TOP FIVE HACKMAN MOVIES

Yes, we are celebrating the acting career and catalog of esteemed thespian Gene Hackman. Due to the vast amount of movies he’s been in, and the roles, it was difficult to bring it down to just five (much less ten or twenty). For you’re reading pleasure, here we go:

5. Superman (1978) – While Jack Nicholson and Gene Wilder were considered Hackman was the one to fill the role of Supe’s nemesis, the criminal mastermind Lex Luthor. Luthor’s plan: buy up worthless desert land and launch nuclear missiles at the San Andreas fault line, making Luthor’s land the New West Coast. On his side are girlfriend Eve Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine), bumbling sidekick Otis (Ned Beatty), and not just a pocket but a box full of Kryptonite. Trivia: Hackman refused to wear a “bald” skull cap, just increasing laughable wigs. He relented in the end and wore one for Luthor’s final scene.

4. Unforgiven (1992) – Hackman plays Little Bill Daggett, former gunfighter and current sheriff of the town of Big Whiskey. After a prostitute has her face cut-up and he fines the cowboy who did it seven horses (payable to the saloon owner/pimp), the other prostitutes in town gather together and look for someone who can come in and deliver justice. This comes in the form of William Munny (Clint Eastwood), former thief and murderer now reformed. Munny, his friend Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) and wannabe desperado The Schofield Kid (James Woolvett) head off to Big Whiskey for the reward and to find out what happened. Hackman delivers one of the film’s best lines: “I don't deserve this... to die like this,” in which Munny replies, “Deserve's got nothin' to do with it.” Trivia: The script for “Unforgiven” had been floating around Hollywood for two decades. Hackman had already read it and passed on it. Eastwood coaxed him into being in it.

3. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) – Hackman makes an appearance in this Wes Anderson movie about estranged patriarch Royal Tenenbaum who is trying to spend time with his family (former child prodigies) because he has a terminal illness. This movie was fun to watch because it appeared that Hackman himself was having fun. With a cast of Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwenyth Paltrow, Luke and Owen Wilson, how could it not be? This is one of the best Wes Anderson movies (next to “Life Aquatic”). Trivia: Wes Anderson wrote the part of Royal Tenenbaum with Hackman in mind.

2. The French Connection (1971) – In my Top Ten Favorite Movies of All Time, Hackman plays Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle. Along with partner Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) they make the biggest drug bust in NYC history -$32 million in heroin (a HUGE deal in the 1960’s). I can’t praise this movie enough. Whether it’s Hackman’s delivery of “Did you stop to pick your feet in Poughkeepsie?” or his “car vs. train chase,” you can’t miss this movie. Trivia: The real ‘Popeye’ Doyle was on the set and would often antagonize Hackman.

1. Crimson Tide (1995) – Hackman plays Captain Frank Ramsey of the USS Alabama (“Go Bama!”) who takes on new XO, Lt. Com. Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington). When the nuclear sub is called into deep waters it does a dance with a Russian Akula-class sub. Conflicted messages are obtained as to whether or not the sub should fire its nuclear missiles. Based on the film, “Run Silent Run Deep,” “Crimson Tide” is, in my opinion, a much better version of the story. I honestly thought there would’ve been a moment in the film where Hackman and Washington got into a fight. Trivia: Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, and Tommy Lee Jones all turned down the part Hackman played.

Recuerdo que la primera película en la que Gene Hackman y Warren Beatty trabajaron juntos fue 'Lilith'.

O site MovieFone pergunta o que seria do cara bonzinho sem um brigão que ameace a virtude, incomode os inocentes e frustre os melhores planos, não é mesmo, minha gente? Por isso eles fizeram uma lista dos 25 homens e mulheres que amamos odiar no cinema. O Coringa de Ledger nem estreou ainda e já está lá.

