Daddy Nostalgia (1990)

At the start of this heartwarming drama set in the French Riviera, Dirk Bogarde's character has just had a serious heart operation. His wife is worried about how he will fair after the surgery, and asks daughter Caroline (Jane Birkin) to come from Paris to help for awhile. In a private spat with her mother,  Caroline asks why she is always called upon instead of her sister whenever there is a family emergency. Her mother replies: "because she's in Quebec".

When Daddy comes home to recuperate, Caroline - a writer - ultimately grows closer to her father. And as the title suggests, this movie is very nostalgic, filled with flashbacks and memories of Caroline's childhood years and how she remembers her father.

It's an often-emotional film about an adult daughter and her ailing father, touching on issues dealing with life and death. It is a pleasure to watch Mr Bogarde perform in this, his final film. The film is dedicated to director Michael Powell, who passed away when the film was released.

This French-produced film is half in English and half in French; the actors - fluent in both - often switch from one language to the next. Available on DVD.

My New Autographs

Well last weekend was the annual Chiller expo in New Jersey, my first time there. Overall it was fun and I managed to get a few new autographs. Also in this post are a few other autographs from other recent shows I've been to.

Chiller Expo, Parsipanny New Jersey (Oct 29)

Dolores Hart



Mother Dolores Hart made a live appearance last weekend in New Jersey to help raise money for her monastery which is in need of renovation.  She is a warm and gentle woman and was so happy to meet and greet anyone who came up to her. I told her it was an honor to meet her and shook her hand.

There was a professional photographer taking photos of all the celebrities; the photos have been posted here at WireImage. Check them out for more pics. 

Martin Landau

 Mr. Landau looked very tired when it was my turn in line to meet him. He had just come back from a break and he had been taking very long breaks that day (as I was told) I really wanted to get my North by Northwest poster signed by him and he was very happy to do so, even though the experience felt a bit rushed. There really wasn't much time to talk. There were many people and the atmosphere was less than intimate.

I was able to take some photos of the table with all of the photos for sale

Below: Landau and a fan. At the next table to their left is a B actress named "Lisa Marie", and at the next table is Bruce Dern

Below, Chiller Expo 2011: This was the main "Pit" area in the hotel where all the big-name stars were situated. In the lower right you can see the actor from Goodfellas (in the film, he's the one who says to Joe Pesci to go back to his shinebox). Valerie Perrine was also there (at left) but I didn't get a chance to meet her. Hopefully next time!

Richard Kiel



Got Jaws' autograph! Nice fellow.

Carroll Spinney, Muppeteer ("Big Bird", "Oscar")

Got "Big Bird" Carrol Spinney to sign my Muppet Movie poster. 

Hollywood Collector's Show, Rosemont IL (October 2011)

Michael J. Pollard

He was a very nice man, but hard of hearing. A local movie theater was planning a special tribute to Bonnie And Clyde and he was going to attend and do a Q&A. Later I found out the event was cancelled due to lack of interest. 

Millie Perkins and Diane Baker from 1959's The Diary of Anne Frank

Millie Perkins was a very sweet woman. We talked for about 10 minutes about the Anne Frank movie, and some of her other films which I have not seen. She was so kind. She told me that she travels all over the world to screen the film and talk about it as well. She also played Elvis' mother in a TV movie and we talked about Graceland (we had both been there). I could tell that she really enjoyed talking to me. It's very rare for a  celebrity to be so friendly.

Diane Baker was sitting at a table next to Millie Perkins and I got her autograph too. 

James Darren



I had James Darren sign this photo for me from Gidget; it's my favorite film or TV with him in it. 

Henry Winkler, Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams



All three made a rare autograph appearance together last month. The Fonz was super nice and friendly, greeting everyone, standing up and walking around to meet fans in line, even. This is rare for a celebrity to do! But he did it! I was a bit nervous. Penny Marshall rarely makes appearances I'm told, so it was neat to get her autograph. She was signing and talking on her iPhone at the same time! Some people are just super busy, I guess. 

Chicago Comic Con (August 2011)

Christopher Lloyd



The line to meet Christopher Lloyd was huge. I think I was in line at least 2 hours. But it was fun and worth it. When you are with other fans it's fun. 

Louis Gossett, Jr.



Very nice man. It was great meeting him. I had read he had been going through some serious health complications in the last couple of years. Also I just picked up his new autobiography but haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Pam Grier 



She had a book she was promoting but I opted to have my Jackie Brown poster signed. She said to me, Thank you for supporting our industry.

80s flashback: Growing up with The Muppets

Like the character "Walter" in the new Muppets movie, I grew up loving the Muppets, Kermit and the gang. Also Sesame Street.  

Here are some photos with various Muppets toys from the late 1970s and early 1980s. (Sorry, this was "B.E.": before Elmo) Those of you who are my age will probably remember some of these toys.

Sesame Street blankets

Big Bird hat.  Me with Bert. 

Bert & Ernie shirt.  With Grover. 

Me with Kermit

Sesame Street playset

More Muppets

Bert & Ernie record album.  With Scooter and "Miss Piggy"

Muppet Show Colorforms and action figures

Muppet Shrinky Dinks! These were the weirdest, coolest things ever.
I took one photo of  my set, but it didn't come out too good....


