A Retro Night Gallery

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 9, 2011

Categories | Rants & Raves, Alain Delon, Tura Satana, Vincent Price, SHAG

“Vincent Price”

One of my favorite working artists is SHAG (aka Josh Agle) and he’s created some wonderful retro style pieces inspired by various movies over the years. A lot of his best work takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to horror and sci-fi films so I thought I’d share some of my favorite SHAG pieces during the Countdown to Halloween. Please visit SHAG’s official site for more info about the artist and his work @ SHAG. I’ve also included links to a couple of other artists doing retro-style artwork inspired by horror films that should appeal to SHAG fans at the end of this post.

“The Hitcher”

“The Human Fly”

“The Cleric”

Top: “The Impatient One” & “Morbid Cat”
Middle: “The Object of My Dismay” & “Maiden Of The Moon”
Bottom: “Thirsty Like the Wolf” & “Sad Executioner”

“Watson and the Shark”

“Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!”

“Le Moineau”

If you like SHAG’s work I highly recommend visiting these other sites:
- Doo Wacka Doodles with artwork by Belle Dee.
- The Art of Stephanie Buscema with artwork by Stephanie Buscema.
Both artists are participating in the Countdown to Halloween. They’re also selling prints of their work & original art so don’t forget to take a look at their online shops!

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Film Locations: Kensal Green Cemetery

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 4, 2011

Categories | Rants & Raves, Horror, Vincent Price, Dennis Price, Film Locations

“Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode, The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road… My friends we will not go again or ape an ancient rage, Or stretch the folly of our youth to be the shame of age. But walk with clearer eyes and ears this path that wandereth, And see undrugged in evening light the Decent Inn of Death; For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen, Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.”
- From “The Rolling Road” by GK Chesterton

In December of 2000 I visited the UK for the first time with my husband, Andis. During our trip we were determined to see one of London’s spectacular old cemeteries and we decided to visit Kensal Green. We chose Kensal Green for three reasons:

1. It wasn’t as popular as the well known Highgate Cemetery so we assumed it would be empty of people & a great spot to take lots of photos.
2. It contained the remains of some of the most fascinating figures from the Romantic era such as writer and political radical Leigh Hunt, Lord Byron’s closest friend John Hobhouse as well as Byron’s wife Annabella Milbanke and Charles Babbage who was Byron’s daughter Ada’s companion and the inventor of the Analytical Engine. As well as painter John William Waterhouse and writer Wilkie Collins among others.
3. It has an ossuary.

On the day we were scheduled to go the sky turned a nasty shade of gray and spilled buckets of icy rain down on London. I was not going to let that stop me so I put on some industrial strength clothing, wore two jackets and grabbed the umbrella along with my 35mm camera before heading for the tube station. The trip to Kensal Green took about two hours because we got a little lost trying to find our way there (a common occurrence in London). As we reached the cemetery gates the sky began to clear a bit and the downpour stopped. What luck I thought! And then I took a good look around the cemetery…

Kensal Green is old. Very old. Almost 180 years old to be exact. And it’s suffering from serious decay and neglect. On the day we visited the grounds were saturated from the rain storms which had been hitting London on and off for weeks and you could see many graves that had been filled up with water now spilling their ancient muddy contents everywhere. The faint scent of rot and mildew filled the air. The necropolis was also vast and the grounds seemed to stretch out forever in the gloomy light. Realizing that we needed a little help, we headed to the small office to see if they were open and might be able to offer us some directions. Andis spoke to one of the helpful caretakers who offered us a copy of a crude hand drawn map and some important advice, “Stick to the roads and paths!” The area had grown dangerous over the years and the recent storms just added to the problems. She also mentioned that the catacombs were only open to the public on certain days of the year when special tours occurred. Unfortunately today was not one of those days so I wasn’t going to be able to see the ossuary, but I wasn’t going to let that get me down. There were plenty of incredible things to see on the cemetery grounds.

