Edna Ferber’s novel comes to life in the film Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean. Director George Stevens who also worked with Miss Taylor in A Place in the Sun took the cast to Marfa, Texas to shoot the movie, which also helped show the vastness (and flatness) of the Texas landscape.

Made in 1956, Giant tells the story of Jordan ‘Bick’ Benedict Jr., a wealthy Texas rancher, played with the appropriate amount of swagger by Rock Hudson. Bick goes to Maryland to pick up a horse for his ranch and meets the stunningly beautiful Leslie Litton. How could he help but to fall head over heels in love. They marry and Bick brings Leslie back to Texas, where she experiences total culture shock.  It is quite a contrast to go from the beautiful, green rolling hills of Maryland to hot, dusty Reata. Leslie is also not used to the barbecuing whole cows, the oppressive heat and the ill-treatment of Mexicans. The film spans more than 30 years, through the discovery of oil by Jett Rink (James Dean) and how that impact Bick and Leslie’s family.

Elizabeth Taylor shines as high-spirited,  Leslie Benedict. She starts out as an outspoken schoolgirl who insults Bick about Texas history. (Texans are very touchy about the “this used to belong to Mexico thing” ) She goes from the cultured daughter of a Northern horse-breeder to the wife of a macho Texas cattleman who believed that women were like pretty little vases — to be seen, displayed, but not heard. When she wants to join in a conversation with the men about politics she is sent away to ‘sit with the ladies and be good‘.

“This is men’s stuff. You wouldn’t be interested. No don’t you go worrying your pretty little head about this”. –Rock Husdon

You mean my pretty empty head!“–Leslie

After visiting a Mexican family’s home to check on a sick child, she is reprimanded for interfering with ‘those people’.  You can see the fire in Elizabeth’s eyes when Bick tries to tame her. Over their 25 year marriage, Bick tries to tame Leslie, like one of his horses, but he picked the wrong girl!

I love  the scenes with Liz and James. The two of them are very comfortable with each other and it allows you to see more of the inner workings of their characters.  While Jett is in love with Leslie, she enjoys their friendship.

James Dean’s portrayal as the ranch hand turned oilman is so understated and brilliant, it is not hard to understand why he earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as Jett Rink. Dean’s performance and the images of him sitting in the back seat of that car are iconic.

Elizabeth Taylor is perfect for the part of Leslie Benedict. Leslie was not a woman who was willing to be defined by her beauty , but a woman who had a mind of her own and was willing to express herself when needed. Elizabeth Taylor lived her life that way in movies like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and The Taming of The Shrew (1967), Elizabeth Taylor embodied the beautiful high-spirited woman who could handle her own business. It didn’t mean that she didn’t need  or want love, but she didn’t need a man to tell her what to do. She was her own woman.  A GIANT of a woman!

Watch GIANT on NetFlix on demand.  This post is part of the LAMB Acting School Series about the films of Elizabeth Taylor.  Each month the LAMB (Large Association of Movie Bloggers) focuses on the careers of a specific actor, director or filmmaker.

See My Other Posts Related To Elizabeth Taylor

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Guest Post on The Lingerie Addict)

Fantasy Movie Casting: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Well, I finally saw The Blind Side. It has been a busy movie season and every time I went to the theater to see this movie, it was sold out. But as I said before, there is nothing more popular in the South than high school football. In fact, until I saw the movie, I thought Sandra Bullock’s character in the movie was a Texan. It might have been the frosted blond hair that confused me for a minute.

The Story

Based on the true story of Baltimore Ravens All-American offensive left tackle,  Michael Oher,  The Blind Side” depicts the story a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, who taken in by a wealthy  white family in Tennessee.With the help of teachers and a tutor (played by Kathy Bates), Oher works hard  to improve his grades and to become a star on the high school’s football team and eventually win a college scholarship. Like most stories of this type, the  poor person teaches the rich people a valuable lesson about life.   By his presence, in the Touhys’ lives. Michael Oher  helps them to appreciate the home, comforts and family connection that they took for granted. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome.

