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Johnny is going to be late for his next appointment.
In Nick of Time, Johnny Depp plays Gene Watson, a public accountant returning from the funeral of his soon-to-be ex-wife with their 6-year-old daughter Lynn (Courtney Chase). Spotted in the crowd in Los Angeles's Union Station, he is chosen by Mr. Smith (Christopher Walken) to assassinate California's governor (Marsha Mason). After snatching Lynn, Mr. Smith gives Mr. Watson 90 minutes to do the deed: Kill the governor, he demands, or your daughter is dead.
Has Johnny gone Square?
Two types of headlines dominated the reviews for Nick of Time: Johnny Depp can't open a movie on his own, and Johnny Depp can't play "normal."
Johnny's always said that his career was built on a series of box office failures. Up to this point, most of his films--whether liked by critics or not--didn't make enough money at the box office for people to notice them for long. Who cares as long as it's a good movie?
In Nick of Time, Johnny does so many things he hadn't before: With no odd costume, make-up, accent, or fantastical story, he plays a straight-laced accountant and father in an action/thriller. I think it was too much for critics to take, and they translated this move as an attempt to go commercial and become an action star.
Johnny never chooses roles based on commercial success. He goes for the experience. Here, he had the chance to work with Christopher Walken. (Yay!) and be directed by John Badham (director of Saturday Night Fever, another good movie). Reading the script kept him on the edge of his seat and reminded him of an old-fashioned Alfred Hitchcock story. Can you blame him for going for it?
My review isn't that bad.
My own family gave Nick of Time mixed reviews: My sister got wrapped up in the story and felt for Johnny's situation, but my dad found the whole thing too unbelievable. I'm somewhere in the middle: It's a respectable movie. Watching it again for Johnny Kitties, I was struck by how tense I felt throughout. Shot in real time before "24" made it popular, the use of handheld cameras amid crowded, busy scenes gives a raw, documentary-like feel, as if you're really there, witnessing what's happening. Marsha Mason's performance as Governor Grant is great, and I love Charles S. Dutton as Huey, the shoe-shine man. (In a key role, he offers some comic relief with some great lines.) And, really, you can't go wrong with Christopher Walken when you need a crazy bad guy.
Johnny's right: The story does have that old Hitchock feel to it. But, I admit, there are a few corny moments and lines that make it seem more to me like a TV Movie of the Week. It's too neat-and-tidy in some places, and there are lots of shots of clocks to constantly remind you of the time. I caught Nick of Time on TV once, and it had an alternate ending that wrapped things up even more neatly than that theatrical release. I can't tell you what it is without ruining it, but it might have solidified my comparison.
Maybe the PG-13 rating was the ultimate problem. At one point in the film, Johnny falls 90 feet into a fountain below. Someone asked him which was scarier: Doing the stunt or Christopher Walken? Of course, he responded, "Christopher Walken, definitely!" Really, if you've got Christopher Walken as the bad guy, go for the R.
While Christopher Walken was my favorite ingredient in Nick of Time, I think Johnny does a fine job as our accountant hero. Like my sister, I found him completely believable--always trying to get out of the situation and ultimately focused on keeping his daughter safe. Johnny has a knack for getting you to care for his characters, whoever they are, without having to do much. Director John Badham agrees, "Johnny has a basic sweetness to him. He's a classic movie actor, like the true greats--Paul Newman, Gary Cooper, even Steve McQueen. Minimalist in approach, but extremely honest. Johnny is that kind of actor. He has this great ability to be in a scene where he may do nothing, yet he establishes his presence on the screen." It's true!
The Kitties get ready to race against the clock.
I picked my favorite scene here: Mr. Smith (Norman) and his accomplice, Ms. Jones (Roma Maffia/Ashes), are scanning the floor of Union Station to find someone to blackmail into committing murder. Meanwhile, Gene Watson (Gordon) is trying to protect his daughter (Mini) from some pestering rollerbladers (B.J. and Simon) who were bothering her while he was on the phone. As he walks away, he knocks over the ashtray can to get rid of them, giving Lynn a valuable lesson, which always makes me laugh: "That's why you should always wear a helmet and kneepads because you never know when you're going to fall down and go boom." The ruckus startles some bystanders (The Mother Kitty, Comet, and Lily) and gets the bad guys' attention.
What's Next?
Next month, Johnny's a Dead Man. (Wait, I'm not sure I like how that sounds....)
For more images from Nick of Time and Johnny Kitties, visit Melissa's Kitties' blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.
Don't forget to look up every once in a while. (I'm off to San Francisco for a week. Maybe you'll see me on my way tomorrow morning.)
Colored pencils (Caran d'Ache Luminance, Pablo and dry Museum Aquarelle) on A4 sized Fabriano black black paper
Category: advanced
Challenge: BLACK BEAUTY colored pencil art challenge
Completed: October 2024
Free ref. photo (unsplash)
Inspired by our neighbours cat who is totally black and always watching me in the evening while I`m walking the dog. Sometimes I only can see her eyes glooming in the dark. My dog gets scared if he sees her and so I thought it fits to the spooky month, too 😄
At the end of October, I took the train up to New York for a three-day Broadway Extravaganza. I saw four fantastic shows!
- The River, at Circle in the Square, is a drama about a guy with relationship issues and his love for fishing. In the scene here, our man (Hugh Jackman/B.J.) is surprised by his girlfriend's (Laura Donnelly/Mini) beginner's luck.
- Cabaret, at Studio 54, is an iconic musical set in 1930s Berlin about a cabaret singer and her relationship with an American as the Nazis begin to gain power. In this scene, the cabaret's emcee, played by Alan Cumming/Simon introduces some of the cabaret's dancers (Ashes and Lily), including its main attraction Sally Bowles (Michelle Williams/Mini).
- Set to some amazing music by Sting, The Last Ship at the Neil Simon Theatre, is a new musical about a man (Michael Esper) who, after 15 years, returns to his hometown – a working-class shipbuilding community in Northern England, where he faces his first love Meg (Rachel Tucker) and unresolved issues with his father. As Father O'Brien (Fred Applegate), the town's beloved minister, brings the community together to give the dying industry a proper send off by building one last ship, memories arise and old wounds begin to heal. Here, the foreman Jackie White (Jimmy Nail/B.J.) directs his workers (Comet, Gordon, and Simon) as they build the massive ship with Father O'Brien (Norman), Meg (Lily), and her son Tom (Colin Kelly Sordelet/Tyrone) watching the feat.
- On the Town, at Lyric Theatre, is the classic musical about three Navy sailors (Tony Yazbeck, Jay Armstrong Johnson, and Clyde Alves) on 24-hour leave in New York City. In this scene, the boys (Comet, Gordon, and B.J.) get off the boat at 6 a.m. to start their day, just as a construction worker (Philip Boykin/Norman) arrives for work.