We heading in the direction of Leigh Hunt’s permanent resting place and began our exploration of Kensal Green. Signs such as “DANGER - COLLAPSING GRAVES AND STONEWORK” were everywhere but I decided to ignore them. I was determined to get some good photos no matter what the dangers might be. Besides the caretakers, we were virtually alone in the place but as we began to wander into dangerous areas we saw a haunting figure in black coming towards us. It turned out to be an old Scottish priest with a heavy accent carrying a large camera around his neck. He was a friendly man but he looked a bit lost and tired. He mentioned that he had been exploring Kensal Green for the past week and still hadn’t seen it all or found the graves that he was seeking. We discussed the dangers of roaming the place in the rain and wished each other luck before going our own way again. And as he waved goodbye he warned us once again to, “Stick to the roads and paths!” To say we weren’t a little disturbed by his words would be a lie. We were. But again, I was determined to get some good photos so I conveniently put his warnings, as well as the caretakers, out of my mind as I headed out into the soggy cemetery.

I started to move quickly because every ten minutes or so a few drops of rain would fall from the sky and I was sure we’d be caught in another downpour at any moment. Before long I was wandering off the roadways and paths while going my own way as I heard Andis saying behind me,”Be careful and watch where you’re walking!” Well, I wasn’t watching where I was walking. Soon I was dirty and mud soaked but I didn’t really take notice. I was too busy looking through the camera lens trying to get a good shot of the incredible scenery as well as trying to locate the graves I was especially interested in paying my respects to. As I made my way up a grassy saturated hillside I slipped. My foot went down deep and taking a good look around me I suddenly realized that I was knee deep in grave mud.

I couldn’t free my foot so I called to Andis for help but I couldn’t see him anywhere. Surrounding me were old damp graves erupting from the swell of water. The smell of ancient rot and mildew suddenly seemed stronger and I couldn’t seem to shake the voice of the priest warning us about the dangers in the area. As I struggled to pull my leg out of the thick muck I was struck by the fact that I was truly experiencing a scene straight out of one my favorite horror films. I expected a rotting zombie corpse to suddenly grab hold of my leg at any moment and pull me deeper into the ground as it gurgled out the word, “Brains!” I quickly came to the conclusion that zombies must had already gotten a hold of the priest, which is why we hadn’t seen him again or anyone else for the past few hours. I also suspected that the zombies had gotten Andis. A scream began to rise in my throat but at that moment my foot suddenly started to come loose and I heard Andis making his way towards me saying, “Move slowly, very slowly! You’re surrounded by collapsing graves!”

When Andis finally reached me he could see the look of panic on my face and knew exactly what was running through my mind. Thankfully I had come to my senses and we both burst out laughing and decided to continue our exploration of Kensal Green. I should mention here that I’m an independent person who often goes her own way without thinking things through properly and I think Andis might have gotten a small kick out of seeing me suffering the results of ignoring all the warning signs around me. But without one word of condemnation he helped me off the crumbling hillside.

We continued to explore the old cemetery for another hour or so but unfortunately we couldn’t find all the graves we were looking for and it was beginning to get dark. We both thought we had experienced enough horror film-like moments for the day so we decided to make our way back towards the main gates. Once there we realized we couldn’t possibly get back on the tube in the condition we were in. We were both covered in mud, dead leaves and the dust of a few ancient Londoners so we asked the caretaker if we could clean up in the office. She was surprised by our appearance so I had to confess that I had ventured off the path and had a minor accident. She seemed to get a laugh out of it (dumb Americans!) and pointed us to the bathroom. I spent 10 minutes in there trying to get cleaned up but I was still dirty when we finally left. I was rewarded for my exploits with a terrible cold which almost put me out of commission for the last two days of our trip and stuck with me for almost two weeks once we returned home to the states (I called it the “London Black Phlegm Flu” and it occasionally returns in the winter transforming me into a hacking beast and reminding me of my trip to Kensal Green). Would I do it again? You bet I would! It was one of the most memorable days of my UK trip and I wouldn’t change a thing. I also think I got some decent photos out of it all too.

When I returned home I discovered that Kensal Green had been used as a location for some great movies including two Richard Burton films, Look Back in Anger (1959) and Villain (1971) as well as two great horror films, Theater of Blood (1973) and Afraid of the Dark (1991). I’m particularly fond of Theater of Blood and I’ve written about the film before so I thought I’d share some of my photos of Kensal Green, which was used to great effect in the movie. They even re-created one of the cemetery’s most well-known tombs for the final resting place of Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price), which is visited by his daughter (Diana Rigg) in the film. It’s also the spot where my favorite scene in the movie takes place involving actor Dennis Price and a runaway carriage. If you enjoy pitch black horror comedies Theater of Blood is well worth a look. More of my thoughts on the film can be found here.

