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canbelto

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Everything posted by canbelto

  1. Ok I just saw "Raging Bull." Now that's a REAL boxing film. It's gritty, unrelenting, but touching and I could understand every character. Million Dollar Baby is a cheap weepie disguised as a boxing film.
  2. Another black comedy I'd add is Blue Velvet. (Ok this is a very very black comedy and maybe not everyone will get the humor, but I certainly did.)
  3. dirac, I'm going to have to disagree with you about Sunset Boulevard. I think basically it's a black comedy, but like many great comedies, has some very touching moments. The Norma Desmond character has become iconic as a symbol of an out-of-touch has-been star. Her over-the-topness makes her both funny and pathetic. There are lots of touching moments in Sunset Boulevard, perhaps the most touching is when Norma visits the Paramount studios and she's recognized by a few members of the crew and she starts to cry. Her meeting with Cecille b. deMille is also very touching. But basically I think this is a black comedy, with too much sardonic humor to make it a melodrama.
  4. Maya Plisetskaya Judging from the videos: Tanny LeClercq
  5. Ok, I forgot satire: Monty Python and the Holy Grail Austin Powers (but only the first in the series) Best in Show and finally, some of the great SNL performers, like Will Ferrell and Eddie Murphy. Oh, and animated comedies: Finding Nemo (although that's more of a comedy-drama) Toy Story 1 and 2 Lady and the Tramp Shrek 1&2
  6. I forgot a more recent genre, the Adolescent Comedies. Adolescent Comedies: American Graffiti American Pie There's Something About Mary
  7. We did best romances, now how about best comedies? I think I'll split the comedies into types of comedies. I'm going to leave out foreign film comedies, because I strongly feel that subtitles can never really capture humor. Black Comedies: Dr. Strangelove Sunset Boulevard Psycho (Hitch always felt it was, and the more I watch it the more I agree) Wag the Dog Romantic Comedies: It Happened One Night Shop Around the Corner Annie Hall When Harry Met Sally Breakfast at Tiffany's Roman Holiday City Lights Screwball Comedies: His Girl Friday Bringing Up Baby The Awful Truth Twentieth Century (yes three out of the four star Cary Grant, who IMO was unmatched in this genre) I'm leaving out The Lady Eve because I haven't seen it yet but I've heard it's wonderful. Farce Comedies: Some Like it Hot The Graduate Young Frankenstein Musical Comedies: Singin' in the Rain My Fair Lady (I know this movie has some flaws but it's certainly funnier than the vast majority of musical comedies)
  8. This is wonderful news for Nina. I'm so happy for her and her husband. However, I do wonder if she will ever return to the ABT after the baby. She already took a leave of absence last season, and she's getting "up there" as far as age goes. I certainly hope she returns but ...
