a lot of films that I haven't seen before. In particular, these include the films that can be found on the AFI Top 100 list. Many such films are scheduled to air on TCM this month, and I'll be posting something here as I watch them.