tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337646722024-03-19T14:25:57.600-04:00Toto's ParadiseYour ticket to good moviesTotohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-24529822572709491562008-02-02T19:08:00.002-05:002008-02-26T02:23:47.461-05:002007: The Year That Was<div align="justify"><strong>Yes, I Saw All of Them <em>in Person</em> in 2007</strong><br /><em>(and that's only during the second half of the year!) </em><br /><em></em><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauRd8KDRErjlHDjm1eGhLldmG65pyzZQdAGug7XZQuBTwZCi7FdTQzTfUbIKqsbwUjWh_DHBG3XcRLnzVLzY8E6I7fpWBaS8yPVlEcwk_FWILv8qzWGCSLIV_oH-Nx5GUhGECnQ/s1600-h/charlie_kaufman+-+google+.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162200509007652338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 101px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 136px" height="250" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauRd8KDRErjlHDjm1eGhLldmG65pyzZQdAGug7XZQuBTwZCi7FdTQzTfUbIKqsbwUjWh_DHBG3XcRLnzVLzY8E6I7fpWBaS8yPVlEcwk_FWILv8qzWGCSLIV_oH-Nx5GUhGECnQ/s320/charlie_kaufman+-+google+.com" width="149" border="0" /></a>Charlie Kaufman<br /></strong>Although it was a fleeting moment, it was enough to give me a thrill to see one of my screenwriter idols in person while he was on location hunting for his directorial debut, <em>Synechdoche, NY</em>. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I had to forego a meeting where someone would have introduced me to him. I still feel bad about the missed opportunity to shake the hand of the guy behind the genius of <em>Adaptation,</em> <em>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind </em>and<em> Being John Malkovich</em>. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><strong>Tim Burton <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-onvfe5SFQ4Fxe59vfPsolSJRY8ivaYYTalA1-0Gt9rdmXncN_2akO0XTD_0tRKAej55D2PQzYO1yFn95hFnhgladwQiQXvNFAeFMk2VEBPk_S09BhEDzsA_vCfNacM3-O7gQ6Q/s1600-h/tim+burton+-+google.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162233958212954194" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 98px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px" height="116" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-onvfe5SFQ4Fxe59vfPsolSJRY8ivaYYTalA1-0Gt9rdmXncN_2akO0XTD_0tRKAej55D2PQzYO1yFn95hFnhgladwQiQXvNFAeFMk2VEBPk_S09BhEDzsA_vCfNacM3-O7gQ6Q/s320/tim+burton+-+google.com" width="91" border="0" /></a><br /></strong>In November 2007, I listened and watched Tim Burton in person as he was interviewed by Richard Pena, programming director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center in between clips from his films. As a bonus, we were also treated to a "first look" at <em>Sweeney Todd</em>. I didn’t realize that Tim Burton is a funny and warm person until that night.<br /><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaUTFogiU2NZLC4Id-mprOnrDW0eXSRPBMwX6xRYXK-llVKRPoO1nbQuUFMOJUNT4zJ37_0y00g8GtYBk_Cur7c_eET7n6rlqln11dvKInXWwrBSLH_VHD4h_fQkE0a3kDM7t4A/s1600-h/normanmailer_+-+google+.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162200882669807106" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 107px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 126px" height="224" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaUTFogiU2NZLC4Id-mprOnrDW0eXSRPBMwX6xRYXK-llVKRPoO1nbQuUFMOJUNT4zJ37_0y00g8GtYBk_Cur7c_eET7n6rlqln11dvKInXWwrBSLH_VHD4h_fQkE0a3kDM7t4A/s320/normanmailer_+-+google+.com" width="187" border="0" /></a>Norman Mailer<br /></strong>I had the rare opportunity of listening and watching Norman Mailer in person last year. I could not forget his dramatic entrance. Without any fanfare, a short old man walked on the stage being propped up by a pair of canes. Following him were the three interviewers. It was probably Mr. Mailer’s request not to be helped as he walked on the stage. The discussion was very exciting, with someone in the audience even reacting quite strongly to Mr. Mailer's statements at one point. In between coughs, Mr. Mailer’s statements were as controversial as ever and his brilliance had not been dimmed by age nor by his failing health. Two of the films which he wrote and directed were shown after the interview: <em>Tough Guys Don't Dance</em> and <em>Maidstone</em>. These films were much ahead of their time and they’re so avant-garde that the average moviegoer would probably hate it. A few weeks later, Mr. Mailer was on the cover of New York magazine with some more controversial statements. A couple of months later, I felt a lump in my throat when I saw the morning papers’ front page. Norman Mailer is gone.<br /><br /><strong>Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtk0QJ_BP1gHEuUsZcfFrjSbXV0uiHqE1egvSSfJoDqTb8h6hZy4-q9lN0vIuYf3BpX1PlijYnyfXMxdP32-SV6UA5xeIogYcxV2XavYCz5wlC-aTIRMoQ8doamqCrOI1ItD-Yw/s1600-h/marc+shaiman+%26+scott+wittman.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162233283903088706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 109px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 137px" height="142" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtk0QJ_BP1gHEuUsZcfFrjSbXV0uiHqE1egvSSfJoDqTb8h6hZy4-q9lN0vIuYf3BpX1PlijYnyfXMxdP32-SV6UA5xeIogYcxV2XavYCz5wlC-aTIRMoQ8doamqCrOI1ItD-Yw/s320/marc+shaiman+%26+scott+wittman.jpg" width="109" border="0" /></a><br /></strong>Marc Shaiman, together with his partner and collaborator Scott Wittman, showed up for a Sunday morning advanced screening of <em>Hairspray</em>. Marc Shaiman composed the songs in the movie and the Broadway musical of the same title. It was a very informative talk by Marc and Scott. Marc is a very pleasant guy and he sounded (no pun intended) truly dedicated to his craft. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXM94-Nckx4mEwcm4LVObS8DhyphenhyphenGVCAGJq5lLo8nVkcab7aTOssHaD5bR5aX0TKmc10GMJmxGB9HLeWwoLIbrMgNbqk674naz4QrhNC0q9q_thTA8Ai_e1oF1t0GOjQ0LGfKZKKw/s1600-h/tom+di+cillo+-+nytimes.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162201140367844882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 123px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" height="160" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXM94-Nckx4mEwcm4LVObS8DhyphenhyphenGVCAGJq5lLo8nVkcab7aTOssHaD5bR5aX0TKmc10GMJmxGB9HLeWwoLIbrMgNbqk674naz4QrhNC0q9q_thTA8Ai_e1oF1t0GOjQ0LGfKZKKw/s320/tom+di+cillo+-+nytimes.com" width="134" border="0" /></a>Tom Dicillo</strong><br />He wrote and directed the well-made indie film, <em>Delirious </em>with Steve Buscemi and Michael Pitt. It was a very engaging film. Tom was interviewed after the screening of the film. Too bad, not too many people saw his film. </div><div align="justify"><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong>Zoe Cassavettes</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSAR_iwNcV7O9l5c-69F0ju8LmocFp8Mcfxnhhgd53tnIL2zVvzG4ceEuM5lh_g3rpigpSs2oubkSvXObitoKcR2SxHymwBQ2wO_69_yuc3MeZiiU7OH35cggpmqjhkYxxularw/s1600-h/ZOE+CASSAVETTES+-BIGSCREENLITTLESCREEN.NET.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162211061742298786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 118px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 124px" height="143" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSAR_iwNcV7O9l5c-69F0ju8LmocFp8Mcfxnhhgd53tnIL2zVvzG4ceEuM5lh_g3rpigpSs2oubkSvXObitoKcR2SxHymwBQ2wO_69_yuc3MeZiiU7OH35cggpmqjhkYxxularw/s320/ZOE+CASSAVETTES+-BIGSCREENLITTLESCREEN.NET.jpg" width="144" border="0" /></a><br />The daughter of actor/director John Cassavettes (husband of Mia Farrow in <em>Rosemary’s Baby</em>) and actress Gena Rowland, she also admitted that she is a close friend of Sofia Coppola, director of <em>Lost in Translation</em> and daughter of <em>Godfather </em>series director, Francis Ford Coppola. She directed the movie, <em>Broken English</em>. It’s a very engaging film. Zoe spoke before the advance showing of her film on a Sunday morning. She admitted that her movie is partly autobiographical. She said that for her first job in NYC, she worked as a receptionist in a small hotel, similar to the character of Parker Posey in the movie. She mentioned that her boyfriend was a bit player in the film. After the screening, the first thing that the audience asked was who among the bit players is her boyfriend. My suspicion was correct. It was one of the guys that the character of Parker Posey met in the bar. Zoe also mentioned that his boyfriend finally got a big break on TV which will have its pilot in a few days. His boyfriend’s name is Jon Hamm. Now, everybody knows him as the lead in the hit series, <em>Mad Men</em> which won as the best TV drama series in the Golden Globe Awards. The series also gave Jon Hamm the best actor trophy in a TV drama series, beating perennial winner Hugh Laurie of <em>House </em>and such great actors as Bill Paxton and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. </div><div align="justify"><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3be2Mjgn6hg9AvcncPBm_tW38Ir5q4brqmiQ0cMfsDkQ3dd3v6slZCMgwd61a4WwfO3dNyf5BLEeH2CJUlK5IPOOQEULPsi3L6TCkWSiYysVT9iHmuqm58q2-B5VS-VJyTvUmHA/s1600-h/jennifer+westfeldt+-+tvguide.