Cool or not cool?: highlights of the Oscars 2011 ceremony

This is the first Oscars ceremony I watch having a movie blog online, so I guess I should post something about it. I watch the Red Carpet + Oscars every year, it marks the end of summer vacations down here, so it always was a way to cheer up before going to school/university and now getting a real job for the first time ever.

Photo by Michael Caulfield – © 2011.

So this is the idea: I describe a situation that for me was a highlight of the evening and we (well I write and you  think about it) label it as "cool" or "not cool". Here we go (probably not chronologically correct and not focused in the winner films):

1. Red Carpet: Gwyneth Paltrow says that she's terribly nervous (she looks that way) and that hasn't slept well because she has to sing in the ceremony. COOL: even the stars freak out sometimes, so why can't we?

2. Red Carpet: Latin American TNT reporters are kinda star-struck when Elli Wallach passes with his family and then he says a few words in perfect Spanish. COOL: Gotta love him.

3. Opening clip, including cameos of Alec Baldwin and Mr. Morgan Freeman. COOL: just because of these actors, even when the way they used movies like Back to the Future was boring.

4. James Franco hosting with the energy, tone of voice and facial expression like he's still feeling the pressure of the big rock from 127 hours on his hand. NOT COOL: a very forgettable presentation.

5. Anne Hathaway being Happy from Snow White, Pollyanna from Pollyanna and contagiously laughing at her own boring jokes. COOL: otherwise the ceremony would had been terribly plain.

6. Nervous people trying to give a speech with shaking hands and trembling voices. COOL: makes the whole thing more human (but yes, they made me feel nervous too!).

7. Out of nowhere, a screen shows Gone With The Wind pictures and the main theme is played. C...NOT COOL: if you're gonna pay a tribute, do it properly!!

8. Kirk Douglas introduces the Best Supporting Actress and funnily delays the announcement by saying "you know...". COOL: but I got really nervous, he is so old and his hands seemed to shake and I thought he wouldn't be able to open the envelope.

9. Melissa Leo makes history by saying fucking for the first time in a ceremony. COOL: I love the unexpected and not scripted bits.

10. In her astonishment, Melissa Leo doesn't notice that Kirk Douglas is standing behind her and almost makes him fall. NOT COOL: that would had been awful to watch.

11. James Franco dressed as Marilyn Monroe. NOT COOL: boring and unnecessary. 

12. Elli Wallach, accompanied by Francis Ford Coppola and...I don't remember, starts giving a speech and...they go to commercials! SO NOT COOL: I don't know if it happened only in the channel I was watching, but that was really annoying.

13. Helen Mirren speaks French. COOL: even when I find Russell Brand one of the weirdest people ever, I think his presentation with The Queen was funny.

14. Tangled not being nominated. NOT COOL:  I mean, it wasn't like the best Disney film ever, but it was OK. When they presented the nominees for Best Animated Picture, it was kind of lacking movies.

15. Bob Hope digitally appears on stage and speaks about...I don't remember. C...NOT COOL: again, it was a great idea, but what he "said" was very forgettable.

16. In memoriam montage + Celine Dion singing Smile. NOT COOL: it wasn't very emotive and Smile was sung before in this part.

17. Kevin Spacey sings the chorus of  "Top Hat, White Ties and Tails" when introducing Best Original Song and says that it's his favorite Oscar-winner song. COOL: super nice moment. 

18. Randy Newman (nephew of Alfred Newman) presents the Oscar nominated song We belong together and the mic has technical problems so you barely hear what he's singing. NOT COOL: I thought that only happened in school presentations.

19. Cate Blanchett says "that's gross" referring to the transformation of Benicio del Toro into a wolf in The Wolfman. COOL: Besides her Givenchy dress was something unique. 

20. Billy Crystal shows up (looking old) and gets a standing ovation. COOL: I guess people were bored with Happy and Rock and wanted him back. 

