Danielle Speaks

I am so excited for this.

Some terrific humble Pig!

How cute is he??????

I just watched Charlotte's Web ( the new one) for the first time.

I remember as a kid I actually thought I had a pet spider named Charlotte and I would talk to it after my mom, dad, or sister read to me to make me sleepy. I would pretend to be asleep and then pop up and talk to the window. I was 4. I was afraid of my room and Charlotte was my protecter. Sure there are better choices for security than an itty bitty spider but I liked that Charlotte used her head and everyone seemed to be afraid of spiders and so I figured the boogie man and all his companions would shriek at the mere sight of  good ol' Char! One day in kindergarden Michael S____ told me that:
1) Our parents kill all the spiders in our houses so that they don't lay their eggs in our ears. (EWWWWWW GROSS!)
2) That g-d had a kid named Jessie Sue and that all of us pray to him.  (My school was at the Jewish community center and so the teacher hushed him quickly and told us it was nap time even though it was only 10am.)

So you can imagine the wealth of confusion and pain I was in when I came home to tell my mom that G-d had a son with a girl's name and that I was mad at her for killing Charlotte!  I don't really remember getting any other explaination except- "we're Jews boobie poo and his name is Jesus." I was told that spiders are just insects; and Charlotte does not really exist "so stop being silly- you're smarter than that!"  Mom and dad did not really dispence with the formalities- they were realists I guess- and after all as Jews we kids already knew that the Easter bunny and Santa was a hoax so it was not that shocking.  Thankfully there were all those religious cartoons on TV telling the story of the baby carpenter and so I was finally divested of the whole story.  I wondered if he knew Moses or Heyman or Queen Esther. I had no concept of time. I thought religion was like story time - tales to keep us kids occupied. After we here on earth have too much to think about to get bogged down in whatever happened at the dawn of time- that was then this is now right? Boy if I only knew.

Now as far as the spiders go- I was NOT BUYING IT. I liked them. And even though the gardener and the exterminator and my Dad kept spraying, and stamping and flapping rolled up newspapers at them- I loved them. I kept looking for Charlotte- I wondered if the ants were as nice as the spiders- if the worms that lived under the bricks in our backyard knew the spiders and I wondered if they hated me just because I was human.

Well first grade rolled around and fall came and I got occupied in other things like my first boyfriend ( we kissed eachother's noses quickly while his father made our science fair projects upstairs) and defending myself against the three mean Jennifers who were all taller than I and lived on the same block.  Eventually I became a little turned off to spiders like the rest of us but I still cry when I see Charlotte's Web.  I still think spider webs are miracles and I still secretly wish I had a pet spring pig.

Charlotte's Web is one of those stories that lives up in the cannon of my head alongside stories like  Romeo and Juliet, House of Seven Gables and Aesop's the Crow and the Pitcher. There are so many stories that we read as kids that shape how we view eachother for the rest of our lives. I think, I hope, that I understand what real beauty and friendship are- just like Wilber and Charlotte and I believe that there is some good in everyone -even Templeton.  Watch this most recent Charlotte's Web- Julia Roberts is truly superb as well as: Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Thomas Hayden Church, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates, Reba Mcintyre, Andre Benjamin (yes from OUtkast!), Robert Redford AND -in the human department Dakota Fanning ( I can't hate) and my favorite character actress: Siobhan Fallon

I really should thank Michael ____ for awakening my first moments of conscious dissention.  I'm sure Jessie Sue would be proud of you.

Can someone please give poor Harry Potter a hug?

I saw the most recent Potter chronicle last night. It was as always a great ride and this time around it was a very deep, dark, and subtle depiction of the anxt that befuddled our orphaned wizard prodigy and his miscreant followers.  I was thinking about how brilliant the Potter films are as whole together. The theme and the tone really do grow and change in conjunction with the films together and although a person could feasibly see any of them for the first time and not view the series as a series, they really our connected to eachother. It is because the first film was so light hearted and fun and comical that we are able to eventually get to this point where Harry's family issues are starting to wear him down just like any other teenager who has been traumatized. He is not ubiquitously kind and good- he is a person with dark and light and downfalls like the rest of us. I just wish some of those dry brits would give the poor orphan a hug! He keeps losing adult figures at a rate faster than any muggle can handle!