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162201423835686434" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 138px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 112px" height="111" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3be2Mjgn6hg9AvcncPBm_tW38Ir5q4brqmiQ0cMfsDkQ3dd3v6slZCMgwd61a4WwfO3dNyf5BLEeH2CJUlK5IPOOQEULPsi3L6TCkWSiYysVT9iHmuqm58q2-B5VS-VJyTvUmHA/s320/jennifer+westfeldt+-+tvguide.com" width="187" border="0" /></a>Jennifer Westfeldt<br /></strong>She was interviewed by film guru, Richard Brown, during an advance screening of the film which she wrote and starred in, <em>Ira and Abby</em>. She was very down-to-earth and smart. Her film was good, except for some writing flaws which I understood when I heard her narrate how she got into screenwriting. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong>Alan Alda <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQTYURYFv7jvFjX0a31AQ0EJay2KtlNQi0hsTI_9KxnO9F6lZaBW8QJOKAVDXp3waedFRJSHuvu3HzPNDtB4XZKMe48drIkCl4uw4r8-0zo1H0-7HmrzTrUh_TSAimG0_2BXBjw/s1600-h/alan+alda+-+timeinc.net.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162211568548439746" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 113px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 137px" height="259" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQTYURYFv7jvFjX0a31AQ0EJay2KtlNQi0hsTI_9KxnO9F6lZaBW8QJOKAVDXp3waedFRJSHuvu3HzPNDtB4XZKMe48drIkCl4uw4r8-0zo1H0-7HmrzTrUh_TSAimG0_2BXBjw/s320/alan+alda+-+timeinc.net.jpg" width="167" border="0" /></a><br /></strong>I didn’t realize how funny he is until I listened to him in person. He narrated interesting stories from his long film career. He also discussed his book, <em>Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself.</em> It was an evening of laughter and anecdotes. </div><div align="justify"><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWIVwFBCcANi9NVq3Adwg8-0gwAbFf2FUVu66ZEsuh-83SiCMhT4TSMKNlGELmY3X4GdcqmqXPs3Cpu3jLcBgTCIqRsRwgtRB_JN2KphHab3LZTzaa4tpiY3rgTfxoExpVTs0jw/s1600-h/steve+martin+-+obsessedwithfilm.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162201591339410994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 114px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 155px" height="217" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWIVwFBCcANi9NVq3Adwg8-0gwAbFf2FUVu66ZEsuh-83SiCMhT4TSMKNlGELmY3X4GdcqmqXPs3Cpu3jLcBgTCIqRsRwgtRB_JN2KphHab3LZTzaa4tpiY3rgTfxoExpVTs0jw/s320/steve+martin+-+obsessedwithfilm.com" width="150" border="0" /></a>Steve Martin</strong><br />During a book launching of the children’s book which he co-wrote, <em>The Alphabet from A to Y with a Bonus Letter Z</em>, I had the chance to see him up close and I had his signature on the book to prove it. He was wearing a trench coat and a moustache similar to his character in Pink Panther. </div><div align="justify"><br /><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong>Julianne Moore <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5GCL3eUbfiBi3p7Qo0l3dzc4b70w-57FtP6EivU0jpteigtUgU0V1UUPVsXE_Hy-5tioW-x-zdkpL9I9Hv32nOElGCMhM2mtuKC2S2-tvO5AH0_5zWx3V7JWpFr5wfUZ6mnqkNg/s1600-h/MooreJulianne-entimg.msn.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162211422519551666" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 108px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 136px" height="320" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5GCL3eUbfiBi3p7Qo0l3dzc4b70w-57FtP6EivU0jpteigtUgU0V1UUPVsXE_Hy-5tioW-x-zdkpL9I9Hv32nOElGCMhM2mtuKC2S2-tvO5AH0_5zWx3V7JWpFr5wfUZ6mnqkNg/s320/MooreJulianne-entimg.msn.com" width="157" border="0" /></a><br /></strong>It was an early morning launching of her children’s book at Barnes and Noble. I didn’t realize that her face was filled with freckles. She also has red hair. Her book is clearly autobiographical. Its title? <em>Freckleface Strawberry.</em> I've always had a crush on her, so it was really a thrill to see her up close.<br /><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfCoaRRWgqeGdHc1XLUZMt0M4f7Gg6XoTpfGaCIYgHx4vCrrcfDPorW_aCjVxcAqFf6WWA6uYL0R6qusQFalVkqZJX_aVNWBUnTnIJ0OrrK0V5lA8XGHe6ryZWZeE0yjSbQlpUw/s1600-h/sarah+crichton+-+newyorksocialdiary.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162201758843135554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 114px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" height="257" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfCoaRRWgqeGdHc1XLUZMt0M4f7Gg6XoTpfGaCIYgHx4vCrrcfDPorW_aCjVxcAqFf6WWA6uYL0R6qusQFalVkqZJX_aVNWBUnTnIJ0OrrK0V5lA8XGHe6ryZWZeE0yjSbQlpUw/s320/sarah+crichton+-+newyorksocialdiary.com" width="125" border="0" /></a>Sarah Crichton</strong><br />She co-wrote the memoir, <em>A Mighty Heart</em> with Mariane Pearl. The book was about the murder of Mariane’s husband, Danny Pearl, a Wall Street journal reporter who was murdered in Pakistan. The rights to the book were bought by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and they turned it into a great movie. Angelina Jolie and Mariane Pearl became very good friends during its filming. Angelina Jolie was nominated for an Actors Guild Award for her portrayal of Mariane Pearl in the movie (but she lost to Warren Beatty's great love, Julie Christie for her movie <em>Away from Her</em>).<br /><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong>Irvine Welsh</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZeCe9CzcJu3EsK0bED4xWaeyTilwXf84sX8oSIwYP1vHlXI3uvD8BYHBlWhL8g5limmUtZeYF2nnGeG1pbjtd05YLHzGnih7hG6aqdvphHZPej2N57Ad8E5ITbF51gEmJDBxMw/s1600-h/180px-Irvine_Welsh_by_Kubik+-+wikimedia.org.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162213020247385858" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 123px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" height="207" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZeCe9CzcJu3EsK0bED4xWaeyTilwXf84sX8oSIwYP1vHlXI3uvD8BYHBlWhL8g5limmUtZeYF2nnGeG1pbjtd05YLHzGnih7hG6aqdvphHZPej2N57Ad8E5ITbF51gEmJDBxMw/s320/180px-Irvine_Welsh_by_Kubik+-+wikimedia.org.jpg" width="149" border="0" /></a><br />He is the writer of the novel from which the movie, <em>Trainspotting</em> (starring Ewan McGregor) was based. The launching of his book at the Barnes and Noble in Union Square brought the house down. His book, <em>Bedroom Secrets of Master Chefs</em>, was riotously funny. He read excerpts from his entertaining book.</div><div align="justify"><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQhL9E8AtXKwL1K2AwmJB-SWXa83T8fD8pyMqNtiKWHAlDzqQauJLRifh2FycuKpGEqrrtlAxIxaAnb9TcNkFc2SDMDEn-ZMfNq3X6seuzXBqlCc_PLxdyHIGiCQRZ2QcKHUUpQ/s1600-h/230px-Chuck_Palahniuk+-+wikipeda.org.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162201969296533074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 116px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" height="225" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQhL9E8AtXKwL1K2AwmJB-SWXa83T8fD8pyMqNtiKWHAlDzqQauJLRifh2FycuKpGEqrrtlAxIxaAnb9TcNkFc2SDMDEn-ZMfNq3X6seuzXBqlCc_PLxdyHIGiCQRZ2QcKHUUpQ/s320/230px-Chuck_Palahniuk+-+wikipeda.org.jpg" width="164" border="0" /></a>Chuck Palahniuk<br /></strong>He is the writer of the novel from which the movie, <em>Fight Club</em> (starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton), was based. He had his book launching of his new book, <em>Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey</em>, at the Barnes and Noble in Union Square together with Irvine Welsh. It was a the most fun book launching I ever attended. He narrated awesome anecdotes. He gave away bouquets, huge rubber hamburgers and life-size rubber body parts.<br /></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkktG8fuzZ8jYItoUYYGcvwv80Kzz0G3nVBE3Jsq362AxBU9hf4LgoaoZfBno_5mgaJRIo3dBDQonV0O5l6RpqHr8m5w67QcKsy5Y8E19aCNo0E5UFnXpAQytimq7OhyphenhyphenOgezz0kw/s1600-h/James_Lipton_by_David_Shankbone+-wikipedia.org.