weekend.

even her empty pill bottle.

flicks.

the loved one.

Last Saturday, Tori and I went to a special screening of The Loved One (1965) at the Egyptian Theater. It's one of Tori's favorite films. She talks about it a lot. It's a wild parody of L.A., and specifically about Forest Lawn Cemetery, based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh, and directed by Tony Richardson from a screenplay by Terry Southern. You can tell he had a hand in it, because it has the same absurdist feel as Dr. Strangelove.

Tori and I decided to take a spin around Forest Lawn first, in preparation for the movie that night. Unfortunately, we got there a little late, and some of the buildings were closed. We weren't able to see the recreations of The Last Supper and other famous art reproductions they have there.

But this just means we'll have to go back and do a more extensive blog entry on it.




We thought we'd make a real Hollywood night of it, and have dinner before the show at Musso & Frank's. A lot of other people seemed to have this idea, too. Tori has a keen eye, and identified a table of cinematographers who were there to see their idol, Haskell Wexler, a gaggle of film students and even The Loved One star, Robert Morse.

Tori peruses the menu. She had Eggs Benedict, and I had French Onion Soup and a Caesar Salad swimming with anchovies. Kickin' it old school!

One of the green-jacketed waiters at Musso & Frank's--and he was only 20!

We saw it at The Egyptian with a nearly sold-out crowd.

Based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh.

After the film, there was a Q&A with stars Robert Morse, Anjanette Comer (who reminded of a flighty Kristen Wiig) and the legendary cinematographer, Haskell Wexler (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, In the Heat of the Night, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and many, many more). Star Jonathan Winters was also supposed to appear, but had to cancel. Which was sad, because he plays three different roles in the film and was totally amazing.

I can imagine this film was totally shocking in 1965. I'm surprised it was even released back then, although maybe it had something to do with the cultural and artistic freedoms that were flowering in that decade. And the drugs. Also, that it had some big and very hip names attached to it, like Wexler, Terry Southern and director Tony Richardson.

This is the movie that made me fall in love with Rod Steiger. I've seen and loved him in plenty of films before, but he is off the hook in The Love One.

At the end of the Q&A, the sold-out audience sang "Happy Birthday" to Haskell Wexler, who was celebrating his 90th that week! And people, he looked phenomenal--not a day over 70! Tori and I pondered what Fountain of Youth he could be drinking from, when Tori figured it out--because she always does--money. And so ended another glorious night in L.A.

spies.

So, it's awards season here in L.A. I guess the movies this year were ok--not great, not terrible. Here is my personal rundown of the Best Picture nominees: The Artist--very lovely. I think it will win, as it was both artistic and heart-warming.

The Descendants--good performances, but ultimately a well-done Lifetime for Women flick.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close--I absolutely refuse to see this, and cannot even talk about it.

The Help--I refuse to see this, too, but I do love both Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer and hope they win.

Midnight in Paris, Moneyball and Tree of Life--I have to get my hands on screeners of all of these. Hugo--meh. War Horse--no.

OK, moving along. What I really want to talk about and what made the 2011 awards movie season memorable for me was...spy flicks. I always used to find them tedious and dull, but no more. I'm all about the spy movie, and there are three reasons why: MI4, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Haywire.

Like most of the 6 billion people on the planet, I was completely done with Tom Cruise and had ceased watching the MI franchise long ago. However, the rave reviews and the promise of Incredibles director Brad Bird intrigued me, and I went and saw it on Christmas Day.

I absolutely loved it! Loved the tongue-in-cheekiness of it, from the silly "madman with a nuclear weapon" MacGuffin of a plot to the opening scene where the team breaks into the Kremlin ("The Kremlin?") to all the classic MI gadgetry and inventions--a lot of which I found really brilliant.

After then entire Dubai sequence--which could have been a movie in itself--the sold-out crowd in the Cinerama Dome burst into applause. I don't think I've heard a live movie audience cheer an action scene.

Most of all, I loved seeing Tom back to his cool-as-a-cucumber, pre-couch jumping, pre-bat shit crazy self, when he was still repped by Pat Kingsley, and everyone could agree he was the most perfectly engineered movie star in history and possibly a machine created by special effects magicians somewhere deep in the wilds of Burbank.

I drink the Kool-Aid again.

The next spy flick I loved was Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I was also excited for this one when I heard it was helmed by Let the Right One In director, Tomas Alfredson. Plus, I had never seen the British miniseries. Actually, I might have, because it was the kind of thing my parents would have watched, and would have made my eyes glaze over with boredom, dying to change the channel to something like Josie and the Pussycats--but I don't have any memory of it.

This is one of those movies that is s......l......o......w. Wow. The first hour was almost inscrutable, and my friend even turned to me at one point and said, "Do you want to go?" But I knew I had to stick with it. If nothing else for the fact that I had paid $16 to see the damn thing, and it was the first movie I was seeing in the Cinerama Dome.

But I was glad I did. When I realized the filmmaker was in utter control of the pace and pieces of the puzzle slowly linking together, I was like, "Man, that is craftsmanship." But the great thing about TTSS was that it serves as a complete antidote to a spy film like MI4. Actually, it's the antidote to every silly spy film ever made. It really illustrates how grimy, depressing and empty the life of the spy is--especially in the Cold War Era in which it takes places. The older dudes who pull all the strings are totally devoid of any personality or morality--or any life, for that matter. And the young spies, while still full of fire, are just desperate to get out of the game alive.

I thought it was all an interesting comment, not only on the spy business, but the institution of the corporation.

And this just completely kicked ass. Pun intended.


So, being on this new spy kick, I'm very excited to read this book. As the 4 or 5 of you who read this blog know, I'm a complete sucker for hip jacket designs.

I also plan to check out some of the classic spy films: The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, The Ipcess File, The 39 Steps, The Tailor of Panama and maybe some of the older Bond films. Maybe. They should tide me over as I anxiously await the new Bourne Legacy in August!

If you have any other suggestions for reads/flicks, please let me know! xoL

book vs. film: the wings of the dove.

The Portrait of a Lady + 600,000 extra words = the novel The Wings of the Dove.


The novel The Wings of the Dove - 800,000 words + 100's of shimmering, velvety blue dresses + one intense performance by Helena Bonham Carter that elevates it above melodrama = the film The Wings of the Dove.

suddenly, last summer.

A film about how human beings prey upon and devour each other. Then go insane. Then try to cut part of your brain out.

37 posters.

I can't remember where I first saw these, but they are damn cool. 37 Posters is a store on Society 6, which looks to a new kind of etsy-type place of merchandising and networking for artists and designers. I love the choices for graphics--they are so inspired, it's really genius.