Who knew?

I was doing some basic (oh, alright, slightly odd) research using my best friend Google, and came across this somewhat disturbing ad.



So, how much do you think they go for? ;)

My Man Hitch

Earlier this evening my parents, sister, brother-in-law, friend and I attended a show at the Mystery Cafe. It was "South by Southeast," and (as you can probably guess) it blended the highlights of Hitchcock into one production. It was pretty dandy, and it inspired me to create this list of my 5 favorite Hitchcock movies. So, drum roll please and let's begin.


5) Notorious. Terrifically engrossing thriller with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. This accomplishes what Hitchcock's Suspicion did not. Cary's character is more fully developed than the earlier film, which was wonderful. It's lovely in black and white, and seems a more serious movie than ma y of his others, if that makes sense.




4) Rear Window. Yeah, okay, really this ties for third, but there's no mercy in blogs. Or so I'm told. Anyhoo, this one's grand. A really cool, somewhat claustrophobic movie, you know? Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart do wonderfully, and Thelma Ritter (she was in everything!) is great as the caretaker. My only problem was that the climax didn't last too long, but it was nevertheless grand.





3) Frenzy. One of his most graphic movies made a bit after Psycho, Frenzy would be Hitchcock's second-to-last movie. I actually prefer it to Psycho, probably because the ending of this one wasn't ruined for me. Two enthusiastic thumbs up. ;)



2) Dial M for Murder. My favorite ever Grace Kelly film. The color is lovely, and the atmosphere is heavy. After just having seen The Major and the Minor, I was definitely not expecting Ray Milland's character to be so....well, you know, nasty and all. Pretty great viewing.




1) The Lady Vanishes. Ah, it's marvelous. It's much (much!) lighter than his later movies, but this one's my favorite by far. It's the movie that made me a fan of both Michael Redgrave and Margaret Lockwood. The ending is a bit silly today, but I still adore it.

Photo of the Day

So I've always been wild about this picture....the first I saw it was inside a book my sister had gotten me for my tenth birthday. Women in Film. This one immediately caught my eye (along with one of Babs as Yentl, but that's a different story...). So, here 'tis...the wonderful Ida Lupino. It took me a while to see a movie that actually starred Ms. Lupino (They Drive by Night, with Bogie-- mahvelous). In the beginning, I stuck to ones she'd directed. The Hitchhiker, The Bigamist, and (rather light compared to the other two) The Trouble with Angels. Anyway, she's pretty cool. And this is a grand picture, no?

Quotes, etc.

"Everywhere I go, I'm asked if I think the universities stifle writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher. "

Seriously, someone needs to make a good movie version of Wise Blood. John Huston's was fine, but not good, good. Y'dig?

Flannery O'Connor, keeping a stiff upper lip in spite of not being chosen as Hat of the Day.

When I walked outside today, I noticed the air smelled like, and this is weird...Frito Lay products. Not any one product specifically...just, y'know, in general. There's not like a gaseous poison that's scented like Fritos, is there? Or maybe don't tell me.

Found a survey online. I know, I know...how trite. Of course a blog would include a survey, huh? Yeah okay. I liked this one, so here goes.

I used to

[make those simple friendship bracelets from embroidery floss]

[confuse Greer Garson with Germaine Greer]

[try harder]

I remember

[Fourth of July parties in Princeton]

[the blue dress I wore to my kindergarten graduation]

[going to my neighbor's karate demonstration]

My first

[job was putting rubber bands around newspapers for my brother's route]

[book was "Come On Up," about a cat]

[bicycle was a purple Huffy]

I wonder

[where in the world Renee Russo's gone]

[why people use the word "lover" when it sounds so ucchy]

[what time exactly middle-aged men start thinking comb-overs might solve their problems]

I like

[watching extras overact in movies]

[big pockets in jeans]

[the sound duct tape makes when you tear some off]

I dislike

[put-on Southern accents]

[seeing the minute change on digital clocks]

[the thought of spontaneous combustion]

I'm guilty of

[flaking out]

[backseat driving]

[staring too much]

I hate to

[wait for people who said they'd absolutely be on time]

[see babies cry and watch as no one does anything about it]

[attend to details]

I love to

[keep music playing whenever I'm home]

[cut other people's hair]

[doodle]

There now. That wasn't so bad, eh? Quick and painless, like a band-aid. Only I never trusted people who said that. It still hurts for a second.

Now that's through, on to the hat of the day. Oh swell. Well, it's not Flannery, though that one looked darling. Nope, it's everyone's 25th favorite star, Ava Gardner.

Honorable mention to this one. Psst...no one tell her it's actually a tortilla.

Musings, vol. I

Just some jumbled thoughts coupled with pictures I found interesting. I apologize in advance for using personal pronouns entirely too much and for being a dreadful bore in general.

It's terribly windy out tonight. Wind always makes me feel as if I'm going out of my mind. Coupled with the word-amnesia (shucks-- there’s a word for that but I can never remember what...oh, the irony) and recent insomnia makes for one tired and cluttered Juliette.

Grace Kelly, on set of something...The Country Girl?

Oh, I forgot to tell you about the brilliant idea I had. Actually, I suppose I forgot to tell myself. Last night at, oh, I’d say six or so (that’s a.m., dear), I awoke with a marvelous idea. I was going to write it down, when suddenly my subconscious (curse it forever) told my conscious self that I had already done so. My conscious self doubted this for a bit, then finally relented and went to sleep. Which turned out poorly, as now I’m unable to recall even a bit of it. So I beg of you subconscious-- if you know the whereabouts of this idea...by all means, let me know.

Hitch and actress Anny Ondra

Emma Brockes can be quite the little philosopher when she puts her mind to it...

“The difference between an interest and a passion is that an interest works on you from the outside in, whereas a passion works the other way around-- from the inside out. This is why people see their passions reflected in every surface, every circumstance.”

Lovely little quote, huh? I thought so.


Golly I hope this game still exists...

I’ve never much liked DVD commentaries by the director. It seems redundant. Isn’t the film supposed to be their commentary-- their statement on or about a situation? Some commentaries are enjoyable, though. Liza’s on The Band Wagon, for instance. That one was swell, but then again perhaps I’m biased. A little. A lot.

All day long I’ve had “In My Merry Oldsmobile” stuck in my head. Not that I mind.

Greta Garbo posing with the USC track team in 1926.

I think I shall begin writing letters. Not here, I mean, but to people on "the outside," aka real life. I was reading some of Flannery O'Connor's letters and noticed that she too writes a lot. An awful lot. A heck of a lot. By "a lot," I mean frequently, you know? I've always thought it was cool in biographical films when they'll have someone read the letters that particular person wrote to another. Just the feeling that you mattered enough to someone else that they thought to save your writing. Pretty neat, huh?

Young Bette Davis Eyes.

I can be a very stupid person, really. But I've gotten to know myself well enough to laugh it off. Like, I know I go through phases (should be pretty clear right now as I gaze at my "Barbra shelf"...ack) and I can laugh at that. I'm a flake too, but I don't much mind that. I'm distant and many times prefer to be alone. I'm no recluse, but I could happily be a cloistered nun...ah, scratch that, I love my family too much. I'm not neurotic, and have gotten over the time of finding neuroses particularly glamourous. Mainly. I'd still kill for a case of DID (kidding...ish), but otherwise it's better. When I fear something I generally avoid it. Whenever I think my writing has gotten too serious or self-indulgent, I throw in a phrase or two to shift focus...man alive this is getting long. I'm spent.