First, I want to say how nice it is to be able to see One Life to Live again. I wrote about my first impressions here.
I'm still not used to watching shows on my laptop. It makes it harder to do other things while watching, especially on the laptop itself. The other problem I've had is the scheduling. First, it was four new shows each day (Monday through Thursday) with More Life to Live on Friday. More showed highlights, previews, cast interviews and miscellaneous things such as fashion shows. Next, two new episodes appeared each Monday. There were occasional gaps in filming, and I would forget the schedule. I'd end up watching One Life marathons.
The show seemed slow to get started: setting up the new club setting Shelter, establishing new actors playing Matthew and Destiny and a new character Jeffrey. Natalie didn't do much, but according to TWoP, it was because of problems involving General Hospital actors on contract. (I say good riddance to John McBain; I always hated that character.) I missed Dorian, but apparently Robin Strasser was ill; she's back now.
As the first season ended, we learned more about the mysterious organization that targeted Todd, Victor and the rest of the Lords/Mannings. We saw a memorable gala with most of the characters attending in gowns and tuxes (old school soap event) with a shocking/embarrassing moment.
The final scene of Season One was a real cliffhanger. How long before the second season begins?
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
TCM Movie Review: Catching Up on Bette Davis and More
I re-watched parts of The Girl from 10th Avenue; I saw most of it on Bette Davis day. Bette is Miriam Brady who meets society lawyer Geoffrey Sherwood outside a church where his ex is getting married. Geoffrey is drunk and broken-hearted. Miriam tries to get him away before he creates a scene and gets arrested. After a night of drinking champagne, the two get married.
Miriam offers to sign off on an annulment, but the two remain married. Geoff sobers up, and Miriam tries to improve herself with the help of their landlady, Mrs. Martin (Alison Skipworth.)
Trouble develops when Geoff's ex Valentine (Katharine Alexander) wants him back. My favorite scene has Miriam introducing herself to Valentine in a fancy restaurant where Valentine is hosting a luncheon. Miriam retains her cool even when Valentine throws a grapefruit at her.
Things look bad, but Geoff realizes he loves Miriam and all is well. The film is silly fluff, but kind of fun fluff at that.
On to Dangerous: Bette portrays Joyce Heath, a drunken actress known as a jinx. Franchot Tone is Don Bellows. He helps her when she passes out in a dive bar, later falls in love with her and finances her comeback play.
But Joyce has a secret that keeps Don and her from finding happiness and almost costs him his career. In the end, Joyce lets Don go, and sacrifices her happiness to "pay her debts."
Casting note: Alison Skipworth is in this film as Don's housekeeper. She also appeared in a third film with Bette, Satan Met A Lady. Satan Met A Lady is the worst of three versions of The Maltese Falcon with Alison in the Sydney Greenstreet role.
Bette won her first Oscar for Dangerous, although it's considered a holdover award: she should have won for Of Human Bondage the year before.
More from Hattie McDaniel: Yesterday I caught part of the movie Margie starring Jeanne Crain. It's a cute movie about a girl growing up in the roaring twenties. I had forgotten that Hattie McDaniel is in this film. Of course, she plays a maid; it's a small part but she has at least one funny line.
Miriam offers to sign off on an annulment, but the two remain married. Geoff sobers up, and Miriam tries to improve herself with the help of their landlady, Mrs. Martin (Alison Skipworth.)
Trouble develops when Geoff's ex Valentine (Katharine Alexander) wants him back. My favorite scene has Miriam introducing herself to Valentine in a fancy restaurant where Valentine is hosting a luncheon. Miriam retains her cool even when Valentine throws a grapefruit at her.
Things look bad, but Geoff realizes he loves Miriam and all is well. The film is silly fluff, but kind of fun fluff at that.
On to Dangerous: Bette portrays Joyce Heath, a drunken actress known as a jinx. Franchot Tone is Don Bellows. He helps her when she passes out in a dive bar, later falls in love with her and finances her comeback play.
But Joyce has a secret that keeps Don and her from finding happiness and almost costs him his career. In the end, Joyce lets Don go, and sacrifices her happiness to "pay her debts."
