September 28, 2008 - WTF?
I've been looking forward to something original from the Coen brothers for several years. Burn After Reading is hardly their best work, but even with a little rust, their films are better than most.
September 27, 2008 - Paul Newman (1925-2008)
Paul
Newman, one of the last great classic American movie stars, died Friday
at age 83. When I heard the news this evening, I wandered over to my
DVD collection to find one of his films to watch and remember what a
remarkable actor he was, only to realize I don't own a single
film with
him in it.
After shaking my head in disbelief at such an egregious oversight, I started to think about why one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema isn't to be found in any of my DVDs. I immediately thought of The Hudsucker Proxy, the Coen Brothers' tribute to the screwball comedies of Capra, Lubitsch, Sturges and Hawks. It's one of my favorite films and a truly underappreciated comedy which deserves a full-press treatment on DVD and currently has nothing of the sort, which is why I don't have it. So that's one I would own, if a better version ever presented itself, and would watch in a heartbeat in fond remembrance of Newman, whose forceful performance as a conniving corporate executive rules every one of his scenes.
Since most of the films in my collection are there based on the directors I like so much, I started to think of the great filmmakers he worked with and wondered why I don't have any of those films. It soon occurred to me that Newman didn't really work with very many cinema masters, and when he did, the results were often less than perfect. Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain is a forgettable mess—one of Hitch's worst films. John Huston's The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean is all right, but it's Newman who carries that film, not the director.
In fact, if you look back over the course of his career, what you find is a smorgasbord of really good films, few of them great, all featuring Newman in a wide variety of roles and all being carried by his enormous talent. In other words, we don't think of Paul Newman as having been in great films; we think of those films as being better because of Paul Newman.
Consider his greatest performances for a moment: The Hustler, Hud, Cool Hand Luke, Absence of Malice, The Verdict, Nobody's Fool and Road to Perdition. All of those films (again—good, not great) were helmed by able directors, some of them very well known. But would any of those movies be a shadow of what they are had another actor filled those roles? Even The Color of Money, for which he finally won a Best Actor Oscar for in 1986, is really a Paul Newman picture, not a Martin Scorsese film.
Ironically, perhaps Newman's two most famous films, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, speak to his talent more than any of these others. Great acting isn't about dominating the screen, as far too many movie stars fail to realize; it's a collaborative effort. While I've always thought Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was overrated, his work with Robert Redford in both of these George Roy Hill films is the epitome of how a great actor blends in with the cast around him, even if he is the leading man (or co-leading man). His chemistry with Redford is so good in fact, people often think they made more films together than just these two.
That same generosity which created such indelible film roles spilled over into his private life—or perhaps it was the other way around. Newman's 50-year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward was a marvel in Hollywood terms. And his philanthropic efforts on behalf of gravely ill children (his Hole-in-the-Wall Gang camps) and the arts, and the proceeds for countless other charities generated by the Newman's Own food brand, are well-documented.
No matter how many films he made better through his presence, it's the many other lives he made better in the real world that actually count. Obviously that's the best legacy Paul Newman, or any man, could hope to leave.
September 22, 2008 - Sigh of relief
There was a lot to like about yesterday if you happen to be a Philadelphia sports fan. The Phillies extended their division lead and the Eagles defense used Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as their personal punching bag in a 15-6 win. But 50% of the Eagles offense left the field with a bad ankle injury that had the entire Delaware Valley holding its collective breath. Good news: It looked worse than it is. Brian Westbrook should be back by the October 5 matchup with the Redskins, if not sooner.
September 16, 2008 - Cowboys & Eagles bring down the thunder
As promised, here's a review of Tropic Thunder, along with a DVD review of Team America: World Police. One film is a parody of Hollywood with Ben Stiller, and the other is a satire of Hollywood and world affairs with puppets. Can you guess which one I preferred? The answer may surprise you.
Also, you didn't have to be a football fan to appreciate last night's shootout between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. Naturally, I would have appreciated a different outcome, but I oddly don't feel nearly as bad as I normally do after an Eagles loss, especially to Dallas. Find out why in the Philly Sports Blog.
September 8, 2008 - Movies I saw several weeks ago
I've been suffering from some bad writer's block lately, which accounts for a huge backlog of movie reviews. I managed to get four of them written up on my flight to Washington, DC, yesterday. Who knew an airplane cabin could be a release for creativity? Anyway, two of these are big-time classics I somehow never managed to see in all my years of watching movies: Gunga Din and Mister Roberts. As for current releases, here's a very late review of Pineapple Express and another for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which I suffered through for humanitarian reasons. I'll have reviews of Tropic Thunder and a few more DVDs later this week.
September 4, 2008 - NFL predictions sure to go wrong
The pathetically underachieving Phillies, who will determine their fate this weekend against the Mets, are causing my head to cave in. So I've taken a little break from writing about them for my own sanity and moved onto my first football post of the 2008. The season starts tonight with two of my least favorite teams (Redskins vs. Giants) squaring off in the swamps of Jersey. I like my team's chances this year. Want to know how I think your favorite team will do in 2008? Check out the Philly Sports Blog.