Favorite Movie Moments: The Mirror Crack'd

Just like the other film adaptations of Agatha Christie's works, The Mirror Crack'd has a star-studded cast. This time it includes Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Geraldine Chaplin, Edward Fox, and Angela Lansbury. A then-unknown Pierce Brosnan also makes an uncredited appearance. This 1980 crime/mystery/thriller was helmed by Guy Hamilton, a director best known for his James Bond films.

Despite being a murder mystery, the film is packed with hilarious one-liners like:

My (Criterion) Top 10 List

The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that publishes "the greatest films from around the world." (In DVD and Blu-ray formats.)

In other words, if a film gets a "Criterion treatment" then it must be great. Every month, Criterion asks "a friend — a filmmaker, a programmer, a writer, an actor, an artist — to select their ten favorite movies available from the Criterion Collection and jot down their thoughts about them."

I love their Top 10 Lists, which include lists by Steve Buscemi, Jane Campion, James Franco, Guy Maddin, Paul Schrader, etc. Criterion doesn't even know I exist so I made my own Top 10 List. I wrote it in alphabetical order, so I wouldn't have to go insane thinking which film is my most favorite.

#1
CHARADE

Stanley Donen




From Maurice Binder's glorious title sequence (accompanied by Henry Mancini's gorgeous music) to the clever denouement; everything about Charade is pure entertainment. And then there's Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, two of the classiest actors in the history of cinema. Hepburn's beauty is enchanting. Most critics call this film as "the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made."

My Favorite Cinematic Moms

Being a mother is one of the best things that can happen to a woman. And a mother's love is one of the best things that can happen to a person.

Every day should be Mother's Day, because a day is not enough to thank and celebrate the most wonderful woman in our life. If it weren't for our mothers, none of us would exist.

Cinema has been a very good medium in showcasing different shades of mothers; from Bambi's mom to Mommie Dearest. Below are some of my favorite movie moms.

Mary, The Passion of the Christ

Maia Morgenstern as Mary.

The Blessed Virgin Mary herself is the epitome of motherhood and genuine love.

Childhood Through a Child's Eyes

CRÍA CUERVOS
Carlos Saura, 1976

Most adults, especially the depressed ones, describe childhood as the happiest stage of their life. It is a time when innocence is in full bloom. A time when almost everything is a mystery to our then-innocent eyes. A time when stupid vanity does not exist. And a time when every day is an adventure.

I don't mean to sound cynical, but childhood is not always stress-free. For some it is perhaps the most uncertain period of their life. As children, we don't have enough capacity to decide for ourselves. Somebody else decides for us. Acclaimed Spanish director Carlos Saura described childhood as "a time of terrible indecision."

Women in Turmoil

They say that behind every man's success is a woman. And my favorite Beatle, John Lennon, once sang: "And woman I will try to express. My inner feelings and thankfulness. For showing me the meaning of success..."

Whether she's a mother, a sister, a wife, a lover, or a friend, a woman is truly an inspiration to a man. But what will happen if a man's inspiration suddenly finds herself battling her inner demon? Will the man still love her? (Just wondering.)

There are many depictions of women in turmoil; but few I found really outstanding. Here they are:



Ingrid Thulin, Cries and Whispers

Fave Movie Quotes: Opening Night

Age isn't interesting. Age is depressing.
Age is dull. Age doesn't have anything to do with anything.

- Myrtle Gordon

Devoid of Anger, Pure in Heart

CHILDREN OF HEAVEN
Majid Majidi, 1997

On the Set: Directors and Actresses

Romy Schneider and Andrzej Zulawski on the set of
L'important c'est d'aimer (1974)

I love being on the set of a film, even though the closest thing I can get to an acting experience was a supporting role in a very amateur film (a college project). Or that accidental job for an educational TV program (I was in third grade). Seeing how the actors and directors act behind the camera has always been fascinating for me. The candidness of these people might even be more interesting to watch than the film that they're making.

Was Zulawski possessed by Bergman?

It's quite possible that some of Ingmar Bergman's visceral yet outstanding works inspired Andrzej Zulawski's nerve-racking but impressive 1981 film, Possession. Here are my reasons why.

1. The monologue of two Annas. Zulawski's Anna talks about faith and chance, cancer, madness, and her dissolving love for her husband. Bergman's Anna discusses the man in her life, her relationship with that man, and a ghastly accident. They may not talk about the exact same thing but their monologues are somehow identical. These women invite us to look into their soul. Both also look at the camera as if they're talking to the audience.

Bergman film: The Passion of Anna (1969)

Left: Isabelle Adjani in Possession.

Right: Liv Ullmann in The Passion of Anna.

Silence is Golden

John Cassavetes once said that "silence means death." Cassavetes is one of the greatest filmmakers to ever walk the earth. He is also one of my favorites. (Shadows is a groundbreaking film.) But I have to disagree with him because silence is not necessarily synonymous with death. Most of the time, silence can be one's friend. It can give a person an adequate room for wisdom. We need silence in order to listen, not just hear.

I've always been fascinated with silent characters in talkies. There's usually an air of mystery attached to them. And I love mystery. They might deprive us of their voice, but they can sure leave an echo in our mind.

Here are some of my favorite silent characters. Characters that completely blew me away with their silence.

Elisabet Vogler, Persona

As Elisabet Vogler, Liv Ullmann effectively communicates with the audience through the gestures she's tremendously good at: facial expressions. Elisabet is an actress who just won't talk. Her silence attracts Alma, a nurse assigned to take care of her. For me (and probably for Alma), Elisabet's silence is both frustrating and haunting.