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Posts Tagged ‘Todd Haynes’

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Another Mother’s Day has passed (I hope you had a good one) but luckily for you the Top 10 Movie Moms are available all year round - here’s the final Top 10 - including 2 new ones not yet profiled! Keep in mind these Moms may not be the most typical (they’re all actually pretty unique) , but they are definitely the most dynamic and interesting to watch on the screen.

10. Carol White in Todd Haynes’ Safe

A disturbing and eeery portrait of a California housewife and step-mom that suddenly turns sick from the chemicals in the air is in part an attack of suburban culture and in part a more general metaphor for the AIDS epidemic. But these social critiques aside, Julianne Moore’s turn as Carol White is a fascinating look at a woman who wants more that to run a house. The scene of Carol at a pals baby shower, when a young child is sitting on her lap as she starts to experience an attack will sit with you for some time… As will the last moment of the film. It’s a true testament to the side our mother’s keep to themselves…

And even though Carol may have had other problems, to ensure we all have clean air to breathe!

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Since his unconventional Bob Dylan biopic came onto the scene, a lot more folks know who Todd Haynes is. Hopefully this means that a lot more know about his film Safe - but just to be “safe” I’m going write a bit about it.

Haynes’ 1995 film starring Julianne Moore as Carol White, is on the surface a slow, strange horror film where the bad guy isn’t a ghost, monster or a man in a mask, but is in fact the chemicals that surround all of us.

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Even though I love Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There and find Cate Blanchett’s performance in the film nothing short of amazing, I was extremely excited to see Tilda Swinton win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in Michael Clayton last night. I have long been an admirer of Swinton and her work in such films as Young Adam and The Deep End. The first role of hers that made me a true fan was her outstanding performance as the forever young Orlando in Sally Potter’s film by the same name.

Based on the novel by Virginia Woolf, Orlando follows the story of a young man who’s told “Do not fade. Do not wither. Do not grow old” by Queen Elizabeth I. And he does not, he manages to live 400 years and never age a day. Swinton’s turn as the male Orlando is not the only gender-bending performance of the piece, Quentin Crisp portrays Elizabeth I and halfway through the film Orlando adds a letter to his pronoun and becomes a she, proclaiming :

“Same person. No difference at all… just a different sex.”

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