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Racist Images in Classic Films

by Kimberly Lindbergs | July 29, 2011

Categories | Rants & Raves, Movie Morlocks, TCM, Peter Lorre, Peter Sellers

A recent discussion on Twitter inspired me to ask a group of classic film lovers, fellow bloggers and Twitter users to contribute to a conversation at The Movie Morlocks about racist images in classic films. It’s a topic that’s too often swept under the rug or completely ignored by film fans and critics. It also coincides with the end of TCM’s annual look at Race and Hollywood and their month long event, Arab Images on Film. Participants included Sarah Dyer, Jason Gilmore, Farran Smith Nehme, Bob Turnbull and Sara Maria Vizcarrondo who all shared their own thoughts about this extremely sensitive topic. Please follow the link to read more.

- Racist Images in Classic Films: A Conversation @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Celebrating Father’s Day

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 16, 2011

Categories | Rants & Raves, Westerns, War, Musicals, Steve McQueen, Elliot Gould, Clint Eastwood, Movie Morlocks, TCM

Steve McQueen in THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)
Me and my dad (1972)

From my latest at the Movie Morlocks:

“I recently became an aunt again so I’ve been thinking a lot about family lately and with Father’s Day right around the corner I thought I’d share some thoughts about my own dad and how the movies we watched together helped make me the person I am today.”

- Life With Father @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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It’s That Time Again

by Kimberly Lindbergs | February 27, 2011

Categories | News, Rants & Raves, Actors, Oscars

It’s that time again - Oscar night is here! And for the third year in a row I’ll be “live tweeting” the show. If you want to follow along or join in the fun you can find me on Twitter here.

Update 2/28: I wanted to update this with some more thoughts about last nights Oscar show but I managed to erase my previous post. Que Sera, Sera! I will mention again that I’m especially happy that Colin Firth won Best Actor last night. He should have won last year for A Single Man but his performance as the stammering king was mighty impressive. He’s a terrific actor who has been delivering consistently great work in films for decades such as Another Country (1984), A Month in the Country (1987), Apartment Zero (1988), Trauma (2004), etc.

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A Decade of Fear

by Kimberly Lindbergs | December 20, 2010

Categories | Rants & Raves, Horror, Modern Mondays, Tadanobu Asano, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, David Cronenberg, Louis Garrel, Jim Jarmusch, Danny Boyle

It’s taken me a year but I’ve finally managed to compile a list of my Favorite Films of the Decade: 2000-2009 so I thought I’d share it. My introduction echoes some earlier thoughts about fear and cinema that I shared during Halloween and wanted to expand upon. Besides my alphabetical list of 50 Favorite Films of the Decade I also compiled a list of 10 Favorite Documentaries, 10 Favorite Animation Films and 15 Favorite Female & Male Performances. Naturally I haven’t seen every film produced between 2000 and 2009 so this list is limited to what I have seen and what made a lasting impression on me.

Letʼs just talk about fear. Fear, after all, is our real enemy. Fear is taking over our world. Fear is being used as a tool of manipulation in our society. Itʼs how politicians peddle policy and how Madison Avenue sells us things that we donʼt need. Think about it. Fear that weʼre going to be attacked, fear that there are communists lurking around every corner, fear that some little Caribbean country that doesnʼt believe in our way of life poses a threat to us. Fear that black culture may take over the world. Fear of Elvis Presleyʼs hips. Well, maybe that one is a real fear. Fear that our bad breath might ruin our friendships. Fear of growing old and being alone. Fear that weʼre useless and that no one cares what we have to say.
- Colin Firth in A Single Man; 2009

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself
—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address; 1933

The decade began with a bang heard around the world.

I’m always a little surprised when people write about how “shocked” they were by the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. 9/11 didn’t shock me at all but it did horrify and sadden me. As soon a George Bush Jr. was crowned President I was fully aware that we were in for a shit storm of epic proportions that was going to rain reign down hard on us all. What did surprise me was the way that Americans responded to the events that took place on September 11, 2001. At first there seemed to be a genuine sense of unity and compassion among friends, family and strangers. But unity soon turned to fear and compassion transformed into distrust. Fear seemed to spread like a cancer and it ate away at the very fabric of the country while hindering progress of any kind.