I've been slow drawing and blogging these days, but I hope to post reviews of these shows here sometime soon. In the meantime, get your tickets now because these shows are all worth seeing! Cabaret now stars Emma Stone in the role of Sally Bowles! The Last Ship, my favorite of the four, now has Sting himself in the role of Jackie White for a limited time through January 10th! What are you waiting for? Treat yourself and go!
Tyrone's fur pattern is unlike any other we have seen. It's up for debate what it all means. So far, researchers have traced it back to his African and Native American ancestors. Their findings could take a drastic turn at any moment, however, since the subject is not offering any clues. Tyrone is too busy climbing trees to bother explaining himself.
[What is Johnny Kitties? Visit my blog's Johnny Kitties page for information, a full list of Johnny Depp's filmography, and links to all previous Johnny Kitties blog posts: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com/p/johnny-kitties-celebrating...]
Why are we waiting for barbarians?
The daily routines of a magistrate (Mark Rylance) managing an isolated outpost of an unnamed empire is disrupted by a visit from Colonel Joll (Johnny Depp), who demands a report on the current state of affairs amid growing concerns of an impending uprising by the local nomads or — as the colonel refers to them — the barbarians. His cruel interrogation tactics toward them makes the magistrate question his loyalty to the empire over his conscience. Director Ciro Guerra's Waiting for the Barbarians is a thought-provoking film based on the 1980 novel, written and adapted by Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee.
I haven't read this novel, but both Johnny and Mark Rylance immediately connected to the story's relevance. "The shocking thing for me, which was the beacon that stayed there, was the fact that it felt all true and relevant to today in many ways in a lot of different places in the world," Johnny explains. "Power begets power, and there are those who decide who follows or who is disposable or unnecessary, and all those decisions are made by the people at the top." Mark Rylance adds, "The way the novel can be extrapolated to almost any circumstance in the world, to any point in history, is staggering."
Who are the real barbarians here?
Because of the pandemic, Waiting for the Barbarians was released to streaming services, and I ended up watching it at my desk on my iMac. I prefer a trip to a movie theater for the big screen, but it was nice to be able to prepare my own snacks (hot chocolate and strawberries) and click play on YouTube whenever I was ready.
I was afraid to watch this movie because I already unintentionally saw headlines of mixed reviews that praised Johnny's terrifying performance. But, don't worry, that didn't stop me. Not only did I watch it, but I liked it! Of course, I prefer no cruelty or torture, but as a whole, I liked the look and feel of everything else in this film. Beautifully shot by cinematographer Chris Menges, it's got a meditative, slow pace and a great soundtrack by Giampiero Ambrosi to match.
The movie opens to this pulsating beat in an expansive desert, following a lone carriage surrounded by soldiers on horseback. Colonel Joll, a member of the police from the Bureau of State Security, has arrived at this random outpost to question the magistrate and locals about the current state of affairs.
Johnny is sinister and stoic with a steadfast frown here: He has always been great at expressing everything with a look rather than a word, and this performance is a good example. He does have some great lines, but mostly, he instills fear by just looking official and menacing. With a nod or other minor gesture, he can get his underlings to spring into action.
"I find the most interesting thing about bad guys throughout history, or characters like Joll, is that people don't wake up in the morning and decide while they are shaving: 'I'm going to be the meanest or worst human being. I'm going to cause as much havoc as possible,'" Johnny explains. "No, for me, playing Joll, he seemed very different to me than a bad guy. That felt like it would have been too easy. If you try to think about how a man like that is built, how he is turned, how a man like this arrives at that place: Is it really to be without emotion; is it sociopathy or psychopathy? Or is there somewhere in that guy that harbors a broken child in there or that has been hammered into a shape by his father or mother in his upbringing?"
Colonel Joll is a stark contrast to the magistrate, wonderfully portrayed by Mark Rylance. This quiet, thoughtful observer is kind, gentle and respectful toward the natives. Having witnessed the unnecessary pain and suffering that Colonel Joll inflicts on the locals without any real cause, you see the magistrate's frustration grow. The Colonel's explanation — "Pain is truth; all else is subject to doubt." — just doesn't cut it. As Colonel Joll's crew disturbs the peace and leaves the outpost in ruins, the magistrate's loyalty sides with the locals. It's a good thing, too, because these nomads will eventually get it together.
I like that there's so little action in this movie that it's hard for me to describe. For example, one scene shows the magistrate falling asleep after hours of washing a local woman's injured feet with warm water. Watching this movie, I could focus on what the characters were thinking. How often does that happen?
The Kitties will put a stop to any barbaric behavior.
The best part of Colonel Joll is his cool shades. Johnny describes them: "When Ciro came up with the shape, they were threatening, menacing, somehow; and the fact that he wouldn't take them off, he would make the magistrate as uncomfortable as possible. He learnt some tricks over the years. Calmness, stillness and quiet, and holding your response to a question can be quite disturbing to the person on the other side of you. They are levels of maintaining the armor."
Check out this sketch by production designer/set decorator Crispain Sallis. "Through that characterization, [Johnny] cut Colonel Joll back to the absolute bone, making any additional theatrical flourishes, such as the glasses or the swagger stick, things to absolutely relish," he explains.
In my own illustration, I'm not sure the shades come across quite as menacing, but Colonel Joll (Gordon) also accessorizes his uniform with a golden hammer that he considers using to beat up the next barbarian. (Did I mention he's not a nice guy?) This is the only moment where Colonel Joll manages a slight smirk, pleased with the fear-induced power he has over these nomads. When the magistrate (Comet) speaks up, pointing out his evil ways, Colonel Joll's face and stance stiffen and his frown returns. Don't worry, Comet didn't get hurt in the making of this illustration. (Also, I realized after I finished this drawing that the uniforms are a deep navy color — not black — but it all depends on the sunlight, right?)
Check out this Crock of Gold!
In other exciting Johnny news, be sure to catch Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan, a documentary that Johnny produced about his friend and frontman of the Pogues. It is available now in the United States and Canada for viewing on home digital platforms and DVD. Additional worldwide releases are coming later this month. I am getting ready to watch it with the volume up.
What's next?
Look at me, all caught up with Johnny Kitties! Mark your calendars for February 5 to see Johnny as war photographer W. Eugene Smith in Minamata. I am pacing the floors for this one.
"I'd like to be remembered as the guy who tried -- tried to be a part of his times, tried to help people communicate with one another, tried to find some decency in his own life, tried to extend himself as a human being." Paul Newman
I knew this was coming, but I was hoping for a miracle.
I've seen almost all of Paul Newman's movies, but I can't remember which one I saw first. Was it The Verdict? Or, was it Absence of Malice? I was already hooked by the time my dad directed me back further to Hombre, Hud, and Cool Hand Luke. I was hopelessly devoted by the time I saw a younger Paul in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Long Hot Summer, and The Hustler. Yet, I rushed out to the theaters to see his later films--Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, The Hudsucker Proxy, Nobody's Fool--and fell just as much in love with the cranky old man. (Cars counts too!) Discovering an old Paul Newman movie was like finding a gift that was just for me. Waiting for a new Paul Newman movie was like anticipating a visit from an old friend. Imagine how elated I was to catch him in person in 2003's Broadway run of Our Town! Oh, to be in the same room with The Man!
