First up is my favorite 10 year old pop star! Willow Smith. Doesn't she look exactly like like Will Smith in Baby Drag?
Trying to get into the slasher mood for Scream 4 (I'm not sure what I wanted out of it, my 14 year old self had high hopes, but it felt pretty meh to me) I recently watched the 1981 My Bloody Valentine for the first time. As I'm sitting there watching it I realize I not only have this exact same levi's denim jacket (really from the 80's too) but I also have the exact same cowboy shirt with the white trim and snaps! If you've seen the movie, it may make you wonder about my character. Apparently he is reprised by Kerr Smith in the remake whom you may remember from Dawson's Creek... not that I do. The movie is fun, a good classic slasher that I'd somehow never seen. Not the best slasher movie, but the Miner is pretty creepy. Bloody, campy, co-ed, murderous fun with creepy mine killing scenes on Netflix Streaming? Why suuuure!
This is a still from a commercial about cash back on a credit cared... I dunno, it seemed funny seeing this woman at a home supply store gleefully plucking money from the toaster she just purchased as the clerk just charmingly smiles and nods behind her.
Usually I hate Kiera Knightly and wouldn't see a movie she is in just because she bugs the HELL out of me. But I was really interested in Never Let Me Go, so much so that I was willing to put myself through 100 minutes of her. But the movie takes place over a large period of time, and she's only in about the third of the movie. And to my surprise, she didn't bother me in it. Despite all my misgivings with her, I really sympathized with her character, Ruth, even though she is kind of a bitch. Plus, I can't explain it, but somehow having bangs down to her eyelids make her more tolerable. I don't want to give away too much, because it really is worth seeing for a wide range of audiences. I always enjoy the kind of science fiction films that take a very realistic look at a simple but profound difference to an otherwise changed society and explore the possibilities. It is interesting as a science-fiction film because they make a point of telling us that there is a much darker side to the society, but we never see it. We still see darkness and sadness, but it is from a very unique perspective. There's no action sequences, no futuristic technology, and very little and purposeful blood and violence. The story is sad, and slow at times but the simultaneous somber and whimsical tones make it engaging from beginning to end.
These are stills from the 1928 French film The Passion of Joan of Arc. Without a doubt one of the best silent films and considered by some one of the best films of all time, it also features one of the best performances ever captured on film by Maria Falconetti as Joan of Arc (she only ever appeared in 2 films). I could go on and on about how marvelous this film is, but it really is one of those films you just must see. To say that praise for Falconetti as one of the greatest performances on film is deserved would be a gross understatement. The style of constant close up cinematography and direction was groundbreaking for its time and is still visually stimulating and beautiful throughout. It is based on the transcriptions from the actual trial, kept intact for centuries. I would be interested in seeing a stage adaptation of the film, I bet it could be really neat if done well, but it is also a treasure and perhaps shouldn't be trifled with.
And it's available on Netflix Streaming!