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162211740347131602" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 105px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 118px" height="261" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkktG8fuzZ8jYItoUYYGcvwv80Kzz0G3nVBE3Jsq362AxBU9hf4LgoaoZfBno_5mgaJRIo3dBDQonV0O5l6RpqHr8m5w67QcKsy5Y8E19aCNo0E5UFnXpAQytimq7OhyphenhyphenOgezz0kw/s320/James_Lipton_by_David_Shankbone+-wikipedia.org.jpg" width="211" border="0" /></a>James Lipton</strong><br />His book, <em>Inside Inside</em>, takes a look at the behind-the-scenes of his hit TV show, <em>Inside The Actors Studio </em>where he interviews big Hollywood actors for his graduate class. During the book’s launching at Barnes and Noble in Lincoln Plaza, he admitted that he once worked as a pimp in Paris. James Lipton signed my copy of the book and he even obliged to draw a doodle of himself. </div><div align="justify"><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHGfIYf-iwqtCPaGgnHMuPoPL68TRctjZnWRasLaTw6VfCiGA_qKzde7JxXgvLigKdey1hA7GaVzVBHW4iv7TEg_hHcbL3kxACYWh8gXxDzLtiWg022uipi5Du7AjFHIQBSa6PA/s1600-h/leslie+uggams+-yahoo.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162202145390192226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 88px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 117px" height="116" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHGfIYf-iwqtCPaGgnHMuPoPL68TRctjZnWRasLaTw6VfCiGA_qKzde7JxXgvLigKdey1hA7GaVzVBHW4iv7TEg_hHcbL3kxACYWh8gXxDzLtiWg022uipi5Du7AjFHIQBSa6PA/s320/leslie+uggams+-yahoo.com" width="108" border="0" /></a>Leslie Uggams<br /></strong>Together with other Broadway actors, actress and Broadway star Leslie Uggams read scenes from the plays of August Wilson. It was a great experience.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Lea Salonga <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIHphTLct7OnD0lTREtDNfcvjlPJhz-hdgRXmCK6ZxTDmo-sJ0y_sIC1iUaN0WzS7NZ_BG0LyjBYtAZcbVJQW0bzc9cTPR3xFgUIuUG7jdqh1k6C3mMM1C7xDkkiz4b0caF7WiQ/s1600-h/leas+salonga+-+broadway.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162211873491117794" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 124px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 171px" height="255" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIHphTLct7OnD0lTREtDNfcvjlPJhz-hdgRXmCK6ZxTDmo-sJ0y_sIC1iUaN0WzS7NZ_BG0LyjBYtAZcbVJQW0bzc9cTPR3xFgUIuUG7jdqh1k6C3mMM1C7xDkkiz4b0caF7WiQ/s320/leas+salonga+-+broadway.com" width="137" border="0" /></a><br /></strong>I saw the Broadway star during her last week of performance as Fantine in <em>Les Miserables</em>. Clutching a bag of baby diapers, she graciously signed autographs and posed for photos at the artists’ entrance of the Broadhurst Theatre in Broadway. Everyone knows that she invaded Hollywood when she did the singing voice of such Disney heroines as <em>Mulan</em> and Princess Jasmine in <em>Alladin</em>.<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong>And I Also Saw All These Films in 2007</strong> </div><div align="justify"><em>(and yes, only during the second half of the year!)<br /></em><br /><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162212637995296498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 142px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 184px" height="199" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPogDIrRa0Y202mTzJSsHlxE5BHDOLJTQGolHPoU79IvoMRWGTFurF64X0uRlPLH8GQ9btcQ5dwDJU4aY-sj4cimDeOw3mFmmd9N3mIMxIn6bj0vdPy0nLeqLgV0TfvXQ9r4Gaw/s320/diving-bell-posterbig+-++firstshowing.net.jpg" width="167" border="0" />The Diving Bell and the Butterfly</strong><br />Great writing. The book seemed impossible to turn into a movie but the amazing team of Director Julian Schnabel and screenwriter Ronald Harwood turned this into an engaging film. Had I read its synopsis before watching it, I would have definitely avoided it. But I'm glad that I had the opportunity to watch it in my film class at NYU. Except for the Lourdes sequence which seemed to have just slowed the film down, it was one of the best movies I’ve seen in 2007. Funny and touching at the same time. I like this more than Schnabel's episodic <em>Before the Night Falls</em> which gave Javier Bardem (nominated for an Oscar for his terrific peformance in the Coen brothers' <em>No Country for Old Men</em>) his first Oscar nomination. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong>Delirious<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1ZU_Tr38DKzazfdmhMG2EqekVS7mwKwV4gXKwzPJo2a9SWgsnS7yiLzytnfpGbMaSPZ8eMRB4tmHlSqBVvmt1alAlu5lpmNCp8Ton90C9KA2VN6ZsDVScjEadzLrh37aFl5XeQ/s1600-h/delirious+-+impawards.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162214879968225170" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 181px" height="298" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1ZU_Tr38DKzazfdmhMG2EqekVS7mwKwV4gXKwzPJo2a9SWgsnS7yiLzytnfpGbMaSPZ8eMRB4tmHlSqBVvmt1alAlu5lpmNCp8Ton90C9KA2VN6ZsDVScjEadzLrh37aFl5XeQ/s320/delirious+-+impawards.com" width="153" border="0" /></a></strong></div><div align="justify">Funny and touching film. A well-made indie film. I like this film very much. Steve Buscemi and Michael Pitt have great chemistry.<br /><br /><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162213209225946898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 146px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px" height="207" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUR_K4a4yRFbUFtV0whTlYp5iZ1QhvxQfWja7rkf3niS_x7h0Pu9aypQD7n7fBuw9lXpE8miqgjrIY1bL-oNQBjNjLEqFN0avHstcbiEEDtwNWTGTf_oi9u_pjBbWjsOeQ6hGz2Q/s320/broekn+english+poster+3+-+wordpress.com" width="159" border="0" />Broken English</strong><br />Well-made. I just didn’t get the part where they had to deliver a package. I was expecting a big revelation at the end of the sequence. It didn't move the story forward nor established character (<em>translation: it's unnecessary).</em> But it's a highly entertaining film.<br /><br /><strong>Redacted<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEd7KZrkocQPUQ7fWqcLlEMPNopBzvMbxn2y0V8bGI01QQC6wCnTUourTPGxwTHVG8ewI8fcYL8QXPYIri0Yz8es-lZz73nSnnltDqQx9L9Gifiqh51FnFNd_HfEek3sgVqQh-Q/s1600-h/redacted_movie_poster-+toxicshock.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162215769026455458" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 162px" height="234" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEd7KZrkocQPUQ7fWqcLlEMPNopBzvMbxn2y0V8bGI01QQC6wCnTUourTPGxwTHVG8ewI8fcYL8QXPYIri0Yz8es-lZz73nSnnltDqQx9L9Gifiqh51FnFNd_HfEek3sgVqQh-Q/s320/redacted_movie_poster-+toxicshock.com" width="154" border="0" /></a></strong><br />Except for the ending, I like this film although most critics would probably disagree. Director Brian de Palma’s use of pseudo-documentary style for this film was very effective.<br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02Lx98yTZF4dLq29wX3iqkukPaWpCAQQXN4TYhdi3UqOH0EYkqKd1lhXKhk6EWksM-KnY3LDxjhbHiAuGvBnN4fuJyOyKm7Z8uff1xhZ7EnKJ9y2bKn0O1xrxlxxJ53am5BOQng/s1600-h/cassandras-dream-poster+-+firstshowing.net.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162213363844769570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 166px" height="252" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02Lx98yTZF4dLq29wX3iqkukPaWpCAQQXN4TYhdi3UqOH0EYkqKd1lhXKhk6EWksM-KnY3LDxjhbHiAuGvBnN4fuJyOyKm7Z8uff1xhZ7EnKJ9y2bKn0O1xrxlxxJ53am5BOQng/s320/cassandras-dream-poster+-+firstshowing.net.jpg" width="179" border="0" /></a>Cassandra's Dream</strong><br />I'ved always been a big Woody Allen fan. His latest film which, like <em>Match Point</em>, was not filmed in Allen's beloved NYC is highly entertaining. It's theme reminds me of Allen’s two other films: <em>Match Point</em> and <em>Crimes and Misdemeanors</em>. Crime pays.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Before the Devil Knows You're Dead</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DyL67zhYiincmRBkyRpP1N9rd8xn2c3OxL6mBFUn7qNON8r2SLDNZWeyGRznOydwvVI8slWxWcv_St1ReumnAn7P1w7ptkfDSCo2ywIalacyIo3ayweGAdXsinv2LMcrVTiACw/s1600-h/beforedevildead-posterbig+-+google.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162441181795051634" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="175" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DyL67zhYiincmRBkyRpP1N9rd8xn2c3OxL6mBFUn7qNON8r2SLDNZWeyGRznOydwvVI8slWxWcv_St1ReumnAn7P1w7ptkfDSCo2ywIalacyIo3ayweGAdXsinv2LMcrVTiACw/s320/beforedevildead-posterbig+-+google.com" width="130" border="0" /></a><br />This is one of the most enjoyable Lumet films that I’ve seen in years. Its theme is very similar to Allen's <em>Cassandra’s Dream</em>.