Kat’s Film and Book Reviews

Actress Lynn Redgrave died Sunday after a 7-year battle with breast cancer.  She was 67 years old.

Image courtesty of scad.edu

Lynn was the sister of Vanessa and Corin, all of them children of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson.  Corin died just last month, but Vanessa survives.  The siblings, especially the sisters, were always close, and all of them insist that any rivalry between them was made up by the press.  Lynn was a quieter, less flashy talent than Vanessa, but she always worked, and was nominated twice for Oscars.  Her first one was for 1968’s Georgy Girl, where she competed against her sister, but both lost to Elizabeth Taylor.  She was also known for her flexibility and sense of humor, appearing on sitcoms as well as in dramatic Oscar-nom material.  Her Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination was for playing the brusque housekeeper in Gods and Monsters, but she took roles on The Love Boat, Desperate Housewives, and Ugly Betty, too.

It’s been a terrible year for the Redgrave family.  Niece Natasha Richardson died in a ski accident last year, then Corin last month, and now Lynn.  I’m sorry she’s gone; she was a steady, hardworking, non-pretentious presence in a crazy, self-aggrandizing business.  I wish her family every comfort and blessing as they go on without her.

Peter Graves, who would have turned 84 this week, died Sunday afternoon at his home.  He had just returned from brunch with his wife and kids, when he collapsed outside his home.  His daughter administered CPR and his doctor arrived, but they were unable to revive him from an apparent heart attack.

Peter Graves had that heroic voice, face, and presence that made everyone trust him.  He said once that friends often encouraged him to run for office because he looked so much like a trustworthy person.  Some of the most famous roles of his career include the Nazi spy in 1953’s Stalag 17, Jim Phelps–the leader of the Mission Impossible team in the long-running TV show, and airline pilot Captain Oveur in 1980’s Airplane!

He was completely classy, and I’m sorry he’s gone.  I hope he’s accepting a beautiful new mission right now.

Image courtesy of Team Sugar--young, cute, fresh faced Corey in the 80's

80’s teen star Corey Haim has died of an “accidental” overdose.  Not much is known of the circumstances of Haim’s death.  At about 3:30 AM, his mother found him in responsive in his apartment and called an ambulance.  The ambulance took him to Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, where he was pronounced dead at about 4:00 AM.  The police were then called in to investigate.

Unfortunately, Haim’s death can’t be a surprise to anyone.  A tragedy, God knows, but one 25 years in the making.  For all the enjoyable acting he did in the 80’s in such films as The Lost Boys, Murphy’s Romance, and License to Drive, he made his reputation not as an actor or even as a child star, but as an out-of-control addict whose attempts to stay in the public eye grew increasingly more pathetic as the years went by.

It’s an all-too-familiar story–the child or teen actor who gets caught up in the corruption and drug lifestyle so freely offered to him in Hollywood.  It doesn’t have to be that way; a lot of kids in that position made good choices and transitioned to admirable careers.  But Corey wasn’t one of them.  I hope he finally finds the peace and freedom I can only assume he was seeking all these years.

The drug bloat--nobody's best look

Image courtesy of Chicagoist.com

DH and I are big fans of film critic Roger Ebert–which is not to say we always agree with him (usually, but not always).  We have both of his books containing reviews of movies he gave 2 stars or less to (I Hated, Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie and Your Movie Sucks).  So, since this film blog has been quite short of Oscar season news, I thought I would give y’all Roger Ebert’s Oscar picks for this year. He says, “I can’t remember a year when it seemed easier to predict the Oscars.”  Of course, we all know that what should win isn’t always what does win!

I’ll give the whole category, then indicate Ebert’s picks.

Image courtesy of Manny the Movie Guy

Best Film

• Avatar
• The Blind Side
• District 9
• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglorious Basterds
• Precious
• A Serious Man
• Up
• Up In the Air

Ebert likes The Hurt Locker.  He also gives good reasons that Up in the Air and Avatar might have shots, but says, “Of these three, I’m predicting The Hurt Locker. If one of the other seven wins, let’s say I’ll be very surprised.

Best Director

• James Cameron for Avatar
• Katherine Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
• Quentin Tarantino for Inglorious Basterds
• Lee Daniels for Precious
• Jason Reitman for Up In the Air

Ebert says, “If you vote against Kathryn Bigelow of The Hurt Locker, you’ll be going against years of precedent that say the winner of the Directors Guild Award will win the Oscar.”

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
• George Clooney for Up In the Air
• Colin Firth for A Single Man
• Morgan Freeman for Invictus
• Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker

While I would like to say that Colin Firth is totally due, Ebert has a different opinion.  “Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart. The movie opened late in December and moved out more widely in January. But the distributor, Fox Searchlight, made a wise move: They screened it extensively in advance for movie critics and sent out lots of screeners. Bridges’ great performance swept the critics’ awards, won a Golden Globe, a SAG award and now looks like the winner. Jeremy Renner or George Clooney could win, but Bridges has the momentum.”

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
• Helen Mirren for The Last Station
• Carey Mulligan for An Education
• Gabourey Sidibe for Precious
• Meryl Streep for Julie and Julia

Ebert likes Sandra Bullock.  “Few people saw this one coming, especially in a year where her two earlier pictures bombed, but Sandra Bullock’s comeback in The Blind Side was dazzling, and she also collected a lot of year-end awards. Meryl Streep was thought to be the front-runner for Julie & Julia, but Oscar likes a comeback role, and Streep has never needed one.”

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Matt Damon in Invictus
• Woody Harrelson in The Messenger
• Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
• Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
• Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds

While I have sentimental reasons for wanting to see Harrelson and Tucci honored (I didn’t know Christopher Plummer was still alive, actually), Ebert is firm: “Christoph Waltz, a relative unknown, won the best actor award at Cannes in May 2009 for Inglourious Basterds and has never looked back. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t expect him to win this category. A sure thing.”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Penelope Cruz in Nine
• Maggie Gyllenhall for Crazy Heart
• Anne Kendrick for Up In the Air
• Vera Farmiga for Up In the Air
• Mo’Nique for Precious

Ebert’s pretty positive about this one, too.  “Here again, what looks like a sure thing: Mo’Nique, for her powerful performance as the mother in Precious. Known primarily as a TV personally and comic, she came, in a way, out of nowhere to create a character who was a damaged, cruel woman. The other four nominees were all very, very good, but Mo’Nique will win.”

I like to see comedic actors stretch their dramatic wings, so I’d be okay with Mo’Nique for that reason.

Actually, I’d be okay with all of these.  Does anyone else have any predictions, or any arguments with Ebert’s thoughts?  I’d love to hear them.

Image courtesy of FusedFilm.com

Some creative differences between Sam Raimi, who was in the early stages of directing Spider-Man 4 with the original cast, and Sony Pictures effectively mean that the long awaited 4th installment in the Spider-Man franchise will not see the light of day.

Sony set a release date of May 2011, but Raimi said that was too soon, he couldn’t do it the way he wanted to do it in that time frame.  On top of that, troubles with the script kept the studio pushing back the start date time after time.  In the end, Sony opted not to change the date, and Raimi and the whole original cast bowed out.  Word is that Tobey Maguire was not all that  upset, and the parting between Raimi and Sony seems to be fairly amicable.  Sony certainly had some nice things to say about Raimi in their official press release (more on that in a sec).

Sam Raimi

But even if Sony’s done with the Raimi-helmed franchise, it’s not done with Spidey.  They are going to entirely reboot the series in 2012.  So, 2011 is out the window altogether, but Spider-Man will start over 2 years from now.  I’m not as thrilled about that, but they are already looking at James Cameron to helm the reboot.  They seem to be committed.

So what will Sam Raimi do next?  He’s considering a new franchise, World of Warcraft.  Isn’t that a video game?  I’m sure Raimi can do well with it, if anyone can.  And Sony, working through Columbia Studios, will stick with the all new Spidey 4.0.

