Alan Rickman

We are not off to a great start this year. First David Bowie, and now Alan Rickman.

You know when you hear that someone famous has passed and then for the first time realize how much you truly liked them? I've always liked Alan Rickman, but his death has put this into sharper perspective: why did I like him so? Rickman was an every-man, not classically handsome, but attractive; he was British and his delivery measured, which gave him a slightly sophisticated air; and he worked on stage and screen, which gave him pedigree. He may have been made famous to audiences playing Hans Gruber in Die Hard, but it is his softer performances that get me, specifically Truly Madly Deeply. What always stood out to me was his ability to make every character, even the villains, sympathetic or, at the very least, understandable. In my book, that is the mark of a good actor.

Selected filmography:

Die Hard

Truly Madly Deeply

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Sense and Sensibility

Galaxy Quest

Harry Potter movies

Love Actually

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Alice in Wonderland

Lee Daniel's The Butler

Actor to Watch: Benedict Cumberbatch

Although he's already quite well known in the UK and to Masterpiece Mystery fans, Benedict Cumberbatch is poised to break out in the United States this year.  First up, he's appearing as the villain in the new sure-to-be blockbuster Star Trek Into Darkness.  Later on this year, he's appearing alongside Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in August: Osage County and in the Steve McQueen directed, Ten Years A Slave, which has one of the best casts around including Brad Pitt, Michael K. Williams, and *most importantly* Michael Fassbender.  He is also playing controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in the Fifth Estate. 

The first film I remember seeing Cumberbatch in was Atonement, where he plays a creepy, creepy character.  He was excellent in that small part, so good in fact, that I initially ignored watching Sherlock because the actor still gave me the creeps.  However, when I finally broke down and watched the series, I was blown away.  Cumberbatch's Sherlock manages to balance the character perfectly, he's intelligent, charismatic, while also amusingly irritating and rude.  Cumberbatch can actually make the act of thinking look compelling on the show, and his chemistry with Martin Freeman's Watson makes the show fun to watch. 

Cumberbatch is an interesting actor, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what he'll do in even bigger roles and movies.  Check out one of his films:

Starter for Ten (2006):  A cute, British slice of life comedy about a working class kid (James McAvoy) as he navigates his first year at Bristol College, joining the academic team and deciding between two girls (Rebecca Hall and Alice Eve).  Cumberbatch plays the uptight academic team leader. 
Find it in the catalog!

Atonement (2007). 
Find it in the catalog!

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008).
Find it in the catalog!

The Last Enemy (2008).  A Masterpiece Contemporary miniseries about a researcher Dr. Stephen Ezard (Cumberbatch) who returns home after his brother's death, only to fall for the brother's widow and get involved in an government conspiracy (whoops!).
Find it in the catalog!
 
Four Lions (2010).
Find it in the catalog!

Sherlock!:  Seasons 1 and 2. 
A modern update on the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle books. Highly recommended!

War Horse (2011):  Steven Spielberg's World War I drama about a boy and his horse, featuring just about every famous Brit you can think of (minus Hugh Grant)!
Find it in the catalog!

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011).
Find it in the catalog!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Greatest Hits

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL) has been a favorite of mine for several years now and he just keeps getting better. He varies his parts, but always turns in a noteworthy performance. Besides being easy on the eyes, he exudes easiness and charm in spades.

Joseph was most famous for his teenage role on the CBS sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun in the late nineties to early aughts. He has since made a name for himself in the film industry. These are some of his greatest hits:

1. 10 Things I Hate About You: Yes, it's a high school movie. But, it also has JGL, Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles as relative youngsters. Based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, it's one of the better teenage movies. Find it in the catalog!

2. Manic: The first pairing of JGL with Zooey Deschanel, although this one lacks the cuteness of (500) Days of Summer (see below). Manic is more dark and moody and shows JGL in a much different light than his previous work on 3rd Rock or 10 Things. I'm sure that that was a conscious choice on his part to avoid being type-cast. JGL plays Lyle, who is placed in a mental institution with other teens after some violent incidents. He is a somewhat sympathetic character plopped into the chaos of real teenage angst. Find it in the catalog!

3. Brick: A more cerebral turn for JGL. He plays Brendan, a high-schooler on the hunt for his ex-girlfriend's murderer, and to do so must access the sinister crowd, including the local drug dealer.  The tone is noir, the dialogue Shakespearean, but shot in color with more modern circumstances. It's an odd contrast and I guarantee you won't have seen a similar movie. (This is from director/writer Rian Johnson who subsequently wrote and directed The Brothers Bloom and the upcoming Looper also starring JGL.) Find it in the catalog!

4. The Lookout: A caper with excellent tension and performances all around (especially Matthew Goode with a role against type here). JGL plays Chris, a bank janitor with short-term memory issues as a result of a car accident in high school-- which makes him the perfect patsy. This just might be my favorite JGL film. Maybe. Find it in the catalog!

5. (500) Days of Summer: The second pairing of JGL and Zooey Deschanel. This flick is quirky, but still meaningful and one of the better rom-coms in recent years. This film definitely showcases JGL's lighter side. Great soundtrack. Find it in the catalog!

6. Inception: JGL is one of many, but still manages to make an impression. Check out the Media Corner synopsis. Find it in the catalog!

