And finally...

some of my favorite pictures of Michelle:

 

Tomorrow I'm back to normal movie blogging :)

Irony

I'm reposting this article from my original blog: Pfandom.

Isn’t it ironic that Michelle was a ‘virgin’ in 'Dangerous liaisons’ and a prostitute in both ‘The fabulous baker boys’ and Chéri’. Stephen Frears recognizes her versatility as he directed both ‘Dangerous liaisons’ and ‘Chéri’.
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Isn’t ironic that Kathy Bates plays the mother of Michelle’s love interest in both ‘Chéri’ and ‘Personal effects’  while Michelle is only 9 years younger than her?

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Isn’t it ironic that Michelle’s love interests become younger while she gets older. (Paul Rudd-41, Asston Kutcher-32, Rupert Friend-28)

Isn’t it ironic that Annette Bening owes her two succesful movies ‘Valmont’ and ‘Bugsy’ to Michelle; who turned both down. Michelle, in turn, owes ‘Batman returns’ to Annette’s pregnancy.

Isn’t it ironic that Michelle’s nose is crooked and her lips are lopsided, but she’s still the most beautiful woman on the planet?

Isn’t it ironic that she was 6 months pregnant with her son while filming ‘Dangerous minds’ and in that same films she talks about having had an abortion.

Isn’t it ironic that in ‘Hairspray’ she is a racist, while she has adopted a mix-raced girl.

Isn’t it ironic that in ‘Dangerous liaisons’ Michelle and Uma Thurman were supposed to be of the same age, but in reality Michelle is 12 years older than Uma.

Isn’t it ironic that she was the mother of Claire Danes in ‘To Gillian on her 37th birthday’ and she told her husband that their daughter is the most important thing, while in ‘Stardust’ she wanted nothing but kill Claire Danes and eat her heart.

Isn’t it ironic that Madonna was the first choice for ‘The fabulous baker boys’ and Michelle almost did Evita. ‘The fabulous baker boys’ turned out to be a huge success and got Michelle a Golden Globe, while Madonna got very negative critics for ‘Evita’

Isn’t it ironic that she’s supposed to be 40 in ‘I could never be your woman’, but in reality she was almost 50 while filming.

Isn’t it ironic that both Demi Moore and Susan Sarandon, two major actresses, owe their big successes to Michelle. Susan should thank Michelle for ‘Thelma and Louise’ and ‘Lorenzo’s oil’. Demi has ‘Disclosure’ and ‘A few good men’ on her filmography thanks to Michelle, who turned them all down before the parts went to them

Isn’t it ironic that Michelle’s character in ‘Scarface’ says that she’s from Baltimore, while ‘Hairspray’ is set in that city.

Isn’t it ironic that in ‘One fine day’ Michelle’s son watches ‘The wizards of Oz’ and in reality that was Michelle’s favorite movie as a child.

Isn’t it ironic that Michelle has worked with 4 Batmans: Michael Keaton in ‘Batman returns’, Val Kilmer in ‘The prince of Egypt’, George Clooney in ‘One fine day’ and Christian Bale in ‘A midsummer night’s dream’.

Isn’t it ironic that Michelle was as good in ‘Batman returns’ as Halle Berry was bad in ‘Catwoman’.

Isn’t it ironic that Michelle said ‘Fuck’ a lot in ‘Frankie and Johnny’ and ‘Scarface’ (and also in a lot of other movies) and that happens to be Michelle’s favorite curse word.

Isn’t it ironic that Michelle only watches her movies once, while Pfans watch them hundreds of times :)

Memorable characters.

Michelle Pfeiffer has portrayed many great characters. In this post I'm mentioning the ones I think are most memorable. I've put up my favorite picture and three words (I tried one, didn't work) that describe the character.

