What Would Orson Think?

I often catch myself wondering what my old friend Orson Welles would think about the state of cinema today. Seeing the legendary Kirk Douglas take the stage during last night’s Academy Awards Ceremony, as difficult as it was to watch at times, reminded me of another era, long ago. Orson’s era. I know for a … Continue reading →

And the OSCAR goes to…

Without further delay, and with no further need to comment on what an amazing year it has been in film, here are your 2010 Oscar winners –  so grab your #2 Ticonderoga and jot these down: BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Nominees: Christian Bale (The Fighter); Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech); John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone); Jeremy Renner (The Town); Mark Ruffalo (The … Continue reading →

Bardem’s Last Tango a thing of Beauty

I’ve been waiting for years to be able to compare an actor’s work to Marlon Brando’s performance in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango In Paris. And now, sadly that it coincides with the  passing of Last Tango’s Maria Schneider earlier this month (Feb. 3), the time has come. Alejandro Inarritu’s Biutiful is not to be taken lightly. First, … Continue reading →

Board Talk with 3 of L.A.’s Finest Actors

Very happy to report early in the year 2011 that the theatre scene in Los Angeles not only has a pulse, but is as vibrant and energetic as it’s been in many years.  Sure, year in and year out, the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson, the Geffen Playhouse, and venues like the Pantages Theater stage quality … Continue reading →

This Stone Went Unturned

“Look at me,” the distraught young wife says to her dismissive and apathetic husband in the opening scene of Stone. “You keep my soul in a dungeon. I’m leaving you.” The young husband then lurches from his recliner and rushes to the bedroom, scoops up their young daughter and dangles her out the second story … Continue reading →

A Decade Later Memento such a Treasure

A few nights ago I sat down with my 15-year-old son to watch Memento. Finally! I’d been waiting patiently for the past couple of years until I felt he was ready for the mental gymnastics required to follow the brilliant reverse order story structure. Not quite time for Goodfellas. Definitely not ready for Scarface. But … Continue reading →