Johnny Simmons

I revealed in a meme some time ago (remember when memes where unavoidable?) that I used to be a major fan of Bollywood cinema which isn’t quite an embarrassing fact, but one I still wince at saying because by major fan I mean keenly obsessive. That’s passed, though, but today is the birthday of Kajol who was actually the star of the first Bollywood film I ever saw - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. All Bollywood films have this tendency – regardless of ostensible genre – of being a romance at the heart. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is about this high school lothario with a tomboy best friend who realises she’s in love with him when he falls for a new girl at school. Then, there’s a ten year time jump where the tomboy gets dolled up (which means growing her hair) and so on and so on. It’s running time is well over three hours (as is wont for most Bollywood films, with all those nonsequiter musical numbers and what not). Still, I haven’t lost my appreciation for this one.

Anyone ever seen it? Any Bollywood fans?

My mother's name is Myrna, but before my romance I always thought it was one of those "made-up" names like Cher, or Beyonce...or...you get my drift, right? Consequently, I feel sort of bad because I have squalid knowledge of Myrna Loy's filmography - her birthday is today. I saw one of the Thin Man movies, but that was probably over a decade ago and I can't even remember which it was (there are so many) and I saw her in The Best Years of Our Lives, but I might has well have gone to Lacuna after I saw that one because all I remember is finding Teresa Wright vaguely annoying in it.

She's just another classic star that makes up my collective cinematic blindspot. She seems fun, though. Any Myrna fans out there? Any films of her are required viewing?

It seems like an impossibly strange thing to say, but I actually think Philip Seymour Hoffman is underrated. He’s remembered for his recent Oscar work and whatnot but the man’s been acting sine the beginning of the nineties and has been a great number of critical smashes. True, he’s also been in some abysmal ones. Whilst flipping the channels last week Along Came Polly came on and I realised that he was in. I’d forgotten that, as well everything else about that awful film, I’d also forgotten that he was in Scent of a Woman in 1992. He’s become a bit ubiquitous recently, and I think that ubiquity has made people forget how good he is. Here’s a refresher.
       

              
I digress, though. I always thought that my favourite Kate performance was common knowledge to all. Whenever I hear the name of Our Lady Kate the first thing I think of is Eleanor Aquitaine.

“My, what a lovely girl. How could her king have left her?.”

I swear that image is imprinted in by brain, but then that could be said of almost any image from The Lion in Winter. I like to think that of all her post-50s performances (with the exception of Amanda Bonner, of course) Eleanor is the best example of Kate using her natural cadence to do fascinating work. I am not a believer in fate, but I think it is a perfect confluence that the brilliance of this woman just happens to be one of the roles she won her Oscar for. It is not a Tracy/Hepburn flick, but I always think of Spencer when I see it, if only because it's Kate's first performance after his death. And yet, the performance is strange. The very fact that it is so brilliant seems to defy logic because “great” acting is all about eschewing what one is usually like and transforming oneself. The thing is, Eleanor is Kate but Kate becomes Eleanor in the way that’s difficult to say where the character ends and the actor begins.

There’s a host of reasons why Kate has my undying devotion but it’s always that voice that gets me and it’s on full showcase here. Those caustic lines of Goldman allow her that opportunity to devastate, amuse, touch and even infuriate. And all to perfection.
“I dressed my maids as amazons and rode bare-breasted halfway to Damascus. Louis had a seizure, and I damn near died of windburn, but the troops were dazzled.”
Dazzled indeed.

And head over to these two great people who also chose to celebrate Kate's birthday:
Tom of Reinvention: The Journal of a Dog Lover, Movie Goer and Writer 
Joana of For Cinephiles by a Cinephile
Ben of Runs Like A Gay
and Anna wrote this great anecdote on Tracy Lords:

"When Katharine Hepburn comes to mind, I tend to think of Tracy Lord from The Philadelphia Story. She's snooty but at the same time you're drawn to her, curious on what makes her tick. Is it her impending wedding? Is it her ex-husband (Cary Grant) showing up? Is it the reporter (Jimmy Stewart) that came to cover the wedding? You'll just have to watch to find out."

            

With only about two hours of leg-room she moves from this...

Today is Sandy Dennis' birthday. I suppose, in a way, it's awful that her Honey from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is the performance of hers that I always reference, but it's easily one of the strongest supporting performances ever - so I think that I am forgiven. What makes Sandy's performance all the more special for me, though, is the fact that Sandy is really the only true supporting player in the film. Yes, George Segal is a supporting actor but he's much more a character of the main arc than Dennis who's forced to perform on the sidelines and still give an absolutely brilliant performance. Not that I can call it my favourite, though. I can't choose between the quartet...but Dennis is brilliant.
          
Happy birthday.

