Movies Til Dawn

Here is one of the most undeniably erotic scenes ever filmed. Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale in  Sergio Leone's "Once Upon A Time In The West". The set-up is beyond kinky: Fonda has killed Cardinale's husband and is now seducing her with her permission--though is it because she wants to prevent being killed herself? Or is there some true erotic value in doing the person who violates the natural order of your life? (Think Nicole Kidman suddenly seducing the maniac who has taken over her and her husband's boat in "Dead Calm"--which maybe I'll post tomorrow). But what really puts it over is the incredibly intimate, utterly realistic passion Fonda and Cardinale seem to have for each other. I've directed sex scenes before--actually you don't really "direct" them, you sort of set them in motion--and I still have no clue as to how actors get through this stuff without either A) wanting to vomit or B) wanting to do each other. Jesus. A...

Here's the still quite astonishing sex-in-the-airplane-bathroom scene from 1981's "Rich And Famous", with Jacqueline Bisset doing Michael Brandon (who, in this version of the clip, narrates the experience of filming the scene). If I write the word "sex" enough times, will it provoke more hits on this blog and thus more awareness that ROB THE MOB IS OPENING IN THEATERS ON MARCH 21rst? Let's see. Sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex...   Subscribe in a reader

In a shameless bid to up the page visits stat on this blog (and thus up awareness of "ROB THE MOB" WHICH OPENS IN THEATERS ON MARCH 21RST) I've decided to blog relentlessly about classic sex stuff in movies. Let's consider this an experiment in seeing just how basic the human need for and interest in sex is by following the stats over the next few days. Will the hits go up? Will my Twitter base increase? I'm betting yes. But I've been known to bet wrong before. It doesn't really matter since all I have to lose is the time it takes to watch and select clips of sex scenes in movies. We'll start gently--but firmly--with Sophia Loren's fabulous striptease for Marcello Mastroianni in Vittoria De Sica's "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow". Hit it, Miss Mazeppa...   Subscribe in a reader

Dig Johnny Carson's opening monologue from an early 1970's Friars Club Roast of Jerry Lewis. It's hard to remember that Carson was a truly funny stand-up monologist--largely because he made such a mockery of his monologues later in his career (not getting laughs became the standard joke of the set). But Carson takes on Jerry in an admirably quick and cruel way, throwing him under the bus almost instantly by mentioning his recently failed chain of movie theaters as well as Jerry's sinking movie career of the era and his complete failure as a network television host. I can't imagine how the hell anyone else but Carson could have gotten away with it. By the way, Alan King? Not funny.   Subscribe in a reader

Here's a very nice video of Michael Pitt (star of "Rob The Mob"--and if you didn't know that what the F are you doing reading this blog?) having a "New York moment". It feels quite similar to a "Queens moment" that he has in RTM--is this sort of lurking, moody, not entirely happy but somehow sublimely alone thing a theme in Michael's work? All I was aware of when we were shooting was that you could follow Michael around with a camera, not doing much of anything, and you'd wind up with gold. He has a face that the camera reads into--you see into his mind as you see his face.   Subscribe in a reader

Was Dean Martin in fact the "funny half" of Martin and Lewis? Continuing our funny-shtick-on-talk-shows theme (this is the third post I've done in the so-called series, the first two being last week with Ray Romano/Conan O'Brien and Don Rickles/Johnny Carson/Sinatra ), here is a drunk Dean Martin crashing the Carson show in 1969. Apparently the show is being done out of LA even though the move from NY hasn't yet happened (Johnny mentions that they "come out here a couple of times a year"). Bob Hope is hanging around too, bemused and none-to-pleased at Dino's upstaging him.  He finally concedes that he was on the show "to do the warm-up." It's the biggest laugh he gets. Was Dino as drunk as he acted? His timing was pretty perfect, not something that drunks are known for (see Jacquline Bisset's  Golden Globes acceptance speech for further research). But then again he's so hopelessly stiff when stuck in a sober mode with Jer...

Last night Conan O'Brien welcomed Ray Romano as a guest. Click here to access the full episode . Ray shows up around fifteen minutes in. A lot of very good Romanoesque marriage material begins the appearence. At twenty-one minutes, Ray does a "threesome" bit that is one of his funniest moments and that I'll leave for you to experience. After a commercial break, however, he tops this with the story of taking his kids to see the movie "Ted". Things get steadily more funny/sad/grotesque with a riff on his getting hit in the groin by his son while playing basketball. Ray's timing is an interesting mix of relaxed/casual and very acutely "scheduled" punchlines. His art is convincing you that the thoughts are coming as he's speaking. And yet at the same time you feel the pleasure he has in threading the needle of the joke...taking his time laying the groundwork and casually circling the ultimate punchline (and the ensuing alternates that he tend...