  9. I watched His Girl Friday last night, and oh, it's so good to be reminded (once again) how perfect Cary Grant was. Rosalind Russell has more screentime, and is wonderfully tomboyish, plucky, and brash. But Cary Grant steals every scene he's in. Isn't it funny how the greatest scene stealers are often the most overtly passive of actors? Grant doesn't do much except giggle smugly, give that famous quizzical smile, click his tongue, and ad-lib lines. But every line is delivered with perfect comic timing. I love how he swears on his "mother's grave," and when reminded that his mother's still alive, impatiently spits back, "Oh ok then my grandmother's grave!" Or how he describes Bruce as "the guy in the movies, uh, Ralph Bellamy," or the mayor's wife as "the one with the wart." I wonder if anyone enjoyed working with Cary Grant, as some of the scene-stealing must have been intentional. For instance, the absurd carnation he wears on the lapel of his suit. The rude way he tosses matches to Hildy. Oh, he is just perfect. XOXO
  10. Another syndrome I forgot to mention is the "we forgive you" syndrome. This happened to Ingrid Bergman (Anastasia), Dustin Hoffman (Kramer v. Kramer), Sean Penn (Mystic River). Bergman was "forgiven" for running off with Roberto Rosselini, Hoffman for criticizing the Academy Awards, Penn for basically not caring about the Awards. But for Mystic River, all of a sudden Sean Penn showed up for all the Oscar junkets and played nice, so they gave it to him. Personally, I think Bill Murray should have won. This also happened to Elia Kazan, who was given a Lifetime Achievement award. It made for one of the more uncomfortable moments of Oscar history, as the applause was tepid at best and some actors flat out refused to applaud him. It's actually rare for an actor to be awarded an Oscar for his best performance. Marlon Brando was (for On the Waterfront), Gable was never better than in "It Happened One Night," and Gregory Peck deserved the statue for "To Kill a Mockingbird." Vivien Leigh's two best performances (GWTW and Streetcar) happened to nab her Oscars. Olivia de Havilland's best performance was in "The Heiress." Diane Keaton was at her most charming in "Annie Hall." Jack Nicholson in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Anthony Hopkins really did peak in "Silence of the Lambs." These are exceptions though. Robert de Niro won for "Raging Bull" when he was much much better in "Taxi Driver." We won;t even go into Al Pacino -- never winning as Michael Corleone, but winning for "Scent of a Woman." Humphrey Bogart didnt win for Casablanca, but for African Queen, a so-so movie. Ingrid Bergman didnt win for Casablanca or Notorious, a but for Gaslight and Anastasia. Jimmy Stewart won for Philadelphia Story, but he was better in Mr. Smith, It's a Wonderful Life, and Vertigo. Laurence Olivier - better as Richard III. John Wayne should have won for "The Searchers." Dustin Hoffman won twice, but SHOULD have won either for The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, or Tootsie. Audrey Hepburn won for "Roman Holiday" but was better in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Jack Lemmon was at his best in "Some Like it Hot." And on and on and on.
  11. Russell Crowe won in a classic case of Oscar's "Oh S__t" syndrome. This happens when the Academy realizes they've totally passed over someone deserving of the award. In this case, Russell Crowe SHOULD have won for either The Insider or LA Confidential. So they gave him Gladiator instead. Other examples of this: 1. Jimmy Stewart winning for Mike Connors in "The Philadelphia Story," in which his role was rather minor, and he really wasnt anything special in it either. But he was passed up for "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" so the Academy had to right a wrong. (In this case by giving Stewart the award they unforgivably passed up Henry Fonda in Grapes of Wrath.) 2. Bette Davis - should have won for "Of Human Bondage," so they gave her an Oscar in "Dark Victory." Davis being Davis she showed up to the Oscars in a housedress. 3. Nicole Kidman - passed over in Moulin Rouge, where she was witty, sexy, and exciting. Gave her the Oscar in The Hours, where she was drab, dull, and onscreen for only about 30 minutes. Then there are the cumulative cases. In these cases, the Oscars usually give these people "Lifetime Achievement" or "Irving Thalberg" awards. Examples include Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, and Alfred Hitchcock. Or sometimes these people will win an Oscar that they totally dont deserve, because theyve been passed up for years. Examples of this: John Wayne for "True Grit," Paul Newman for "The Color of Money",
  12. I wonder if it's in the Russian culture for ballerinas (and dancers) to "give back" very generously to younger students. It seems as if so many of them work tirelessly as teachers, and engender enormous love from their students. I am reminded of Rita Streich saying that she had to turn away from Elisabeth Schwarzkopf when Schwarzkopf said, "Why give away our secrets?" In the opera world, unfortunately this attitude seems very common -- in a book called Rasponi's Last Prima Donnas many of the ladies say they'd rather starve than teach. Anyway I just think it's wonderful that a living legend like Irina Kolpakova generously imparts her knowledge and expertise to so many young people.