I’ll just come right out and say it – I like Renee Zellweger in Cold Mountain. I don’t like to make excessive use of the superlative, but this is probably the most hated Oscar win of the last decade and with it Zellweger has turned into arguably one of the most loathed Oscar winners of all time – which is a shame because she’s a fine actress, and a talented comedienne. Sure, she’s not my favourite actress – or anywhere especially near, but as it’s her birthday now is as good a time as any to count down my five favourite performances of hers.

Dorothy Boyd in Jerry Maguire (1996)

 Being a romantic/comedy lead is something that seems less than impressive but even though it’s Cuba and Tom who were nominated Renee’s Dorothy is imperative to this one. It’s such a sweet performance (no other words come to mind) and overflows with honesty, which is important to measure of protagonist against. Without her, it would be difficult to love Jerry as much.
         
Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones’s Diary
It’s her first Oscar nominated role, and it’s become a little less prestigious because of that sequel but the whimsy humour of this one is irresistible. No, it’s not Pride & Prejudice (regardless of what they say) but it’s funny enough and Renee sells it all – the insecurity, the accent and the humour.

Barbara Novak in Down With Love
This remains as one of the most hilarious romps of the decades. McGregor and Kidman had Moulin Rouge, Zellweger and he have this – and sure, this might not be as great as Moulin Rouge, but it features excellent work from the two leads – especially Renee. She manages to pull off the film’s less than stellar portions (remember that revelation monologue?) and she pulls it all off with a great amount of charm that a number of actors wouldn’t have been able to accomplish.

Mae Braddock in Cinderella Man
In a smack-down, I’d be more willing to support this Crow/Howard film than A Beautiful Mind and it’s a shame it was such a miss with the awards’ bodies. I’d have nominated Zellweger’s excellent turn as wife of boxer Jim Braddock. There’s real potential for this role to turn mawkish, but Zellweger avoids it. It easily triumphs as the strongest dramatic work I’ve seen her do – it’s a shame so few remember this one.

Roxie Hart in Chicago
I don’t understand when persons lament the potentials who Renee won the role from (Colette, Theron) – perhaps they might have been good, but it’s folly to deny that Renee was excellent here. Catherine uses her voice to sell Velma and Renee uses her excellent comedic timing to good use. It’s a tricky character, but Renee sells it excellently. Sure, she wasn’t my favourite of the lot – but I do love the performance nonetheless.
        
To celebrate Renee's birthday, which performance would you rewatch?

What’s so weird about Kate trajectory – upward and downward – was that you’d probably find more than a small throng who’d wager that she was robbed of an Oscar in 2000. I was in single figures at the time and the only interest I retain in the Oscar race that year is merely retrospective (and for the record, Marcia deserved it). I’m neither here nor there on Almost Famous in the first place, so I’m probably not as “offended” as diehard fans who’re insulted at how Kate has squandered her talents. Still, as some passably impressed with her work there I’m always more moved to remember her work in 2003’s Le Divorce as anything potential seminal. And, that’s an opinion that more often than not gets me into trouble....

So pretty...

What is Cecelia thinking? I do love Atonement dearly, much more than I love Keira Knightley but I do love her. True, I'm sort of antsy waiting to see what her next good performance will be - and I'm wondering what she'll be like opposite Joe Wright for the third time. I sort of hate that she's referred to as a "Period" Actress because even if she's best in films that aren't contemporary it seems the slightest bit disingenuous to refer to Cecelia Tallis and Elizabeth Bennett as women of the same time. Sure, they're both periods but the 1800s are a far cry from the 1940s...period or not. Ah, well.
           
I did love her best in Never Let Me Go, but then that filmed seemed like such a disappointing. A rewarding disappointment - but still disappointing. Owing to general laziness, and other things taking up my time I didn't even compile a list of films I was anticipating for 2010 and as much as I loved Cronerberg and Mortensen 2005 venture I'm not  sure that I'll love A Dangerous Method, although I'd love if both of them (along with Keira) knock it out of the park. I'm doubtful as to whether she'll ever top Elizabeth Bennett, but I'll remain hopeful. I mean, how can one not have faith in a face like this? She's only 26, she has plenty years ahead to prove me wrong...
               
I'm not the only Keira fan around hereabouts, am I?

This is a movie blog most times, sometimes a TV blog but I can't let today pass without celebrating one of the greatest composers and lyricist - Stephen Sondheim. He won his only Oscar for his work on Dick Tracy, so you can't say he has nothing to do with le cinema

Claire Wellington in The Stepford Wives (2004)
“I asked myself, ‘Where would people never notice a town full of robots?’ Connecticut!”

Queen Gertrude in Hamlet (1990)
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”


Sarah Cooper in The Big Chill (1983)
“We put on a great funeral here.”

Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction (1987)


“You play fair with me, I'll play fair with you.”

Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
“When one woman strikes at the heart of another she seldom misses, and the wound is invariably fatal.”
          
Pick a favourite.