"The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford"

A few nights ago, a friend of mine gave me a copy of Andrew Dominik’s film, “The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford.”  I was a big fan of Andrew Dominik’s first film, “Chopper,” back when it was released in 2000 and couldn’t wait to see his sophomore effort.  Production stills, showing Brad Pitt as Jesse James, only added to my desire.  Then, when I heard that Pitt won the Best Actor award for his portrayal at the Venice Film Festival, I was officially dying to see thi...Read more

R.I.P. ARTHUR C. CLARKE

From CNN...

Author Arthur C. Clarke, whose science fiction and non-fiction works ranged from the scrīpt for "2001: A Space Odyssey" to an early proposal for communications satellites, has died at age 90, associates have said.

  startclickprintexclude

===========IMAGE=======================/IMAGE======================CAPTION==========Visionary author Arthur C. Clarke had fans aroun...Read more

Revisiting "The Thin Red Line"

In 1998, after a 20-year absence, Terrence Malick, the legendary director of “Badlands” and “Days of Heaven,” returned to filmmaking with “The Thin Red Line.”  To this day, the film has a polarizing effect on its viewers – you either love it or you hate it.  Personally, I loved it.  In fact, I would argue that “The Thin Red Line” is a perfect film, in the sense that it works completely on its own terms.  Suffice it to say, the film is not your typical Hollywood war film.  Rather, it is anything but.  From a technical ...Read more

"William Friedkin on Roy Scheider"

The director shares his memories of working with the

late actor on ''The French Connection'' and ''Sorcerer'' more than 30 years ago. The French Connection Sorcerer

On , the casting director was Bob Weiner, who knew every actor around. One day he brought me Roy Scheider, who was playing a cigar-smoking nun in an off-Broadway production of a Jean Genet play — I don't think had come out yet. Bob Weiner brought him into my office and within five minutes I kn...Read more

The WGA Strike: "It's Over"

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Striking Hollywood writers are going back to work. startclickprintexclude

===========IMAGE=======================/IMAGE======================CAPTION==========The Writers Guild of America said its members voted Tuesday to end their devastating, three-month strike that brought the entertainment industry to a standstill.

endclickprintexcludeWriters will be back on the job Wednesday after voting in Beverly Hills and New York."At the end of the day, everybody won,"...Read more

R.I.P. ROY SCHEIDER

In case some of you didn’t hear the news, veteran actor Roy Scheider is no longer with us.  He will be missed.  I’ve taken the liberty of posting some links to the trailers of some of Scheider’s greatest films.  They’re featured at the end of the article.  

'Jaws' actor Roy Scheider dies

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- Roy Scheider, the actor best known for his role as a police chief in the blockbuster movie "Jaws," has died. He was 75.

Scheider died Sunday at the University of Arkansas for Medical ...Read more

AND THE WINNER IS...

Hello, ladies (and Boon).  First of all, I want to send a special “thank you” out to all of you who took the time to participate in my “10,000th Visitor” contest.  Second of all, I want to apologize for how long it’s taken me to officially announce the winner of said contest.  I know many of you are anxious to know the results, and I sincerely appreciate your patience while I counted (and recounted) all the hits.  Before I make my announcement, I’d also like to point out that, much to my astonishment, “My 10,000th Visitor” blog has recei...Read more

My 10,000th Visitor

OK, ladies, it’s that time again.  

A few months back, having been inspired by Ba-ba-ba Boon, I decided to hold a little contest, through which I would award my page’s 5,000th visitor a date with… cough, cough, ahem… yours truly.  Unfortunately, the results of that particular contest, due to my own fault, were inconclusive. 

[Note: There was a slight chance that Carmella may have been my 5,000th visitor, but the official rules, specifically in regard to her “G.U.” status, would have made our rendezvous impossible anyway. ...Read more

What's Your Favorite Guilty Pleasure Movie?

In an earlier blog, I mentioned that, whenever I’m getting to know people, I love to exchange “most embarrassing moment” stories.  Not only is the process fun and revealing, it also comes in handy should one of you ever wish to extort the other.  Anyway, I was pleased by the feedback on that blog and particularly appreciated those of you who took the time to share with me your most embarrassing moments, too.  And aren’t we better friends for it?  

In any case, now it’s time to talk “guilty pleasure” mov...Read more

The WGA Strike: "The Weinstein Company Makes Deal With Striking Writers"

By Steve Gorman and Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Weinstein Co., the film and TV company run by sibling media moguls Harvey and Bob Weinstein, has reached a deal to allow striking Hollywood writers to return to work for the studio, a company spokesman said on Thursday.

A formal agreement with the Writers Guild of America, similar to one reached on Monday by Tom Cruise's production label, United Artists, was expected to be signed and announced...Read more