Bob Hoskins — A Pirate, A Toon Private Eye, and a True "Star"

Today we lost a great character-actor and leading man, Bob Hoskins.  I use the term “leading” because Hoskins attained this unlikely status in 1988 — even though the odds were against the portly, average-looking, gravelly-voiced, middle-aged theater actor.  But Hoskins won over both kids and adults in the ambitious and very expensive blockbuster, Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  Not only did Hoskins enjoy the rare opportunity to co-star with cartoon legends (Mickey, Daffy, Bugs, Goofy, and Donald), but he was able steal the scene!

Hoskins represents a rare case when a respected stage thespian could suddenly propel into headlining a studio feature.  For Hoskins, it wasn’t because he was ladykiller or, by standard definitions, a leading man.  He was just that damn talented.

One…Two…Freddy’s Turning 3-0!

Once again, I lament about a time long gone: the age of “Freddy”.  Today, the horror movie icon, Freddy Krueger celebrates his 30th anniversary.  Spawning from the imagination and nightmares of director/writer, Wes Craven (Last House on the Left, Swamp Thing), no one could have foreseen that the legendary, supernatural “son of a hundred maniacs” who haunted — and occasionally murdered — his victims while they slept would become the box office juggernaut and pop-culture icon that permeates today.

Despite the feeble attempt to remake the original Nightmare on Elm Street in 2010, the 1984 horror flick continues to haunt and scare.  Even for those who weren’t alive 30 years ago and have developed impervious shells to original film’s occasionally hokey horrors, it’s hard to argue its continuous imagination, originality, and craft.  The first Nightmare was responsible for propelling the struggling New Line Cinemas into major studio territory and for introducing the world to baby-faced Johnny Depp (who’s acting prowess would be showcased at a later date — at least he’s acting like a normal human being here).

Mickey Rooney: The Golden Boy of a Golden Era

My mother asked me why I never posted about the loss of Shirley Temple.  I had my reasons: I wasn’t familiar enough with her work, she appeared to have lived a healthy, happy life. AKA: No Drama!  Temple seemed to resist the scars and damage that comes with childhood movie stardom.  But Mickey Rooney was different: He never stopped being a movie star. Although Rooney’s career peaked before World War II, Mickey permeated throughout the cinematic landscape for his entire life; even making a lovely cameo in 2011’s The Muppets during  “Life’s A Happy Song”.  For many children, he was just a regular old man — others were shocked to learn he was still alive!  But for those who recognized him, Rooney was a legend.

Captain America 2–Review

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a tiny miracle.  Despite being a cog in the well-oiled Marvel/Disney machine,  The Winter Soldier avoids feeling like a piece of mechanization.  It succeeds as an independent, inventive and surprising suspenseful installment.  In fact, Captain America 2 is the first tie-in movie since the original Iron Man that feels like a self-sustaining entity rather than a commercial for a dozen tie-in films and a billion dollars in merchandising. (Don’t worry folks, you still get two post-credit scenes that hint of more to come.)

Despite the success of prior films — with the Avengers laying the new Hollywood gold standard for large universe tie-in features — Marvel has been smart by letting each solo property reside within the confines of its own universe.  Captain America exists in a world that is surprisingly grounded in comparison to the fantastic Thor or the sci-fi driven Iron Man and Hulk.  This enables directors Anthony and Joe Russo to create film vastly different from any other Avenger film, even the original Captain America. 

Noah–Review

Noah is a dazzling fantasy written with both a 2,000 year-old scripture and an added dash of 21st century mentality as its source material.  Director Darren Aronofsky is both a visual master and a philosopher.  With Noah, it’s obvious that he’s less enthralled with recreating a text word-for-word, but would rather explore its ideas and produce his share of questions.  The big one here is a planet on the brink of self-destruction in order to insure its simultaneous cleansing and rebirth.  What is the exact purpose of it?

Despite his creative diversions, Aronofsky remains true to the Bible: Noah is bleak and huge in scale, filled with genocide and death but eventually ends with a modicum of hope in humankind and morality.  In other words, this is true Old Testament stuff here.