1. Lorde Voldemort da série Harry Potter, 2005-2007 [Ralph Fiennes]
2. Darth Vader da série Guerra nas Estrelas, 1977-2005 [James Earl Jones, Hayden Christensen]
3. A Bruxa Malvada do Oeste de O mágico de Oz, 1939 [Margaret Hamilton]
4. Hannibal Lecter de O silêncio dos inocentes, 1991 [Anthony Hopkins]
5. Coringa de Batman - O cavaleiro das trevas, 2008 [Heath Ledger]
6. Goldfinger de 007 contra Goldfinger, 1964 [Gert Frobe]
7. Chigurgh de Onde os fracos não têm vez, 2007 [Javier Barden]
8. Hans Gruber de Duro de matar, 1988 [Alan Rickman]
9. Max Cady de Cabo do medo, 1991 [Robert De Niro]
10. A Rainha de Branca de neve e os sete anões, 1937 [voz de Lucille la Verne]
11. Harry Powell de O mensageiro do diabo, 1955 [Robert Mitchum]
12. Michael Myers de Halloween - A noite do terror, 1978 [Tony Moran]
13. Freddy Krueger de A hora do pesadelo, 1984 [Robert Englund]
14. Mrs Iselin de Sob o domínio do mal, 1962 [Angela Lansbury]
15. Tom Powers de Inimigo Público, 1931 [James Cagney]
16. Anne Wilkes de Louca obsessão, 1990 [ Kathy Bates]
17. Dr Christian Szell de Maratona da morte, 1976 [Laurence Olivier]
18. T-1000 de O exterminador do futuro 2 - O julgamento final [Robert Patrick]
19. Joan Crawford de Mamãezinha querida, 1981 [Faye Dunaway]
20. Lex Luthor de Superman, 1978 [Gene Hackman]
21. Alonzo Harris de Dia de treinamento, 2001 [Denzel Washington]
22. Cruella De Vil de Os 101 dálmatas, 1961 [voz de Betty Lou Gerson]
23. Frank Booth de Veludo Azul, 1986 [Dennis Hopper]
24. Khan Noonie Singh de Jornada nas estrelas: A ira de Khan, 1982 [Ricardo Montalban]
25. Agente Smith de Matrix, 1999 [Hugo Weaving]

Leia também: "O Melhor dos Vilões".

Brenner's historical significance derives mainly from its pedigree.  Its executive producer was Herbert Brodkin, a former set designer who became perhaps the last of the important producers of quality dramas in the waning days of live television.  Taking the reigns of NBC's Alcoa Hour/Goodyear Playhouse and then CBS's Studio One and Playhouse 90 during their later seasons, Brodkin produced key live dramas including Horton Foote's "The Traveling Lady" and "Tomorrow," Rod Serling's autobiographical "The Velvet Alley," and the original "Judgment at Nuremberg" - the one during which the sponsor, the American Gas Company, insisted that all references to the gas chambers be deleted.  Brodkin's second act came in 1961, when he launched The Defenders, a Reginald Rose creation that raked in a roomful of Emmys and became the most important TV drama of the early sixties.  Brodkin's other sixties shows - The Nurses, For the People, Espionage, and the cult failure Coronet Blue - were less successful but helped to define his reputation as a standard-bearer of uncompromising quality as television became more and more controversial.  It was a reputation that continued into the seventies as Brodkin, like most of the talented people in television, shifted his attention to movies of the week and miniseries.  Pueblo, The Missiles of October, and Holocaust (also recently arrived on DVD) were all Brodkin efforts.

Brenner, made in 1959, was a transitional project for Brodkin.  It was his first independent production, his first series to be shot on film, and (aside from his first producing assignment, NBC's live Charlie Wild, Private Detective) his initial concession to the reality that programs with running characters were quickly supplanting the anthology drama.  Like The Defenders and The Nurses, Brenner was based on a one-shot anthology show from Brodkin's catalog, a January 1959 Playhouse 90 entitled "The Blue Men."  Intriguingly, Alvin Boretz, who wrote "The Blue Men," is not credited as the creator of Brenner, although he did contribute scripts to the series.

Edward Binns and James Broderick as the Brenners

So just what is the show about, exactly?  It's a modest police drama that centers on not one but two characters who give their names to the series' title: Roy Brenner (Edward Binns), a no-nonsense, seen-it-all plainclothes NYPD lieutenant, and his son Ernie (James Broderick), a rookie beat cop.  Viewers familiar with the first season of the better-known Naked City and the underappreciated Decoy (a syndicated show with the sexy Beverly Garland as a tough, beautiful pre-feminist policewoman) will find that Brenner shares much of its flavor, its taut little stories that blend character drama with action (and not always smoothly), with those shows.  The primary difference is that, while Brenner too was shot on location in New York City, it takes little advantage of the panorama of awesome cityscapes that give Naked City and Decoy their visual richness.  Like The Defenders and The Nurses, Brenner plays out mainly on interior sets. 

That may be disappointing to some who hope to get a time-capsule snapshot of Manhattan circa 1959; certainly I had to adjust my expectations a bit when I began studying the Brodkin shows after considerable exposure to the location-rich East Side/West Side and Naked City.  But Brenner has other virtues, in particular some conceptual subtleties that you won't find in Decoy or the half-hour Naked Citys.

For one thing, although Brenner never quite develops into a serialized story, it is a bildungsroman of sorts that places a great deal of emphasis on Ernie's growth as a cop.  The episode "Departmental Trial" makes a point of telling us that Ernie is in his first year on the force, and others chart the lessons he learns from his mistakes, and his acceptance or rejection of the examples set by various older cops. 

