2009 |
2008 |
2005 |
2004 |
2003
1-20 of 51 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
Savant who inspired Rain Man character dies
24 December 2009 3:14 AM, PST
| Hindustan Times - Cinema
| See recent Hindustan Times - Cinema news
»
The man who inspired the title character in the Oscar-winning movie Rain Man has died.
Kim Peek was 58. His father, Fran, says Peek had a major heart attack Saturday morning and was pronounced dead at a hospital in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray.
Peek was a savant with a remarkable memory and inspired writer Barry Morrow when he wrote "Rain Man," the 1988 movie that won four Academy Awards.
Fran Peek said his son met Morrow at a convention in the early 1980s and the writer was taken with Peek's knack for retaining everything he heard. Morrow wrote the script,
»
Permalink | Report a problem
'The real Rain Man' dies, aged 58
23 December 2009 12:26 PM, PST
| digitalspy
| See recent digitalspy news
»
Kim Peek, the man who was the inspiration behind Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man, has died. According to The Guardian, the 58-year-old suffered a heart attack in his hometown of Salt Lake City, Ut. Peek was often labelled a 'megasavant' for his incredible recall and memorisation abilities, being able to remember to the word over 12,000 books. Peek also had severe brain damage, which meant that he needed to rely on his father Fran for the activities of daily living, (more)
»
- By Aaron Broverman
Permalink | Report a problem
The real Rain Man dies of heart attack aged 58
23 December 2009 9:03 AM, PST
| The Guardian - Film News
| See recent The Guardian - Film News news
»
Kim Peek, the real Rain Man whose almost unimaginable powers of memory were coupled with severe disabilities and who inspired the Oscar-winning film role played by Dustin Hoffman, has died of a heart attack in his home town of Salt Lake City, aged 58.
Peek has been called a "mega-savant" for his ability to memorise to the word up to 12,000 books, including the Bible and the Book of Mormon. He could read two pages in about 10 seconds – the right page with his right eye and the left simultaneously with his left eye.
He knew phone books by heart, and could tell you what day of the week a particular date fell upon going back decades. One of his party tricks was to tell strangers the names of the people who used to live next door to them years ago.
At the same time, though, he had deep disabilities and relied on
»
- Ed Pilkington
Permalink | Report a problem
Rain Man Rip
23 December 2009 3:53 AM, PST
| JoBlo.com
| See recent JoBlo news
»
I thought it prudent to take a moment to recognize not an actor, but a real person who inspired a classic film. Kim Peek, the man who was the real-life basis for Rain Man, passed away this weekend from a heart attack at the age of 58. The role won Dustin Hoffman an Oscar, and he thanked Peek in his acceptance speech, as writer Barry Morrow’s meeting with Peek was the catalyst for his script for Rain Man.
Peek possessed expertise in about 15 different subjects including history,
»
- Paul Tassi
Permalink | Report a problem
Kim Peek, the Man Who Inspired Rain Man, Dies at 58
23 December 2009 1:54 AM, PST
| Slash Film
| See recent Slash Film news
»
Though you may not know his name, Kim Peek directly inspired Dustin Hoffman's role in the Oscar-winning film Rain Man. He died from a heart attack on Saturday morning. Peek was 58, and perhaps one of the world's most famous savants. He couldn't perform basic tasks like using a light switch, but he had a seemingly bottomless memory.
After meeting Peek at a convention in the early 80s, writer Barry Morrow was so taken by his abilities that he ended up writing Rain Man. The film went on to win four Oscars: Best Picture, Actor, Director, and Original Screenplay.
According to Yahoo:
In his later years, Peek was classified as a mega-savant who was a genius in about 15 different subjects, from history and literature and geography to numbers, sports, music and dates. But his motor skills were limited; he couldn't perform some simple tasks like dressing himself.
Peek suffered from
»
- Devindra Hardawar
Permalink | Report a problem
Man Who Inspired 'Rain Man' Passes Away
22 December 2009 3:15 PM, PST
| Cinematical
| See recent Cinematical news
»
The name Kim Peek might not mean anything to you. But what if I said he was the man who inspired Rain Man?
MSNBC reports that the 58-year-old Peek had a major heart attack on Saturday and was pronounced dead at the hospital. While Rain Man was a fictional narrative, screenwriter Barry Morrow was inspired to create the story after meeting Peek at a convention in the early '80s. Morrow was charmed by Peek's ability to memorize everything he heard, and went on to write Raymond Babbitt, the character that earned Dustin Hoffman an Academy Award.