The Stars

Chick Flick fans loved Sandra Bullock in comedies like Miss Congeniality, Two Weeks Notice and most recently The Proposal.  Sandra has also demonstrated her ability to take on more serious and dramatic parts in movies like  28 Days and Crash. Although she is popular with audiences, I don’t think Hollywood has ever taken Sandra Bullock seriously. At least not until now. In her role as tough as nails southern housewife, Leigh Anne Touhy, Sandra gives the most acclaimed performance of her career. The Blind Side gives Sandra Bullock a chance to show us another side of her talents. The Blind Side is one of those movies that enjoyed big word of mouth success and Sandra’s performance was praised. But who would have thought that she would receive an Oscar nomination or that The Blind Side would be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar?

The Awards

The Blind Side is nominated for two Academy Awards. Sandra Bullock  has already won he Critic’s Choice (tied with Meryl Streep), Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild Awards for Best Actress. But will she win the Academy Award?  What are The Blind Side’s chances of win the Best Picture Oscar?

What did you think of The Blind Side and Sandra Bullock’s performance?

…And the nominees are…

Penélope Cruz in “Nine”

Chicago is  one of my favorite movie musicals, so I was very excited that Rob Marshall was making another movie musical. “Nine” had an all-star cast, but didn’t have the spark and audience appeal of Chicago. Marshall has managed to hand-pick some of the world’s best actresses to star in his movie. But only Penelope Cruz received a nomination for her performance as Guido’s longtime mistress, Carla. Penelope goes through so many emotions in the course of the movie. She is seductive in her musical number, pathetic as she begs for Guido’s attention and poignant in her  suicidal scene in the hotel room.

This is Penelope’s third Oscar nomination. She was nominated for: VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA in 2008  and won for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in VOLVER in 2006.

Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”

Vera Farmiga is the frequent flying woman, Alex Goran. She meets Ryan Bingham (gorgeous George Clooney) in an airport bar and develops a romantic relation with him by comparing their frequent flier status and airline miles. They continue their no-strings attached relationship between flights at various airports and hotels  across the country. Alex and Ryan are made for each other, because neither of them wants any emotional attachments.

This is Vera’s  first Oscar nomination.

Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”

Jeff Bridges has won not only rave reviews for his performance as the self-destructive country-western singer ‘Bad’ Blake in Crazy Heart, but he has also won the Golden Globe, SAG Awards as well. But Maggie Gyllenhaal who plays the writer,  Jean Craddock, who comes to town to do a story about his for her newspaper and changes his life. Even though there is a bit of  (ok, quite a bit) an age difference, Jean and Bad become romantically involved.

Maggie received great reviews for her role in Secretary and many people thought she should have won an Oscar for that movie.

Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”

You might recognize Anna Kendrick as Jessica Stanley from the “Twilight” movies. In “Up in the Air” she plays Natalie Keener, an straight-laced, all business, all the time young woman learning ins and outs of corporate downsizing from George Clooney’s character Ryan Bingham.

Anna Kendrick was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in High Society on Broadway.

Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

In my review of Precious, I told you about the powerful performance that Mo’Nique gave as Mary Jones, Precious’ mother. Not to discount any of the performances by the other actresses nominated in this category, but I would not be the only person who would be surprised if Mo’Nique did not win an  Academy Award this year.

Mo’Nique’s performance as the horrible, ghetto mother from hell, Mary Jones is chilling. We have seen Mo’Nique in other movies and as a comedienne. But as Mary Jones, she went ’somewhere else‘. It was RAW. That is the only word I can think of that describes her performance. Mary Jones is a woman who allows her boyfriend to molest her young daughter and blames the daughter for ’stealing her man. Her only feelings for Precious and her grandchildren are attached to the welfare check they represent. Mo’Nique has already won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Awards for her performance and if there is any justice, she will take home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar as well.