I. Catwoman in Batman Returns

Dangerous, sexy, delicious

 II. Madame de Tourvel in Dangerous Liaisons

Innocent, desperate, virtuous

III. Angela DeMarco in Married to the Mob

funny, honest, lovable

IV. Ingrid Magnussen in White Oleander

beautiful, dangerous, mysterious

 V. Susie Diamond in The Fabulous Baker Boys

talented, blunt, sexy

Happy 53rd Birthday...

to the most talented and beautiful actress of the past, present and future.

Movie-related thoughts...

I. First off, I apologize to my blog for neglecting and ignoring it for some time. Second, I'd like to add that it wasn't my fault. The last 2 weeks I've been doing one thing and one thing only: watching Desperate Housewives. (All 7 seasons, about 100 hours total, so approximately 7 hours each day!) It's the series fault for being so darn addictive! Yes, I love it. Sue me! Too bad this isn't a television blog; you wouldn't hear the end of it! One thing I'd like to remark on is the casting. The perfect casting. If there's one thing I can't stand its bad casting. All the DH actors are so at ease, it just flows naturally. I was so obsessed that I hardly watched any films. I think I've seen 3 in two weeks! I know, the horror! When I was done watching all the released episodes, for a few hours I didn't know what to do anymore. lol

II. Well, tomorrow I'm finally catching up to my movies. I'm seeing Hanna and Soul Surfer on the big screen. I'm pretty excited. Hanna looks seriously badass, plus it has had great reviews, plus it features Cate! Win win win. Soul Surfer, I'm very curious about. Though it has been rated mediocre, I love true stories and Helen Hunt!

III. Can anyone tell me why Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis are ruining their careers? After their great succes with Black Swan, you'd think they'd get every possible role offered. And what do they pick? No Strings Attached and Friends with Benefits. I mean seriously! As if the storyline of the two, basically similar, movies isn't bad enough, their co-stars really hit the spot. Justin Timberlake and Asston Kutcher. Wow, just wow. Mila Kunis doesn't have thát much talent, but surely she has been offered better work. As for Natalie Portman, I don't know what got into her head. One day she's giving her Oscar acceptance speech, the nest she's starring in a "sexy, fun comedy" Some people...

IV. Saving the best for last: guess what tomorrow is? No, not the royal wedding. No, not International Dance Day (how do people come up with this stuff?). It's Pfeiffer Day! My dear Michelle turns 53 tomorrow. For my readeres who aren't Michelle Pfeiffer fans, become one! I'll be posting about her lots tomorrow! And watching lots of Pfilms. And lots of interviews. And stare at her posters. You know, crazy fan stuff :p

100 Reasons why I love Cinema

Following many others, here are my 100 reasons to love Cinema:

1. Michelle Pfeiffer

2. The way a movie of which I had expected nothing, turns out to be one of my favorites

3. Watching a beautiful trailer

4. Great on-screen chemistry

5. Knowing that there are hundreds of great movies out there, waiting to be watched.

6. Heart-breaking endings

7. Witnessing actors grow into great talents

8. Award season!

 

9. Reviewing movies

10. The fact that 2D movies are still being made, so not everyone has joined the overrated 3D hype

11. The realization that up to hundreds of people work on one single movie

12. Discussing movies on IMDB’s Message Boards

13. Angelina Jolie

 

14. Watching the same movie over and over again

15. The use of symbols in movies

16. Learning something valuable from a movie

17. Movies that put you in a mild shock due to their utter perfection

18. Great movie adaptations from great novels

19. Secretly enjoying a sappy romance flick

20. “I am Catwoman. Hear me roar!”

 

