Jack Nicholson’s own story rivals any of his films. Born in New York City, he grew up in New Jersey. He grew up thinking his grandparents were his parents, and his mother, his older sister. When years later, he learned the truth, he realized he had no clue who his real father was, and he decided he was not all … More Details
No doubt: it’s been a very good year for both these stars. And much as I admire Jean Dujardin’s sublime performance in The Artist, my hunch is that the industry will favor one of its own on Oscar night. So who will it be — George or Brad? I’m saving my prediction for a later Oscar piece, but for now … More Details
As we kick off Oscar month tomorrow, we also honor the birthday of Clark Gable, who picked up a statuette at the seventh Academy Awards ceremony in 1935. He got it for a movie he did not want to do — a comedy called It Happened One Night – and though he would be nominated twice more, he would not … More Details
Robert Duvall, one of our finest living screen actors, turns 81 tomorrow. Born to a career military officer from Virginia and his wife, an amateur actress and descendant of General Robert E. Lee, Duvall’s childhood was peripatetic, as his father was transferred frequently to various bases around the country. (The military bearing Duvall absorbed from his father would later come … More Details
Just when you start believing there’s no hope for anything daring and original coming out of Movieland, something gets released that surprises you. The Artist is one such movie — and what’s new about it is that it’s old. Or rather — it’s a silent film — not just a spoof à la Mel Brooks’s Silent Movie (1976), but a … More Details
Brett Ratner’s recent anti-gay slur wasn’t the first thing he said that sounded just plain stupid. Did anyone notice his quote in the recent puff piece about him in the New York Times (“Forget the Art House; He’s Making Blockbusters,” 10/30/11)? Ratner, all ready to foist the lame Tower Heist on an unsuspecting mass audience, made this dubious claim: “It’s … More Details
George C. Scott, gone twelve years now, would have turned 84 today. What an actor. I was just old enough to go see Patton when it opened in 1970. In that indelible opening scene in front of the American flag where the general addresses his troops, I recall my jaw dropped open. Viewed on that enormous screen, never before had … More Details
This was the not the first title I had in mind for this piece. But when I dug into Clint Eastwood’s life and career, it seemed particularly apt – and not even close to an overstatement. Just consider this: Over a career spanning over half a century, he’s been involved in over ninety film productions, and directed thirty films. Having … More Details
This piece is aimed not only at buffs who already recognize the genius of Albert Finney in the full context of a fifty-plus year career (!), but also at those (likely younger) movie fans who know him best as the father in Sidney Lumet’s final film, “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead” (2007) or the ultimate insider bad guy in … More Details
When Christian Bale won his Oscar for “The Fighter” (2010), I was hardly surprised, but nor was I elated. And I had to ask myself why. This now hugely successful movie star is prodigiously talented, blazing with intensity and intelligence- not to mention killer good looks. Still- with apologies to all the self-proclaimed “Baleheads” out there, on an emotional level … More Details
