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Home Archives for Appreciation Post

January 26, 2016 By iluvcinema 1 Comment

Paul Newman Birthday Appreciation Post

On the occasion of Paul Newman‘s 91st birthday, I would like to run down what is part of my essential Newman viewing (A Newman Dozen [12 plus 1]).

Some picks may be obvious, others I like because, heck I like them. Where applicable I will offer up some explanation where there may need to be one.

Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) – Early evidence of the star power to come.

somebodyuptherelikeme10

Until They Sail (1957) – sometimes I am in the mood for a sentimental tearjerker and I go to this one

Annex - Newman, Paul (Until They Sail)_NRFPT_03

The Long, Hot Summer (1958) – You can feel the heat, the pulsating searing chemistry between Newman and Woodward. Although I prefer the next title when it comes to my Southern dramas, I will still sit back and watch this one.

newman-woodward

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) – Ah Brick and Maggie the Cat. Might be a slightly water down version of the source material, but I am still down with it. Favorite scene? When Brick and Big Daddy are in the basement reminiscing.

cat_on_a_hot_tin_roof_paul_newman

The Hustler (1961) -Fast Eddie got his Oscar 25 years later; but this is where it started.

the_hustler

Paris Blues (1961) – I like the music.

PBLUES

 

Hud (1963) – I am starting to sense a pattern in terms of the roles Mr. Newman plays …

fd66ac2eaa5d4865c1545d8dc98bf441

 

A New Kind of Love (1963) – I don’t know I just like this film because it is a bit of a romp. And it looked like husband and wife were having fun while making it.

newkindoflove

 

Torn Curtain (1966) -A minor Hitchcock film but still a good film in general. My lasting impressing is recounting Hitch talking about a pivotal scene where he wanted to convey to the audience just how difficult it is to kill a human hand-on-hand.

torn-curtain-1966

 

Cool Hand Luke (1967) – No failure to communicate how awesome this film is!

cool-hand-luke

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) – As my dad said when I gave him the VHS during the Christmas of 1994, “Two fools.” And lovable fools they are…

Actors Paul Newman (R) and Robert Redford are shown in a scene from their 1969 film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in this undated publicity photograph. Legendary film star Newman, whose brilliant blue eyes, good looks and talent made him one of Hollywood's top actors over six decades, has died, a spokesman said on September 27, 2008. He was 83 and had been battling cancer. REUTERS/Courtesy 20th Century Fox/Handout (UNITED STATES). NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. Original Filename: 2008-09-27T141316Z_01_SIN43_RTRMDNP_3_NEWMAN.JPG

 

The Sting (1973) – Redford and Newman and Hill reunited and it feels so good!

paul-newman

 

The Verdict (1982) – When I was a kid I just remember thinking this is a “serious, adult” film. Surely is but then I had to watch it in religion class in high school (yup, religion class) as an example of a morality play.

the verdict paul newman

 

How’s about y’all out there in the interwebs … what are some of your favorite Newman films?

Filed Under: Appreciation Post Tagged With: happy birthday paul newman, paul newman

December 7, 2015 By iluvcinema 1 Comment

The Runaway Success of the Ava DuVernay Barbie (& Why It’s So Important)

ava duvernay barbie
This is about as close I (and many) will be getting to this doll….

Earlier this year when Mattel launched their Sheroes one-off doll series, made to celebrate Variety Magazine’s Power of Women Luncheon honorees, a lot of buzz was generated around the inclusion of filmmaker Ava DuVernay (director of indie gem Middle of Nowhere and 2014’s critically-acclaimed but awards overlooked Selma).  Along with Trisha Yearwood, Sydney “Mayhem” Keiser, Emmy Rossum, Kristin Chenoweth and Eva Chen, the dolls were created to raise money for various charities.

When word got out about the dolls and Ms DuVernay’s likeness being captured in particular, consumers took to social media, demanding that the doll be made available for public purchase. Well, fast forward almost eight months later and a sign that Mattel heard the roar of the masses – yesterday the company announced that the doll would be available for sale on Monday (today) through their website: barbiecollection.com, with the proceeds going to charity.

