The Information Super-Frog

Two people on my LJ friends list have posted about Hollywood films using some good New Orleans scenery but having actors speak with "Southern" accents little like how New Orleanians talk. I agree -- Friends and I have been discussing and laughing about this for years.

Comments on few of the films, either mentioned by others or pop to mind at the moment:

Benjamin Button (2008) I discussed this film earlier. One of the most beautiful usages of New Orleans scenery Hollywood has done. Alas mostly Hollywood standard for the accents, though not as bad as some, and at least they didn't try to give New Orleanians a faux "Cajun" accent.


JFK (1991) -- I'll take a pass about assessing the "conspiracy theories" here in interest of preserving the small segment of the internet remaining devoted to neither porn nor arguing about the Kennedy assassination. I will note that even if it had nothing to do with Dealey Plaza, the Garrison - Clay Shaw case seems to have rounded up a cast of colorful characters that seem out of a lost novel by Tennessee Williams or John Kennedy Toole. A number of them still alive at the time have cameos in the film (including my former trombone teacher, the late Layton Martens). If Kevin Cosner looked little and sounded less like Garrison, I have to say that John Candy's portrayal of Dean Andrews is uncanny. A fair amount of good local location shooting. The real trial was actually at Tulane & Broad, not the old Courthouse in the Quarter.

After seeing "JFK" on the big screen, my date and I got into a cab and started discussing the film-- a well done bit of cinema, certainly the story should be taken with more than a grain of salt, but who expects accurate history from Hollywood, it's entertainment. The cab driver quickly injected himself into our conversation in a heavy Yat accent. "Every thing in the movie is true! It was exactly like that! I know, I was there!" We had gotten into a cab driven by one Perry Russo. (I wonder if he circled his cab around cinemas showing JFK when the movie ended in hopes of starting just such conversations.) Becoming increasingly worked up as we drove along, he amplified on the theme, and made claims including that many of the scenes in the movie which I thought were obvious re-creations were actually secret original footage discovered by Oliver Stone. I sort of enjoyed his rant as a colorful anecdote, but after we got out of the cab my date confided she'd been frightened by the experience, worried that the driver was a dangerous maniac. I later learned that Russo said he wanted to expose the Conspiracy because he didn't want that chicken-shit Oswald to get all the credit for the patriotic accomplishment of putting down that Commie bastard Kennedy. If I'd know that then, I would have been creeped out too.

The Big Easy (1987). One of the worst for making New Orleanians into Cajuns. Great historic footage of Bucktown Point, a gone pecan since Katrina.

Live and Let Die (1973). One of the classic era James Bond films. The New Orleans scenes are too breif, and the chase along the Bayous with the caricature Southern Sheriff is far too long. Highlights for me are the scenes with Dejan's Olympia Brass Band, including many now gone greats, and trumpeter Alvin Alcorn knifing the secret agents as the baby-faced killer.

Tightrope (1984). Some interesting local scenery, edited into geographic impossibilities. The Prytania Theater broke into laughter during the foot chase scene where they're running through Jackson Square, turn a corner, and are in (IIRC) Metairie Cemetery. Local model Kathy B. as nude corpse #1; Kathy B. was known as "the Official Tits of the 1984 World's Fair" as she was also the model for the giant mermaid statues at the main entrance.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). The only New Orleans scenery is right at the beginning. It shows the area near the foot of Canal Street, with the old Canal Streetcar, the old Louisville & Nashville Railway Station and the former pedestrian walkway over the tracks. I think this was around where Canal Place is now; I and most New Orleanians are too young to remember it now.

The Wacky World of Doctor Morgus (1962). Low budget sub-B movie featuring well loved local horror host not at his best. Some good footage of Canal Street and the Moissant Airport, and lots of real New Orleanians saying the dialogue. Also features an appearance by exotic dancer Chris Owens, who astonishingly is still entertaining on Bourbon Street. (I can recall joking with friends about Chris Owens' improbably long career more than a dozen years ago. How naieve I was then! Now I realize she is one of New Orleans' eternal fixtures, like humidity. She was probably here before Bienville landed from France, and will still be here a thousand years after the city sinks into the Gulf, doing the cha-cha for an audience of entertained marine life.)

The Savage Bees (1976). I think I last saw it some time in the '80s. Killer Bees movie, with some footage of a Volkswagan Beetle with plastic bees glued all over it driving through the French Quarter and into the Superdome. A friend who saw them filming a scene in the Quarter thought it looked like the movie was going to be pretty stupid; she was right.

Miller's Crossing (1990). The story isn't specifically set in any particular city, but most of the exteriors were filmed in New Orleans, making very good use of the city to get a late 1920s look.

Deja Vu (2006). Mentioned here. First film to do much filming in New Orleans after Katrina. They could have had lots of astonishing footage, but mostly didn't because it would have overshaddowed the story.

mshollie and I saw the film version of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" yesterday. We enjoyed it-- a well done work of cinema.

We went to a matinee at the Prytania-- unusually for a weekday matinee, the theater was filled up. Of course it was the day after Christmas, and 2nd day of a film with lots of local content.

Very good and extensive use of New Orleans settings. I recognized many New Orleans locations-- and was amazed at one shot of a 1920s street scene that use part of one corner and a couple buildings elsewhere in town cut & pasted together with period auto traffic going by to make a new seemless cityscape. The special effects were impressive without deliberately calling attention to themselves, and the cinematography just beautiful. Hey, any film that has Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, and a 1932 Packard limousine is going be damn good looking :-)

Two years ago today was my last day of evacucation in Austin, Texas, before I started heading back to New Orleans.

