Maggie Smith in her Oscar-winning role of an Oscar-losing actress. The sole bright spot in an otherwise dismal movie (“California Suite,” 1978, dir Herbert Ross).
Archive for October, 2008
There Is No Hope For You
October 17, 2008
. . . if you get this clip. It is brilliant in a demented sort of way.
Allons!
October 11, 2008
Imagine being in a theater in 1942 or 1943, the darkest years of the war, and seeing this scene. Note Ilsa’s face (the luminous Ingrid Bergman) and how it reflects the bottomless faith she has in her husband — she knows she is not good enough to deserve Victor (the underrated Paul Henreid). In this masterful scene, we see each major character perfectly encapsulated: Rick (Bogart, of course) taking sides for the first time, Capt Renault (the inestimable Claude Rains) coolly surveying the action, and Major Strasser (Conrad Veidt) as the über-arrogant German. From “Casablanca” (1943, dir Michael Curtiz).
Why Alec Baldwin Won An Emmy
October 7, 2008
Pure, if not so simple. A bravura piece of acting from “30 Rock.”