Kim's father, Fran Peek said of his son: "It was just unbelievable, all the things that he knew. He traveled 5,500 miles short of 3 million air miles and talked to nearly 60 million people -- half have been students." As the years went on, the younger Peek became a "mega-savant," having become a genius in
»
- Monika Bartyzel
Permalink | Report a problem
Buzz Break: Persian Rugs
22 December 2009 1:00 PM, PST
| Movieline
| See recent Movieline news
»
· Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton go incognito in what's either a new photo from Prince of Persia, or an attempt to sneak out undetected with one of Tobey Maguire's Blu-rays.
· Dollhouse may be ending its run, but at least star Eliza Dushku will have real-life boyfriend Rick Fox on set to keep her company.
· Survivor host Jeff Probst thinks that Russell was robbed in this week's big finale, and I'm inclined to agree. Freakin' Natalie?
· E!'s Marc Malkin says that Entourage's real-life couple of Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Jerry Ferrara has broken up.
· The man who inspired Rain Man has died. He was an excellent plot driver.
»
Permalink | Report a problem
Kim Peek, the savant who inspired Rain Man, dead at 58
22 December 2009 11:34 AM, PST
| Monsters and Critics
| See recent Monsters and Critics news
»
Los Angeles - Kim Peek, the disabled savant who inspired the title character in the Dustin Hoffman film Rain Man, has died at the age of 58, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday. Peek died Saturday in Salt Lake City after suffering for serveral weeks with a respiratory infection. Born on November 11 1951, Peek was diagnosed as severely mentally retarded at the age of nine months, but by the age of 16 months was already displaying remarkable memory feats. He learnt how to read and write and read eight books a day, committing almost everything he read, saw and heard to memory. He
»
Permalink | Report a problem
Real Rain Man Dies
22 December 2009 4:11 AM, PST
| WENN
| See recent WENN news
»
The man who inspired 1988 movie Rain Man has died, aged 58.
Kim Peek, who was born with mental handicaps, passed away in Utah on Saturday after suffering a heart attack.
Peek inspired the character of Raymond Babbitt, played by Dustin Hoffman in the film, and gained international attention after the picture's release. He later became a popular public speaker.
Peek's unusual medical condition enabled him to memorise and recite vast amounts of information, and he was said to have committed more than 9,000 books to memory. His story inspired writer Barry Morrow to pen the script that went on to win four Academy Awards, including the Best Actor prize for Hoffman.
Peek is survived by his father, Fran.
»
Permalink | Report a problem
Man who inspired Rain Man dies at 58
21 December 2009 8:45 PM, PST
| Monsters and Critics
| See recent Monsters and Critics news
»
The man who inspired the Hollywood movie Rain Man died in Utah on Saturday of a heart attack, according to reports in the Us media. The movie, released in 1988, starred Dustin Hoffman (pictured) and Tom Cruise in an unforgettable journey into the then little-known condition of autism. The inspiration for Rain Man, Kim Peek, 58, suffered mental disabilities but could memorise and recite huge amounts of information, committing 9,000 books to memory. Peek gained international attention when the movie came out and was made a suject of Mri research at Nasa. He went on to travel the world as a public speaker. His father said Peek developed an upper respiratory tract infection in recent
»
- Philippa Bourke
Permalink | Report a problem
Al Pacino, Barry Levinson & Buck Henry Adapting The Humbling
16 December 2009 11:34 AM, PST
| firstshowing.net
| See recent FirstShowing.net news
»
After this year's Summer of Death, losing a filmmaking legend like John Hughes got me thinking about how difficult it's going to be in the coming years as more legendary actors, writers and directors responsible for the films I've grown up loving (or discovered recently) start passing away. However, three legendary artists are still alive and kicking as the NY Times reports that Al Pacino, director Barry Levinson and writer/actor Buck Henry are teaming up to adapt Philip Roth's novel The Humbling, the story of a deteriorating and increasingly irrelevant actor who finds the possibility of renewal in a younger woman.