  13. carbro, LOL! The wrestling champs are always the ones blubbering uncontrollably on the medal stands. I remember one wrestler Kurt Angle who won a match and blubbered so much I thought he'd dehydrate. Seriously. In contrast, those swimmers look as if they are made of ice. Especially the *really* good ones (the world record setters, like Michael Phelps or Ian Thorpe). They always walk with an air as if they expect to win a gold medal and set a world record. All in a day's work. vagansmom, Maggie's family is another reason I thought the movie was overrated. They were so stereotypical you could practically see WHITE TRASH written on their foreheads. Come on. Subtlety is not really Clint's forte. Mystic River was a fine film but also extremely overwrought. In contrast, Hilary Swank's other Oscar winner, Boys Don't Cry, also depicted "white trash" but in a humane, complex way. Especially Maggie's line, "Momma, you take Mardell and JD and get home 'fore I tell that lawyer there that you were so worried about your welfare you never signed those house papers like you were supposed to. So anytime I feel like it I can sell that house from under your fat, lazy, hillbilly ass. And if you ever come back, that's exactly what I'll do." That moment always seemed very false to me. Daughters dont talk to their mothers like that.
  14. Thanks dirac for so eloquently explaining what I was trying to say. My point is, throughout the film we've seen Maggie be eternally chipper and cheerful. She is sweet, plucky, and we dont see any sign of aggression from her. Why does she want to be a boxer so bad? We never know. Now this would have been acceptable except of course Clint Eastwood creates a villainess boxer, who's so aggressive and vicious that she sucker-punches Maggie after every round. I guess what I'm trying to say is Eastwood elevates Maggie to almost sainthood, and piles misfortunes galore on her, until she's become some kind of Christ-like figure. And for this reason I dont think the movie works. I think it's hard enough to pull off a boxing movie, but the ones that do (Raging Bull, for instance) should show the complexity of this most brutal of sports. Having a sweet, rather frail-looking waitress walk into a gym one day and become a boxing champ and then a quadrapalegic makes a very sentimental tearjerker film, but it doesnt make it a great film.
  15. I cant think of a Sleeping Beauty that would be good. Most are too formal and I imagine would lose a 5-year-old's interest pretty quickly. Cinderella -- the music is perhaps not "tuneful" enough for a 5-year old. But the recent Bolshoi release of Raisa Struchkova's Cinderella is very kid-friendly (perhaps TOO much so for my adult tastes). But as odd as this may sound, I think Swan Lake is a perfect choice for a 5-year old. Kids inherently respond to fairy tales like Swan Lake, and the music is beyond compare. Seriously, plop down with Makarova and Dowell in Swan Lake, and I bet you the kid will be carried away.
  16. I've been watching the Glory of the Kirov videotape and was most impressed with the wonderful excerpt with Irina Kolpakova and her husband Vladinen Semenov. She has such a beautiful, pure style. There is something so elegant and classical about her -- I was awestruck. And then I realized that there arent many videos of her. I saw the Sleeping Beauty but that was made in 1983, and she's frankly past her prime there. Are there any complete videos from her made maybe in the 1960s or 1970s?
  17. To those in Paris, I definitely recommend seeing Bolshakova! As I mentioned before I think this girl has tons and tons of potential. A little rough around the edges, and sort of hyperextended, but she has energy and charisma to spare. It's not very often that I see one danced variation and think "star" but that was the case with Bolshakova.
  18. I gotta add one more: The English Patient. It was really little more than a bodice ripper, IMO.
  19. LOL about the Elvis pouf! What was funny about that was that it was in this totally mousy brown color, which matched Desire's outfit in the Vision Scene. So overall, Desire looked like he'd shot a squirrel that happened to land on his head. By far the ugliest wigs have to be the Snowflake wigs in Grigorivich's Nutcracker. They look like Norman Bates's "mother's" wig, and are fitted so loosely on the heads of the dancers that you can literally see the crack between the wig and the head.
