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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
For Rogerebert.com: On Joan Crawford and Sudden Fear
Joan Crawford got her third (and final) Oscar nomination for her performance in 1952’s Sudden Fear, a film I’ve wrote about ad nauseum, here and elsewhere. The film has been restored and is starting a short theatrical run at the … Continue reading
June 2016 Viewing Diary
Homeland Season 3, Episode 4 “Game On” (2013; d. David Nutter) Hey, Nutter, what’s up? Thanks for the Supernatural pilot. Going on 12 seasons now, you set it up real good. I have now watched up until Season 5 of … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Alain Delon, Alfred Hitchcock, Dennis Hopper, documentary, England, F. Scott Fitzgerald, family, France, Frank Capra, friends, Germany, Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Jack Nicholson, Jimmy Stewart, July and Half of August, Nicholas Ray, Nina Hoss, Olivia de Havilland, Patricia Highsmith, Raoul Walsh, Robert Redford, Stanley Kubrick, Supernatural, Wim Wenders
96 Comments
Happy 100th, Olivia de Havilland
She’s still with us, physically and mentally. Her birthday is tomorrow. One of the greatest actresses in the world.
Happy Birthday, Peter Lorre
A letter from Groucho Marx to Peter Lorre (included in the wonderful The Groucho Letters: Letters from and to Groucho Marx), that pleases me no end. October 5, 1961 Dear Peter: It was very thoughtful of you to send me … Continue reading
“What kind of a filmmaker would this actor, both gentle-hearted and fiery, have made?” – Stephanie Zacharek on Anton Yelchin
Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, in Jim Jarmusch’s “Only Lovers Left Alive” I often look to Stephanie Zacharek to hear her take on things. Get her perspective. I’ve been reading her since her days as a music journalist for Boston’s alternative … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, RIP
2 Comments
R.I.P. Anton Yelchin
Terrible. So senseless. He must have felt so desperate and afraid and alone. I can’t stop thinking about that aspect of it. Tragedy. My condolences go to his friends and family, who must be reeling in shock right now. His … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, RIP
4 Comments
Happy Birthday Marilyn Monroe: “File My Claim” from River of No Return
Of all of the wonderful musical numbers Marilyn performed in her films, this one, from River of No Return is my favorite. I’m not sure I even want to say why. Or break it down. Or analyze the reasons it … Continue reading
My Favorite Elvis Album/Book/Movie: for critic Padraic Coffey
Irish film critic Padraic Coffey (now based in Vancouver) runs a really fun series on his site Fan of Words called “My Favourite Things.” The gist is: Coffey asks a writer/critic/blogger to pick their Favorite album, their Favorite book, and … Continue reading
The John Wayne Jitterbug
From The Fighting Seabees (1944). I love this scene so much. When does John Wayne ever dance, let alone jitterbug? I love it, too, because he is not the “leader” of the dance. She is. In jitterbug, the male has … Continue reading
R.I.P. Burt Kwouk, aka “Cato”
Actor Burt Kwouk has died at the age of 85. Kwouk’s most well-known role was “Cato”, the ninja-manservant of Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther franchise. I was a child going to the Pink Panther movies (they were major Events … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, RIP
4 Comments