On 3 October 2005 Ms.Hollie and I had BBQ for lunch at Ruby's-- sorry, anyone who thinks that's quality BBQ needs to come eat at "The Joint" in Bywater, New Orleans. The Tex-Mex place our kind hosts tooks us to for dinner that night was much better -- Austin is the Tex-Mex capital as far as I'm concerned. The next day we hit the road, drove the newly reopened but still Rita devastated I-10, crashed in Baton Rouge. Next morning the usually 40 minute drive from BR to NOLA took 4 hours.

A hell of a lot has happened in the last two years, but that doesn't seem so long ago. July of 2005, on the other hand, seems like it was back in the 1980s or something.

H & I are planning to mark the anniversary of our return on Friday by going back to Specialty in Terrytown, where we had our first meal back at one of the few restaurants open (limited hours and menu) in Greater New Orleans at the time.

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Last week Pentomino was visiting town. He thought the nail gun from reconstruction work down the street was gunfire.

Pentomino, H, & I went to the WWII museum, which has interesting stuff and ties in with the Ken Burns series running on PBS.





German "ENIGMA Machine".
In the early '40s taking a photo of one of these babies probably would have gotten you shot.

A "Higgins Boat", via which New Orleans saved the world from Fascism. You're welcome.

I was glad the last episode of the Ken Burns series at least touched briefly on how war often screws up for life even those who escaped without physical injury.

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Monday there were memorials for late musician/bandleader Jacques Gauthe. Things started off in the afternoon in front of Preservation Hall.




A "jazz band", via which New Orleans saved the world from Squareness. You're welcome.


There was then a memorial second line parade-- sort of a tumble, stopping at various bars-- winding to the Palm Court for a memorial concert with buffet. Good music for a good musician.


Tuesday H & I saw the film "In the Shadow of the Moon", about the Apollo moon astronauts. Reccomended!

Via la_azteca:

Forthcoming film Tyrannosaurus Azteca



Dinosaurs AND pre-Columbian MesoAmerica combined in one film?

Who said they could never top the concept of "Snakes On A Plane"?

I never got around to posting about Apocalypto, which mshollie and I saw over a week ago.

Afterwards Hollie commented that the mass human sacrifice scene was the goriest part. That there'd there'd be serious competition gives you a good idea of the gore content of the film.

It was indeed a "chase movie"-- a very well done one, with lots of excitement and some excellent cinematography.

I'm glad I wasn't expecting much in the way of anthropological accuracy, and was able to enjoy the film as simple action adventure set in the usual b.s. Hollywood has often made of historical subjects.

The Mesoamerican content was really pretty minimal-- largely an exotic setting for the action, plus a platform for The Mel to suggest that destruction of the native civilization by at the hands of those well washed shiny faced conquistadores bearing crosses was the best thing that could have happened to the Mesoamericans.

BTW, It's in Maya, but not very good Maya, as most of the actors don't speak Maya. (The one handed story teller seems to have been about the only actor Gibson picked from the aproximately 1 million people still fluent in it.)

Thanksgiving. Blessed are the cheese makers. Music & art. The Curious Cars of Benjamin Button.

( Read more and see 4 photos )

11 September 2001


1 May 2003

What Driftglass says

What Poot Rootbeer says

Where's.....?

What Vyoma says

I saw the primeer of "When the Levees Broke" (thanks, entheos93!). Whoa, good stuff.

This is a documentary by Spike Lee which will show on HBO starting Monday. It was shown at the New Orleans Arena. Although advertising proclaimed it was sold out, the stadium was only half full-- I'm not sure how the free tickets were distributed, and I know some folks are still nervous about going to the Arena, part of the Superdome complex, what with bad Katrina juju or such.

The prez of HBO made a short introduction, then Spike Lee made an even shorter one (a couple sentences along the lines of "New Orleans is in the house! Here's the film!"), then all 4 one hour segments were shown back to back with no break.

I was quite favorably impressed. I have to agree with Lee's comment " "If you say this [the film] only pertains to black people you must have been sleeping for four hours." in response to Dave Walker's review for the the Times-Picayune -- it makes me wonder if Walker saw a very different cut of the film or was paying attention to something else.

Lee intersperces news footage and still photos of Katrina & aftermath with interviews with such figures as Garlan Robinette, Ray Nagin, Marc Morial, Mitch Landrieu, Ivor van Heerden, various historians & engineers, and people from the greater New Orleans area giving first hand accounts of Katrina, the levee failures, and the long aftermath.

Lee only pushes his politics at a couple brief points. His main goal seems to have been making a good documentary and following whatever his interview subjects thought important to discuss.

I was very impressed with how much he gets right, showing an understanding of New Orleans culture I found surprising for someone not from here.

The audience was very appreciative, laughing and cheering at times. However many people left after the first two hours, and more drifted out after. It was VERY cold in the over airconditioned Arena, and most people were dressed for summer.

Grade: A-

Film maker Stevenson Palfi, Times-Picayune obit First aquantance among the post-Katrina suicides. A friend of friends. I have happy memories of him at some of the music & discussion salons the late Al Rose used to give. His films are likely to outlive anyone who ever met him. RIP, man.


O'Neil Broyard, owner of Saturn Bar The Saturn Bar in the Upper 9th Ward was one of the city's more bizzare downscale sights -- worth seeing if one's nose could take it. The retro-exterior was one of the local sights used in the film "Ray"; the interior was perhaps too strange for anyone this side of David Lynch. A neighborhood dive bar jam packed with garage sale packrat finds, paintings which alcoholic beatnick artists of generations past used to pay their tab, taxidermy and neon... During the September of Exile, a friend on the phone responded to the news that Bywater was listed as one of the areas flooded with the comment "Well, the Saturn Bar is probably cleaner than it's been in our lifetimes." comments on neworleans livejournal community with link to an interview with "Mr. Neil".