Dreaming of France - Bojour Tristesse

Bonne annéeIt's the last day of 2012 and I haven't done any Best of 2012 lists at all. C'est la vie! Today instead of fulfilling my blogger responsibilities I'm playing along with the Dreaming of France meme hosted by francofile Paulita Kincer at An Accidental Blog. It's a weekly meme where we share our passion for France, whether that's for a napoleon, a visit to Shakespeare & Co, or in this case, a good book and movie. I read the book, Bonjour...

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Silver Linings Playbook: my take on the movie

File this under 'better late than never'.  Just in case you still haven't seen it ... after all your friends told you how great it was? What are you waiting for? ... here's my long overdue 'take' on The Silver Linings Playbook. It's really less a review (there are a ton of good ones over at Rotten Tomatoes) and more a look at the casting. Having read the book, I knew that Matthew Quick's funny, heartwarming story about a couple...

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Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

Do you recognize Rachel Weisz snarling as Evanora in this still from the latest OZ, The Great and Powerful poster. Judging from this image she's a bad witch, wouldn't you say?Weisz is joined in the film by fellow witchy women, Michelle Williams as Glinda and Mila Kunis as Theodora. James Franco is Oscar (the wizard) Dibbs. The movie comes out in late March.  I don't know about this one. The 1939 film version of the story starring Judy Garland...

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The Director of Les Miserables answers critics

"....and to me the great theme of the film is what we will sacrifice for love, what we will do for love. You have Fantine, who’s willing to lose everything, her body, her life, to try to save her child. You’ve got Valjean, who changes everything for love. You’ve got Eponine, who actually sacrifices herself physically for love. It makes it resonate with the beauty of what people will do in the name of love."This quote from Tom Hooper comes from an IndieWire interview with Jay Fernandez in which Hooper explains many of his directorial choices in...

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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New Great Gatsby Trailer boasts Usher, Florence+theMachine, Filter

Have you seen this newest Great Gatsby trailer? We really get a great look at the story arc in this one plus we see a little of Gatsby's past in what look like flashbacks. Leonardo DiCaprio really channels Gatsby's desperation to grab Daisy and all she symbolizes; in the trailer you can already see his journey from smitten to total devastation. It's so visually striking - and remember, director Baz Luhrman is doing it in 3D,  so it will really be something to see. After seeing how brilliantly Ang Lee utilized 3D technology in Life of Pi -...

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Saturday Snapshot: We Survived!

This is a picture of MLH, moi and the boy Russell, that we used for our Christmas card back in 1999. As you can see we had all the necessary provisions to survive Y2K. Thank heavens for Costco!Since the world ended yesterday on 12/21/2012, I thought there was a certain poetry in making this my first post of the post-Apocalypse world. How's Day One of your brave, new world?When I can, I participate in Saturday Snapshot, a fun photo meme...

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Les Miserables Hair and Makeup (Video)

If the three new movies (The Hobbit, On The Road, Jack Reacher) based on books opening today leave you cold...if you can't wait for Christmas Day, not because of the presents under the tree, the turkey in the oven, or friends and family gathering for a festive holiday dinner; but because you finally get to see Les Miserables, I thought you'd get as big a kick as I did out of this craft featurette on the hair and make-up in the movie.  It's just a few minutes and totally worth it for the look at the "Lovely Ladies" makeup and for...

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Three New Movies Based on Books: Which One Will You See?

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day with the release of a trio of  new movies based on books!The Hobbit is finally being released countrywide and the whole 24 vs 48 fps dialog can go nationwide too. I'm  curious to see the movie, to see how well Martin Freeman does as Bilbo Baggins (I'm sure he nails it), but mostly to see how this new technology looks. I have a friend who heads up the post production department of a major studio. He...

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Behind the Scenes: Silver Linings Playbook

My take on the Silver Linings Playbook movie is still MIA but if you've seen the film, here's a link to an interview over at IndieWire with the film's editor, Jay Cassidy.  It's an interesting look behind the scenes and some plot points discussed so take this as a SPOILER ALE...

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UNSCRIPTED: David Lindsay-Abaire

Collider: Did you get to go to the set, and did you get to walk on the yellow brick road?LINDSAY-ABAIRE: I walked- yes, I was on set; I walked on the yellow brick road.  I got to take a yellow brick home with me.Collider: That’s kind of awesome.LINDSAY-ABAIRE: Yeah, it’s fantastic. Screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire on working on the OZ, The Great and Powerful in this Collider intervi...

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I haven't felt much like being here for the past few days. Movies and books seemed to be irrelevant amidst the heart-sickening Sandy Hook news. Like many of you, I've found waves of sadness for the children who died creep up on me at unexpected moments. My mind, flimsy at the best of times, has just been unable to truly focus on any one thing for any length of time.  MLH suggested a movie might be helpful, to take my mind off the horror for...

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Opening Today: The Hobbit (trailer)

Finally! The long-awaited first film of The Hobbit trilogy opens everywhere today. For die hard JRR Tolkein fans that means being in line as I write this at about 11pm, for the midnight - 12:01am to be precise - show. You pre-ordered your tickets, I assume. Hopefully you're near a theater where you can choose between 2D and 3D.  The big question is whether to see it at the new 48 fps vs the standard 24 fps format, if you are lucky enough to have the choice. Theaters with the technology to handle the 48fps are very much in the minority....

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Is Your Favorite Book to Movie a Nominee?

The Golden Globes nominations came out today. While there are not quite as many screen adaptations serving as inspiration as last year - Remember Moneyball, The Help, The Descendants, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, My Week with Marilyn, War Horse, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ? - the quality of the films is pretty astounding.First off , CONGRATS TO ALL THE GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEES FOR BEST PICTURE, and especially the nominees based on...

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Photo Credit: Nuit Lumineux,  MSCJWhartonClick to go to photographer's GirlGoneDanish blog."The air was soft, the stars so fine, the promise of every cobbled alley so great, that I thought I was in a dream"Jack Kerouac, On the R...

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Wondrous Words Wednesday: Great Expectations

Ooooh!  I've got Great Expectations to look forward to, but when? I just read a good review in The Guardian, (read it but come back) the film came out in Ireland on November 30 but still no word when it comes out here.It's directed by Mike Newell and stars Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham, Ralph Fiennes as Magwitch, and Jeremy Irvine as Pip.I've put the film on the backburner due to the lack of a release date (and my Les Miz obsession)...

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Miz-treated: Les Miz Reviews

The Les Miserables reviews have been popping up online. Will the Les Miz haters tar and feather the film?Todd McCarthy at the Hollywood Reporter isn't a fan. Of the musical or those of us who love it."As the enduring success of this property has shown, there are large, emotionally susceptible segments of the population ready to swallow this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean it's good."He goes on to say"Although not terrible, the music soon begins to slur together to the point where you'd be willing to pay the ticket price all over again...

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