I don't remember how I became so loyal to Paul Newman, but how can one not be? For me it had little to do with his films or the pretty face. Reading and seeing him in interviews just made my admiration grow: the intelligence, the well-spoken thoughtfulness, the kindness and generosity, the eagerness and joy for life, the biting sense of humor--The Whole Package. His talent--displayed in his entire body of character-driven projects--is a happy bonus.
When Newman's Own products hit the grocery store shelves, I'd plead with my mom to buy them--or sneak them into the cart myself. If confronted regarding my selections, my arguments were always chock-full with simple facts: "It's Paul Newman's: it's good." And, if that didn't work, "He donates all the proceeds to charity!" The Hole in the Wall Camps are his gift to children worldwide, and he has raised more than $250 million to it and other charitable causes over the last 25+ years. Who can argue with that?
Paul Newman is it: the guy everyone should aspire to. Good luck. He was one of a kind. His wife and family are lucky, and we are lucky to have known him too.
The Kitties and I wanted to pay tribute, of course, but being such a brilliant character actor made it difficult for us to whittle down distinct movie moments that lend themselves to illustration. Norman offered to eat 50 hard-boiled eggs in one sitting, but I thought that'd be unhealthy for him, nor did it quite sum up The Greatness that is Paul Newman. But how do you draw such broad traits as exceptional, genuine, decent, good, inspirational, or wonderful?
So, we decided to take the easy way out: load up on the comfort food and have an open-ended Paul Newman Film Festival until the sun comes back out. Many thanks and farewell, dear friend; you have made a difference and are missed.
We are all sad, but we are surrounded by a few of our favorite things: We have two of our favorite books (the inspiring Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good by Paul and his friend A.E. Hotchner and Paul Newman: A Life in Pictures, my favorite Christmas gift from last year.) We have our favorite anytime dinner (spaghetti with Newman's Own Sockarooni "Sock-it-to-'em" spaghetti sauce) and our favorite movie snacks (Newman's Own Organics Pop's Corn microwave buttered popcorn and/or Mint-Creme-Filled Newman- O's).
[All of these yummy products should be available at your local grocery store. If not, check the Newman's Own Website. Remember, It's Paul Newman's: it's good! And, all the proceeds go to charity! Oh, Comet also wants me to note that, while you're at it, you can donate to the Hole in the Wall Camps.]
Lastly--and thankfully--we have a large supply of Paul Newman Movies. (B.J. and Norman have apparently chosen Hombre to start us off.) Settle in and enjoy!
For this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Layer," all I could think of was clothing and fashion. But since Simon modeled his holiday sweater last week, I resisted working on tiered kitty dresses.
Saturday, I went to Yin Yang Yoga class, during which we are asked to hold positions for several minutes at a time. It's supposed to help release your inner tissues, tendons, and cartilage, which are harder to reach during the more active classes. Pigeon pose is common in Yin Yoga.
-- Seated, you place one leg so that your shin is parallel with the front of your mat--or as parallel as you can get it.
-- Your other leg goes straight back, in line with your hip.
-- At first, you prop yourself up on your hands and "open your heart" to the sky for slight back bend.
-- Then, roll forward till your forehead touches the mat. (Depending on how far you can go, you can rest on your forearms or on a prop, such as a block.)
-- Our instructor added a twist to the pose, suggesting that we rest on one side with our bottom arm outstretched. (I could do this twist well on one side but not the other.)
A huge hip opener, Pigeon pose is always a struggle for me. Whether it's slightly better or much worse depends on the day. I suppose it doesn't help that I work all day at a desk and then draw all night on the couch.
While I was lying there trying to focus on my breathing but really wondering how long five minutes could last, I started to imagine my hip breaking free of whatever crud and cartilage I was feeling. The longer we stayed put, the looser my hip felt. That's when the instructor started talking about his theme for the day: Layers.
He spoke of how yoga helps to peel away the layers of obstacles--stress, fears, preconceptions, and whatever else is holding you back. However slowly, these layers fall away and you then can focus on individual elements of yourself--be it your hip, your breath, your flexibility, your mind, your openness, or something even deeper. You work toward peeling these layers one by one until your completely open physically--and maybe more important--mentally.
I told The Kitties all about this when I got home, and Gordon got all fired up about getting on his mat. He took charge of Sunday's Kitty Class, and here they show off how good they all are at Pigeon pose.
Yeah, well, they're cats.
I must point out, though, that Norman was already too exhausted for Pigeon pose and opted to rest in Child's pose instead. (He'd stay in Child's pose for the whole class if we let him!) And, The Mother Kitty, who has bad knees, opted for an alternative pose. As they always say in yoga class, every body is different.
Visit Melissa's Kitties: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com
Note: For information about Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp, please see my introductory blog post about it here: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com/2010/06/johnnys-kitties-john...
Film #1: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Johnny came to Los Angeles to be a musician, but when that wasn't working out as planned, he had to find something else to do to pay the rent. The girlfriend of his friend, Nicolas Cage, set him up with his first film audition, for a movie called A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Looking to fill the part of "Glen Lantz," the boyfriend of the film's heroine, Director Wes Craven whittled down the candidates to three people. Johnny was among them, but he wasn't the front-runner until Wes Craven's teenage daughter had her say:
"Daaaad! Johnny Depp!!! Oh, he's sexy! He's so sexy! He's a dreamboat!"
"That guy? He's kind of pale and skinny..."
"I think he's dreamy!"
And, the rest is history.
A Nightmare on Elm Street became a classic '80s horror film. Freddy Krueger, a badly scarred murderer whose weapon of choice is a glove that has knives affixed to its fingers, haunts and kills his victims in their dreams. As I mentioned, Glen is the boyfriend of the film's heroine, Nancy Thompson.
While I have a hard time watching scary movies, The Kitties and I like this one! (Apparently, many people did since there are 5 sequels--none of which should be confused with the recent remake.)
Watching this, The Mother Kitty, Ashes, Lily, and I all preferred to draw the scene where Glen climbs the rose-filled trellis of Nancy's house up to her bedroom window for a surprise entrance. But we were out-voted because the rest of the world remembers Glen's death scene more than anything else. Johnny put it best: "I get sucked into a bed and spew out like tomato juice!"
This moment is the right choice. Who can resist that outfit?
Note: For information about Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp, please see my introductory blog post about it here: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com/2010/06/johnnys-kitties-john...
Film #4: Platoon (1986)
"I could tell a mile away. I said, 'You're going to be a star. There's just absolutely no question. You've got a great face, you're unbelievably handsome, and you've got an original character. You have a quality!" Oliver Stone on casting Johnny Depp in Platoon
------------------------
War movies are not my favorite, but Platoon is a good one. Oliver Stone's semi-autobiographical drama set in the jungles of Vietnam won 4 Oscars in 1986. It's not fun to watch, but it made many people see and think differently about the Vietnam War and its veterans.