21. Jeff Bridges presents the award for Best Actress and each time he addresses a nominee with his deep voice ("Nicoole"; "Naatalie", "Micheelle", etc) they freak out. COOL: it was so funny, Michelle Williams was dying!

22. A very pregnant Natalie Portman receives the Oscar. COOL: even when it was hard to follow her train of thoughts. The clip they showed from "Black Swan" was terribly emotive. Made me remember of another very pregnant Oscar winner which was even cooler: Eva Marie Saint (watch, so classy!) 

23. Sandra Bullock presents the award for Best Actor and proves to be a great comedienne. COOL: one of my favorite moments, she said "Hola" to Javier Bardem. 

24. The ceremony ends with a kid choir singing "Somewhere over the rainbow" and the winners holding their Oscars while singing "dreams really do come true". COOL: that was nice.

25. Anne Hathaway highs five with the kids from the choir. COOL: that looked "young and hip" :)

PS--
Oh, guys, sorry for the delay, I just answered your recent comments in the posts about Son of Fury, Adsense and Cactus Flower.

Super fun: "Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake" (1942)

According to Leading Couples, TCM's book guide to some famous on-screen pairings, Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney were "the prettiest screen team in history" (the discussion is open), their pairing in this movie "a faultless match" and of course Son of Fury... (John Cromwell; 1942) one of their essential team-ups.

I had seen That Wonderful Urge (Robert Sinclair, 1948), another of their movies and didn't enjoy it that much, it was kind of boring and the story didn't catch me. But I really liked this one: I started watching it at 3.30 AM (really) but never felt sleepy or lost interest in what was going on. Tyrone and Gene are cute and effective together, even when they appear in the same scene for the first time like half way through the movie. 

The story, based on a novel by Edison Marshall, is appealing and classic and this time I'll have to tell it lengthily to include Gene Tierney in the synopsis: a poor boy, Ben Blake, is the real heir of a fortune, position and titles, but he can't claim them because the marriage of his dead parents was never proved. The bad guy, played masterfully by George Sanders, occupies Ben's position and not only that, he forces him to leave his grandpa to be his servant and beats him whenever he wants. When Ben grows up becomes Tyrone Power, who's in love with George Sanders' daughter (no, she's not Gene Tierney, but Frances Farmer) and is also fed up and wants to kick Sanders' ass. Are you still with me? So he tries to do it but it doesn't work out well and now he must escape or die. He goes in a ship to explore the most remote and austral waters (a map of my country is shown, yay!) and at some point he and a friend (John Carradine) find an island and meet, yes now you're right, Gene Tierney, playing a native girl.

Phew! That was a long paragraph to write. Tyrone and Gene look beautiful, have great chemistry and make you want them to stay together. But you also want Ty to go back with his poor old grandpa and occupy his real position.

Besides the story and the chemistry, there are more positive aspects: the villain is one of them. George Sanders gives his character such a domineering attitude, such confidence and resentment that you really fear for Tyrone's character. And he also is physically strong: he's shown boxing bare chested at the beginning of the film and looks very powerful. 

There are some characters that also are interesting even when the part is small, like the prostitute that helps Tyrone to escape played by Elsa Lanchester aka The Bride of Frankestein. She's like in one scene, but you get the idea that the main character changed a bit her life by treating her well. There's also interesting technical aspects. I loved the sea footage, with whales and dolphins in real open waters, which made the trip more real.

There are a few aspects I didn't like. One: at the beginning, the sudden and "epic" speeches of revenge given by the boy. Not because of the content, but the timing, like in one second he's planning to escape and the next is all serious looking to the horizon and saying he will stay. Second: George Sanders' daughter behavior. She's supposed to be spoiled and all, but the decision she makes at the end was weird. Third: the end. I won't give it away, but look what happen with grandpa. Not cool.

Anyway, I recommend this movie, pure fun.

