Legendary film composer and conductor John Barry, whose long list of credits include Dances With Wolves, Lion in Winter, Out of Africa and half the James Bond films, has died of a heart attack. He was 77.
Born in York, England, Barry was one of the most prolific composers in cinematic history, scoring more than 100 films, sometimes as many as six in a single year, over a career spanning five decades.
Winner of three Oscars, Barry's majestic scores populated many a drama and romance but it's adventure films, mainly his contribution to the James Bond franchise, that he'll most likely be remembered for.
Of the 22 Bond films, Barry scored 11 of them from 1963-1987, including From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and Moonraker.
Barry's last score was for the 2001 film Enigma.
Other notable Barry scores include The Black Hole, Chaplin, Hanover Street, High Road to China, King Kong (1976), Raise the Titanic, Somewhere in Time and Walk About.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Film Review: The Way Back
Director Peter Weir thrives on placing individuals in harsh, unfamiliar environments. From Gallipoli and Witness to Fearless and The Truman Show, his characters are pilgrims in strange lands, slowly learning to adapt and overcome their new surroundings.
The Way Back, Weir's first film since 2003's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, finds the filmmaker in familiar territory. A small group of Polish, Russian and American POWs escape a Siberian labor camp in 1940 and must make their way to freedom in India by crossing some 4,000 miles of the most treacherous and unforgiving terrain on the planet. Talk about unfamiliar environments.
The escapees are led by the affable Janusz (played by Jim Sturgess), a former Polish solider, and the headstrong Mr. Smith (Ed Harris), the lone American of the group whose reason for incarceration is unclear. Both men are competent and quickly earn the respect of their companions, including Valka (played by Colin Farrell), a Russian criminal and staunch Stalin supporter. Along the way they pick up a young Polish girl (played by Saoirse Ronan) whose parents were killed by Russian soldiers.
What happens for the next two hours, amidst the Siberian wilderness, Gobi Desert and Himalayas, is pretty standard dramatic fare for this type of film. Characters succumb to the elements, fight over food and see visions in the snow and desert. Sturgess, Harris and Farrell make the most of their roles but you feel like you've seen these characters a dozen times before. None are overly compelling and original.
The real stars of The Way Back are the locales (not surprising as National Geographic is a producer). Even though Bulgaria stands in for Siberia and Morocco for the Gobi Desert, it's the scenery that drives the story and provides the film's true dramatic core. With one breathtaking shot after another, we are intimately ensconced in the characters' struggles and constantly reminded just how hopeless their plight really is.
While The Way Back is not Peter Weir's best film, it does extend a unique filmmaker's tradition of how one perseveres when dropped in a world outside their own. And that's always a place worth visiting.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Ebert Presents...... A Head Scratcher
I've been a fan of Roger Ebert for nearly 30 years, ever since At the Movies premiered in syndication back in 1982. He and his partner Gene Siskel were respected Chicago journalists who had a friendly yet competitive rapport that made film criticism accessible to everyone, even a 12-year-old, as I was at the time. With their trademark Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down approach, the pair avoided the pretentious, scholarly approach other critics employed. They cared about what the public cared about - did it have an engaging story, were the characters unique and above all, was it an entertaining way to spend a Saturday night.
The duo brought that straight-forwardness into the nation's living rooms every week for 17 years, right up until Siskel died from a brain tumor at just 53 in 1999. Ebert continued the tradition (with Richard Roeper) until thyroid cancer took his voice and sidelined him in 2006.
Roeper soldiered on with guest critics until 2008 when he was replaced by TCM's Ben Mankiewicz and 27-year-old Ben Lyons, son of film critic Jeffrey Lyons. The pairing proved disastrous as Lyons' inexperience and credibility were constantly questioned (even Ebert publicly decried him). The more-seasoned critics Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott quickly replaced them but the ratings weren't there anymore. After 28 years, At the Movies quietly closed it balcony for good in August 2010.
Needless to say I was pretty excited to hear that Ebert himself was bringing back a re-tooled At the Movies that would return the show to its past glory. Ebert would even offer a review, a computer returning the voice he lost five years earlier.
Ebert Presents: At the Movies premiered last weekend on PBS affiliates and features Christy Lemire of the Associated Press and 24-year-old Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of something called Mubi.com as its co-hosts and primary reviewers. I'd never heard of either and based on the first episode, their notoriety won't improve for the better. Lemire is reminiscent of a perky soccer mom who's trying too hard to dazzle her kids' friends with movie knowledge and Vishnevetsky is virtually a carbon copy of Ben Lyons, unabashedly gushing over the artistic merits of films like The Green Hornet and The Dilemma. The two act like mother and son transmitting their own public-access review show from the family basement.
