Obsessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I want to BE Emily Blunt!

She won a Globe for Gideon's Daughter\

She is one HOTT BETCH!!!!

Happy Birthday Blunt!

Emily Blunt can pretty much do no wrong in my book. Every single thing I have seen her do is magic. Even if the film itself is stinky, she is always great. Today is Emily's birthday. She turns 27 (wow, she's the same age as me, and look what she has accomplished, now I am depressed). I have loved her ever since I saw The Devil Wears Prada. She delivers a wonderfully nuanced comic performance in that movie. She is almost the villian of the piece, but she plays her character, also named Emily, with such panache that you can't help but love her. She is a wonderfully flawed and desperate person. This is the stuff great comedy is made of. People desperately trying to climb their way up the ladder and hide all of their idiosyncracies, and failing miserably. I just love me some Blunt.

She also does some brilliant work in, my personal favorite, Sunshine Cleaning. Here is a wounded woman, wallowing in her old wounds. The relationship between Blunt and Amy Adams in this one is such a joy to watch. I really believe them as sisters.
See also, My Summer Of Love, The Young Victoria, and The Jane Austen Book Club for some Blunt Brilliance!!

My God, can we just give her and Oscar already. Although she does have John Krasinski, so I guess she's probably doing ok.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLUNT!!!!!!!

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

Who's Afriad of Virginia Woolf?
4/4 stars

I just watched Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf all the way through, for probably the first time in my life. I had seen the whole movie, just never in one sitting. This movie contains four of the greatest performances in film history. It is, hands down, the best overall cast of all time. I really think that the fact that all four of this films stars garnered Oscar nominations, and all deserved to win. Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, George Segal and Sandy Dennis all deliver powerhouse performances. To say that it is the most successful film of all time, might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I do believe it is close. I'm not talking about financial success, I'm talking about artistic success. The performances, the direction, the cinematography, the adaptation. As far as stage adaptaions go, it does manage to take a somewhat claustrophobic play, and open it up. It takes it to new locales, and out of the one room of the play, but it does so without losing the claustrophobia of the story; the feeling of being trapped.
When it comes to performances, everyone is pitch perfect. Elizabeth Taylor, in one of the most deserving Oscar wins in history, is hearbreaking and gut-wrenching. Richard Burton is wounded and tough. George Segal is a wonder and Sandy Dennis brings vulnerability to new heights.
This is a MUST SEE classic!!

Joan Crawford--2/3

Joan Crawford is, sadly, remembered more as 'Mommie Dearest' than anything else. It's sad because she really was one of the greatest actresses of her time, of any time. She is always fantastic. See The Women, Johnny Guitar, Mildred Pierce, or Grand Hotel and you will see her in all her glory. I just watched What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? again after a long time. I always remember this movie as, pretty much, belonging to Bette Davis. And the truth is that it really does. But when I watched it this time, I fell in love with Crawford's performance. I am pretty sure that this is Joan's most understated and beautiful performance. She sits quietly back while Bette Davis has a scenery feast. And she manages to break my heart as well. I love her in every scene. The movie is set up for you to root for Joan as Blanche, while Bette's Jane treats her like shit, but somehow every other time I have seen it, I have rooted for Jane. I guess it was my love for a loud brassy broad. This time, however, I actually caught myself getting teary for Blanche.
The two scenes that got me, both involved Blanche and the telephone. The first is the first time that Jane leaves the house, after she has served Blanche her beloved bird on a platter and taken her phone away. Blanche realizes she needs to do something. So, for the first time, she thinks about getting herself down the stairs to the telephone. She comes as close as to put her crippled feet on the floor, but chicken's out. A few scenes later, after much more terrible treatment, Blanche finally takes the chance. She pulls herself out of her chair, and down the stairs. She calls the doctor that she has been trying to get to help her sister. Crawford is so desperate. And her desperation grows and grows as the movie goes on. She is so quiet about it. She is not the silent movie star or the over the top leading lady she was for much of her career. She is subtle, and quiet in her desperation, and defeat. I have a new attitude on this movie now!! Thanks Joan!!!!

You wouldn't be able to do these awful things to me if I weren't still in this chair.