 Interested in this film? More reviews of movies directed by John Cromwell :

• Anna and the King of Siam (1946) starring Irene Dunne & Rex Harrison
• Caged (1950) starring Eleanor Parker & Agnes Moorehead
• In name only (1940) starring Cary Grant & Carole Lombard
• Made for each other (1939) starring Carole Lombard & James Stewart
• Since you went away (1944) starring Claudette Colbert & Joseph Cotten. 

(The Son of Fury is available on Amazon.)

Discuss & vote: AdSense or not AdSense, that is the question

What do you think about AdSense? I've been tempted to add it to my blog, but I have some doubts. 

For you as a reader, is it too distracting to see commercial links in blogs?
I know that some sites display them everywhere and there are more ads than content, but I've also noticed that lots of serious blogs show them in areas where is not really annoying, which I promise to do, in case I activate this service.

If you have installed it, did it work? Did you really earn some bucks?

So, please vote in the poll placed on the sidebar/comment, because I really want to know your opinion before I make a decision:

OMG, Cactus Flower (1969) is hilarious!!

OK, I confess it, I had heard about this movie before (I think it was over Millie's blog), but just saw it (twice) this week because there's a new movie based on it, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. I predict that the new version is gonna be a very forgettable one, but Cactus Flower (1969; Gene Saks) is extremely funny. I laughed out loud many times and the most incredible thing ever is that I laughed the most because of Ingrid Bergman's surprising perfect comedy timing.

The plot is simple but I'm gonna tell it in a very confusing way : Matthau plays a dentist who always says that he's married to attract girls (explanation: women take him as an 'honest' man who won't hide anything from them). He finally is in love with a girl, a kook played by Goldie Hawn (won Oscar) and wants to marry her (otherwise she might commit a desperate act). But how can he if he's married? So Matthau asks his secretary (Ingrid), a lonely woman that always loved him, to play his willing-to-divorce-wife. All this, of course, set in the crazy sixties when people wore crazy clothes and danced to crazy funky music, etc.

Matthau is great as always, with his funny facial expressions and curt remarks; Goldie Hawn is perfect as the insistent and kind-hearted kook that wants to meet the wife just to see if she's gonna be OK; but as I said, Ingrid steals the show. 

Her character has many dimensions: she detests and is really sarcastic with some patients (rightfully) but she is very kind with others; loves the doctor but then she's mad at him for asking her such a favor; she hilariously plays the wife as woman with extreme dignity making Goldie feel guilty; then she loosens up...and OMG, she dances and invents moves and delivers the most funny remarks and 'dates' patients to pass as a nymphomaniac (one of my favorite lines is when the patient she hates asks her to dance and she says "I'd rather walk on hot coals" with such a cold expression...). I wish Ingrid had made more comedies, she was hilarious.

So, to sum up:
1. Ingrid (and the rest of the cast) = pure hilarity.
2. The new version is probably mediocre.
3. You should definitely see Cactus Flower.

 More on Ingrid Bergman, sixties movies and kooks :

• Ingrid Bergman's handwriting font + how I met her daughter
• Saratoga Trunk (1945): a half-good movie
• Barefoot in the park (1967)

For the Love of Film (Noir): 30 reasons why you should donate

Dear readers: if some of you are living in Neptune and haven't heard about the great crusade organized by The Siren from Self-Styled Siren and Marylin Ferdinand from Ferdy on Films to raise money and RESTORE AN OLD FILM, well, you're gonna hear about it now.

These girls are behind a super massive Film Noir blogathon (really, there are like 100 participants!) that ends today and needs your financial support to ACTUALLY RESTORE a Lloyd Bridges movie,  The Sound of Fury aka Try and Get Me (1950), through the Film Noir Foundation. How cool is that???

Click this Maltese Falcon banner and donate whatever you can donate.