The “Naughts” as they’ve been labeled were years when fear seemed to replace reasonable debate and logical arguments. Fear became the weapon of choice for politicians and media outlets trying to sell ideas and products. We were told to fear our neighbors, fear our food, fear teachers, fear doctors, fear plane travel, fear France, fear new ideas and finally to fear ourselves. Whether we want to admit it or not, the terrorists did what they set out to do on 9/11. They terrorized Americans and turned many of us into skittish creatures that jump when we see our own shadow and mistrust the motivations of just about everyone we come into contact with.

During the naughts people over the age of 60 seemed to disappear from public viewing. They were rarely seen on American TV or in Hollywood films except as figures of ridicule and humor. Old age is the last stage before death and people wanted none of it. We ran away from old age and death as if our own demise was somehow avoidable. Plastic surgery became commonplace. What was once a luxury for the incredibly wealthy or a medical procedure for those with debilitating scars suddenly became a beauty option that everyone should consider. It didn’t seem to matter that plastic surgery made most people look like aliens from another planet just as long as it masked their real age. In other words, looking like something from another world was far better than looking like an elderly person here on planet earth.

While we attempted to avoid the inevitable onset of old age we naturally began to obsess over our appearance. Image became everything. The naughts was a decade obsessed with physical beauty but often completely devoid of intellectual curiosity. American’s apparent obesity epidemic got lots of news coverage while anorexia was glamorized or swept under the rug. We were encouraged to shun overweight people and embrace silicon boobs. And no news outlet wanted to cover the rising poverty and hunger occurring in America throughout the decade. Starving children are not easy to talk about or pleasant to look at and you can’t make jokes about them. Where’s the fun in calling malnutritioned kids lazy and stupid?

In this kind of environment the medical, diet and beauty industries thrived like never before while selling their snake oils in-between episodes of Extreme Makeover, Make Me a Super Model and The Biggest Loser. But it wasn’t just our bodies that needed fixing. Our minds were also in desperate need of a makeover and pharmaceutical companies fed on our fears. Having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning? Hate your job? Feeling trapped in an unhappy relationship? Got a bad case of the blues? Take a pill! Over-the-counter drug pushers made record profits in the naughts while praying on people’s depression during one of the countries most depressing decades. There seemed to be a pill made for everything and people bought what the drug companies were selling. Is it any wonder that legal drugs appear to be killing more people than illegal drugs these days?

School systems continued to crumble and the dumbing down of the nation not only became unavoidable, it was celebrated. Everyone became a critic. Everyone started to blog (yours truly included) or visited chat forums where they could express their opinions no matter how vile or ignorant. Whenever they were confronted by something that didn’t fit within their comfort zones they often lashed out with hostility. It quickly became apparent that there were a lot of angry and miserable people sitting at home behind their computers and they all seemed to want to point the finger at someone, something or anything but themselves.

Lots of documentary filmmakers also seemed to enjoy using fear as a tool to win attention and forgo good filmmaking. What they lacked in ideas and information they made up for in scare value. Did you know that gorging yourself daily on McDonalds’ food will make you ill and probably kill you? Were people really unaware of this simple fact before Super Size Me (2004) was released? I guess so because for some strange reason the movie was nominated for countless awards and endless imitators have followed Morgan Spurlock’s lead. Ignorance is killing us and fear sells.

But there was some benefit to all this fear peddling. After two decades of scant thrills and very little chills horror movies finally got scary again. Really scary. They also got really good. Thanks to the rising popularity of Asian horror movies in the late ’90s as well as a new wave of independent horror cinema the naughts began as a decade ripe with possibility and the horror genre blossomed. Hollywood may have kept its head in the clouds while it regurgitated tired scripts and remade classic films into easily forgotten entertainment, but outside of Hollywood and in other countries many filmmakers never let us forget that we were living in extremely scary times. Government sanctioned torture, suicide bombers, environmental disasters, serial killers, domestic violence, police brutality, sexual predators, date rape drugs, mental illness, increasing isolation, infectious disease. . . The list of terrors lurking around every corner grew endless and horror films gave us an unblinking look at them all.

I’ve appreciated the extremely graphic nature of horror films made during the last decade. Americans weren’t allowed to see the dead bodies of soldiers killed in an illegal war fought in our name but we could experience some catharsis through the movies we watched. I identified with the victims and sympathized with their plight because they were reflections of us all and our own fears. I also found myself occasionally stunned by the smart, scary and creative ways in which so many directors were able to infuse the tired genre with life. Violent, chaotic, bloody red and uninhibited life, but life nonetheless. Horror cinema was willing and able to tackle the very real terror that seemed to engulf the planet in the last decade and it also offered up the only constant critique of it. Directors around the world found inspiration in the horror films of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s that were often politically motivated and socially conscious. But like the horror films that came before them it will probably take another 10 or 20 years before these recent horror movies are fully understood and appreciated.