Actor in a Supporting Role

I am ashamed to say that I have not seen ANY of these movies. The Chick Flicks kept me pretty business last year. But after all, isn’t that why we have Netflix. I have heard good things about Invitctus and The Last Station. If you have seen any of these movies, please leave a comment about your pick for Best Support Actor.

Matt Damon in “Invictus”

Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”

Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”

Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”

Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

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Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Each year the members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Science nominate five women for their outstanding acting. Which can sometimes be difficult because quality roles for women are often scarce in Hollywood. This year five actresses have been nominated for their roles as the bored wife of a diplomat who learns to cook and changed the way we see food, the wife and muse of a famous author, an outspoken Texan who reaches out to a stranger and changed not only his life, but hers as well, an overweight, abused teenage mother who learns more than reading and writing from her teacher and a young girl who learns more about life by living it than she learns in the classroom.

Is it the role or the actress that makes an oscar winning performance? When we watch movies like Funny Girl, it is hard to imagine any other actress but Barbra Streisand. Who else could have played Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry, but Hilary Swank? Was Reese Witherspoon the perfect June Carter in Walk the Line or Marion Cotillard the perfect Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose? Finding the perfect actress may be a question much like that of the chicken and the egg.

The Nominees

SANDRA BULLOCK for “The Blind Side”

It is often hard for comic actors to be taken seriously. But this year with Mo’Nique’s nomination for Best Supporting Actress and Sandra Bullock’s nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role perhaps that has changed. Sandra Bullock has been the reigning ‘Queen of Romantic Comedy’ and is loved by fans of chick flicks for her sweet smile and perky attitude. In movies like Miss Congeniality, Two Weeks Notice and more recently in The Proposal, she has shown her ability to be a great comic actress. Sandra has also demonstrated her ability to take on more serious and dramatic parts in movies like 28 Days and Crash.

In her role as tough as nails southern housewife, Leigh Anne Touhy, Sandra gives the most acclaimed performance of her career. The Blind Side gives Sandra Bullock a chance to show us another side of herself and has won her the Critic’s Choice (tied with Meryl Streep), Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild Awards in the process.

HELEN MIRREN “The Last Station”



Helen Mirren won an Academy Award three years ago for her portrayal of Elizabeth II on The Queen. This year she receives her second nomination for her role as Sofya, the wife and muse of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy in The Last Station. Mirren is such a great actress that it seems as though anything she does is Oscar-worthy. So how hard is is for her to play this role as Tolstoy’s wife?

CAREY MULLIGAN for “An Education”



You may remember a young Carey Mulligan as the giggling Kitty Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (2005). Just a few years later the 24-year-old British actress is nominated for her first Oscar lead actress for An Education. Her portrayal of sixteen year old Jenny Mellor, a bright, hard working but also naturally gifted girl from a quiet suburb of London; whose life changes after she meets David Goldman, a man over twice her age. He shows her a very exciting lifestyle and their relationship teaches her things about life she could never learn in school. You see the transformation of a young innocent schoolgirl to a sophisticated woman.

GABOUREY SIDIBE for “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”



An Oscar nomination for your first movie is a great way to start your acting career. Gabourey Sidibe, a psychology student at NY’s Mercy College brings to life the physically, emotionally and sexually abused Precious Jones. As with Jennifer Hudson, who won a Best Supporting Actress for her role in Dreamgirls (2006) and many other first time actors, it is a combination of talent and luck for her to have been cast in the right movie to showcase her talents.

When you watch Precious, you see an overweight, African-American teenager who has no self-esteem and no sense of self-worth. And seeing Gabourey Sidibe, the rotund young woman who plays Precious, it would be easy to imagine that she didn’t have far to go to play that role. But their two lives couldn’t be further apart, which gives you a glimpse of her talent.

