Perfect time of life...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

The movie Julia opens the film with a solitary woman on a boat as a voice narrates, talking about wanting to remember things. It's a curious start to a movie whose title character isn't the main character at all, but instead is the object of strong fascination, or memory, to the actual main character Lillian played by Jane Fonda. Vanessa Redgrave plays Julia, Lillian's best friend since childhood. With the film mostly relegated to Lillian's point of view, we only ever really see Julia through Lillian's remembrances and daydreams thus never really becoming a character in her own right and instead becoming a sort of mythic figure.

The moments recollected when they were young shows how much Lillian idolized her older friend while the ordeals Lillian imagined Julia to have suffered through later in life displays a heroic and brave figure. All of it could be true of course, but the writer Lillian would of course want to think best of her beloved friend. So to follow her lead, my best shot pick is that "perfect time of life" for Julia...

There are women who reach a perfect time of life...
when the face will never again be as good...
the body never as graceful or powerful.

Not only is it an objectively fierce shot of Redgrave, but it's probably the image that Lillian herself keeps of her friend in her mind even after years have passed and she's sitting on a boat and wanting to remember "what was there for me once." It's a bittersweet sentiment, but also quite affecting in the end.

I want to try everything...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

Zootopia is probably still my favorite film of 2016. And how could it not with its resonant timely message, fleshed-out leads with excellent chemistry, and staggering amount of world building.

There are so many great things about this film, but it's its world building I'd like to focus on because I sincerely believe one of the reasons this movie succeeds is the attention to detail the filmmakers had not just on the story and the characters, but the actual city of Zootopia itself. With 12 unique eco-systems and countless of species of mammals of all shapes and sizes living and working together within its city limits, the city of Zootopia would've been a real challenge for anyone to envision let alone actually show on screen. And the filmmakers did it in a matter of minutes (less than three in fact) in my favorite sequence of the movie set to the film's key song "Try Everything" by Gazelle (aka Shakira).

Judy's train ride into Zootopia, from her humble Bunnyburrow, was a genius way for the film to introduce this truly amazing metropolis not only to the main character, but to us. Judy essentially acts as the audience surrogate with her wide-eyed wonderment at the glittering city from a distance and then at all of the diverse and beautiful regions--Sahara Square, Tundratown, Rainforest District--and animals as she gets closer. And when she gets off the train, there's even more to see--hamsters using tubes to get around, hippos drying themselves after coming out of the water, giraffes getting drinks via air-tube system.

So I wish I can just cite the entire sequence as all of my favorite shots, but I know I had to pick just one. I ended up choosing a shot that captures a great moment.

Best Shot

It's when Judy passes through Rainforest District and it starts to rain and she looks up, clearly beaming at where she is at that very moment, soaking up the entire experience. That's pretty much how I felt watching the film and now all I want to do is watch it all over again. Plus I just love her super expressive face and the interplay of all the blue and greens with the rain in the background as the "camera" sweeps up. Just masterful animation work all around.

Bonus: My roommate picked her favorite shot as well! And it's giving me a lot of weird feelings regarding inter-species relationships!

And I am, after all, me...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

This week the movie was chosen by his readers and somehow the late 1980s hit Working Girl was chosen. And it was a hit, good for 11th highest grossing film of its year, adjusting for more than $130 million in today's currency. It was also nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Picture/Director and for three of its actresses. I'm merely pointing all of this out because how rare it is nowadays for a female-led film to make that much money and to garner awards. The hair and clothes aren't the only thing dated then I suppose.

The film, for those who haven't seen it, is about a secretary (Melanie Griffith), thinking her boss has stolen one of her ideas, who pretends to have her boss' job while her boss is waylaid with injury. The story beats are familiar, but I still found it overall quite entertaining bolstered by its leading lady who seems to work just as hard as her character Tess. Sigourney Weaver is a hoot as her devil-may-care boss and Harrison Ford is welcome eye candy especially amidst the garish style of the 80s.

My honorable mention pick for best shot includes all three of the main characters in a shot from towards the end of the film. It's at this point where the Big Reveal happens and I just love this shot of all of them prepping for the worse. Nichols does love to frame background people with foreground people doesn't he (think the iconic shot of The Graduate)?

And speaking of that famous scene in The Graduate, a similarly shot scene in this film became my pick for best shot. It's towards the beginning of the film with Tess working with her new boss for a few weeks now and realizing that the best way to move up in the world is to copy other successful people.