7. 50/50: As I stated earlier this year, I think this movie was robbed at Oscar nomination time. JGL leads as a twenty-something diagnosed with cancer. Joseph was able to run the gammit of emotions: confusion, anger, frustration, humor and thinking it might help you get the ladies (which I was unaware was one of the stages of dealing with cancer ...). Find it in the catalog!

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention his excellent and grounding performance in The Dark Knight Rises. His character's place and purpose was unclear in pre-production, but he becomes the one to watch in the last installment of Nolan's grand trilogy. Joseph also has three more movies in the can: soon to be released Premium Rush, the aforementioned Looper, and Lincoln where he plays Robert Todd to Daniel Day-Lewis' Abraham (now that will be one to watch!). Oh, and did I mention he's currently writing and directing his first movie, Don Jon's Addiction? What a renaissance man.

Happy birthday, Will Ferrell!

Actor Will Ferrell turns 45 today. Ferrell is known for his hilarious and quotable film characters, from Buddy the Elf to anchorman Ron Burgundy to figure skater Chazz Michael Michaels. His latest movie to hit DVD is Casa de mi Padre, out tomorrow. Later this summer Ferrell can be seen in the comedy The Campaign co-starring Zach Galifianakis. Will Ferrell fans are undoubtedly looking forward to the Anchorman 2 movie due to be released in 2013, reuniting the cast from the original 2004 film, which also starred Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and Christina Applegate.

I always enjoy the way Ferrell plays off his co-stars, and he had great chemistry with his news team in Anchorman. I especially loved the back and forth insult slinging between Ron Burgundy (Ferrell) and Veronica Corningstone (Applegate). Ferrell and John C. Reilly were a great partnership as NASCAR drivers in Talladega Nights, and as rivals who become best friends in Step Brothers:

Brennan: Listen, I know that we started out as foe. But after that courageous act that you showed me against the one they call Derek, maybe someday we could become friends. Friends who ride majestic, translucent steeds, shooting flaming arrows across the bridge of Hemdale.

Dale: I would follow you into the mists of Avalon if that's what you mean.

Ferrell also shared hilarious scenes with Mark Wahlberg in The Other Guys. Wahlberg, as NYC police detective Terry, couldn't stand to be around Ferrell's character Allen Gamble, who he saw as weak and a "fake cop." Terry used a metaphor comparing himself to a lion and Allen to a tuna, and told Allen that he would even go outside the food chain to attack him. Allen came right back at Terry and explained why a tuna could take a lion in the ocean "9 times out of 10":

OK, first off: a lion, swimming in the ocean. Lions don't like water. If you placed it near a river or some sort of fresh water source, that make sense. But you find yourself in the ocean, 20 foot wave, I'm assuming off the coast of South Africa, coming up against a full grown 800 pound tuna with his 20 or 30 friends, you lose that battle, you lose that battle 9 times out of 10. And guess what, you've wandered into our school of tuna and we now have a taste of lion. We've talked to ourselves. We've communicated and said 'You know what, lion tastes good, let's go get some more lion'. We've developed a system to establish a beach-head and aggressively hunt you and your family and we will corner your pride, your children, your offspring.

And that's not even the end of that scene. Another one of my favorite Will Ferrell roles was Buddy in Elf. A "human raised by elves," Buddy was happy all of the time, saw the good in everyone, and loved candy: "We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup."

Ferrell is also not afraid to let loose and sing, which he's done in several of his films. Check out a clip of his performance of "Something to Talk About" in Step Brothers:


Happy birthday to the songbird of his generation, Will Ferrell!

I named a few of my favorite Will Ferrell moments. What is your favorite Will Ferrell scene and/or quote?

Johnny Depp: Officially Single

As you are, no doubt, well aware, the fairest leading man in the land is now officially single. The rather optimistic subtext to the resultant press reports seems to be that Johnny Depp is not only single, but also on the market and almost certainly interested in settling down with you specifically. For those readers that are not currently en route to France to make good on that possibility, I invite you to take solace in the many fine performances this actor has given us. The following selected filmography may seem like cold comfort, but enjoying Johnny's company onscreen is probably as close to the real thing as any mere mortal is likely to get. I've taken the liberty of adding brief descriptors for each Johnny Depp role, should you wish to tailor your fantasy.

Cry-Baby (1990): If you like your Johnny young and rebellious, in a juvenile delinquent who is also the star of a musical kind of way.

Edward Scissorhands (1990): If you like your Johnny silent, soulful, and pallid. Warning: This Johnny is sharp and has been known to cause unwanted damage to hair, hedgerows, and water beds.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993): If you prefer a small-town Johnny who is sweet, sensitive, and misunderstood. Bonus: Johnny makes a great effort to be a responsible caretaker for his younger brother in this film, so you just know that he'll make a fantastic father once he stops hanging out with morticians and finally breaks free of his hometown.

Ed Wood (1994): A Johnny that is irrepressibly zany, artistically inept, and really, really fond of cashmere.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998): For those who like their Johnny balding, paranoid, chemically altered, and tersely literate.

Sleepy Hollow (1999): An adorably squeamish Johnny, saddled with profound mommy issues.

Chocolat (2000): Seductive accent? Check. Ponytail that only Johnny can get away with? Check. A deferential nature that guarantees he only shows up when you want him to and won't interfere with the important stuff in your life like raising your daughter and managing your small business? Check.