Following a soldier who voluntarily enlists, we experience with him the horrors of war and the internal battles he faces to survive. Led by Charlie Sheen, the movie included an all-star ensemble cast on not-yet-famous actors: Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, and Johnny Depp.
Johnny scored the small role of an interpreter named Lerner. Like everyone else in the cast, he committed to the "rehearsal" period in the Luzon, Philippines, prior to shooting. Johnny's first trip out of the United States landed him in the middle of the Philippine Revolution. Nice timing.
As the actors arrived, they were immediately treated as their characters--rank and all. They underwent 2 weeks of bootcamp under the supervision of Marine Seargant Dale Dye. "They were new guys coming into a unit in Vietnam. Nothing else existed," Dye said. "We wanted them to understand the pain and the agony and the angst and the psychology of being a grunt in Vietnam."
On this compressed schedule, they learned everything they would have learned through basic and advanced infantry. They received military haircuts, had no access to showers, slept in the jungle, and rotated nightwatch duty. "The rations we were given to eat were the most shocking thing you've ever seen," Johnny said. "It would be things like 'bean component,' 'turkey loaf.' But I'd have eaten my socks by that point, man. We were all starving to death."
Oliver Stone's got a reputation for his aggressive directing style, and--according to Platoon's behind-the-scene's documentary--everyone hated him during filming because he pushed his actors to the brink. "I didn't know if I was going to make it out of there alive," Charlie Sheen said of the experience. Despite the hardships, for Johnny, the experience was a step in the right direction: "I'm really very proud to have been involved in Platoon. It gave me a hunger. It sort of gave me a drive to go somewhere else, to try to do other things, and learn more."
As you may imagine, there are no scenes in Platoon that lend themselves to happy kitties. We all watched it with our hands (paws?) poised to shield our eyes from the violence when needed.
In the end, we chose the most peaceful scene we could find: Two soldiers gazing up at the stars on a quiet night in the jungle, reflecting. The war is almost forgotten for a moment.
I admit, Johnny's not technically in this scene. Is that cheating on my project rules? Well, The Kitties and I imagine that, given the chance, any soldier would look up at the stars for a moment of peace in the middle of the Vietnam War--or any war, for that matter. So, we assume that Johnny is doing the same--even if it's off camera.
Next up, Johnny takes over [my] TV on 21 Jump Street!
A Date with the Devil
In The Ninth Gate, Johnny Depp plays Nick Corso, a scrupulous rare book dealer contacted by Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), who owns an original copy of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows. Mr. Balkan enlists Nick to find the two other first editions because, together, the books unlock the gateway to Hell. Based on a novel by Arturo Perez-Reverte called El Club Dumas and directed by Roman Polanski, this film is an old-fashioned detective story with a supernatural twist.
But do I have to see this one?
As I mentioned before, I no longer have any tolerance for scary movies. I think I watched one too many as a kid, so now the corniest, most predictable thrills make me jump out of my seat. I was afraid The Ninth Gate would scare me because Roman Polanski's classic Rosemary's Baby scared me, and--since both stories involve the devil--everyone was comparing The Ninth Gate to Rosemary's Baby. I didn't like The Ninth Gate when I first saw it, and I remember my dad making a stinky face as we left the theater. (He, too, was expecting Rosemary's Baby, which is one of his favorite movies.) Seeing this again for Johnny Kitties, though, it turns out that The Ninth Gate is a great movie! From when I first saw it, I only remembered the crazy ending and the PG-13 creepy bits that freaked me out at the time.
This time, I really enjoyed the mystery and the humor incorporated into it. Unlike Rosemary's Baby, this is a light-hearted story about the devil. It doesn't take itself too seriously and reminds me, in a way, of an old-fashioned Hitchcock film. I loved the atmosphere and pace set from the beginning: Even the 3D-style opening credits start you off sweeping through the nine gates. "I think, within the first 3 minutes of a Polanski film, you feel some kind of uneasiness, some kind of eeriness, a sense of instability in the center of your body," Johnny said.
I still don't like the ending--which must have been my lasting impression--but neither does Roman Polanski: "We had great problems with the ending, and I don't even know that I'm satisfied with the way we decided to go, but that was the best of all alternatives, I think." For me, the last 15 minutes of the movie just get too weird. Starting with a cultish ceremony, everything becomes over the top and some scenes seemed unnecessary. But I never read the book, so I don't know how I'd end it either.
An American in Paris
Johnny jumped at the chance to work with Roman Polanski. (He probably likes Rosemary's Baby too.) Johnny was Roman Polanski's first choice to star in The Ninth Gate, which was filmed in France. The director enjoyed the experience: "Working with actors is so different from case to case: They're different people, different personalities, different approaches, different characters. And, each time you work with a new actor, you have to find a way of collaborating with him," he explained. "With Johnny, it was very easy because he's got a knack for it, for saying lines in such a way that they always sound right. There's never a false note. It's quite simple. There's not much talk or motivation. Other actors keep asking questions; Johnny hardly ever asks anything."
Nick Corso isn't the nicest guy, which you find out pretty quickly, but apparently that's what attracted Johnny to him: "I like the idea of hating a character initially, but then growing to like him. In the beginning when you really dislike him, he's bad. But when you grow to like him at the end, he's in fact worse!"Johnny played Nick Corso straight and flat, which isn't how Roman Polanski imagined it: "After a couple of days, I thought it gave the film some different aspect that I wasn't anticipating when I was working on the script," he said. "I think it's an interesting contrast with all those strange and funny secondary characters around him."
I didn't know Lily could fly!
As he searches for these books, Nick Corso has a little help from a mysterious woman (Emmanuel Signer/Lily), who always seems to appear at opportune moments. While fighting off a bad guy (Tony Amoni/Simon) who is trying to steal Mr. Balkan's book (in the bag), Nick Corso doesn't notice the woman literally flying down the stairs to his rescue. Yeah, there's something weird about her....
What's next?
Johnny caps off the '90s investigating murder most foul in Sleepy Hollow with Tim Burton.
For more Johnny Kitties and images from The Ninth Gate, visit Melissa's Kitties blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com/2012/03/johnny-kitties-celeb...
"We say all the time, 'I would kill for my family' or 'I would die for my family.' But would you really? I always thought of this story as the ultimate sacrifice." Johnny Depp
How brave are you?
As Rafael, Johnny Depp plays a poor, unemployed, alcoholic Native American who is desperate to provide for his wife and two young children. He wants to get them out of their trailer life in Morgantown, a village set among refuse, but having just served 3 years in prison for robbery and assault hasn't helped in his search for a legitimate job in town. He receives word of a different way out: He hears that a man named McCarthy (Marlon Brando) will pay $50,000 for his life. "Watching a painful death can be a great inspiration to those who are not dying, so that they can see how brave we can be when it's time to go," McCarthy says. "It the final measure of bravery to stand up to death." Yeah, he's crazy. But Rafael makes a deal with him. Then, with one week left to live, he strives to do right by his family and regain their respect before he goes.