And the emphasis there is on rejection, because of another unusual element of Brenner.  Roy Brenner's assignment within the police department is on the Confidential Squad, or what we'd now call "internal affairs": he investigates allegations of corruption among other cops.  Fully half the episodes in this DVD set focus on some allegation of police malfeasance.  "Small Take" and "Thin Ice" are about beat cops accused of taking bribes or turning a blind eye to a gambling racket.  "Monopoly on Fear" stars Milton Selzer as a plainclothesman charged with cowardice - he's six months away from retirement and starting to lose his nerve - and "Laney's Boy" deals with cops who cover up a punk teenager's petty crimes because his father is a beloved police sergeant. 

Roy Brenner ends up exonerating as many police officers as he takes down.  But viewed in total, Brenner projects an attitude that's almost perversely anti-police, even by the modern standards of something like the cynical The Shield.  Though the execution is less forceful, it's this element that links Brenner most closely to the crusading social criticism undertaken in The Defenders and The Nurses.  I have no idea if Brenner enjoyed police cooperation in its filming or not, but you have to imagine that if anyone from the NYPD ever paid attention to the scripts, they'd have gotten mightily steamed. 

Brenner was produced by Arthur Lewis, a Broadway veteran who died two years ago.  (Brodkin, essentially an impresario and still working simultaneously on Playhouse 90, received credit as executive producer.)  Lewis went on to produce the first season of The Nurses, and so many of the same key talents behind that show were also the most prolific contributors to Brenner: the directors Gerald Mayer and Herman Hoffman, and writers like Boretz, George Bellak, and Art Wallace.  You might call them Brodkin's "B team" - solid mid-level craftsmen from the pool of New York, live TV-trained talent, but not the superstars who would form the more exclusive creative staff of The Defenders. 

A few big names did pass behind the cameras of Brenner.  The great Ernest Kinoy wrote one episode ("Crime Wave," sadly not in the DVD set), and Peter Stone, a journeyman TV scribe before Charade made him famous, contributed several.  Steven Gethers, later Emmy-nominated for his work on The Farmer's Daughter, wrote perhaps the most compelling episode in the DVD collection, "Crisis."  It's a sensitive, almost entirely personal story in which Roy Brenner falls in love with a woman (Hildy Parks) who cannot come to terms with the element of danger in his job.

Gene Hackman as "Patrolman Claiborne"

Then, of course, there are the actors.  As with any New York-based show of this era, one can have an enormous amount of fun trying to spot all the soon-to-be-famous young performers just launching their careers.  George Maharis, Jerry Stiller, Al "Grandpa Munster" Lewis, Mitchell Ryan, and Clifton James all turn up in the episodes on the DVDs.  The X-Files' Jerry Hardin has a role with no lines in "Departmental Trial," and Bruce Kirby appears without credit in "The Vigilantes."  Brenner somehow had a special knack in casting the roster of patrolmen who have recurring roles in various episodes.  Along with Sydney Pollack, Gene Hackman and Dick O'Neill were among this group.  Oh, and there's one episode in which sixties leading lady Carol Rossen is visible as an uncredited, non-speaking featured extra.  Can anyone spot her?

*

I've filed this piece in the "Corrections Department" section because Brenner has languished in such obscurity over the years that virtually nothing has been written about it - and much of what's out there is inaccurate.  Most reference books describe Brenner as a father-and-son cop show - a reduction that makes it sound like some hoary Pat O'Brien melodrama from the thirties - without mentioning more substantive aspects of the premise (Ernie's inexperience; the "rat squad" angle).  Every source I've come across, in print and on-line, contends that Brenner filmed an initial batch of episodes in 1959 and then briefly resumed production again in 1964 to create ten more episodes.

That's a highly unusual production history of which I'd always been skeptical - why would CBS choose to revive a failed, forgotten show, and why would Brodkin and the two stars participate, five years further on in their careers?  The copyright dates on these episodes finally confirm my suspicion - that the entire Brenner series was created in 1959, and that the show's summer replacement run on CBS in 1964 was simply a burn-off of unaired segments.   

Any reference you consult, apart from an exhaustive catalog compiled by the Museum of Broadcasting (now the Paley Center) for its 1985 Brodkin retrospective, will tell you that there are 25 Brenner episodes.  Actually there are 26 - sort of.  As was common at the time, Brodkin used the series' final production slot to film a "backdoor pilot" for a proposed spinoff called Charlie Paradise.  (The episode itself is called "The Tragic Flute.")  Just as Brenner emulated Naked City, Charlie Paradise was a pretty blatant attempt to join in on the wave of cool private eye actioners that followed upon the success of Peter Gunn and Richard Diamond, Private Detective.  Charlie (Ron Randell) is the proprietor of an ultra-hip coffee house, a sort of godfather of Greenwich Village to whom Roy Brenner turns for help in navigating the wacky world of beatniks. 