Blow (2001):  Consider this a two-for-one. If you want your Johnny to be the slim embodiment of '70s glamor and excess, the first half of this movie is your ideal. If you have a penchant for a bloated, midlife-crisis Johnny who is depressed and/or incarcerated a lot of the time, the second half of this film has got you covered.

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (2003, 2006, 2007): Should you favor an unintelligible, swashbuckling, kohl-eyed rogue who is more concerned with rum than he is with Keira Knightley.

Public Enemies (2009): Bad boy Johnny par excellence. Sure, he robs banks and brandishes a tommy gun, but he'd just as soon be holding you in his arms as you sway across the dance floor to a sultry ballad.

The Tourist (2010): For those of you who want to be Johnny's paramour and believe that the only suitable stand-in for yourself is Angelina Jolie.

Rango (2011): If you happen to prefer a scaly, endearingly cowardly Johnny, this is the one.

Actor Spotlight: Viggo Mortensen

A brief primer on why Mr. Mortensen is significantly cooler than you are:

• He is fluent in at least three languages (English, Danish, Spanish), and is conversant in several others. His performance in the 2006 historical film Alatriste is one example of his mastery of the Spanish language.
• He was married to Exene Cervenka, co-founder of the influential Los Angeles punk band X. This, in itself, places him in a fairly rarefied realm of coolness. To exceed that level of cool, you'd pretty much have to be Exene Cervenka.
• He is a photographer, painter, musician, and published poet. (These are not vanity projects; his earliest book was published in 1993, long before his role in The Lord of the Rings made him a household name.)
• He was in Young Guns II. If you don't think that's pretty cool, then you really need to watch Young Guns II. (You don't need to have seen the first Young Guns, and you don't need to care about Westerns.)
• His brief performance as Lalin, a paraplegic ex-gangster, opposite Al Pacino in Carlito's Way evinced more genuine pathos than any other moment in the entire 144-minute film.
• He played the role of Lucifer (yes, that Lucifer) in the 1995 film The Prophecy, and managed to not seem completely ridiculous in doing so. No small feat, if you think about it.
• His performance in A History of Violence, the actor's first collaboration with director David Cronenberg. Mortensen convincingly plays his character as a small-town everyman, until the plot convinces you otherwise.
• His performance in Eastern Promises, the actor's second collaboration with director David Cronenberg. Look for a false note in Mortensen's portrayal of compromised Russian gangster Nikolai Luzhin. You will not find one.
• Along with Johnny Depp, he may be the only human being who can get away with curiously sculpted facial hair. (I am not advocating this.)
• In A Dangerous Method, his most recent collaboration with Cronenberg, he played the towering historical figure Sigmund Freud. His take on the character was nuanced; calculating without seeming calculated; amusing, but without any trace of parody. (I'm legally required to point out that Mortensen's co-star in A Dangerous Method is the Media Corner favorite Michael Fassbender.)
• He participated in the documentary film The People Speak, in which actors and musicians perform dramatic renditions of the words of every-day Americans. His reading of a letter written by the family of a man who died in the World Trade Center attacks is deeply moving.
• His performance in The Road, an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's grim  post-apocalyptic novel. Mortensen powerfully portrays the unnamed father's relentless determination to protect and provide for his son.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!: The Films of Michael Fassbender

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, check out a film by Ireland's finest countryman- Michael Fassbender: 

300 (2006):  Does the thought of lots of ancient Greeks and Persians fighting sound like fun?  Then you are the perfect audience for this movie.  Warning though, you'll probably feel really self-conscious about your abs after watching it.

Angel (2007):  This is definitely a strange movie to watch.  It reminded me of a melodrama from the 1940s.  There's lots of lavish scenery and swelling music, but with an unlikeable protagonist, Angel- a snotty and overly self-assured romance author.  Fassbender plays Esmé- a struggling  and self-involved artist with gold-digger tendencies.  

Hunger (2008):  Fassbender gives an impressive performance as IRA prisoner Bobby Sands who goes on a hunger strike.  This is a pretty brutal movie to watch, but a good one.  Director Steve McQueen (not of Bullitt fame) also worked with Fassbender on Shame. 

Fish Tank (2009): In this gritty, British slice-of-life drama, Fassbender plays Connor, the boyfriend of Mia's (the protagonist) mother and the only person whom seems to look out for Mia.  Connor does some detestable things in the movie, but Fassbender brings out the charismatic and sympathetic elements of the character too.

Inglourious Basterds (2009):  Quentin Tarantino's World War II masterpiece.  Fassbender plays a Scotch-drinking British film critic turned spy against the Germans.  If you only have time to watch one Fassbender movie, this is the best!

Centurion (2010):  If 300 didn't give you enough a chance to ogle Fassbender's abs, here's your second chance. Evidentially ancient warriors were allergic to shirts. 

Jonah Hex (2010):   I haven't seen this, so no word on whether it's so bad it's good...or just sleep inducing.  Definitely not the best movie with Fassbender and Christoph Waltz though.

Jane Eyre (2011): Fans of the book may prefer the BBC version, because it is a more faithful adaptation.  But this adaptation has the handsomest Rochester ever. 