Best Shot

Just look at how identical their clothes are, white top and black skirt. Tess is clearly trying her best to imitate her boss here, a prelude to the main plot of the movie. Her legs in the foreground isn't for seduction like in The Graduate, but she's certainly seduced by the idea of her seemingly perfect boss and mentor. Weaver even compels her to "Watch me" and "Learn from me" soon after this increasing Tess' need to please her boss by becoming more like her. It's a fascinating interplay between the two characters nicely setting up the rest of the film.

Nobody will ever recognize me in these...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

I've never seen Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch A Thief starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. I was shocked at how slight the actual story of a former thief trying to find the thief that's impersonating him (and thus making his life difficult). But if the actual plot is less than expected, the visual elements of the film more than make up for it. The Academy Award-winning cinematography is breathtaking especially all of the aerial shots of the French Riviera coastline and countryside. The vibrant costumes by Edith Head and the sumptuous lighting throughout are also to be commended.

The latter especially gets highlighted in the best scene of the film with Kelly seducing Grant not with her great beauty, but by the massive diamond necklace she wears. It's a fun and sexy scene cast in gorgeous green lighting and the shot below was almost my pick for best shot for the above reasons.

But I had to pick one of the film's most random visual gag which is of Cary Grant wearing a plaid bathing suit nonchalantly lying on the beach while he hides from the police.

Best Shot

I guess if you're known for being a thief hiding in the shadows, the last thing people expect you'd do is relaxing on the beach half-naked out in the open. You do you, Cat.

Divine dancer...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

Today's film is One from the Heart, a musical from 1981 directed by Francis Ford Coppola. And let me tell you, it was hard to get through. Apparently Coppola insisted that the whole thing be shot on a sound stage to make it feel more artificial, which he might have seen as a good thing, but to me was just plain distracting. It didn't help that a lot of the music for this "musical" was mostly non-diegetic, which isn't bad by itself, but coupled with lighting that could only be described as experimental and the aforementioned fake sets, kept the film at arm's length from me throughout.

Of course, that isn't to say there weren't elements of the film I didn't like. The cross-cutting of certain scenes really highlighted the divide between the main couple. Teri Garr was also quite a magnetic presence and her chemistry with her two paramours were palpable especially with the hot Raul Julia. In fact, their scenes together were my favorites.

Best Shot

So it's not the biggest surprise that my pick for best shot is from their dance/tango sequence. It was one of the few "musical" moments in the film that I actually got into. There was a relaxed charm to their meeting leading up to this passionate and intense number. Truthfully, this shot could've been any shot of them dancing from this great scene. I picked this one specifically because of the great shapes their bodies make mid-motion. Presenting the two characters in silhouette added to the whole "affair" feel making it all that much more scandalous and sexy.

Your loving son, Trevor...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

As a gay cinephile, I probably should've already heard of the Academy Award-winning short film Trevor before this week. It's a sweet and touching movie about a boy on the cusp of puberty realizing he might be gay and dealing with the aftermath of everyone judging him for it. Apart from its pedigree, it was also the film the literally started The Trevor Project. Its filmmakers wanted to highlight an organization that would help LGBTQ youth going through the same problems as their main character and when they saw there wasn't such a group, they started one.

Now as I watched the film, there were certainly a lot of elements that spoke to my own experiences coming out--liking things that other boys usually don't, getting a crush on a handsome guy, planning one's own funeral, etc. That latter point shifts the film to a darker film. I mean, the film starts off with Trevor in various states of fake death, framed humorously, of course, but signals to the almost-tragedy towards the end. As expected, the whole suicide sequence was tough to watch and my pick for best shot happens at the beginning of that.

Here Trevor closes the blinds, his final preparation before taking all those pills. It's a damn sobering image and  works in so many ways. He's blocking out the outside world in the same way he feels it has outcast him. His light and joie de vivre has been darkened. Even the strings can be seen as ropes as if to hang himself with. And not to get too personal, but this specific image eerily recalls a previous dark experience of my own. So it was an easy and emotional pick for me this time around.

As a final aside, The Trevor Project is one of the best resource for LGBTQ youths who need help. If you find you need a helping hand, a kind ear, or just someone who can understand what you're going through, visit their website or call their lifeline.

Your usual discriminating kindness...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

Excuse the very short entry for this week's Best Shot as I just came back from a trip very much like the one Marlene Dietrich took in Morocco. Okay, maybe not much like her adventures in Morocco where she falls in love with a soldier and gets the attention of a rich fellow. Must be nice.