And yes I still have a crush on him- what? he's legal now!

Daniele Thompson

If I were French and 33 yrs older I would be this woman. She wrote and directed Avenue Montagne. She is really only big in Europe which is A-OK with me! It's a really cute French Movie- go see it. Its just Frenchies being Frenchies in their oh so Frenchie way and if you are a ridiculous Francofile like me- you will love it.

Ok OK - here is my top ten

In no specific Order:

I am going to use A.O. Scotts descriptions for after I saw his list I was charmed that he and I agree on almost everything ( except the clint eastwood flicks!)

1. 'L'Enfant' ('The Child') -- The latest urban-realist moral parable from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, set in their usual Belgian blue-collar milieu, is also a remarkably suspenseful, even thrilling, movie. A young thief (Jérémie Renier) makes a spectacular, appalling mistake, and his reaction to its aftermath leads him, improbably but always believably, toward grace. The Dardennes' method is so apparently modest and matter-of-fact that the thematic richness and formal coherence of the movie can catch you by surprise.

2.'Days of Glory' ('Indigènes') -- Some people do make them like they used to: Rachid Bouchareb, for example, a French director of Algerian descent whose old-school World War II infantry picture bristles with contemporary political relevance. More than that, though, this chronicle of North African soldiers fighting to liberate their colonial oppressors from Nazi occupation is a stirring, magnificent drama of courage, betrayal and solidarity, anchored by an exceptional ensemble of actors.

3. 'Little Miss Sunshine' -- The VW bus gag. Marcel Proust. Alan Arkin. Toni Collette. Just about everything wonderful and ghastly in American life is sent up and celebrated in the best written (by Michael Arndt), best directed (by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris) American comedy in quite some time. Somewhere, the ghost of Preston Sturges is smiling.

4.'Volver' -- No filmmaker loves his characters more than Pedro Almodóvar, who assembles a remarkable group of actresses, led by Penélope Cruz and Carmen Maura, in this bright, passionate celebration of female resilience. And no filmmaker so completely earns the love of the audience.

5.'Little Children' -- The first time you see Todd Field's adaptation of Tom Perrotta's novel, you may remark on the director's impressive control over the unruly source material and the emotional agility of the cast, Kate Winslet in particular. The second time, the film's lurid, crazy side is more apparent, and the intensity of the supporting performances -- Noah Emmerich, Jackie Earle Haley, Phyllis Somerville -- creep into the foreground. This movie, Mr. Field's second feature (his first was ''In the Bedroom'' in 2001), is a complicated blend of gothic, melodrama and sexual comedy, unerringly attuned to the varieties of human failure. (beebs note' this was my favorite film of the whole year! Sorry Tucker!)

6.'A Prairie Home Companion' -- Maybe, if Robert Altman had not died last month, this movie would dwell comfortably on the runner-up list below. But no American director of his era meant more to me than Mr. Altman did, and his last movie was a characteristically cantankerous and generous comedy of valediction. With Meryl Streep at her sublime silliest, it was a lovely final gesture. We miss you, Bob. ( Beeb's note' I saw this with my Dad and he just chuckled the whole way through- that makes it extra nice!)

7. 'Iraq in Fragments' -- James Longley's lyrical documentary gives human faces to the abstractions that govern so much American thinking about Iraq. Depressing, necessary viewing.

8.'Marie Antoinette' -- Destined to be misunderstood. Sofia Coppola's idiosyncratic take on the life of the French queen was heartfelt pop filmmaking at its best.