MERYL STREEP for “Julie & Julia”



Meryl’s impressive list of nominations and awards are well deserved. Since her first nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1978 for the Deer Hunter, her first Oscar for Best Actress in 1983 for Kramer vs. Kramer to her recent nominations for The Devil Wears Prada (2007) and Doubt (2009), Meryl has been a steady fixture on the Oscar scene. It wouldn’t seem like an Oscar show without a nomination for Meryl Streep. She is such a talented actress, that it is almost a given that anything she does will be wonderful. This year, she is nominated for her role as the famous and quirky Chef, Julia Child in Julie & Julia. This is her 13th Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

For those who you who have seen the real Julia Child’s PBS show, The French Chef, you will appreciate Meryl’s portrayal of Julia Child. Not only the distinctive voice, but she also captured many of Julia’s mannerism, all while making the character her own. Part of what made Julia Child a good chef was. as she said being fearless. That is what make Meryl an incredible actress. She is fearless. She is not afraid to take of the dramatic roles role or star in a romantic comedies like It’s Complicated. It was refreshing to see a 60-year old actress in a role that is often reserved for much younger actresses.

The veteran actresses and Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren, both have multiple nominations. They are two of the most talented actresses of our time, so much so that it seems everything they do is Oscar-worthy. The two young actresses, Gabourey Sidibe and Carey Mulligan are both first time nominees very early in their careers. But the one to watch is Sandra Bullock, an actress who has surprised everyone (including herself) with her runaway hit, The Blind Side. Sandra, this is your year!

Who do you think will win?

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Amy Adams and Meryl Streep are together again after their Oscar nominated performances in Doubt. But even though they play the  title characters in Julie and Julia,  they don’t have any scenes together. As a matter of fact, they are separated not only by an ocean, but by more than 30 years.

Julie

Julie & Julia is the story of one woman who is inspired  by another women to achieve her dreams. It tells the parallel stories of Julie Powell and Julia Child.  Julie Powell (played by Amy Adams),is a frustrated employee at a government bureaucracy who decides to write a blog. And like most bloggers, she writes about her passion, which happens to be cooking. She uses Julia Child as the inspiration for her blog, The Julie/Julia Project.

“Government drone by day, renegade foodie by night. Too old for theatre, too young for children, and too bitter for anything else, Julie Powell was looking for a challenge. And in the Julie/Julia project she found it. Risking her marriage, her job, and her cats’ well-being, she has signed on for a deranged assignment.

365 days. 536 recipes. One girl and a crappy outer borough kitchen.

How far will it go? We can only wait. And wait. And wait…..
The Julie/Julia Project. Coming soon to a computer terminal near you.”

She decides to chronicle her experience of cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s  Mastering the Art of French Cooking in just one year. Think of it, that is more than 500 recipes! That’s makes me feel bad, because some days after slaving over a hot keyboard, working the man every night & day, I can just gather enough strength to make a peanut butter sandwich for dinner. I guess its good, I write about movies  on my blog. There are good days and bad days. All the while she gains a few pounds (its all that butter) and some insights into herself and  gets a book deal.  I really like the blogging parts of the movie. I understand her, because I have learned a lot about myself since I have been writing this blog. I don’t have a book deal and there isn’t a movie about my life on the horizon (but if there ever is, I want Halle Berry to play me-I’m just sayin’), but the more I do this the more I learn. Oh yeah…the review… So she cooks all this wonderful food.

Julia

Julia Child, played by Meryl Streep is the wife of a diplomat living in France. Meryl’s  The  Devil Wear Prada co-star  Stanley Tucci plays  her husband, Paul Child.    After working for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII and traveling the near east, she was used to a little adventure. The 6′ 2″, Julia was not content to be a housewife. She eventually decides to follow her passion for French food. She learned to cook, wrote a monumental cookbook and changed everything. I am not sure , but I think Julia Child was the first celebrity chef. Her PBS television series, The French Chef was part cooking lesson and part comedy due to Julia’s personality.