Fred Gwynne, Severn Darden, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, and Ron Randell in Charlie Paradise

Presumably, had the series sold, Charlie would've been an amateur sleuth along the lines of John Cassavetes' Johnny Staccato, and one imagines that the New York location shooting might have offered an authenticity exceeding that of any of the other "jazz-eye" shows.  But "The Tragic Flute" is undistinguished; it tries for a light-hearted flavor that trades too heavily on the supposed exoticism of the beat world.  (The writers were James Yaffe and Peter Stone, here more than on his other Brenners in the comic mode that won him the Oscar).  Broderick doesn't appear in the segment at all, and Edward Binns looks exquisitely uncomfortable as he plays straight man to all the kooks (which include Roberts Blossom as a beat poet, and Fred Gwynne as a character named Frances X. Fish).  Taken out of context Charlie Paradise is simply baffling, and it might have been wiser for Timeless to segregate it as a bonus feature on the DVDs.

As for those DVDs, the image quality is exceptional - far superior to the often battered, sixteen-millimeter derived copies of the early Universal shows (Arrest and Trial, Checkmate) that Timeless has been releasing lately.  Unfortunately, I'm told that unless another print source is found, this will be a standalone "best-of" release.  It would be wonderful to have the other eleven Brenners on DVD someday - but then, it would be even nicer if CBS/Paramount would open up its vaults and give us The Defenders, The Nurses, and Coronet Blue.

Vacation = Lovely.

Beach, pool, read, shower, eat, shop, pool, pier, sleep.

That was my schedule for 9 days and I loved every minute of it.

An hour into our first day there our car broke down so we had this beauty for a few days :

A Dodge Magnum which combined my love of station wagons and classy hollywood style. I cannot express how much I loved this car.

So much.

I was going to share some vacation pictures, but I kind of erased alot switching from lap top to lap top. I'll try and find a way to restore them soon. Until then take a looksy here: www.Flickr.com/offthebeatenpath There's a few photos from Hard Rock Park up but I still have a ton of things to upload.

I'm insanely anxious for this next week to get started! I submitted my application for the craftin outlaws show this year and being the procrastinator I am put it off til the second to last day. But thankfully I managed to have my payment and application in just in time. I'll find out monday if I'm accepted (fingers crossed).

So a run down of the past few days/ week:

• Came up with a few new designs for totes, prints, and pins. (skeleton keys, anchors, sailboats, words and more)
• Ate at Thai 9. My favorite place to go as of late.
• Got to see some friends who I haven't seen in awhile.
• Convetion(s)
• David came home for a visit. (Hi Dave)
• Got Gelatto from Dolcessa dowtown, they also have bubble tea now!
• Started reading Pride and Prejudice for the 12th time
• Garage / Estate sales where I scored an amazing vintage framed map, old inking supplies, and miniature russian dolls.
• Thrifting (salvation Army) I have my eye on some old school chairs with the desks attached in light teal, seaweed green and a peachy pink. I know I'll need them sometime in the future, for what? I don't know. But my heart is determined.
• Coffee and passion tea (almost every night) with these lovely ladies:

When I came home from my trip Gene Hackman was at Books & co. signing copies of Escape From Andersonville so I headed over to hear him take questions and what not. I think he's so fascinating! I could listen to him talk for hours on end. The place was packed though so I couldnt really get a good shot, but for what it's worth:

Okay, I'm calling it a night.

THE TOP 5 ACTORS TO PLAY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Note: the following 5 actors are based on the amount of times that they have played the “character” of the President of the United States, not necessarily on acting ability, likeability, or popularity.

#5 Ronny Cox – I remember when he played Andrew Bogomil in “Beverly Hills Cop 1 & 2,” as well as the a-hole head of CP in “RoboCop.” Oh yeah, and he was in “Total Recall.” Mr. Cox starts off the list by playing the Prez twice: he was President Tom Kimball in “Captain America” (1990) and President Jack Neil in “Murder at 1600” (1997).

#4 Gene Hackman – Gene is in my Top 20 Actors of All Time. Although I have not officially made that list, he’s a serious contender. Known for roles such as “Popeye” Doyle in “The French Connection,” and Capt. Ramsey in “Crimson Tide,” Hackman was the kinda guy that was unpredictable, which made watching him great. He’s another two President-er: he played ex-President Monroe Cole in “Welcome to Mooseport” (2004) and President Allen Richmond in “Absolute Power” (1997).

