The Spotlight: Harvey Weinstein Edition
New York Times’ initial article on Weinstein’s history of sexual harassment.
List of Weinstein’s victims and accusers, including Jolie and Paltrow, continues to grow.
Rose McGowan among the first to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment.
Late night talk show hosts rip Weinstein to shreds.
Journalist Lisa Sivan claims Weinstein masturbated in front of her.
Designer Donna Karan claims Weinstein’s accusers were asking for it. Fuck you, Donna!
RNC chair tries to “explain” why Weinstein is a monster, but Trump is okay.
Mark Ruffalo continues to be one of the good guys!
How Weinstein’s Hollywood connections made his wife a fashion success.
Guilty Pleasure Movies: The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down
Do you want to know why it’s better to snort coke off of fake breasts instead of real breasts? Do you wonder why some straight men become “fauxmosexuals” to pick up chicks? And just what is an “after party?” Well, these questions (and more) are all answered in the guilty pleasure gem The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down.
The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down takes an anthropological look at LA’s club scene. Using a format reminiscent of those cheesy educational films we saw in school (if TMZ.com made educational films), the movie utilizes live action, graphical diagrams and “knowledgeable” narrators. You know they are knowledgeable” because one of them has a British accent. Among the informative “chapters” you will learn the following:
- Getting past the velvet rope
- What certain drinks make smart girls stupid
- The importance of determining the difference between good and bad drugs
- How to get rid of a sexual hook-up once daylight arrives
- And so much more!!!
With a cast of unknowns (other than a brief cameo by the guy who played the principal on Saved by the Bell), The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down follows these club go-ers from their initial getting ready rituals ‘til the moment they wake up with hangovers after a night of revelry. These unknowns aid the slightly mockumentary feel of the movie. The assorted collection of sleazebags, sluts, losers, punks and druggies are the kind of people who actually keep up with the Kardashians and whose Instagram accounts put the S in selfie.
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud while watching this movie, even though at times I wanted to clutch the pearls in shock. Some of you might recognize yourself (or at least your youth) in their shenanigans. And some of you will give be grateful you never quite partied this hard. The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down is a gloriously fun and trashy movie, and possibly a how-to for people who really want to PARTY! The party scene, whether in LA or even in my hometown of Milwaukee, is always perfect for mocking and The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down does it perfectly.
The Spotlight
Yet unreleased book by the author of The Martian already has a movie deal.
Twilight’s Kristen Stewart and Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o are being considered for Charlie’s Angels reboot.
Not all horror movies are about blood and gore.
Don’t fall out of your Jimmy Choos but it looks like a third Sex and City movie is a no-go.
Lynda “Wonder Woman” Carter calls James Cameron “thuggish” over his whiny remarks regarding the Wonder Women movies.
Salon’s list of the worst 25 Oscar snubs.
Ain’t It Cool News’ Harry Knowles accused of sexual harassment.
Audrey Hepburn’s script from Breakfast of Tiffany’s is auctioned off for a mind-blowing £632,750 ($847,000) at Christie’s in London.
Best film performance of 2017 just might be by Brooklynn Prince who was only six at the time of filming.
Milwaukee Film Fest 2017 features nearly 300 films.
…And the Winner Is…
Tari Jordan!!!
Readers of this blog are quite familiar with Ms. Jordan. She kindly wrote a review of the movie 68 Kill featuring her favorite actor, the multi-talented Matthew Gray Gubler. Tari is a huge fan of the television show Criminal Minds featuring Mr. Gubler as resident genius of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) Dr. Spencer Reid. Ms. Jordan is the resident genius of her blog Criminal Minds Fans, where she has written about the show for several years now. Recently Tari got an amazing treat…
She and her friend Ryka got to visit the Criminal Minds set and learned about the blood, sweat and tears that makes Criminal Minds happen!
But don’t take my word for it. Be a lamb and learn about Tari and Ryka’s excellent journey at Criminal Minds Fans.
(Squeals up in 30 milliseconds)
Once again, congratulations Tari. No matter, what you’re always a winner is my book!
…And the Winner Is…
ME!
A few months ago I joined Twitter to promote this blog and my other blog, The Book Self. I started out with only four followers and now I have almost 270 followers! Not bad, for a non-celeb like me.
Furthermore, film director Whit Stillman and actress Chloe Sevigny loved my review of The Last Days of Disco.
And recently I saw the film 20th Century Women by director Mike Mills and starring one of my favorite actresses Annette Bening. I sent a message to Ms. Bening letting her know how much I loved this film and her other work. She messaged me back thanking me of liking the movie and following her work. Look for a review of 20th Century Women in the next few weeks.
Every Little Step (2008)
Just over forty years ago, a dancer and choreographer named Michael Bennett sat down with several dancers for a 1970s-style rap session, and recorded their thoughts on an old-fashioned reel-to-reel tape recorder. After listening to these dancers pour out their hearts, Bennett knew he had something special. These very personal words were set to music and became the Tony-winning musical A Chorus Line. Today, A Chorus Line is performed all over the world and has become a cultural touchstone.
The documentary, Every Little Step follows a group of young dancers as they go through the grueling audition process for the 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line. Though many of these dancers weren’t even born when A Chorus Line first debuted, they can’t help but want to be a part of something so huge. Most of them don’t expect this to make them mega stars; they just want to dance. And besides, they need to work. As one of them explains, “I need a job. I’m out of unemployment.”