Casting note: Alison Skipworth is in this film as Don's housekeeper. She also appeared in a third film with Bette, Satan Met A Lady. Satan Met A Lady is the worst of three versions of The Maltese Falcon with Alison in the Sydney Greenstreet role.
Bette won her first Oscar for Dangerous, although it's considered a holdover award: she should have won for Of Human Bondage the year before.
More from Hattie McDaniel: Yesterday I caught part of the movie Margie starring Jeanne Crain. It's a cute movie about a girl growing up in the roaring twenties. I had forgotten that Hattie McDaniel is in this film. Of course, she plays a maid; it's a small part but she has at least one funny line.
Monday, August 26, 2013
True Blood Season Six
Last night after a birthday dinner with my mother, I felt a bit lost; we didn't have a HBO show to watch at 9 on Sunday night. The season's finale of True Blood was last week.
I enjoyed the season; I enjoy every season, but I feel that something is missing.
The whole Bill story confused me. I still don't know what he was.
I didn't like the Warlow subplot; he seemed to swing from nice guy to big bad to wimp to medium bad. Tying him to a post for several episodes was a snooze. And why did Sookie so easily forget he killed her parents and terrorized her? And why didn't she wonder what happened to Niall? One throwaway line on a phone message to a missing Jason didn't cut it.
Speaking of Niall--Rutger Hauer is one of Jeff's favorite actors. It was great to see him on True Blood, especially as a Stackhouse. Unfortunately, he disappeared for so many episodes, that his final appearance seemed a deus ex machina. But at least he came back from the void.
In my last True Blood post, I said that I didn't like the Sam and Emma plotline. They resolved that fairly quickly, but it seemed pointless. I hated that Sam has become pointless as a character. Why did Alcide, formerly the most rational werewolf, suddenly become an ass?
What happened to Tara and Lafayette? They had very few lines/scenes and they are my favorites.
I've loved Andy since Season Two ("I know that pig.") Chris Bauer shined this year dealing with his surprise children and the death of three of them. I loved his protective mode with Adilyn, his apparent reconciliation with Holly and his final scene with Jessica.
I loved the return of Sarah Newlin. I liked the governor as a enemy. I was intrigued by the vamp camp as a reaction to the excesses of the Vampire Authority in Season Five.
I'm not sure what to think of the six month later scenes, the human/uninfected vampire alliance and a roaming pack of hepatitis V-infected vamps.
I just have to wait and see.
I enjoyed the season; I enjoy every season, but I feel that something is missing.
The whole Bill story confused me. I still don't know what he was.
I didn't like the Warlow subplot; he seemed to swing from nice guy to big bad to wimp to medium bad. Tying him to a post for several episodes was a snooze. And why did Sookie so easily forget he killed her parents and terrorized her? And why didn't she wonder what happened to Niall? One throwaway line on a phone message to a missing Jason didn't cut it.
Speaking of Niall--Rutger Hauer is one of Jeff's favorite actors. It was great to see him on True Blood, especially as a Stackhouse. Unfortunately, he disappeared for so many episodes, that his final appearance seemed a deus ex machina. But at least he came back from the void.
In my last True Blood post, I said that I didn't like the Sam and Emma plotline. They resolved that fairly quickly, but it seemed pointless. I hated that Sam has become pointless as a character. Why did Alcide, formerly the most rational werewolf, suddenly become an ass?
What happened to Tara and Lafayette? They had very few lines/scenes and they are my favorites.
I've loved Andy since Season Two ("I know that pig.") Chris Bauer shined this year dealing with his surprise children and the death of three of them. I loved his protective mode with Adilyn, his apparent reconciliation with Holly and his final scene with Jessica.
I loved the return of Sarah Newlin. I liked the governor as a enemy. I was intrigued by the vamp camp as a reaction to the excesses of the Vampire Authority in Season Five.
I'm not sure what to think of the six month later scenes, the human/uninfected vampire alliance and a roaming pack of hepatitis V-infected vamps.
I just have to wait and see.
Friday, August 23, 2013
I Didn't Intend to Write Another Post Tonight...
....but, damn, this got me mad.
I had heard something about a Harriet Tubman sex video, but just read this.
The idea for the video is not even remotely funny, only stupid.