Pacino is the one who purchased the rights to the book (his first time optioning one) so that Henry (who wrote The Graduate) could adapt the screenplay for Levinson (who directed Rain Man) to bring to the big screen. It's sad to note that Pacino's taking on
»
- Ethan Anderton
Permalink | Report a problem
Al Pacino to Star in The Humbling for Director Barry Levinson
16 December 2009 7:37 AM, PST
| Collider.com
| See recent Collider.com news
»
The New York Times Arts Beat is reporting that Al Pacino will star in an adaptation of Philip Roth’s latest novel, The Humbling. The film will be directed by Academy Award winning director Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Bugsy) and will be written by legendary screenwriter Buck Henry (The Graduate, To Die For). Pacino will star in the lead role and also bought the movie rights to the novel, which is about “an aging and irrelevant stage actor who finds hope of renewal through a younger woman”. This sounds pretty bland and cliche to me, but I do have a little bit of hope for this one just because of Buck Henry’s involvement.
Barry Levinson and Al Pacino also just finished working together on the cleverly named Jack Kevorkian biopic, You Don’t Know Jack, which will air on HBO sometime next year.
»
- Ramses Flores
Permalink | Report a problem
Eminem Is MTV News' #9 Man Of The Year
14 December 2009 3:50 AM, PST
| MTV Music News
| See recent MTV Music News news
»
In 2009, Slim Shady reestablished his hard-earned place in popular culture.
By James Montgomery
Eminem
Photo: Interscope/ MTV News
Which stars had the biggest 2009? Over the next week, we'll be unveiling our top nine most newsworthy, controversial and fascinating men and women of the year. We based our list on factors like music sales, box-office performance, MTVNews.com headlines and traffic, overall reach (crossover singles, appearances in movies, licensing of songs for commercials, clothing lines, etc.), plus X-factors like "impact" and "buzz." (And no, President Barack Obama didn't make the list — we'll leave that to the folks at Time.) This is by no means an exact science, but we think the list we've put together represents the men and women who helped make 2009 the most exciting and memorable 12 months in recent history.
We'll be rolling out our list of the Top 9 Men and Women of 2009 two per day until Friday, when
»
Permalink | Report a problem
6 Actors That Should Probably Not Watch Their Own Movies
23 November 2009 7:16 PM, PST
| FilmSchoolRejects.com
| See recent FilmSchoolRejects news
»
When I interviewed Bill Nighy last year, three things seemed to stand out about the man. One, he shakes hands with only the front part of three fingers like I have to imagine witches do. Two, he had a greater sense of humor about himself than anyone else I've ever met. Three, he was insanely, effortlessly cool.
He continues to exude both coolness and the self-effacing grace that makes him such a charismatic personality (aside from the willingness to star in serious work and movies about werewolves fighting vampires) by claiming that he can't stand the experience of watching movies that he's in. He, like most actors who have thrown out that claim in the past, seems completely put off by seeing himself on screen. Hardly an original claim, but one that rings true for anyone who has ever seen a bad photo of themselves (be they regional theater actors or international film stars).
So I decided
»
- Dr. Cole Abaius
Permalink | Report a problem
The Sunday Movie Quiz – The Answers
16 November 2009 12:33 PM, PST
| HeyUGuys.co.uk
| See recent HeyUGuys news
»
Here are the answers to yesterday’s weekly Sunday Movie Quiz. If you missed the quiz yesterday, go here and give it a try before you look at the answers. Hope you had fun, and will come back for another quiz next Sunday.
Movie Quotes – Name the films
1 Who you gonna butcher man? – The Limey
2 Los Locos kick your ass, Los Locos kick your face, Los Locos kick your balls into outer space! – Short Circuit 2
3 You tell him i’m coming, and hells coming with me, you hear? – Tombstone
4 Better hurry up Russell, time is healing this wound! - Up
5 Muad’Dib!! – Dune
6 Oh, i dunno. Cos i wanted to redecorate. A couple of throw pillows, TV news reporter, what do you think? – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
7 Don’T shake hands with messy Tessy. – Garbage Pail Kids
8 I want you to hit me as hard as you can. – Fight Club
9 I love this plan,
»
- Barry Steele
Permalink | Report a problem
Barry Levinson
10 November 2009 5:30 PM, PST
| The Wrap
| See recent The Wrap news
»
Barry Levinson is an Oscar-winning director, screenwriter and producer. His film credits include "Diner," "Rain Man," "Good Morning, Vietnam," "Bugsy," "Wag the Dog" and recent documentary "Poliwood." He was executive producer of TV series "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Oz." Known for his devotion to his native Baltimore, he is a minority owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.
