Actors
Remembering Gene Hackman and Why He Was Such an Unlikely Star
The story of Gene Hackman, one of the finest screen actors of his generation, is one of raw will and talent overcoming a host of limitations that would have defeated most people.
Actors
Why Frances McDormand Is the Coolest Character Actress Around
Like me, Frances McDormand is not a big fan of the Academy Awards. As she put it in her characteristically wry, plainspoken way: “I don't like award shows. At our house we call this time of year 'the convention'. It's too bad we haven't figured out how to stop it. But I think…because of the Internet… it will naturally go away. We'll have other ways to gather; it's not going to be this stuff. The shoes hurt too much.”
Biographical
How Vivien Leigh Persevered as an Actress While Fighting Mental Illness
The actress who in 1938 came out of nowhere to win the most coveted role in Hollywood once said: “I'm not a film star; I am an actress. Being a film star is such a false life, lived for fake values and for publicity… Actresses go on for a long time and there are always marvelous parts to play.” Vivien Leigh was first and foremost a creature of the theater who only made twenty films. Still, over the course of her career she managed to win two Best Actress Oscars, becoming the first British player to do so.
Actors
How Jack Palance Achieved Immortality With a Gun and a Few Push-Ups
Few will ever forget this year’s Oscars, when Faye Dunaway read off the wrong card and mistakenly announced “La La Land” as Best Picture winner. Awkward as that was, there have been other memorably offbeat moments in Oscar history.
Actors
The Outsize Talent of Anthony Quinn
The first time I remember seeing Anthony Quinn onscreen was in 1961’s “The Guns of Navarone.” This World War 2 adventure film remains a personal favorite, and though it features solid performances from Gregory Peck and David Niven, it was Quinn who stood out for me.
Directors
How Elia Kazan Became One of the Most Influential Directors in Hollywood
Any serious, discriminating film fan should know the work of Elia Kazan, a brilliant director of stage and screen who helped transform acting — and the movies themselves — in the mid-twentieth century.
Classics
Why “On the Waterfront” Still Floats Our Boat
How long since you’ve seen “On the Waterfront”? I just had the privilege of screening it again on the big screen at The Bedford Playhouse, and after nearly seven decades this brilliant film holds up extraordinarily well. It is, in fact, a masterpiece- a term I rarely invoke.