<br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFhuSne5MDbl0LqbVMr6tp5_vROD4UYURDrYI7556MFQFm62M9HeDcvucVqX0KFcqx-OOW1OzkZqzmbJyl_FhLj0TMB1owPmbDFEvfY6n0QO529kn0lvTpEbg_BlImhvyVEZ7Tw/s1600-h/persepolis+-+google+.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162230195821602818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 166px" height="277" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFhuSne5MDbl0LqbVMr6tp5_vROD4UYURDrYI7556MFQFm62M9HeDcvucVqX0KFcqx-OOW1OzkZqzmbJyl_FhLj0TMB1owPmbDFEvfY6n0QO529kn0lvTpEbg_BlImhvyVEZ7Tw/s320/persepolis+-+google+.com" width="186" border="0" /></a>Persepolis</strong><br />A surprisingly entertaining film done in the old fashioned animation method.<br /><br /><strong>Ressurecting the Champ</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCka1x-Htl1ibK1prAvQMkFhOL8I-Yct3dYxgDZEQq8Ph-CMSaA7za5AzjS_jqSNXGbeEHScvzKjPDi7QZexnz58XkRwztr0h2opQOgxRyeh-IZhj-Eppod8FJkls642ICULMY-A/s1600-h/res-the-champ-bigposter+-+google.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162216198523185090" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 141px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 182px" height="251" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCka1x-Htl1ibK1prAvQMkFhOL8I-Yct3dYxgDZEQq8Ph-CMSaA7za5AzjS_jqSNXGbeEHScvzKjPDi7QZexnz58XkRwztr0h2opQOgxRyeh-IZhj-Eppod8FJkls642ICULMY-A/s320/res-the-champ-bigposter+-+google.com" width="158" border="0" /></a><br />Since I did not know much about the film, the twist towards the middle of the film was a pleasant surprise (<em>at least for me</em>).<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162213793341499202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 190px" height="294" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiT9il4vDnPkjm7ETx0rzY4Mi54JZYKLeEMd3v6MpKbgItrIrqGUgQiuWak_5rozHpiszySsbQEIANfLOSGTp5z_OjbzCRBnt5UBSK7NjpmiOWoo_xhy5H4XK-E3uU0yRuCu_Og/s320/la_vie_en_rose_movie_poster+-+collider.com" width="184" border="0" /><strong>La Vie En Rose</strong><br />The episodic structure and problematic screenplay diminished the power of this film but Marion Cotillard’s excellent performance more than made up for it. I didn’t even know that she is very young until I saw her at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (where she lost to Julie Christie). But she won the Golden Globe Award for best actress in a musical or comedy.<br /><br /><strong>Knocked Up</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboNntNYirpgoIdQm3k1P1uOIOMrtSnAuEgdO19kSZhmMSDA89AEtgkQOgbSZSPHQrSdGN7mVYCAVmlAWjuQ9gfbjMGUeuq8mHxo5ZME45IlbbGh87MYxcLkPBuFifYiDeL1vxKA/s1600-h/knocked-up-+gogle.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162437999224285282" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 168px" height="252" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboNntNYirpgoIdQm3k1P1uOIOMrtSnAuEgdO19kSZhmMSDA89AEtgkQOgbSZSPHQrSdGN7mVYCAVmlAWjuQ9gfbjMGUeuq8mHxo5ZME45IlbbGh87MYxcLkPBuFifYiDeL1vxKA/s320/knocked-up-+gogle.com" width="184" border="0" /></a><br />Funny and well-made. Seth Rogen is the man!<br /><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraBjFEteGiAAhmXt5kdZEpNFsu8ec0xIdTxpxH_64z64k7jvtTQCXWBgzf1CV1DeKJD4xvb-BoRHNvG2fui2Ezmm0jghhfORbj2UR6smRRbkaSVuW0CSk_CEvoMBy2iGt_MLNZQ/s1600-h/becoming+jane+-+google.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162213982320060242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 165px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 201px" height="255" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraBjFEteGiAAhmXt5kdZEpNFsu8ec0xIdTxpxH_64z64k7jvtTQCXWBgzf1CV1DeKJD4xvb-BoRHNvG2fui2Ezmm0jghhfORbj2UR6smRRbkaSVuW0CSk_CEvoMBy2iGt_MLNZQ/s320/becoming+jane+-+google.com" width="161" border="0" /></a>Becoming Jane</strong><br />James McAvoy stole the film. This is the first time I saw him and he had a magnificent screen presence. His follow-up film, <em>Atonement</em>, is a big boost to the acting career of this exceptional actor.<br /><br /><strong>Ira and Abby</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsLdK7VoUtlvSaxi8CjslIl_voOc2CIhgUTRbNCTLDWYzz3M7K1ExyOCeSssyhuu5fkAyST39KHsPPQTl8YnwebE8X9JT_pAiWeeuuVGkzRbvGzlRvS-XbMOK5qvUEoftLSLhig/s1600-h/ira+and+abby+-+imdb.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162216524940699618" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 138px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 178px" height="147" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsLdK7VoUtlvSaxi8CjslIl_voOc2CIhgUTRbNCTLDWYzz3M7K1ExyOCeSssyhuu5fkAyST39KHsPPQTl8YnwebE8X9JT_pAiWeeuuVGkzRbvGzlRvS-XbMOK5qvUEoftLSLhig/s320/ira+and+abby+-+imdb.jpg" width="130" border="0" /></a><br />Interesting and funny indie film with some good scenes.<br /><br /><strong></strong><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4MTccVelIhK-1PgeEN_rJL7YHpiE2iIYO8STxsf_JmrUnZeSY_ecjujZQnyofPjpCQIVUvrCdOYONhR6ibgoF5x-Morjtc0fVgrxJBU3v8lYXUT7a2aX8sTBazgjPhlH_DkR_w/s1600-h/HAIRSPRAY+-+YAHOO.COM"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162231922398455842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 184px" height="291" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4MTccVelIhK-1PgeEN_rJL7YHpiE2iIYO8STxsf_JmrUnZeSY_ecjujZQnyofPjpCQIVUvrCdOYONhR6ibgoF5x-Morjtc0fVgrxJBU3v8lYXUT7a2aX8sTBazgjPhlH_DkR_w/s320/HAIRSPRAY+-+YAHOO.COM" width="145" border="0" /></a>Hairspray</strong><br />Well-made although this did not really excite me.<br /><br /><strong>The Orphanage</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN89iwBWBx7Em5TIRmxdGDQ7Yp5oXVeTMJ_yflb1eKVefWl12eSKWl80sF8RTGLug0FVCuag6R4LtEBSRIfBZOX51DAsOQn5flEjH0XYBm34vfZUxHybHISD7fFuEycjgh2iPR4w/s1600-h/the+orphannage+-+seattlepi.nwsource.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162216383206778834" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 172px" height="235" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN89iwBWBx7Em5TIRmxdGDQ7Yp5oXVeTMJ_yflb1eKVefWl12eSKWl80sF8RTGLug0FVCuag6R4LtEBSRIfBZOX51DAsOQn5flEjH0XYBm34vfZUxHybHISD7fFuEycjgh2iPR4w/s320/the+orphannage+-+seattlepi.nwsource.com" width="197" border="0" /></a><br />I think this film was overrated. It was a polished film but I was bored.<br /><br /><br /><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZl8J-QJJI3DJIPfUH_vx90u6qSrAdpK30BmhnS1MWXfoTWceyZUik3jMxsNU0okv0ef9t7Wok3bpxTEghEqSlLt0QVon6E71bDNcMhphWJeu_jSBsmbdBmLBgjjE9yh24IAxVw/s1600-h/love+in+time+of+cholera+-+circuit-empire.com"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5162214660924893058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 153px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 202px" height="238" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZl8J-QJJI3DJIPfUH_vx90u6qSrAdpK30BmhnS1MWXfoTWceyZUik3jMxsNU0okv0ef9t7Wok3bpxTEghEqSlLt0QVon6E71bDNcMhphWJeu_jSBsmbdBmLBgjjE9yh24IAxVw/s320/love+in+time+of+cholera+-+circuit-empire.com" width="156" border="0" /></a>Love in the Time of Cholera</strong><br />Based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's bestselling book, this is the most boring film that I’ve seen last year. The great Javier Bardem did not salvage the film. The problem is inherent in the film's material. It is not cinematic. The lead character was the finest example of a passive hero. His goal was to have Fermina but he did nothing to have her. Instead, he had affairs with several women, not really pursuing his goal. He just waited for Fermina's husband to die. The main character’s goal and his actions throughout the film are off tangent and out of sync from each other. Now, how could a story like this hold the viewer’s interest? I could not believe that this film was written by the same guy who wrote the excellent screenplay of <em>The Diving Bell and the Butterfly</em>. (<em>And I couldn't help but smile whenever I am reminded of the time when I saw this book on the Health Books section of a bookstore</em>.)<br /><br /></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;color:#999999;">Images from</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;color:#999999;">yahoo.com, google.com, imdb.com, Wikipedia.org, tvguide.com, broadway.com, timinc.net, wikmdia.org, empirecinemas.co.uk, wordpress.com, firtshowing.net, impawards.com, prenewline.com, collider.com, circuitempire.com, entimg.msn, mediabistro.com, toxicshock.com, newyorksocialdiary.com, obsessedwithfilm.com, settlepi.nwsource.com, smh.com, nytimes.com, bigscreenlittlescree.net </span></div>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1163380253040368782006-11-12T20:10:00.000-05:002006-11-12T21:11:58.873-05:00My Five Films with the Best Twists<embed name="flashticker" align="middle" src="http://widget-58.