Author: Dan Seeger

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One for Friday: Michelle Pfeiffer, “Cool Rider”

Dan Seeger

Michelle Pfeiffer has been nominated for an Academy Award on three occasions, losing to Geena Davis, Jessica Tandy, and Emma Thompson. Best as I can tell, her first experience missing out on an acting award came in late 1982, when her turn as Stephanie Zinone in the misbegotten sequel Grease 2 made her a contender in the category of Best Young Motion Picture Actress at the 4th Youth in Film Awards. The winner was Aileen Quinn in the title role of John Huston’s film version of the musical Annie. (That same year, Nancy McKeon absolutely cleaned up at the Youth … Continue reading One for Friday: Michelle Pfeiffer, “Cool Rider”

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Twenty Performances, or The Folly of Working Without Annette

Dan Seeger

As per tradition, I follow my countdown of the top ten films of the year by turning my attention to the acting that most enthralled me while the previous calendar was still tacked to the wall. The guidelines I set for myself are simple: I draft up the version of a nominating ballot I would submit were I a member of the Academy’s Acting Branch, ranking the five performances in each category and forcing myself to be assiduously honest. That means setting my own sentimental preferences and occasionally ignoring the strategic category shifting that takes place. Both of those factor … Continue reading Twenty Performances, or The Folly of Working Without Annette

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Top Ten Movies of 2016 — Number One

Dan Seeger

There is tremendous beauty and pain to be found in Moonlight. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins (based on the Tarell Alvin McCraney play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue), the film drops in at three points in the life of Chiron (played as a boy by Alex Hibbert, as a teen by Ashton Sanders, and as an adult by Trevante Rhodes). The film probes into the challenge of coming to terms with one’s identity while operating in a fraught society that brutally rejects the version of self that’s emerging. Growing up is difficult enough without the added strain of … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2016 — Number One

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Top Ten Movies of 2016 — Number Two

Dan Seeger

I remember 1979, and I suspect that contributes mightily to my affection for 20th Century Women, written and directed by Mike Mills. I don’t mean to suggest that the film is some bland exercise in nudging nostalgia, resonating only because of echoes generated by its hollowed-out soul. This story of a young man (Jamie Fields) experiencing pivotal stretch of growing up while under the watchful eye of his mother (Annette Bening, plainly perfect) and feeling his personal shape change due the influence of a handful of other figures (including characters played by Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, and Billy Crudup) is built … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2016 — Number Two

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Baker, Black, Bloom and Stevens, Dieterle, Howard

Dan Seeger

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens, 2016). This feather-light documentary is mostly valuable in its accidental ability to fulfill the the heartsick desire for affectionate remembrances of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds following their deaths in December, shockingly arriving with the crack dramatic timing of a veteran pair of performers. Directors Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens occasional approach insightful examination of the scalding heat endured by those helplessly drawn to the spotlight, but their hearts don’t really seem invested in probing too far into darker corners. The film might have only a modest purpose, … Continue reading Baker, Black, Bloom and Stevens, Dieterle, Howard

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College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 79 – 77

Dan Seeger

79. Joe Jackson, “Steppin’ Out” Joe Jackson was a seasoned veteran by the time he released the 1982 album Night and Day. Although his debut, the splendid Look Sharp!, had hit record stores only three years earlier, Jackson was on his fifth studio album with Night and Day, and the learned cynicism that often showed up in his songs was confidently leveled against the section of the entertainment industry in which he was employed. “Rock ‘n’ roll is degenerating into a big circus, and videos and MTV are very much part of that,” he noted around that time. “People who … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 250 Songs, 1979 – 1989, 79 – 77

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One for Friday: Dolly Mixture, “How Come You’re Such a Hit with the Boys, Jane?”

Dan Seeger

As must happen from time to time, I have a “Jane” song to share. To the best of my knowledge, I never played a song by Dolly Mixture during my college radio days, but I wish I would have. Their sound was precisely what I hoped to discover when I dug deeply into the most obscure records in the radio station’s music library, finding those old releases that perhaps hadn’t been touched in years but exhibited a wear-and-tear in the packaging that suggested they were once deeply loved. Had a Dolly Mixture album been in our stacks, how could it … Continue reading One for Friday: Dolly Mixture, “How Come You’re Such a Hit with the Boys, Jane?”

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Top Ten Movies of 2016 — Number Three

Dan Seeger

I think Colin Farrell is exceptional across the entirety of Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Lobster, but I have a clear favorite moment. In dire circumstances while roaming the woods outside of the compound where he’s been staying through much of the film, Farrell’s character, David, encounters a newly disgruntled acquaintance (John C. Reilly). Farrell meets the animosity with a desperate attempt to once again ingratiate himself to the person, delivering compliments and reassurances with a stilted calm. It’s a single scene, but it encompasses so much of what I adore about The Lobster: a genial off-filter quality and unhinged creativity that … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2016 — Number Three

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Top Ten Movies of 2016 — Number Four

Dan Seeger

It is a pleasing irony that the year’s most accomplished film that looks to otherworldly being to drive its story is so beautifully, wisely attuned to humanity. Arrival is centered on visitors from across the universe who park their skipping stone spaceships in a perpetual hover a few stories about the terra firma of Earth, but the primary commitment is to the people who struggle through daunting communication barriers to understand the planet’s new acquaintances. As linguist Louise Banks, Amy Adams gives one of those performances that perhaps only she can: grounded deeply in qualities that are equal parts charisma, approachability, … Continue reading Top Ten Movies of 2016 — Number Four