Dame Maggie

 

British actress, Dame Maggie Smith, has passed at 89. This grand thespian of stage and screen, had been nominated numerous times and had achieved the Triple Crown of acting with a Tony, four Emmys, and two Oscars. She made her mark in theater frequently working with  Laurence Olivier.  Her noteworthy films included her Oscar winners, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite, Room With a View, Gosford Park, Sister Act, and later as the headmistress in the Harry Potter films. Her more recent fame and honors were as the matriarch in the TV series and subsequent films of Downton Abbey.

The Old Man Season 2

The Old Man on FX is a very entertaining, revealing series that explores fatherhood unlike any other. 

Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow play off each other marvelously with a solid screenplay as  season two continues their journey to rescue their FBI agent daughter kidnapped in Afghanistan, and a new complication emerges as she discovers her personal truth. As Taliban forces converge and her family origins are threatened, all parties are faced with a monumental decision that could trigger something far bigger. 

The recent third episode pays off subplots in a satisfying way and sets up a huge conflict. Fans of the show will be pleasantly satisfied and look forward to future installments. 

 

The Voice of Darth Vader

 

Distinguished actor James Earl Jones has passed at 93. This acting giant conquered stage and screen including the Tony Award winning The Great White Hope which also brought him an Oscar nomination in the film adaptation. He won another Tony Award for Fences along with an honorary Tony and two Emmy Awards. He was one of the pilots in Dr. Strangelove, an evil ruler in Conan the Barbarian, a writer in Field of Dreams, and military VIP in several Tom Clancy adaptations starting with The Hunt for Red October. He made significant TV appearances in Roots, Frasier, and The Big Bang Theory.   He was the voice of Mufasa in the animated classic The Lion King, but it was his voice for Darth Vader in the Star Wars films that cemented his immortality. He was given an honorary Oscar in 2011 and a Grammy Award for spoken word album which made him one of the precious few with EGOT awards status.

It's Showtime!

 

The Magic is Still There in BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

 

Beetlejuice from 1988 was a comedy hit from wunderkind director Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands) and comedian Michael Keaton (Nightshift) which finally gets a worthy sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

The Deetz family suffers a personal loss bringing them together again to a special house.  Lydia (Winona Ryder), who grew up with ghosts, is now a middle aged mother of a rebellious, non-believer girl, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), and must help her ditzy mother (Catherine O’Hara) make funeral arrangements. When Astrid is in danger of being trapped in the Neitherworld, Lydia must take desperate measures even if it means an unholy deal with a nemesis from her past, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), himself being pursued by a mysterious, vengeful woman.  Can Lydia save her daughter from a horrible fate without sacrificing herself? It all comes down to a wild, climactic scene in a wedding chapel.

Utilizing mostly practical effects, puppetry, and ingenious makeup to create unique and otherworldly effects, it’s obvious that Burton, who possesses such an imaginative sense of creepy visuals and characters, could design an amusement park on the imagery alone. The original cast meshes well with new supporting members including Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, and Justin Theroux. However, it is Keaton, as before, who makes the most of his strategically limited screen time. He’s still got it.

After tying up previous plot points concerning the Deetz family (throwing in an homage and cameo honoring past Burton characters) and an interesting, origin history of Beetlejuice, the film becomes more involved and engaging by the final act, and not a minute too soon. The magic is still there with some amusing and laugh out loud moments, and if the final scene is any indication, a third film is quite possible, and hopefully much sooner than 36 years!

**** of ***** stars (for Beetlejuice fans)

Teen Idol and Actor

Actor/singer James Darren has passed at 88. This teen idol made a splash in Gidget and other films including a prominent role in the classic, The Guns of Navarone. He had a starring role in the scifi TV series The Time Tunnel and a successful run on T. J. Hooker. He was also a  frequent guest as a holographic singer in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.  I met Darren at The MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention in 2012. It was a thrill to meet 'Tony Newman' from The Time Tunnel.

A SciFi Legend in 70 mm

I want to share a special experience going to the lovely AFI Theater in Silver Spring to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in 70 mm.  I was (through my dad's astrophysicist job) able to witness the world premiere of this back in 1968 at the Uptown Theater! I have seen it since on tv and normal theaters, but 70mm does not happen everyday for this so I went. It was still an amazing experience with stunning visuals and groundbreaking special effects/graphics (before there was CGI) that still hold up beautifully today. And how prescient was Director Stanley Kubrick of the dangers of AI than Hal the computer? The AFI presented the film as originally shown complete with overture and 20 minute intermission and the house lights

 adjusted in sync with the film at start and finish, truly a maximum film experience. Kudos to the staff especially concession and the box office manager who went above and beyond for me. I even had met the two stars, Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood at The MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention several.years ago. Things come full circle. Thanks to Bridgette and Nick for inviting me.  I just wish this theater was in Catonsville!

The King of Daytime Talk

 

Talk show pioneer Phil Donahue has passed at 88. He revolutionized daytime TV with an aggressive, roving microphone and paved the way for every talk show that followed including Oprah Winfrey. He was unafraid to tackle controversial topics, and his guests drew from the entire spectrum of politics and celebrity including Marlo Thomas with whom he had instant chemistry and married for 44 years. His 29 year run on daytime was honored with 20 Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.