Diana Rigg--1/28

The movie version of the Sondheim musical A Little Night Music is pretty much universally thought to be one of the worst movie musicals of all time. The transfer to screen just didn't work for this one. Some blame it on bad casting (Elizabeth Taylor) and some on bad filmmaking (Harold Prince was a successful stage director, not film). I happen to appreciate this movie, because I LOVE the source material. There is one thing in this movie that is the bright spot, whether you like the movie or not, you will love Diana Rigg. She is FANTASTIC as the long suffering wife of Count Mittelheim. Her wry wit, and spot on comic timing crack me up!  She delivers looks over her teacup that remind me of one of the greatest at "the look" Bea Arthur. It's not just her comic chops that I love. She breaks your heart at the same time. When she is degrading herself, she holds herself together so well. And, my God, she is class all the way! I can't even tell you!! Love her. Watch this movie, the whole thing, on YouTube.

Rita Moreno--1/26

Rita and Treat Williams in The Ritz

Rita Moreno is an Oscar winning actress. I remember her most from my early introduction to musical theatre in the movie versions of The King and I and West Side Story. It wasn't until a few years ago, that I came across a fantastic little comedy from the 70's by one of my favorite playwrights, Terrence McNally. The Ritz is most definately Rita at her best. I LOVE this movie for many reasons, but this is not a review, this post is all about Rita. She is the queen of comedy in the movie. As Googie Gomez, the headliner at a gay bath house, she carries this movie on her shoulders, and she is not even the star. Rita makes every moment she is on screen a 'must watch' moment. Her energy is infectious. Her tempermental moods, and loud mouth are comedy gold. The scene that sticks out the most for me is Googie's entrance into the movie. In the first few moments, she comes on the scene, and she stakes her claim on your funny bone. Her accent, her attitude, her facial expressions. Again, I find, with comedy it's hard to say what it is that makes it brilliant. Its something that you need to see to believe. So just go rent The Ritz. You won't be sorry. It is a Gay Essential, or Gayssential as I like to call them!

Lesley Ann Warren--1/23

This column is not always about people who have turned in the best work, consistently, but is also about a singular performance or moment on the screen. As I was re-organizing my DVD collection today, I was making mental notes of performances I wanted to mention here in the future. When I got to the letter 'v' I saw a movie, and thought "I have to talk about Lesley today". Lesley Ann Warren is not the greatest actress ever. She doesn't have a long long list of stellar performances to mention. But she does have at least one performance that has affected me, like in a life changing way. Victor/Victoria is one of those comedies that I feel has taught me something about how to perform comedy. And Lesley Ann Warren is perhaps the highlight of that movie.
She plays what could be your typical 'gangster's moll', but she does it with such panache and style that it is unforgettable. One of the things I love about comedy, is when beautiful women are not afraid to look like fools. This is why I love Lucille Ball, Fran Drescher, Debra Messing and other television commedienne's. Warren has this quality in spades, and her comic timing in Victor/Victoria is impeccable. She really has something special in this movie. It's so hard to explain without actually just showing the whole movie, but there is a commitment. Lesley LOVES Norma, and she plays her without any condescension. And I love how she is loud, and over the top. Yet she has a vulnerability and a reality to her that is awesome.
This is one of those Oscar history things that kind of makes me mad. She lost to Jessica Lange for Tootsie. Now I really think Jessica just won for that, because she was also up for lead actress that year, and they wanted to give her one. She wasn't going to beat Streep in the lead category, so they gave her the supporting statue. Looking at these two performances next to each other, Lesley Ann Warren should have taken the trophy. She is FANTASTIC in this movie. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