In between current films being reviewed, the new show features various film professionals and bloggers from around the country. The premiere episode featured blogger Kim Morgan discussing, rather articulately, the merits of Carol Reed's classic The Third Man. On other shows of its type, a classic film is usually showcased because it's celebrating an anniversary or being released on disc. As neither was alluded to in the segment, it's kind of unclear why it was chosen.
Finally it was time for Ebert's contribution. Instead of a computer-voiced Ebert, we got director Werner Herzog reading an Ebert-penned review of My Dog Tulip. Herzog's heavy German accent was so distracting, think Arnold Schwarzenegger, it was impossible to focus on any of the words coming out of his mouth. I'm not sure, but I think Ebert liked the movie. What's next week, Jean-Pierre Jeunot reviewing The Last Rite?
I commend Roger Ebert for trying to revive an institution like At the Movies. If anyone could return it to its former glory, it's the guy who invented the thing. The blogger segment and celebrity-read Ebert review are passable but the show has to start and end with a pair of experienced and respected reviewers. Why he chose a kid five years younger than Ben Lyons is beyond me. The majority of young people (18-34) don't care about film reviews and certainly don't watch public television. I'm sorry, but Ignatiy Vishnevetsky isn't going to change that. Film-review programs appeal to mature viewers who care more about quality than crudeness and violence. They like established critics, think Phillips and Scott, who work for established publications. Until that happens, it's thumbs down to Ebert Presents: At the Movies.
The duo brought that straight-forwardness into the nation's living rooms every week for 17 years, right up until Siskel died from a brain tumor at just 53 in 1999. Ebert continued the tradition (with Richard Roeper) until thyroid cancer took his voice and sidelined him in 2006.
Roeper soldiered on with guest critics until 2008 when he was replaced by TCM's Ben Mankiewicz and 27-year-old Ben Lyons, son of film critic Jeffrey Lyons. The pairing proved disastrous as Lyons' inexperience and credibility were constantly questioned (even Ebert publicly decried him). The more-seasoned critics Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott quickly replaced them but the ratings weren't there anymore. After 28 years, At the Movies quietly closed it balcony for good in August 2010.
Needless to say I was pretty excited to hear that Ebert himself was bringing back a re-tooled At the Movies that would return the show to its past glory. Ebert would even offer a review, a computer returning the voice he lost five years earlier.
Ebert Presents: At the Movies premiered last weekend on PBS affiliates and features Christy Lemire of the Associated Press and 24-year-old Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of something called Mubi.com as its co-hosts and primary reviewers. I'd never heard of either and based on the first episode, their notoriety won't improve for the better. Lemire is reminiscent of a perky soccer mom who's trying too hard to dazzle her kids' friends with movie knowledge and Vishnevetsky is virtually a carbon copy of Ben Lyons, unabashedly gushing over the artistic merits of films like The Green Hornet and The Dilemma. The two act like mother and son transmitting their own public-access review show from the family basement.
In between current films being reviewed, the new show features various film professionals and bloggers from around the country. The premiere episode featured blogger Kim Morgan discussing, rather articulately, the merits of Carol Reed's classic The Third Man. On other shows of its type, a classic film is usually showcased because it's celebrating an anniversary or being released on disc. As neither was alluded to in the segment, it's kind of unclear why it was chosen.
Finally it was time for Ebert's contribution. Instead of a computer-voiced Ebert, we got director Werner Herzog reading an Ebert-penned review of My Dog Tulip. Herzog's heavy German accent was so distracting, think Arnold Schwarzenegger, it was impossible to focus on any of the words coming out of his mouth. I'm not sure, but I think Ebert liked the movie. What's next week, Jean-Pierre Jeunot reviewing The Last Rite?
I commend Roger Ebert for trying to revive an institution like At the Movies. If anyone could return it to its former glory, it's the guy who invented the thing. The blogger segment and celebrity-read Ebert review are passable but the show has to start and end with a pair of experienced and respected reviewers. Why he chose a kid five years younger than Ben Lyons is beyond me. The majority of young people (18-34) don't care about film reviews and certainly don't watch public television. I'm sorry, but Ignatiy Vishnevetsky isn't going to change that. Film-review programs appeal to mature viewers who care more about quality than crudeness and violence. They like established critics, think Phillips and Scott, who work for established publications. Until that happens, it's thumbs down to Ebert Presents: At the Movies.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Top 5 Films of 2010
With Oscar nominations tomorrow, I thought I'd better get with it and post my top 5 films of 2010.
1. True Grit
2. The Fighter
3. Toy Story 3
4. Winter's Bone
5. Get Low
1. True Grit
2. The Fighter
3. Toy Story 3
4. Winter's Bone
5. Get Low
Friday, January 21, 2011
2011 is Sounding Like a Winner
2010 was a great year for music. From John Hiatt and Peter Wolf to Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon, there was a little of something for everyone last year. 2011 looks to be just as interesting. Here's a sampling of noteworthy albums scheduled for the first half of the year.
