Paul Newman, a legendary leading man whose fame never waned thanks to a combination of savvy career choices, raw talent and his reinvention as gourmet food guru, died last night at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn. The Oscar winner and philanthropist was 83.
The actor had been battling lung cancer for several months, possibly longer, but his family kept news of his condition private. Several tabloids spoke of his deteriorating health over the past few months, but Newman’s family wouldn’t discuss the matter. It simply released a brief statement in June saying the acting legend was “doing nicely.”
His last days matched his public persona - understated and private. He handled fame with grace, humility and perspective - the latter a by-product of living far from the city that employed him for decades. And his marriage to actress Joanne Woodward stood as a testament to his unwillingness to embrace Hollywood’s transitive nature. The couple celebrated their 50th year together in January.
He let his work speak for itself, and it will keep speaking long after his passing.
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Remember Kent, the stoner who crashes the studio of Barry Champlain in “Talk Radio?” If you saw the movie you can probably hear his voice if you just close your eyes.
I thought of him while watching a preview screening of “What Just Happened?,” the new Hollywood satire starring Robert De Niro. (see trailer below)
The director in that film is a man-child named Dennis who melts down when the studio threatens to cut his movie into shreds.
Dennis’ voice sounds like it was hauled up a mountain and hit every rock along the way … just like young Kent’s hoarse bark.
Yup. Same guy.
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“Eagle Eye“
Poor Shia gets framed
Cell phone paranoia strikes
‘Eye’ blind to logic
&&&&&
“Choke“
Sex addict stumbles
Twelve stepping, button pushing
Limp drama results
This movie lover gets rankled whenever blogger Chase Squires tells me television puts out a better product than movies. So I asked him to put his defense in writing. The following is Chase’s spirited salute to the boob tube, followed by my cinematic retort.
The case for small screen supremacy - by Chase Squires
There was a time when the entertainment world was ruled by titans. Hitchcock. Huston. Spielberg. They were masters, and they worked in a singular medium: film.
Consider them petroleum now. Their time has gone. Man moved from smoke signals to telegraph to radio to the promised land of 1080p high def, 42-inch cable-fed, plasma-powered, surround sound goodness. Television rules the entertainment landscape with vivid colors, a richness delivered only through limitless continuity of story and boundless variety.
Film lumbers into the tar pits of obsolescence, limited by two-hour time constraints, fouled by the odor of concession-stand cheese nachos and soiled by the limits of adolescent appeal and Wall Street’s box office demands.
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If “Jaws” made you think twice about going in the water, “Eagle Eye” hopes to give you pause when you dial up your cell phone.
Let’s just end the movie comparisons right there.
“Eagle Eye” is a terminally silly story about an innocent man (Shia LaBeouf) framed as a terrorist. Never mind that LaBeouf doesn’t look old enough to buy a Coors Light.
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Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock throws a nasty knuckle-curve in the opening minutes of his latest film.
The “Super Size Me” creator vows to track down the most wanted man on the planet in “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?” now out on DVD.
We’re told Spurlock is about to become a father, and his baby will be much safer if Public Enemy no. 1 is behind bars.
Riggggght. It’s a scam, obviously, an obtuse setup made in questionable taste. But what’s the punchline? What’s he driving at?
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Leatherheads,” George Clooney’s third directorial effort, met with mixed reviews and audience indifference.
The “Ocean’s 11″ superstar has to have some adversity in his life, right?
But it’s probably just right for a lazy afternoon rental.
“Leatherheads,” out this week on DVD, takes us back to the early days of football, and the neo-screwball comedy has its moments. They tend to happen in the first half of the film, leaving us with a rather sorry finale. My Washington Times review during its theatrical release says a bit more about the production.
“Sex and the City” needs little introduction. Suffice to say show fans gobbled up the grrrl power theatrics, while more discerning fans noted its clumsy execution. My Donne Tempo review shares my ambivalence, but I expect a sequel announcement any day now.
(Photo: George Clooney, left, along with John Krasinski and Renee Zellwegger star in the pigskin comedy “Leatherheads.”)
ALSO CHECK OUT:
‘Sex’ is for men, too
Hollywood is slowwwwly starting to deal with terrorism on screen. Better late than never.
This year alone we’ve had “Vantage Point,” “Traitor” and this weekend’s “Eagle Eye.” But some critics aren’t pleased about this development.
They’d rather screenwriters ignore terrorism as a possible film subject. Sex, drugs and violence are still A-OK with them, but anything that hints there are people in the world willing to snuff out western civilization is a no no.
I address the situation in my latest column for Pajamas Media. Not all movie critics parrot these arguments, thankfully, but enough do to merit attention.
(Photo: Forest Whitaker, Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox star in “Vantage Point,” one of the few modern films to tackle the threat of terrorism directly.)
My wife is a reluctant movie fan. Actually, I’m being generous.
Mrs. WWTW didn’t know who Robert De Niro or Al Pacino was when we first met. And don’t ask about her Jack Nicholson impression - easily the worst in western civilization.
But she laughed at a good 85 percent of my jokes, so I put my worries over her lack of movie knowledge on hold.
One of my best decisions, to be sure.
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David Zucker’s anti-left romp “An American Carol” might be the director’s best film since “Airplane!”
But movie critics won’t be allowed to see for themselves until opening day.
That’s traditionally the kiss of death for most movies. Studios regularly hold back movies they suspect will get a critical skewering. “Bangkok Dangerous” didn’t get screened for critics, and neither did the sophomoric comedy “College.”
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