Nora Ephron directed Julia and Julia, which is based on Julie Powell’s Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously and  Julia Childs’ My Life in France.  Meryl Streep does a wonderful job of portraying the larger than life Julia Child. I really enjoyed this movie for the way it told the stories of two women who were searching for way to improve themselves and who both found themselves in food.

I have been complaining asking for better chick flicks for a while now. I am on a campaign to let the world know that  chick flicks don’t have to be sappy love stories  about love starved females.  They should be movies that appeal to women and  tell our stories  in an entertaining way.  Julie & Julia satisfied my appetite for a really good chick flick.

One last word of advice: Don’t watch this movie on an empty stomach. After watching  Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci consume sumptuous meals and Amy Adams prepare Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon, Chocolate Souffle’ and the list goes on. Well, all I can says is, my friend and I left the theater with an overwhelming desire for CAKE!

Read the book: My Life in France by Julia Child

Mastering The Art of French Cooking

The best thing about a really good  Chick Flick is the strong female character. Whether its the young girl looking for loving in a  romantic comedy or the poor sick girl in a really sad tearjerker, or a chick who can kick butt in an action chick flick,  the leading lady is our heroine. She is the reason why we love Chick Flicks.

Looking For Love

1. Loretta Castorini (Cher, Moonstruck)
2. Elle Woods   (Reese Witherspoon, Legally Blond)
3. Sally Albright  (Meg Ryan,  When Harry Met Sally)
4. Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn, The Princess Bride)
5. Toula Portokalos  (Nia Vardales, My Big Fat Greek Wedding)
6. Danielle De Barbarac (Drew Barrymore, Ever After)

Looking for Some Action

1. Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
2. Thelma & Louise (Susan Sarandon & Geena Davis)
3. Maggie, The Cat (Elizabeth Taylor, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)

Classic Chicks

1. Lizzie Bennett  (Keira Knightly, Pride and Prejudice)
2. Emma  Woodhouse  (Gweneth Paltrow, Emma)
3. Joan March (Kathryn Hepburn, Little Women)
4. Margo Channing (Bette Davis, All About Eve)
5. Tracy Lord (Kathryn Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story)
6. Ilsa Lund   ( Ingrid Bergman, Casablanca)

I know…I know, there are hundreds of great characters, so please send me your favorites.

Just Chick Flicks offers our condolences to Liam Neeson and the family of actress Natasha Richardson.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Natasha’s Filmography

Wild Child (2008)   – Mrs. Kingsley

Evening (2007)  —  Constance Haverford

The Mastersons of Manhattan (2007) (TV)   — Victoria Masterson

The White Countess (2005)   — Countess Sofia Belinskya

Asylum (2005)   — Stella Raphael

Maid in Manhattan (2002)   — Caroline Lane

Waking Up in Reno (2002)   — Darlene Dodd

Chelsea Walls (2001)   — Mary

Blow Dry (2001)   –  Shelley Allen

The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000) (TV)   — Host

The Parent Trap (1998)  –  Elizabeth James

Nell (1994)   — Dr. Paula Olsen

Widows’ Peak (1994)   — Mrs. Edwina Broome

Zelda (1993) (TV)   — Zelda Fitzgerald

Hostages (1993) (TV)   –  Jill Morrell

Suddenly, Last Summer (1993) (TV)   –  Catharine Holly

Past Midnight (1991)   — Laura Mathews

The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish (1991)  –  Sybil

The Handmaid’s Tale (1990)  — Kate / Offred

Man and Little Boy (1989)  — Jean Tatlock

Patty Hearst (1988)   — Patricia Hearst

A Month in the Country (1987) …. Alice Keach

Gothic (1986)   –  Mary Shelley

What is your favorite film starring Natasha Richardson and/or Liam Neesom?

Best Actress Nominee Angelina Jolie and Best Actor Nominee Brad Pitt

• Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor”
• Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon
• Sean Penn in “Milk”
• Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
• Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler”