Posted on April 23, 2013 at 3:59 pm
We mourn the passing of one of the greats of 20th century children’s literature, E.L. Konigsburg. Her books included two that were made into movies. In fact, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
I love them all, but my favorite is Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth
Posted on April 23, 2013 at 10:24 am
Shirley Temple, at age six the biggest movie star in the world, turns 85 today. Here are three of my favorite moments from her movies.
In “Poor Little Rich Girl,” she danced with Alice Faye and Jack Haley (“Wizard of Oz’s” tin man).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut33LofZZEwIn “The Little Colonel,” she learned the stair step from the greatest of the era, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. This scene is featured in my new book
And here she dances with future “Beverly Hillbillies” star Buddy Ebsen in “Captain January.” (Trivia note — he was originally cast as the Tin Man in “Wizard of Oz” but a reaction to the aluminum paint used on his skin sent him to the hospital.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpqt3zgdYUw
Posted on April 23, 2013 at 8:00 am
Celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday with some of the many, many movie versions of, about, or inspired by his plays. Coming up this spring is the “Much Ado About Nothing” in a contemporary setting — it was filmed at director Joss Whedon’s home, in black and white, starring Nathan Fillion (“Castle,” “Firefly”) and Clark Gregg (“The Avengers”). Compare it to the Kenneth Branagh version with Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Kate Beckinsale, and Michael Keaton.
Here are some of my other favorites:
1. The Taming of the Shrew Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton bring their legendary combustible chemistry to this rambunctious version of Shakespeare’s most famous battle of the sexes. For an extra treat, pair it with the Cole Porter musical it inspired, Kiss Me Kate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Cm6CU5Kc42. Romeo + Juliet Baz Lurhmann’s dazzling version of one of the world’s great tragic love stories is a treat for the eyes, ears, and soul. For an extra treat, pair it with the more traditional version directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
3. Shakespeare In Love This best-picture and best-actress Oscar winner is a highly fictionalized account of the writing of “Romeo and Juliet,” with the magnificent Judi Dench, who also won an Oscar as Queen Elizabeth and a brilliantly witty script by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. For an extra treat, try to catch a performance of A Cry of Players, a play about the young Shakespeare by the author of “The Miracle Worker.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUIemfeB_uI4. Henry V There is the thrill of the St. Crispian’s Day speech. There is the heart-wrenching parting with the old friends who cannot be a part of the young king’s new life. But for me, the greatness of this play is that in the midst of all of the drama, Shakespeare inserts a scene of a young French princess trying to learn English so she can understand the man who is walloping her countrymen — and makes it work. For an extra treat, compare it to the Laurence Olivier version, very much the product of its WWII era.
5. The Tempest My own favorite of Shakespeare’s plays is thrilling with Helen Mirren as Prospera, a wizard who calls on all her powers of enchantment to provide a happy ending for her daughter and justice for herself. For an extra treat, try the space-age adaptation, Forbidden Planet.
Posted on April 22, 2013 at 8:50 pm
In this lovely underwater Deep End Dance, Conor Horgan dances with his 76-year-old mother.
Posted on April 22, 2013 at 8:00 am
In addition to previously recommended Earth Day movies, take a look at these gorgeous documentaries about the creatures with whom we share this great planet:
1. March of the Penguins This worldwide sensation takes us to Antarctica, where these elegant birds triumph over brutal cold to protect their fragile eggs and tender chicks.
2. Flow: For Love of Water
3. Winged Migration
4. Microcosmos
5. Born to Be Wild
Jennifer Merin has a great list of Earth Day documentaries, too.