Still not convinced? Well, here are 30 reasons why you should click and enter an amount:

1. Because you can tell your family and friends that this movie looks better because of you.

2. Because you'll be one of the good guys helping the protagonist in a Film Noir.

3. Because Humphrey Bogart would approve and drink a glass with you (not sure but sounds cool).

4. Because you can tell your family and friends Lloyd Bridges looks better because of you.

5. Because it doesn't matter how much you donate, anything is helpful (but if you are a millionaire, please donate a lot).

6. Because there are wonderful people that wrote marvelous posts about Film Noir (here and here), giving you material to read for a whole year or more...for free!

7. Because Barbara Stanwyck would approve and invite you to her ranch to exchange witty lines (not sure about that either).

8. Because Film Noir is a super interesting and cool genre.

9. Because this is a good cause and you hardly would find a most direct way to help to restore a film.

10. Because Dana Andrews would approve and sleep near your portrait.

11. Because the Film Noir Foundation rocks.

12. Because I talked with your money and it said that it wanted to be donated.

13. Because today is my birthday (no kidding) and it would be a great present if you could donate.

14. Because Veronica Lake would approve and teach you how to do her hair style.

15. Because you can win AWESOME prizes.

16.

17. Because you know you want to.

18. Because you love films.

19. Because Robert Mitchum would approve and come out of the past and pat you on the back.

20. Because the film that you'll help to restore has been called "highly effective", "powerful stuff", "entertaining", "a stellar noir film", "a brilliant crime thriller", "remarkable film", "interesting" and people who saw it say that you never forget it.

21. Because otherwise you would make a Siren cry.

22. Because the donation is technically super easy to make.

23. Because it would be your good deed for today.

24. Because Lana Turner would approve and steal your man try to runaway with you with fatal results.

25. Because Lloyd Bridges as Steve McCroskey in Airplane! would say that "Looks like you picked the wrong week to quit donating".

26. Because if there were more generous people most Film Noir would have a happy ending.

27. Because it's the right thing to do. 

28. Because otherwise Jean Simmons would give you a lift. 

29. Because I'm going to recommend you a Film Noir that I saw last night and will blow your mind:

Night and the City (Jules Dassin, 1950)

Who's in it: Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Francis L. Sullivan.

What is it about: An ambitious guy has great ideas to earn big money but they are not very decent. 

The good: I loved this movie; Widmark is simply terrific as the ambitious and astute Harry Fabian, the amount of feelings he can transmit with his face is just unbelievable and even when his character is a crook he makes you root for him; the rest of the casting is really incredible too, especially  Stanislau Zbyszko as a retired wrestler fighter, the scene in which of his last fight against a younger guy is so powerful. The whole film makes you expect the worst and it achieves a great dark, heavy atmosphere. It also contains a superb chase scene, in which Widmark transmits pure exhaustion. There are parallel stories, like the wife of Fabian's boss trying to leave the man and start an independent life, that are also very well-developed. 

The bad: I felt that Gene Tierney's character was a bit plain and simple, but probably that was the idea. 

Should I see it?: What are you waiting for?

30. Because you can do it right now with one click:

Tell your readers, friends, family, neighbors, pets, milkman, etc. 

"Iconoclasts": Robert Redford & Paul Newman

"Hi, Joanne? It's Bob...Redford" :)

Please take a minute and watch. The other day I saw for the first time a TV commercial advertising this Sundance Channel show and of course the clip featuring Paul and Robert caught my attention. Luckily, I found the episode in Youtube. It's really amazing: Robert Redford visits Paul Newman and they talk about each other, their friendship, the beginnings of their careers, their projects, director George Roy Hill, aging, etc. You can see Paul's house, a theater that Joanne Woodward repaired, special footage (like Newman's Own "commercial" and Paul driving his cars) and lots of interesting photos. Enjoy:

Oh, I started reading the Jean Arthur biography, which won the poll the other day. I'm loving it!