9. The Departed- This was not on A.O's list - he makes a compelling argument for why he did not include several movies but I highly enjoyed this movie especially with L-Britt and Tucker

10. Dave Chappele's Block Party!!!! I adore Michel Gondry ( this is my second favorite)

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11. MI3- because it was the most fun I ever had making fun of a movie in my entire life- AMEN!

12. Science of Sleep I was so sleepy during this that I did not really fully see it but like I said- I adore monseur Gondry!

lastly I just want to include my top 5 catchups:

5. Mean Girls

4. Shopgirl

3.The Third Man

2. The 40 yr old Virgin

1. The Bridge over the River Quai

Hook Them Up

I got an email today. Going to the movies is the easiest form of activism I know:

Over the past two weeks, my colleague David Leaf and I we were honored to present it at the Venice Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival, and the Boston Film Festival. Audience and critical reaction has been extraordinary. The movie officially opens this Friday (the 15th) in New York and Los Angeles (see below for a theater near you) and around the rest of the U.S. the weekend of September 29th. The truth is that the opening weekend box office tally is crucial to the commercial success of this (or any) film. So... please make every effort to see the movie this weekend if you can, and if it's not too much to ask, bring along your friends and families. If you're not in NY or LA this weekend, please encourage folks you know in those areas to check it out. Word of mouth will be what makes this movie successful! All the best, John Scheinfeld The U.S. vs. John Lennon Official Website

New York Theatres AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13, 1998 Broadway, New York, NY 10023, 212-336-5020 Clearview Chelsea Cinema 9, 260 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011, 212-777-FILM- #597. Theatre Office Number: 212-691-5519 Landmark Sunshine Cinema, 143 East Houston Street (on the Lower East Side), 212-330-8182

A love Essay for The Third Man

I had The Third Man in my apartment forever! I foolishly thought Orson Welles directed it because Joseph Cotten (HOT!) and Orson Welles (HOT and GROSS) star in this classic Noir film.  However I was schooled quickly. Largely forgotten director Carol Reed was the "non-auteur" that made this gem!  First let me say that I just love the world of DVD!!! It  really is film school in a box and for geeks like me it engages me for many more hours than I meant to spend on one film. This particular criterion collection version has an opening by Peter Bogdanovich explaining why this is a non-auteur classic: It was written by Graham Greene who worked with Reed before. It was produced by Alexander Korda and David O Selznick.  Korda was a power to reckon with in the British film industry. Besides Reed he also was one of the earlier fans of Lawrence Olivier and David Lean.  The man had good taste! I suspect that his hungarian origins also made this post WWII flck somewhat close to his heart.  It starred Cotten, Welles, and a not so known Italian diva who went solely by the name Valli [which is hysterical because this is before the times of one name culture whores like Madonna, Prince, and Cher] and the amazing Trevor Howard as Sergeant Calloway. Selznick was the person who pushed for Cotton.  Reed wanted Jimmy Stewart to play his part. (which would have been awful!!!!)  Then Reed pushed for Welles for the part of Harry Lime and Selznick gave in although he thought Welles was box office poison. Funny because the two men have such an interwoven career in my mind that I would have thought they were a packaged deal.

Auteurs are often looked upon as the true geniuses. They are the ones who in their infinite wisdom and insane talent live inside their brilliant minds. Everyone just bends to their wills until the work is done and trusts that they will have been greatful to have even garnered a moment of their time after the film is done. Scorcese's editor of 20 yrs makes him sit in a different room and has a mute button because he is a raving lunatic. (rumoured of course) But What of the brilliant collaborator? it would seem that Reed was not only a great mind but had an instinct for other's talents and knew how to combine these talents in such a way that made a purely painterly film. Imagine the talent it takes to orchestrate dozens of brilliant minds to solidify into one vision. 