You’ll find that many of the films on my “Favorite films of the Decade” list are horror films made by talented directors like Danny Boyle and Brad Anderson as well as Gaspar Noe, Béla Tarr, Gus Van Sant and Claire Danes. Now I know what you’re thinking. Horror Films?! Most of those directors make art films, not horror film! But my response to that is bullshit poppycock. Film is an evolving art form still in it’s infancy. Thinly defined genres are always changing and assumed boundaries should constantly be re-imagined and tossed aside. If you lack the imagination to see films like Irreversible, Werckmeister Harmonies, Elephant and Trouble Every Day as horror films it’s your loss. Not mine. I embrace these films because of their darker nature and their ability to explore and unmask our fears. So to the horror films of the last decade, I salute you! I’m extremely thankful for all the directors that made my favorite film genre interesting and exciting again.

I’d like to write more in-depth about all of these films in the future and expand on the ways in which horror cinema challenged us and entertained us during the last decade, but that could easily turn into a book length article. I did link to a few articles I previously wrote for some films in 2009 during my “Modern Monday” updates.

50 51 Favorite Films: 2000-2009
Title/Director/Year/Country or Main Countries of Origin
1. 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle; 2002) UK
2. American Psycho (Mary Harron; 2000) US
3. The Bank Job (Roger Donaldson; 2008) UK
4. Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku; 2000) Japan
5. Before the Fall (F. Javier Gutiérrez; 2008) Spain
6. Bright Future (Kiyoshi Kurosawa; 2003) Japan
7. Bright Star (Jane Campion; 2009) Australia/UK
8. Calvaire (Fabrice Du Welz; 2004) Belgium/France
9. Capote (Bennett Miller; 2005) US
10. Cecil B. DeMented (John Waters; 2000) US
11. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves; 2008) US
12. Control (Anton Corbijn; 2007) UK
13. Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier; 2000) Denmark
14. The Devil’s Backbone (Guillermo del Toro; 2001) Spain
15. The Dreamers (Bernardo Bertolucci; 2003) Italy
16. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry; 2004) US
17. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff; 2001) US
18. Ginger Snaps (John Fawcett; 2000) Canada
19. Gus Van Sant’s Death Trilogy (Gerry, Elephant, Last Days; 2002-2005) US
20. High Tension (Alexandre Aja; 2003) France
21. Hunger (Steve McQueen; 2008) UK
22. I’m Not Scared (Gabriele Salvatores; 2003) Italy
23. Ichi the Killer (Takeshi Miike; 2001) Japan
24. Innocence (Lucile Hadzihalilovic; 2004) France
25. Irreversible (Gaspar Noé; 2002) France
26. Last Life in the Universe (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang; 2003) Thailand/Japan
27. Left Bank (Pieter Van Hees; 2008) Belgium
28. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson; 2008) Sweden
29. Limits of Control (Jim Jarmusch; 2009) US
30. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola; 2003) US
31. Love Songs (Christophe Honoré; 2007) France
32. Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay; 2002) UK
33. Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch; 2001) US
34. No Country For Old Men (Ethan & Joel Coen; 2007) US
35. Oldboy (Chan-wook Park; 2003) Korea
36. OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (Michel Hazanavicius; 2006) France
37. The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke; 2002) Germany/France
38. The Proposition (John Hillcoat; 2005) Australia
39. The Quiet American (Phillip Noyce; 2001) Australia/US
40. [Rec] (Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza; 2007) Spain
41. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky; 2000) US
42. A Single Man (Tom Ford; 2009) US
43. Session 9 (Brad Anderson; 2001) US
44. Shadow of the Vampire (E. Elias Merhige; 2000) US
44. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright; 2004) UK
45. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson; 2007) US
46. This Is England (Shane Meadows; 2007) UK
47. Trouble Every Day (Claire Denis; 2001) France
48. Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr; 2000) Hungry
49. Wonder Boys (Curtis Hanson; 2000) US
50. Zodiac (David Fincher; 2007) US

Honorable mentions: Sunshine (Danny Boyle; 2007), The Prestige (Christopher Nolan; 2006), In Paris (Christophe Honoré ; 2006), Antichrist (Lars von Trier; 2009), Summer Hours (Olivier Assayas.; 2008), Hostel Part: II (2007), Suicide Club (Shion Sono; 2001), Vinyan (Fabrice Du Welz; 2008), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (Ken Loach; 2006) and Puffball (Nicolas Roeg; 2007).