Johnny takes it to heart.
Based on the novel by Gregory McDonald, Johnny has always been fascinated with this idea. So much so that, aside from starring in The Brave, he co-wrote the screenplay (with writer Paul McCudden and older brother/author D.P. Depp) and directed the film. Johnny later described some unanticipated complications: "As a director, you have to be in complete control of the set and surroundings. As an actor, you have to be--in a sense--out of control and unaware of what's going on on the set and all those really fun production problems." He said that editing scenes in which his friends were doing such good work was a nightmare task.
I don't think it was Johnny's idea to present The Brave for competition at the Cannes Film Festival, but he felt rushed to finish when it was selected. People were visibly moved by the film as the exited the theater at its premiere there, so Johnny was shocked that some critics panned it in the next morning's papers.
I'll take it!
The Brave wasn't available in the United States for a long time. (Now, you can find it, though it's never been officially distributed here.) I first found it on eBay: a weary video copy with yellow foreign language subtitles. Where it exactly came from, I do not recall--I swear. (I've since upgraded to a legit DVD copy without subtitles.)
I don't know what the critics said about The Brave because I don't often read reviews, especially bad ones. But I side with the moved crowd. When I first saw The Brave, it made me cry too.
A visiting friend looked through my Johnny DVD Collection once and asked me about The Brave. "It's for hardcore fans only," I said without hesitation. "It's depressing." I didn't warn her because it's a bad movie: It's just not for the masses, and I don't think it was ever meant to be.
Still, I've never wanted to see or know about a Johnny Movie more than this one! Knowing what I know about Johnny, it's clear when watching The Brave that there's so much of him in every frame (even if I can't exactly pinpoint everything). And, I love that he brought in his friends--Marlon Brando, Frederick Forrest, and Iggy Pop, among others--to help him create this film.
Yes, the story is bleak, but you have to commend Johnny for even tackling this difficult subject, investing his own money into the project to get it made, and exposing so much of himself in every aspect of the film. Overall, there are some really great moments, and there are some not-so-great moments. It's an earnest effort that I love because its Very Johnny. "I really approached the film as if it were a white big piece of paper, and I was just going to draw a picture on it," Johnny said. "And whether the picture was good or bad, whatever people thought of it, what they could never take away was that it was my picture."
The Kitties are pretty brave....
With such a dark subject, it was hard to choose what to draw for this month's tribute. But it occurred to me that the most powerful takeaway from this movie is realizing that situations like this actually exist.
In the opening sequence, backed by Iggy Pop's haunting score, the camera slowly pans over mountains of trash--and a few random scavenger hunters rummaging through it--until it reaches a trailer tucked in a small clearing. It's someone's home. Someone lives there--surrounded by garbage. You can feel the desperation from the start. And, it pretty much goes downhill from there.
What's Next?
There's fear. There's loathing. It's Vegas.
(For images from The Brave, see my blogpost here: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com/2011/12/johnny-kitties-celeb....)
Johnny is Don Juan!
Ten days before retirement, psychiatrist Jack Mickler (Marlon Brando) meets his next patient who challenges him to a duel. Dressed in full regalia of fabled Spanish seducer Don Juan DeMarco (Johnny Depp), the broken-hearted 21-year-old threatens suicide over his lost love Dona Ana. Dr. Mickler thinks fast, poses as Don Octavio De Flores, and talks him out of it. They strike a deal: Don Juan had 10 days to tell his story (in a great Spanish accent that Johnny modeled after Ricardo Mantalban by watching "Fantasy Island" reruns--I love that!). Then, Dr. Mickler must decide whether Don Juan's telling the truth or if he should be committed to a mental institution.
Along with Dr. Mickler, the hospital staff is soon transfixed by Don Juan, his story, and his views on love and life. Who can blame them? As Dr. Mickler says, "It's a wonderful world that he's in."
Johnny meets Marlon Brando!
Not only is the thought of Johnny portraying The World's Greatest Lover quite appealing, but this film also reunites Johnny with Faye Dunaway for the first time since Arizona Dream. The most exciting thing about this movie, though, is that Johnny costars with Marlon Brando! Recognizing the importance of this pairing, I was even more thrilled to learn that it was Johnny's idea to cast Marlon as the psychiatrist. (Imagine me nodding here, "Of course he did!") "Everybody looked at me like I was insane," Johnny says, "But he's the one I kept seeing in the role when I read the script." Although writer/director Jeremy Leven assumed there was no chance to cast Marlon Brando, he agreed to try anyway. "The next thing I know, I'm sitting in Marlon's living room, and we're making a movie," Leven remembers. "I think he really liked Johnny." (Imagine me nodding here, "Of course he did!")
The rest of the crew describes the experience as the passing of the torch from the greatest actor of one generation to the greatest actor of another. "I think Johnny is far and away the most talented of today's young actors," Jeremy Leven notes. "He is very much like Marlon on many fronts. They both have a 100% bull detector in that they know what is false and not working in a scene. They both have incredible instinct for knowing what writing is all about. And then, of course, they both have a lot of turmoil inside." Johnny takes a different view: "All the feelings are there--teacher and student, father and son. He's a hero."
Johnny and Marlon loved working together on this film. "The most important thing I learned from Marlon was to keep a straight face," Johnny says. "That became the objective in a lot of the scenes, to just be able to get through it without exploding. Marlon is hilarious." They enjoyed a similar sense of humor and remained close friends until Marlon's death 10 years later. Can you imagine? Once the film was released, Johnny had to respond to constant questions about his relationship with the screen legend. Early on, he mentioned that his sister heard a phone message from Marlon on his answering machine once. Her comment: "Your life is so surreal...."
Don Juan is contagious.
Don Juan DeMarco will make you happy. This film has a special spirit and sweetness with really funny moments that the whole family can enjoy. (Mine did.) Whether you believe Don Juan's story or not, you can't help but want become part of his world or--at least--appreciate love a little more than you did before.
(Be warned, like Benny and Joon, Don Juan DeMarco includes another infectious song, Bryan Adams's "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman." It will get--Great, it's stuck in my head.)
The Kitties feel the love....
My favorite scene in this movie is the one in which Johnny isn't being Don Juan. But I lost the vote to draw that. When your subject is The World's Greatest Lover, you have to acknowledge all of his conquests--despite the daunting task of portraying 1,501 cats.
So, here, Don Juan is in session with Dr. Mickler (Norman). They are discussing his escape from the harem in which he was enslaved for 2 years. While Don Juan describes bidding adios to his many lovers, I imagine this tale may have sparked other romantic notions in Dr. Mickler. He may not realize it yet, but inspiration is brewing. Soon, he'll learn of Don Juan's true love Dona Ana, and Dr. Mickler will book a flight with his wife (The Mother Kitty) and ex-patient to the Island of Eros, where Dona Ana has vowed to wait through all eternity for Don Juan's return.