21. Telling the characters what to do (“Don’t kiss him, do not kiss him!”)

22. Laughing hysterically at a comedy while being all alone

23. Watching three movies at the theater, back to back

24. Falling in love with a character

25. Cheering loudly when a trailer of an anticipated film of mine is shown

26. The search for a movie that can finally make me cry my eyes out

27. The feeling I get, every time I’ve finished watching a really good movie

28. Knowing the lines by heart when I watch one of my favorite films.

29. Classic Helena Bonham Carter

30. Thinking of alternate endings, which you know would have been much better than the original.

31. Handsome actors

32. Gorgeous actresses 

33. Not coming out of my room for days because I can’t stop watching movies

34. Good use of cinematography

35. Finding the movie I’ve searched for forever

36. Escaping real life by watching a film 

37. Loving a movie that everyone else hates.

38. Seeing one of my favorite movies that I haven’t seen in ages

39. Realizing the range of certain actors by seeing them star in different roles

40. Clint Eastwood

41. Sexual tension without actual sex

42. Watching an uplifting film, crash back into real life when it ends, then watch another one.

43. “Fuck you how I talk, I’ll talk any fucking way I fucking feel like. This is my fucking bowling night and who the fuck are you to fucking spoil it by fucking telling me you love me?!”

44. Recognizing the actual person behind an actor’s character

45. Cate Blanchett

46. Good action scenes

47. Witnessing a character having to make a decision, while hoping for one side as much as the other

48. Movies in real-time

49. Movies so dramatic, they make you feel depressed days after.

50. Movies so joyful, they can pull you out of any depressive mood

51. Martin Scorcese

52. Recommending movies

53. Sharing my opinion on everything film through my blog

54. While all my friends go see ‘Sucker Punch’, sneak of to ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ and have the time of my life, alone

55. Suspenseful films

56. Doing the wave on my own when my favorite wins the award

57. Brad Pitt

58. A strong female lead

59. Running to the bathroom after a movie has finished, because the movie was too good to miss even a second (or to press ‘pause’)

60. The second viewing of complex films

61. Because one particular word or movement intrigued me, skip back a few frames, again and again

62. Talk to someone who shares my favorite movie

63. See a movie even though IMDB has rated it below a 6.0 and love it.

64. Grasp the value of a meaningful film

65. Period pieces

66. Staying put when everyone else leaves, to watch the end credits

67. A movie that lives up to its trailer

68. Viewing the world differently (even if only a while) after watching a movie

69. When someone asks me whether I’ve seen a particular Michelle Pfeiffer film, proudly replying: “I’ve seen all her movies.”

70. The many (perfect) accents of Meryl Streep

71. The way a movie can still move me after rewatching it tons of times

72. Listening to the soundtrack while picturing the scenes that went on during

73. British movies

74. Films with breathtaking settings

75. Blogging on the world of Cinema

76. Beautiful music scores

77. Michelle Pfeiffer’s deadly glare

 

78. Michelle Pfeiffer’s innocent smile

79. Wonderful movie posters that make you anticipate the release date even more

80. James Newton Howard

81. No matter what happens in life, movies will always be there

82. The realization that there are many movies out there that will touch me someday

83. Watching Angelina Jolie kick ass

84. Getting completely caught up in a movie

85. True stories

86. The Bonus Features on DVDs

87. When two great actors co-star

88. The way some films make me realize that there are people with much bigger problems than me

89. A movie so well-made, that you feel complete empathy with everything the characters do

90. Darren Aronofsky constantly shocking me with his terrifyingly brilliant films

 

91. Knowing I’ve just watched a horrible movie, but like it anyway

92. Spending all my free time and money on the cinema, DVDs and blogging, but realizing I wouldn’t want to spend it any other way

93. Criticizing professional filmmakers

94. Michelle Pfeiffer’s eye twitching

95. Singing loudly (and very off-key) to Mamma Mia’s soundtrack

 

96. Intelligent dialogue that makes you think

97. Recognizing some part of myself in a character or situation

98. The way Film has inspired me and made me realize what I want to do with my life

99. Being so passionate about movies that it has almost become the most important component in my life

100. The intense feeling of fulfillment I get every time I finish a post on my movie blog

Project 1993: "The Age of Innocence"

*Project 1993 is a series of posts where I review films from the year 1993. I do movies from various genres and mostly ones that really meant something to me. Here's a link to all the articles from the project.

For my first movie in 'Project 1993', I'm reviewing 'The Age of Innocence'.