Well here on the East Coast, Monday has come and nearly gone and well, so has the Ava DuVernay Barbie doll. After a prompt from my college roommate, I slunk away and attempted to pre-order first on the aforementioned Barbie website and then on Amazon.com, only to get shunted on both counts. I investigated and the doll was, in fact, completely sold out. And I could not be happier.

Although sales have declined in recent years, for many women my age (high, low and in-between), Barbie is a well-remembered part of our childhood.  For better or worse, Barbie did symbolize a sort of rite of passage for me anyway. That said, among the chief complaints about the dolls concerns their fetishization, exaggeration and misrepresentation of the female form and the product line’s lack of diversity.

As someone who has collected select Barbie dolls over the years, I generally follow the development of new lines and dolls as they come in. To their credit, it seems that Mattel has attempted to address some of these criticisms, all in an effort to keep up with the times, and by consequence, keep its place on shelves in doll sections around the world.

Enter Ava DuVernay. Flush off the success of Selma and with rumors swirling about her involvement in a Marvel MCU franchise (Black Panther), her profile has surely been raised in 2015. But neither Mattel nor I could have predicted that the demand would be so great. But what does this mean?

Simply stated – Representation Matters.  Of course there are those professional collectors who see this most limited of editions as a gold mine – but they have always been here and will continue to seize any new opportunity. However I suspect a larger portion of those who laid down their $65.00 today are people like me and my friend, women of color who are over the moon to see a creative powerhouse like DuVernay getting her just due and consider getting the doll as a way of celebrating her accomplishments and showing our support. We also recognize and understand how much of an inspiration she can be for young girls who will now know who she is and hopefully see a new world of possibilities open up to them.

Mattel and Barbie have been moving forward and made it their mission to expand Barbie’s world and imbue her with the traits and characteristics that will serve to inspire girls who play with the dolls to someday aim high.

This is an excellent step in that direction.

 

 

Filed Under: Appreciation Post, Collectibles Tagged With: ava duvernay, ava duvernay barbie, barbie

September 2, 2015 By iluvcinema 2 Comments

Wes Craven (1939-2015)

Just a few thoughts regarding the passing of filmmaker Wes Craven, who passed away on Sunday.

I can never claim to be a horror-genre aficionado, but as a fan of cinema, it would be remiss of me to not recognize Craven’s contribution an often dismissed genre. While for many, horror may not qualify as “high cinematic art,” it should be recognized that at its best, it’s able to frighten audiences and leave a lasting impression. And that he did in creating one of the most terrifying screen characters – Freddy Krueger – a figure that is literally the stuff of (my and many others’) nightmares.

In addition to the frighteners he put on me with Mr. Krueger, here are a couple of additional titles that I quite enjoyed:

Swamp Thing (1982): Not technically a horror film, more sci-fi; but still, it provided its own form of late night entertainment.

Vampire in Brooklyn (1995): Despite some “less than favorable” reviews and no good vibes from the people behind the scenes, this horror comedy is one that for whatever reason, I liked when I first saw it. Or maybe I was more intrigued by the concept than by the delivery.

Red Eye (2005): I liked this one so much I wrote about it in 2012! An exhilarating, 85-minute thrill ride from start to finish, it definitely was a Goldilocks “just right” in terms of creating tension and coming to (relatively) satisfying resolution.

Oh shoot, I almost forgot about Scream (1996) – mainly the first one. To me, a measure of success for a film is determined by how often your art is imitated. Scream is a perfect example – since its release, not only were there the requisite sequels, but the Scream franchise launched a thousand derivative facsimiles and brought new life to a genre (slasher flick) that had grown a bit stale. The irony of course being that Craven, along with others, helped usher in the first wave with his Nightmare on Elm Street series.

How about you? Any Craven faves?

wescraven

P.S. … after many failed attempts, I think I might just finally check out The Last House on the Left (1972). Thanks(?) to this piece in The Guardian newspaper, I was reminded that while not a perfect film, it may be worth a look, if only for its social commentary.

Filed Under: Appreciation Post Tagged With: wes craven, wes craven appreciation post

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