One interesting fact is that the composer of the score was one step above a street performer that Reed has heard in a club. The Performer was playing a zither. He loved it. He decided that he wanted to work with this man and only this man. No soundtrack had ever been performed before by one instrument. The companies fought with Reed over this.  He had the composer move into his apartment and they worked together for several months.  Neiher spoke the other's language but when they emerged with the score it got such rave reviews that the theme song sold more records than the film tickets in the opening week.  Anton Karas went on tour all over Europe and the States afterwards to sold out concerts. When he went back home he opened up a bar called: Der Dritte Mann: The Third Man.

Third Man is dubbed by many as the best international noir film of it's time.  The film was co-produced by the British Arts Council. Graham Greene went to Vienna in 1948 to study the strange culture of a quad controlled city- America, France, Great Britain and Russia divided the city into four parts and sort of cohesively ran things. The city was still completely torn up and you can see this in the film. Exploded buildings and intricate sewer systems are the landscape for everyday traversing. They did not have a story at first- just an interest in how four governments with such contrary agendas could run one small city. Greene came back from his long visit with the first draft of The Third Man. They shot draft #2. I have never heard of such a thing! It actually began as a vehicle for unknown Valli who was Selznick's new project. To be honest she is a hardened version of Ingrid Bergman with a touch of the Garbo-esque creepy eyes. She was perfect, even when she cried, it was subdued and private. No intimacy was shared. I don't want to give too much of the story away. To watch a movie shot on location in 1948 should be an urging enough for you to want to see this film. Just look at this:

I will however leave you with some facts and quotes:

Orson Welles said that Black and White was an actor's best friend and he dared anyone to show him a stellar performance in color. He felt that without the distraction of color you could really see the behavior of the actor. Hmmmmm something to ponder

Secondly, revered for his incredible performance as Harry Lime he joked " Ha! That was a classic Star Part! I just showed up" This is a part where the play or film talks about a character for so long before you meet them that all they have to do 45 minutes  into the piece is to show up.  Hmmmm again- who else got to achieve higher acting accolades on the laurels of his/her character's notoriety in the work before their actual screen arrival?

Lastly, this made me laugh. Welles arrived late to the set. He did not catch his flight. The Assistant director was placed in a Black suit with the hanger still in the back to imitate Welles's famous stature and played his shadow for the first few days of the film. When Welles arrived and saw that he had to work in the sewers he said "no" and the British Arts council built a set in Shepard Studios in England. Diva Welles left and little Assistant Director continued to play his body double. The shadow scenes are so rich and riveting- one wonders- did Welles's exegesis somehow create the eventual style of the film or was the style already in place for Reed to use his trouble solving skills easily. See the film. Its not Hokey like American Noir- its more real. Its like Cassavettes meets Hitchcock- and I know you never thought you'd hear anyone say that!

Overall this film is so well shot, acted, and edited that it indeed it film school in a box. Also lets all go watch some more Reed films- he's totally off the radar:  The Fallen Idol, Odd man Out and of course the 1968 version of Oliver! Oh and if  you are out  there somewhere...I LOVE YOU ORSON!!!!  (sorry but its a deep crush)

I can't even afford that Date

I watched The Wedding Date I can't lie to you: I like it. I love Dermot Mulrooney. I loved watching them party in the English country side and I love Holland Taylor who plays the mom.  Debra Messing pays tasty Dermot Mulrooney $6000 to be her excort  for the weekend at her half sister's wedding. The  best man is Messing's ex fiance.  Its GOOD. Oh right its crap- seriously messed up stuff gets resolved in two minutes- but my that Dermot is tasy.

in regards to Tuckers Post about Randy Quad

Tucker  wrote a great post about a lawsuit that she read about in Indiewire.  Randy Quad says that he was mislead to believe that the budget for Brokeback Mountain was an 1/8 of what it truly was from day one and therefore agreed to a certain wage which he felt was a donation of his time more than a monitary gain. Randy quad has the smallest part of the film- easily! Well maybe Innus's second daughter has less screen time. Anyhow now he is suing James Schamus and David Linde for $10 million dollars.