 

The story about the perfect love that can never be

This movie was the turning point when I defined my admiration for period pieces. It was also one of the few where, afterwards, I just sat quietly while trying to comprehend the sheer perfection of it. And ultimately, I believe this film made me realize I would be a Pfan forever.

‘The Age of Innocence’ is a 1993 film directed by the great Martin Scorsese, adapted from the novel by the same name by Edith Warton. The story includes the talents of Michelle Pfeiffer, Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder and is set in New York’s 1870s. With its intelligence, ambiguity and emotion; this is a movie you won’t soon forget.

The plot evolves around Newland Archer, a well-respected lawyer from the upper class of New York’s society. He is set to marry the beautiful and amiable May Welland. Considering their fortunes, social statues and affectionate feelings towards each other, they are a perfect match.

Everything seems to be going according to plan until May’s estranged cousin, Ellen Olenska, comes back to town and changes their lives irreversibly. To fully explain Countess Olenska’s character would be impossible. She’s independent, smart, blunt and to everyone’s dismay; distinctive. She breaks high society’s golden rules without even taking notice and aristocracy highly disapproves of her unconventional behavior.

Archer, thinking he has found the perfect wife in May and her conventional ways, is unaware of the fact that Ellen is everything he never knew he wanted. Being brought up in New York’s elite atmosphere and therefore only being able to recognize one kind of woman, Archer is intrigued by the uniqueness that is Ellen Olenska.

Somewhere between Ellen considering a divorce that could turn out terribly and Archer making wedding plans with May, they fall in love.

But if there’s one thing to know about that time and place, it’s that a good name was everything and scandals were considered worse than death. Newland Archer faces an impossible choice: pick the woman he truly loves and be the cause of shame on both his and her family or stay intact and enter a passionless marriage. Seeing as it’s probably the worst possible time to fall in love with each other, Ellen and Newland can’t act on their feelings.

This certainly accounts for a few heart-wrenching moments. Ellen and Newland meet again several times after they’ve acknowledged their feeling for one another, and knowing they should be together, it’s hard to watch them distancing from each other. Newland having a moral duty, they both realize the right thing to do is not to do anything. But even though they try to ignore their feelings, they’ve both perpetually marked the path of the other.

May Welland is played wonderfully by Winona Ryder. The naïve, innocent, and somewhat dull characteristics of a properly brought-up young woman are brought out subtle, but determined. Later, however, we come to know that May was much brighter than we gave her credit for.

Newland Archer is portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis. He’s perfect as the man who has to choose between his duty and his heart. Before Ellen, he was just an ordinary man; it was her who made him question the society he belonged to and it was her who showed him what life was really about and what it could be.

Michelle Pfeiffer gives Countess Olenska the fire that is required in her character. Even if it’s just the eyes, you can tell that she distinguishes herself from the rest. She fins the perfect balance between sophistication and purity. It’s exactly that which made me fall in love with her persona. But aside from her extraordinary character, she still has a traditional feel of honor and family. Her strength keeps her from her deepest, most treasured, yet impossible desire.

While the characters are indeed reserved, this merely adds to the repressed passions that lie just below the surface.

One of the scenes that never fails to move me is when Archer and Ellen sit next to each other in the carriage and Newland strips her of her glove. It’s one of the most sensual, non-sexual moments I’ve ever seen. It’s also the moment that describes their love best: immense, aching and ever so gentle.

The wise use of music, costumes and cinematography all contribute to the excellence of the movie. In one of my favorite sequences, Ellen receives a bouquet of yellow roses; while she arranges them, the camera circles around her and when it stops she looks almost straight in the camera. It’s really amazing how a few seconds can do so much with the viewer. Though I suppose the movie starts somewhat slow, you’ll get sucked into the story shortly. Everyone who enjoys period pieces, dramatic romance and an intelligent plot with world-class actors should see this movie.

The ending is not the one we wanted to see, but it’s much more real than that. The first time I saw this movie, I just sat in awe while the end credits were rolling. I definitely didn’t expect the ending, but looking back, only that conclusion could’ve had that particular effect on me. It tells us that no matter how strong a love once was; sometimes it’s better to keep the memories strong rather than try to fix the broken pieces.

