The casting of Robert Montgomery (1904–1981) in They Were Expendable was uncommonly appropriate. The suave, handsome actor made his name in debonair romantic comedies throughout the 1930s, but like John Ford he didn’t wait until America was dragged into war
AP: The 2010 Ford Fusion was named Motor Trend magazine’s car of the year Tuesday, beating out the Toyota Prius, BMW 7-Series, Chevrolet Camaro and others in the closely watched competition. It was yet another accolade for Ford Motor Co.’s
“I was just the paint for the palettes of Ford and Hawks.” — John Wayne — John Wayne was still young in 1944, only thirty-eight years old. And yet the major elements of his inimitable style were hardening into place.
[youtube VkS8-bVPdak — click here to watch in full-screen HD] “Close-ups, affectionate or noble, are held at leisure; long shots are sustained long after their narrative role has been performed. A marginal figure is suddenly dwelt on, lovingly enlarged to
“That bold buckaroo with the cold green eyes.” — General Douglas MacArthur, describing his savior John Bulkeley — In March 1942, facing imminent capture by the Japanese, America’s commander in the Far East was ordered to slip away to safety
“I am really a coward. I know I am, so that’s why I did foolish things. I was decorated eight or nine times, trying to prove that I was not a coward, but after it was all over I still
[youtube HwH4rPHZT4Q — click here to watch in full-screen HD] “[John Ford] was the only one of the Hollywood directors who fought who did not forget his men.” — Captain Mark Armistead, USN — Thus quotes Joseph McBride in his
[youtube LMsfogNky6w — click here to watch in full-screen HD] A thousand years ago in Cairo, surrounded by ancient pyramids and the ghosts of lost civilizations, the great Arab scientist Alhazen conducted a peculiar optical experiment. Building on observations made
Firing a red-hot cannon blast at both parties and the excesses of America’s capitalist system, filmmaker Michael Moore’s latest documentary “Capitalism: A Love Story” is also his most stylistically and emotionally mature work to date. Launching with a string of
Terrible news. Fox News just reported that actor Patrick Swayze lost his fight with pancreatic cancer today at the age of 57. Swayze arrived on the scene in a big way in 1983, with a starring role in Francis Ford
Using reader scores, IMDB ranked their top 15 films produced since 2000. Other than “The Departed,” which along with “Mystic River,” “Crash,” “Crash,” and “Crash,” ranks in the top 5 over-rated films of ever, there’s little to quibble over. Taste
“We’re here today, Mr. President, about the project that is due our studio, …on your contract,” the man with rectangular blue Goutier glasses crisply announces to the gathered party of the President and his people. He adds, “I assume Mr.
The Democrats, after getting their butts kicked all through July, are trying to change the momentum by raising the bloody flag of class warfare. Last Friday the House of Representatives voted 237-185 along party lines to enable financial regulators to
Only a tiresome poseur like Quentin Tarantino could think that the Hollywood pretty boys he cast in his soon-to-be released opus The Inglorious Basterds are convincing movie tough guys. Where is Lee Marvin when we need him? You’ve probably experienced
Like college, Comic-Con was something I’d heard about but never planned on attending. My interest in the “graphic novel” faded sometime in the 70’s when Superman comics hit thirty cents and God created an endless supply of old movies on
Dear Mr. Reagan, I have a conservative dilemma and I am not sure what to do. When I have questions like this I usually ask myself, “What would Reagan do?” This is a tough one but I know you will
AP: The Washington Post reported on its website that Robert McNamara died in his sleep at his home in Washington. The precise cause of death was not immediately known. A former Ford Motor president, McNamara was defense secretary under presidents
I’ve never robbed a house. Nor trashed one. And I don’t plan to take up breaking and entering as a second career. But as a screenwriter, with an active imagination, I always have an excuse to do a “what if…”
On Dec. 12, 1974, my grandparents were driving home when a vehicle traveling 50 miles per hour hit them. On March 17, 2002, I was driving home when a vehicle driving traveling 50 miles per hour hit me. My grandparents
The centenary of John Wayne’s birth passed in 2007 with hardly any attention from the U.S. media, which shows both how out of touch the critical community is and how much more astute audiences are than the great majority of
John Wayne walks the walk in Hondo, 1953. It’s in the walk. Think of Mae West, hands caressing her Rubenesque hips, head tilted, not just sauntering, but oozing forward, the exaggerated female. Elbows cocked and angled at his hips, moving
The final trailer for “Terminator Salvation” has hit the blogosphere. It’s four minutes long and some are saying it reveals too much. Peter Sciretta of Slashfilm.com complains it “basically squeezes the entire film into 4 minutes.” I’ve embedded the trailer
The sun is sinking in the west The cattle go down to the stream The redwing settles in her nest It’s time for a cowboy to dream…. Exquisitely crafted, but never ostentatious. Pleasantly mellow, but never lazy. Thematically rich, but
After flirting with smaller, more squishy roles in recent pictures like “The Assassination of a High School President” and “What Just Happened,” Bruce Willis is returning to action. The 54-year-old actor is interested in a slew of projects that will
Disparaging Sean Penn’s brainpower is somewhat like picking on Roseanne Barr’s lack of charm. It’s redundant and superfluous and altogether unnecessary. At the risk of writing something redundant, superfluous and altogether unnecessary, I’m going to go for it anyway. I’ll
