The John Cazale Award

I was watching Dog Day Afternoon I think on Wednesday night (quick aside I didn't realize that movie was based on a true story which really makes it even more incredible and Elizabeth Debbie Eden, who Leon was based on, was far prettier than her portrayal let on) when I remembered that "Fredo"- John Cazale was in that movie as well. He always seemed to play the same type of character, kind of shy/more of a follower/dopey, but I looked at his biography and his list of films and no one played those roles better.
Here are the films John Cazale was in

The Godfather
The Conversation
The Godfather Part II
Dog Day Afternoon
The Deer Hunter

That's a pretty good line up of some of the greatest movies of the 1970s. All of them are brilliant brilliant films- in fact every film he appeared in was nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. I can't think of anyone in Film who's ratio would even approach that. It's fucking amazing. He was only 33 when he died of bone cancer, though he always looked a lot older than that. But even with such a record everyone know just remembers him as Fredo (a confession a few months back when I was screwing around on IMDB I really thought he was still alive, just not working in anything anymore- like his career was due solely to his connections with Coppola, Pacino or De Niro) as the hapless loser (who ends up get screwed) but I decided he should be the patron saint of underappreciated or unacknowldged great character actors- the ones who you never learn their names but always recognize their faces leading to a " yeah isn't that whats his name?"

And so I think it is only fitting that the first ever winner of the (soon to be prestigious) John Cazale Award, in recognition of a career of great "character work" should be the man himself, the great John Cazale.

in pace requiescat

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What I've Been Watching

There are many times that I'm happy that I live in the day and age I do. I suppose it would be shallow and a bit of a lie if I said that more than racial or sexually tolerance/equality I loved the Internet and the remarkably archive that it is,but...
When I was growing up, maybe 10 there was a show that come on I think on Sundays NBC that I loved, and so of course it was canceled. It was Eerie Indiana and it was fabulous, well written and a bit scary (at least to my pre adolescent mind) so it was perfect. I had always sort of lamented the fact that it was gone but thank god for Youtube. Here is the first episode the Forever Ware episode that I can still actually remember. Ah memories:

I've been watching this Wainy Day web-series, created by "one of those guys" David Wain and I've been enjoying it not only for the fact that it sounds like baby talk (wainy.) It's pretty quirky (which I still enjoy even though quirky may be "out") and their are tonnes of cameos by people who you recognize, but don't know their name, but it's really funny and there is literal dancing in the streets! Plus each episode is short enough for my attention span. Anyway here is episode 1: "Shelley"


Score another point for Elizabeth. And the "You'll Have to Change/I Will Change" duet in episode 3: "My Turn" is fantastic and catchy and a little stuck in my head.

Finally I've become obsessed with The First Shop of Coffee Prince which is a Korean soap opera that is apparently huge, with good reason, and has been showing locally every Monday and Tuesday night. I'll try to give a bit of the synopsis , or the parts that I understand at least a girl disguises herself as a boy, why I'm not sure- I missed the first few episodes, and begins working at a coffee shop where she falls in love with the owner. The owner falls in love with her as well but is torn and confused about his sexuality because she is presenting as a he. I'm sure at the end she'll reveal herself (it seems everyone else already knows) but it's fun to see panic over sexuality. One of her friends, who knows she's a girl is also secretly in love with her but he can't tell her. There are some other subplots but they're not that interesting except there is a gorgeous Japanese guy. and yes maybe it is a little pathetic that I watch Korean soap operas but I do love it and I won't apologize ::sigh::

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