Thursday, January 05, 2017

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

Reds (1981)

Louise: I'd like to see you 
with your pants off, Mr. Reed. 

Diane Keaton is of course talking to Warren Beatty's character there and PREACH, SISTER. They had Warren Beatty on TCM last night and they screened Reds on TCM right after  they screened Heaven Can Wait and watching Heaven Can Wait reminded me that I find Heaven Can Wait an immensely frustrating movie-experience every time because you've got yourself a movie about Warren Beatty as a football player and the bastard manages to keep his damned clothes on the whole damned movie. There are several locker-room scenes but do they matter? NO. I mean, what the fuck, Warren.

Anyway this post isn't about Warren, it's about the lovely and amazing Diane Keaton, one of my favorite actresses out of all the actresses, who is turning 71 years lovely and amazing today. (What a lovely and amazing contrast with the actress we were just whatever-the-opposite-of-celebrating this feeling is.) 

Reds is one of my favorite performances of hers - I've said before that it's probably #2 after Looking For Mr. Goodbar but today I feel as if I'm maybe undervaluing Annie Hall in all of this - Annie Hall is of course the obvious choice and it feels good to go against the grain but sometimes the grain's not too shabby, ya know? 

But those would be my top three - 
you can't go wrong with any of those.
What's your favorite Diane Keaton performance?
.

5 comments:

ernesto66 said...

Something's Gotta Give is my favorite of hers. Earlier performances to me either seemed forced (Reds, Interiors) or not invested enough (Annie Hall). As she aged she seemed to get more comfortable in her skin and grew into roles. I like her a lot in Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Family Stone and especially Something's Gotta Give - in all three she absolutely refuses to give up any ground to her costars or water down the performances to make them softer or more "likable".

Pierce said...

Her best performance is as the wife in Shoot the Moon. It's a truly beautiful, heartfelt performance. I also love her as Louise Bryant in Reds, as J.C. Wyatt in Baby Boom and her performances in Love and Death, Manhattan and Interiors.

However, I think her beautiful performance as Amelia Earhart in The Last Flight is beautiful as well.

BTW, Diane Keaton is one of my favorite actresses.

RE: Beatty. I love him with Julie Christie, especially in McCabe and Mrs. Miller.

Anonymous said...

I will watch whatever she's in. LOVE her in Manhattan Murder Mystery and Marvin's Room. I'm curious to see what she does in The Young Pope.

MMinDC

joel65913 said...

My absolute favorite of her work is Baby Boom. She's just so charming while still getting to use her flintiness to great effect.

After that it would be Shoot the Moon
Then probably Manhattan Murder Mystery.

She's very good in Looking for Mr. Goodbar but I didn't like that film.

Rob91316 said...

"Looking For Mr. Goodbar" -- an absolutely fearless performance for which Keaton should've won the Best Actress Oscar instead of for "Annie Hall."