The Jamie Lee Curtis Appreciation Thread

[Michael24]

The daughter of Hollywood royalty, Jamie Lee Curtis was born to Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh on November 22, 1958. After breaking into stardom in the late-70s/early-80s with a string of popular horror films, including the iconic Halloween, she eventually branched out into other genres, going on to have quite a successful career. From 1989-1992, she also starred in the ABC sitcom Anything But Love. In addition to acting, she's written a number of children's books. She retired in 2006 to focus on her family, but has since made a handful of appearances, usually smaller or voice-only roles and TV guest spots, and she'll next be seen co-starring in the upcoming Fox television series Scream Queens.

Jamie Lee is one of my favorite actresses, so I figured I'd create a thread for her. Even when the films have been disappointing, I've enjoyed her performances. Adept at both comedy and drama, I always thought she brought a certain spark to a role it might not have otherwise had with someone else playing the part.

And to me she is the definitive Scream Queen. Watching her in those early horror roles, it's easy to see why she was so good and popular in them. She personified what the Final Girl should be: she was always likable, smart and strong, and she never took crap from anybody. She was the quiet, unassuming girl-next-door who showed real emotions and reactions to the horrible things around her. She was easy to identify with and we always wanted her to win. And with a scream like that she most certainly deserved the title of Scream Queen.

Any other fans? What are some of your favorite Jamie Lee roles and movies?

[Moviefan2k4]

I haven't seen a lot of her work, besides the "Halloween" and "My Girl" movies. I know she was in "Trading Places", but I never saw it all the way through. Her character was interesting in "True Lies", especially after discovering the truth about her husband. The line "I married Rambo" has become a classic from her career, along with "Was it the bogeyman?" from the first "Halloween". I also liked that she narrated the opening of "Escape From New York", and provided the voice for the Liberty Island public-address system in that film.

[AaronJ]

Killer body. No one can deny that. She's aged well, and still looks in shape even as she's much older. I look forward to her in "Scream Queens."

But who can ever forget her in Halloween?

[Michael24]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

I also liked that she narrated the opening of "Escape From New York", and provided the voice for the Liberty Island public-address system in that film.

I'm pretty sure she was also the voice of the curfew warning and phone operator in Halloween III.

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Killer body. No one can deny that. She's aged well, and still looks in shape even as she's much older. I look forward to her in "Scream Queens."

But who can ever forget her in Halloween?

She was so good in Halloween and Laurie Strode is one of my favorite movie characters, not just from horror but in general. The first time I watched Halloween was in 1996. I was the same age that Laurie was supposed to be, and I instantly connected to her, because she reminded me a lot of myself in terms of personality. We both led quiet, average lives in a small town, had a few close friends and were awkward around the opposite sex. Laurie is still one of the few teen movie characters I've seen that I can personally identify with.

Really hope we can finally get True Lies on Blu-ray one day, too. And Road Games. All of her earlier horror movies are available on Blu-ray now, except for that one. I've always enjoyed it. The Australian setting gives it a different vibe than her others.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by Michael24

I'm pretty sure she was also the voice of the curfew warning and phone operator in Halloween III.

I never saw that one, since it didn't feature Michael Myers and the story seemed stupid.

She was so good in Halloween and Laurie Strode is one of my favorite movie characters, not just from horror but in general. The first time I watched Halloween was in 1996. I was the same age that Laurie was supposed to be, and I instantly connected to her, because she reminded me a lot of myself in terms of personality. We both led quiet, average lives in a small town, had a few close friends and were awkward around the opposite sex. Laurie is still one of the few teen movie characters I've seen that I can personally identify with.

I was 15 when I saw the original "Halloween" on cable, late at night no less...and it scared the crap out of me. My life has largely been a very sheltered one, so you can imagine all these new concepts being introduced to a very naive mind, and it just exploded from there. I'd only had a couple of babysitters in my life by then, and thankfully no one ever came after us...but the film was very surreal. I haven't seen it in probably a decade, but still remember a lot of it, and that sometimes disturbs me. I saw both of the "My Girl" movies before I was even aware of the "Halloween" franchise, so that was my frame of reference for Jamie's career. The contrast was noticeable, but nothing when compared to my eventually seeing "True Lies"; that was a much different impression.

[Michael24]

This is a great little interview Jamie Lee Curtis did while promoting The Fog. Short, but very insightful, in her usual well-spoken and articulate way. She also talks about how she wanted to get into acting on her own and not let her parents help her, which she very easily could have done considering who they were.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz57blz_dWA

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

I never saw that one, since it didn't feature Michael Myers and the story seemed stupid.

Halloween III is a cool little horror flick all its own. I liked how John Carpenter tried to stir the series away from repetition and turn it into an anthology, to tell a different story every couple of years based around the themes and mythology of Halloween.

[VictoryAtNight]

Besides Halloween, I liked Jamie in Christmas With The Kranks. One of my favorite X-Mas movies.

[Michael24]

I still need to see Christmas with the Kranks. I missed it when it first came out, then forgot about it for awhile and have never gotten around to seeing it. I've seen bits and pieces of it on TV, and it looks funny. I'll have to add it to my Netflix queue to finally rent this December.

[Michael24]

This is cool. Jamie Lee Curtis pays homage to her mother.

[Ray Jackson]

She looked so hot at the Academy Awards a few years back.

...a true milf.

[max041104]

trading places

[Show spoiler]

[Nada]

Originally Posted by Michael24

This one right here. Just...damn. God. Damn.

[Optimus]

You're welcome

[Michael24]

The day I can watch that in glorious HD on Blu-ray will be a good day.

[Steelmaker]

Absolutely love Jamie Lee as an actress! However physically, she does nothing for me. Not sure why. Something in her face I think. Strangely I think there's a certain "manliness" to it.

[max041104]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Absolutely love Jamie Lee as an actress! However physically, she does nothing for me. Not sure why. Something in her face I think. Strangely I think there's a certain "manliness" to it.

[Richard Graham]

I watched Virus last night. It's a shame Jamie loathes the movie. It's a really fun romp, and alot more gory than I remembered. Cyborg Donald Sutherland? Come on. Good times!

One downside, Jamie doesn't strip down to the token white tank top in the third act. With all the water, it would seem like a no-brainer.

[Michael24]

Yeah, I like Virus. It's a fun little flick.

I know there's a European Blu-ray, but hopefully somebody can do a R1 release. It'd be a perfect fit for Scream Factory.

[HD Canuck]

What?!? No screencaps from Trading Places?

[Michael24]

In case any fans missed it, Road Games is finally coming to Blu-ray with an Australian release courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment, mastered from a new 4K transfer and including brand new special features and new artwork. Fortunately, Umbrella has confirmed it will be Region Free.



Keep an eye on the thread in Blu-ray Movies International here for future updates.

Exciting news! This is the last of Jamie Lee's early horror films to be released in high def. Since it's unlikely to come out in the US anytime soon, this will most likely be my very first Blu-ray import.