Tobey Maguire

Here’s Sony’s official press release, if you’re interested:

Culver City, CA (January 11, 2010) — Peter Parker is going back to high school when the next Spider-Man hits theaters in the summer of 2012. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today they are moving forward with a film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.

The new chapter in the Spider-Man franchise produced by Columbia, Marvel Studios and Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin, will have a new cast and filmmaking team. Spider-Man 4 was to have been released in 2011, but had not yet gone into production.

“A decade ago we set out on this journey with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire and together we made three Spider-Man films that set a new bar for the genre. When we began, no one ever imagined that we would make history at the box-office and now we have a rare opportunity to make history once again with this franchise. Peter Parker as an ordinary young adult grappling with extraordinary powers has always been the foundation that has made this character so timeless and compelling for generations of fans. We’re very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter’s roots and we look forward to working once again with Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin on this new beginning,” said Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“Working on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me. While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job,” said Sam Raimi.

“We have had a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration and friendship with Sam and Tobey and they have given us their best for the better part of the last decade.This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else’s hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable,” said Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, who has served as the studio’s chief production executive since the beginning of the franchise. “Now everything begins anew, and that’s got us all tremendously excited about what comes next. Under the continuing supervision of Avi and Laura, we have a clear vision for the future of Spider-Man and can’t wait to share this exciting new direction with audiences in 2012.”

“Spider-Man will always be an important franchise for Sony Pictures and a fresh start like this is a responsibility that we all take very seriously,” said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures. “We have always believed that story comes first and story guides the direction of these films and as we move onto the next chapter, we will stay true to that principle and will do so with the highest respect for the source material and the fans and moviegoers who deserve nothing but the best when it comes to bringing these stories and characters to life on the big screen.”

The studio will have more news about Spider-Man in 2012 in the coming weeks as it prepares for production of the film.

Why do we Americans take such delight in British titles and honors (sorry, titles and honours)? I don’t know, maybe because we don’t have any of our own. Maybe because the titles we do have are boring. Who would rather have a Secretary of the Treasury when you could have a Chancellor of the Exchequer?

Sir Patrick Stewart

Two of my favorite British Hollywood-types—Patrick Stewart and Peter Jackson—have been knighted by Queen Elizabeth. Both have made incredible contributions to film. Sir Patrick is best known for his role in Star Trek: The Next Generation, of course, but his list of theatrical accomplishments include stints with the Royal Shakespeare Company and shows playing in London’s West End. One of my favorites of his roles is his Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1999 made-for-TV version of A Christmas Carol.

Sir Peter Jackson

Sir Peter did The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is a personal favorite of mine, but he’s done a lot more than that. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing The Lovely Bones, though it’s gotten pretty mixed reviews, and I can’t wait to see The Hobbit.

Congratulations, milords!

Brittany Murphy, best known for her roles in Clueless and 8 Mile, died this morning at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.  She was 32.

Image Courtesy of the Insider.com

Details are still sketchy, but at this point the official word is that Murphy died of cardiac arrest.  And, really, it’s not unheard of for a young woman to have a heart attack; I know a 17-year-old woman who had a heart attack a few months ago.  But when a person dies of  heart troubles so young, the unspoken implication is that drugs are involved (as was the case with my 17-year-old acquaintance).  Nobody is saying that about Murphy at this point.  I haven’t exactly been following her career closely (though 8 Mile is one of my favorite movies), so I can’t be sure about that.

Murphy herself has denied any drug use.  This is from an article in Entertainment Weekly:

Murphy had been plagued by tabloid rumors of drug abuse in recent years. After appearing as a speed addict in the 2002 film Spun, Murphy was dogged by speculation that her extreme weight loss was due to a cocaine dependency. She denied the rumors in Jane Magazine in 2005. “No, just for the record I have never tried it in my entire life, I’ve never even seen it, and I don’t leave the house too much, except to go to work.”

Still, she has been interviewed recently and sounded excited, happy, and looking forward to the future.  She married in 2007, and was quoted just a few weeks ago as saying she’d like to have a child.  “As far as having a New Year’s resolution, I’d love to have a child next year,” she said at the time. “But that’s kind of a large one!”