Piper Laurie--1/22

Today is Piper Laurie's birthday. One of America's best actresses turns 78. And so, She gets some Lady Love today. I have loved pretty much everything I have seen her do. Although, looking at her filmography, I really haven't seen as much of her work as I thought I had. She has just made such an impression that it has made me think I have seen her in more. I guess I will have to make an effort to see more of her work.
The movie that I love Piper in the most is, of course, Carrie. She is chilling in every scene. Margaret White drives a steak of guilt and fear through Carrie's heart, and the audience as well. She makes me quiver. I definately find Margaret White, as she is played by Piper Laurie, to be the real scare factor of this movie. Carrie doesn't scare me, but her crazy ass christian mother does. That may be my personal fear of christians as a whole, but the way that Piper Laurie plays this woman, gets me every time. Particularly her first and last scenes. In the first, when she is trying to peddle her dogma to Mrs. Snell, she begins to reveal the scariest parts of her self. We all have met someone like that. Someone who stays for that extra minute when we don't want them to, and makes us quietly search for the quickest escape route.
The grand finale of Carrie is one of my favorite scenes in any movie. It is chilling and thrilling. Piper Laurie shows us how truly crazy Margaret White is. She is off the beam, and the mania in Laurie's eyes is seared into my brain. She is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

I just read on the Carrie trivia page on imdb, that Piper Laurie thought her character was so over the top  that it must be a comedy. I love that. I love that she went there, and wasn't afraid to let it all go. Whatever it was that gave her that freedom, it is a thrill to watch. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PIPER LAURIE!!!

Lady Love: Anne Heche--1/21

Anne Heche is pretty much universally considered to be a lunatic. I am not saying I disagree with this thought process, but maybe her lunatic-ery is part of what makes her a brilliant actress. She has turned in some awesome performances over her career, Birth, Wag The Dog and Volcano come to mind. But, today it's her work in the 1996 HBO movie If These Walls Could Talk. It's a fantastic movie about three women, in three different times, all dealing with the same problem, an unwanted/unexpected pregnancy. Anne Heche plays the modern day woman. A college student, pregnant by one of her professors. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE her in this movie. Her portrayal is so heartfelt. She shows the struggle of a young woman making a very difficult choice, and you feel all of her agony over her choice. There is a cliche in movies that I love, and that is the 'single tear'. I love it because it can tell a whole story in one moment. When Anne is lying on the table, having the procedure done, she has an emotionless face, yet a 'single tear' falls down her cheek. I love this moment, so much. She is fantastic. I suppose that from madness, comes great art.

If you haven't seen If These Walls Could Talk, see it, it also has some awesome work from Sissy Spacek, Cher, Eileen Brennan, Diana Scarwid and Demi Moore. And Cher directed the segment where Heche stars!! Love it!!

Lady Love: Joan Cusack--1/20

For some reason, comedic roles are considered less prestigious than dramatic ones. I don't get this. Comedy is just as hard, if not harder than drama. It bothers me that comedic actresses so rarely get recognized by the acting awards of Hollywood. Joan Cusack is one of the BEST comedic actresses there is. And she's not so bad at drama either, when she gets the chance to do it (Arlington Road is fantastic.) She has been twice nominated for the Oscar for Working Girl, and the movie I am going to talk about today In & Out. She didn't win either time, but each role is fantastic.
In In & Out, Joan plays the long suffering fiance of a closeted teacher. If you haven't seen this movie, you really should. Joan is the BEST part of this movie. She delivers screenwriter Paul Rudnick's brilliant one-liners with expert timing. One of my favorites "Does anybody here KNOW how many times I've had to watch Funny Lady!?!?!?"
The key to great comedy, in my opinion, is to have tremendous vulnerability. And Joan has it here in spades. She is such a lovable loser, and when she cracks it is heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time. The best scene in the movie is when her fiance comes out of the closet at their wedding. Joan reacts with the necessary shock. The way that Joan raises her voice is so funny. "Was there oh, ANY OTHER TIME YOU MIGHT'VE TOLD ME THIS? I'm wearing a wedding dress, WHICH YOU PICKED OUT!" It is seared in my brain. I love it. Joan Cusack is my comedy hero!!! I can't believe she lost the Oscar to Kim Basinger, disgusting!!!!!!!!

Lady Love: Barbra Streisand--1/19

OK. I know, Streisand? Really? Could I BE any gayer?? I will be honest here. I am not a huge fan of Babs as a singer, and I am kind of over her as a filmmaker. But, as an actress, I think she is BRILLS. I know her ICON status tends to cloud many peoples opinion of her as an actress. The same thing happens to Cher and Bette Midler, sadly (Cher and Bette will be mentioned in future columns, I promise.) But lets really look back at Barbra, the actress. She delivers in pretty much everything she has done, from FUNNY GIRL to NUTS to THE PRINCE OF TIDES and, yes, even MEET THE FOCKERS.