  20. Natalia, Thanks for the info about Sleeping Beauty! I had no idea how rare it was for the MT to perform Sleeping Beauty: I always thought it was a war-horse that they'd trot out every year. I thought the Sergeyev version was lovely except for some bits that I would re-do: for instance, in the Vision Scene Aurora kind of pops out of nowhere, and this is where I wish some of the mime would be replaced. As well as in Act 1, with Carabosse. As is, Carabosse kind of runs around like a crazy person but doesnt tell the story of what her evil plans are. I also think it's time to give the wigs a rest. They look old and ugly. Why is it that only Aurora and Florine are allowed to wear their real hair? And as I said before, I was tickled pink when I saw Yulia Bolshakova, whom I think has some rough edges but also real talent (energy, charisma, and gutsiness).
  21. This weekend I watched the commentary track to Casablanca. It's Roger Ebert, and it's one of the most enjoyable commentary tracks I've ever listened to. Ebert points out that it's Paul Henreid's stiff portrayal of Victor that makes Casablanca a real romance: Victor's such a humorless stiff that it's natural for Ilsa to love Rick. Ebert has a great line about Henried "acting from the back of his eyeballs," as he always seemed to be looking up at the cue cards during scenes. Ebert should do more of these commentary tracks -- he always has interesting things to say, unlike (cough cough) Peter Bogdanovich. I also saw Notorious recently, and think it's a great (if twisted) romance. Or should I say love triangle, because Claude Rains' Alex is a three-dimensional, sympathetic character. Ah, so many great moments in the movie. My favorite: in the cellar, when Dev and Alicia have to cover their tracks by kissing. They kiss, and it cuts away to Alex, and then to Dev and Alicia again, and by then it's obvious that they are not just "play acting," they are really making out. Ah, the old movies were so good at making "a kiss not just a kiss."
  22. The Coppelia from the Royal Ballet is excellent -- both Leanne Benjamin and Carlos Acosta are in top form. It's a good production too. The Australian Ballet has a version of Coppelia but I have not seen this video. Needless to say, for five-year-olds, I really recommend the super family-friendly Balanchine Nutcracker video.
  23. Hi all, I'm currently mulling buying a version of the Stone Flower. There are two available: one from the Bolshoi, one from the Kirov. Can anyone who's seen both versions give a recommendation? Also, the Bolshoi is releasing Mlada with Nina Ananiashvilli. Has anyone seen the ballet? Worth getting? I'm also considering getting Etoiles, the documentary of the POB. Has anyone seen this documentary? Opinions would be welcome.
  24. Helene, I think it's funny how some figure skaters will play straight into their soap opera "roles" while others deftly defuse the situation. For instance with the Sale/Pelletier and Berezhnaya/ Sikuharlidze situation in SLC, eventually Anton Sikuharlidze made a joke to the press about inviting David Pelletier to the "Russia House" for a vodka drink-off. It was a humorous and tactful way to defuse a monster soap story. Sasha Cohen, OTOH, with her coach hopping and frank comments, seems to step right into the press image of her as feisty, difficult and willful. But in a way I like her all the more for it; it beats Michelle Kwan, who long ago must have decided never to say anything interesting or candid. Kwan is a skater who overall has been a disappointment to me -- she's avoided injuries for the most part and is fairly consistent. But her programs have gotten blander every year, choreographically. I dont expect her to even medal in Torino. So far, my predictions: Totmianina/Marinin, Navka/Kostmarov, and Plushenko. I'd pick Cohen for gold but she is so inconsistent that Arakawa or Slutskaya have a shot, although I think Cohen at her best is the overall favorite. I dont know if you frequent figure skater boards, but the Katia Gordeeva situation got truly bizarre with a small but *very* vocal group of women who felt that they were Sergei Grinkov's "spiritual wives," since Katia had dared to "move on" (at the ripe old age of 26) but these women remained "faithful" to Sergei, whom they worshipped as a god.
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