29 January 2007

Film Stars # 2: Rose Asther



No.2 Rose Asther.

No entry found on IMDB.

28 January 2007

Film Stars # 1: Adrienne Ames (Paramount)



Reverse reads:

Film Stars - Second Series of 54

No.1 Adrienne Ames (Paramount)

A Series of real photographs now being issued with these cigarettes.

Carreras Ltd. Estd 1788, Arcadia Works, London, England.

Keep this attractive series of real photos in the Carreras slip-in album obtainable from all tobacconists (Price One Penny).

Links
Adrienne Ames entry on Wikipedia, link.
Adrienne Ames entry on IMDB, link.

22 January 2007

Coming attraction: David Lynch comes to London next month


David Lynch is coming to London. He's coming to the National Film Theatre on 8th of February to introduce a screening of 'Inland Empire' as well as host a Q&A afterwards. Sadly I called for tickets the day the box office went open and they sold out in 6 minutes, I think quicker than when Tom Waits came to Hammersmith a couple of years ago. I'm pretty gutted, if anyone out there has bought an extra and needs a 'friend' to accompany them then by all means drop me an email.
Time Out reported that at a New York city showing tickets were going for $75 and the touts (scalpers) were out in force.

Links
IMDB entry for Inland Empire, link.
NFT link.

21 January 2007

Gene Tierney

Film and stage beauties - the index

I started posting these cards, an incomplete set in May 2006. All of the cards that I have are now up, below is the index. I was again suprised as with the Stars of Stage and Screen at how few of these actress I had heard of, in fact this set more than the Stars of Stage and Screen list.

4. Marcia
5. Barbara Beach
9. Connie Constant
10. Dorothy Frances
14. Laurie Lane
15. Diana Gibson
20. Natalie Hynn
21. Julie Jenner
26. Patricia Dawn
27. Jackie Day
30. Dorothy Mitchell-Hedges
31. Cheryl Walker
35. Ina Brown
36. Merle Oberon
39. Grace Adrian
40. Jackie Gately
41. Betty Benson
44. Georgie Butler
45. Lola Jensen
46. Ilona Massey

Film and stage beauties # 20 Ilona Massey



A series of 54, No. 46 Ilona Massey.

A series of real photographs now being issued with Black Cat Medium Cigarettes. Carreras Ltd (ESTD 1788) Arcadia Works, London, England.

Link
IMDB entry for Ilona Massey, link.
Another picture of Ilona, link.

01 January 2007

2006, the results


First thanks to all those that took part in the survey, the findings make interesting reading and are not a million miles away from some of the UK press with a few exceptions. Thanks also to those other film bloggers who promoted the poll on their sites, very much appreciated.

I'm not going to go into the issues with polls, what constitutes best and all that jazz suffice to say I quite like a good list and reading over what others thought were good films. My personal choices are near the bottom of this post.

Happy New Year to all visitors.

Poll of film bloggers, visitors ot this site.
1. The Departed (Martin Scorsese)
2. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris)
3. Volver (Pedro Almodovar)
=4. The Proposition (John Hillcoat)
=4. A Prarie Home Companion (Robert Altman)
=4. Brick (Rian Johnson)
=4. Inside Man (Spike Lee)
=4. Little Children (Todd Field)
=9. The Queen (Stephen Frears)
=9. Casino Royale (Martin Campbell)
=9. Half Nelson (Ryan Fleck)
=9. United 93 (Paul Greengrass)
=9. Borat (Larry Charles)

Sight and Sound
In the January 2007 issue no less than 47 critics voted for the films that impressed them during 2006. They then distilled these lists into a top 10:

1. Hidden (Michael Haneke)
2. Volver (Pedro Almodovar)
=3. The Departed (Martin Scorsese)
=3. The Queen (Stephen Frears)
=3. Red Road (Andrea Arnold)
=3. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (Tommy Lee Jones)
=7. Climates (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
=7. The New World (Terrence Mallick)
=7. United 93 (Paul Greengrass)
=7. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro)

Time Out - Critics' choice 2006


In the December 20th issue of Time Out, their critics picked their favourite film of 2006. They each picked only one each.

The New World (Terrence Mallick) - Geoff Andrew
The Death of Mr Lazarescu (Christi Puiu) - Wally Hammond
Hidden (Michael Haneke) - Dave Calhoun
Volver (Pedro Almodovar) - Chris Tilly
Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog) - Ben Walters
Black Sun (Gary Tarn) - Gareth Evans
The Wind that Shakes the Barley (Ken Loach) - Cath Clarke
Happy Feet (George Miller) - Derek Adams
Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro) - Nigel Floyd
Rang de Basanti (Rakesh Omprakash Mehra) - Anil Sininan
Keane (Lodge Kerrigan) - Trevor Johnston
Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron) - Mark Salisbury
Requiem (Hans Christian Schmid) - David Jenkins
Borat (Larry Charles) - Anna Smith
You Tube (Various)- Edward Lawrenson

There are only two films that appear on all lists; The Departed and Volver, both certainly very good in my opinion. Perhaps, if there is a conclusion to this survey it is that both of these are films of the year 2006? Perhaps I should stick my neck out and 'crown' them such?

My personal choices
In the end I didn't vote in the poll. The films I have enjoyed most of all over the last 12 months were, in no particular order:

Volver (Pedro Almodovar)
Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno)
The New World (Terrence Mallick)
Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog)
Miami Vice (Michael Mann)
The Departed (Martin Scorsese)
Hidden (Michael Haneke)
Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro)
The Notorious Bettie Page (Mary Harron)
The Prestige (Christopher Nolan)
Deep Water (Louise Osmand and and Gerry Rothwell)

Links
Earlier post, link.
Time Out's films of the year, with full commentary from each of the above critics, link.
Geoff Andrew's films of the year, link.
Sight and Sound. The Films of 2006: The Full List, link.
Girish's post, with plenty of 2006 links, link.
My earlier post on 'Zidane', link.

Coming attraction: Ghosts


Links
IMDB entry for 'Ghosts', link.
Nick Broomfield will be at an after screening Q&A at Renoir Cinema, London on Tuesday 9th January, link.