#3 Hal Holbrook – “Magnum Force,” “Capricorn One,” “The Fog,” “Creepshow,” and “The Firm,” are but a few of the titles under Holbrook’s belt. Currently, he played Walter Perkins in the indie film, “Into the Wild,” based on the book by Jon Krakaeur. Mr. Holbrook played President Adam Scott in “The Kidnapping of the President” (1980) and President Maxwell Monroe in “Under Siege” (TV movie, but I needed to round-out the list) (1986)

#2 Leslie Nielsen – Growing up with the humor of Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker it’s hard to imagine Leslie Nielsen as a serious actor. His most notable appearance was in “Forbidden Planet.” It was because of his foray into slapstick comedy that he played President Baxter Harris in “Scary Movie 3” (2003) and “Scary Movie 4” (2006). My favorite quote of his is still: “Nice beaver.” Gotta love the “Naked Gun” movies.

#1 Roy Scheider – Has there ever been a greater actor than Roy Scheider? Maybe, but I shall and will debate you until my last dying breath. Or until the pizza gets here. Either way, Scheider is, was, and has been my favorite actor of all time. It takes a lot to convince throngs of audiences that a mechanical killer shark is REAL, and he was just the person to pull it off. Roy is the King of Actors Playing the Prez, holding Three Occurrences: he was President Carlson in “Executive Target” (1997), President Robert Baker in “The Peacekeeper” (1997), and President Jack Cahill in “Chain of Command” (2000).

Did anyone notice that Scheider his “French Connection” co-star Hackman played El Presidente in the same year? 1997. And Scheider played the character twice. There ya go.

"The Basic appeal made by director Alan Parker, who personally

rewrote Chris Geralmo's original screenplay is to the audience's own sense of superiority to the past--specifically to the American movie audience's mass identity as white...

Gene Hackman's performance  (it's too shallow to call a characterization) only works if one accepts the film's odious subtext--that might, authority, beauty, and truth are white virtues.  This would not be possible if the film encouraged viewers to see themselves in the Black Southerners who historically must oppose racist whites.  This is the underlying thought that unifies even..."

To read more of Armond White's take on the film Mississippi Burning, purchase a new or used copy of The Resistance: Ten Years Of Pop Culture That Shook The World.

A lista original, com os títulos em inglês, pode ser encontrada aqui.

Os melhores "pais de filmes" que compõem esta curiosa lista foram:

1. Chris Gardner de "À procura da felicidade", 2006 [Will Smith]
2. Atticus Finch de "O sol é para todos", 1962 [Gregory Peck]
3. Guido Orefice de "A vida é bela", 1997 [Roberto Benigni]
4. Clark Griswold da série de filmes "Férias frustradas" [Chevy Chase]
5. John Quincy Archibald de "Um ato de coragem", 2002 [Denzel Washington]
6. Daniel Hillard de "Uma babá quase perfeita", 1993 [Robin Williams]
7. Pai de Jim da série de filmes "American Pie" [Eugene Levy]
8. Jack de "Dona de casa por acaso", 1983 [Michael Keaton]
9. Arthur Weasley da série de filmes Harry Potter [Mark Williams]
10. Ted Kramer de "Kramer vs Kramer", 1979 [Dustin Hoffman]
11. Marlin de "Procurando Nemo", 2003 [voz de Albert Brooks]
12. Mac MacGuff de "Juno", 2007 [J.K. Simmons]
13. Stanley Banks de "O papai da noiva", 1950 [Spencer Tracy]
14. Peter, Michael e Jack de "Três solteirões e um bebê", 1987 [Tom Selleck, Steve Gutenberg e Ted Danson]
15. Henry Jones Sr. de "Indiana Jones e a última cruzada", 1989 [Sean Connery]
16. Mr. Parker de "Uma história de Natal", 1983 [Darren McGavin]
17. Gil Buckman de "O tiro que não saiu pela culatra", 1989 [Steve Martin]
18. Ray Ferrier de "Guerra dos mundos", 2005 [Tom Cruise]

Mas há também os piores. Eis a lista de "piores pais", do mesmo site:

