My Spooky Valentine

I watched The Talented Mr Ripley at a time when I had the biggest Gwyneth crush. I was probably 14. It was also about two years after I had visited Italy with my mother and aunt. My first time abroad. We went to Rome, Florence, Piza (for an hour) and Venice. Also, I'm gay and watching it for the second time some days ago I realized I have kind of been Mr Ripley for a period in my life.
So I guess this movie should mean more to me than it does (did, actually) but until the more recent viewing it just didn't have any special place in my heart. I barely even thought of it.
But after rewatching it I fell in love with it.  Not because of Italy, not because of Gwyneth and not because I felt connected to the story (though these things matter at least slightly) but because I thought it was a great movie. Well-made on every level. So glad I revisited it!

The reason I rewatched it was the Hit Me With Your Best Shot episode which has this movie as its subject.
I picked this particular image because I liked how subtly Ripley's crazy anger manifests itself here. Philip Seymour Hoffman's character keeps pressing harshly the piano keys despite Tom's suggestion to stop and it's like we're having an "Imma kill you some day" moment a la Birth's opera scene. It's kind of an inside joke between the movie and its audience.

A gondola named desire

This was the first time I watched Summertime. I didn't love it but it was perfectly fine and I was moved in the end.
The reason I watched it was that I wanted to participate in the Hit Me With Your Best Shot series once again.

There are many pretty images in the film and it wasn't easy for me to pick my favorite (for whatever reason I would pick it) so I chose one that I just liked in a special way.

In a way, it's stupid to choose an image that is too dark to show the beauty of Venice or Hepburn's beautifully expressive face but this one makes me think of high-school romance in Venice.

...or am I losing my mind?

Full disclosure: I liked the movie but not enough to see it again only for the purpose of choosing my favorite image so I just saw the first 10 minutes of it. I don't even recall the plot, but I think I remember what's important and that is that Joan is losing it in this movie.

I like this image because it seems as if the doctor is examining how well Joan is taking care of her nails.
Miss Crawford was an intimidating beauty and a true diva, less known for her acting skills (in comparison to Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis etc) and more for her looks and charisma. You would expect her to care about looking gorgeous in every single movie she appeared in, but in the case of Possessed she seems more eager to showcase her craft than anything else.

So, it's funny, to me, that this image, in a way, alludes to Crawford's polished appearance, when the movie cares about anything but that.

Tough Love

I can't, for the life of me, choose a favorite still from my favorite movie of all time but I managed to pick one that I really like even if it's low-key compared to others that I almost chose.

Here it is:



This is when Belle takes care of the Beast's wound. He got it while saving Belle from the wolfs. But she wouldn't have to face the wolfs if he hadn't scared her. But he wouldn't have scared her if she hadn't gone to the West Wing. Couples....

Belle takes care of the Beast's wound and though they're both still upset about what the one did to the other, things are getting a little softer and sweeter between the protagonists. The Beast proved he is not just a jerk but a jerk with potential for something better than that.

I bet other Disney princesses are jealous that they didn't inspire any dramatically positive changes on their husbands' personality. They didn't really have to but isn't it better when you do?

Who's bad?

Do you remember the last shot of Norman Bates where he has a smile on his face because he believes (actually, "she", the mother believes) he has found a way to fool everyone?

Well, that same look (though less creepy) is on Marion Crane's face when, while driving, she realizes that even if she is in a dangerous situation, she has managed to do what they didn't expect. She has taken the money and the poor people who thought they knew her are right where she left them, wondering how that thing could have happened.

We first see her worried but a moment later she lets herself feel proud because, for once, she acted like a clever, nasty girl and is pretty close to getting away with it. Well, let's leave it at that so that we won't rain on the poor girl's parade.













PS: Yes, I can post pictures of people who are not named "Leigh". I just don't want to ;)

I'm not. that. innocent

If we were to compare Blanche to an animal, a delicate kitten in need would seem quite right. And indeed, she tries to make clear she needs people to take care of her.
Thornton Wilder had told Williams that Blanche is too complex a character for the stage. Williams replied: "But Thornton... People are complex."

So, as fragile as Blanche may be, she's not only that. In this scene, she is reminded of the desire that forced her to leave Oriel in the form of a young boy. At first, she's not sure how to react because we're all a little slow when we have just woken up. But awake she now is and after a few moments we see this kitty transforming into a panther and employing all her tricks to capture the little deer, though she soon realises she can't really do much with it..him.

If Blanche were a recovering alcoholic who, in the beginning of the film is sober and trying to stay that way, this shot captures the moment she is presented with a glass of wine. Or, as she might say: The tarantula has just spotted a fly.