Harriet Tubman was a hero. If she had done wrong things in her life, it would be fair to expose and analyze them.
To make up bullshit like this: at best, stupid; at worst, reprehensible.
I had heard something about a Harriet Tubman sex video, but just read this.
The idea for the video is not even remotely funny, only stupid.
Harriet Tubman was a hero. If she had done wrong things in her life, it would be fair to expose and analyze them.
To make up bullshit like this: at best, stupid; at worst, reprehensible.
Hattie McDaniel: Star of the Day
In August, TCM has featured a different star each day. Some days feature big stars such as Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis. On Tuesday, Hattie McDaniel was TCM's star of the day. Of course, Gone With the Wind was shown in prime time. It's Hattie's most famous movie and contains her Oscar winning performance.
I noticed that all three of Hattie's films with Bette Davis were included.
One of the films was Thank Your Lucky Stars from 1943. This was a wartime film dedicated to the armed services. According to IMDB, Bette insisted that the profits be contributed to the war effort. The story is about a singer and a songwriter trying to break into show business via the big show, featuring Warner Brothers stars mostly in musical numbers. Hattie was one of the featured singers in the song Ice Cold Katie.
Another film was The Great Lie (1941.) This is a melodrama with an okay script. I watch this to see Bette (of course) but also to see Mary Astor's Oscar winning performance as Sandra. This was a case in which the two actors worked together to improve the script by beefing up Mary's part. Hattie as usual played a domestic. I've seen this film many times, but last week, the scene of the "happy darkies singing" after the marriage of Bette and George Brent really bugged me. Had I really missed this scene all those times I've watched this film? It reminded me of the "happy slaves singing" scene from Bette's film, Jezebel. But Jezebel was set in the 1840's and The Great Lie in the mid-20th century. How little some things had changed.
The last Bette Davis--Hattie McDaniel film shown was In This Our Life from 1942. Hattie is a domestic for Davis' Southern family. Bette is a selfish bitch who steals her sister's husband who later commits suicide. Bette gets bored and tries to steal her ex-fiance from the same sister. At her worst, Bette is in a hit-and-run accident and tries to blame the accident on Hattie's son.
There are some poignant scenes in which Hattie and her son (Ernest Anderson) discuss the futility of trying to tell his story, which contradicts the white woman's. It takes an investigative effort from Bette's sister (Olivia de Haviland) and her fiance (and Bette's ex--George Brent) to disprove Bette's story. This film was honored for its race relations.
In This Our Life was a melodrama like The Great Lie. At least the treatment of the black characters was more realistic and respectful.
I noticed that all three of Hattie's films with Bette Davis were included.
One of the films was Thank Your Lucky Stars from 1943. This was a wartime film dedicated to the armed services. According to IMDB, Bette insisted that the profits be contributed to the war effort. The story is about a singer and a songwriter trying to break into show business via the big show, featuring Warner Brothers stars mostly in musical numbers. Hattie was one of the featured singers in the song Ice Cold Katie.
Another film was The Great Lie (1941.) This is a melodrama with an okay script. I watch this to see Bette (of course) but also to see Mary Astor's Oscar winning performance as Sandra. This was a case in which the two actors worked together to improve the script by beefing up Mary's part. Hattie as usual played a domestic. I've seen this film many times, but last week, the scene of the "happy darkies singing" after the marriage of Bette and George Brent really bugged me. Had I really missed this scene all those times I've watched this film? It reminded me of the "happy slaves singing" scene from Bette's film, Jezebel. But Jezebel was set in the 1840's and The Great Lie in the mid-20th century. How little some things had changed.
The last Bette Davis--Hattie McDaniel film shown was In This Our Life from 1942. Hattie is a domestic for Davis' Southern family. Bette is a selfish bitch who steals her sister's husband who later commits suicide. Bette gets bored and tries to steal her ex-fiance from the same sister. At her worst, Bette is in a hit-and-run accident and tries to blame the accident on Hattie's son.
There are some poignant scenes in which Hattie and her son (Ernest Anderson) discuss the futility of trying to tell his story, which contradicts the white woman's. It takes an investigative effort from Bette's sister (Olivia de Haviland) and her fiance (and Bette's ex--George Brent) to disprove Bette's story. This film was honored for its race relations.