1. Jack Torrance de "O iluminado", 1980 [Jack Nicholson]
2. Darth Vader da série de filmes "Guerra nas estrelas" [voz de James Earl Jones]
3. Noah Cross de "Chinatown", 1974 [John Houston]
4. Daniel Plainview de "Sangue negro", 2007 [Daniel Day-Lewis]
5. Homer Simpson de "Os Simpsons - O filme", 2007 [voz de Dan Castellaneta]
6. Dwight Hansen de "O despertar de um homem", 1993 [Robert de Niro]
7. Darryl Cooper de "Relação indecente", 1992 [Tom Skerritt]
8. Norman Osborn da trilogia "Homem-Aranha" [Willem Dafoe]
9. “Bull” Meechum de "O grande Santini - O dom da fúria", 1979 [Robert Duvall]
10. Don Vito Corleone de "O poderoso chefão", 1972 [Marlon Brando]
11. Big Daddy de "Gata em teto de zinco quente", 1958 [Burl Ives]
12. Jake Shuttlesworth de "Jogada decisiva", 1998 [Denzel Washington]
13. Fletcher Reede de "O mentiroso", 1997 [Jim Carrey]
14. Royal Tenembaum de "Os excêntricos Tenembaums", 2001 [Gene Hackman]
15. Wayne Szalinski de "Querida, encolhi as crianças", 1989 [Rick Moranis]

Post do Batata: clique aqui.
Fonte da lista: clique aqui.

• Actor: Gene Hackman
• Quote: "You were smart not to grab that gun bob, I woulda killed ya."
• Action: Beats a man who has done nothing wrong just to make an example of him.
• Clip(s):

Am citit intr-un ziar ca Gene Hackman, care mi-a ramas mie in minte ca Popeye Doyle din castele video cu French Connection, s-a retras din actorie. In schimb se afla deja la a treia carte publicata, incercand la 78 de ani sa se concentreze pe noua cariera de scriitor. Ce sa zic, un mod elegant de a iesi din vizorul public, fara mare tam-tam, fara a declara o retragere. In felul asta, cum spune si el, in cazul in care ar primi un rol de nerefuzat, nu ar fi o revenire plina de penibil. Oricum, la o anumita varsta mi se pare OK ca toti oamenii sa se gandeasca la pensie, nepoti si memorii. Cine stie, poate isi deschide un blog! :)

Pana sa il vedem pe Gene Hackman bloggerul, recomand doua filme bune cu el: No Way Out (un thriller din '87 in care rolul principal este al lui Kevin Costmer) si Twilight (un policier din '98 cu el, Paul Newman si Susan Sarandon, need I say more?).

LOS ÁNGELES (EEUU).- El director, actor y productor estadounidense Sydney Pollack ha fallecido a los 73 años en su casa de Los Ángeles, víctima de un cáncer que se le había diagnosticado hace 10 meses. Pollack, uno de los ilustres de Hollywood, obtuvo el Oscar como mejor director por 'Memorias de África' (1985), cinta que también logró la estatuilla de mejor película.

Pollack, quien comenzó su carrera en los años 50 como actor, filmó 20 películas, entre ellas clásicos como 'Tootsie', con Dustin Hoffman y Jessica Lange, 'El jinete eléctrico', con Robert Redford y Jane Fonda y 'The Firm', con Tom Cruise y Gene Hackman. El filme que consagró a Pollack fue 'Danzad, danzad, malditos', rodado en 1969 y con el que fue nominado al Oscar como mejor director. 'Tootsie' (1982) obtuvo 10 nominaciones a los Oscar (aunque se tuvo que conformar con el premio a la mejor actriz de reparto, concedido a Jessica Lange), y 'Tal como éramos'.

Tras unos años alejado de la gran pantalla reapareció en 1995 con 'Sabrina y sus amores', adaptación de la célebre película que Billy Wilder rodó en la década de los 50, y cuatro años después volvió a la carga con 'Caprichos del destino'.

Pollack era un director favorito entre las estrellas de Hollywood. Robert Redford trabajó con él siete veces. También dirigió a Burt Lancaster, Natalie Wood, Robert Mitchum, Al Pacino, Harrison Ford, Nicole Kidman y Barbra Streisand.

"Las estrellas son como un pura sangre", dijo Pollack a comienzos de los años 80 al diario 'The New York Times'. "Es un poco más peligroso con ellos. Son más irritables. Uno tiene que ser cuidadoso, porque uno puede ser despedido. Pero si ellos hacen, lo que mejor hacen —sea lo que fuere lo que los hace estrella— es realmente interesante".

Pollack, distinguido en 2002 en el Festival de Cine de Locarno (Suiza) con un Leopardo de Oro Honorífico a su trayectoria, combinó la realización con la labor de producción para otros directores, sobre todo en los últimos tiempos.

Son los casos de la cinta de Ang Lee 'Sentido y sensibilidad' (1995), o 'El paciente inglés' (1996) y 'Cold Mountain' (2003), de Anthony Minghella.

Sus últimos proyectos fueron 'The Reader' y 'Margaret', películas que están previsto que se estrenen este año, en el que optó a una estatuilla por su participación en la producción de 'Michael Clayton' (2007) —en la que también actuó—, nominada a mejor película en la pasada gala de los Oscar.