The auditioning process takes several months, and soon the pool of dancers is whittled down to a handful of hopefuls. We get to see the dancers mostly through their auditions and the characters they want to play. Several are standouts. The already notable Charlotte d’Amboise seems almost destined to play Cassie the down-on-her luck hoofer who just missed the brass ring of stardom. A Broadway veteran (Cats and Chicago) and the daughter of famed dancer, Jacques d’Amboise, Ms. d’Amboise knows how stardom can be so close yet so far away.
Jessica, auditioning for the part of sexy Val, is a sweet and talented girl from New Jersey who has completely devoted her life to dancing and is now ready for her big break. And when Jason Tam, auditioning as Paul, a young man who recently reveals his homosexuality to his parents, brings the casting panel to tears during his audition, you know it’s a very special moment. Jason is destined to play Paul.
Interspersed throughout Every Little Step, are talking heads with some of the original cast members of A Chorus Line. Donna McKechnie was the original Cassie and won a Tony for her work. And Bayoork Lee, who played Connie in the original production, is back as a choreographer, and she isn’t shy about whipping the dancers into shape. The late Marvin Hamlisch, who composed the music for A Chorus Line, tells us that even after winning three Oscars, he knew he had to be a part of A Chorus Line. He also lets us know how the “Tits and Ass” song got its actual title of “Dance Ten, Looks Three.” Bob Avian, who along with Mr. Bennett, choreographed the original background, is also back but this time as a director.
But most touching is seeing footage of Mr. Bennett who we sadly lost to AIDS in 1987. We get to see TV footage of him dancing, and we also get to see interviews with him after A Chorus Line debuted describing how important it was to bring dancers and their stories to the forefront. I found myself getting a bit choked up when he received his Tony and claimed, “I wanted one moment, and now I have it.”
Soon individual dancers get their moments as they are told they got the part. You find yourself silently cheering when these dancers find out all of their hard work and determination is finally paying off (and you really feel for those who don’t get the role they wanted).
Every Little Step meant a lot to me because A Chorus Line is one of the first Broadway musicals I ever saw, and I knew it would appeal to the theater geek in me. But I don’t think you need to be into the theater to enjoy this movie. We all have the desire to do what we love, be understood and reach for the stars.
The Spotlight
Upcoming Queen movie won’t just focus on Freddie Mercury.
Attack of the (Killer) Rotten Tomatoes.
Marvel and Star Wars movies will no longer be with Netflix.
Salon’s list of the scariest movie clowns.
Hollywood and 1980s nostalgia.
Florida movie theaters close as Hurricane Irma gets reach the coast.
Little known indie movies you should see.
The history and consequences of flipping gender film style.
Christian Bale’s physical transformation in the celluloid version of Dick Cheney.
Milwaukee Film Fest starts September 28th!!!!!!
Rivers Edge (1986)
River’s Edge begins with Samson (Daniel Roebuck) sitting next to the lifeless body of his girlfriend, Jamie (Danyi Deats). He strangled her. Betraying no emotion, Samson later tells his friends, and brings them out to the edge of the river to show her corpse. Most of them are not moved. Hey, shit happens. But some of them, Matt (Keanu Reeves), Maggie (Roxana Zal) and Clarissa (Ione Skye) are hugely bothered by seeing their dead friend. They think the police should be notified.
But others want to cover it up. Yea, it sucks that Jamie is dead, but John is their buddy, and they should protect him. This definitely comes into play when the group’s de facto leader, wild-eyed speed freak Layne (Crispin Glover) compels the group to keep the murder a secret, and thinks they should smuggle Samson out of the state before the cops figure out who did the horrible crime.
Matt, Maggie and Clarissa go along for a while. But tensions begin to escalate, and these three are confused on what they should do. Should they go along with Layne and the gang? Or should they tell the police what Samson did? And if they do, what will be the repercussions? Soon they find out that Matt’s younger brother Tim (Joshua John Miller) not only knows about the crime, but also knows one of the friends has gone behind everyone’s backs to report Samson to the police.
Meanwhile, Layne and Samson become more and more at loose ends, and they take refuge at the home of Feck (the late Dennis Hopper), a one-legged, dope dealing biker. Incidentally, Feck killed his own girlfriend years ago. Now he lives with an inflatable sex doll . Oddly enough, Feck acts as a mentor and counsel to Layne and Samson.
River’s Edge does not end things tidily. Black and white morals have become hazy grays of ambivalence, nihilism and detachment. One teacher admonishes a student on how the values of his youth have been destroyed. Ah, yes. the old boomer telling the X-ers about the good old days. Even Feck thinks killing his girlfriend was okay because, hey, it was the ‘60s maaan.
Most chilling about River’s Edge, is it was based on a true story. Also chilling is how these kids assume they have no future so they numb their feelings with drugs and alcohol. The teens in River’s Edge are 180 degrees away from the lovable, wacky suburban cherubs of John Hughes films. In those films, a kid’s biggest problem is a Saturday detention or having your family forgeting your 16th birthday. In River’s Edge, life is a detention, and parents pretty much forget they have kids unless it’s to accuse one of them of stealing her marijuana.
Written by Neil Jiminez and directed by Tim Hunter, River’s Edge boasts of some incredibly honest and brutal performances. It’s unflinching in its portrayal of a generation that when it wasn’t ignored was maligned. As one character states, “You know it’s gonna be like this all day, man. Teachers lecturing us about what kind of monsters we are.” These kids know they are considered losers, so why not act accordingly? River’s Edge is not a comfortable movie to watch, especially if you’re a Generation X-er. “Hey, I was never like that,” you might want to shout at the screen. Yet, if you’re honest you might think, “But of course, some people were like that.” And that’s what makes River’s Edge such a potent of a film.
Popcorn In My Bra 