Movie: The Notorious Bettie Page (2006)

We saw the movie about America’s favorite pin-up queen on Saturday, her 83rd birthday. Here’s wishing you all the best, Bettie.

The movie is a little gift in itself, smart and perfectly-scaled. It doesn’t dig too deep because Mary Harron and co-writer Guinevere Turner wisely recognize that Bettie’s personal story isn’t as interesting as what she represents, such as the nation’s changing attitudes toward sex. Harron continues to make provocative films (I Shot Andy Warhol, American Psycho) about the intersection of popular culture and society.

Gretchen Mol is phenomenal. The actors who have recently won accolades for playing celebrities have been able to mimic the famous mannerisms of their subjects. All Mol has to go by are a series of iconic photographs. Not only does she capture Bettie’s signature playful looks, she animates the life behind them. She even recreates Bettie’s dance from Teaserama over the end credits. Wonderful stuff.

Miscellaneous: Link

Finland’s gonna rawk the Eurovision song contest! I expect to see the band on the Conan O’Brien show.