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- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- “I don’t represent anything.” — Liz Phair
- “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- “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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Tag Archives: Laurence Olivier
“I hope I’ll die on stage at the age at 105, playing Peter Pan.” — Joan Fontaine
A re-post of the tribute I wrote about Joan Fontaine when she died in December of 2013. She almost made it to her goal. She was 96 years old. It’s her birthday today. While filming “The Women”, in 1939, Joan … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Joan Crawford, Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell
25 Comments
On This Day: October 25, 1415: “We Few, We Happy Few.”
Happy Anniversary of The Battle of Agincourt Today is the feast day of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, cobblers by trade (and patron saints thereof, although Vatican II nixed them from the calendar), fierce warriors of their faith, martyred in 286. … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, On This Day, Theatre
Tagged England, Laurence Olivier, war, William Shakespeare
9 Comments
October 2020 Viewing Diary
American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020; d. Jenny Popplewell) Very amateurish. Perhaps interesting to those who weren’t following the case as closely as I was. I’m STILL following the case. Chris Watts seems to think he’s going to be … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Bill Murray, comedy, coming of age, crime movies, documentary, drama, George Lucas, horror, Joan Fontaine, Kristen Stewart, Laurence Olivier, Martin Scorsese, Olympia Dukakis, Robert De Niro, romantic drama, Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Sandra Bullock, Sofia Coppola, Supernatural, women directors
21 Comments
“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
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Al Pacino, Cate Blanchett, Charles Laughton, Diane Keaton, Dustin Hoffman, Ellen Burstyn, Faye Dunaway, Gena Rowlands, interviews, John Cassavetes, Judy Davis, Laurence Olivier, Lee Strasberg, Maggie Smith, Marlon Brando, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Patricia Clarkson, River Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Stella Adler
11 Comments
For Laurence Olivier’s Birthday: “You’ve Got a Fucking Cheek, Haven’t You?”
Happy birthday, Laurence Olivier! Here’s a funny anecdote from Antony Sher’s book Year of the King: An Actor’s Diary and Sketchbook, his diary detailing his process rehearsing (and creating) Richard III at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Sher was daunted by … Continue reading
The Books: “Vivien: The Life of Vivien Leigh” (Alexander Walker)
A Re-post. For Vivien Leigh’s birthday, which is today. Vivien: The Life of Vivien Leigh, by Alexander Walker I had seen Gone with the Wind as a kid, and while it’s not my favorite movie, it certainly made an impression. … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books
Tagged A Streetcar Named Desire, entertainment biography, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh
31 Comments
2011 Oscars: Best Supporting Actor
This was originally published on Capital New York. Nick Nolte: Paddy Conlon in Warrior Nick Nolte has cornered the market in tortured characters, playing them with searing authenticity and power. Nolte has been nominated for Oscars three times, as Best … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Brad Pitt, Ewan McGregor, Ingmar Bergman, Laurence Olivier, Marilyn Monroe, Mélanie Laurent, Nick Nolte
5 Comments
Carlin’s Last Interview
It’s a goldmine. I love the bit about Arthur Koestler. And I love his idea for “files” – I want to look through his files!! – but I also want to take that idea on myself. I loved this, too: … Continue reading