MADness—the Blog

 

First things first, the new crossword puzzle is here.  It’s a 19×19 themeless, and as always, you can find it at the MAD Puzzles page.  Scroll down for MAD Puzzle 7.

In other puzzle news, I had the Thursday (6/24) crossword in last week’s New York Times.  It had a tricky theme and turned out to be a difficult puzzle for lots of people.  If you’re a regular Times puzzle subscriber, you’ve either done it or know where to get it.  It’s available at the Times site here (subscription required); or use the direct link for the Across Lite version here.  I was happy with most of the feedback.  You can read Jim Horne’s commentary here (at Wordplay) and Sam Donaldson’s take here (at the Fiend).  My favorite comment may have been this one (at Rex Parker’s site):  “I am extremely satisfied that I finished this puzzle correctly, however, I think Mr. Farmer was showing off.” 

My next puzzle at the Times is due to run a week from tomorrow, next Thursday, July 8.

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In non-puzzle news, I was honored and pleased to hear this week I’ve received the Versatile Blogger Award.  It’s especially gratifying to get it from Edward Copeland, a writer about movies that I enjoy and respect.  I’ll have my response, and pass along the honor to others, in the next few days.

Maybe when your birth name is Marion Morrison you have it written into your contract to “just call me John.”

This is from John Wayne’s filmography at IMDb.  Twenty consecutive movies from the mid-1930s.  Notice a pattern?

1 Chris
1 Rod
1 Randy
17 Johns

You got a problem with that, partner?

“We didn’t need dialogue.  We had faces!”

That’s Norma Desmond, of course, the aging and forgotten star of the silent era reflecting back on her glory days and complaining about the wretched state of the movies.  From our vantage, it’s not so easy to imagine that summer of 60 years ago, when Sunset Boulevard was released, as a time of Hollywood’s demise.  We’d say that’s part of the golden age (hey, Norma, you should see some of this summer’s movies). 

It was a very good year, 1950, with several notable films and a couple of classics that rank among my favorites.  Billy Wilder’s film noir was a scathing look at Hollywood.  With All About Eve, Broadway got the treatment.

Both films feature stories about actresses who are aging.  They are old for their profession.  Norma Desmond is all of 50, and Margo Channing is in her 40s.  Not so old, really, we’d like to think.  Age hasn’t slowed down the career of Meryl Streep, for example.  But someone like Streep is an exception, and for too many in the acting profession, age still matters.

Age is just part of the conversation at Slant Magazine, where Jason Bellamy and Ed Howard have a fascinating discussion about those two classic films of 1950.  Bellamy:

That actually segues nicely into another of Sunset Boulevard‘s famous moments: when Norma responds to Joe’s assessment that she “used to be big” by demanding, “I am big! It’s the picturesthat got small!” It’s a magnificent line—truly one of the best in cinema history—and, like the film’s equally famous final shot, it’s tempting to think of that line as nothing more than a sharp dagger to the heart of a misguided Hollywood. I mean, just think of the countless essays you’ve read that use Norma’s quote en route to a proclamation that Hollywood’s best years are behind it. Sure, there are lots of movie lines that are more celebrated or better recognized, but I’d be hard pressed to come up with one that cinephiles, on the whole, find more personally resonant. Because we’ve all been there: staring up at the closing credits of a lackluster movie with that empty feeling that Hollywood used to make ‘em better. Whether that’s true or not is beside the point. When Norma sneers that the pictures have gotten small, cinephiles reflexively nod their heads in agreement. We love her in that moment.

I think it can be fun to compare the two movies, though I’m not sure it’s useful to rank them.  In my world, each is about as good at what it does as can be imagined.  Mankiewicz deserves a little more credit than I think he gets at the Slant conversation.  The All About Eve screenplay is one of the very best in all of cinema, not just because of the wonderful dialogue, but for the intricate and perfectly executed story structure, weaving in points of view and voice-overs from multiple characters.  Yet the voice-over in Sunset Boulevard is a stroke of genius too.  As we learn, it’s from a man floating face-down in a swimming pool.  Neither film is strictly realistic.  All About Eve has an exaggerated theatricality to it, and Sunset Boulevard tends toward the gothic.  I’m partial to the latter, probably because I’m more fascinated by old Hollywood than old Broadway, not because it’s necessarily a better film.  Wilder, I should add, has a slant that is not only a good match for mine, but was influential in forming my own take on things.  Maybe that’s a chicken and egg thing, but he’s always been a favorite.