I started to comment on her blog and then I thought- this is too much writing, better not to congest her blog with my own thoughts and write it here. I don't know why I am the devil's advocate two posts in a row. You just bring up compelling topics Tuck! In any case I reallze that what interested Tucker more was the definition of low budget. I know she does not care either way whether or not Randy Quad deserves $10 million. By the way how funny is it that he said his net worth is $2 Billion- uhhhmmm no! Also I agree that its disgustingly wrong to lie to actors and say that their film is a SAG rated low budget film so that you only have to pay them spec wages but somehow I just don't believe that such a high profile film company and film maker would file for a low budget waver when their budget was officially twice as high and was greenlit by a huge studio. Its just plain stupid. It's too easy to catch.

BTW- I totally worked on a film that said its budget was one million and it was truly 7 million and they totally cheated their talent. They got caught and were audited by the IRS and essentially put out of business ( thankfully!)

This is what I was going to write:

I disagree.  Why would Randy Quad be foolish enough to think that any movie staring 4 fairly famous up and comers (heath and Jake have already been in some blockbusters) directed by ANG LEE and produced by JAMES SCHAMUS for FOCUS FEATURES  would be a low budget- barely hits the audience- kinda flick? 

Especially with Gay marriage bringing homosexual rights back into the mainstream political maelstrom. Who would not know that this film was gonna be a huge money earner. I don't care what AL and JS said the budget officially was. When is the last time Ang Lee made a film that: "with no prospect of making any money?"  Right then and there I know Quad is lieing

Secondly i don't think the marketing campaign should be included in the budget because Universal is legally a seperate entity from Focus. Who knows how that portion of the earnings is spread. Although I am not the flag waver for big companies. Whose to say that the $80 million did not go to the larger bucket instead of to Focus.

Finally, does Randy Quad actually have in writing the notion that artistically this was going to be a low budget artsy flick via Schamus or Ang. Is he saying that the genre that was purported was misleading and that he would not have performed in the same way- performed at all? (on this point I am actually asking not debating) now that could be a compelling lawsuit. Was his art compromised by the misinterpretation of budget because different budgets require different methods of acting?

OR
Is he mad that he participated in a gay cowboy movie that was seen by a larger audience then he felt comfortable  with.---hmmmmmm

I just saying.

BTW I can't stand Randy Quad as an actor! I would have much prefered some no-name or some random casting choice like Sam Shepard or his doppleganger Sam Elliot.  HAHA

What is wrong with this Picture?

1. All of the people in this picture have penises.
2. Paul Haggis is in the shot
3. It reminds me a little too much of Maminshahs - if you are younger than 30 and did not watch PBS as kid- move on!
4. Paul Haggis
5. Spielberg gets to act like he is cutting edge- HE IS SO NOT ( although I thank him kindly for the rest of my life for the gift of Eric Bana in Munich!!!!
6. Paul Haggis
7. Why is George Clooney the central focus of the composition???? Is it because he is an actor? Is it because he is the cockiest?
8. All five of these people are megolomaniacs- is that the key to Oscar applicability?
9. Why are they all touching eachother? OMG I think they might all be gay!!!! Definateky Miller, and Lee. Clooney probably has so much sex that every once  in a while there is a guy in the mix, Spielberg made the single hottest movie about terrorism, and Haggis- well you know how I feel!!!!!!
10. HAGGIS- how in the world did Spielberg see the rough cut of this TWO YEARAS AGO and not say "ahhhhh Paul there is a little something we like to call realism when making a movie about topical situations in the world..."

Don't get me started- This picture breaks my heart- especially since I don't know of any female directors out there who deserve to be in the photo this year. Atleast Woody did not get anything for Matchpoint- that would have truly put me over the edge.

Oh and BTW I loved MUNICH, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, CAPOTE and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN- I just wish someone else was making these films besides priveledged whitem men from money backrounds with uberegos. Even Ang Lee benefits from this demographic as James Schamus is behind all his work.