X-Men: First Class (2011):  This is a well-done adaptation of a comic book.  But more importantly- it has Fassbender and James McAvoy in one movie!  Now if only they could make an Austen adaptation together!

Coming Soon: A Dangerous Method (2011).  David Croenberg's drama about Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Jung (Fassbender).

Happy birthday, Ryan Gosling!

Actor Ryan Gosling turns 31 today. He stars in two films now in theaters; he plays a Hollywood stunt driver who also drives getaway cars for robberies in Drive and a political staffer to George Clooney's presidential candidate in The Ides of March.

Born November 12, 1980 in London, Ontario, Gosling first started acting on television, including The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1993-95), Breaker High (1997-98), and Young Hercules (1998-99). He broke out in film with his performance as a Jewish neo-Nazi in The Believer (2001), for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. He continued to take dark roles in indies The Slaughter Rule (2002) and The United States of Leland (2003). In Murder by Numbers (2002), Gosling played a high school student who conspires with Michael Pitt to commit the perfect murder.

In 2007 he attended the Academy Awards as a Best Actor nominee for his performance as a high school teacher addicted to crack in Half Nelson (2006) and then was seen in the thriller Fracture, co-starring Anthony Hopkins. Later that year Gosling starred in Lars and the Real Girl (2007), playing a character who falls for a life-size doll. After being absent from the big screen for several years, he appeared in two movies in late 2010: All Good Things and Blue Valentine. All Good Things (2010), co-starring Kirsten Dunst, is based on the true story of the 1982 disappearance of Katie Marks (Dunst), the wife of David Marks (Gosling), who was suspected but never convicted in her assumed death. Blue Valentine (2011) is about the relationship between Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams). The movie contrasts their moments as a couple falling in love with difficult-to-watch scenes of their marriage falling apart. To call the movie depressing is an understatement; even though I’m a huge Ryan Gosling fan I put off seeing the film for months because I didn't think I could handle the emotional turmoil. But I am glad I finally watched it. One of my favorite moments is when Dean urges Cindy to tap dance in front of a store window with a heart on it. Meanwhile, he serenades her with "You Always Hurt The Ones You Love" on his ukelele. You can check out the song on the Blue Valentine Soundtrack.

I love the way Gosling completely disappears into his characters, and while he has demonstrated his talent in dark roles, I have been hoping for him to take on a comedy for years. One of my favorite movies from 2011 is the comedy-drama Crazy, Stupid, Love, about a man (Steve Carell) dealing with being single after his wife (Julianne Moore) asks for a divorce. Gosling becomes his wingman, advising Carell's character on clothes, women, and how to be a man.

I look forward to more Ryan Gosling films in 2012: Gangster Squad (also starring Sean Penn) and Only God Forgives, in which he reteams with Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn.

Actor to Watch: Andrew Garfield

He may be sensitive, British and have wonderfully fwoopy hair, but Andrew Garfield is more likely to garner comparisons to a lovable fawn than Robert Pattinson.  Garfield is more charmingly gawky than smoldering.  He also has one of the most impressive film resumes around, especially considering he is only in his mid-twenties.

Garfield's first big role was in 2007's Boy A, where he played Jack Burridge, a rehabilitated young man who committed a horrible crime as a child.  It would be easy to demonize Jack, but Garfield's portrayal makes you root for the troubled young man.  Garfield does a great job of showing the difficulty Jack has adjusting to society and everyday life after basically growing up in a prison.  Post- Boy A, Garfield shined in supporting roles in films like Lions for Lambs and the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which gave him the opportunity to act against heavyweights like Robert Redford, Heath Ledger, and Christopher Plummer.  Last year, Garfield played Eduardo Saverin (Marc Zuckerberg's long suffering best friend and Facebook co-founder) in the Social Network; his performance received a nomination for a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe.   

Next-up, Garfield will take on the role of Spider-Man in the Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) directed The Amazing Spider-Man.  Personally, I'm not all that crazy about superhero pictures (minus the original Iron Man), but I have high hopes for any movie with both Garfield and Emma Stone!

Check out one of Andrew Garfield's films:  

Boy A (2007).

Find it in the catalog!

Lions for Lambs (2007).

Find in in the catalog!

Cast against type, Garfield plays a cocksure frat boy who stopped attending his Poly-Sci class even though his professor is a charismatic, Chambray-sporting Robert Redford. 

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009).

Find it in the catalog!

A funny performance as a theater geek named Anton who has a crush on Doctor Parnassus's scrumptious daughter Valentina (Lily Cole). 

Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009).

Find it in the catalog!

Garfield plays perpetually shirtless ace reporter Eddie Dunford, who attempts to take on the corrupt Yorkshire police and track down a serial killer.

I'm Here (2010). 

This Spike Jonze-directed short film stars Garfield as a robot who listens to Sleigh Bells and falls in love with a lady robot.  So many great things packed into a 30 minute film!

Never Let Me Go (2010).

Find it in the catalog!

An English room boarding drama mixed with a sci-fi dystopia.  It didn't quite live up to Ishiguro book or the stellar cast, but I still cried for the last fifteen minutes (and not just because of what they did to his hair!).

The Social Network (2010).

Find it in the catalog!

My pick for the best movie of last year.  It's smart, both tense and hilarious, almost as quotable as Anchorman, and has great performances all around. 