Book Review: "My Wicked, Wicked Ways" by Errol Flynn

Hey everyone, I'm back. I won't waste any minute telling how great my vacations were, but I have to tell you that during these days away I finally finished My Wicked, Wicked Ways, Errol Flynn's autobiography. 

I simply loved it. 

It was really an adventure book in which Flynn tells his life from his childhood to the days in Jamaica in his fifties. He didn't live to see it published, but he managed to write an incredibly entertaining autobiography and share many, many stories about his life in different countries: Australia, New Guinea, England, Spain, Jamaica and America.

The early days in New Guinea, commanding a crew of natives, searching for gold and supervising the copra plantations are told in detail, and they were a surprise. I had no idea about these episodes and had a blast reading about them.

Maybe if you expect a book based only in his Hollywood experiences, you'll be a bit disappointed. Because Hollywood was just one of the many adventures in his life. It contains, nevertheless, many interesting passages about his film experiences and the stars he met. 

You read about how difficult was for him to work with Michael Curtiz, or about the days he lived with John Barrymore; the actresses he admired like Olivia de Havilland ("By the time we made The Charge of the Light Brigade I was sure I was in love with her"), Greer Garson ("The popular conception of Greer is that she is a kind Mrs. Miniver: finely bred, the epitome of English cultured womanhood. She is all this, but at the same time a mischievous imp") and Maureen O'Hara ("Never did I see a more dreamlike creature"), his battles with Bette Davis ("The only woman in Hollywood I have ever had any histrionic trouble with") and Jack Warner...and a long list of anecdotes about other actors. 

Reading this book, you notice that Flynn loved acting, especially on the stages of London in his early days. He didn't like a lot of his movies (two of his favorites are Objective Burma and Too Much, Too Soon), he ended up hating the swashbucklers and wanting more serious roles. I wish he had got them.

The version of the book you see in the picture, contains four pages of black and white photos and a super legible typography. Flynn's writing style is great (even when he used a ghost writer). I know he published two books before this one, so the way he tells the anecdotes has to be his. He usually ends his paragraph with a funny, unexpected note or twist, that reflects the rascal in him, and he also has interesting passages on art, literature and philosophy.  It shows him as a man of contradictions (he even discusses the point, concluding: I am convinced of the validity of contradiction. there are many worlds. Each is true, at its time, it its own fashion). He was reflective and learned but also, of course, a passionate man of 'wicked ways'. 

Even when it has some passages that I guess were censored before this uncensored version, it's not a big deal at the end, you get used to them. I was more shocked by some parts like the way he tied some ducks when he was a child, than by his drugs experiences and encounters with dames around the globe. Women are a great subject in this book, of course. At the end you realize that he was bitter about them, especially his ex wives (Lili Damita is portrayed as an evil witch) and the girls that sued him. It's sad, because being a Don Juan that simply couldn't settle with one woman made him lonely. 

I don't care if he took liberties while writing, I believe in what he says because I know that everything that he tells, completely true or not, at least is a reflection of his own self. He was an adventurer, with fears like everyone else, with domestic problems like everybody, who loved to laugh and loved the sea, and loved women and also hated them. He wanted to figure it out who he really was, I hope that near his dead he had. 

I really enjoyed it and as all the good autobiographies, after I finished it I felt I had lost a friend.---



PS. Hey, be kind and help me to choose my next reading. I have this three books waiting on my desk
(Poll closed):

Another one from Hayley Mills: "That darn cat" (1965)

First, info: I'm going on vacations tomorrow, so I'll be back posting like in 13 days. Hope you don't forget me :)

Having said that, yes, you're right, I've been writing a lot about Hayley's films lately. It's just they're so much fun! That Darn Cat (1965; Robert Stevenson) is maybe the weakest of them, but it's fresh and amusing anyway.