'La boda de mi novia', filme dirigido por Paul Weiland que se estrenará el próximo viernes en España, pasará a la historia como su última aparición en la pantalla por su papel de 'Thomas Bailey'.

Pollack, quien nació en julio de 1934 como hijo de inmigrantes rusos en Lafayette, estado estadounidense de Indiana, estaba casado desde 1958 con la actriz Claire Griswold, con quien tuvo tres hijos. El hijo mayor murió en 1993 en California en un accidente aéreo. Pollack tuvo además seis nietos.

Foto: Pollack, al recibir los Oscar por 'Memorias de África'. (Foto: AP)

.....

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Muere Sydney Pollack, director de 'Memorias de África' y 'Tootsie'

El cineasta Sydney Pollack, que alcanzó el firmamento de Hollywood en las décadas de los 70 y 80 con títulos como 'Memorias de África' -película por la que obtuvo el Óscar como director-, falleció hoy víctima de un cáncer.

Sidyney Pollack, durante una vista a Bilbao en 2005 (José Simal, EFE)

.

Polifacético, Pollack se consagró al cine en muchas de sus formas, primero como actor, después como director y durante sus últimos años se dedicó a la producción, si bien volvió a reaparecer en la gran pantalla en cintas como 'Michael Clayton' (2007) o la más reciente 'Made of Honor' (2008). Su carrera, sin embargo, será recordada por su trabajo detrás de las cámaras en más de 40 filmes, especialmente en su faceta como director durante la primera mitad de los años 80.

Una de sus primeros trabajos detrás de la cámara es 'They shoot horses don't they?' (conocida en España como 'Danzad, danzad malditos' (1969). Ambientada en la Gran Depresión, lleva a la gran pantalla los concursos que se celebraban aquellos años y en los que jóvenes parejas tenían que bailar, día y noche, para poder ganar algo de dinero. Esta obra, protagonizada por Jane Fonda y Michael Sarrazin, sigue teniendo el dudoso honor de ser la película con más nominaciones al Oscar (9), sin tener la de Mejor Película.

Luego llegó la renombrada 'Tootsie' (1982), comedia que marcó su carrera y con la que logró diez nominaciones a los Oscar, aunque la Academia sólo premió la interpretación de Jessica Lange. El cartel lo completaban Dustin Hoffman y Geena Davis.

Luego llegaría la mítica 'Memorias de África' (1985), que rodó junto a su amigo Robert Redford -con quien realizó siete películas- y Meryl Streep. Esta producción le aportó sus dos únicas estatuillas: como mejor director y mejor película.

Sus últimos proyectos fueron 'The Reader' y 'Margaret', películas que están previsto que se estrenen este año. 'Made of Honor', filme que está actualmente en la cartelera de EEUU (y se estrenará en pocas semanas en España), pasará a la historia como su última aparición en la pantalla.

.....

Basket på TV idag och imorgon för er som är intresserade:
Lördag:
21:00 Showtime - Klassiker "Best shot" med Gene Hackman
23:15 Eurosport 2 - Grekiska ligan
01:00 ESPN CLassic - Season Weekly Gonzaga NCAA del 2
01:30 ESPN Classic - Season Weekly Gonzaga NCAA del 3
03:00 Showtime - "Teen Wolf" basketspelande Varulv med Michael J FOX

Söndag (Allt som gick igår kväll, går repris under söndagen)
17:20 Tv400 Coach Carter
02:30 Tv4 Sport NBA Semi Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Final 3

Idag så spelar Skånelaget U18 vs smålands ena lag i Nordic Federation Cup kl: 10:30, ska bli kul och "se" hur det går. Igår spelade Skånelaget U16 tjejer mot Oslo/Akershus laget och det var tydligen ren slakt. 118-22 tror jag slutresultatet blev.

NBA - Gasol kommer ge Kobe chansen att bli NBA Champion det blir väl tydligare och tydligare. Nu har de 2-0 mot San Antonio Spurs i semifinalen. Har svårt att se Spurs vända detta, men om nåt lag ska kunna vända 2-0 så är det nog f*n SPURS.........de har liksom alla ingridienser i laget för att kunna göra sånt.

Slog på TV:en för en stund sedan och Showtime kanalen av ren slump. Såklart en klassiker utan dess like, en action film med klass, så klart en Chuck Norris film och the classic "Delta Force" från 1986.
25 "fakta" om Chuck Norris som du kanske inte visste hehe

Så fort jag skrev ordet klassiker så kom jag och tänka på en klassiker till reklam film McDonalds med Larry Bird och Michael Jordan. Så skööööön reklam, så den bjuder jag på idag!
Bra inspiration för coachskott osv tror Coach Engel hårstuderat denna reklam hehe :-)

Bergan lists some directors, noting some as Oscar winners, some as simply significant.