Happy birthday, James Dean

Banner hanging in
Fairmount. (DP July 2010)

Actor James Dean was born 80 years ago, February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana. Dean briefly lived in Santa Monica, California, from the ages of six to nine with his parents until the death of his mother, Mildred. After her death, Dean's father, Wilton, remained in California and sent Dean to live Fairmount, Indiana, where he was raised by his uncle Marcus and aunt Ortense on their farm. Following high school graduation, Dean went to California for college, attending Santa Monica City College and UCLA before dropping out. In 1951 Dean moved to New York to do theater and TV work and became part of the Actors Studio in 1953. Director Elia Kazan hired Dean to star in East of Eden in March 1954. Dean's talent was undeniable to audiences when East of Eden hit theaters in March 1955, and his career began to take off within the course of a couple months, in which time he completed filming Rebel Without a Cause and Giant one after the other. Before either of those films were released, Dean was killed in an automobile crash on the way to a car race in California in September 1955. September 30, 2010 marked the 55th anniversary of his death. Each year Fairmount, Indiana holds a James Dean Festival to celebrate his life and work.

East of Eden, released in March 1955
DVD FICTION EAST
Find it in the catalog!
James Dean received a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role as Cal Trask.

Rebel Without a Cause (Finished filming in June 1955; film was released October 1955.)
DVD DRAMA REBEL
Find it in the catalog!
We will be screening this film at the library this Saturday at 2 PM.

Giant (Finished filming in September 1955; film was released November 1956.)
DVD FICTION GIANT
Find it in the catalog!
James Dean received a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role as Jett Rink.

More about James Dean from the library:
*James Dean: Fifty Years Ago by Dennis Stock (2005)
Dennis Stock, a photojournalist, met James Dean at a party thrown by the director Nicholas Ray. The photos in this book were taken by Stock for a photo essay for Life magazine. Dean visits his hometown of Fairmount, Indiana, in February 1955, before the release of East of Eden. Photos capture him on the farm with his cousin, aunt, and uncle, walking around town, and visiting his old high school. Stock also photographs Dean around New York, where Dean kept a small apartment. Dean goes through ballet poses in a dance class and falls asleep in his accountant's office and even at the bar with a cigarette in his hand (Stock says he was an insomniac). Lastly Stock accompanies Dean to LA during the shooting of Rebel Without a Cause.

Rebel: The Life and Legend of James Dean by Donald Spoto (1996) and James Dean: Little Boy Lost by Joe Hyams with Jay Hyams (1992) are both located in the Biography section.

James Dean's grave in Park Cemetery in Fairmount. (DP July 2010)

Happy (belated) birthday, Leonardo DiCaprio!

Last week Leonardo DiCaprio celebrated his 36th birthday on November 11. I have been a fan of his for a long time, ever since I watched What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) on HBO and subsequently became infatuated with both the film itself and DiCaprio's performance. The movie remains one of my favorite films ever. DiCaprio played Arnie, a mentally challenged teenager living in the small town of Endora with his older brother Gilbert (Johnny Depp), sisters, and obese mother who never left the house. DiCaprio received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor but lost to Tommy Lee Jones for The Fugitive. After What's Eating Gilbert Grape DiCaprio acted alongside Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman in The Quick in the Dead (1995) and took on the role of poet Jim Carroll in The Basketball Diaries (1995), which dealt with Carroll's addiction to drugs as a teenager in New York. His performance as Romeo alongside Claire Danes' Juliet in the Baz Luhrman-directed William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1996) further cemented his status as a Hollywood heartthrob and in demand up-and-coming young actor. Luhrman set the film in present day and retained Shakespeare's dialogue. Both the film and its accompanying soundtrack were very big at my junior high and I'm sure the movie helped many students studying the play understand the action better. Arguably the biggest film of DiCaprio's career was his role as Jack Dawson in James Cameron's Titanic (1997). The movie won 11 of the 14 Academy Award categories it was nominated for. The love story between Jack and Rose (Kate Winslet) helped the movie dominate the box office in late 1997 and the first part of 1998 and pushed DiCaprio-fandom over the top, as Titanic and DiCaprio-related merchandise was everywhere.

Since the world-wide explosion of Titanic, DiCaprio has picked roles where he continues to grow as an actor. He acted alongside Tom Hanks in the Steven Spielberg-directed Catch Me if You Can (2002), received a Best Actor nomination for Blood Diamond (2006), co-starred with Russell Crowe in the Ridley Scott-directed Body of Lies, and reteamed with Titanic co-star Winslet in the very depressing Revolutionary Road (2008). DiCaprio has also teamed with director Martin Scorsese for the films Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), and Shutter Island (2010).

I think that DiCaprio's performances in Shutter Island and Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010, out on DVD December 7) were among my favorites from any actor in film this year. I look forward to his future projects, Hoover (in which he plays J. Edgar Hoover) and The Devil in the White City (in which he plays Dr. Henry Howard).

Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg plays Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg in the hotly anticipated new David Fincher film The Social Network, which is coming to theaters this Friday.  I've been a fan of Eisenberg since 2002's Roger Dodger, where he played the young, naive nephew of Campbell Scott's Don Draperian advertising copywriter.  Since then, Eisenberg has turned in winning performances in films like Noah Baumbach's excellent family dramedy, The Squid and the Whale (2005), and the sweetly nostalgic but hilarious Adventureland (2009).  That is not to say that Eisenberg's career has been completely free of missteps; he appeared in M. Night Shyamalan's much maligned film The Village (2004) and the cult horror movie Cursed (2005).