Do you think she's still there? Do you see yourselves waltzing on the beach with The Micklers now too? Why not?
Next month, Johnny's late for an appointment.
Johnny loses the accent and plays an accountant. Set your watch for action/thriller Nick of Time.
For more images from Don Juan De Marco and Johnny Kitties, visit Melissa's Kitties' blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.
Digital drawing of Marilyn Monroe with Leopards by K. Fairbanks - View additional artwork by K. Fairbanks at kfairbanks.deviantart.com/ or at www.behance.net/kfairbanks
"I became addicted to watching these animated films when my kids were little....Well, cartoons break all the laws, don't they? That's the beauty – seeing those parameters broken and trying to figure out a way to break the parameters of cinema in that same way, so that a character can be potentially accepted in the same way Wile E. Coyote is when he gets crushed by a boulder and they cut to him with a little bandage on his head." Johnny Depp
Sherlock's on the case.
When garden gnomes Gnomeo and Juliet (James McAvoy and Emily Blunt), their families, and friends move from Stratford Upon Avon to London, they struggle to adjust to their new home. After an argument leads them out of their yard, Gnomeo and Juliet return to find it empty and ruined. In this sequel to 2011's Gnomeo & Juliet, they help Sherlock Gnomes and Dr. Watson (Johnny Depp and Chiwetel Ejiofor) rescue all the missing garden gnomes in London, including those closest to their hearts.
I love happy surprises.
It occurred to me the week before Sherlock Gnomes was released that I should see Gnomeo & Juliet first; luckily, I found it on TV. While it's clearly for little kids, I thought it was really cute. I loved its spin on Shakespeare's tale, and I was shocked to discover its great cast – including Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, Michael Caine, and Maggie Smith – let alone that Elton John produced and provided a bunch of music for it. How did I miss this one?
When Sherlock Gnomes came out, I had become recently unemployed because of unexpected budget cuts and project delays at my newest job. Johnny came to my rescue, as usual, lifting my spirits with this silly and sweet sequel. Out of nowhere was an online article offering free tickets to a preview of Sherlock Gnomes at a local theater. I'll take it!
By the time I arrived, a line of mostly parents and well-behaved kids had already formed, but once in the theater, I slid into the second row, which was full of adults who were there at their own will. I guessed that they were either Johnny fans or movie critics. That night, this cartoon really made me laugh with some funny lines from friends Benny (Matt Lucas) and Nanette (Ashley Jensen) and Sherlock's arch-nemesis Moriarty (Jamie Demetriou). When I saw it again at home to work on Johnny Kitties, I didn't laugh as often (maybe because I was more focused on finding the inspiration for my illustration), and I thought that Moriarty's evil plan was just that.
Still, I really appreciated the film's message about the importance of prioritizing family and friendship over everything else. I enjoyed meeting new characters too, including Sherlock's old flame Irene (Mary J. Blige). This film has plenty of funny, vivid moments: I liked seeing London, including Chinatown and various galleries, from the gnome perspective on their adventure in the city. "London offers so many great scenarios in so many different locations that it seemed it'd be great to use London as a backdrop," producer Elton John says. "It's a love letter to London, really." Of course, I also loved all the Elton John songs and special gnome-style appearances.
Apparently, Elton and Johnny are old friends. (Of course they are.) Elton asked Johnny to join this cast and sent him the script. "I didn't expect the script to make me laugh out loud," Johnny says. He and director John Stevenson worked collaboratively throughout the recording sessions, improvising and adding more humor wherever they could. For his fun performance, which was recorded in 2015, Johnny was inspired by his favorite Sherlock, Basil Rathbone. "There have been so many variations of the character of Sherlock Holmes," he says. "I wanted him to sound as if he were pointed very sharp, that he was sharp-angled. His brilliance came out of clumsiness in a way. I wanted Sherlock's voice to be like a razor blade. It could cut through anything annoying – anything he found annoying." I hear it!
The Kitties peak into Sherlock's mind.
All of the Lucky Cats in the Chinatown scenes would have been a fitting choice, but my favorite scenes in Sherlock Gnomes invited us viewers into Sherlock's mind. These detailed black-and-white scenes were a refreshing contrast to reality and showed how Sherlock processed information from the outside world. I laughed when Sherlock lost interest in Gnomeo's ideas and floated into a daydream until he stopped talking. We've all been there, done that. Here are Ryo-oh-ki, Tyrone, and Mew as Dr. Watson, Gnomeo, and Juliet while Gordon, as Sherlock, imagines where he'd rather be right now.
What's next?
I am pacing the floors, waiting to see Johnny in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which will be released next Friday, November 16! See you there!
Learn More About Johnny Kitties
To see this and other original blog posts, please visit Melissa's Kitties: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com. You can find more film reviews and artwork celebrating Johnny Depp's work on Melissa's Kitties Johnny Kitties page (melissaconnolly.blogspot.com/p/johnny-kitties-celebrating...). Thanks for reading!
Surprise! This drawing took me weeks to finish, I think, because I feel like I captured everything I wanted to capture about John Waters' 1990 classic Cry-Baby in my first tribute drawing in 2011. Can you believe it's been almost 10 years?
I've always felt uneasy about including the Confederate flag stage curtain in that original drawing, even though it is accurate to and fits well in the film. The Black Lives Matter movement and recent events only amplified my concern. Yet, that Cry-Baby artwork was drawn with nothing but love, so I will keep it in my Johnny Kitties collection.
But here's another piece to celebrate Cry-Baby that I think I might love just as much: It's Cry-Baby in the daytime. The nice thing about revisiting this movie to create a new illustration so many years later is that enough Kitties have joined our family to play all the characters.
Welcome to Turkey Point!
This scene is early in the movie, just after Cry-Baby talked to Allison for the first time and then serenaded her while driving on the wrong side of the road after school. Now at home, with Allison still on his mind, Cry-Baby and his gang greet Grandma Ramona and Uncle Belvedere. I knew this movie was going to be great when I saw that Director John Waters got Iggy Pop to take a bath outside in a bucket.
In this illustration, Gordon plays Johnny's character, as always, and Lily, again as Allison (Amy Locane), invades Cry-Baby's thoughts. The Mother Kitty and B.J. also reprise their roles as Ramona and Belvedere (Susan Tyrrell and Iggy Pop). The rest of the Kitties mix it up: This time around, Comet and Ashes play Milton and Hatchet-Face (Darren E. Burrows and Kim McGuire). Mini portrays Cry-Baby's sister Pepper (Ricki Lake), with Stephen and Mew as her little kids (Jonathan Benya and Jessica Raskin). Emily shows her stuff as Wanda (Traci Lords), while Walter plays it cool as Dupree (Robert Tyree).
But maybe the real star of this drawing is the skeleton head, just in time for Halloween. The Kitties stayed away from that role.