Yes, I’m still here.  Actually, I haven’t gone anywhere, though activity on the MADness—the Blog side has been quiet lately.  For a while, my routine had been a few blog posts a week (in addition to Movie Minute posts every weekday on the front page), but then nothing.  Somehow, nearly a month has slipped by.  What happened?  I got busy.  Demands on my time seem to be growing by the week, so I’ll be dropping in to say something whenever I can, but the schedule may be sporadic for a while.  I’ll aim to keep the weekday Movie Minutes coming as usual, though I may need to revert to “summer hours” at some point.

So what’s been going on?  Some old news, perhaps, but a few items worth noting:

Remembrances of Dennis Hopper (1936-2010)

F.X. Feeney in the L.A. Weekly:

At its depths, behind the camera or in front of it, Hopper’s legacy as a filmmaker is defined by a multitude of excellent performances, each alive with the iconic honesty Dean had pressed him to seek in himself. His particular genius as an artist was that he made himself at home within his own contradictions — and was perpetually eager to invite the rest of the world to join him there, laughing at the darkness.

Edward Copeland:

How many odd turns can one man’s life and career take? There’s probably no limit, but Dennis Hopper, who died at 74 after a long battle with cancer, took a lot of them: From young actor of film and TV in the 1950s to counterculture icon of the 1960s and ’70s (while adding director to his resume and still working with the likes of John Wayne); from nearly unemployable because of drugs to a career comeback in the mid-1980s before frequent returns to TV. On the side, he managed to find time to be a prolific photographer, painter and sculptor. His later years also brought the strangest twist for the hippie hero: he became a Republican. Still, it’s his film and TV work that will be his legacy.

I have a couple of recollections of Hopper, aside from his film work.  One, hearing him talk about working with James Dean, in Rebel Without a Cause and Giant.  He was in awe of Dean, and learned a lot from him.  Mostly, though, I remember Hopper’s fascination with acting.  It was just great to listen to him.  Two, seeing him work, which I had the chance to do on a film called Boiling Point, from 1993.  (If you look real hard, you can see my shoe in one of the scenes, my moment of glory on the big screen.)  Hopper and Wesley Snipes were the co-stars, but Hopper was the guy I wanted to watch.  He seemed to be an accessible, decent guy behind the scenes, and he gave a very good performance too.  I’ll remember Hopper for his films, more than anything, and particularly these:  Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet, and Red Rock West.

Cannes

Apichatpong Weerasethakul won the Palme d’Or for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, the first Thai film to win the top prize.

Recaps and perspectives worth reading:  Roger Ebert on the not-so-hot festival.  Manohla Dargis on the end of film.

The Gulf Oil Tragedy

James Cameron offers to help.  BP says no, thanks.  (I saw an interview with Cameron on TV.  He actually has expertise and access to equipment for deep-sea dives that might be helpful, to the government perhaps if not to BP.)

Program note:  a week of oil at the movies, starting Monday, on the front page.

Movie to See

There’ll be plenty of others this summer, but here’s one that’s got my curiosity:  Double Take. 

Now playing at New York’s Film Forum.  (Only 2,407 miles from here, says Moviefone, but maybe not this weekend for me.)

MAD About Movies Site News

It’s been a while since the last crossword, but another is on its way, soon as I get a chance to clue it.  That probably will not happen this week, unless I surprise myself.  The calendar is a tyrant.

A sincere thanks to those of you who have found the site and stop by to read about movies.  I started in January, not sure what to expect, and (except for a few time crunches along the way) I’m enjoying it.  Traffic is steadily growing every month.  May numbers were about 50% above April, so it’s good to know somebody (that’s you!) is out there.