Last night, I watched Thank God It’s Friday with the Tubi Thursday gang. (I also watched the eclipse!)
Thank God It’s Friday is admittedly not a great film but it does have a few fun moments. One of my favorites is Chick Vennera’s exuberant dance scene. Here he is, using a bunch of cars as his dance floor.
When I think of Tuesday Weld, I first think of her character in Sergio Leone’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984). It’s not an easy character to play and she nails it. James Woods references Tuesday in his 2024 album Hear the Thunder Crack on the song “Cafe Central,” specifically pointing out how difficult her character was to play.
Weld hasn’t appeared on screen since 2001, but she worked for 45 years prior to her retirement. To celebrate her birthday, here’s a scene from the Leone masterpiece.
Today’s scene that I love comes from Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia. Von Trier is always going to be controversial filmmaker but no one has ever matched his brilliance when it came to capturing the end of existence.
In Melancholia, a depressed woman (played in a revelatory performance by Kristen Dunst) finds unexpected strength in the end of the world. As can be seen in the scene below, it’s a beautifully sad film, one that ends on a note of triumphant apocalypse:
Tim Curry is an actor I’ve always loved. So many love him for THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and CLUE, and while those are probably his most memorable performances, neither of those are the first movies I think of when I think of Curry. I think of HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK, because I saw it in the theater, and I think of PASS THE AMMO because it was filmed here in my home state of Arkansas when I was a teenager. In my personal celebration of his wonderful career and life, I share this scene from PASS THE AMMO (1988), which also stars Bill Paxton, Linda Kozlowski, and Annie Potts!
Rest in Peace, Mr. Curry!
Yesterday, the great actor Tim Curry passed away at the age of 80.
Though Tim Curry will probably always be best-known for his role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, my favorite Tim Curry film is 1985’s Clue. Here he is, in all three of the film’s endings.
Like most of America, I’ve always loved Dolly Parton. I’ve been to her “Stampede” in Branson at least 10 times in my life. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for her movie STRAIGHT TALK, because one of my all-time favorite actors, James Woods, was her co-star and played her love interest. They have a great chemistry in the film, and Woods has said, “Dolly Parton is the nicest person I’ve ever worked with…. She’s everything you imagine and so much more. Anybody who’s ever spent any time with her absolutely adores her.” That’s high praise, but it’s right on point with what almost everyone says about her.
In celebration of an incredible life, well lived, I thought I’d share this scene where Dolly and James first meet. Thanks for a lifetime of good music, good movies, and just being a good human being.
Today’s scene that I love features Sean Connery, born on this day 95 years ago. In this scene from 1964’s Goldfinger, Connery needs only one simple line — “I must be dreaming,” — to create an iconic moment.
Daniel Craig could never have pulled this off. Indeed, Craig probably would have found the whole thing beneath him. Only Sean Connery could have made this scene unforgettable and that’s why Sean Connery will continue to be the Bond to which all others should be compared.
Today is the birthday of actor Steve Guttenberg!
Here he is in 1984’s Police Academy, showing the type of impulsive behavior that would eventually lead to him becoming his city’s best cop.
In honor of Gene Kelly’s birthday, today’s scene that I love comes from the 1952 classic, Singin’ In The Rain. In this scene, Debbie Reynolds performs the song Good Mornin’ with Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.
“Put on your Sunday best, kids. We’re going to Sears.”
Ah, the 70s. Or actually the 90s. All I know is that the Sears that was located near our house closed in 2014 and the empty parking lot briefly became a flea market before the police showed up and told everyone to go home.
Today’s scene that I love is from 1995’s The Brady Bunch Movie.
