Coming Attractions

 I'm currently living with a sweet relative in the Twin Cities area.  I truly, madly, deeply miss New York City. We live in a downtown civic center with tall business business buildings and I'm a short walk away from a deluxe hotel and a gorgeous library. However -- this area has no Chinese restaurant hat delivers, no good Mexican or Italian restaurant, the coffee shops are closed on weekends and there is no nearby movie theater. Again -- I truly, madly, deeply miss New York City.

One thing I loved about going to the movies was seeing the trailers of coming attractions. Here are some I found online.

Woody Allen has received rave reviews for his new film which is subtitled and in French. It's a drama called COUP de CHANCE.

I've been a Randall Park fan ever since 2011 when I lived in San Francisco and noticed him in national TV commercials. He's just got the gift -- acting talent and charisma. I loved him as the dad on the ABC sitcom, FRESH OFF THE BOAT.  He's wonderful in the fabulous Netflix romantic comedy, ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE.  Randall Park now makes his directorial debut with SHORTCOMINGS, a story set in the Bay Area.

In the 70s and 80s, the newest Woody Allen film was always on the A-list of movies for New Yorkers to see. In the 90s, critics began to tire of the lack of minority representation in his films -- films that we set in the ethnically-diverse city of New York. With that in mind, compare Park's SHORTCOMINGS to Woody Allen's 2013 Oscar winner, BLUE JASMINE.  Cate Blanchett won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of the New York socialite who flees to San Francisco when her privileged life starts to fall apart. Many scenes were shot in San Francisco. Some were shot near where I lived. I interacted with and/or was around Asian-American people every single day in San Francisco. BUT -- in Woody Allen's BLUE JASMINE -- not one Asian-American actor is seen in a role that has at least 5 lines or more. Randall Park could've played the role done by Louis C.K. John Cho or Daniel Dae Kim would've been perfect for the role played by Peter Sarsgaard. Ken Jeong could've played Jasmine's San Francisco dentist.

Helen Mirren deservedly won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in THE QUEEN (2006). Mirren plays another strong woman of historical note who had the world's attention. She's Israeli Prime Minister Gold Meir in GOLDA.

It's out now and making a lot of money.  In fact, director/writer Greta Gerwig is the first female filmmaker whose film has grossed $1 billion globally. BARBIE, the comedy movie in the pink, has the iconic doll becoming human and experiencing an existential crisis.  Margot Robbie is getting Oscar buzz for her performance as Barbie and so is Ryan Gosling as the rather clueless Ken. If I lived near a cineplex, I would've seen it by now.  But I don't. For you -- here's a taste of Ken.

STRANGE WAY OF LIFE from that fabulous director, Pedro Almodovar, runs only 30 minutes. His short feature has been called an answer to BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal are the stars. It opens soon.

Have fun at the movies, 

Rita Hayworth Was More Than Just GILDA

 GILDA, the 1946 drama from Columbia Pictures, was surely the film that made Hollywood star, Rita Hayworth, an international screen legend. I have been in awe of Rita Hayworth's talent ever since I was a pre-teen growing up in Los Angeles. Acting-wise, Hayworth was never mentioned in the same category with Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn or Barbara Stanwyck. But, like Stanwyck, she could effortlessly go from comedy roles (in her case, musical comedy roles) to being a femme fatale in film noir thrillers such as Orson Welles' THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1947).

Welles had Hayworth dye her hir blonde for that role.

When I was a kid watching her old movies on television, this was back in the day before VHS tapes, DVD rentals, streaming and cable. I saw her movies on local stations. The night I saw her dance with Fred Astaire in YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH (1941) with an original score by Cole Porter, I felt like I was experiencing a joyful out-of-body experience.

Their 1942 musical comedy, YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER, also thrilled me. They introduced the Jerome Kern & Jonny Mercer song, "I'm Old-Fashioned." Nan Wynn sang for Rita.

With her famous red hair getting the Technicolor treatment in the 1944 musical, COVER GIRL, she was once again fabulous as she danced with Gene Kelly.

Then came the glove strip number to "Put the Blame on Mame" in GILDA, a noir love story. (Rita's singing voice was usually dubbed in her musicals. Anita Ellis did Rita's vocals in GILDA.)

In later years, Rita Hayworth showed her sensitive dramatic skills in MEET SADIE THOMPSON (1953), SEPARATE TABLES (1958) and the murder trial courtroom film, THE STORY ON PAGE ONE (1959). In that courtroom drama, she had scenes opposite famed acting teacher Sanford Meisner and was directed by Clifford Odets. I've long felt that Rita Hayworth deserves more appreciation for her acting. She was really quite good and versatile. 

I love Rita Hayworth's film work. I've mentioned it in my decades of entertainment reporter on radio and national TV -- work that started in the 1970s.  This week on Twitter, I tweeted that Hayworth may not have been in a league with Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn (acting-wise), but she was a good, sincere and talented actress -- as she displayed in GILDA. GILDA was airing on TCM at the time.

This post is for all those who are tweeting me the information that she was also a dancer.