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" width="400" height="375" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="site=widget-58.slide.com&channel=72057594046218840&cy=bl&il=1" wmode="transparent" salign="l" scale="noscale" quality="high"></embed> <div style="WIDTH: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" href="http://www.slide.com/msnew/ticker?cid=72057594046218840&cy=bl&tt=13&at=0" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-58.slide.com/h2/72057594046218840/bl_t013_v000_a000_f00/images/slide3.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/msnew/ticker?cid=72057594046218840&amp;amp;cy=bl&tt=13&at=0" target="_blank">Get Your Own!</a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/msview/ticker?cid=72057594046218840&cy=bl&amp;tt=13&at=0" target="_blank">View Slideshow</a></div><span style="font-size:78%;color:#666666;">Images from amazon.com, andrew.cmu.edu,cinemapassion.com</span>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1163376324860787752006-11-12T18:56:00.000-05:002007-08-15T13:13:57.349-04:00Why These Five Films Have the Best Twists<div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/moviemail-online.co.uk%20%20les%20diaboliques.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 128px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 105px" height="175" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/moviemail-online.co.uk%20%20les%20diaboliques.jpg" width="230" border="0" /></a> 5. <strong>LES DIABOLIQUES</strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(</span><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot / Screenwriters: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Frederic Grendel, Rene Masson / 1955)</span> </em><br />The ultimate classic twist. A trailblazer.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/mulholland%20IMDb.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/mulholland%20IMDb.1.jpg" border="0" /></a>4. <strong>MULHOLLAND DRIVE</strong><br /></em><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>(Director & Screenwriter: David Lynch / 2001)</em><br /></span>In a class of its own. Truly original and engaging. There’s nothing like it. Very powerful film. It stayed with me even long after I saw the film. (Naomi Watt’s unexpected exposure serves as a terrific bonus.)<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/vertigo%20IMDb.2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 88px" height="91" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/vertigo%20IMDb.2.jpg" width="132" border="0" /></a>3. <strong>VERTIGO<br /></strong><em><span style="font-size:85%;">(Director: Alfred Hitchcock / Screenwriters: Alec Coppel, Samuel Taylor / 1958)<br /></span></em>Well-written screenplay with an awesome surprise. It blew me away.<br /></div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/house%20of%20games%20sensesofcinema.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 129px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 95px" height="175" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/house%20of%20games%20sensesofcinema.jpg" width="183" border="0" /></a>2. <strong>HOUSE OF GAMES</strong><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>(Director & Screenwriter: David Mamet / 1987) </em><br /></span>A smart and highly enjoyable film (a rare combination these days). David Mamet in his best form. (But its last few minutes prevented me from giving it the top spot.)<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/nine%20queens%20%20%20a.movies.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 94px" height="95" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/nine%20queens%20%20%20a.movies.jpg" width="135" border="0" /></a>1. <strong>NINE QUEENS</strong><br /></em><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>(Director & Screenwriter: Fabian Bielinsky / 2000)</em><br /></span>A brilliant film which I wish I could have written myself. Unbelievably tight screenplay. Neatly plotted. Every second is enjoyable. I never get tired of watching it again and again. Great! </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;color:#666666;">Images from moviemail-online.co.uk, IMDb.com, kinexis.com, amovies.com<br /></span><br /><strong>WHY THESE TWELVE+ OTHER FILMS WITH GREAT TWISTS DIDN’T MAKE IT TO MY LIST </strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">(Spoiler Alert!)<br /></span><br />1.<strong> THE SPANISH PRISONER</strong> – I could not figure out how the book was switched when the book remained in its place during the entire scene when the switch was supposed to have happened. Otherwise, it's a brilliant film. A perennial favorite among film students.<br /><br />2. <strong>THE STING</strong> – With a title like that, the element of surprise is completely lost. You just anticipate the twist every step of the way. But it is admittedly a well-made film.<br /><br />3. <strong>MATCHSTICK MEN</strong> – Enjoyable and highly entertaining but the plot is too familiar (read: derivative of other con films) to still warrant surprise and excitement.<br /><br />4. <strong>DEATHTRAP</strong> – Since it was adapted from a long-running stage play, it was too static and claustrophobic despite director Sidney Lumet’s efforts. He could not do anything about Ira Levin’s cardboard characters either. Highly entertaining though. A must-see for aspiring screenwriters who want to be entertained.<br /><br />5. <strong>THE SIXTH SENSE</strong> – When the opening scene jumped in time to the next scene and did not explain what happened to Dr. Malcolm Crowe after he got shot, I already smelled something fishy. Call it either manipulative or bad storytelling. Take your pick. Besides, in terms of structure, it appears to have been copied from Hitchcock’s <em>Vertigo</em>. I admire M. Night Shaymalan as a filmmaker though.<br /><br />6. <strong>THE OTHERS</strong> – Undoubtedly well-made. But since it came out in the heels of <em>The Sixth Sense</em> which somehow employed the same gimmick, it didn’t garner the attention that it deserves.<br /><br />7. <strong>THE VILLAGE</strong> – The plot seems unlikely. Besides, it really looks like an adaptation of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s children’s book, <em>Running Out of Time</em>. Read the book and you’ll be shocked at the similarity.<br /><br />8. <strong>PLANET OF THE APES</strong> – The ending came as a complete surprise. Great ending. Fun but too campy for today’s audience.<br /><br />9. <strong>A BEAUTIFUL MIND</strong> – I almost fell from my seat when halfway through the film, my perspective of what’s happening on the screen took an entirely different direction. And that’s when the melodrama started.<br /><br />10. <strong>WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION</strong> – A departure from the usual Agatha Christie’s predictable plot involving an isolated group of people disappearing one after another. Nice twist but it may look tame by today’s standard.<br /><br />11. <strong>AND THEN THERE WERE NONE</strong> – Anyone familiar with Agatha Christies’ works would find the plot predictable. However, the final twist might still come as a surprise.<br /><br />12. <strong>THE CRYING GAME / THE USUAL SUSPECTS / FIGHT CLUB / OUT OF SIGHT / MEMENTO</strong> – Simply overrated. </div>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1161891384006204282006-10-26T15:36:00.000-04:002006-10-28T11:57:02.443-04:00My Five Scariest Films<embed name="flashticker" align="middle" src="http://widget-a3.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" width="410" height="320" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="site=widget-a3.slide.com&channel=72057594045632675&cy=bl&il=1"></embed><br /><br /><div style="WIDTH: 410px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" href="http://www.slide.com/msnew/ticker?cid=72057594045632675&cy=bl&tt=11&at=0" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-a3.slide.com/h2/72057594045632675/bl_t011_v000_a000_f00/images/slide3.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/msnew/ticker?cid=72057594045632675&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;cy=bl&tt=11&at=0" target="_blank">Get Your Own!