François Truffaut was never properly suited to film noir. His enthusiasms were too childish and his outlook too optimistic to ever be properly gloomy or cynical for that most nihilistic of genres. His male characters […]
Oscar night was always a tradition for my family when I was growing up. Dad would throw some chicken wings in the oven to bake, I would run to the garage to grab the fold-up […]
At first, the studio wanted Bette Davis. But no, that wouldn’t have worked; audiences could expect cruelty and hysteria from an actress who had proven herself both bitch and beauty queen. After seeing her sit […]
His images are grand, sweeping, yet intimate. Personal, provocative and poignant. You can always tell when you’re watching one of his films – because the frame, no matter the subject, is alive with possibility. Synonymous with some […]
In a not too distant past, let’s say, 1987 – eons ago for some of you kids, Mickey Rourke was considered an “actor’s actor,” a hunk and an A-list celebrity. Things have sure changed in […]
From Vivien Leigh to James Cagney to Paul Robeson, Hattie McDaniel out-shined every single person around her in every scene she played. THAT is the definition of a star. She was born 121 years ago […]
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