“I'm the king of the silent pictures. I'm hiding out till talkies blow over.”Mickey One (Arthur Penn, 1965)
Apr
8
Step Into The Spotlight Day
Mickey (Warren Beatty) bent over, holding a microphone with a bright spotlight aimed at him. DP: Ghislain Cloquet.
Warren Beatty plays Mickey, a #StandUpComedian who has it all, then gambles it all away. Well, that's the first 5 minutes of Arthur Penn's Mickey One. Beatty is out of his element, and the movie's still too indebted to the cheery 60s to carry that New American Cinema grit.
– Mickey One
Having said that, there are several great small surreal moments that are carried by uncredited character actors alone. And then there's a sole spotlight, stealing it all away.
crime
“This song of the Man and his Wife is of no place and every place; you might hear it anywhere, at any time.”Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (F.W. Murnau, 1927)
Mar
12
Academy Award For Best Picture
The Man and Wife kiss in the countryside. Suddenly, the backdrop changes to the hustle and bustle of the big city. Carts, both horse and engine driven, come to a halt for the lovers. DPs: Charles Rosher & Karl Struss.
Sunrise was bestowed the award for “Best Unique and Artistic Picture” on that first Oscar night. The first and last time that ever happened; in 1930, the price was scrapped and replaced by “Outstanding Picture” aka “Best Picture”. And that one went to the much more American-patriotic Wings (1927).
Also rightfully awarded in '29 were Janet Gaynor (Best Actress in a Leading Role), Charles Rosher and Karl Struss (Best #Cinematography), while Rochus Gliese was nominated for Best #ArtDirection.
– opening title card
Sunrise is a fantastic tour de force, and it winning that award should make you feel hopeful for the future of cinema. Instead, the current list of nominees and winners is, at least to me, a checklist of what to avoid for ever.
Desperate Living (1977)
March 1: someone pays a compliment on #WorldComplimentDay
Desperate Living (John Waters, 1977)
Peggy Gravel: Peggy is about to die from being shot up the ass by Mole. You're so low you make white trash look positively top drawer! Mole McHenry: Oh, blow it out your ass!
#Bales2023FilmChallenge #JohnWaters #LizRenay #MinkStole #SusanLowe #EdithMassey #crime #comedy #USA #1970s ★★★½
– All right, Billy. All right. You still haven't answered my question. What do you want to do? – Nothin'.Dirty Little Billy (Stan Dragoti, 1972)
Feb
25
National Billy Day
Michael J. Pollard as Billy the Kid. He looks rather unwashed. DP: Ralph Woolsey.
A mucky, nihilistic #punk adaptation of the Billy the Kid saga foreshadowing Alex Cox's Straight to Hell by 15 years.
American Dreams: Lost and Found (James Benning, 1984)
Feb
24
National Trading Card Day
A Hank Aaron trading card from director James Benning's personal collection. Below it a scrolling text quoting from Arthur Bremer's diary.
Le voleur de crimes [Crime Thief] (Nadine Trintignant, 1969)
Feb
20
National Handcuff Day
Jean Girod (Jean-Louis Trintignant) handcuffed in the back of a cell van. DP: Pierre Willemin.
“There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.”The Naked City [Homicide (Jules Dassin, 1948)
Feb
10
All The News That's Fit To Print Day
On a crowded subway train, a distraught young woman looks at the back of a newspaper. She may just have read the front, held up by someone offscreen. Headlines read YOUNG MODEL FOUND SLAIN IN BATHTUB. The prop newspaper uses too many typefaces at once. DP: William H. Daniels; still photographers: Bert Anderson & Arthur “Weegee” Fellig.
Filmed on location in New York City, with still photography by Arthur “Weegee” Fellig and others. Weegee was a press photographer known for his stark black-and-white crime scene #photography in the city's seedy underbelly.
– narrator
Shoot It Black, Shoot It Blue (Dennis McGuire, 1974)
Jan
29
Kansas Day
A white cop (Michael Moriarty) aims his gun at someone offscreen. DP: Bob Bailin.
“Fran.”De man die zijn haar kort liet knippen [The Man Who Had His Hair Cut Short] (André Delvaux, 1965)
Jan
12
freebie: Teacher Appreciation Day
Govert Miereveld (Senne Rouffaer) having his hair cut. DPs: Ghislain Cloquet & Roland Delcour.
A teacher, enthralled by one of his students, gets lost after she graduates.
– Govert Miereveld
Heavy and light, absurd and profane. An absolute recommendation.