</a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/msview/ticker?cid=72057594045632675&cy=bl&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;tt=11&at=0" target="_blank">View Slideshow</a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;color:#666666;">Images from IMDb, MPTv.net, hillcity-comics.com</span></div>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1161887164695180372006-10-26T14:24:00.000-04:002008-01-17T22:31:55.516-05:00Were You Scared by These Films?<div align="justify">In the spirit (<em>pun intended</em>) of Halloween, I picked out five of the scariest movies I’ve seen.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/exorcist%202.2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/exorcist%202.2.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>5. THE EXORCIST</strong> </div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:85%;">(<em>Screenwriter - William Peter Blatty; </em></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Director – William Friedkin, 1973</em>)</span><br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">I've never touched my quija board ever since.<br /></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/others%202.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 141px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 103px" height="89" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/others%202.0.jpg" width="130" border="0" /></a><strong>4. THE OTHERS</strong> </div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:85%;">(<em>Screenwriter & Director - Alejandro Amenabar, 2001</em> )<br /></span></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">The last time I got scared. Really scared.<br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/1417071479.0.jpg"><strong><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 143px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 115px" height="115" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/1417071479.0.jpg" width="139" border="0" /></strong></a><strong>3. ROSEMARY’S BABY</strong> </div><div align="justify"><span style="font-size:85%;">(<em>Screenwriter & Director – Roman Polanski, 1968</em>)<br /></span></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Edge-of-your-seat suspense. Shocking ending.<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="left"><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/UNINVITED%202.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 124px" height="100" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/UNINVITED%202.0.jpg" width="142" border="0" /></a><strong>2. THE UNINVITED</strong> </div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">(<em>Screenwriter- Dodie Smith & Frank Partos; Director Lewis Allen, 1944</em>)</span><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Haunting theme music (<em>Stella by Starlight</em>). I felt the chills running down my spine.<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><strong>1. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS</strong> </div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">(<em>Screenwriter - Daniel Mainwaring; Director – Don Siegel, 1956</em>)<br /></span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Highly suspenseful. And frightening. Really frightening!<br /><br /></div><p align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/BODY%20SNATCHERS%202.0.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-size:78%;color:#c0c0c0;"><br />Images from IMDb</span> </p><p align="center">Have fun this Halloween! </p><p></p>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1161207136058232642006-10-18T17:32:00.000-04:002006-10-18T17:32:16.080-04:00Alfredo's Secret<div><embed src="http://widget-1d.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="site=widget-1d.slide.com&channel=72057594042567965&cy=bl&il=1" width="360" height="250" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width:360px;text-align:left"><a style="vertical-align:middle" href="http://www.slide.com/msnew/ticker?cid=72057594042567965&cy=bl&tt=0" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-1d.slide.com/h2/72057594042567965/bl_t000_v000_a000_f00/images/slide3.gif" border="0"/></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/msnew/ticker?cid=72057594042567965&cy=bl&tt=0" target="_blank">Get Your Own!</a> | <a href="http://www.slide.com/msview/ticker?cid=72057594042567965&cy=bl&tt=0" target="_blank">View Slideshow</a></div></div>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1161206278928135292006-10-18T17:08:00.000-04:002006-12-27T22:44:32.693-05:00What Is This Man Watching? ( Spoiler Alert!)<div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/paradiso%2024.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 361px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 246px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="232" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/paradiso%2024.jpg" width="446" border="0" /></a><br />When I was a young boy, I religiously watched movies in my town’s only movie theater every weekend (because the movie theater was open only during weekends). I would always watch at the balcony (although it costs more) because the movie projector was right behind the stadium-style seats. When no one was looking, I would sneak under the projection room (which was elevated) and gathered the loose strips of film in the dark. If the strips were long enough, I rolled them together to make toy swords. On lucky days, the loose strips would even contain explicit love scenes. I collected them.<br /><br />Giuseppe Tornatore’s <em>Cinema Paradiso </em>reminds me of those boyhood memories. In this film, a boy and the operator of the cinema projector of the village’s only movie theater became friends. During movie screenings, no one was allowed to see intimate scenes. Even brief kissing scenes ended up on the floor as they were deleted in accordance with the order of the village’s one-man movie censor – the village priest.<br /><br />The boy grew up to be a famous film director. (<span style="color:#cc0000;"><em>If you haven’t seen the movie, please stop reading beyond this point.</em></span>) After the theater projectionist’s death, a mysterious package was handed to the boy-turned-film director. When he opened it, the package contained loose strips of films from different movies which were pasted together. And he watched them.<br /><br />By the way, the theater projectionist’s name was Alfredo.</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">And the boy’s name was Toto.</div>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1161902725617305612006-10-02T18:45:00.000-04:002006-10-26T18:55:47.206-04:00Has Anyone Seen This Woman?<embed name="flashticker" align="middle" src="http://widget-98.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" width="400" height="320" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="site=widget-98.slide.com&channel=72057594043745688&cy=bl&il=1" wmode="transparent" salign="l" scale="noscale" quality="high"></embed> <div style="WIDTH: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle" href="http://www.slide.com/msnew/ticker?cid=72057594043745688&cy=bl&tt=17&at=0" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-98.slide.com/h2/72057594043745688/bl_t017_v000_a000_f00/images/slide3.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/msnew/ticker?cid=72057594043745688&cy=bl&tt=17&at=0" target="_blank">Get Your Own!</a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/msview/ticker?cid=72057594043745688&cy=bl&tt=17&at=0" target="_blank">View Slideshow</a></div>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1161902525293055102006-10-02T18:41:00.000-04:002007-08-15T13:19:26.840-04:00Who Is She?<div align="justify">I first saw her in Montreal, Canada in the early autumn of 1992. She looked very plain. She was not attractive at all in her red parka. And she was pregnant. But I couldn't get her out of my mind. It was only when I reached home that I realized that I’ve already seen her a few years earlier in Manila. I was not paying attention when I saw her the very first time. How could I have not taken notice of her then? I could not forgive myself. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">Then I saw her again. Several times. I spotted her doing menial work after she lost all her possessions. I witnessed how she got intimate with her brother's brother-in-law. I saw her reaction when a photojournalist got obsessed with her. But she never saw me. In fact, she never even knew me. Recently, I heard that she has moved to the United States. So I got excited at the prospect of finally seeing her up close (and if I could find the guts, introducing myself to her).</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br />Since then, I have always wished that I would bump into her along the crowded streets of Manhattan. Or find her seated beside me on the subway train. Or catch her in one of those fancy shops on Fifth Avenue. But I haven’t seen her. In fact, I haven’t seen her for a long time. The last time I heard about her was a couple of months ago. A few people saw her in Miami flirting with a guy named Colin.<br /><br />If anyone out there gets the chance to see her, please tell her that I’m dying to see her. And touch her. Or just stare at her. For real. Not just in the movies. </div>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1159319121128539762006-09-26T21:03:00.000-04:002006-11-13T12:21:54.216-05:00Searching For Alfred<div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/hitch.2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 95px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 124px" height="170" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/hitch.2.jpg" width="128" border="0" /></a>During the early 80s, my eldest sister in Chicago sent me a video recorder as a late graduation present. It was a Sony Betamax. Since then, I came home with a bagful of rented videos every weekend.<br /><br />I rented all the Hitchcock films that I could find. Part of the fun of watching Hitchcock films was a little game which my brother and I played. We would outdo each other in spotting Alfred Hitchcock first. </div>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1159318596281118002006-09-26T20:56:00.000-04:002006-09-26T20:56:36.290-04:00Hitchcock's Cameos<embed src="http://widget-8e.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="site=widget-8e.slide.com&channel=72057594042080398&cy=bl" width="350" height="250" name="flashticker" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><img src="http://widget-8e.slide.com/f2/72057594042080398/bl_t012_v000_a000_f00/images/blank.gif" height="0" width="0" style="border: 0;"/>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1159233136428439482006-09-25T21:12:00.000-04:002006-09-25T21:12:16.436-04:00Who Are These Amazing Men?<embed src="http://widget-ea.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="site=widget-ea.slide.com&channel=72057594042551018&cy=bl" width="400" height="330" name="flashticker" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><img src="http://widget-ea.slide.com/f2/72057594042551018/bl_t014_v000_a000_f00/images/blank.gif" height="0" width="0" style="border: 0;"/>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1159232716727198492006-09-25T20:58:00.000-04:002008-02-02T13:13:08.604-05:00The Men Behind The Best Films (My Favorite Film Directors)<div align="justify"><span style="color:#990000;">Yasujiro Ozu.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Zhang Yimuo</span><span style="color:#000099;">.</span> <span style="color:#990000;">Francois Truffaut.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Akira Kurosawa.</span> <span style="color:#990000;">Giuseppe Tornatore.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Ingmar Bergman. </span><span style="color:#990000;">Federico Fellini.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Alfred Hitchcock.</span> <span style="color:#990000;">Vittorio de Sica.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Woody Allen.</span> <span style="color:#990000;">Robert Altman.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Wong Kar Wai.</span> <span style="color:#990000;">Peter Weir.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">M. Night Shyamalan.</span> <span style="color:#990000;">Alexander Payne.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Majid Majidi.</span> <span style="color:#990000;">David Mamet.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Fabian Bielinsky.</span> <span style="color:#990000;">Abbas Kiarostami.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Ishmael Bernal.</span> <span style="color:#990000;">Mike de Leon.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Jeffrey Jeturian.</span> <span style="color:#990000;">Celso Ad Castillo.</span> <span style="color:#000099;">Lino Brocka. </span><span style="color:#333333;"><em>(In order of appearance)<br /></em></span></div>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1158758340041106402006-09-20T09:18:00.000-04:002008-01-16T23:56:49.089-05:00A Peek at Tokyo Story<embed src="http://widget-aa.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="site=widget-aa.slide.com&channel=72057594041767338&cy=bl" width="375" height="275" name="flashticker" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><img src="http://widget-aa.slide.com/f2/72057594041767338/bl_t000_v000_a000_f00/images/blank.gif" height="0" width="0" style="border: 0;"/>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1158711326826184822006-09-19T20:10:00.000-04:002008-01-16T23:57:26.956-05:00Why Tokyo Story?<div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/TOKYO%20STORY%2024.4.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="177" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/TOKYO%20STORY%2024.4.jpg" width="269" border="0" /></a><strong>Tokyo Story</strong> (<em>Tokyo Monogatari, 1953</em>) is about an elderly couple who visit their grown children in the city where they must face their children’s indifference as the couple becomes a burden to their children’s busy lives. It was written by Yasujiro Ozu and Kogo Noda. It was directed by Yasujiro Ozu. Its brilliant cast includes Chishu Ryu, Chieko Higashiyama and Setsuko Hara.<br /><br />I saw <strong>Tokyo Story</strong> for the first time during the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) sometime in 1982 (or was it 1981?) when they had a retrospective of Ozu films. It’s been my favorite movie since then. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong><br /><br />Tokyo Story</strong> does not adhere to the screenwriting rules that Syd Field, Bob McKee, John Truby, Linda Seger and company teach in their books and/or workshops. Although Ozu loved Hollywood films and <strong>Tokyo Story</strong> was even inspired by a Hollywood movie (Leo McCarey’s <em>Make Way for Tomorrow</em>), <strong>Tokyo Story</strong> defies Hollywood convention. Unlike most Hollywood films, <strong>Tokyo Story</strong> has no real villain, no confrontations and/or progression of obstacles, no real suspense, no pinches or major turning points 60 minutes and 90 minutes into the film, the camera barely moves and oftentimes changes orientation, scenes show character entrances and exits instead of chopping them off, almost plotless, does not follow the usual hero’s journey, pacing is deliberate, etc. But it works. Isn't that great?</div>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1158241785279752972006-09-14T09:49:00.000-04:002008-01-16T23:58:02.471-05:00My Top Ten Films<embed src="http://widget-ac.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="site=widget-ac.slide.com&channel=72057594041668012&cy=bl" width="426" height="320" name="flashticker" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><img src="http://widget-ac.slide.com/f2/72057594041668012/bl_t005_v000_a000_f00/images/blank.gif" height="0" width="0"/>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1158099366031669972006-09-12T18:07:00.000-04:002008-01-16T23:58:40.369-05:00My Top Ten Films - The Stories Behind The Posters<div align="justify">Until a new film worthy of inclusion in my list of favorites hits the screen, I’ve come up with my tentative list of top ten films. I wrote their loglines the way I understood each movie. (I might be wrong with some of them though.)<br /><br />I don’t feel the need to justify my choices; you probably have some of these films in your list, anyway. But feel free to disagree with my choices. I would be listening (or I should say, reading). Here’s my list (for now).<br /></div><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/white_balloon.8.