Tag Archives: Gena Rowlands

“Some of the time, when you’re walking out there where the air is thin, you just hope you can walk back again.” — Gena Rowlands

It’s her birthday today. The quote in the headline was Rowlands talking about playing Mabel in A Woman Under the Influence, but it could be said about many of her roles, particularly the ones she did in her husband’s films. … Continue reading

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An Acting Lesson: John Wayne and the “Reality of the Doing”

An old piece, re-posted for John Wayne’s birthday: In one lengthy scene in Hondo, filmed in one almost unbroken take, Wayne makes horseshoes in the little outdoor smith in the yard. Geraldine Page hovers nearby. He talks to her about … Continue reading

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Adult Film Podcast: Let’s talk about acting!!

I was a guest on Ryan Czerwonko and David Garelik’s fabulous new podcast, part of their ongoing Adult Film NYC project (I interviewed Ryan about the work Adult Film is doing for my Substack) and had so much fun talking … Continue reading

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On John Cassavetes’ Minnie and Moskowitz

This is a re-vamped post I resurrected for my Substack. A freebie for all subscribers. I saw it again recently and elaborated on my original thoughts. Outside-Inside: John Cassavetes’ “Minnie and Moskowitz”     Thank you so much for stopping … Continue reading

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Interview with actor/director/teacher Ryan Czerwonko

I’ve written about Adult Film before here, and had been wanting for a while to sit down and interview one of the founders, Ryan Czerwonko, about what he and his group are up to. Finally, we carved out some space … Continue reading

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For John Wayne’s Birthday: Hondo (1953) at MoMA: John Wayne in 3D

In real life John Wayne was huge, 6’3″, with broad shoulders, a lean waist, and long ambling legs. He towered over everybody. And yet, he was always graceful. His athleticism is extraordinary, his physicality smooth and controlled. So he was … Continue reading

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R.I.P. Ian Holm

Ian Holm, “The Sweet Hereafter” I was very sad to hear the news of the death of exquisite actor Ian Holm. Probably most well-known to a large audience for playing Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings movies. But … Continue reading

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Mirrors #5: For Oscilloscope: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Here it is, a piece I have wanted to write for years, and finally got around to it. For Oscilloscope: Mirror, Mirror: When Movie Characters Look Back at Themselves

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R.I.P. Seymour Cassel

Seymour Cassel has died. A John Cassavetes regular, an essential member of that merry band of actor misfits, who followed their own sense of truth with an improvisatory and free-flowing jazz-riff style so impossible to replicate (even though so many … Continue reading

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“Masters of the Acting Art”: An Interview with Author Dan Callahan

Dan Callahan is one of our best writers on the craft of acting. Not only does he describe why a performance is good, he digs into the much thornier issue of how it is good. This is where most critics … Continue reading

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