Favorite quotes:

You couldn't be happy if it meant being cruel. If we act any other way I'll be making you act against what I love in you most. And I can't go back to that way of thinking. Don't you see? I can't love you unless I give you up.

Newland: You gave me my first glimpse of a real life. Then you asked me to go on with a false one. No one can endure that.

Ellen: I'm enduring it.

Just some movie-related thoughts

Sigh... After a very intense study period, I can finallly let my film-thoughts loose.

1. @!#$*@%^!)*^&*@!%#!!!!

I was just casually googling some info on Michelle's upcoming film (New Year's Eve), when I see a headline that instantly demands my attention: "ZAC EFRON AND MICHELLE PFEIFFER KISS IN NYE". The words that came out of my mouth the following minutes were, to say in the least, unpleasant. When I first heard that Michelle would do her scenes with Efron, all I could think was: "Not as a couple, and please, whatever happens, for my sake, please, do not let them kiss!" The universe is turning on me, I'm telling you!

I'm actually starting to dread having to watch this movie now. They diminish her beauty, cast half of Hollywood which minimilizes her screen-time, and let her kiss a 20-something, skinny jeans-wearing,  boy who got famous from jumping around in 'High School Musical'! Not to mention, I'll have to watch the terror of all terrors: Asston Kutcher. Which leads me to the silver lining of this very, very gray cloud: I'd rather have Zac than Kutcher. We don't want another 'Personal Effects' disaster. And of course the ray of sunshine: we'll get to see Michelle in a movie again, finally! Though that's probaly the one and only reason to watch this movie; it's a solid one ^-^

2. New poster for 'The tree of life'

I'm pretty dissapointed with this one. Especially considering the beautiful previous two. I have mile-high hopes for this movie. I smell multiple Oscar winner!

3. Angelina=Cleopatra

Angelina Jolie has confirmed that she'll be portraying Cleopatra in the upcoming biopic on Egypt's last pharaoh. I'm pretty excited about this film. It could turn into 'super excited' once the other parts and director are settled. Angelina was born for this type of role. I think everyone can agree that she embodies strong presence and determination. Enter: Cleopatra. This version, unlike the 1963 version, will focus on Cleo's political life rather than her seductive side.
Many have rosen and fallen from the director chair; James Cameron, Darren Aronofsky and Paul Greengrass were all considered at one point. Although nothing is confirmed, David Fincher will allegedly take the dangling director's spot. I think he's a great choice. Though I wasn't crazy about his last film (Social Network), it sure got a lot of positive reception. And let's not forget that Fincher was the mastermind behind greats such as 'Fight Club', 'Seven', and my personal favorite, 'The Curious case of Benjamin Button'.
For the two leading men, opinions vary tremendously. Some crazy suggestions I stumbled upon:
Ceasar: Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Richard Gere (I'm serious).
Marc Anthony: Ryan Phillipe, Matt Damon, Daniel Craig.

My personal choices would be Ralph Fiennes for Ceasar and Clive Owen as Marc Anthony. Call me crazy, but I would actually love it if Brad Pitt were to play Marc Anthony. He has done his fair share of classical characters, he's got the look and no one would have to worry about on-screen chemistry! I know it's never going to happen, but a girl can dream, can't she? I think the production will ultimately go for two less known actors. This one's all Angelina ^-^

4. Farewell, Elizabeth Taylor

The end of an era occured on march 23rd. The sensational Elizabeth Taylor is no more. Being a teen, I wasn't there when her career was on fire, but I've seen several of her films. Angelina will have to work very hard to live up to Elizabeth's legendary performance as Cleo. Though she was a great actress, she was even more famous due to her personal life. Having worn a wedding gown a whopping eight times, you're bound to turn some heads. In spite of this, she remained America's sweetheart throughout her whole life. She has led a full life as one of Hollywood's great treasures. We'll all miss her.