Collapse Into Now - R.E.M. - I'm willing to forgive 2008's rather lackluster effort Accelerate and give this new title a try. From the sound of the new single Mine Smells Like Honey, they appear to be back on track. (Mar 8)
Angels - The Strokes - Wasn't a fan of the band's last two releases. But since the new one is being called their best since 2001's Is This It, I'll give it a spin. (Mar 22)
How to Be Clairvoyant - Robbie Robertson - The former Band guitarist's first solo album in 13 years (he's been busy supervising music for Martin Scorsese) features Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Tom Morello. The first single When the Night Was Young reminds me of his classic 1987 eponymous release. (Apr 5)
So Beautiful or So What - Paul Simon - The ageless singer-songwriter's first studio album in five years; from the sound of the single Getting Ready For Christmas Day, we should be in for another eclectic set of tunes. (Apr 12)
In Your Dreams - Stevie Nicks - Got an early listen to the track Secret Love and it sounds surprisingly good, like a lost nugget from the '80s. Shouldn't be surprised with the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart producing. (May 3)
Songs of Ascent - U2 - Apparently a ton of music remains from the No Line on the Horizon sessions. All I can say is keep it comin'. (Spring)
UPDATE: The Cars will release Move Like This, their first album in 24 years, on May 10.
Collapse Into Now - R.E.M. - I'm willing to forgive 2008's rather lackluster effort Accelerate and give this new title a try. From the sound of the new single Mine Smells Like Honey, they appear to be back on track. (Mar 8)
Angels - The Strokes - Wasn't a fan of the band's last two releases. But since the new one is being called their best since 2001's Is This It, I'll give it a spin. (Mar 22)
How to Be Clairvoyant - Robbie Robertson - The former Band guitarist's first solo album in 13 years (he's been busy supervising music for Martin Scorsese) features Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Tom Morello. The first single When the Night Was Young reminds me of his classic 1987 eponymous release. (Apr 5)
So Beautiful or So What - Paul Simon - The ageless singer-songwriter's first studio album in five years; from the sound of the single Getting Ready For Christmas Day, we should be in for another eclectic set of tunes. (Apr 12)
In Your Dreams - Stevie Nicks - Got an early listen to the track Secret Love and it sounds surprisingly good, like a lost nugget from the '80s. Shouldn't be surprised with the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart producing. (May 3)
Songs of Ascent - U2 - Apparently a ton of music remains from the No Line on the Horizon sessions. All I can say is keep it comin'. (Spring)
UPDATE: The Cars will release Move Like This, their first album in 24 years, on May 10.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
It's Catwoman and Bane for The Dark Knight Rises
Just announced, Anne Hathaway has been cast as Catwoman in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. And apparently Tom Hardy (Inception, Bronson) will play Bane, the muscle-bound villain last scene in 1995's Batman Forever.
I don't know, Catwoman and Bane just don't seem to jibe in Nolan's gritty, reality-based Caped Crusader crime sagas. Nor does Anne Hathaway for that matter. I think the next logical step for that world would have been the Riddler. And Tom Hardy would have made a cool one.
Mr. Nolan deserves the benefit of the doubt, though. If anyone can make these two characters work, it's him. We'll have to wait until July 2012 to see how it all plays out.
I don't know, Catwoman and Bane just don't seem to jibe in Nolan's gritty, reality-based Caped Crusader crime sagas. Nor does Anne Hathaway for that matter. I think the next logical step for that world would have been the Riddler. And Tom Hardy would have made a cool one.
Mr. Nolan deserves the benefit of the doubt, though. If anyone can make these two characters work, it's him. We'll have to wait until July 2012 to see how it all plays out.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
5 Films That Deserve Some Love In 2011
While we're all either making or breaking our New Year's resolutions, I thought it fitting to plead my case on a handful of long-neglected films that could use a little love on the home-video front in 2011.
Some 14 years into the digital format and the following five films have either not been released on DVD or they've been saddled with such sub-par editions it's downright laughable. They all deserve better and someone needs to step up and make it happen.
The Black Stallion - One of the most beautifully scored and photographed films of all time, this 1979 adaptation of Walter Farley's classic novel was released on DVD by MGM in 1998 with no extras and a non-remastered transfer and soundtrack. Someone like Criterion could really give this film the polish it deserves, especially on Blu-Ray.
The Color of Money - Martin Scorsese's classic 1986 follow-up to The Hustler was released on DVD by Touchstone in 2002 with no extras, a meek stereo soundtrack and a non-anamorphic transfer (even though the packaging claims to be 16:9 enhanced). As the film is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, what better time to clean things up.
High Road to China - Ok, so it's not one of AFI's Top 100 Films, but this 1983 adventure starring Tom Selleck is actually great fun on a Saturday afternoon and has a loyal following. It's never been released on DVD; as Warner Brothers held the video rights in the '80s, this would be a great title for their made-to-order Warner Archives Collection.