In this one, Hayley's independent cat (that darn cat) is used by a kidnapped woman to send a message of "Hel" (the woman wanted to write Help, but she didn't have time because the violent kidnappers were watching). Hayley is so clever that she connects the "Hel" message with the kidnap case and contacts the FBI. A guy from this organism (Dean Jones) gets the case and transform Hayley's older sister's room in his headquarters, even when she dates a super conservative guy. Oh, Hayley has a surf film fanatic friend and a gossipy neighbor played by The Bride of Frankenstein.

I enjoyed That darn cat, even when at some points it got very silly (the FBI guys were kind of dumb). The cat steals the show; the film keeps you intrigued and there are some really funny scenes. My favorite is when Hayley pretends to be an informant and talks with an accent over the phone, hilarious! The clip wasn't online, so I uploaded it for you:

Like the others movies from Hayley I've reviewed, That darn cat has a cool song, this time by Bobby Darin (lyrics start at 01.51).

See ya in two weeks!

 More from Hayley Mills :

The Moon-Spinners (1964): an entertaining teen mystery film
The parent trap (1961): what a charming film!!

The ten most handsome men from Classic Movies

...according to moi, of course. OK, here's the thing: some stars like Marlon Brando and James Dean are beautiful, obviously, but there's something about them that doesn't appeal to me. Maybe is the "rebel label", I don't know. To me, Robert Mitchum is more handsome because I feel that he attitude is more natural and real, not staged. I also tried to add some lesser known actors, just because they looked drop dead gorgeous in the one film I saw from them. Oh, I had to leave out people like Clark Gable and Laurence Olivier, sorry.

 Well, enjoy:

10. Robert Mitchum. He was just neat.

9. Gregory Peck.  A kind man.

8. John Justin. Looked gorgeous in The Thief of Bagdad. 

7. Burt Lancaster.  Great acting and physical skills.

6. William Holden. Beautiful man, great actor.

5. Jeffrey Hunter (The Searchers). Just saw him in 1 movie, never forgot him.

4. Cary Grant. A combination of looks and attitude.

3. Errol Flynn. The most beautiful rascal ever.

2. Paul Newman. For those who think he was mostly eyes.

1. Gary Cooper. Could he be more gorgeous?

What do you think? Oh, do you want more beautiful pics? Check Gary Cooper: Mercy or Good Genes.

 More lists :

Top 25 favorite classic actors
10 types of annoying people to watch a movie with
My Top 10 Billy Wilder movies
12 favorite things from It's a wonderful life including the board game

The Moon-Spinners (1964): an entertaining teen mystery film

After watching The Parent Trap, I really wanted to see more Hayley Mills movies, so I chose this one. It was fun, even when it's not the usual film from her: Tuco Eli Wallach and his follower shoot and hurt a good-looking English young man, Hayley is tied up inside of a mill, then she talks with a drunk arriviste woman, etc.

Based on a novel by Mary Stewart, Walt Disney's The Moon-Spinners (1964; James Neilson) founds Hayley and her aunt (Joan Greenwood) in a musical research in Greece (for the BBC). Our heroine meets a nice guy (Peter McEnery), whom for some reason doesn't get along with Eli Wallach, the owner of the inn where they all are staying. Then the mysterious adventure starts and Hayley will have to trust her new friend and face different dangerous situations, all filmed in magic Agios Nicholaos, Crete.
Even when the settings and atmosphere are darkish, Hayley manages to display her usual charm. I love her scene with Pola Negri, especially when she gets drunk (watch on Youtube). Elli Wallach and Peter McEnery are fine in their roles and they punch each other convincingly on a fast moving motorboat. 

The film was Pola Negri's swan song, which means I started watching her filmography backwards (yeah, I haven't seen any other movie from her, recommendations are welcomed). She plays an eccentric millionaire with a yacht, tons of jewels and a super cool cheetah I wish I had. 

So, if you're interested in watching an unusual Hayley Mills film, I recommend The Moon-Spinners to you. Here's the opening, which features the nice main song of the film: 

 Read a fun interview with Hayley on the set of this film : Click here. Thanks Java!