Here is an article from EW, profiling Murphy’s 10 Best Film Roles.  We just watched Clueless the other night; it’s one of my daughters’ favorites.  She was great, and critically acclaimed, in her role in 8 Mile, too.  She was also an accomplished musician, and I just found out she played Luanne in “King of the Hill!”  What a multi-talented person!

Image Courtesy of AceShowbiz.com

I’ll try to keep updated if any more news comes out.  Right now our condolences go to her husband, her mother, and all of her family and friends.  Rest in peace, Brittany.

Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Jones died Thursday at her home in Malibu.

Jones in Duel in the Sun, courtesy of movieactors.com

My first exposure to Jones came through my love for Fred Astaire.  Some trivia game I was playing asked, “Who was Fred Astaire’s last on-screen dance partner?”  The answer was Jennifer Jones, with whom he danced in her very last role in the 1974 movie The Towering Inferno. I saw the scene sometime later, and it’s just a sweet slow dance between an older couple.  Very nice.

Jones won her Oscar for her first major movie role, playing St. Bernadette in the 1943 the movie The Song of Bernadette (not “The Son of Bernadette,” as some sources have erroneously reported it.  C’mon, people!).  She was nominated for the Oscar four more times after that, and quit working in films after making A Farewell to Arms in 1957.  She did, however, return for that last dance with Astaire in 1974.

Courrtesy of Youimobile.com

She married 3rd husband Norton Simon in 1971, and they lived chiefly in India and SouthEast Asia.  Jones fell in love with the art of the region and began an extensive collection that soon became the core of the Norton Simon Museum’s collection of art.  She ran the museum from the time of his death in 1993 until 2003, but remained on the board and active in museum affairs.

Jones’  life was not all perfect, however.  She had one daughter with producer David O. Selznik, Mary, who committed suicide at age 22 by jumping out of a window.  Jones’ grief at this event caused her to attempt suicide herself.  After her recovery, and keeping in mind all the struggles Mary had faced with her mental illnesses, Jones began to direct her considerable wealth toward supporting mental health causes and research.  She was also a strong supporter of cancer research and the arts.

Jones with Astaire in The Towering Inferno, courtesy of movieactors.com

Her grace, class, and inner and outer beauty will be missed.  Rest in peace.

I didn’t even know they were considering this until I read this post on the Open Book Society, written by my friend Blondie.

Read her take on it, and let me know…should they split Breaking Dawn into 2 movies?

Fan made image from fanpop.com

It’s real this time.  The brave 57-year-old actor who has been suffering from pancreatic cancer for two years, passed away this evening in Los Angeles, surrounded by his wife and family.  Rumors have followed him, often announcing his death prematurely, since his cancer was diagnosed 20 months ago, but Swayze continued to work, even while he was in rigorous traditional and alternative treatments for his disease.

I wondered if we were in his last days…and I know this will sound weird, but it’s because I saw a picture of him in a supermarket tabloid the other day.  The tabloids are the only ones that will tell us things like that–they did the same thing with Paul Newman just before his death–and they were right.  I admired so much the way Swayze was always realistic about his disease, but it didn’t let it stop him from doing whatever he could handle, including filming an entire season of a new TV show in which he was the Star (A&E’s The Beast).

I’m really sad to see him go; he was such an important figure for people who grew up in the 80’s.  He was Darry, everyone’s older brother, and he was Johnny Castle, the dancing rebel from Dirty Dancing.  He was the one whose fingers entwined with Demi Moore’s in the most erotic pottery session ever.   Perhaps most iconically, he was the one who announced “It’s my way, or the highway.”

For the people who knew him and loved him, he was, of course, so much more than that.  He was married to his wife, Lisa, for 34 years, and she was by his side through the ups and downs of his acting career, his rehab for alcoholism, and his good and bad days of cancer treatment.  She was by his side this evening as he left this life for the next.

Go with God, Patrick. Thank you for the good years.  Our prayers are with Lisa and all your friends and family.