The Americans.

Barry Levinson - nominated a bunch, last for Bugsy, won director for Rain Man. Levinson's pretty easy to figure out what happened--he went super-mainstream in the 1990s with Crichton adaptations and even Disclosure being successful at the time doesn't mean it's remembered as such. Wag the Dog--filmed during Sphere, I think--didn't win anything, even though it should have. Liberty Heights, which is excellent, bombed. I haven't seen a thing he did since Bandits, which suffered from an atrocious script. The rest of the 2000s seem to be one misstep after another, as he can't even get TV shows off the ground anymore. I'd held out hope for What Just Happened? but it sounds like more Jimmy Hollywood than it should.

Paul Mazursky - I know he got a lot of 1970s noms, but Willie & Phil is unwatchable malarky. He commercially peaked in the 1980s with Down and Out in Beverly Hills... and then Enemies and Moon Over Parador probably bombed and I know Scenes from a Mall certainly did. No big loss, regardless of what happened.

Peter Bogdanovich - When The Thing Called Love bombed--today's Warner would have re-released it to capitalize on River Phoenix's death, of course--Bogdanovich went straight to TV. But he'd been debasing himself for years (Illegally Yours and Texasville standing out). The world would be better served with him as a film historian, not a competent director on awful projects.

Arthur Penn - Who knows? One of the most significant directors of the 1970s becomes one of the most quizzical of the 1980s? I understand him doing Target with Gene Hackman (I guess), but the Penn & Teller Get Killed? No sir. Unless he thought it was like Alice's Restaurant for the 1990s... But given the lack of any ambitions--The Missouri Breaks being the last--projects, it seems like Penn gave up more than anyone giving up on him.

Robert Benton - Penn's Bonnie and Clyde screenwriter no less. I've always assumed he just got older and slowed down. His Ice Harvest script was solid enough work, though his lack of real directing projects (Twilight being the last one I'd consider acceptable) is unfortunate. But really? Benton was never particularly prolific.

Bob Rafelson - He barely worked in the 1980s, only popping in for Black Widow after 1981's Postman Always Rings Twice fiasco. The Dorff killed Blood and Wine and Man Trouble a few years earlier didn't help (Nicholson took a while to shed his Batman turn). One last reunion would be nice. 

Blake Edwards - Oh, come on. Blind Date, Sunset and Skin Deep--oh, and Switch? Edwards hasn't been interesting since 1971... though I do need to see 10 again.

John G Avildsen - Blame Ralph Macchio and Stallone. The one-two punch of Karate Kid III and Rocky V--two sequels that couldn't fail--failing. 8 Seconds was supposed to be Luke Perry's hit and wasn't. Avildsen's directed a Jean-Claude Van Damme DTV. I mean, if Avildsen was so bad with his money he needed to do it, I guess it's excusable. But I haven't read about him being destitute since--so he didn't do it for the money; he doesn't belong on any list of significant filmmakers.

Monte Hellman - Maybe Quentin Tarantino is sorry Hellman isn't working anymore, but it kind of looks--from his filmography--Hellman just made a bunch of crap. Some of it was pretentious, some of it might not have been. But it was still crap.

John Badham - Badham stumbled out of theaters in the 1990s--I even remember this--when Wesley Snipes and Johnny Depp didn't pay off, in Drop Zone and Nick of Time, respectively. Remember when Johnny Depp wanted to be a post-Speed Keanu Reeves? Nick of Time, right there. Strangely, I remember Badham's last theatrical release--Incognito--being good. But is he significant or good? He made some okay, enjoyable movies. Just nothing great. Well, maybe his episode of "The Shield" was great.

Michael Cimeno - My friend tells me The Deer Hunter is great. I told him we'd watch it together and see. To date, he's been too busy. I think he's scared. Cimeno sucks.

The British.

Richard Lester - his best friend died during a shoot and Lester quit. Simple as that. I guess Bergan doesn't get IMDb on his internet.

Ken Russell - Crimes of Passion made Russell a punch line over twenty years ago. Moving on.

Clive Donner - Huh? I mean, he did good work in the 1960s I suppose, but he directed the original Get Smart movie. And he's had a long career of high profile TV movies.

Peter Yates - He did a Tom Selleck movie. All Tom Selleck movies kill careers. Some of his later stuff has been good, it just wasn't popular.

Bill Forsyth - Being Human was a Robin Williams hit, ending Forsyth's Hollywood career. And I guess Gregory's Two Girls was just embarrassing. No idea why he can't get some UK money though.

Hugh Hudson - Bergan writes about film and has never heard of Revolution?