10 Favorite Documentaries: 2000-2009
Title/Director/Year/Country or Main Countries of Origin
1. 51 Birch Street (Doug Block; 2005) US
2. Capturing the Friedmans (Andrew Jarecki; 1003) US
3. Children Underground (Edet Belzberg; 2001) Us/Romania
4. Chris & Don: A Love Story (Guido Santi and Tina Mascara; 2007) US
5. Crazy Love (Dan Klores and Fisher Stevens; 2007) US
6. The Fog of War (Errol Morris; 2003) US
7. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog; 2005) German/US
8. Gumby Dharma (Robina Marchesi; 2006) US
9. In the Realms of the Unreal (Jessica Yu; 2004) US
10. Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis (Mary Jordan; 2006) US

10 Favorite Animation Films: 2000-2009
Title/Director/Year/Country or Main Countries of Origin
1. Blood: The Last Vampire (Hiroyuki Kitakubo; 2000) Japan
2. Chicken Run (Nick Park; 2000) UK
3. Metropolis (Rintaro; 2001) Japan
4. The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002; Craig McCracken) US
5. Ratatouille (Brad Bird; 2007) US
6. Samurai Champloo series (Shinichirō Watanabe; 2004-2005)
7. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki; 2001) Japan
8. The Triplets of Belleville (Sylvain Chomet; 2003) France
9. Vampire Hunter D (Yoshiaki Kawajiri; 2001) Japan
10. Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman; 2008) Israel

16 Favorite Female Performances: 2000-2009
1. Asia Argento (The Last Mistress)
2. Maria Bello (History of Violence)
3. Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream)
4. Abbie Cornish (Bright Star)
5. Béatrice Dalle (Trouble Every Day)
6. Julie Deply (Before Sunset)
7. Cécile De France (High Tension)
8. Eva Green (The Dreamers)
9. Naomie Harris (28 Days Later)
10. Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Teacher)
11. Katharine Isabelle & Emily Perkins tie (Ginger Snaps)
12. Nicole Kidman (Birth)
13. Eline Kuppens (Left Bank)
14. Julianne Moore (Blindness)
15. Samantha Morton (Morven Callar)
16. Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

16 Favorite Male Performances: 2000-2009
1. Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer)
2. Christian Bale (American Psycho)
3. Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men)
4. Min-sik Choi (Oldboy)
5. Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
6. Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road)
7. Michael Douglas & Robert Downey Jr. tie (Wonder Boys)
8. Michael Fassbender (Hunger & Fish Tank - tie)
9. Colin Firth (A Single Man)
10. Louis Garrel (Love Songs)
11. Stephen Graham (This Is England)
12. Viggo Mortensen (History of Violence)
13. Bill Murray (Lost In Translation)
14. Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later)
15. Sam Riley (Control)
16. Jason Statham (The Bank Job)

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Elvira’s Not A Witch

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 19, 2010

Categories | News, Rants & Raves, Actresses, Bewitching Movies

’80s horror icon Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (aka Cassandra Peterson) is back on TV again. She’s hosting a new version of her syndicated show Elvira’s Movie Macabre that airs on Saturday nights. I’ve only caught one episode so far but some of the movies she’s shown in the last few weeks include The Giant Gila Monster (1959) and The Terror (1963). In the early ’80s I was introduced to some great horror movies thanks to Elvira’s original Movie Macabre show.

Today Elvira released a very funny ad for her new show that I just couldn’t resist sharing. In this timely TV spot Elvira pokes a little fun at the conservative politician Christine “I’m Not A Witch” O’Donnell. I don’t know about you, but I’d personally like to see Elvira run for office. The current political climate in America is just plain nasty. We could use some politicians with a sense of humor who could take on the nut jobs running for public office with a wink and a smile. Not to mention her other assets…

If you’d like to find out when Elvira’s Movie Macbare will be playing in your area just visit The Official Elvira Website.