Here is a better view of the Shrinky Dink set (courtesy of Muppet Wiki)

 

Muppets lunch box! And a Pac-Man hat. This was the 80s for sure. 

I had the "Sesame Street" lunchbox and used it in 1st Grade.
Then I used the cooler, "Muppets" one in 2nd Grade. 

Halloween costumes: The Count and Super Grover

Sesame Street Live! On Stage! These were the coolest shows. 

Greer Garson and Red Skelton Christmas sketch from 1965

Here are a couple of video clips with Greer Garson on a Red Skelton special.




And another special with Vincent Price and Imogene Coca.

Hooray! "The Artist" opens Friday in Chicago

After a lonnnnnnnnnnnggggg wait, The Artist is finally opening near me, in several Chicago theaters tomorrow. Roger Ebert has given it 4 out of 4 stars (read the review here) and I am once again excited again about seeing it. Stay tuned for a review right here from Motion Picture Gems in the coming week or so.

Obviously I'm really anxious to see this movie!

The Descendants, Young Adult, The Muppets (2011)

The Descendants

Very good film, but sad. Set in Hawaii. George Clooney's wife is comatose after a boating accident.

Clooney must explain to his two estranged daughters, one age 17 and the other age 10. They are mean and bratty at first, but they mature as their mom's condition deteriorates and they grow closer to their dad.

Clooney is good. The scene when he discovers that his wife was having an affair with another is heartbreaking.
Clooney knows how to make this character sympathetic and real.

Later in the film, Clooney and his cousins must settle a real estate deal with land given to them by their ancestors; they are the titular descendants. This is a serious movie, and explores how these characters deal with their greif and pain. The director Alexander Paine knows just when add a dose of humor. A very moving film filled with great regional music and great scenery throughout.  Co starring Robert Forster and Beau Bridges.

The Muppets was much better than I expected.  Very nostalgic, with references to 80s pop culture and songs, past Muppet movies, and the original Muppet Show TV series, which was filmed in London. I liked how they even got one of the original hosts of the show to have a cameo, Alan Arkin.  I give the writers (including Jason Segal) credit for bringing back the Muppets.

The movie's story centers around "the world's biggest Muppet fan"  Walter, and his desire to see the Muppets back together again. (My interpretation of this odd character is that Walter is supposed to represent any Muppet fan) According the story, the Muppets have all gone their separate ways---Scooter works for Google, Inc,....Sam The Eagle works for a network news show...etc.  Kermit and Miss Piggy still have their "on-again/off-again" relationship and it's amusing to see them together again. There are some very funny moments and the jokes are witty and fast paced, continually breaking the fourth wall.  According to some reports, the film was edited down considerably --- and it shows; some celebrity cameos go by too quick and are less-than inspired.  For example, rather than seeing just a 2-second glimpse of Mickey Rooney, it would have been neat to see him encourage Kermit to go "put on a show" or have some related dialogue.


Young Adult

Directed by Jason Reitman (Up In the Air, Juno, two movies that I liked). And written by Diablo Cody. With this writer-director team I felt this would be a very interesting movie, and it is. In a nutshell, Young Adult is a character study of an alcoholic, single thirtysomething writer (Charlize Theron) who finds inspiration for her young adult/teen novels from her own experiences. She lives alone with her cat in her big-city high rise apartment and watches reality television when she has writer's block. One day, an email from an old flame inspires her to return to her hometown and rekindle the relationship. Well, perhaps rekindle isn't the accurate term...she actually wants to steal him away from his wife and kid! She also manages to bump into several other people from her past and we learn more about her through these characters. For example, we learn midway through the film that she was the prom queen of the high school, and was once the most popular girl in school. Now, she's an outcast with unrealistic expectations about life and relationships. By the end of the film, she's ready to head back to the big city of Minneapolis to start all over again. There is no epilogue; we can only imagine what her life would be like, a good way to end this film, I think. 

More reviews of "The Artist"...

More reviews of The Artist from bloggers I like: 

Wide Screen World and Some Came Running

After reading these reviews, I think I'd probably feel the same (!!!). Has the hype worn off?? The thrill of "discovery" gone??! Don't think I could say I'm as excited as I once was about this film. Not sure if it's because of the LOOOOOONNGGGG WAIT to see it (not even sure when it will open near me). Or perhaps I've seen the trailer so many times....or maybe it's because I already feel like I've seen the Best Film of the Year (in my opinion). 

Deanna Durbin birthday remembrance

Today is Deanna Durbin's 90th birthday!

The singing superstar of the 30s and 40s was born Dec 4 1921.

There is a wonderful birthday series going on at the blog West End Dumplings:
Go to Part 1: From Winnipeg to Hollywood (1921 - 1936)
Go to Part 2: A smashing career (1936 - 1949)
Go to Part 3: Whatever happened to Winnepeg's Sweetheart?

Deanna's 26th Birthday in 1947 took place on the set of Up in Central Park.Co-star Albert Sharpe (right) looks on as Deanna blows out the candles on her carousel-shaped cake.

For more info on Deanna go to The Amazing Deanna Durbin