She strikes quite a figure though throughout the film especially in her opening song number decked out in tophat and tails and where my favorite shot comes from. She's just so sure of herself in this moment. Even with the rain of boos, she commands the screen, and the audience, with sheer confidence and presence.

All of it. It's all true...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

I want to begin by saying that I was never a big fan of Star Wars growing up. I knew of it obviously and my brother and friends were very much into it, but it was one of those big pop culture phenomena that I managed to avoid getting into for the most part. Even with renewed interest in the franchise in the early Aughts with the prequels, I remained largely unfazed by it all (the mixed reception of these didn't help). But I had to see Star Wars: Force Awakens on opening weekend, because it was the event movie of the year and I was intrigued to see what a fresh perspective J.J. Abrams and company would bring to this beloved franchise. And what they delivered was an enjoyable blockbuster with a lot of heart in no small part to the handful of new actors and characters that really made the film for me.

Of course I'm alluding to the great trio of John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac. Upon my re-watch of the Force Awakens, the only real thing I was able to articulate was how happy I was whenever one of their faces were on screen. The joy and wonder they brought to the film and their characters isn't something that one can really manufacture. Not to mention Adam Driver who had to delve into a whole different set of emotions, trickier in a lot of respects than the other three. His *important* scene with Harrison Ford's Han Solo is probably the best acted scene in the whole film.

So I had plenty of shots to choose from where the camera just lingers on the great faces of these characters like so...

But I ended up with this relatively simple shot as my Best Shot:

Best Shot

I picked this shot because of Boyega and Ridley's faces, but mostly for the moment. This is when Han Solo tells them both that the Force and the Jedi, all of it, is true. And then just this look of hope, wonderment, perhaps even a little fear fill their faces. It's the turning point of both of their lives which has already been severely upended very recently. It's the moment that they actually realize that they're finally a part of something bigger. Because sure they already had a mission for the Resistance, but this is something mythical becoming reality right in front of them. In a way maybe I had the same look when I saw Force Awakens, this pop-culture force made real in front of me. I finally got it.

Bonus: My roommate picked her favorite shot as well! It's a damn beauty.

Do not ever leave me...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

Even though I took French History in high school, I remember very little of it now and thus still got a bit lost while watching La Reine Margot, a period film by director Patrice Chéreau. The film, known in America as Queen Margot, takes place in the late 16th Century amidst the great unrest between the ruling Catholics and Protestant Huguenots. The film opens with the arranged wedding of the title character Margot, sister of the Catholic king, to the Huguenot King Henry of Navarre. Then what follows is a lot (a lot) of murders and sex (sometimes at the same time!).

It was hard for me to care for a lot of the characters in this film because its weight feels overpowering with its massive cast and the screenplay's unwillingness to hold its audience's hands through the numerous deaths and changing alliances. I don't necessarily begrudge the film for doing this, but just a observance as a first-time viewer. With that said, the film's other technical attributes were something to behold like its costumes, production values, and its painterly palette. Plus the main characters of Margot, Henry, and Margot's lover La Môle were the best fleshed out thus at least ensuring the film its emotional throughline.

The star-crossed affair between Margot and La Môle was the thing that left a lasting impact for me. Apart from the objective beauties of both actors (Isabelle Adjani and Vincent Perez), their whirlwind romance to me felt perfectly set amidst the inter-religious turmoil engulfing France and its citizens. And so my pick of best shot...

Best Shot

They've just finished making love and the last words she utters to him were "Do not ever leave me" and yet he must and he does. And so even though they got as close as two people ever could, they are also constantly apart from forces beyond their control. Thus this shot to me perfectly encapsulates it all--their messy and beautiful love affair amidst all the dark ugliness and unrest of the world. In that sense, it's a powerful image that lingers through to their inevitable tragic end.

That is the thing about the present...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

Short films are great. Because of their length, they have to be efficient in their story-telling and it's always a treat to see how certain filmmakers achieve this. In both True Skin and World of Tomorrow, the two short films we were asked to watch for today, the world building is key to getting the most of their narrative.

True Skin is just 6 minutes long and yet in its first 60 seconds, it's able to show the audience exactly the kind of world our main character find himself living. And that world is full of people who have chosen to augment themselves using cybernetic implants not only because it's the new trend, but more interestingly because those who don't do this find themselves seemingly discriminated against as my favorite shot shows us below.

