Russell Crowe: The Rapprochement

Despite my inflammatory statement last year that Russell Crowe would have been a bad choice to play Drover in Baz Lurhmann's Australia, I have a soft spot for this actor, especially lately.  For the moment, we'll put aside that whole phone throwing incident, and focus on the positive.

First and foremost, he is an excellent actor.  Crowe initially made a name for himself stateside in Curtis Hanson's LA Confidential, a gorgeously-shot film noir, in 1997.  Check out this scene where his emotionally wounded yet oh-so-manly Detective Bud White meets Kim Basinger's Lynn Bracken for the first time.  This was Crowe's first major part in a big movie, and he absolutely holds your attention here.  It's very impressive. 

Another thing I admire about Crowe is his willingness to completely transform himself for a role.  He was completely believable as tobacco industry whistleblower Jeffery Wigand in The Insider, the true story of a man who revealed that cigarette makers Brown & Williamson intentionally formulated their products to be more addictive (and therefore harmful) to smokers.  Wigand was an older, slightly nerdy guy, and heavier than Crowe -- not a stereotypically sexy part -- but a real hero nonetheless, and Crowe totally inhabits him.

Not long after this film, Crowe won the Best Actor Oscar for Gladiator.  This is actually, I think, one of his less interesting roles, but that's not to say he doesn't make you believe he's a wronged man out to avenge his family's murder.  I am convinced to this day that Russell Crowe could hack off an opponent's limbs, romance a Roman princess, and terrify a tiger with ease.  And only a year after this, he displayed similar versimilitude as mentally-ill mathematician John Nash in A Beautiful Mind.  Watching Master and Commander made me damn near want to join the British Navy -- it looked so convivial and full of good, honest work, not to mention botany and entomology!  And cute sailors!  But I probably wouldn't be so thrilled about the whole surgery without anaesthesia aspect.

Besides all the aforementioned acting chops, however, let's consider other qualities.  There isn't anyone else out there who can be as forcefully masculine onscreen as Russell Crowe.  He isn't a pretty boy, and that is a very good thing.  His physical presence is rather overwhelming.  There's a reason the ladies on Sex and the City named him in their sex fantasy list: Russell Crowe, and those who are compared to him, is all man.

Next up, he plays Robin Hood in another collaboration with Ridley Scott.

Up in the Air

We're now heading into one of the most excruciatingly pleasurable times of year for movie fanatics like me. Pleasurable because the studios bring out all their prestige, Oscar-bait films, and excruciating because how are you ever supposed to find the time to see all of them?

High on my list is Jason Reitman's Up in the Air. The first trailer is here and the second trailer is here. (Fun/random fact: a former co-worker from my game show days was an assistant to someone on the set. Flashy!)

Jason Reitman has quietly and steadily created a good name for himself on the basis of only two films so far: Thank You For Smoking and Juno. I'm sure being the son of director Ivan Reitman doesn't hurt with opening doors, but the guy is clearly a very talented, skilled filmmaker in his own right. Just 'cause your dad is a hot shot doesn't mean you automatically get to be one (see Cameron Douglas).

The New York Times has a nice little interview with Reitman, as does Newsweek.

Like most women, I love George Clooney. Not just for his smooth, handsome urbanity, but also because he's never taken the obvious route with his career. I like how he bops between the Coen Brothers and Steven Soderbergh, once wore a batsuit with nipples, and was the one who campaigned for ER to do a live episode. And this might finally be the movie to push Vera Farmiga into greater awareness with American audiences. She was so fantastic in The Departed -- I can't think of anyone else who could have played that part.

Let the "Harry Potter" machine start up again...

With Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince about to be released on DVD, the magical Potter PR machine is kicking into gear again. ABC Family will have another marathon weekend of the first four movies, complete with teases of the new film and other nerdy extras like Luna Lovegood visiting the costume department.

Check out this article for the first official photo from part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as well as a little bit of description of how this film differs from the others in the series.

Hail to the Chief

Good Lord, Michelle Obama is absolutely stunning. And you can tell her husband thinks she's pretty damn foxy too.

Politics aside -- and I am disappointed that President Obama hasn't accomplished much yet; get going, Mr. President! -- reading about this administration's first state dinner is a lesson in coolness. Love the tablecloths, love the menu, love the guest list, love the way they combined Bush and Clinton China! Love it all.

Twi-harder

You know what, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I'm a fan of the Twilight series. I've already admitted to several other embarrassing things here. And if you're into pop culture you pretty much can't avoid the Twilight juggernaught, especially in the past year since the release of the first film and the subsequent hysteria surrounding lead actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

Are these books ridiculous? Was the first movie laughable in parts? Big yes, but that's part of what makes them so fun.

Last spring, during an excruciatingly long airport layover on my way home from saying goodbye to a dying relative, I read almost the entire first book in the four-part series. At the time, I mostly appreciated how thoroughly distracting it was. Then I went on to read the remaining three books in the space of a month. Bella is a frequently annoying character -- whiny, grumpy, oh-so-ready to sacrifice herself -- and her relationship with sparkly vampire Edward has some disturbing undercurrents of control and sadomasochism. But the stories are compulsively readable, and lets face it, at base they're all about sex and self denial.

New Moon, the second movie adaptation, comes out tomorrow. I won't even try to see this for a few weeks at least. The shows have been sold out for a while and I'd like to maintain my hearing by avoiding the shrieks of teenage girls who go on opening night. The reviews have started coming in and so far, they range from pretty positive to so-so. Entertainment Weekly just posted theirs, here's one from the AP, and this is a very funny review from The Oregonian.

Count me in

I've professed my love for Gossip Girl in this space before. Although the show's main characters are largely teenagers, I suspect the audience is mostly people my age. This recent article in The New York Times certainly supports that theory: the Parents Television Council may not like the show, but it's undeniably influencing fashion and generates much-needed buzz for the CW network. As for me, I do think Blake Lively has eminently enviable hair.

Halloween!

Halloween is a great time to indulge your love of pop culture, because you can dress up as whoever or whatever you want. I've never been the most crafty person, but this past Halloween I made not just one, but two costumes! During a weekend visit to New York City, I went to a friend's annual party in Brooklyn on Friday night, and then on Saturday, to the Halloween parade and very fun event at the Soho House.

For Friday, my costume was Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz. Seeing as this year is the 70th anniversary of that landmark film, it seemed appropriate. Since I didn't have a lot of lead time, I bought the costume itself at a local store, and made the shoes myself. First, I started with an inexpensive pair of low white heels from Zappos, covered them liberally with spray adhesive, and then shook on two full bottles of Martha Stewart Coarse Glitter in Ruby. It's Dorothy -- you have to have the ruby slippers!

I decided on my costume for the next night on Saturday morning, and spent the day getting it ready. My friend went as hero pilot Sully Sullenberger, and I was his stewardess. Pretty simple when you get down to it: blonde wig, stewardess costume, sunglasses, and the red shoes again. We bought a brown feather boa from a street vendor and glued random feathers all over our costumes to symbolize the geese that caused Sully's plane crash.

On the way home on the L train that night, a drunk Princess Leia asked if I'd "sparkled my own shoes," which is now one of my favorite questions ever.