Last Ten Films We've Seen (earlier in June): James Franco Directs

Greetings to our blog readers in Australia, Canada (Happy Canada Day), and Norway......

Today, we look at ten films we've recently watched. Many of them, like "The Lifeguard,""Cold in July" and "Before I Disappear"were independent films shown at the Sundance Film Festival. James Franco did in fact direct "As I Lay Dying," a film based on a William Faulkner novel, and it was almost an artistic success.

Perhaps, the most unique film on the list is "Blume in Love," a Hollywood studio with a highly controversial plot twist that would assure the film would not be made, at least by a studio, today.

The Turkish film "Destiny," which is on this list, was not released in the United State.

We got this idea from "Film Comment" magazine http://www.filmcomment.com

The images above are in reference to 1) "The Lifeguard" (though the film has nothing to do with "Baywatch"), 2) David Copperfield, the magician, is something we thought of for "Before I Disappear," but the film is not about a magician, and 3) perhaps, most confusing, we went with an image of a Maine lobster for "Cold in July" because Maine is one of the few places we can think of where it is actually cold in July (the film takes place in Texas).

Here is the list:

1. Hateship/Loveship. director: Liza Johnson. 2013. w/ Kristen Wiig

2. As I Lay Dying. dir: James Franco. 2013

3. The Lifeguard. Liza W. Garcia. 2013 w/ Kristen Bell

4. HairBrained. Billy Kent. 2013 2/Parker Posey

5. Blume in Love. Paul Mazursky. 1975. w/ George Segal

6. Destiny ("Kader"). Turkey. Zeki Demirkubuz. 2006.

7. Before I Disappear. Shawn Christensen. 2014

8. Cold in July. Jim Mickle. 2014 w/ Michael C. Hall

9. Force Majuere. Sweden. Ruben Ostlund. 2014

10. Sister. Switzerland. Ursula Meier. 2012.

Dexter Trivia (4 of 4) Where is Jennifer Carpenter from?

We conclude out series of "Dexter" trivia questions, but asking where Jennifer Carpenter, who plays Dexter's sister on the show, is from. Carpenter was actually married to the show's star Michael C. Hall for a brief while; we gather they met on the set.

So, which state is Carpenter from?

A) West Virginia

B) Kentucky

C) Tennessee

D) Alabama

Dexter Trivia (2 of 4)_ Who Composes the Theme?

Notice: This image is of scrambled eggs and TURKEY bacon, so we would not offend blog-readers in Dubai, Tel Aviv or Karachi (Pakistan).

Here is tonight's question, which has been delayed for a multitude of reasons:

Who is the composer of the theme for "Dexter," which features Michael C. Hall's title character's daily morning rituals, including making a lavish breakfast (Dr. Mehmet Oz actually recommends that breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day), brushing of the teeth and shaving with a very sharp razor.

The theme has many parodies of Youtube, including a hilarious video which shows Dexter as a Hassidic Jew.

So, we are asking who composes the ever-catchy title tune, is the answer?

A) Daniel Licht

B) Danny Elfman

C) David Carbanara

D) Michael Giacchino

Good luck!

Dexter Trivia (1 of 4)_ How Long Did M.C. Hall's Other Show Last?

Since "Dexter" is on the verge of having its seventh season premiere on Sunday, we thought we'd put together a series of four questions about the show staring Michael C. Hall.

As it turns out "Dexter" has outlasted Hall's previous show "Six Feet Under" which was a hit with critics and audiences. The show was as unsettling as "Dexter," which features a serial killer as a protagonist, because it took place around a family-run funeral business and each show started with someone's death.

So how many episodes were made of "Six Feet Under," which debuted on HBO in 2001; is the answer?

A) 57

B) 59

C) 61

D) 63

http://www.sho.com

http://www.dexterwiki.wetpaint.com

http://www.dexter-tv.com

Quote of the Day/Week- August Wilson

Today, we quote one of our favorite playwrights August Wilson (1945-2005) in honor of Black History Month. A production of his 2004 play "Gem of the Ocean," which is set in 1904, will take place in Wilson's hometown of Pittsburgh.

The performance will be from the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre at the August Wilson Center from June 2-10.

Ironically, we quoted another local hero former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who is originally from Louisiana, on our other blog "The Daily Vampire" yesterday.

Here is Wilson's quip:

"Blacks in America want to forget about slavery_ the stigma, the shame. That's the wrong move. If you can't be who you are, who can you be? How can you know what to do?
We have our history. We have our book, which is the blues. And we forget it all."

SIDEBAR: We learned this interesting trivial bit last week upon learning that it was the 41st birthday of actor Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter on "Dexter," the Showtime series about a serial killer who kills people he believes to be serial killers. In the first season of the show, which recently finished season six, Dexter and his female companion Rita are watching "Terms of Endearment" (1984), which won the Best Picture Oscar that year.

Well, in season four, John Lithgow, now age 66, who had a supporting role in that film, made a 12-episode run as Dexter's nemesis Arthur Mitchell, otherwise known as 'The Trinity Killer.'