Eisenberg has often been compared to Superbad star Michael Cera, most likely because both actors frequently play sensitive, slightly neurotic young men with hipster tendencies.  Cera may be the more famous of the two, but Eisenberg favors characters with a darker edge and has larger breadth in his roles.

Fun fact:  Eisenberg created the super addictive world play website OneUpMe.com where users compete to make the most amusing/ profound simile.

Check out Eisenberg in one of the DVDs we have at the library:

Zombieland (2009). *
DVD COMEDY ZOMBIELAND
Find it in the catalog!
The best zombie movie since Shaun of the Dead (2004).  It has a very cool cameo by everyone's favorite Chicagoan, Bill Murray.

Adventureland (2009).*
DVD COMEDY ADVENTURELAND
Find it in the catalog!
My favorite film of last year.  It has an excellent supporting performance by Media Corner favorite Martin Starr too!

The Education of Charlie Banks (2007).
DVD FICTION EDUCTION
Find it in the catalog!

Happy Birthday, Bill Murray!

"Tito Puente's gonna be dead, and you're gonna say, 'Oh, I've been listening to him for years, and I think he's fabulous.'"
- Bill Murray, Stripes (1981)

Tuesday, September 21st, beloved actor/comedian Bill Murray turned 60. The Chicago native has been redefining comedy in his own image since the late 1970s, from his work with the esteemed Second City improv troupe, his hugely popular tenure on Saturday Night Live, subsequent box-office success with Harold Ramis and other Second City alums, and critically acclaimed collaborations with directors Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch. His Oscar nominated performance in 2003's Lost in Translation is indicative of a progression toward more complex, nuanced performances. Murray's continued late-career renaissance is a wonderful thing to see, and I, for one, hope it never ends.

Dennis Hopper: 1936 - 2010

Dennis Hopper began his career in the 1950s, alongside such Hollywood upstarts as Nick Adams, James Dean and Jack Nicholson. (He had bit parts in two of Dean's films: Rebel Without a Cause and Giant.) He was twice nominated for an Oscar: in 1970 for Best Screenplay (Easy Rider) and in 1987 for Best Supporting Actor (Hoosiers). Hopper has had memorable roles in mainstream entertainment, such as the villain in the 1994 action flick Speed, and in art-house cinema, notably his frightening performance as Frank Booth in the 1986 neo-noir Blue Velvet. Over the course of his long career, Hopper worked within every genre and collaborated with some of the more noteworthy American - and international - directors of his time: Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now, Rumble Fish), Wim Wenders (The American Friend). Hopper's long career in television ranged from Bonanza and The Twilight Zone to such currently running series as 24 and Crash. His quirky charisma made him a natural for small, scene-stealing roles, and he had many of them. Such as that of Babalugats in Cool Hand Luke.

Follow the link for a look at his selected filmography.

Adam Scott: Jerk of My Dreams

 Not to be confused with the hunky golfer of the same name, Adam Scott is a character actor who has appeared in several movies and TV shows including Knocked Up, Leap Year, and The Aviator.  Scott is most frequently cast playing characters who aren't very nice guys.  Probably because Scott excels at playing hilariously smarmy characters like the coked-up baseball agent Pat Anderson on the TV series Eastbound and Down.  Scott is perhaps best known for his performance in Step Brothers, where he plays Will Ferrell's biological brother Derek.  Derek is annoyingly perfect in every way, but strangely hostile towards his screw-up brother Brennen (Ferrell).  One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Derek and his family sing along to "Sweet Child O' Mine" while driving in their car; there is a YouTube sensation of people re-enacting this scene.

In spite of his propensity for playing jerks, I actually like Scott the best when he is playing straight man roles.  My favorite performance of his is as Henry Pollard from the TV series Party Down.  Henry is an out-of-work actor forced to get a job as bartender with a catering firm.  Like many real life actors, Henry first gained notoriety from a beer commercial, but unfortunately that role didn't lead to much else.  Much to Henry's chagrin, party guests often force him to say his catchphrase from the commercial, "Are we having fun yet?"  Henry and his coworker Casey (Lizzy Caplan) have one of most realistic romances on television, like a less idealistic Jim and Pam before they settled down into smug coupledom.  Recently, Scott has appeared on NBC's Parks and Recreation playing a state auditor named Ben Wyatt sent to Pawnee to deal with the budget crisis in the department.  Scott is signed on to be in more episodes of the show, and I for one couldn't be happier.  Ben seems poised as a love interest for the Parks department deputy director Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), and he's the most exciting prospect she's had yet- except, of course, for her soul mate Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman).  Scott is also appearing in meta-horror film Piranha 3-D out in theaters this summer. 

Watch Adam Scott in one of the DVDs available through the library:

Party Down (2010)*.
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The Vicious Kind (2010).
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Leap Year (2010).
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Eastbound and Down (Season 1, Episode 6) (2009)*.
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The Great Buck Howard (2009).  
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Step Brothers (2008)*. 
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Knocked Up (2007)*. 
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The Return (2006).
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The Matador (2006).  
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Monster-in-Law (2005).  
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Veronica Mars (Episode: "Mars vs. Mars", Season 1, Episode 14) (2005)*. 
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The Aviator (2005).
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*Highly Recommended.

