Ladies and Gentlemen...

 

The Fabulous Stains

This gem came up on set yesterday, well technically at lunch in the park by Highline Stages. I was able to tell a few people who'd never heard of it before! It's always exciting to get to give someone a treat like this one. I can't tell you how much this movie rocks! It's Diane Lane's  near debut (there was some awful comedy "Six Pack" with Kenny Rogers. Well, maybe it's not awful if you're a kid watching it instead of in your mid20s). She is quite captivating and engages you in her badassery pretty fully. And I mean, the makeup and skunk hair DO help. It's such a perfect teen angst movie that I found myself wanting to steal someone else's songs and become a huge touring band. I DO already have the pink eyeshadow.

Laura Dern is also in it, but Lane really does make the whole film. Or maybe I'm just biased. There is something about her onscreen presence that makes it unsurprising she is still a working actress. Not long after The Stains, due in large part to her role in that movie actually, came:

The Outsiders

and 

Rumble Fish

These 2 Coppola movies are visceral and make you feel alive. In fact, whoever's reading this...hell all 6 of you, should make a teen badassery & angst/Diane Lane marathon of Ladies and Gentlemen The Fabulous Stains, The Outsiders, and Rumble Fish. It'll make your whole world.

Mary Marie

 

Mary Marie

I went to see a wonderful indie film co-written and co-starred by these 2 ladies. One of which is the Director, Alexandra Roxo, and a friend of mine.  It was the first time either had made a film, although both went to school for acting. It was a pleasure to watch and the characters occupy a place in one anothers' world that isn't easily described, which I like.

There are really good moments throughout the film and the locations chosen (luckily in the family of one of the writers) are well-used and full of rich layers. The color palette and wardrobe are key elements of any film as well and they too are expertly chosen. The Director of Photography, Migela Crosignani, was the one of the most experienced people on the team and she does not disappoint. It's beautifully shot, beautifully framed...a perfect complement to the storyline. She uses everything from spoons to truck side windows to frame her shots and utilizes every inch of the lovely rural location to present the story at its best.

The Dish and the Spoon

The Dish and the Spoon

My good and talented friend Mark Schwartzbard shot this Indie darling in Delaware and has recently been making the FF circuit. It's been well received and I'm so happy for him. He shot it on the 7D and did a wonderful job conveying the dreamlike, cold, transitional world the 2 main characters create for themselves. If you watch it, pay attention to the operating, which goes unnoticed in films a lot. Good operating should, I suppose, but pay attention to its fluidity and its pace. I think it probably has a lot to do with his Aaton HH handle he swears by for all his HH work. Oh, and that he's got good instincts too.