The narration gives us all this information, but the film's visuals really makes it feel alive and this shot at the end of this intro sequence is both informative and chilling. And it's enough to give narrative weight to the predicament our protagonist finds himself in for the rest of the film.

World of Tomorrow is a longer film, but its world building is just as impressive especially since its world is largely abstract. It's a future where the internet has integrated itself with the outside world as an outernet that is represented by a series of lines and shapes. The best thing about this short film though isn't exactly its deceptively simple visuals, but its dark humor and great script. The film is elevated when there is an interplay of its distinct look and smart writing such as the sequence with the Boy in the Glass or the young girl counting the the shooting stars aka dead bodies falling into the atmosphere. Or like in my favorite shot...

I admit this scene doesn't showcase the film's signature dark humor, but look at how beautiful the scenery is, looking like some modern art piece. It's actually one of the more sobering moments in the film that leads to perhaps the best line: "That is the thing about the present, Emily Prime. You only appreciate it when it is the past." Indeed.

Flaccid, flaccid, flaaaaaaacid....

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

"What do I see? That's the question I'm most afraid of."

"I see me! Actress, woman, star and lover."

Death Becomes Her is a darkly comedic fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and stars Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn and the one and only Meryl Streep. Willis and Hawn are both good, but Streep is such a force, isn't she? We know she excels in dramatic roles, has a skill for accents, and is a wonderful singer/dancer to boot (as evident by her hilarious performance that opens up the film), but her comedic chops gets featured here to my absolute delight.

Streep is always such an expressive actor using her whole body and her face to convey just the appropriate emotion or message. In this film, she's asked to be vulnerable, mean, funny and so much more and she took to it all wonderfully. One of my favorite sequences highlighting her demonstrative gift happens early in the film as she reunites with her nemesis.

In the first shot, for example, you can almost feel how tense she is and her whole face and body language is giving us such a pitch perfect Miranda Priestly (14 years earlier). The second shot is even more telling especially when you think that right after it she immediately turns around and puts on the most fake smile and making it work. This was almost my pick for best shot, but that honor actually goes to Streep and her tongue.

Best Shot

Look at that silly shot. Now, what did I say about Streep being an expressive actor? This moment is in the midst of her big fight with her husband, calling him all sort of names including repeating the word "flaccid" more than a few times. She berates and taunts him and Streep is just so damn committed, tongue and all. It's a random moment in the film, but even here Streep doubles down. Perhaps the script said she sticks out her tongue right there, but I bet it didn't and it was just Streep being glorious herself.

So what do we see? Meryl Streep... actress, woman, star.

That is a lie...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

As late as this HMWYBS entry is, it's still not as late as my introduction to Akira Kurosawa which came just last year when I saw Rashomon just to check it off my bucket list. Unsurprisingly, I really liked it. So why didn't I immediately watch more of his films? I wished I knew, but thankfully with Throne of Blood I got to see my second Kurosawa film and well, it was great.

I knew the film was loosely based on Shakespeare's "Macbeth," but that really was all I knew about the film. Transposing the story to feudal Japan is both ridiculous and genius infusing this adaptation with a bold sense of identity. It's at this point I wish I knew more about a lot of things like Shakespeare's dramas, Japanese theater history, Kurosawa's cinematic style, etc. in order to delve more deeply into this beautiful film. Instead, I'll just focus on the one thing that stood out even to a Kurosawa neophyte like myself, his captivating and scary Lady Asaji Washizu, his Lady Macbeth.

The film for me didn't really begin until she makes her first appearance, a statue of a figure sowing doubts to her husband. Her stillness is what caught me off-guard as she simultaneously rages a storm within her husband and the film at large with just words. My pick of best shot though is the first time she moves...

Best Shot

She turns her head slowly, but surely towards her husband and with a deadly smile pretty much calls him a liar. It's such a small scene and yet so damn memorable, because the performance is just THAT good (and chilling). That really is the only time she moves at all during that whole sequence and yet by the end of that scene the audience knew she was a force to be reckoned with.

And now with two films I've really liked from him, I guess one question remains: Which Kurosawa film should I see next?

This place needs a man...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

I've never seen The Beguiled, but like Witness last week it's about a tough and handsome guy who is injured and taken into custody to heal in a strange environment. But whereas Harrison Ford catches the eye of just one woman, young Clint Eastwood in this film enchants about half a dozen or so of the fairer sex. Of course his charms are all in the service of surviving his precarious position of being wounded behind enemy lines. I'm not exactly sure if I liked the film, but it was definitely an viewing experience.

