Slings and Arrows

Slings and Arrows
a kate west favorite






For those of you who consider a good time is reciting Shakespeare to each other, consider renting the Canadian homage to the Bard, "Slings and Arrows". Actually, whether or not you're a passionate actor, if you've ever cringed through bad productions of Shakespeare, you will love the exploits of this Canadian troupe of classic actors. The creators really do understand Shakespeare. Now on DVD, this popular television series (which only had a three season run) is once again a hit with audiences.

Geoffrey Tennant (Paul Gross) becomes the Artistic Director of the fictional New Burbage when the previous AD Oliver Welles (Stephen Ouimette) dies unexpectedly. He then has to maintain order amidst gigantic actor egos, financial nightmares and his own pending breakdown. Not to mention dealing with pesky ghost of Oliver. One true-to-life scene is when (slightly) over-the-hill leading lady Ellen Fanshaw (Martha Burns) is audited and becomes infuriated with a bureaucracy she can't understand. She is an actress after all, and shouldn't have to deal with numbers, for God's Sake.

The glimpses of productions of "Hamlet", "Macbeth", "King Lear" and "Romeo and Juliet" are really inspirational, since this company is supposedly expert at Bard productions. It's a much-needed quality show, with all the comedic angst and subterfuge of a regular sitcom, just a little classier. And it's very nice to see good Shakespeare for a change. Don't miss it.

Series Directed by:
Peter Wellington (18 episodes, 2003-2006)

Series Writing Credits:
Susan Coyne (18 episodes, 2003-2006)
Tecca Crosby (18 episodes, 2003-2006)
Bob Martin (18 episodes, 2003-2006)
Mark McKinney (18 episodes, 2003-2006)
Sean Reycraft (6 episodes, 2006)

Series Cast:
Martha Burns ... Ellen Fanshaw
Paul Gross ... Geoffrey Tennant
Don McKellar ... Darren Nichols
Mark McKinney ... Richard Smith-Jones
Oliver Dennis ... Jerry
Susan Coyne ... Anna Conroy
Stephen Ouimette ... Oliver Welles
Graham Harley ... Cyril
Michael Polley ... Frank
Catherine Fitch ... Maria
Leon Pownall ... Brian
Sean Cullen ... Basil
Matt Fitzgerald ... Sloan
Rachel McAdams ... Kate McNab
Luke Kirby ... Jack Crew
Jennifer Irwin ... Holly Day
Sabrina Grdevich ... Claire Donner
Marcia Bennett ... May Silverstone
Rothaford Gray ... Nahum
Aaron Abrams ... Paul
Joanne Kelly ... Sarah
Janet Bailey ... Barabra
William Hutt ... Charles
David Alpay ... Patrick
Colm Feore ... Sanjay
Grace Lynn Kung ... Emily Lu
Geraint Wyn Davies ... Henry Breedlove
Melanie Merkosky ... Megan
Sarah Polley ... Sophie
Jonathan Crombie ... Lionel Train
Joanne Boland ... Margaret
Chris Leavins ... Andrew McTeague
Brendan Murray ... Horatio
John Stead ... John
Jefferson Brown ... Chris Norton
Bob Martin ... Terry
Damir Andrei ... Polonius
Jeff Berg ... Luke
Caroline Gillis ... Cheryl
Billy MacLellan ... Laertes
Martin Roach ... Horatio
Clyde Whitham ... Alan


The First Season:
Slings & Arrows - Season 1 Read more!

AB FAB

Absolutely Fabulous
a kate west favorite






Jennifer Saunders, (of "French and Saunders" with Dawn French), and Joanna Lumley are Edina and Patsy, the ever-wasted exotically stylish duo of the British sit-com "Absolutely Fabulous". Hilariously wicked, these two saunter through life, wreaking havoc among friends and neighbors, especially with Eddie's perpetually mortified daughter Saffron (Julia Sawalha). Swigging vodka and chain smoking their little hearts out, no topic is too PC.

We love them for their extremely outrageous behavior and Director Bob Spiers gives them ample creativity. Saunders' cohort in comedic crime, Dawn French, also has a creative hand in the writing, all of which is fantastically brilliant, as the Brits like to say. Jane Horrocks as the bewildered and baffled personal assistant Bubbles is as zany and talented as all the rest.

The precursor to New York's "Sex and the City", this is the show where the ladies really let it all hang out. So don't be afraid, tune in, and learn how to be absolutely fabulous.


Created by
Jennifer Saunders

Starring
Jennifer Saunders
Joanna Lumley
Julia Sawalha
June Whitfield
Jane Horrocks

Opening theme
"This Wheel's on Fire" by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko


Catching Up:
Absolutely Fabulous - Complete Series 1-3

MORE Magazine: www.more.com Read more!

Spirited Away

a kate west favorite














Hayao Miyazaki is a brilliant Japanese filmmaker. Unknown in the States until the release of "Princess Mononoke", his other greats such as "Kiki's Delivery Service" and "Howl's Moving Castle" gained acclaim as well. Combining hand-drawn artistry with computer animation, his films have garnered several prestigious awards, including the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for "Spirited Away". This film in particular is most known in America.

It revolves around a little girl who must travel to the spirit world to rescue her family. The breathtaking finesse of imagery that serves as the background to this amazingly imaginative story will never leave you. The films are not simple, but rather illustrated with mysticism, symbolism and heavy magic. There are often social messages as well, such as a profound nod to environmentalism. One cannot fully explain how special these movies are in words alone as it is a truly visual art.

Thank God for DVDs, although you really need to try and catch one of these masterpieces in a real movie palace.

Directed by:
Hayao Miyazaki
Kirk Wise (co-director) (English version)

Writing Credits:
Hayao Miyazaki (story)
Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)
Cindy Davis Hewitt (adaptation: English version) and
Donald H. Hewitt (adaptation: English version) and
Linda Hoaglund (adaptation: English version) and
Jim Hubbert (adaptation: English version)

Cast:
Rumi Hîragi ... Chihiro / Sen (voice: Japanese version)
Miyu Irino ... Haku (voice: Japanese version)
Mari Natsuki ... Yubaba / Zeniba (voice: Japanese version)
Takashi Naitô ... Chihiro's Father (voice: Japanese version)
Yasuko Sawaguchi ... Chihiro's Mother (voice: Japanese version)
Tatsuya Gashuin ... Aogaeru, Assistant Manager (voice: Japanese version)
Ryunosuke Kamiki ... Bôh (voice: Japanese version)
Yumi Tamai ... Lin (voice: Japanese version)
Yo Oizumi ... Bandai-gaeru (voice: Japanese version)
Koba Hayashi ... Kawa no Kami (voice: Japanese version)
Tsunehiko Kamijô ... Chichiyaku (voice: Japanese version)
Takehiko Ono ... Aniyaku (voice: Japanese version)
Bunta Sugawara ... Kamajii (voice: Japanese version)


To Watch It:
Spirited Away Read more!

French In Action

French In Action - PBS
a kate west favorite

Professor Pierre Capretz (Yale University) developed a method of French language immersion in his series "French In Action". In this course, you speak no English whatsoever, only listening intently to the Professor in French. You might feel lost at first, but after a few episodes, you realize this is a brilliant way to learn a new language, second only to actually moving to a French-speaking country.

Charles Mayer and Valérie Allain play Robert, an American, and Mireille, a French girl, who meet and date, in French, of course. Mireille has an entire family you'll get to know, including a rambunctious younger sister Marie-Laure (Virginie Contesse) and an eccentric Aunt Georgette (Colette Ripert). Each scene is repeated for conjugation and memorization with appropriate pauses for you to repeat it back to the screen. It is real French life, the way real people interact, rather than rote textbook exercises. It is charmingly effective and you'll find yourself wondering what will happen next, waiting eagerly for Professor Capretz to welcome you with "Bonjour! Nous allons apprendre le francais!"* And before you know it, you'll actually pick up some real French.

www.learner.org

*"Good Morning! We are all going to learn French!"


Cast:
Charles Mayer ... Robert
Valérie Allain ... Mireille

Julie Arnold ... Cécile
Antonio Cauchois ... Tonton Guillaume
Virginie Contesse ... Marie-Laure
Franck de la Personne ... Hubert (as Franck Lapersonne)
Marguerite Foulon ... Madame Courtois
André Haber ... Monsieur Courtois
Jean-François Kopf ... Jean-Denis
Chrystelle Labaude ... Concierge
Riton Liebman ... Jean-Pierre Bourdon
Amélie Pick ... Annick
Rosine Proust ... Madame Belleau
Colette Ripert ... Tante Georgette (as Colette Ripert-Clément)
Fabienne Tricottet ... Colette
Serge Vincent ... Monsieur Belleau
Michael Wiseman ... Obnoxious French student


Get the book to study along:
French in Action : A Beginning Course in Language and Culture : The Capretz Method: Textbook Read more!

The Passion of Joan of Arc

The Passion of Joan of Arc
(La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc)
a kate west favorite






"The Passion of Joan of Arc" is a beautiful version of the story of Joan of Arc, the French martyr captured by the English and later made a saint. The key word in the title definitely being passion. Maria Falconetti is a soulful and intense Joan. Although the film is silent (just try it, you'll like it), she conveys a wealth of emotion in Director Carl Dreyer's close ups.

Truly a cinematic and prolific genius, Dreyer knows quite well how to show stark feelings and human agony in a profound way. Originally filmed in 1928 ,what makes this edition all the more special is that in 1994, Richard Einhorn composed a soundtrack for the film ("Voices of Light"), a choral masterpiece blending classical and modern elements, turning the work into a true epic.

This is one of the most amazing films in cinematic history, not only for its artistry, but as a truly moving depiction of the life of an historical icon. It is a must see for film students and general public alike.


Director:
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Writers:
Joseph Delteil
Carl Theodor Dreyer

1994 Composer:
Richard Einhorn (Voices of Light)
Release Date:
21 April 1928 (Denmark)

Jeanne D'Arc (1412-1431)

Maria Falconetti ... Jeanne d'Arc (Renè Jean Falconetti)
Évêque Pierre Cauchon ... Bishop Pierre Cauchon (as Eugène Silvain)
Antonin Artaud ... Jean Massieu
Andrè Berley ... Jean d'Estivet


The 1985 Criterion Edition:
The Passion of Joan of Arc - Criterion Collection

Voices of Light:
Richard Einhorn: Voices Of Light Read more!

Day For Night

Day For Night (Nuit Américaine)
a kate west favorite







The Award winning "Day for Night"* is the renowned director François Truffaut's love homage to film making. It is filmed as if it is a documentary, demonstrating everything that goes into creating a professional movie. In painstaking detail, Truffaut cajoles and soothes his leading actors, stroking egos and culling true performances.

Jacqueline Bisset is the ingenue, delicate as any fragile movie star and in need of as much attention. Of special note is Truffaut's sympathetic work with older film diva Valentina Cortese. She can't remember her lines among other troubles and the gentle way he helps her along is rather poignant. The film they are all supposedly working on is "Je Vous Presente, Pamela (Meet Pamela)" a melodrama chronicling a young man (Jean-Pierre Léaud) in love. He introduces his current love (Bisset) to his parents only to lose her to his father (Jean-Pierre Aumont).

Off-screen, reality is as dramatic as on-screen. Real life wives lament actor morality, as everyone inevitably sleeps around. Stars get hysterical, the crew is overworked, the director (played by Truffaut himself) wears an earpiece which isolates him from the chaos, enabling him to stay profoundly creative, as evidenced by the many cinematic books he devours on great film directors. We also witness flashbacks to him as a child stealing photos from a movie theater, his first true love.

It is a wonderful and true depiction of the work that goes into the crazy business called show. Warmly touching, sans cynicism, we are treated to a very private look into the volatile lives of passionate actors and while the characters are fictional, they represent actual cinematic beings. And who doesn't want to know more about them? Well worth seeing, especially for film fanatics and for those of you not so familiar, this may inspire you to learn more about it. And don't mind the subtitles - they're good for you.

Cast:
Jacqueline Bisset (Julie)
Valentina Cortese (Severine)
Dani (Liliane)
Alexandra Stewart (Stacey)
Jean-Pierre Aumont (Alexandre)
Jean Champion (Bertrand)
Jean-Pierre Léaud (Alphonse)
François Truffaut (Ferrand)
Nike Arrighi (Odile)
Nathalie Baye (Joelle)
David Markham (Dr. Nelson)
Bernard Menez (Bernard)
Gaston Joly (Lajoie)
Zenaide Rossi (Madame Lajoie)


Director:
François Truffaut
Writers:
Jean-Louis Richard
Suzanne Schiffman
Release Date: September 7, 1973


*Day for night, also known as nuit américaine ("American night"), is the name of a cinematographic technique to simulate a night scene.

The DVD:
Day for Night Read more!