There are so many....coming up with a favorite sucked away half a morning. But when it comes down to it. Linda Fiorentino, someone I had never heard of before THE LAST SEDUCTION won me over.
Saw this on FB first, where the A/V dimension was stressed, so thought of these performances: Among neo-noir if that era, she's nudged (if only, um, barely) for me by Kathleen Turner's Matty Walker in BODY HEAT. Though in the junior division, Neve Campbell's Suzie Toller in WILD THINGS is one you can almost root for (in at least two senses, I guess).
Oh, man. You gotta see it, Dana. Thanks, Jerry. Pretty tough competition with Stephen King and Shirley Jackson. And Denise Mina is brilliant too. Those are the gold standards, Rick. KT is probably more widely appreciated. Also Sharon Stone.
Fiorentino has rarely played anything too far from that role; Turner got to demonstrate more diversity, though health has certainly not been abundant for her. Stone and Theresa Russell in their famous roles thus were made into almost ridiculous monsters, and Glenn Close definitely was.
There were a lot of ancestresses that never got likable down. I'd say Crawford and Davis were never likable either. Maybe it was the harsh look Max Factor gave them.
Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis in DOUBLE INDEMNITY. That's not an ounce of softness in her.
ReplyDeleteShe's the gold standard in that movie.
ReplyDeleteA haunting reminder that crime writers did not invent femmes fatale.
ReplyDeleteEve, Lilith...the Sirens...
ReplyDeleteSaw this on FB first, where the A/V dimension was stressed, so thought of these performances: Among neo-noir if that era, she's nudged (if only, um, barely) for me by Kathleen Turner's Matty Walker in BODY HEAT. Though in the junior division, Neve Campbell's Suzie Toller in WILD THINGS is one you can almost root for (in at least two senses, I guess).
Barbara Stanwick, Veronica Lake, Lauren Bacall, Lana Turner.
ReplyDeleteJessica Rabbit.
ReplyDeleteOff subject, congrats on Megan's Edgar nod for Best Short Story.
I'm a big Linda Fiorentino fan but have not seen The Last Seduction. I'll have to crank up the search again.
ReplyDeleteI think my fave is Kathleen Turner in BODY HEAT.
Oh, man. You gotta see it, Dana.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jerry. Pretty tough competition with Stephen King and Shirley Jackson. And Denise Mina is brilliant too.
Those are the gold standards, Rick.
KT is probably more widely appreciated. Also Sharon Stone.
Brigid O'Shaughnessy.
ReplyDeleteFiorentino has rarely played anything too far from that role; Turner got to demonstrate more diversity, though health has certainly not been abundant for her. Stone and Theresa Russell in their famous roles thus were made into almost ridiculous monsters, and Glenn Close definitely was.
ReplyDeleteOh, she was great in that, Patti. "Who's a girl gotta suck around here to get a drink?" A classic.
ReplyDeleteI loved her in MEN IN BLACK too, with her "I Hate the Living" attitude in the morgue.
Stanwyck was great, but not likable at all. You got a kick out of Fiorentino.
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of ancestresses that never got likable down. I'd say Crawford and Davis were never likable either. Maybe it was the harsh look Max Factor gave them.
ReplyDeleteLinda Darnell in “Fallen Angel.”
ReplyDeleteI'm with Dana: Kathleen Turner in BODY HEAT.
ReplyDeleteNo film, as far as I know, but there ought to be for "Hard hearted Hannah, the vamp from Savannah"
ReplyDeleteSimone Signoret in LES DIABOLIQUES.
ReplyDeleteI have to go with Linda Fiorentino in LAST SEDUCTION.
ReplyDeleteThat's also the movie that showed Bill Pullman's range. If he can't do it, it can't be done.
I feel like we don't get enough of him.
ReplyDelete