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- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- “I don’t represent anything.” — Liz Phair
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- “Some syllables are swords.” — Metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan
- “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.” — Charlie Chaplin
- “As a cinematographer, I was always attracted to stories that have the potential to be told with as few words as possible.” — Reed Morano
- “Even though I’m writing about very dark material, it still feels like an escape hatch.” — Olivia Laing
- “It’s just one of the mysteries of filmmaking that sometimes you do something that you don’t even think it’s important, then it turns out to be.” — Lili Horvát
- “Ballet taught me to stay close to style and tone. Literature taught me to be concerned about the moral life.” — Joan Acocella
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- sheila on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
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- Bryce on The Books: “Nine Stories”- ‘The Laughing Man’ (J.D. Salinger)
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Tag Archives: Russell Crowe
Johnny Depp: The Mad Hatter’s Context
I have always felt that context was decisive, when it came to acting styles. I have heard it said that an actor should approach King Lear in the same way he approaches a French farce, and while I understand the … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Alice in Wonderland, Buster Keaton, Johnny Depp, Michael Mann, Public Enemies, Russell Crowe
42 Comments
20 Favorite Actors
Joining the fun that’s been going on, and to quote Nathaniel who started this whole thing: “In no particular order and extremely subject to change.” For example: where the hell is Robert Mitchum? And William H. Macy? And Sean Penn … Continue reading
Posted in Actors
Tagged Cary Grant, Dean Stockwell, Ewan McGregor, Gary Cooper, Gene Hackman, George Sanders, Humphrey Bogart, Jack Nicholson, James Cagney, Jeff Bridges, John Wayne, Johnny Depp, Kurt Russell, Marlon Brando, Mickey Rourke, Paul Newman, Richard Widmark, Robert Duvall, Russell Crowe, Thomas Mitchell
32 Comments
Thoughts on The Insider
There’s a look to The Insider that I love. It’s all deep greens and blues and blacks with no bright colors whatsoever in the palette. No yellows or oranges or fiery reds. But blacks with blues bleeding into it, white … Continue reading
The Insider: Golf Has Never Seemed So Ominous
A spectacular sequence.
There Is No Such Thing As “Too Far”
Someone just got to my site by typing into Google: “taking a celebrity crush too far.” I beg your pardon? I have absolutely NO idea what you are talking about at ALL.
Posted in Actors
Tagged Alexander Hamilton, Cary Grant, Dean Stockwell, Ewan McGregor, Mickey Rourke, Russell Crowe
6 Comments
“Put us in that fog, Tom.”
One of my favorite moments in Master and Commander is 2 seconds long. And it involves James D’Arcy who gives one of my favorite performances in the film, as 1st Lieutenant Tom Pullings. For those not familiar with my work: … Continue reading
Close-up: Bud White in “LA Confidential”
[This is my entry in The House Next Door’s Close-Up Blog-a-Thon. It’s one of my favorite closeups. Some closeups illuminate the emotions of a scene. Some closeups make sure we are on one character’s side over another. Some closeups are … Continue reading
Professor Irwin Corey’s Latest Movie Quiz!
Presenting: his FOREMOSTLY AUTHORITATIVE SPRING BREAK MOVIE QUIZ . I eagerly await these quizzes – they’re always so terrific (and occasionally hard, too!) (Go check out Dennis’ site to see the answers from his commenters – a smart group of … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged His Girl Friday, Jeff Bridges, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Russell Crowe, Truffaut, Werner Herzog
12 Comments
Ease
It’s a cliche that those who make it look easy don’t get the props they deserve – at the time when it matters. Cary Grant is a perfect example. He breezed through Philadelphia Story, shining his OWN LIGHT onto his … Continue reading