Date Night: Comedy Mashup

Date Night, currently in theaters, stars two of the most popular comic actors in America: Tina Fey and Steve Carell. These two funny people rub shoulders every Thursday night on NBC (Carell on the The Office, Fey on 30 Rock), but this is our first opportunity to see them share screen-time. Date Night casts the duo as a 40-something couple who are afraid to admit that their marriage is in a rut. When Carell suggests a night out on the town as a respite from their routine, things go drastically awry. The mistaken identity/suburbanites out of their element scenario has been done countless times, so plot-wise this is nothing you haven't seen before. (This script may well have been pitched as The Out-of-Towners meets The In-Laws.) The real draw here is the opportunity to see these two fine comic sensibilities play off each other, and the film succeeds on that level. Fey's notoriously wry wit is a great match for Carell's equally well known aptitude for charming idiocy. Ultimately, they bring a certain amount of tenderness to the relationship they're enacting. Keep an eye out for James Franco and Mila Kunis, who nearly steal the movie with their hilarious bickering. Directed by Shawn Levy (Just Married, Night at the Museum).

Follow the jump for a look at their respective filmographies.

Alec Baldwin: A Second Look

Nathan Rabin, author of The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You By Pop Culture, has neatly and affectionately summed up Alec Baldwin's considerable assets: "The moody 30 Rock star has just about everything: devastating good looks, a voice like aged scotch, impeccable comic timing, boundless charisma, simmering intensity, voluminous talent, and a bizarre, colorful family dynasty. Yet he’s found countless ways to sabotage his career." The sabotage Rabin refers to is most evident in Baldwin's sometimes questionable career choices. (We'll leave aside the familial drama that has, on occasion, made him a target of the tabloids and "entertainment news.") For instance, the role of Mr. Conductor in Thomas and the Magic Railroad may not have been the most appropriate outlet for his talents. After all, this is the man whose shockingly aggressive performance in Glengarry Glen Ross is continually cited as one of the outstanding performances of the 1990s. His screen-time in that film? Well under ten minutes. Now that's charisma. Baldwin recently co-hosted the Academy Awards; he continues to shine on the NBC hit 30 Rock; and the new-to-DVD comedy It's Complicated was a considerable commercial success. So, why not take a closer look at this mercurial actor's career.

Sam Rockwell, part 3: 2007-current

Our third and final post (for now!) highlighting the work of actor Sam Rockwell.  Rockwell can be seen in the coming soon to theaters Iron Man 2.

In his review of the movie Choke, Roger Ebert liked Sam to a latter day Christopher Walken, saying, "...not all the time, but when you need him, he's your go-to guy for weirdness."  Sam does tend to play characters with a bit of an edge and both he and Walken can be zany show-stealers in otherwise lackluster comedies.  However, Sam differs from latter day Walken in that many of his best performances of late have been in dramas, not comedies.  I'd compare Sam more to Robert Downey Jr., because both actors are charismatic, good at playing likable anti-heros, have great comedic timing, and are a bit off-kilter.  In fact, Iron Man director Jon Favreau had Sam on the shortlist to play Tony Stark.  Downey Jr. won that part, but Favreau liked Sam so much that he cast him as Justin Hammer in the sequel.  Here we take a look at Sam's most recent movies, including many of his best performances:    

Everybody's Fine (2009). 
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Gentleman Broncos (2009).  From director of Napoleon Dynamite, Sam's role here is definitely skirting on Walken territory.  He plays the main character in the sci-fi novel written by Benjamin Purvis (Michael Angarano).  Probably the best thing about this movie are all of Sam's strange costumes (see above).