»
- Lisa Horowitz
Permalink | Report a problem
Movie Stars Featured In Levinson Documentary
2 November 2009 1:32 PM, PST
| Studio Briefing - Film News
| See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news
»
Producer/director Barry Levinson takes a look at the convergence of celebrity and politics in the documentary Poliwood,which airs tonight (Monday) on Showtime. Featured in the film is a raft of Hollywood celebrities, including Susan Sarandon, Spike Lee, Ellen Burstyn, Tim Daly, Anne Hathaway and the late Ron Silver. Levinson, a celebrity in his own right with films such as Rain Man and the political satire Wag the Dog and with TV shows like Homicide: Life on the Street and Oz, attempts to show not only what happens when celebrities come together with politicians but also with ordinary folks. Most critics suggest that the result is confusing. Boston Herald critic Mark A. Perigard says that Levinson's documentary is simply too simplistic. Levinson, he notes, calls his film an "essay." That, says Perigard, is "like calling the back of a cereal box a novel." The Wall Street Journal's Dorothy Rabinowitz comments that Levinson presents "a tonnage of vague pronouncements." Ellen Gray in the Philadelphia Daily News remarks that "for all the eye-rolling that goes on as noncelebrities weigh in on what they believe is Hollywood's undue influence, Poliwood doesn't pack much of a punch." And Alessandra Stanley concludes in the New York Times: "Poliwood feeds our prurient fascination with celebrities' fascination with politics, but Mr. Levinson's thesis is undermined by an election process that he bemoaned but didn't film."
»
Permalink | Report a problem
Quick Snaps: Aff 'Herpes Boy' Afterparty
28 October 2009 9:30 AM, PDT
| Slackerwood
| See recent Slackerwood news
»
The comedy Herpes Boy sold out both its screenings during Austin Film Festival (Aff) this week. The director, producer and cast gave up their seats at the second screening so more festival attendees could gain admission. Speaking afterwards with writer/lead actor Byron Lane and lead actress Ahna O'Reilly (who is Tim O'Reilly's niece) confirmed the humility and enthusiasm of cast and crew for what proves to be a funny and poignant film. I also enjoyed talking with director Nathaniel Atcheson about the film and festivals, but the true gem was co-producer and actress Beth Grant. I spent more time talking with her over the last few days than any other filmmaker at Aff. Keep an eye on Slackerwood for a special podcast where Beth talks about Herpes Boy along with Donnie Darko, Rain Man, Sandra Bullock, Marlo Brando, Johnny Depp and so much more.
[Photo credit: Byron Lane and Ahna O'Reilly at Herpes Boy Afterparty, by Debbie Cerda. More photos on Flickr.]
»
- Debbie Cerda
Permalink | Report a problem
Review: Amelia
22 October 2009 11:30 AM, PDT
| Slackerwood
| See recent Slackerwood news
»
It's Oscar contender season, when the studios trot out the films they hope will capture the attention of the bearers of golden statuettes, and the box office revenue those little gold men bring. One has to wonder just what Fox Searchlight was thinking when they chose to release Amelia.
It seems like a perfect match: Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake) directing a cast of heavyweights, including Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston. Stuart Dryburgh had an Oscar nod for Best Cinematography for The Piano amongst his list of nominations and wins. Both editors, Allyson C. Johnson and Lee Percy, are seasoned professionals, and Johnson has worked on several Nair projects. The writers, Ron Bass (Rain Man, The Joy Luck Club) and Anna Hamilton Phelan (Girl, Interrupted, Mask) each have an Oscar nod. Two books about Earhart are used, including Susan Butler's East to the Dawn and
»
- Jenn Brown
Permalink | Report a problem
Trailer Watch: Will Amelia Biopic Play?
17 October 2009 11:33 AM, PDT
| Thompson on Hollywood
| See recent Thompson on Hollywood news
»
I’ll be showing Mira Nair’s Amelia at Sneak Previews this week. I’ve seen the biopic of the vanished aviatrix Amelia Earhart, which stars Oscar magnet Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, and look forward to grilling the screenwriters, Ron Bass (Rain Man) and Anna Hamilton Phelan (Gorillas in the Mist). The question at hand: how do you tackle a movie biography these days, when authenticity is at such a premium? Some biopics …
»
Permalink | Report a problem
2009 |
2008 |
2005 |
2004 |
2003
1-20 of 51 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
See all NewsDesk partners
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the
above news articles. News articles are published for the entertainment of our
users only. The news items do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we
guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the
site responsible for the article in question to report any concerns you may
have.