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 253px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 167px" height="176" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/white_balloon.8.jpg" width="253" border="0" /></a></p><p><strong>10. THE WHITE BALLOON</strong> (<em>Screenwriter: Abbas Kiarostami / Director: Jafar Panahi / 1995</em>)<br />A persistent 7-year old girl must retrieve her money in order to buy the traditional goldfish before the start of the Iranian New Year, <em>presented in real time</em>.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/maynila%20collage%202.11.jpg"><strong><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 255px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px" height="165" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/maynila%20collage%202.11.jpg" width="255" border="0" /></strong></a><strong> 9. MAYNILA SA MGA KUKO NG LIWANAG</strong> (<em>Screenwriter: Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. / Director: Lino Brocka / 1975</em>)<br />A young man from a far-flung village must survive the savage city in order to find his girlfriend.<br /><br /><br /></p><p><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/VERTIGO%209.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 261px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" height="149" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/VERTIGO%209.jpg" width="299" border="0" /></a><strong>8. VERTIGO</strong> (<em>Screenwriters: Alec Coppel & Samuel Taylor / Director: Alfred Hitchcock / 1958</em>)<br />A retired detective must overcome his fear in order to uncover the truth behind the mysterious behavior of a college buddy’s wife.<br /><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/InTheMoodForLove.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="148" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/InTheMoodForLove.0.jpg" width="264" border="0" /></a><strong>7. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE</strong> (<em>Screenwriter and Director: Wong Kar Wai / 2000</em>)<br />A man and a woman who discover that their spouses are lovers must fight their growing attraction for each other to avoid the sins of their unfaithful spouses.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/childrenofheaven.8.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="139" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/childrenofheaven.8.jpg" width="260" border="0" /></a><strong>6. CHILDREN OF HEAVEN</strong> (<em>Screenwriter and Director: Majid Majidi / 1997</em>)<br />A boy who lost his younger sister’s only pair of shoes must share his own pair of shoes sans discovery by their parents.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/DAY%20FOR%20NIGHT%202.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="159" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/DAY%20FOR%20NIGHT%202.1.jpg" width="263" border="0" /></a><strong>5. DAY FOR NIGHT</strong> (<em>Screenwriter and Director: Francois Truffaut / 1973</em>)<br />A beleaguered film director must contend with his problematic cast and crew while carrying on with the artful deception of moviemaking to finish his film.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/STORY%20OF%20QIU%20JU%20STILL.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="175" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/STORY%20OF%20QIU%20JU%20STILL.1.jpg" width="266" border="0" /></a><strong>4. THE STORY OF QIU JU</strong> (<em>Screenwriters: Yuan Bin Chen & Heng Liu/ Director: Zhang Yimou / 1992</em>)<br />A pregnant peasant woman goes to great lengths to seek justice for her husband only to realize in the end that her victory has made her an instrument of injustice.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/RASHOMON.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 224px" height="232" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/RASHOMON.0.jpg" width="271" border="0" /></a><strong>3. RASHOMON</strong> (<em>Screenwriters: Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto / Director: Akira Kurosawa / 1950</em>)<br />A priest, a woodcutter and a commoner try to reconcile the radically different versions of an event involving a samurai’s murder and the rape of his wife as recounted by the raped wife, the suspected perpetrator (a bandit), a witness (the woodcutter) and the murdered samurai (through a medium).<br /><br /><br /></p><p><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/CINEMA%20PARADISO.2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="169" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/CINEMA%20PARADISO.2.jpg" width="273" border="0" /></a><strong>2. CINEMA PARADISO</strong> (<em>Screenwriter and Director: Giuseppe Tornatore/1989</em>)<br />A successful film director who journeys home to attend his mentor’s funeral must confront the consequences of his lifelong passion for cinema and failed youthful romance.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/1600/TOKYO%20STORY%2022.0.png"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 275px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 186px" height="175" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/TOKYO%20STORY%2022.0.png" width="267" border="0" /></a><strong>1. TOKYO STORY</strong> (<em>Screenwriter and Director: Yasujiro Ozu / 1953</em>)<br />An elderly couple who visits their grown children in the city must face their children’s indifference as the couple becomes a burden to their children’s busy lives. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size:78%;color:#999999;">Images from IMDb</span></p>Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1158009156694962262006-09-11T20:12:00.000-04:002008-01-17T00:02:44.547-05:00My Favorite Films Part 2 - The Posters<embed name="flashticker" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" src="http://widget-4c.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" width="426" height="320" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="site=widget-4c.slide.com&channel=72057594042196300&cy=bl" wmode="transparent" salign="l" scale="noscale" quality="high"></embed><img height="0" src="http://widget-4c.slide.com/f2/72057594042196300/bl_t016_v000_a000_f00/images/blank.gif" width="0" />Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1158009473849609372006-09-11T17:17:00.000-04:002008-01-17T00:00:41.710-05:00My Favorite Films Part 2Here are some more of my favorite films which were not included in my previous poster list.Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1157734806215218272006-09-08T13:00:00.000-04:002008-01-17T00:03:24.567-05:00My Favorite Films - The Posters<embed name="flashticker" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" src="http://widget-78.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" width="426" height="320" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="site=widget-78.slide.com&channel=72057594041859704&cy=bl" wmode="transparent" salign="l" scale="noscale" quality="high"></embed><img height="0" src="http://widget-78.slide.com/f2/72057594041859704/bl_t016_v000_a000_f00/images/blank.gif" width="0" />Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33764672.post-1157724148899814712006-09-08T10:00:00.000-04:002008-01-17T00:04:03.328-05:00My Favorite Films<img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 68px" height="59" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4233/3711/320/arch%202.3.jpg" width="267" border="0" />On the first day of my Story Analysis class at NYU a couple of years ago, our professor asked us to list down our five favorite films and our five least favorite films, including their corresponding log line. A log line is a one-sentence description of the movie, like those on TV Guide.<br /><br />Completing my list of least favorite movies was a breeze. But more than the difficulty of compressing a two-hour movie into a single sentence, the challenge was in choosing the five movies that I like most. I've never bothered to make an inventory of the films that I've seen all these years so coming up with a list of favorites was really tough. While everyone was already discussing their favorite films before the class, I was still agonizing over my list. But I managed to come up with a fairly decent list before my three-hour class was over.<br /><br />I have finally come up with a poster list of films that I really like. This is not a complete list. I'm sure that many would disagree with some of my choices.<br /><br />Now you know why I had difficulty cutting my list down to five.Totohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07209264827598668676noreply@blogger.com0