In Memoriam: Donald Sutherland in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"

by Nick Taylor

It has been so heartwarming to see the outpouring of love for Donald Sutherlnd in the wake of his death. Co-stars, crew members from his films, folks whose connections to the actor seem almost random until you read how Sutherland’s kindness, generosity, politics, and talent left a lasting impression on the person commemorating him. The write-up from our own Cláudio Alves is among the most touching and thorough I’ve seen. I wanted to add my own tribute, and chose to write about his central, film-enabling performance in Philip Kaufman’s 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers . . . .

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Almost There: Christopher Plummer in "The Insider"

by Cláudio Alves

Despite starring in two Best Picture winners and many other movies blessed by plentiful love from AMPAS, Christopher Plummer always struggled to be recognized by the Academy. While the actor earned a lot of golden accolades and nominations for his TV work, including two Emmys, his cinematic efforts rarely caught the attention of awards-giving bodies. It was only in the twilight of his career that such fate changed but that doesn't mean he wasn't deserving before. For example, in 1965, the year of The Sound of Music, I'd have happily nominated him both for his stern star turn as Captain von Trapp and for the malicious sensuality he brings to Inside Daisy Clover.

Still, the closest he ever came to an Oscar nomination pre-2009 was for Michael Mann's The Insider...

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Adieu Chérie: Danielle Darrieux

by Salim Garami

The longevity of Danielle Darrieux's life - reaching up until the golden age of 100 as she passed Tuesday on 17 October - parallels the longevity of Darrieux's storied career. To know her path is to essentially map out the development of French cinema in a cursory sense: Beginning as a child in the very dawn of the French sound era within the musical comedy Le Bal in 1931 until a star-making turn in Anatole Litvak's Mayerling, taking a detour at the cusp of her fame to Hollywood like many beautiful French stars would, returning to her homeland right through the Left Bank faction of the French New Wave working with the likes of Claude Chabrol and Jacques Demy, finding her way to the Broadway stage with Coco as Coco Chanel, and taking a moment to work with directors of the Cahiers du Cinema second generation and the Cinema du Corps until her final screen appearance in 2010. 

As far as she went, her sophisticated presence gave a sense of class and dignity to most roles she embodied - whether from the wisdom of the grandmother in her voiceover role in Persepolis or the conflicted Louise in The Earrings of Madame de..., possibly her most popular role and among her favorite collaborators director Max Ophuls - without shedding the youthful spontaniety that made her an early entry into the canon of French actresses. Her range in projects and roles was never diluted by her distinct recognizable stature as an actress and singer.

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"American Girl": Tom Petty at the Movies.

By Salim Garami

What's good? 

In memory of the musical legend Tom Petty, I couldn't help thinking about how the movies essentially introduced me to my love for his music (much as movies happen to introduce me to a lot of music I come to hold close to my heart) and I wanted to have something to say about it.

So I looked to two wildly different films that utilize the quintessential Heartbreakers classic "American Girl", the jangly pumping tune about a young girl looking out in hopes of a world outside her balcony. It was his second big hit, riding on the success of previous single "Breakdown", and it's instantly recognizable in the Diddley-esque high chords strumming and the sort of bass drum kick-snare pattern that makes one pop up and ready to move. It's no less infectious than any pop song of the day in its simplicity. So it only makes sense that so many films and tv series would be eager to use it in their soundtracks.

Take It Easy, Baby, and Find Out Which Films I Choose After the Break...

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