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35 Years of The Rocky Horror Picture Show

by Kimberly Lindbergs | September 28, 2010

Categories | News, Rants & Raves, Musicals

Whatever happened to Fay Wray?
That delicate satin draped frame.
As it clung to her thigh, how I started to cry
‘Cause I wanted to be dressed just the same.
Give yourself over to absolute pleasure.
Swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh.
Erotic nightmares beyond any measure.
And sensual daydreams to treasure forever.
Can’t you just see it? Whoa ho ho!
Don’t dream it, be it.
Don’t dream it, be it.
- Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975)

Edward Copeland recently celebrated the 35th Anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show over at his film blog. As part of the celebration he asked his fellow bloggers to contribute their own memories and thoughts about the film. I couldn’t resist participating myself and you can find some of my own thoughts about the movie posted there as well as contributions from Matt Zoller Seitz, Ivan G. Shreve, Jr., Joe Baltake, etc.

- I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey

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Oscar 2010

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 6, 2010

Categories | News, Rants & Raves, Oscars, Michael Fassbender

Oscar night will soon be here and just like last year I plan on “Tweeting Live” during the show. If you want read my off-the cuff remarks during the Academy Awards you can follow my Oscar commentary on Twitter or read my Twitter updates as they appear here on my blog under “Twitter Updates.”

There are only a couple of awards that I’m really excited about this year. Out of the movies that I’ve seen that are nominated for Best Picture I think that A Serious Man is probably the best of the bunch but I’ll be rooting for Inglourious Basterds to win for one simple reason; I hope that the cast will be allowed on stage and I’ll get a good view of Michael Fassbender in a tux. I realize that’s a rather silly reason for wanting Inglourious Basterds to win Best Picture but I don’t watch the Oscars for much more than fun and pleasure. Seeing Michael Fassbender dressed to the nines will probably be the best moment of the Academy Awards as far as I’m concerned.

I’d also like to see Colin Firth or Jeff Bridges take home the Best Actor award. I’ve liked both actors for a long time and neither of them has won an Oscar before. I haven’t seen either of the films they appeared in but I really want to see A Single Man since the clips that I’ve seen look terrific. I also really like Christopher Plummer so I’ll be rooting for him to win Best Supporting Actor even though the odds are not in his favor. Christoph Waltz will probably take home the award for his role in Inglourious Basterds and I thought he was really good in the film so I can’t complain if he wins. I would especially like to see the Oscar for Costume Design go to Janet Patterson for Bright Star. I think it’s a shame that Bright Star didn’t get more nominations since I would have liked to have seen Jane Campion nominated for Best Director but it would be nice if the film took home one award.

And finally, if you’re throwing an Oscar party or just plan to enjoy a nice evening at home with family and need some last minute party tips or snack suggestions check out my latest update at Mid-Century Living. You’ll find links to lots of helpful sites that offer fun ideas for Oscar parties including cocktails and hors d’oeuvre recipes.

On with the show!

March 8th Update: As is often the case, I thought last night’s Oscar show was dull and predictable but I watched, had fun “Tweeting Live” and hoped for the best. The two hosts never really made me laugh. Sadly, even the montages were poorly executed. I didn’t hear any drunken speeches but I did see lots of bad dancing. The only Basterds in attendance were Oscar winner Christoph Waltz along with Eli Roth and Melanie Laurent. Apparently Michael Fassbender’s seat was given to Miley Cyrus. Even the red carpet parade was unrewarding. The fashion? Very ’80s! Lots of bright colors and ruffles. Maybe that was in support of the John Hughes’ tribute? Jack Cardiff, Jennifer Jones and Karl Malden died in 2009 but they make time for a John Hughes’ tribute? I just don’t get it. At least they let Roger Corman and Lauren Bacall attend even though they didn’t receive their Oscars on stage. Two awful things from last year were repeated. Someone sang over the memorial tribute (this time it was James Taylor - last year it was Queen Latifah) and before the best actor and actress’ awards were handed out there were some awkward speeches made by their costars. At least last year the awkward speeches were made by acting legends that I cared about even if they had nothing to do with the film. I’m not a Kathryn Bigelow fan (she’s made one movie I like - Near Dark) and I wasn’t overly impressed with The Hurt Locker but it was nice to see a woman finally receive the Best Director award. Highlights of the evening for me? Seeing Barbara Streisand deliver the Best Directer award to Bigelow and Jeff Bridges’ Best Actor win. Funniest moment? The bit between Robert Downey Jr. & Tina Fey before they handed out the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. Best dressed guy in the audience? Colin Firth.

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