Matewan - John Sayles' powerful 1987 coal-mining drama was released on DVD by Artisan in 2001 with no extras and an unforgivable full-screen transfer. My 15-year-old videocassette copy looks better. This is another title for Criterion to take charge of.
Thief - Michael Mann's 1981 crime-noir thriller was released by MGM in 1998 with no extras, a limp stereo soundtrack and a non-anamorphic transfer. This film should crackle and spark for its 30th anniversary.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Director Peter Yates Dead at 82
Oscar-nominated director Peter Yates, whose versatile career included such films as Bullitt, Breaking Away and Krull, has died after a long illness. He was 82.
Born in Hampshire, England, Yates helmed more than 20 feature films over 32 years and seemed just as comfortable directing comedies and fantasies and he did thrillers and dramas.
Twice nominated for a Best Director Oscar, Yates orchestrated one of the greatest car chases ever put on film in the crime-thriller Bullitt, infused warmth and wit into the coming-of-age-comedy Breaking Away and turned Krull from a blatant Star Wars rip-off into an engaging and memorable fantasy adventure.
Other noteworthy Yates films include The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Mother Jugs and Speed, The Deep, The Dresser and Suspect.
Born in Hampshire, England, Yates helmed more than 20 feature films over 32 years and seemed just as comfortable directing comedies and fantasies and he did thrillers and dramas.
Twice nominated for a Best Director Oscar, Yates orchestrated one of the greatest car chases ever put on film in the crime-thriller Bullitt, infused warmth and wit into the coming-of-age-comedy Breaking Away and turned Krull from a blatant Star Wars rip-off into an engaging and memorable fantasy adventure.
Other noteworthy Yates films include The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Mother Jugs and Speed, The Deep, The Dresser and Suspect.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Star Wars Saga Arriving on Blu-Ray in September
Just announced today at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, the complete Star Wars Saga will arrive on Blu-Ray this September (exact date still pending).
Fans will be able to buy all six films in one complete set or individually by trilogy (original or prequel). Amazon has listed the complete set at $89.99 and each trilogy at $44.99.
Nice to see Lucas offering each trilogy individually. I couldn't take Jar-Jar in 1080p.
Fans will be able to buy all six films in one complete set or individually by trilogy (original or prequel). Amazon has listed the complete set at $89.99 and each trilogy at $44.99.
Nice to see Lucas offering each trilogy individually. I couldn't take Jar-Jar in 1080p.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Gerry Rafferty Dead At 63
The hits keep on coming this week. First actor Pete Postlethwaite , now Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty has died after a long illness. He was 63.
Don't remember Rafferty? I bet you remember his hit Baker Street, truly one of the greatest songs of the 70s. Six minutes of pure mellow bliss. According to The Guardian, that one song still netted him 80,000 pounds annually. Not a bad legacy. I know I'll never get tired of listening to it on a Sunday morning.
Don't remember Rafferty? I bet you remember his hit Baker Street, truly one of the greatest songs of the 70s. Six minutes of pure mellow bliss. According to The Guardian, that one song still netted him 80,000 pounds annually. Not a bad legacy. I know I'll never get tired of listening to it on a Sunday morning.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Pete Postlethwaite Dead At 64
Veteran character actor Pete Postlethwaite, best known for playing Daniel Day-Lewis' father in In the Name of the Father and the mysterious Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects , has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 64.
Born in Cheshire, England, Postlethwaite's career spanned nearly 100 film and television appearances over 35 years, including memorable performances in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Amistad and last year's Inception and The Town.
Known for his distinctive voice and working-class looks, Postlethwaite was virtually unknown to mainstream audiences prior to 1993. That all changed when director Jim Sheriden cast him in In the Name of the Father as a man accused of conspiring with his son in an IRA bombing. Postlethwaite received an Oscar nomination for the role and went on the next year to play the enigmatic Keyser Soze's cool-talking counselor, Kobayashi, in the hugely popular The Usual Suspects.
Thanks for all the great roles, Mr. Postlethwaite. You will be missed.
Born in Cheshire, England, Postlethwaite's career spanned nearly 100 film and television appearances over 35 years, including memorable performances in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Amistad and last year's Inception and The Town.
Known for his distinctive voice and working-class looks, Postlethwaite was virtually unknown to mainstream audiences prior to 1993. That all changed when director Jim Sheriden cast him in In the Name of the Father as a man accused of conspiring with his son in an IRA bombing. Postlethwaite received an Oscar nomination for the role and went on the next year to play the enigmatic Keyser Soze's cool-talking counselor, Kobayashi, in the hugely popular The Usual Suspects.
Thanks for all the great roles, Mr. Postlethwaite. You will be missed.
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