Sissy Spacek

At a certain point I realized all of my tastes in motion pictures came full circle, revolving around 5 people: HD Stanton, Terrence Malick, Jack Fisk, David Lynch, and Sissy Spacek; Sissy being the bow that ties it all together. For instance, Eraserhead is my favorite. Film? No, just favorite. And to show you how full circle it is: Sissy Spacek was married to Jack Fisk (production designer extraordinaire), who's sister, Mary Fisk, was married to David Lynch. Terrence Malick tried to raise money for the production of Eraserhead, who had been working with Fisk since 73.

She's not one of my favorite actresses just for being married to the Man in the Planet, or being in Malick, Altman and Lynch films, or for holding the slate between takes on Eraserhead but for delivering one of the finest runs of films in the 70's starting with one of my favorites, Badlands.




In Badlands she plays Holly Sargis, a 15 year old baton twirler, left an orphan and on the run when her trigger happy boyfriend kills her dad, et al. The film on which she met her husband to be, Jack Fisk.

1973
imdb: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%



Next in the run is Carrie, probably the most famous film of her career and better because she's in it (worse because of Travolta). Creepy and haunting, a powerful performance full of angst. Oh teenage, angst.

1976
imdb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%





Robert Altman's 1977 film 3 Women is hypnotic, dreamy gold. Spacek turns in a varied and spooky performance as obsessive Pinky Rose, and Shelley Duvall is at times hilarious and frustrating, but an incredible performance as well.


1977
imdb: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%






Spacek's performance as Loretta Lynn in the 1980 film The Coal Miner's Daughter is the best biopic in the history of celluloid! Spacek can sing her face off. Plus this film has a young Tommy Lee Jones in it, a favorite of mine and Amanda's. (Perhaps we will post about how much we love the TLJ flick The Hunted.)

1980
imdb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%


-Matthew

Next up: a recap of my recent foray, and new found love of '70's cinema. (Which will include some nice things I have to say about John Travolta, which Amanda will love.)