FREEZEFRAME FANATIC: Three Men and a Little Lady (1990)

For a long time, I have been fascinated by the directorial choice of ending a film on a freezeframe. My ideal movie would end on a still shot of two people high-fiving, no matter what the content of the rest of the film. I mean, Apocalypse Now is great, but imagine if it ended with Willard and Lance high-fiving each other as they sail away from Kurtz's encampment, before the image freezes and fades to black? More like Apocalypse WOW. 

Happily, this feature can most often be found in one of my favourite genres - cheesy 80s and 90s American comedies. So in what I hope will become a recurring feature, we will start with one of my favourite examples, from Three Men and a Little Lady, the oft unappreciated sequel to the surprisingly Leonard Nimoy-directed Three Men and a Baby. 

Here we see the moment Ted Danson, shocked to be catching a bouquet thrown by the eponymous 'Little Lady' at his friend Tom Selleck's wedding. He looks straight into camera, in a cinematic first for the Three Men... films, thus breaking the fourth wall and placing us in unexpectedly metafictional territory. At this very moment, the action freezes and the credits roll, leaving the audience reeling from this last-minute penetration of the boundary they once felt safe behind. Even Petunia Dursley, to the right of the frame, cannot believe what has happened, clutching a tissue to her face in shock. 

A masterpiece.

If you want to see the full scene, you can find it here.

Edward Norton: VESTiges of Greatness

                  American History X (1998)                               Fight Club (1999)                                                The Score (2001)                                                                

This first blog needs to set up the general level of intellect to expect from further posts. So what better place to start than with a discussion on Edward Norton's love of the white vest?

My obsession with this topic started during a schoolgirl crush I had on Norton after first watching Fight Club. Sure, not the most obvious choice of men in that film, but who needs Brad Pitt? I'll take the sweaty emaciated one. (Other such weird crushes have included Richard E. Grant in Withnail and I, Mr Tumnus in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and of course, Trent in My Parents Are Aliens.)

From the research I've carried out (which, believe me, is a great deal), it looks like it all starts with American History X. And fair enough, what better garb for a neo-Nazi than a lovely little white number (bonus points for colour-coordinating with the race you support) that can show off your delightful swastika tattoos?

                      25th Hour (2002)                                   The Painted Veil (2006)                                      The Incredible Hulk (2008)                                                      

But since then, Norton is repeatedly to be found on screen donning a white vest, no matter what character he's playing. Why does he do it, I ask myself? Maybe he likes the colour; maybe he's really confident about the way his shoulders look; maybe he appreciates the fact that you can sometimes make out his nipples through the fabric. All valid reasons.

My favourite theory (read: fantasy) is that Norton is a professor at the prestigious White Vest School of Acting, constantly vying with Dr Bruce Willis for tenure. Notable alumni include Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, Nicolas Cage in Con Air and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in Every Film He's Ever Made.

    Stone (2010)*                                                                                          Birdman (2014)            

I'm not sure if his White Vest Syndrome is something Edward is aware of, but hopefully he keeps taking the medication and the garment doesn't manage to take over his entire being. Personally, I can't wait to see which film it pops up in next.

(I was going to finish this with a 'the first rule of vest club is...' joke, but I like to think I'm better than that.)


*This is the best one cause he's actually wearing a white t-shirt, but he can't cope so he's had to turn the sleeves up in order to act.