favorite movie #6: the birdcage

Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #6 - The Birdcage (1996) - I have seen La Cage Aux Folles in film and on stage, but this is my favorite version. Everyone in the cast is superb, and like Some Like It Hot, the humor and energy of this delightful farce just never stops. And it has heart, too. Whenever it’s on, I watch.

Albert (Nathan Lane): Whatever I am, he made me! I was adorable once, young and full of hope. And now look at me! I'm this short, fat, insecure, middle-aged THING!

Armand (Robin Williams): I made you short?

a few words about the emmy awards

I really just tuned in for Billy Crystal's tribute to Robin Williams. The red carpet was redder than usual, as the bright bold color showed up again and again on actresses. There were a few surprises, especially Benedict Cumberbatch and Sherlock winning three Emmys. Julia Louis-Dreyfus looked amazing and was as funny as ever, as a presenter and a winner. Seth Meyers was an OK host, although his best bit was a pre-taped Q&A with people on the street.

Andy Samberg had probably the biggest laugh as the night he romped, with presenter Lena Headey, post-Weird Al Yankovich musical number, as the odious Joffrey from Game of Thrones. It was too bad that Game of Thrones was shut out of all of its awards, but maybe the Academy, like me, is still reeling from what happened to Oberyn.

The internet is buzzing about Sofia Vergara on a revolving dais, being used in a sexist skit. Are they kidding? Didn't anyone watch the pre-show where actresses were asked to stand for the 360 degree cam to show off their fabulous gowns and gym-toned bodies? We are now shocked that actors and actresses are objectified? Why are people who would complain about such a skit even watch a show like the Emmys, where we watch beautiful people congratulate each other for their super-high paying and fortunate careers? Sigh. It's all a show, just for fun and glitz. Relax, people, or change the channel.

i love the birdcage

Cinema Sentries had another fun feature posing this question:

What are your favorite movies based on plays? My choice was The Birdcage.

Dynamic duo Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane)

1996's The Birdcage, directed by Mike Nichols and written by Elaine May ... starts off fast and funny and never really stops. All of the acting is fabulous (how could it not be?), and much is made of the amusing fact that both sets of parents, although very different in many ways, object to the match — because they think the kids are too young to get hitched. Nathan Lane is amazing as the paranoid, emotional diva Albert, and he is matched quip for quip by an unusually restrained, but also very funny Robin Williams. The two are perfectly matched, as they battle and dance around each other.

Albert: "Whatever I am, he made me! I was adorable once, young and full of hope. And now look at me! I'm this short, fat, insecure, middle-aged thing!" 

Armand: "I made you short?"

...

You can read the rest of my post and others' picks here.

What would be your favorite film to stage adaptations?

night at the Smithsonian

We caught the new Night at the Museum flick recently at the Smithsonian in IMAX. What fun. I would have enjoyed it anyway, but working at the Smithsonian gave me some extra laughs and cringes and shrugs. The best Smithsonian moment was when the Air & Space museum came alive, although I had to look the other way at the "new" graphics on the front of the building. But no matter.

There was just enough Robin Williams as Theodore Rex, monkey slapping, and Easter Island "dum-dumming" to go around, as well as some new tricks. Ben Stiller was great, and I think the film is even better than the first one, although that may be because I've only probably seen that one about fifty times (or it just seems that way), so novelty is always refreshing...

Owen Wilson is still my favorite tiniest cowboy, Amy Adams as Amelia Earheart gives Stiller a run for his money, but Hank Azaria is absolutely brilliant as the "bad" Pharaoh, speaking for some reason in a pseudo-Boris Karloff voice and just having the best time ever. As did we. If you catch it at the Smithsonian, Madame Tussauds has leant a few wax figures as an extra treat.