Movie Architecture 001, Bed of Roses

Bed of Roses is a romantic drama starring Mary Stuart Masterson and Christian Slater that arrived in theaters in 1996. I'm often inspired by the architecture of movies and really like the loft that Lewis Farrell (Slater) lives in.

It's a large open space, sparsely furnished with cream walls and robins egg blue trim. There are banks of windows on the tapered walls of a mansard roof with great views of the city.

This orrery, or solar system model in primarily brass and copper that revolves under this skylight is interesting. This is one of a series of skylights that lead to the garden on the roof.

You can see the bottom of the orerry just above the build in book case that any bibliophile would love. You can see Lewis moving this wheeled ladder toward the skylight to gain access to the roof. This would be a great space to live in.

Movie Props 002, Lightsabers

I came across this video of the day, How to Build a Lightsaber, over at my favorite movie sight, /film. And who wouldn't want their own light saber. I was seven when I saw Star Wars in the theatre and was in awe. There is some great info about how the original sabers were made and the talk about the Custom Saber Shop, were you can get reproduction parts, machined parts and blades that light up. They have a cool program that lets you "build" you light saber while calculating the cost. You can also save your build and get a parts list. Here's a few I threw together.

You can also have custom work done, and services like powder coating and media blasting. They also have a forum with info on how to build your saber, and all topics light saber.

Movie Props 001, The Saint

I'm always looking at movie props and think about how I would build them and make them somewhat functional. Here's a couple of props I like from The Saint, starring Val Kilmer and Elisabeth Shue. Simon Templar uses this pocket knife throughout the movie. The comedy/tragedy mask, the symbol for theatre, is appropriate considering the theme of Simon taking on disguised through out the movie and not knowing his real name.

It incorporates a blade, lock pick set, small flare/cutting torch, and camera. It also has a sort of keyboard with digital readout that is never seen in use. Maybe it's supposed to be for e-mail. At one point in the film, Simon has it stored in a hollow section of his boot heel.



I also like this retro lapel pin that Emma gives Simon at the end of the movie. It's a re-stylized version of the tv show logo.

Shoot 'Em Up

Shoot 'Em Up amounts to an action packed "chase" movie. Clive Owen plays the mysterious Smith who rescues a newborn baby that he delivers himself in the middle of a gunfight. He's chased by Paul Giamatti, an ex-FBI profiler turned bad guy, trying to retrieve the baby from Smith. Monica Bellucci plays a prostitute, with her own short back story, that gets caught in the action on the side of Smith.

The action is quite stylized with a fair amount of humor, which Clive Owen plays seriously. He always has carrots, he grows himself, which he's constantly eating and using as a weapon. There are a lot of refreshing small ideas that you don't always find in this kind of action movie. Most of what you learn about Smith is from the villain, Giamatti's character as he profiles him. It turned out to be a fun and violent, carrot packed movie that doesn't make you think too much.

Death Defying Acts

When I was seven or eight, I was enthralled with Harry Houdini. I read several books on Houdini and remember seeing Tony Curtis in the 1953 movie Houdini. So, I couldn't pass up Death Defying Acts, starring Guy Pearce as Houdini and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Mary McGarvie, a psychic trying to con $10,000 out of Houdini. Knowing a fair amount about Houdini, this "what if" story about the last period of his life was a little hard to square with his biographies. The film explores Houdini's obsession with the after-life and discrediting fake spiritualists.



Pearce does a decent Houdini. He has the physique Houdini was known for and really looks the part. Saoirse Ronan is wonderful as the psychic's daughter and partner in crime. The character of fake psychic Mary McGarvie seems a little undeveloped. The movie amounts to a romance with some sparkling performances that's far from the documented history of Harry Houdini.

If you're interested in reading about Houdini, I would recommend The Secret Life of Houdini, The Making of America's First Superhero by William Kalush and Larry Sloman. Houdini was an amazing man. He was an escape artist, pilot, movie star, fake spiritualist exposer, and maybe even a secret agent.

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Errol Flynn really shines as Robin of Locksley in The Adventures of Robin Hood, co-starring Olivia deHavilland as Maid Marian. I love the Robin Hood theme in general. And this movie doesn't disappoint with a light hearted spectacle of sword play and archery prowess. Basically, it's a great movie with great costumes and sets, and an Oscar award winning score.

My favorite scene is the archery competition. I really like the costume of Robin in disguise. There's also a nice sword fight between Basil Rathbone, which has an early example of silhouetted fight scenes.

I noticed this cool medallion on Robin's costume. I'm always looking for cool things from movies and fiction to replicate, design and build. I'll put this on my list of possibles.

You Know My Name

Being a fan of Sam Elliott and westerns, I decided to pick up You Know My Name. It's a kind of quiet story based on the real life story of lawman Bill Tilghman, played by Elliott. Tilghman was once a partner of Wyatt Earp who survives the era of the gunfighter, moves on to create a silent movie of his exploits, and is then thrust back into the role of lawman in a oil boom town where the tommy gun and automobile is common.

Sam Elliott is clever and charming as usual, and there are beautiful images of Oklahoma during this clash between two eras in American history. I said a quiet story because there is not a lot of action, but interesting interactions between characters. Tilghman is a family man with two sons and a wife played by Carolyn McCormick. She captivates your attention in all her scenes. The film making feels a bit like a TV movie, but with a great story and nice performances from Elliott and the supporting cast.