I am thinking today of THE WAY WE WERE, my personal favorite of her movies. There are some awesome scenes. Katie listening to Hubbell's story in class. Their first dance. The big fight scene. And, of course, the beautiful ending (I'm tearing up thinking about it.)

The scene I always think of in this movie is after a fight between Katie and Hubbell. She is feeling so alone, so she makes a call. She calls her best friend, Hubbell. She is so vulnerable. She steps out on a limb. She tells him that she doesn't know who else to call, who else to talk to. What Babs does in this scene is so sweet, and lovely. She is not the tough, self-deprecating Katie we have seen throughout the movie. She is broken-hearted, yet there is not an ounce of pity in Barbra's performance. This scene is, in my opinion, one of the GREAT telephone scenes in all of movies. I love it, and I wish that Babs, the actress would come out more often.

Lady Love: Toni Collette--1/18

In honor of Toni Collette's Golden Globe win last night for UNITED STATES OF TARA (a brilliant series), she is the subject of today's Lady Love column. I love Toni. She is one of my favorite actresses (I have many favorites, so get used to hearing that sentence.) She has given numerous fantastic performances, pretty much everything she does is fantastic.
Today I want to talk about her brief but affecting performance in THE HOURS. Here it's a performance about the subtle cracking in a facade. Toni as Kitty is everything Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) wishes that she was. Kitty is popular, beautiful, classy and stylish. She has her life together. When she comes to ask Laura to feed her dog while she goes to the hospital for tests on her ovaries, she has to reveal a weakness. She tries to hold it together, but for a brief moment, she loses her grip. Toni does such fantastic things in this scene. She manages to crack just so slightly, and catches herself with such ease. It is a joy to watch. When Laura does the unexpected and plants a passionate kiss on Kitty, Toni is able to show us Kitty's whole range of emotions. Revulsion, flattery, condescension and pity.

Toni makes the most of a brief scene in a fantastic movie. I have seen THE HOURS many times. It has been a while since I last watched it, and thinking back on the most affecting, telling moments in the movie, this scene always comes to mind. It is one of the most memorable. Toni Collette has given MANY moments of brilliance on the screen, so this will definitely not be the last time you see her in this column. LOVE HER!!!!!

Lady Love: Nicole Kidman--1/17

Nicole Kidman is one of my all time favorite actors. So its only natural that I would start this feature with her. There are so many performances of hers that are brilliant, but today I am thinking about DOGVILLE. A movie that many movie goers that I know have never even heard of.
This movie is BRUTAL. It is long, it is jarringly unrealistic, and it is tough to get through. What makes it worthwhile are the performances, especially Nicole's. She is haunting. She goes through the pantheon of human emotions in DOGVILLE, but if you blink, you might miss one. Her performance is so understated and quiet. She goes through a fat lot of terrible things in this movie (being a fugitive, being a slave, being raped repeatedly, being chained up) and she shows the complete breakdown of a person. And yet, there is always some glimmer of hope in her eyes. She is always hoping that something will come along and change her pitiful state. And in the end, she becomes vengeful. There is a moment when she is talking to her father, at the end of the movie. She is sitting in the back of his car, and she makes a decision that is not a hard one for her, but that means the destruction of a whole town. A decision that I was SHOCKED by when I first saw this movie, but Nicole makes it understandable.
Nicole's performance in this movie is realism at its best. That's one of the great things about DOGVILLE and why I watch it over and over again. It's presentational style, and colloquial speech patterns, are counteracted with the most realistic form of acting: simply being. It isn't loud, it isn't over the top, it is free from self-indulgence. Nicole Kidman in DOGVILLE is one of the greatest performances by an actress of all time! (Yea, I said that) See DOGVILLE, and see the magic for yourself!

New Feature: Lady Love of the Day

I have decided to start a new feature. As a lover of ladies in film, I have countless moments of beauty on the screen, burned into my brain, and I love nothing more than to talk about them. So, each day I shall pick a performance and talk talk talk about it!!!!

I may end up giving away key moments of the film. If you haven't seen it, I am sorry! That'll happen though, so get over it!

IT BEGINS TOMORROW: JAN 17th!!!