Tag Archives: Victor Garber

August 16, 2019 · 1:18 pm

The Set of 400: #274 – My Favorite Airport Storyboard Movie Pitch

Today! Because if I’m doing a fake movie, it’s gonna be a fake hit –

Argo (2012)

Directed by Ben Affleck

Starring Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin (x2), John Goodman (x2), Scoot McNairy, Victor Garber (x3), Bryan Cranston, Kyle Chandler (x2), Tate Donovan, Chris Messina, Philip Baker Hall (x2), Rory Cochrane, Clea DuVall (x2), Titus Welliver, Bob Gunton (x2), Richard Kind (x2), Richard Dillane, Adrienne Barbeau, Taylor Schilling, Christopher Denham, Zeljko Ivanek

When we as a people rose up and decried in one voice that we would not allow the slighting of Ben Affleck to continue for one goddamn minute longer, Argo became the surprise Best Picture winner of 2012, despite not receiving a Best Director nomination – as rare a thing to happen at the Oscars as any. And the pointed reason for this win is attributed to this general outrage of Affleck being overlooked, which I don’t really understand. Not the overlooking (even though it was probably a little unfair), but the outrage. Why did everyone care so much? And in a year that I will go to the wall to defend as one of the best in film history? It’s not like there weren’t other deserving and/or better films available. So why did everyone lose their minds over the nominations?

Like, did this seriously have to happen?

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Tagged as Adrienne Barbeau, Alan Arkin, Argo, Ben Affleck, Bob Gunton, Bryan Cranston, Favorite Movies Ever, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Philip Baker Hall, Richard Kind, Scoot McNairy, Tate Donovan, Titus Welliver, Victor Garber

July 17, 2019 · 1:25 pm

The Set of 400: #296 – My Favorite Heart of the Ocean

Today! Because I’d rather be his whore than your wife –

Titanic (1997)

Directed by James Cameron

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio (x2), Kate Winslet, Billy Zane (x3), Bill Paxton (x2), Kathy Bates (x2), Frances Fisher, David Warner, Bernard Hill, Victor Garber (x2), Gloria Stuart, Suzy Amis, Danny Nucci, Ioan Gruffudd, Jonny Phillips, Ewan Stewart, Bernard Fox, Jason Barry

First off, let me begin by saying SHUT UP. I am fully aware of the awesome shortcomings of this film. The dialogue is often atrocious, some of the poor actors forced to play ethic stereotypes get completely mangled in the gears of this film (we forever honor you, Fabrizio!), and the plot – the driving romantic engine of the film – is the most hackneyed, retread, unimaginative piffle they could’ve lit upon. I get all of that. It’s way too long – like, a good forty to fifty minutes too long – and in retrospect can be viewed as pretentiously so, given everything connected to this film that was to follow – Oscar speeches, no follow-up Cameron film for a dozen years, etc.

Ugh, this guy

All that being said, people who regularly slam this movie – then and now – are you seriously telling me you don’t think the second half of Titanic is an amazing movie? I know, it’s half a movie, and you’ve had to slog through nearly two hours of set dressing and nonsense to get there, but once they hit that iceberg straight until that old lady is tossing her baubles overboard, it is as impressive a piece of moviemaking as exists. Continue reading →

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Tagged as Bernard Hill, Bill Paxton, Billy Zane, David Warner, Favorite Movies Ever, Frances Fisher, Gloria Stuart, James Cameron, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Titanic, Victor Garber

March 13, 2019 · 1:15 pm

The Set of 400: #386 – My Favorite Harlequin Messiah

Today! Because old now is Earth and none may count her days (da dah da dah dah) –

Godspell (1973)

Directed by David Greene

Starring Victor Garber, Lynne Thigpen, David Haskell, Jerry Sroka, Katie Hanley, Merrell Jackson, Joanne Jonas, Gilmer McCormick, Jeffrey Mylett, Robin Lamont

I do love me some live action musicals. We’re finally broaching one of the genres I take pretty guilty pleasure in – sure, there are some great big screen musicals, but even something like, say, the second best Jesus based musical film of the early 1970’s manages to sneak onto the list. And why not? Godspell has got a lot of pretty good songs from the legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Disney’s Pocahontas and Hunchback of Notre Dame). So what if it doesn’t make a particularly easy transition to screen? The modern, unpopulated New York City setting of 1973 is cool to look at, but it somehow tends to take the air out of the proceedings, like they’re all kids performing for their stuffed animals or something. Sure, you get to see a full blown musical number atop the just completed World Trade Center, but the visuals never quite jibe with the story. Godspell was always tricky that way – even on stage it’s a bit too improv-y, too freeform to really pack an emotional punch in the end. And it didn’t help that it arrived right after Jesus Christ Superstar, a considerably better movie, and a downright masterpiece on stage. But hey, if you’ve never seen it – and it’s not a particularly popular movie, from what I can gather – Godspell is worth checking out. Lots of talented actors and singers, lots of fun songs. Continue reading →