Had a nice autograph success with Helen Mirren who was doing a play in London this past spring. Known for winning Best Actress for The Queen and also State of Play and Gosford Park. I am sure the play is over and I had given up on getting a photo back, but to my suprise….received the photo back signed and personalized.
address used was “Phedre” Lyttelton National Theatre, Royal National Theatre South Bank, London SEI 9PX, UK
Of course it is the original I watched! No need to get into explaining the story here, I am sure everyone has seen what is a true classic in movie mythology….and if you haven’t, I am sure not going to ruin it for you here. This is one of the all time greats in horror movie history, and probably in film history in general. Even the ones that have yet to discover this film are usually familiar with the character Norman Bates, made classic by Anthony Perkins. (The Black Hole, Catch 22)
After watching this again, for I don’t know how many times, the only thing that really stood out was Dr. Richmond’s medical speech at the end. Not there was a thing wrong with it, it was played great by Simon Oakland (West Side Story), but I think if this film were shot today, there would be no need for the long explanation. The speech did offer some insight, but today’s audiences would have put most of that together. Not to mention it would have made a great cut or transition going from the shot of the skull to shot of Norman Bates. Oh well, I am not going to criticize greatness too much.
Of course there is Janet Leigh (Little Women, Angles in the Outfield), who was made famous for the shower scene in this movie, and flush the first toilet in screen in a motion picture. (Just another piece of useless trivia.) Martin Balsam (All The President’s Men, Tora Tora Tora, Best Supporting Actor in A Thousand Clowns) is perfect as the inquisitive detective, especially in his interview scene questioning Norman Bates.
If you haven’t seen this film, don’t miss an all time classic. And what perfect time to watch it with Halloween coming up. (Speaking of Halloween, Dr. Sam Loomis played by Donald Pleasence was named for the character Sam Loomis in Psycho….ok, that’s two worthless pieces of trivia in one review.) I recommend you see this one sometime soon, if not this weekend. Shot in glorious black and white, this is an american icon of a movie!
After recently watching Orca, I quickly have come to the conclusion that this is one that I have grown out of and probably enjoyed it more as a kid. Watching this growing up I guess I didn’t care or notice all of the obvious trained killer whale footage superimposed over scenic sea shots, and the shots that were shot directly in a tank something like that of sea world. The story is about a killer whale taking revenge on the fisherman that killed his mate, and the lengths the whale goes through to torment and hunt down Captain Nolan, played by Richard Harris. (Gladiator, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
There are some other nice actors in the film, not that they are in top form or anything like that. Charlotte Rampling (Swimming Pool) plays the over concerned marine biologist, Will Sampson (Chief in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) as the local native american and Bo Derek (10) as the Captain Nolan’s girlfriend.
If this one came on TV when I was in junior high, you could probably find me watching it. Now I would probably say skip this one. It can be an entertaining late night popcorn movie, but don’t expect to be wowed by special effects, pretty cheesy compared to movies these days.
The fall play season is starting to pay off good for autographs. Jude Law who was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role in The Talented Mr. Ripley and was also in Road to Perdition and nominated for Best Actor in Cold Mountain.
Jude Law c/o HAMLET, Broadhurst Theatre, 235 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
My better half is a big fan of zombie movies, so it was pretty much a given that I was seeing this movie no matter what. I expected that this was going to be about like every other zombie movie, boy was I wrong. Zombieland was actually a very entertaining movie. Also with a running time around 80 minutes there isn’t any material to get bored with. It is a fast paced, funny romp all the way through.
As far as performances, there were not really any outstanding performances, but did you really expect Oscar material coming from this flick? Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers, The People vs Larry Flynt) was perfectly cast though, and doing what he does best. The film also stars Emma Stone (Superbad) and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) who play a good sister team. Of course the main character of the film is Columbus played by Jesse Eisenberg (Roger Dodger, The Squid and the Whale). Although it is a very typical role for him, he does make a good narrator throughout the film. And not to give anything away, but there is a cameo in the middle of the movie that is perfect, and it has some of the funniest parts in the entire movie!
Very rarely would I mention typography in a film, but this one deserves a special nod. The type and the way it is used in the film is a lot of fun as it interacts with characters and the scenes going on. I general, I would say if you are a fan of zombie movies, you will love this film, and probably have already seen it. It is a very funny film with some fresh outlook on a what was becoming a typical horror genre. I don’t think it was as funny as Shaun of the Dead, but still worth watching for sure!
From the John Carpenter, the director of Halloween, and a lot of the same cast and crew, The Fog Is a decent ghost story worth watching. The town of Antonio Bay is celebrating it’s anniversary by honoring its original founders, but it seems that there is some controversy about how the town was founded when Father Malone discovers a diary of his grandfather, one of the founding fathers of the town. Strange things start happening in Antonio Bay as the anniversary nears.
The film has a good cast. Just as Donald Pleasance (Dracula) was the heavyweight anchor in Halloween, Hal Holbrook (Midway, Into the Wild) does a great job of adding instant credibility to the film and acts as a story teller as he reveals the diary that he has found. By far the best performance in the movie. Also following their Halloween appearances is Jamie Lee Curtis (True Lies, A Fish Called Wanda) and Nancy Loomis (Assault on Precinct 13). Adrienne Barbeau (Swamp Thing) has a similar role as Hal Holbrook, as he is revealing history, she reveals what is happening in the town with the fog from her vantage point of the local radio station that is run out of a converted lighthouse. Look for cameos from John Houseman, Janet Leigh (Psycho) and director John Carpenter himself.
To me, this film borrows a lot from Halloween, not only with some of the same actors, but in direction and music as well. It is maybe a touch more violent than Halloween, but like Halloween, far from a slasher film by any means. This film still works for me, and actually has a good ghost story behind everything. This is one of my favorites to watch during Halloween season, just a simple, good, creepy movie!
Recently sent a photo of Daniel Craig to a playhouse where he is starring in “A STEADY RAIN.” The play is still in previews, and already have a return from him. Anyone that wants Daniel Craig (Casino Royal, Defiance) hope you have a success with him. Below is the address I used.
Daniel Craig c/0 A STEADY RAIN, Shoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th, NY, NY 10036
From the previews, this was a film that I was looking forward to and thought it might have some Oscar potential, maybe as far as Best Picture and possibly something for Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, The Bourne Identity) the acting category. To be honest, it was a very enjoyable film and very entertaining, but didn’t think it was Oscar worthy.
The Informant was directed by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Erin Brockovich) who always seems to take some unique approaches to his films. I am not sure I really get his approach on this one. This was based on a true story that was taking place during the 1990’s, yet the typefaces, colors and even the music had a very 70s feel. The music being quirky, for some reason I really liked it. Maybe a nomination could come in that category simply because it was so unique.
As far as the acting performances, Matt Damon did very good, but the best parts of his performance was the voice over, which I think will keep him out of the lead actor category. Of course I haven’t seen many great acting performances yet this year, so who knows.
I won’t give too much away, but it is like The Insider meets The Talented Mr. Ripley. There are lots of good cameos including Clancy Brown (Highlander) and The Smothers Brothers. Right now this is one of the best out there to see. I don’t think you will be bored with this one, worth catching for sure.
Last night I attended the Green Summit in Dallas, Texas, and was lucky enough to attend the private reception before hand where my wife and I, and many coworkers got the chance to meet Daryl Hannah. Hats off to Ms Hannah. She was extremely nice and shared a few personal stories about Dancing at the Blue Iguana and Kill Bill 2, which I will be sure to share soon in reviews, as I am ready to watch those films again after meeting her.
Gina Gershon, star of 