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Murder by Death (1976) More at IMDbPro »

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5 items from 2012

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Jack’s Top 10 Albums of 2012

26 December 2012 11:43 AM, PST | Blogomatic3000 | See recent Blogomatic3000 news »

After listening to the same old bands as I always have and next to no new music last year, I resolved to change that in 2012. These Top 10 choices are based on what I listened to most according to Last.fm with a little tweaking.

1) Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror

Sledge hammer noise-pop with big-arse guitar riffs, pounding drums, sunny and lush vocals and some stupidly catchy melodies. Why this incredible duo aren’t the biggest band in the world, I have no idea. Best Track – Demons

2) Purity Rings – Shrines

Ambient and intimate synth-based pop soundscapes that manage to simultaneously sound sparse and expansive. Intelligent and soothing work. Best Track – Belispeak

3) Murder By Death – Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon

The alt-country act continues to mature magnificently on their sixth album. Perhaps more understated than their previous albums, but the song-writing has come on in leaps and bounds. Best Track – I Came Around »

- Jack Kirby

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Best Movie Ever?: "Capote"

17 September 2012 10:09 AM, PDT | The Backlot | See recent The Backlot news »

My favorite thing about Truman Capote is his, uh, "performance" in the awful 1976 whodunit Murder By Death. Have you seen this vile mansion caper? It's Clue without the zing and exotic weaponry. (And I have my own problems with Neil Simon, but we'll get to that another day.) Here's Truman Capote as eccentric millionaire Lionel Twain, the host of the sinister dinner party. You'll notice David Niven is making a weak attempt to out-gay him.

It's so much. Peter Falk can't help but flash a wicked, Colin Firth-y stare at him.

What's amazing about Capote's weird role in Murder By Death is it's representative of the public's perception of him as a whole: He's celebrated as a wit, a fabulous bon vivant, and for being in total control as a writer -- an entrancing "host" for readers, if you will. Capote, the 2005 biopic starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, unpacks »

- virtel

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Best Movie Ever?: "Clue"

16 May 2012 11:26 AM, PDT | The Backlot | See recent The Backlot news »

In the short history of "Best Movie Ever?", I've covered enough cinematic treasure to render Leonard Maltin catatonic and super-gay for yeeeears. From Nine to Five and Working Girl to Clueless and Mean Girls, we've reexamined a lot of staggering celluloid and, more importantly, women in blazers. Today, I offer up a movie that I can hardly judge as a mere admirer. It's my favorite movie, it's probably your favorite movie, and when we add up its five most unbelievable elements, we'll be so high on glamorous (and Inconceivably Silly) goodness that we'll strike each other with candlesticks, lead pipes, and Colleen Camp's triumphant bazooms. Can you dig it? It's the zany whodunit Clue, darlings, and it's what makes Western civilization good.

Now, full disclosure: I've already written one magnum opus about Clue, and it's pretty comprehensive. But I wrote that for (gasp!) a largely straight audience, and now »

- virtel

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‘The Artist’ interview with actor James Cromwell

23 February 2012 1:26 PM, PST | The Scorecard Review | See recent Scorecard Review news »

A golden member of Hollywood, the very tall James Cromwell has played almost every part in the business. With more than 150 film/TV roles to his name, Cromwell has embodied princes, majors, presidents, vice presidents, doctors, and manipulative geniuses. Despite the positions of power he usually plays, he received an Oscar nomination for playing Farmer Arthur Hodgett in Babe.

In his latest role, he once again provides working man wisdom as the chauffeur to fallen silent film star George Valentin in The Artist. Although his time on-screen is in brief segments, Cromwell’s appearance in the movie provides an excellent bridge of the older days of Hollywood (his family was in the business) to the newer ways of filmmaking, in which timeless stories remain true in movies like The Artist.

I sat down with James Cromwell in a roundtable interview to discuss his passion for this movie, what he thinks of sound engineers, »

- Nick Allen

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Interview: Actor James Cromwell on Role in Oscar-Nominated ‘The Artist’

30 January 2012 9:31 AM, PST | HollywoodChicago.com | See recent HollywoodChicago.com news »

Chicago – The character actor has always been a fixture in Hollywood culture, and there are few as unique as James Cromwell. He’s had many memorable roles in films like “Babe,” “L.A. Confidential” and within the “Star Trek” legacy. Currently, he portrays Clifton in the Oscar-nominated “The Artist.”

Cromwell was born of Hollywood royalty. His father was director John Cromwell (”Of Human Bondage,” “Since You Went Away”) and his mother was notable 1930s film actress Kay Johnson. He grew up in New York City, and studied acting at the Carnegie Mellon school in Pittsburgh. After years of stage work, he broke into TV in the mid-1970s, with a noteworthy role in “All in the Family,” as the talked-about-yet-never-seen character of Stretch Cunningham (see story below). This started a series of supporting parts in films and TV throughout the next couple of decades.

James Cromwell as Clifton in ‘The Artist »

- adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

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2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009

5 items from 2012

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