the groundhog day project

Under the opening titles, as Patti LaBelle sings "Something Special" we see different women in different outfits, in blocks that never show the whole person. Parts of women, parts of outfits, earrings, eye makeup, and yesterday (because I had completely forgotten the acting class angle of Outrageous Fortune , I thought for a moment this was going to be about women working in fashion. But no. Cut to theatrical fencing class and Lauren is, to put it mildly, overeager. And we learn that her ambition is to play Hamlet. Cut to dance class. A gay guy who asks her out "to do some serious research" and she turns him down. Cut to Lauren and friend talking about not dating actors. They find the flyer for Korzenowski's workshop. Cut to Lauren outside her parents house in need of money. And I find myself confused because she could just do her own production of Hamlet with the $5000 her father gives her. And, Lauren's idea that Sandy can't go into an audition for...

To counter the cynical side from yesterday , there is one scene that absolutely points to the reality of the whole thing, and the cosmic import of the love story at its center, and that is the opening. Regardless of what follows, that scene is real. And, Elise's arrival as an old woman is real. What makes the scene important when you take the side of it all being real, of it all bearing the import of time itself, of love itself, is that the crowd clears for this old woman. Now, maybe they recognize this old woman as the once famous Elise McKenna, but I doubt it; if they recognize her, so should Richard. (Actually, Richard's later conversation with Miss Roberts suggests that Elise may never have been as famous after 1912 as she was then; she was increasingly reclusive from then until her death.) Rather, I think they do not, but they part because there is something about this woman being in this place, something they can sense, something that has an energy itself, her mere presen...

[(Note: This was mostly written a few hours ago, but I forgot to take my keyboard with me today. I hand wrote some stray thoughts then a few rants bits... You'll see.) My first thought while watching Cutthroat Island was to wonder when it came out. I remembered (accurately, it turned out) it coming out in the mid-90s but it has Mario Kassar listed as producer. My first note: Mario Kassar? - the 80s guy? Sure enough, it' she 80s guy, which explains some of what's going on with this movie. By the way: That's page one. Black then red on this page. The others are more organized. I will try to just type them as is, keep it simple, and save me some time.] Nice confident opening credits. Cold open feels like the cold open of Romancing the Stone , except this is the film, not a setup. Nice sweeping shots--this movie is far too sure of itself. And that score... [later added in red: It gets a little repetitive as it goes on.] Barely begun and trying so damn hard to be glor...

Oh, the outrage when Shakespeare in Love beat out Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture... And, damn it, I am old because that does not seem like it was 17 years ago. Just three years ago, Time referred to it as the "ultimate upset" (or, to be fair, Time said that many Oscar watchers thought of it that way). Time credits Harvey Weinstein and his campaign game. Me--I didn't mind Shakespeare in Love winning. I mean, sure, I get the reasoning that the logistics that went into making Saving Private Ryan put it on top but then, I don't think that sort of thing should guarantee a win or, really, something like Transformers should win every year just by costing the most. I like that a movie like Room can be nominated alongside Mad Max Fury Road , The Kids Are All Right alongside Inception , Little Miss Sunshine alongside Letters from Iwo Jima , Lost in Translation alongside The Return of the King , and so on. And, it's not like Shakespeare in Love is a bad ...