Quote of the Day/Week- Atom Egoyan

Today, we conclude our month series of quips from famous Canadians with a quote from Toronto-based film director Atom Egoyan, 51, who is of Armenian heritage and was born in Cairo, Egypt- of all places.

Egoyan is known for a wide range of independent films, including his most highly-regarded film "The Sweet Hereafter" (1997) which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director. Other works of his include "Calendar" (1993), which was partially filmed in Armenia, "Exotica" (1994), "Felicia's Journey" (1999) and "Ararat" (2002).

Egoyan is reportedly very influenced by the work of German director Wim Wenders, whom we quoted yesterday.

Here is Egoyan's quote:

"I think ultimately if you have a very high expectation of your audience and you know exactly what is it you're trying to express through the medium of film, there will always be an audience for you."

Quote of the Day/Week- Wim Wenders

We continue quoting famous Germans with a quip from my personal favorite German film director Wim Wenders, who is known for working with many unique artistic people, including the late actor Dennis Hopper ("The American Friend") in 1977; musician Ry Cooder ("Paris, Texas") in 1984; and rock icon Bono from U2 ("The Million Dollar Hotel") in 2000. Wenders in turn directed several of the legendary Irish band's videos.

Currently, audiences in large market American cities like Seattle, Chicago and New York can see his latest film, the documentary "Pina."

Here is his quote:

"Any film that supports the idea that things can be changed is a great film in my eyes."

Wenders is perhaps best-known for his amazing 1987 German-language film (several of the director's films have been in English, including "Paris, Texas") "Wings of Desire."

SIDEBAR ONE: Wow! As a subscriber to "The Washingtonian" magazine, I am wondering who the very attractive nude girl on the cover of the December 2011 issue is. In the photo taken by Erika McConnell, one can't actually see anything besides her hair, face, legs and feet, which looked so polished that one has to wonder if she got a pedicure at the supposedly upscale salon Joy Spa in the Adams Morgan part of Washington, D.C.

The magazine did not identify the woman in the credits insert, but one has to imagine she is a highly sought-after local model.

Of course, since I am a man, I am not inclined to get pedicures, and hence I have no idea how much they would cost, but I did get an expensive $45 haircut over the summer. (Not at Joy Spa, as I don't live in DC).

SIDEBAR TWO: Going back to cinema, the Circle Cinema in Tulsa, Oklahoma, put forth the following question via Twitter this afternoon: "What is your favorite Lars von Trier film?," in reference to the eccentric, controversial Danish director, known for "Dogville" and "Anti-Christ." My choice would be "Manderlay" as it is so over-the-top in every way.

The director's latest film "Melancholia" with Kirsten Dunst (wow, I actually had to google her name to make sure her first name was spelled right!) is showing at the A/perture Cinema in Winston-Salem, NC. We are not sure if Circle Cinema is actually showing the film, but we don't live in Oklahoma either!

Remembering Dennis Hopper (1936-2010)

Today, we remember our favorite Republican as actor/filmmaker/photographer/artist/art collector Dennis Hopper lost his battle to prostate cancer yesterday at the age of 74.

But, he leaves behind him a legacy of memorable films from "Easy Rider" to "Apocalypse Now!" to "Blue Velvet.

One film that many Americans are unaware that he starred is the brilliant Wim Wenders film "The American Friend" which was made in Germany in 1977. It was based on the Patricia Highsmith novel "Ripley's Game."

Here are some trivia bits we found about the film which is available on dvd through Netflix:

-In addition to Hopper, there are six other film directors in the film (alas most of them are deceased). Each of them play criminals. They include Nicholas Ray who actually directed Hopper, when he was 19, in "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955), maverick, independent director Sam Fuller ("The Big Red One," "White Dog") and famed French film director Jean Eustache who directed the 1973 classic "Mother and the Whore," which is also notable for being substantially more than three hours in length! Alas, Eustache committed suicide at a young age.

-John Cassavates was actually Wenders' initial choice to play Ripley (Hopper's part), but he declined. Though it was his recommendation that lead to Hopper's casting.

-Hopper improvised much of the dialogue including the line: "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself."

-The film marked the screen debut for Bruno Ganz who in recent years has played Hitler in the acclaimed German film "Downfall."

-Hopper and Ganz actually got into a fist-fight on the set!

Those who wish to see Hopper can see the western film "Hang 'Em High" (1968) with Clint Eastwood that was already scheduled to air on TCM tomorrow afternoon (Memorial Day) at 3:00 p.m.

There will be more on Hopper on our other blog "Politics, Culture and Others of Time."

My Top 10 Favorite Films of Dennis Hopper

Alas, life has been difficult for Dennis Hopper, the iconic character actor hippie-turned-Republican who voted for Barack Obama also known for his photography skills and art collection as he has been going through a divorce and dealing with what is reported to be terminal prostate cancer.

But, since May 17 is his 74th birthday, I thought I would post my ten favorite films of his. This is a new pet project I am starting with this entry which focuses on my favorite films (note- not the same as best films) of a given movie star.

On my other blog, I will be focusing on my ten favorite films of Henry Fonda (1905-1982) who would have turned 105 on Sunday.

I was surprised to see that Hopper has actually been in more films than Henry Fonda (he co-starred with his offspring Peter Fonda in "Easy Rider"), but when one considers that Hopper has acted mostly in supporting roles that makes sense.

Here are top ten films for Hopper, and our thoughts are with him in his fight with prostate cancer:

1. "Apocalypse Now" (1979. Dir-Francis Ford Coppola)
2. "Easy Rider" (pictured). (1969. Dir-Dennis Hopper)
3. "The American Friend" (Germany. 1977. Dir- Wim Wenders)
4. "Blue Velvet" (1986. Dir-David Lynch)
5. "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955. Dir-Nick Ray)
6. "Cool Hand Luke" (1968. Dir-Stuart Rosenberg)
7. "Rumble Fish" (1983. Dir- Coppola).
8. "Straight to Hell" (UK. 1987. Dir-Alex Cox)
9. "The Pick-up Artist" (1987. Dir- James Toback)
10. "Red Rock West" (1993. Dir- John Dahl)