Random Ramblings: It's Frances McDormand's Birthday!

This is a new column I thought would be fun to write. I originally started writing one a few days ago when it was Nicole Kidman's B-day, then I got lazy and just never finished. Basically what I will do is on my featured actor/director/writer's birthday, I will name my favorite project of theirs, my least favorite, their most bizarre/fun, and their most underrated. I'll also name one film that I haven't seen yet that I probably should, and if you've seen it, tell me how you felt!

Let's start with Mrs. Joel Coen, shall we? Happy Birthday, Frances!

Favorite Film: Almost Famous There was a lot of things I loved about this movie. The entire cast gave the best performances of their careers in this film and it all came together so nicely.

Least Favorite Film: Fargo I understand that I am absolutely in the minority with this one. I hated Fargo. Absolutely hated it. I HATED the phony over enunciated accents. I hated the geography errors. (William H Macy's character meets the kidnappers in Fargo, ND then somehow runs a bunch of errands and makes it back to Minneapolis, MN in one hour? What!?) Brainerd is North of Minneapolis, Not South! Ok...you wouldn't know any of this unless you lived in the area, but if you did, this would all be very, very annoying.

Most Bizarre/Fun: Laurel Canyon I dug this little indie starring McDormand, Christian Bale, and Kate Beckinsale. I saw it long after it had first came out. I happened to catch it on IFC one morning when I was just lounging around it and it's quite a gem of a film. Bale plays McDormand's uptight son who movies in with his mother for a short time. He's into his work. She's into smoking dope and the laid back lifestyle. There's a great random shot towards the end of the film of a man lying on a floatie lounger being pulled across a swimming pool by a little motorized speed boat that I love.

Most Underrated: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day When I first saw this, I thought for sure this had Golden Globe written all over it both for McDormand and for co-star Amy Adams. It was just so cute, and both ladies were so charming. I usually don't care much for chick flicks, but I never understood why this film didn't catch on with a wider audience. I thought it was a lovely film. Great performances, interesting story, and good costumes. (which is saying something when you notice that sort of things) Blood Simple is a runner up for most underrated, but something tells me more people saw Blood Simple than Miss Pettigrew

Film to see: Aeon Flux! Just kidding...there's a reason I haven't gotten around to that assumed mess. Looking through her filmography. I've never seen "Mississippi Burning", "North Country" or "Friends with Money". What do you think?