The only thing missing from this drawing is a snippet of Cry-Baby's fantastic soundtrack. I couldn't fit the lyrics, but I did have "(My Heart Goes) Piddily Patter, Patter" by Nappy Brown in my head the entire time I was coloring: "My heart goes Piddily Patter, Patter/ Piddily Patter, Patter/ Ev'ry time I look at you/ Don't I know what's the matter, matter?/ What's the matter, but I think it's cause I love you." That Cry-Baby soundtrack still rocks, '50s style!
What's Next?
New Johnny Kitties illustrations, celebrating Johnny's two latest films – The Professor and Waiting for the Barbarians – are swirling in my head and on the horizon. Until next time, I hope you enjoy this flashback.
[What is Johnny Kitties? Visit my blog's Johnny Kitties page for information, a full list of Johnny Depp's filmography, and links to all previous Johnny Kitties blog posts: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com/p/johnny-kitties-celebrating...]
The Professor (2018)
Life is what you make of it.
After learning that he has terminal lung cancer and maybe six months to live, Professor Richard Brown (Johnny Depp) realizes that he has no time to waste and spends the rest of it teaching his last students to say what they mean, live however they want, and make the most out of life. Taking his own advice, Richard speaks without a filter, indulges in his whims, and creates his own path toward the exit. Through The Professor, writer/director Wayne Roberts poses tough questions and makes bold statements to remind us that death is an important part of life.
The Professor got a failing grade.
Typically, I don't look for or read movie reviews before I see them – especially for movies I'm looking forward to seeing. Reviews affect my own opinions: Once I read them, I can't forget what was said while I'm watching the movie. In the case of The Professor, the reviews found me and most of them were bad. The sentiment was so universal that the movie was never properly released in theaters in the United States. Instead, it went straight to DVD in 2019.
I only read a couple of these bad reviews before I decided to deduce the opinions from just the headlines. Some reviewers made the unfair comparison of Richard's behavior to Johnny's own, so I stopped reading and waited to see this thing for myself.
I see what they mean, but...
Maybe it was because of the reviews, but I didn't like The Professor at first. He and his wife are so mean to each other. He is bad at his job and doesn't care. He's a bad influence on his students. He's making bad choices. Is this really what people think Johnny is doing in his own life? How dismal.
What I find so jarring is that Richard's choices of how to spend the rest of his days are so different from what I would think to do, but that's probably the point. Anyone who finds out that they are going to die soon probably assumes that they should do whatever they feel like doing in the moment. In Richard's case, that includes drugs, infidelity, and a bender in the middle of the week.
...The Professor has some good points.
I warmed up to The Professor because there are also moments of reflection, clarity and purpose. In fact, it made me cry by the end, which has got to mean something.
Like most Johnny movies, The Professor has a great beginning. In the opening scene, Richard is in the doctor's office getting the bad news – a terminal diagnosis and only a few months to live. For the next few minutes that span the rest of his day, the news sinks in and Richard is lost in thought about what it means. Johnny is so good at saying so much without saying anything, but Richard shares his distress and anger every once in a while with a single repeated curse word, expressed in a variety of ways. It's both funny and sad.
I also love the elements that glue this movie together – the structure and soundtrack, the cinematography and scenery, and the script and cast.
- The Professor is divided into chapters that reflect Richard's thought process: For example, Chapter 1 is I Have Something To Say and Chapter 3 is I'm Really Going to Die. I like how these titles set the tone for the next scenes.
- Also setting the tone is a great soundtrack that includes refreshing classical and comforting Motown.
- Filmed in Vancouver, The Professor is full of beautiful shots, highlighting impressive architecture, sets, and scenery that makes me want to plan a vacation there. Given the grim start and Richard's resulting irreverence, I appreciate having something pretty to look at.
- Unorthodox behavior aside, Richard offers plenty of worthwhile lessons about not letting life pass by unnoticed.
- This great cast, including Rosemarie DeWitt, Danny Houston, Odessa Young, and Zoey Deutch, seem wholly invested in capturing the balance between life and death, and it's clear that they are having fun doing it. "Johnny's just so alive and present and real in every moment," says Devon Terrel (who plays student Danny). "It's so brilliant to be in a scene with someone who is so kind of almost animalistic in a way that something's going to happen in every moment. You just didn't know what."
The husband and wife relationship here still upsets me, but I love seeing the relationship between Richard and his best friend Peter (Danny Houston). Danny Houston's performance is my favorite in this movie, maybe because I would likely react the same way to the news of a friend's (or Johnny's) impending death. Apparently, the feeling was mutual: "My experience with Johnny was love at first sight," Danny Houston says. "I don't know if we're playing into what's required for the characters of the piece or whether it's truly heartfelt, but at the moment, it feels absolutely real." I also related to Richard's bond with his daughter Olivia (Odessa Young). In the end, their goodbye is what brought me to tears. (The original title of this movie was Richard Says Goodbye, which makes more sense to me.)
I'm not sure The Professor deserves all the bad reviews it got. Sometimes, it lays it on thick that life should not be wasted, but is that such a bad message? The humor might be lost on some people because of the seriousness of this subject, but I appreciate the attempt to take the sting out of death. The Professor suggests that we should not be afraid of death but let it help us focus on a well-lived life, there is no time like the present to make changes and do what we need to do, and when the time comes, we should go out however we want. These are themes Johnny has always seemed to live by, so I'm not surprised that he connected to this character. This story may have struck close to home too: The Professor is dedicated to Johnny's mom, who died of lung cancer in 2016.
The Kitties get it.
When thinking of how The Kitties could represent The Professor, one scene kept coming back to me. Most of the movie shows Richard indulging in his vices, telling people what he really thinks, imparting words of wisdom to his students, or saying goodbye to those he loves. But in this scene, Richard is alone, dealing with his own thoughts and pain. Maybe I'm reading too much into this moment, but it seems like Richard is realizing that this is really happening and that it is something out of his control and bigger than everything else. He looks up toward the sky, as church bells toll in the background, and it cuts to Chapter 4, titled, It's Really Starting to Kick In. Maybe I'm not too far off.
I was also struck by the interesting stark angles and textures in this shot of someone huddled in a space with jagged rock, aged wood, and hard tile. It's an uncomfortable but pretty space.
What's next?
In Waiting for the Barbarians, Johnny plays a colonel who doesn't have to say much to instill fear in innocent people, waving his misguided authority around with a fancy golden hammer.
On April 2, I attended a charity concert in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center benefiting Paul Newman's Association of Hole in the Wall Camps. Renamed the SeriousFun Children's Network (www.seriousfunnetwork.org/page.aspx?pid=857), it now provides 28 summer camps around the world for seriously ill children, giving them and their parents a break from hospitals and doctor appointments. Free of charge, these camps let the kids be kids.
I've read about these concerts--which offer music, celebrity appearances, and participation by the campers themselves--but this was my first time attending. While I was excited to see some of the celebrity guests, I was most eager to see how the kids would be involved. I'd seen photos and video clips of Paul Newman on stage in costume playing and singing songs with the campers--Everything was accompanied by smiles and laughter.
