A tribute to the director of Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens.
Matt writes: On July 6th, we lost one of cinema's great actors, James Caan, who died at age 82. Though he was only nominated for one Academy Award (as Best Supporting Actor for "The Godfather"), he delivered equally indelible work in such classics as "Misery," "Elf," "Brian's Song" and perhaps most notably Michael Mann's 1981 masterwork, "Thief."
A tribute to the late James Caan.
On recent streaming and Blu-ray horror releases for spooky season.
Clint Eastwood faces the one enemy Clint Eastwood can't beat.
In 2017, Asians and Asian Americans and, indeed, all minorities, need to be more than local color or types who can be easily replaced.
An obituary for film icon Jerry Weintraub.
To celebrate Roger's birthday, we picked some of our favorite reviews of films he loved.
Oscars saved by the music; Julie Andrews glows in "Sound of Music"; Films of Michael Mann reassessed; Rise of the reactress; Let's get out of here.
Lord Richard Attenborough, legendary director and actor, has passed away at the age of 91.
Appreciation of Kumar Pallana, actor, gymnast, card sharp, juggler, yoga instructor, and a charming presence in the films of Wes Anderson.
Marie writes: Every once in while, I'll see something on the internet that makes me happy I wasn't there in person. Behold the foolish and the brave: standing on one of the islands that appear during the dry season, kayacker's Steve Fisher, Dale Jardine and Sam Drevo, were able to peer over the edge after paddling up to the lip of Victoria Falls; the largest waterfall in the world and which flows between Zambia and Zimbabwe, in Africa. It's 350 feet down and behind them, crocodiles and hippos can reportedly be found in the calmer waters near where they were stood - but then, no guts, no glory, eh? To read more and see additional photos, visit "Daredevil Kayakers paddle up to the precipice of the Victoria Falls" at the DailyMail.
The first time I saw him, he was striding toward me out of the burning Georgia sun, as helicopters landed behind him. His face was tanned a deep brown. He was wearing a combat helmet, an ammo belt, carrying a rifle, had a canteen on his hip, stood six feet four inches. He stuck out his hand and said, "John Wayne." That was not necessary.
Wayne died on June 11, 1979. Stomach cancer. "The Big C," he called it. He had lived for quite a while on one lung, and then the Big C came back. He was near death and he knew it when he walked out on stage at the 1979 Academy Awards to present Best Picture to "The Deer Hunter," a film he wouldn't have made. He looked frail, but he planted himself there and sounded like John Wayne.
John Wayne. When I was a kid, we said it as one word: Johnwayne. Like Marilynmonroe. His name was shorthand for heroism. All of his movies could have been titled "Walking Tall." Yet he wasn't a cruel and violent action hero. He was almost always a man doing his duty. Sometimes he was other than that, and he could be gentle, as in "The Quiet Man," or vulnerable, as in "The Shootist," or lonely and obsessed, as in "The Searchers," or tender with a baby, as in "3 Godfathers."
Marie writes: Okay, this is just plain cool. This is clearly someone using their brain, in combination with "what the hell, let's just go ahead and try it..."
Dr Julius Neubronner's Miniature Pigeon CameraIn 1903, Dr Julius Neubronner patented a miniature pigeon camera activated by a timing mechanism. The invention brought him international notability after he presented it at international expositions in Dresden, Frankfurt and Paris in 1909-1911. Spectators in Dresden could watch the arrival of the camera-equipped carrier pigeons, whereupon the photos were immediately developed and turned into postcards which could be purchased. (click images to enlarge.) - from The Public Domain Review. Visit the site to see even more photos.
Great Movies