At the very least it gave me the chance to see a film with young Clint Eastwood and so I guess seeing him as the "hot guy" needed some getting used to. Despite his good looks and charms, the whole household being enamored with him stretched credibility, but I supposed that too was in service of what transpires to him in the end. And he *is* easy to look at and thus his face is my favorite shot.

Best Shot

He's sitting with Martha, the one in charge, and this is where she tells him that perhaps he would consider staying since they needed a man. I just love how his beautiful face is framed in darkness with some of it hidden as well much like his intentions and his past. Danger awaits.

Don't know much about history...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

One of the things I love about this blog series is that I'm given a chance to watch films which I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Mostly it's a rewarding experience though sometimes it's not. Thankfully Witness falls into the category of amazing discoveries especially as the film is also one of my blind spots. Not only did I assume this was just one of your run-of-the-mill crime thrillers, but I had no idea that Harrison Ford actually picked up his one and only Oscar nomination for this film.

Apart from giving us a chance to ogle at young Harrison Ford for nearly two hours, the film itself is superb. It *is* a crime thriller, but it's more heartfelt and intimate and could very well be categorized as a love story as well. A lot of this is due to the film's unique locale, setting most of the action in the beautiful Amish countryside among its quiet people as well as the searingly hot chemistry between Ford and Kelly McGillis.

A lot of my favorite moments in the film takes place between the two of them. Two great shots in particular highlight the film's intimacy via these two characters:

The first shot is McGillis taking care of Ford by bandaging his shot wound while the second shot is towards the end of the absolutely beautiful and touching sequence of them dancing in the barn. The second shot especially is crackling with sexual tension only to be broken up by her father thus leading to my pick for favorite shot...

Best Shot

It's not the most intimate of shots and yet it's clear something intimate was interrupted. Ford gets a lot of praise in this role, but McGillis is just as fantastic. Look at her face and stance here. While Ford, the tough city cop, seems to shrink from slight embarrassment, she stands firm with complete resolved evident in her face. I also love how the barn looks in the background lit mostly by the car's head and rear lights giving it a warm, ethereal feel. Who knew a crime thriller could provide me with such feelings and yet this one did.

So happy, Mr. Bradley...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

In celebration of Gregory Peck's centennial, we were asked to pick one of his two most popular films, To Kill a Mockingbird and Roman Holiday, to watch and pick a favorite shot from it. I decided to cater to the romantic in me and finally watch the latter film for the very first time. It was an excellent decision as I was transported to a time when smart romantic comedies were being made with the care and passion that director William Wyler and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo obviously had. The latter was blacklisted and had to remove his name while Wyler had to strongly convince the studios to shoot on location in Italy.

Peck, of course, is also wonderful in the film as the tall, dashing and handsome reporter, but it's the glittering debut of Audrey Hepburn as the wayward princess looking for an escape that makes the film an all-time classic. In fact, the shot of her looking in a mirror in front of the hair salon, reminiscent of her very iconic shot in Breakfast at Tiffany's, was a close pick of mine for my favorite shot since it also highlighted the film's overarching theme of having the freedom to follow one's desires.

But what really makes the film is not just Wyler's gorgeous black and white lensing or Trumbo's funny script or even the two leads' strong individual capabilities. What makes the film great is the chemistry among Peck, Hepburn and Eddie Albert (who played the amusing third wheel in most of the film). It enabled the audience to buy the quick camaraderie among themselves as they gallivant throughout Rome even with all the secrets and lies they were all juggling. This relationship-building between the characters paid off brilliantly with the final sequence when they all must meet each other formally for the first time as princess and reporter/photographer. This entire sequence is my pick for best shot.

The anticipation expertly builds as the camera largely stays still following the progress of the princess making her way down the front row of reporters. The audience is left imagining what will happen once she gets to the two men she spent most of the day with the day before. Will there be a big scene? Will there be drama? Of course there was none of that, just friendly, polite looks and smiles and a brief exchange of words before she had to move on. One of the most remarkable things about this whole scene to me is just how much was left unsaid among all three characters, but the audience could easily imagine what each  probably would've wanted to say to one other. If I *had* to pick *one* best shot, it might be the very end of the sequence as she's getting ready to turn and head back to the life she's always known. The subtle look of Hepburn hints at indecisiveness, but also new resolve. She had her memorable holiday and it's something she'll never forget.