Little Dorrit

The new adapation of Masterpiece Classic's "Little Dorrit" got off to a rousing start last night and quickly proved to be the best -- thus far -- of the the series latest crop of Dickens-inspired teledramas. It's not that I didn't care for the recent "Oliver Twist" ('tho I wasn't too wild about Timothy Spall's take on Fagin--and I usually love everything he does), but maybe I've just seen too many other adaptations. And the rebroadcast of the '99 "David Copperfield" seemed nothing more than a time filler (altho Maggie Smith's Aunt Betsy is a delight).

But this new "Dorrit" grabbed me right away. It's big and expansive and complete with Alun Armstrong on hand as the best possible Dickensian villain. OK, the streets of London are a bit too clean, the costumes perhaps a bit too lovely, and the dreaded debtors' prison not that particularly dreadful. But Andrew Davies' script is up to his brilliant "Bleak House" from a few years ago and the casting is top notch. Any opportunity to see Tom Courtenay, Judy Parfitt, Eddie Marsan and especially Matthew Macfadyen is reason enough for me to stick this one thru til the end.

A popular posting over at Awards Daily, courtesy of one very passionate and articulate Ben Woulds, features the author’s interesting list of all the Oscar Best Picture nominees ranked from worst (the ’62 remake of “Mutiny on the Bounty”) to the best (“Grand Illusion” takes the top spot followed by “Citizen Kane” and then “Brokeback Mountain”)

This, is of course, one person’s opinion, but it’s a very impressive undertaking. It generated, needless to say, lots of commentary, including some heated and hysterical feedback, not to mention a few rambling replies from yours truly.

I was inspired to do my own consideration of Oscar’s choices --and oversights-- and came up with my top five contenders for the best of the year. It’s actually an exhausting task; I only made it back fifteen years, but hey, it’s a start. (Besides, I’m tired and a little worn out after last night’s viewing, at long last of Melville’s great penultimate classic, “Le Cercle Rouge” in all its Criterion Collection glory…. but I digress).

So if anyone is interested, here are my picks going back to ’93. These are the top Five in my book as of tonight. Remember, anything could change. All it could take is another visit to, say, "The Wrestler" or "Road to Perdition" and everything starts falling apart.

An asterisk indicates my choice for the best of the best. Interestingly, I only agree with the Academy twice (“Return of the King” and “Schindler’s List”)

2008
*Milk/The Reader/ Revolutionary Road/ The Dark Knight/ Happy-Go-Lucky or In Bruges

2007
*Assassination of Jesse James…/ No Country for Old Men/ There Will Be Blood/ The Diving Bell and the Butterfly/ Atonement

2006
*The Lives of Others / Volver/ United 93/ Casino Royale/ Little Children

2005
*Brokeback Mountain/ Munich/ The New World/ A History of Violence /The Constant Gardener

2004
*Vera Drake/ Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind / The Motorcycle Diaries /La Mala Educacion/ Kinsey or Closer

2003
*LOTR: The Return of the King /Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World/ Elephant/ Lost in Translation/ Mystic River

2002
*Far From Heaven/ The Hours/ Y Tu Mama’ Tambien/ Habla con Ella / Chicago

2001
*Gosford Park/ Moulin Rouge!/ Mulholland Drive/ LOTR: The Fellowship of the Rings/
Black Hawk Down or Lagaan

2000
*Almost Famous/ Amores Perros/ Crouching Tiger…/ Billy Elliot/ Sunshine

1999
*Topsy Turvy/ All About My Mother/ The Insider/ The Talented Mr. Ripley/ American Beauty

1998
*The Thin Red Line/ Saving Private Ryan/ Out of Sight/ Gods & Monsters /Elizabeth

1997
*Boogie Nights/ LA Confidential/ Titanic/ The Ice Storm / The Sweet Hereafter or In & Out

1996
*Fargo/ Secrets & Lies/ Lone Star/ The English Patient/ Evita/

1995
*Sense & Sensibility/ Dead Man Walking/ Apollo 13/ Babe/ The Usual Suspects

1994
*Pulp Fiction/ Ed Wood/ Queen Margot/ Quiz Show/ The Madness of King George

1993
*Schindler’s List/ The Age of Innocence/ Short Cuts/ The Remains of the Day/ The Wedding Banquet

That monologue about the fig

I have not seen Ken Russell's marvelous (maybe brilliant?) "Women in Love" for several years. But I decided to give it another viewing last night when it showed up somewhere in the stratosphere of cable. Granted, the print wasn't that great but all that I remember -- Glenda Jackson's shocking and glorious performance, Larry Kramer's screenplay, that wacky score courtesy of Georges Delerue, the now famous full monty coupling-disguised-as-wrestling sequence, the drowning of the newlyweds --were still just as intriguing/startling as the first time I saw it. However, what really stood out this time was Alan Bates' performance. It really is his movie, from start to finish. Like Jackson's performance, it's more than a little bit brave; he's not entirely likeable but he's so gorgeous and complicated that you miss him every moment he's not on screen. I always thought he deserved a better film career (true, he did quite well on stage and TV) and rewatching his performance in "Women" makes me value his celluloid work even more.

A Brief --very brief-- Oscar Recap

The last thing anyone needs to read, especially a week after the fact, is yet another review of the Oscar telecast.

It’s been a crazy several days so I apologize for this belated post. Let’s keep it short and simple. Bravos to Hugh Jackman, producers Bill Condon and Laurence Mark, Sophia Loren, Eva Marie Saint, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, Meryl Streep, Penelope Cruz, the family of Heath Ledger, "Milk" and "The Reader", Danny and Dev and Freida and the kids. And the real star of the evening: Dustin Lance Black.

There was a sense of glamour and celebration that’s been missing for several years. I got a little teary when Kate’s dad whistled and when Queen Latifah sang “I’ll Be Seeing You” for the memorial reel. And I'd like to think that the trophy for la Cruz was also, maybe just a little bit, in recognition for her brilliant turn in "Volver."


The musical number, courtesy of Baz Luhrmann, wasn’t any better –or any worse-- than any other misguided and time-wasting song & dance extravaganzas we’ve been watching for decades, but at least it gave us a few opportunities to wallow in the fleeting pleasures of our stunning host along with Beyonce and Zanessa. Poor Dominic Cooper and Amanda Seyfried should/could have stayed home.

Sure, I was hoping against hope that "Milk" would pull a big surprise for Best Picture, but the awards for screenplay and actor were certainly well deserved, and made for one of the most enjoyable Oscarcasts since "Chariots of Fire" grabbed the big prize. Now that was a night which all of us Alice Krige fans will never forget.