Billed as "A Celebration of Paul Newman's Dream," this year's concert was a bittersweet reminder of why we were all there--the children with their unflappable spirit and the great man who gave them this gift of freedom, normalcy, and fun. Fourteen campers represented their camps that night. Some of them traveled from foreign countries, such as Italy and Hungary. I was moved and entertained at the same time: One moment, a teenager told us about his best friend, someone he met at his summer camp who never failed to make him laugh but eventually lost his battle with cancer. The next, a younger boy told us the best thing about his camp: two trees that together have grown to form the letter 'H.' "I was told to write an essay about what I love about the camp," he said, "But that would just ruin it."
This year's celebrity guests included Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Paul Simon, Trisha Yearwood, Josh Groban, and Jake Gyllenhaal. One of my favorite moments came during Elvis Costello's three-song set. The concert was backed by a 14-piece house band, but Elvis only enlisted four members of the string section. He commented on the beautiful theater's fantastic acoustics. Then, during his second song, "A Slow Drag with Josephine," he proved it. Playing alone on his acoustic guitar, he stepped away from the microphone but kept singing while roaming the stage. Avery Fisher Hall is elegantly simple in shades of beige, but Elvis was right: The acoustics rock!
Here, Comet volunteered to take center-stage because he loves Elvis Costello! While Gordon, B.J., Lily, and Ashes are in the band, the other kitties wouldn't dare miss this event. They've snagged front row seats.
At the benefit, Elvis Costello introduced "A Slow Drag for Josephine," saying that he was about to play some rock 'n' roll. Our cheers transformed to giggles when he clarified, "At least, it's rock 'n' roll as I imagine it in 1921." You may not know this song. While not quite as cool as the version I heard, you can see Elvis singing it on Jools Holland's show, "Later Live," in 2010 on my blog here: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com/2012/04/vocal.html. Enjoy!
A design for all the dog and puppy lovers out there. Dog love. Usually you are a cat person or a dog person. Who are you?
www.zazzle.com/dog_person_tshirt-235495161294867720
© Andi Libberton Bird All Rights Reserved
"Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair.
Top of piano, window-ledge, in the middle, on the edge.
Open draw, empty shoe, anybody's lap will do.
Fitted in a cardboard box, in the cupboard with your frocks.
Anywhere! They don't care! Cats sleep anywhere."
Eleanor Farjeon (1881 - 1965)
(Alfredo sleeping on my desk while I am surfing the web.)
Cat with kittens
tinted paper, colored pencils
21 x 30 cm (8.3 x 11.7 inches), 2014
Please do not repost my drawings on Tumblr, you can reblog them from here - dara-pilyugina.tumblr.com/post/88556114929
© Dara Pilyugina
A design for all the cat and kitten lovers. Cat love. Usually you are a cat person or a dog person. Who are you?
www.zazzle.com/cat_person_tshirt-235105155778754506
skreened.com/andibird/cat-person
www.spoonflower.com/fabric/814264
© Andi Libberton Bird All Rights Reserved
For all you crazy cat lovin' people out there. © Andi Bird All Rights Reserved.
The steamy summer days have me drawing at a snail's pace, but the Kitties have been enjoying the sunshine!
This drawing is an update from last year's summer snapshot (www.flickr.com/photos/melissaskitties/9102378824/). Since then, Tyrone has joined the family, though I'm not sure he likes the heat as much as the rest of us. He's a winter guy.
While on safari in Zimbabwe, Gordon met many of his distant cousins, the Great Cats. (He had a special ride.)
Visit Melissa's Kitties' blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com
As I did for summer, I've updated the Melissa's Kitties banner this season to include our newest kitty Tyrone. (He's already getting excited about winter!) What do you think? You can see my blog's new header here: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.
It's impossible to get 10 cats to agree on one mask and who will wear it, so they all brought their own ideas.
- B.J. is still attached to his Lone Ranger costume. (Wouldn't you be?)
- Always a class act, The Mother Kitty is ready for her next costume ball.
- Lily showed up in full Scream costume and scared everyone. I complained, so she picked a medical mask instead and gave us a lecture on germs.
- I tried to explain to Norman and Mini that what they were wearing were not masks but helmets, but they can't hear me (and I'm letting it slide because they look awesome).
- Comet and Ashes are all about the theatre after watching the Tonys with me.
- As always, Tyrone is ready to play ball.
- And, well, Simon, Gordon, and I are in the middle of a Breaking Bad marathon right now, so these are the masks they wanted to wear. Don't ask me where or how they got the prop they're sitting on. (Disclaimer: We do not endorse this behavior, though it does make great television.)
This is some kind of magical cat, clearly!
Don't you want her as your familiar?
Blogged here:
pennycollins.blogspot.com/2011/06/grey-cat-with-pink-and-...
For all you crazy cat lovin' people out there. © Andi Bird All Rights Reserved.
It's going to be on my t-shirt soon, meow
131 Likes on Instagram
7 Comments on Instagram:
nammnamm: จองทุกลายที่มีณตอนนี้แหละภายหน้าคะ
nidanyda: don't miss jaaa
korklaz: Always so chic my sissy
morph8ne: @nammnamm @nidanyda @korklaz thq and loveee uzzzzzsssssssssss
pl8ng: So beautiful. I love it. OMG, god gives this gift to you--genius of art.
morph8ne: #drawing #morph8ne #cat #catdrawing #hat #catwomen #cat #catdrawing #wood #line
morph8ne: #nawden
Meet our newest Melissa's Kitties' member, Tyrone!
He is about 2 months old and used to live in a sewer drain pipe. A good samaritan who works at the post office in Alliance, Ohio, discovered and rescued him and his two siblings and found each of them safer homes. Tyrone moved into my parents' garage on September 17.
So far, he enjoys playing and playing and playing and playing and playing and sleeping and eating and playing. He spends most of his days exploring his new surroundings. When he venture outdoors, he fearlessly races through the yard and climbs trees. In an effort to harness his attack-and-conquer approach to flowers, Mom is teaching him how to garden properly. In the evenings, he helps Dad with his woodworking projects. When Tyrone's ready to crash, he'll find and climb into whoever's lap is closest.
When we first met earlier this month, I introduced Tyrone to all sorts of music and movies and left him some good books to read once he learns how. He should be up to speed with the other Kitties any time now. A quick learner, he has already identified Art Carney, Richard Pryor, Jackie Robinson, Dave Grohl, Mandy Patinkin, and Mohammad Ali among his heroes. (We'll get to the ladies eventually, but right now he thinks girls are gross.)
When asked recently how he likes his new digs, he responded, "It's better than the sewer." That's the truth!
I came back from a long weekend at home in rainy Ohio to sunny early summer in D.C. The Kitties are so excited about this week's warm weather that Simon dug out one of his old circus bikes, perfectly fitted for nine riders.
They caused quite a few traffic jams when they took it out for a spin yesterday. I'm not sure who was charge of the brakes.