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G-Force (2009). 
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Moon (2009).  One of my favorite movies of last year and the only movie ever to have enough Sam Rockwell in it.  Sam plays an astronaut finishing up a three year job on the moon working for a company called Lunar Industries that mines for Helium-3 (a clean and reliable energy source) .  Sam is the lone occupant of the lunar station besides a computer named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey).  Sam longs to be home with his wife and infant daughter Eve, and he begins to notice some health problems from being on the moon so long.  This is an interesting, thoughtful science-fiction movie similar to Silent Running, Solaris, or 2001: A Space Odysessy.  It is tense, moody, and frequently funny. Writer/ director Duncan Jones wrote this movie for Sam and it shows.  Sam gives one of the best performances in his career.  This is definitely a movie you can talk about for hours afterward. 
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Frost/ Nixon (2008). Sam plays reporter James Reston Jr, who along with Bob Zelnick (Oliver Platt) must help semi-clueless playboy David Frost (Michael Sheen) come up with hard-hitting questions to ask Nixon in an interview.  Both Reston and Zelnick wrote exposés on Richard Nixon, and they bring a lot of passion and urgency to their task. They, however, have some doubts about Frost's abilities as an interviewer.  Rockwell and Platt both add energy and humor to their roles. 
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Choke (2008).  Imagine All the Real Girls written by Fight Club author Palahniuk.  Sam plays Victor Mancini, a sex addict with a heart of gold.  Victor runs scams and works as a historical reenactor at Colonial Williamsburg theme park to keep his Alzheimer's-afflicted mother in the hospital.  There he meets Paige Marshall (Kelly MacDonald), the one girl he is afraid to sleep with.  This movie has lots to be offended by, including lots of nudity and some minor sacrilege, but it's basically a romantic comedy. Victor reminds me a bit of Dexter from the Showtime series, both characters are compulsive, have funny voice overs, and do terrible things but we somehow like them anyway.
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The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007).  Sam gives a great supporting performance as Charley Ford, brother to the Coward Robert (Casey Affleck).  Charley is Robert's in for joining the James gang.  My favorite part of the movie is after (spoiler alert!) James is shot, and Robert and Charley reenact their kill in a Wild West road show. Charley's guilt about James' murder eats away at him.  Charley is a somewhat stupid thug, but Rockwell brings depth and emotion to the character.
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Snow Angels (2007). Sam gives a dark performance as Glenn Marchard, a recovering alcoholic with anger issues, who is some what unwillingly separated from his wife (Kate Beckinsale) and daughter.  Glenn has had some problems in the past, but he's trying to start over with a new job and by becoming a Christian.  I'm a huge fan of director David Gordon Green and Sam, but I held off watching this movie because the subject matter is somewhat bleak.  However, this is a beautiful movie with light touches like the relationship between Michael Angarano and Olivia Thirlby.  Gordon Green infuses all his movies with funny, quirky touches like Glenn jumping barefoot on a carpet while trying to make a sale. 
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Still want more Rockwell? 
Check out his other movies in Part 1 and Part 2.

Contrast of two roles: Steve Zahn

My two favorite performances by actor Steve Zahn include his 1996 role as Lenny in That Thing You Do! and his role as Duane in 2006's Rescue Dawn. Not only are these performances a decade apart, but they are polar opposites.

Let me begin with the fun, Tom Hank's directed That Thing You Do!, a movie in the vain of the Beatles' Hard Day's Night. It stars Tom Everett Scott, Johnathon Schaech, and Liv Tyler and follows the rise of a one-hit wonder band. Zahn is Lenny, the sarcastic guitarist with the best and most quotable lines. Lenny serves two purposes: to move the action along and to make the audience laugh. Only one of these is difficult, but Zahn is at ease and this is a part that he was clearly comfortable with. He has subsequently been cast in more comedic roles (most recently Diary of a Wimpy Kid).

On the other hand, Rescue Dawn is a harrowing Vietnam war-pic starring Christian Bale. Werner Herzog directed this biographical film about fighter pilot Dieter Dengler (Bale) and his captivity and escape from Laos after being shot down. He meets Zahn's character, Duane, in the prison camp. Duane is a beaten down man; all of the prisoners are in fact, until Dieter shows up and sparks some life and hope in these men. Eventually, Dieter and Duane depend on one another to survive the jungle. The desperation, utter lack of purpose, and borderline insanity that Zahn portrays is haunting-- especially when they believe they have been rescued, only to be betrayed. There was talk at the time that Zahn should be recognized for his performance during award show season, however the movie was released in July of 2006, and we all know that Hollywood tends to have a short memory when it comes to nominations. That aside, this is the performance of Zahn's career (at least to date). Besides, Zahn lost 40 pounds in order to play the role-- that's a sure sign of his commitment and a familiar tactic to his co-star Bale.

In turns, Steve Zahn has the capacity to be heartwarming and heartbreaking.

That Thing You Do!
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Rescue Dawn
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Sam Rockwell, part 2: Hollywood breakthrough, (2002-2007).

We continue our look at the work of actor, legend, and former burrito delivery man: Sam Rockwell.

I first became a Sam Rockwell fan after watching Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, the bio pic/ thriller about Gong Show host Chuck Barris.  Rockwell stars as Barris in what truly is one the strangest bio pics ever made.  Based off Barris's memoir of the same name, the movie follows not only his rise as the father of reality TV, but also his supposed double-life as a CIA assassin.  Confessions was the directorial debut of George Clooney. Even though it bombed at the box office, it marked a shift in Rockwell's career. He began getting cast in mainstream Hollywood pictures as well as independent ones.

Welcome to Collinwood (2002).  Clooney and Rockwell first teamed up in this crime comedy, about five very stupid criminals who are planning the perfect heist.  This movie has a stellar cast including Patricia Clarkson, William H. Macy and Luis Guzman.  However, it was probably more fun to make than watch.  Rockwell is a pro at playing stupid criminals and he is very funny in his role.
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Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002).  Rockwell beat out big names like Johnny Depp, Ben Stiller and Mike Myers to play Chuck Barris.  Director George Clooney claims Rockwell resembles a young Chuck Barris, but I think he looks more like a boyish, sandy blond Johnny Depp.  Decide for yourself:

Nonetheless, Rockwell gives a stand out performance as Chuck Barris.  And Confessions is a fun, dark movie that one day might reach cult status.
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Matchstick Men (2003).  In this caper, Rockwell plays sly con-man Frank Mercer. Frank is the protégé of obsessive-compulsive swindler Roy Waller (Nicholas Cage).  Frank loves the art of scamming people and longs for a big scam.  Meanwhile, Roy finds out he has a daughter (Alison Lohman) he didn't know about from his former marriage and begins to develop a relationship with his now teenage daughter. 
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