The Biggest Battle EVER

I know a few people who will LOVE this epic dramatization in Flash (also via the Morning News) of To Kill a Mockingbird with pirates, robots, light sabers, ninjas and oh so much more. ("How to Kill a Mockingbird") Special Note: The Final Countdown is on the soundtrack. Seriously.

Classic Movie Trailers

TCM has a fantastic archive of classic movie trailers (including The African Queen, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, The Philadelphia Story, and dozens more) here. (via The Morning News)

Glad I Found Neverland

While I could watch Johnny Depp doing just about anything (sleeping, reading the phone book, running around in Nick of Time, or delivering a solid performance in some absolutely craptastic drivel such as Secret Window or Chocolat), I'd rather watch him work his magic in a film that's equal to his incredible talent (Edward Scissorhands, Dead Man). The sentimental Finding Neverland is such a film. It tells the story of Peter Pan author JM Barrie and his relationship with a widow (played by Kate Winslet) and her four adorable moppets, who inspired the children's classic. I have to admit that the end was a bit melodramatic (yes, even for me), but Depp's sensitive portrayal of Barrie (and his Scottish accent) is sublime and his young costar is solemnly convincing as Peter Davies. In fact, Depp was so impressed with Freddie Highmore's performance that he requested he be cast as Charlie in next year's highly anticipated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Victorian Portraits

The National Portrait Gallery has two interesting exhibits on their calendar:

G.F. Watts: Portraits
Fame & Beauty in Victorian Society
(He painted many Victorian beauties, including Lillie Langtry whom I spent some time reading about a few years ago)

Victorian Women by Walery

Raymond Chandler

So I just this minute finished Chandler's The High Window and I thought I recognized a description of a murder/suicide from the novel as one I heard about from the docent at the Greystone mansion last year. After a quick google, I found the details on the actual event which occurred in 1929 at the Beverly Hills estate as well as an interesting examination of how and why Chandler used it in the novel.

Hey Hey! What's this I see? I thought this was a party. LET'S DANCE!

Bookslut has a list of books that were challenged this year, including Judy Blume's Deenie and John Stewart's America. Wait a minute: Didn't these people see Footloose?

Dangermouse, The Grey Video starring The Beatles and Jay Z

"You'll shoot your eye out"

An AFI jury will select the 100 Most Memorable Movie Quotes from a list of 400 nominees, including:

ROY BATTY
I've seen things you people wouldn't
believe. Attack ships on fire off the
shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams
glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser
gate. All those moments will be lost in
time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
BLADE RUNNER
Warner Bros., 1982

GLORIA WANDROUS (Elizabeth Taylor)
Mama, face it. I was the slut of all time.
BUTTERFIELD 8
MGM, 1960

WALSH
Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.
CHINATOWN
Paramount, 1974

Getting Girly

Starting tomorrow, the Cupcake blog will be serializing a chapter from Elizabeth Merrick's novel Girly. I can't wait! Here are the details.

Romancing the Tome

You can read Amy's review of Regency House Party Episode 2 here and my review of BBC's Great Expectations here.

From Russia with Love

After sitting through the disappointing sequel to Bridget Jones this weekend I had the overpowering urge to watch something completely different. I knew I could count on the Russians. Aleksei Balabanov's intense crime drama Brother (Brat, 1997) stars Sergei Bodrov Jr. as Danila a displaced young soldier who heads to St Petersburg after discharging from the army to find his mobster brother. Bodrov was a talented actor from Moscow who first caught my attention when he starred alongside Catherine Deneuve in the acclaimed East-West ('99). Sadly, he died in a glacier slide in 2002. (Apparently there is a sequel to Brother but Netflix doesn't have it, so I'll have to see if I can locate it.)

Update: Danila's character as a niave, Chechen vet who's capability for violence has been exploited by military service is quite relevant. See the story about this soldier.

The 80s

Remember "I Go Crazy" from Some Kind of Wonderful?

I Heart Lisa Simpson

"Wait a minute, there's no Cane in Citizen Kane!"
Lisa Simpson, "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner"

News

The Whitbread shortlist includes Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and Case Histories.

An ancient Roman cosmetic cream is found in a London excavation.

Remembering

Strange Meeting by Wilfrid Owen

The University of Virginia has posted verbatim transcriptions of the Salem Witch Trials. (via The Morning News)

Too bad we can't go back and redo Tuesday

Esquire Magazine calls the time-travel film Primer "..the headiest, most singular science-fiction movie since Kubrick made 2001." I don't know about that, but I can say that it's very entertaining. You can read a Q&A with writer, director, and star of the film on the official site.

While PBS's new reality show Regency House Party couldn't take away the pain of Tuesday's election results, at least it distracted me for a little while. Read my review of RHP: Episode 1 here.

The New York Times has a short story about Mary Queen of Scots by Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell author Suzanne Clarke. (via Maude Newton)

much too sad to blog today.