Franklin: Thanks for the good words and for confirming what I always knew of Woody Allen. Funny that you mentioned Robert Altman, because I read somewhere that actors don't usually say no when WA or RA ask them to star in their films, no matter how small their roles are. And if actors don't want to be in their films they go on to the next one who they think will do just as fine.
I always thought that Judy Davis is an exceptional actress even if she has generally bad things to say about her directors (remember her famous comments lambasting Sir David Lean when they were shooting A PASSAGE TO INDIA?). Judy once said that when Woody likes a performance of an actor, he never says anything, and that's when you know he is happiest with your performance (personally, I find this weird as I feel that I need all forms of reactions to gauge myself, if I am in the same shoes as the the actors concerned, of course). And she appeared in ALICE, HUSBANDS AND WIVES, DECONSTRUCTING HARRY and one other. Same with Robert Altman, whose ensemble cast is one of the reasons to see his film, aside of course from his painterly approach of merging seemingly divergent lives of ordinary people. his movies are extraordinary, > similar to what John Sayles has done in many ways. I love both their > use of recurring actors - the ones they rely on. I like John Sayles, too. Most especially when he directs what he wrote. Loved EIGHT MEN OUT, PASSION FISH and LIMBO and even LONE STAR. Like Michael Apted, he seems to coax good performances from female actors (most notably Alfre Woodard in PASSION FISH -- too bad, it was Mary McDonnel who was nominated). >I personally have never been able to "get" Alan Alda I never did like Alan Alda, though I can watch a film with him on it unlike, say Eddie Murphy, Melanie Griffith, Garry Shandling films. > Not that familiar with his clarinet playing. Apparently, obiously, at > the VERY least serious, and respected hobbyiest there. It was not really spectacular, his clarinet-playing, I mean, but he sounded more studied than spontaneous. Same with the studied and calculatedness of a Wynton Marsalis, but that's another story. And I like both of them as musicians. Revealing myself musically again. >It IS revealing of your personality: you have both > excellent taste AND high morals..LOL Thanks though I am not sure Freud or Jung will agree with that assesment. > Thanks for the post - really > enjoyed your thoughts. Same with yours. Its weird how some of the things you said as asides coincided with some of my own. BTY - I don't know why, but I do find it > rather odd that Woody and Joni have never worked together in film. They > MUST know each other personally on some "artistic/personal" > level. Wonder if he ever approached her to act in one of his fims? For > some reason, it wouldn't surprise me - nor her replying "not > interested". Who knows? Ah, the inherent worthlessness of > conjecture!! hahaha I can imagine the fidgety, panicky WA approaching a reticent and visibly unamused JM and asking her if she can star in his film. Now that you mentioned it, I think Joni will do well as Alice in ALICE, or as WA's better half in MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY, or Anjelica Huston's character in CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS, or maybe just as one of Hannah's sisters -- say, Mia Farrow's character. Joseph in Manila np: Message personnel - Isabelle Huppert "Huit Femmes"
