She Done Him Wrong

Mae West was one of those classic broads from the silver screen.           She Done Him Wrong, directed by Lowell Sherman was a top-grossing film in 1933.  Released by Paramount Pictures, it starred Mae West (as Lady Lou) and Cary Grant (as Capt. Cummings.)  In 1935, the Hays Office deemed the film too racy and would not allow it to be shown again until Paramount made the necessary edits.  Other films released that year?  King Kong, Duck Soup, and Baby Face.                                                                                      

She Done Him Wrong.  

Screenplay by: John Bright, Mae West, Harvey Thew

Notable quote from the film:

"I wasn't always rich.  No, there was a time when I didn't know where my next husband was coming from."

Now, doesn't that sound like something a Kardashian might say? 

©2013 by KLiedle

Proper Etiquette At The Globes

I missed watching the Golden Globes Live.  I was most looking forward to seeing the duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as co-hosts because I had this feeling they'd do a fantastic job.  How could they not?  Hadley Freeman of The Guardian wrote a stellar piece on the Fey/Poehler effect on the Golden Globes, calling it a "groundbreaking performance." Apparently, the two besties stayed true to themselves instead of morphing into the cardboard cut-outs of most hosts.  Awards shows can be genuinely funny?  Without forced laughter?  Who knew?

Since I didn't get to see the show in its entirety, I've had to catch up with the quips, the snarkiness, and the awkward moments on my own.  Luckily, between talks with friends, Youtube, and my own browsing on the internet in the name of research when I should be writing, I'm up to speed on the best moments of this year's Golden Globes. 

Case in point, the clip above.  Sure, everyone affiliated with the film was ecstatic that "Le Miz" won best picture (Comedy or Musical.)  However, what was Ms. Hathaway thinking?  No, you don't get more time to thank the people you may have forgotten in your acceptance speech from a prior award win.  Not only does it catch other people off-guard when you grab the mike out from under them (a la Kanye West) but it's just not cool.  Not to mention, it's particularly distracting to get cozy and overly affectionate with a composed, yet confused Amanda Seyfried while someone else is try to thank their people...without forgetting anyone.

Then, there's the domino effect.  He forgets, she forgets.  Someone's list is longer.  Another film has the maximum number of producers and they all want to make their thank yous.  Before you know it, we'll have nominees auctioning their leftover 'acceptance speech time' to each other via smart phones from the comfort of their seats.

©2013 by KLiedle

Lost On The Yellow Brick Road

I feel like a disgrace to my own industry.  I know it's officially Awards Season, but it's as though I'm lost on the yellow brick road.  The Golden Globe Awards came and went.  Oscar nominations were announced and I was only halfway interested.  I'm usually riveted to the screen come awards season, but this year... I hate to say it, but I just don't care all that much.

To be honest, I've had alot going on which precluded my ability to get to the movies much.  Due to that, I'm less informed about the Oscar-caliber films this season than I've ever been.  Of the nine films up for Best Picture this year, I've seen ONE of them... "Les Miserables," which I finally saw this past Sunday. Ironically, it was the reason why I missed watching the Golden Globe awards telecast. ( I can say that Anne Hathaway deserves everything coming her way for her exhausting and heartbreaking performance as Fantine in "Les Miserables.")

Despite my relative ignorance of sorts this year, I am excited to see films like "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Beasts Of The Southern Wild" getting recognition this year.  Both of those films have been on my buzz list for awhile; I just haven't gotten around to... well, seeing them.  I'm also intrigued by "Amour," a film written and directed by the Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke.  It's the type of small film about real life issues that rarely gets noticed, if it gets made at all.  "Amour" is about an elderly couple coming to terms with their changed lives when the wife suffers a stroke.  If not for award season buzz, I may never have become aware of it.  Now it's on my "must-see" list. "Amour" is up for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language film at this year's Oscars.  (It won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film.)

I'm also glad to see Lena Dunham getting award recognition for "Girls," her show about young Brooklynites struggling to find their way in the world.  (I can talk about this with clarity because I have Season One on DVD.)  It's nice to see Dunham get a warm embrace from the entertainment industry since many have given her the cold shoulder for "flaunting her body" and writing storylines that center on the sexual topics of young adulthood, the things no one wants to talk about.  The horror!  San Francisco Weekly called the show, "Startling, uncomfortable, and incredibly accurate."

"I was wondering about the stuff that gets up around the sides of condoms?" Hannah inquires...     Nothing's taboo in Dunham world.  Love her or hate her, she knows what she's doing.  No, it's not perfect, but it rings more true to life than most shows about the battlefields of post-collegiate life.

By this year's Oscar telecast, I hope to have seen a few more titles, but if not, I'll be plowing through my "must-see" list now that I have a little more free time. 

©2013 by KLiedle