Abe Vigoda, aka Tessio from The Godfather, Dies at age 94
Posted by Leah on
1/27/2016 12:44:02 PM
They often say that bad news comes in threes. With the recent deaths of David Bowie and Alan Rickman I have to admit that I’ve been waiting for the third. I had hoped, of course, that the saying would prove false in this case, since so many of my Hollywood favorites have passed in the past couple of years. Unfortunately though, the saying (once again) proved true. On Tuesday, January 26, 2016 the legendary Abe Vigoda passed away.
Vigoda had a somewhat odd career, by Hollywood standards. He didn’t start his life as a professional actor until 1947, at the age of 28. By 1...
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Alan Rickman, Best Villain and Best Voice, Remembered
Posted by Leah on
1/17/2016 11:10:43 AM
The second week of January 2016 has been a difficult one in the world of pop culture. We lost not one, but two huge stars in the world of film and music, first with David Bowie on January 10, and followed by Alan Rickman on January 14.
Rickman began his acting career a little late, by today’s standards, at the age of 28. He exclusively worked on stage for the first four years of his acting career, and didn’t land an on screen role until the age of 32, playing Tybalt in a made for TV version of Romeo and Juliet. It wasn’t until Rickman was 42 years old that he made his ...
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73rd Annual Golden Globes Wrap Up
Posted by Leah on
1/14/2016 9:53:21 AM
The 73rd annual Golden Globes were held on Sunday, January 10, 2016 in Hollywood, and while many have said since that this was the worst Golden Globes ever, I disagree. Ricky Gervais, hosted for the fourth time, but for the first time in the past three years. Gervais had hosted the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Globes before Tina Fey and Amy Poehler took over for 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Gervais warned on the red carpet, before the show even began, that quote “They said I could say what I want — NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press. I don’t think they know what that means.” In years ...
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David Bowie: Musician, Actor and Cultural Icon
Posted by Leah on
1/13/2016 12:46:38 PM
On Sunday, January 10, 2016, musician, actor and all around superstar David Bowie, (also known as David Robert Jones) passed away peacefully among family and friends after an 18 month battle with liver cancer.
Of my favorite “Bowie-inspired” memories, some I’ll never forget happened at work. I was a chef at a restaurant and in the kitchen was a stereo to listen to as we worked. At least twice a month the other chef, Brian, and I decided to have “Bowie Night”, during which, for our whole 8 hour shift we’d listen to nothing but Bowie tunes. This irritated the dishwasher ...
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5 Movies of 2015 I hope to Never Have to See Again
Posted by Leah on
1/9/2016 10:57:07 AM
Article originally posted on filmdebate.co.uk
Warning: this article contains some spoilers.
It’s that time of year again. The end of one year and beginning of another that so often brings reflections of all sorts. Most people who write these sorts of things will come out (if they haven’t already) with their “Best of 2015” lists. Be it fashion, news stories, cars, food trends, movies, etc, it seems that there’s no escaping the positive spin placed on most end of the year lists. It’s because of this that (and other reasons that will shortly become more clear) that I’ve decided...
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Marsha Hunt, Dalton Trumbo and The Blacklist
Posted by Leah on
1/7/2016 8:28:04 AM
Article originally posted on http://filmdebate.co.uk/
The time of the Blacklist was a scary one in Hollywood; a time whose influences can still be felt today. Until recently I didn’t know that much about it. I had seen some of the old news clips, and basically knew that it had something to do with Communism, but that’s about the extent of my knowledge on the subject. Then, in October 2015, I had the pleasure of meeting Roger Memos. He asked that I come and see his documentary Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity. I agreed, not knowing much about the film, or its subject.
Marsha Hunt and...
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Are There Any Original Ideas in Hollywood Anymore?
Posted by Leah on
12/17/2015 10:50:11 AM
Article originally published on http://filmdebate.co.uk/
If you spend any time whatsoever watching TV these days I’m sure you’ve noticed one thing, that a LOT of what’s come out of Hollywood lately are sequels, prequels or repackaging of movies that have already been done. It seems like there’s something “new” every month,the most recent being Point Break and Star Wars.
I know that repackaging movies isn’t anything new. Since the second decade of cinema, people have revisited films with the thought that they could do them better once the technology was better. The Hun...
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Last Ever SNOB Fest is a WRAP!
Posted by Leah on
11/30/2015 1:00:52 PM
Let me start by apologizing for the lateness of this wrap up. I caught one of the many viruses making the rounds and have spent most of the past two weeks in bed. Now that I’m feeling better I’ll share my thoughts on the 2015 Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival.
Having never attended SNOB Fest I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I knew beforehand that all of the films would be shown at one venue, Red River Theatres in Concord. And that, according to everything I’d heard, this festival was supposed to have a laid back and intimate vibe. I also knew the history of the ...
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The Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival is Coming!
Posted by Leah on
11/8/2015 10:07:22 AM
It seems like the longer I continue to write movie reviews, the more I learn. For example, I’ve learned that while Hollywood may claim a certain time of year is “award’s season”, it’s really a yearlong thing at this point. Another major thing that I’ve learned is that, while there may be only a select few film festivals (nationally or internationally) that get most of the press, there are hundreds more that don’t. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t worth checking out though!
One such festival is the Somewhat North of Boston (or SNOB) Film Festival. I’ve spent the past...
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Fred Thompson, Dead at 73
Posted by Leah on
11/4/2015 12:16:02 PM
Well known actor Fred Thompson died on Sunday at the age of 73 from a recurrence of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Thompson was also a politician, 2008 presidential hopeful, lobbyist, attorney, columnist, and radio host. Recently known for his role as District Attorney Arthur Branch on the hit TV series Law and Order, Thompson also acted in more than 50 other movies and TV shows including Secretariat, The Hunt for Red October, Die Hard 2 and Days of Thunder. He is survived by his wife, Jeri Kehn, four children and 5 grandchildren. For more info about Thompson, check out his Wikipedia page.
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