In This Our Life was a melodrama like The Great Lie. At least the treatment of the black characters was more realistic and respectful.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Putting Words on the Page
Found this article today.
I needed to read it. In July, I started a writing routine that worked. For about a week. Then I lost my way; I lost my goals, my motivation.
This article may help me get back on track.
I needed to read it. In July, I started a writing routine that worked. For about a week. Then I lost my way; I lost my goals, my motivation.
This article may help me get back on track.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Netflix Movie Night and TV Time
I haven't been feeling well the last few days, so I've been watching a lot of TV. I watched a recording of Parachute Jumper and wrote about it yesterday. We also watched a Dark Shadows episode and the "Out of Gas" episode of Firefly.
First, Dark Shadows: this was the first soap opera that I followed. I caught a few minutes of it as I turned into Where the Action Is (to see Paul Revere and the Raiders) and got hooked. I didn't see the show from the beginning, but I watched before Barnabas made his first appearance. That makes me an early adopter. The pre-Barnabas years are available on Netflix disks; we saw a few but mostly we watch the instant queue selections. In the episode we watched last night, Dr. Julia Hoffman wants to try to cure Barnabas of his vampirism.
The Firefly episode "Out of Gas" may be my favorite of the series. Zoe saves the day at the beginning and at the end of the episode. We see how the crew members first came to Serenity, revealing more of them than we've seen before. It's a great episode; here is Rhiannon's take.
Today I watched Ex-Lady, starring Bette Davis. Robert Osborne said it wasn't as bad as Bette remembered. I disagree. It's pretty bad. Once again, Bette doesn't have much to do--acting wise--her talent is wasted. It's not enough for me that Bette says she doesn't want babies or that she sleeps with her lover in the same bed. The movie is bad.
The White Queen: I watched the first episode twice, missing the opening scene both times. I read the book after picking it up a a library sale. I'm not a big fan of Philippa Gregory, but was curious. The White Queen is Elizabeth Woodville, the grandmother of Henry the VIII. The War of the Roses is the background for Henry VIII's obsession with an heir. Elizabeth's and Edward's romance is hard to believe. Things got more interesting when Elizabeth went to court.
The Last Laugh: I assume I selected this silent movie on a recommendation from riku, It depicts a man who has lost his job as a hotel doorman. It's a good portrait of how one's work becomes one's identity. The ending is unrealistic--apparently the result of studio demands for a happy ending. It's still a movie worth seeing.
First, Dark Shadows: this was the first soap opera that I followed. I caught a few minutes of it as I turned into Where the Action Is (to see Paul Revere and the Raiders) and got hooked. I didn't see the show from the beginning, but I watched before Barnabas made his first appearance. That makes me an early adopter. The pre-Barnabas years are available on Netflix disks; we saw a few but mostly we watch the instant queue selections. In the episode we watched last night, Dr. Julia Hoffman wants to try to cure Barnabas of his vampirism.
The Firefly episode "Out of Gas" may be my favorite of the series. Zoe saves the day at the beginning and at the end of the episode. We see how the crew members first came to Serenity, revealing more of them than we've seen before. It's a great episode; here is Rhiannon's take.
Today I watched Ex-Lady, starring Bette Davis. Robert Osborne said it wasn't as bad as Bette remembered. I disagree. It's pretty bad. Once again, Bette doesn't have much to do--acting wise--her talent is wasted. It's not enough for me that Bette says she doesn't want babies or that she sleeps with her lover in the same bed. The movie is bad.
The White Queen: I watched the first episode twice, missing the opening scene both times. I read the book after picking it up a a library sale. I'm not a big fan of Philippa Gregory, but was curious. The White Queen is Elizabeth Woodville, the grandmother of Henry the VIII. The War of the Roses is the background for Henry VIII's obsession with an heir. Elizabeth's and Edward's romance is hard to believe. Things got more interesting when Elizabeth went to court.
The Last Laugh: I assume I selected this silent movie on a recommendation from riku, It depicts a man who has lost his job as a hotel doorman. It's a good portrait of how one's work becomes one's identity. The ending is unrealistic--apparently the result of studio demands for a happy ending. It's still a movie worth seeing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)