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Tag Archives: River Phoenix
“I try to lie as much as I can when I’m interviewed. It’s reverse psychology. I figure if you lie, they’ll print the truth.” — River Phoenix
It’s his birthday today. Just as I will never get over Kurt Cobain’s death, and will never stop missing him and wondering what he would be doing now, I will never get over River Phoenix’s death. Losing the two of … Continue reading
Dynamic Duo #41
River Phoenix and Lili Taylor Thank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you feel inclined to support my work, here’s a link to my Venmo account. And I’ve launched a … Continue reading
Posted in Actors
Tagged Dogfight, dynamic duo, Lili Taylor, Nancy Savoca, River Phoenix
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September/October 2023 Viewing Diary
I moved in late September. Again. I found a little cozy apartment, the second floor of a little house, with slanted ceilings, little cubbyhole-eaves everywhere, and a big yard. It’s a 10 minute walk to the beach. I found it … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies
Tagged Bette Davis, biopic, comedy, Costa-Gavras, Dana Andrews, documentary, drama, Eli Wallach, England, Ewan McGregor, film noir, France, Fritz Lang, George Cukor, George Sanders, Germany, Gloria Grahame, Hal Wallis, historical drama, Ireland, Joan Crawford, Joan Fontaine, Judy Blume, Kate Lyn Sheil, Lana Turner, Lee Marvin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Miriam Hopkins, Norma Shearer, Otto Preminger, Paul Schrader, River Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Roman Polanski, Rosalind Russell, Sidney Lumet, Spain, Supernatural, Vincente Minnelli, women directors, WWII
29 Comments
Sidney Lumet: Excerpts from Making Movies
It’s Sidney Lumet’s birthday. Here are many excerpts from his classic and invaluable film-making handbook Making Movies: In Murder on the Orient Express, I wanted Ingrid Bergman to play the Russian Princess Dragomiroff. She wanted to play the retarded Swedish … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Books, Directors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Al Pacino, Dean Stockwell, Dog Day Afternoon, Faye Dunaway, Ingrid Bergman, Jane Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Marlon Brando, Network, Paul Newman, River Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Running on Empty, Sidney Lumet, William Holden
15 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
Identity, Lies, Music, and Love: A Conversation about Running on Empty for Bright Wall Dark Room
Chad Perman and I recently had an in-depth discussion about Sidney Lumet’s Running on Empty (an all-time favorite of mine, perpetually hovering around the ever-shifting Top 5) for the new issue of Bright Wall Dark Room (the theme of the … Continue reading
May 2016 Viewing Diary
Supernatural, Season 3, Episode 5, “Bedtime Stories” (2007; d. Mike Rohl) So silly. Supernatural, Season 3, Episode 6, “Red Sky at Morning” (2007; d. Cliff Bole) I like this episode a lot. I don’t care that the SPN writers threw … Continue reading
Ethan Hawke: “It Didn’t Come For Free.”
Ethan Hawke, the part of the Charlie Rose interview where he discusses Robin Williams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and River Phoenix.
The Return of Nancy Savoca’s Dogfight
For a while now, Nancy Savoca’s masterpiece Dogfight has been out of print. It had been released on DVD, with a wonderful commentary track by Savoca, but it was threatening to slide into obscurity. (I have made a couple of … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Dogfight, Lili Taylor, Nancy Savoca, River Phoenix, romantic drama
2 Comments
Beautiful Boys
Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix, 1991 From interview with the two actors in Interview magazine, 1991: KR: Um, who knows? I really would like to do Shakespeare with River. I think we’d have a hoot. We could do A Midsummer … Continue reading