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- “When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered.” — Dorothy Thompson
- “Art is theft, art is armed robbery, art is not pleasing your mother.” — Janet Malcolm
- “I’m one of those people who thinks you can have a happy life and still be an artist.” — Shelley Duvall
- “There’s a difference between writing about something and living through it. I did both.” — poet/novelist Margaret Walker
- “I believe what Camus says. When the curtain rings down, your job is done.” — Warren Oates
- Physical Media Booklet Essay podcast interview
- “My voice isn’t an instrument I can just hang up on a hook.” — Audra McDonald
- “You can’t be on top all the time. It isn’t natural.” — Olivia de Havilland
- “If I don’t feel it, I can’t play it.” — James Cotton
- “I don’t have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like nobody else.” — Lena Horne
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Category Archives: Actors
R.I.P. Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder and Brian De Palma Her Lois Lane meant so much to me as a kid. A role model. Aspirational. But HUMAN. My friend Dan Callahan wrote an emotional tribute to the late actress over on Ebert. I didn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, RIP
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From Lillian Gish to James Dean: My Interview with Dan Callahan
I had a lot of fun interviewing Dan Callahan about his new book The Art of American Screen Acting, 1912-1960. It’s now up at Slant Magazine: Mystery of Screen Acting: An Interview with Dan Callahan.
Posted in Actors, Books, Movies
Tagged Bringing Up Baby, Cary Grant, friends, Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Holiday, Humphrey Bogart, interviews, James Cagney, James Dean, Joan Crawford, Josef von Sternberg, Katharine Hepburn, Kim Stanley, Lillian Gish, Louise Brooks, Marlene Dietrich, Marlon Brando
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R.I.P. R. Lee Ermey
Ermey, a Vietnam veteran, and Marine Corps drill instructor/staff sergeant (with honorary promotion to gunnery sergeant), was probably most well-known for his real-life-mirroring portrayal of the tough Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. Who on earth can … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, RIP
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On Thomas Mitchell in Film Comment
My essay on Thomas Mitchell in the current issue of Film Comment (print only). It looks so good! I love how huge the image of him is, with that big wide striped tie. Such a superb actor. Pick up a … Continue reading
Review: The Last Movie Star (2018)
The Last Movie Star stars Burt Reynolds. It’s ABOUT Burt Reynolds, although his character’s name is Vic Edwards. I have so many thoughts about Burt Reynolds (Mitchell and I discussed him here), so it was so fun to write this … Continue reading
Now THIS Is a Love Scene
Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in Flesh and the Devil (1926). A famous kiss in cinema, but it’s the buildup to it that is so CRAZEEEEEE. They just put it off … and put it off … and tease … … Continue reading
For Film Comment: On Thomas Mitchell in Moontide
I had been wanting to write about Thomas Mitchell for a long time. He’s one of my favorite actors and there really isn’t all that much out there about him. Everyone knows how great he is, and he shows up … Continue reading
Dynamic Duo #14
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Joan Crawford
Book Release: The Art of American Screen Acting, 1912-1960
My friend Dan Callahan has a new book coming out, The Art of American Screen Acting, 1912-1960, to be released on March 8, 2018. His first book was Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman, and his last book was Vanessa: The … Continue reading