Live in the Movie Moment

Hello Lance's Werthwhile Movie Fans!

I know it's been awhile since I've posted something scintillating, but I've made a resolution for 2018 to share my classic cinema burblings with all off you more often.

Sometimes I'm daunted by the amount of time I want to take talking about movies when the rest of my life is so consuming. There is not enough time in the day for me to be a television executive, a man about town, and write about why Darren Aronofsky's mother! nails all the classic Female Gothic tropes without bothering to make us care about his tortured heroine.

Today as I was trying to take a nap, my evil brain stayed awake and pestered me with the thought, "What if rather than expounding on films in movie-nut detail, I look for the little things?" Movies should be indulged in full, but often when we think of them, a single image or scene evokes all the feels.

So here is a list (in no particular order) of some of my favorite moments in film:

Dorothy Malone's frenzied dance while her father croaks on the stairs in Written on the Wind (1956).

Marilyn's "fuzzy end of the lollipop" speech in Some Like it Hot (1959). 

Gene Tierney watching Darryl Hickman drown after she gives him a rubdown in Leave Her To Heaven (1945).

The end credits of West Side Story (1961).

The helium-infused warehouse gun battle in Broadway Danny Rose (1984).

The scissor scene in The Furies (1950).

Martin Balsam going down the stairs in Hitchcock's Psycho (1960).

Peter O'Toole watching the approaching lone rider in Lawrence of Arabia (1962).

Olivia de Havilland hollering at the phone from her "small, private elevator" in Lady in a Cage (1964).

Gloria Swanson descending the staircase at the end of Sunset Boulevard (1950).

Those fucking twins in The Shining (1980).

Little Edie's Flag Dance in Grey Gardens (1985).

Bette Davis not watching her husband die of a heart attack in The Little Foxes (1941).

The Star Destroyer swallowing up the screen in the first scene of Star Wars (1977).

Parker Posey freaking out about the Busy Bee in Best in Show (2000).

Marlene Dietrich as a Mexican madame at the end of Touch of Evil (1958).

Judith Anderson fondling her old boss' nightie in Rebecca (1940).

Toshiro Mifune getting perforated at the end of Throne of Blood (1957).

Hattie McDaniels giving Scarlet over-the-shoulder side eye in the wagon when Scarlett prattles on about not being interested in someone she's totally interested in in Gone with the Wind (1939).

Robot Maria's sexy dance in Metropolis (1927).

Joan Crawford getting her cigarette lit by a pack of gents in Humoresque (1946).

Susan Kohner throwing herself on her mother's coffin in Imitation of Life (1959).

The kid trapped under the ice in Damien: Omen II (1978) (with honorable mention going to the reporter who gets attacked by satanic ravens and then a semi.)

Christopher Walken's watch scene in Pulp Fiction (1994).

Dustin Hoffman's live coast-to-coast un-masking in Tootsie (1982).

Peter Lorre screeching from his cell in Casablanca (1942).

Spock's death scene in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982).

Faye Dunaway orgasming to ratings-points in Network (1976).

Partygoers parachuting out of a doomed blimp in Madame Satan (1930).

Tallulah Bankhead trying to seduce John Hodiak while he reads the paper in Lifeboat (1944).

Glen Close losing her shit at the end of Dangerous Liaisons (1988).

Lana Turner taking a drive after she's been dumped in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).




Here's hoping 2018 is full of magical movie moments.

The 2016 Bryant Park Summer Movie Festival Lineup!

One of the best annual events in New York City is the Bryant Park Summer Movie Festival held at dusk in the lovely park behind the New York Public Library.
Where else can you gather with thousands of New Yorkers and watch some of the best movies under the stars?
Sure the fights over blanket-space, the frequent sssssh-ing, and spilled Chardonnay can be annoying- but nothing tops one of those cinematic moments when the whole lawn stops and watches in awe.

Here are my thoughts on the films for this year's festival:

June 20- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Probably one of the seminal movies of the '80's. Expect a lawn-wide "Danke Schoen" serenade and a "Twist and Shout" riot.

June 27- East of Eden (1955)

Weird choice. The movie is very long- and loses some of the brilliance of the book. But it's James Dean. Who wouldn't want to lay on a blanket with him?

July 4- Top Gun (1986)

Another seminal movie of the '80's. Expect a lawn-wide "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" serenade. Frequent snickers at the gay subtext can also be expected.

July 11- The Palm Beach Story (1942)

One of my favorite comedies. Read more about it here. There's some overt racism that might get booed.

July 18- The Omen (1976)

Personally, I prefer Damien: Omen II (1978), but there's plenty of weird deaths in this first one to keep you laughing/cringing. Satanic nannies, devil-dogs, and fun with lightning rods. It's all for you...

July 25- Three Days of the Condor (1975)

The opening of this movie haunted my childhood. In an era where workplace shootings are commonplace, it's best to always be late for work.

August 1- Harvey (1950)

It's like the film curators have been reading my blog...

August 8- High Plains Drifter (1973)

I often get my Clint Eastwood '70's westerns confused- but whichever one this is, expect shooting, sneering, and those always wonderful Eastwood one-liners.

August 15- The Big Chill (1983)

I've never sat through this one. Maybe I need to be at Bryant Park this night...

August 22- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
This is my favorite Star Trek movie. It is sci-fi fun from stem to stern- and actually has the most poignant moments in the whole franchise. The crowd-backed cry of "Khaaaaaaannnnnnn!!!" will be heard for miles.



So grab a blanket and a picnic basket (with cleverly concealed wine) and head to Bryant Park this summer!