Marcus Langford

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Al Pacino – One Of The Truly Astounding Actors Of Our Generation

There are very few actors that I can watch in just about any movie the do, but Al Pacino is one of them. There are a few others mentioned in this blog. He is a consummate method actor that embodies every role he’s ever performed in. That’s not to say that every [...]

Hayden Panettiere Meets Beth Cooper With A Little Kiss

I don’t usually make a habit of watching teenager movies, but I don’t shy away from them either. Especially, when it’s a Saturday afternoon after I’ve had a tough morning workout of playing Squash and am having a late lunch in front of the television. Last Saturday, was one of those days, and [...]

Is Russell Crowe A Hero Or A Villian?

One of my favorite movies ever is Gladiator, and the reason for it being one of my favorites, is the leading actor Russell Crowe. His role as Maximus Decimus Meridius has to be one of the most raw and inspiring and macho I have ever watched. I remember being awestruck after seeing the [...]

Harrison Ford Is One Of My All Time Favorites

It’s hard to come up with a bigger Marquee movie actor than Harrison Ford. Here’s a guy who in his early years as an actor made one blockbuster record breaking movie after another. American Grafitti, 3 Star Wars movies, 3 Indiana Jones movies, and one of my own personal favorites Blade Runner. [...]

Michelle Pfeiffer Is Smart Sexy And Terrific

A decade or so ago, at a new employee orientation for a job I was just starting, I was asked the question, “If you could meet and spend time with anyone in the world, who would it be?”. Now don’t go getting the wrong idea, and assuming that my answer had sexual connotations of [...]

January 13th, 2010

Al Pacino – One Of The Truly Astounding Actors Of Our Generation

There are very few actors that I can watch in just about any movie the do, but Al Pacino is one of them. There are a few others mentioned in this blog. He is a consummate method actor that embodies every role he’s ever performed in. That’s not to say that every movie he’s been in has been brilliant, but is performances have rarely been anything south of great. Not to mention he’s incredibly cool at whatever he does. Does anyone look cooler in a pair of shades then this guy?

There are several movies that truly stand out in his career, and make him memorable for many people. The first would obviously be his career maker The GodFather Part 1, and the second one being Scarface. I must confess that to this day, I’ve never watched any of the Godfather movies in their entirety, but it is on my list of things to do before I die. Scarface however is one of his movies that I have seen several times. Not just because of Pacino I must confess, but also his costar Michelle Pfeifer. Two of my favorite actors in one movie is pretty hard for me to miss.

He’s also done a few smaller and less memorable movies that really worked for me. One was Carlito’s Way, and the other was The Devils Advocate. He plays opposite sides of the law (kind of) in both movies, but he still really shines. While Carlitos Way is a bit more his typical stick, The Devils Advocate isn’t. He starts off as what appears to be a good guy lawyer (if there is such a thing), and turns out to be the devil incarnate. Like that was a big character stretch for the audience.

I was a bit surprised to learn some of the roles he turned down. Probably the biggest, has to be the role of Hans Solo in the Star Wars franchise. I have to believe that was one of the best decisions in movie history. For the life of me, I just can’t imagine anyone buy Harrison Ford playing the role of Hans Solo. As great as Pacino is, my brain nearly blows up imagining him as a renegade space pilot rescuing princesses and being chased by evil galactic forces. Sometimes fate has a way of doing the right thing.

January 7th, 2010

Hayden Panettiere Meets Beth Cooper With A Little Kiss

Hayden Panettiere I don’t usually make a habit of watching teenager movies, but I don’t shy away from them either. Especially, when it’s a Saturday afternoon after I’ve had a tough morning workout of playing Squash and am having a late lunch in front of the television. Last Saturday, was one of those days, and I ended up watching the movie I Love You Beth Cooper. Now I had heard of this movie before, but for some reason, I had a misconstrued idea of the plot. I knew it was something about a teenage boy graduating from high school, who confesses his love to girl he’s never spoken to for all of high school. That part was true, but for some reason, I thought the girl then ended up in a comma, and they never spoke again for ten years till she woke up. That part was definitely not true, as the girl is in the whole movie. Now if anyone knows the movie I’m thinking of with the comma, please leave a comment below, and let me know what it is.

Any way, I digress a little from the point of this article which is to discuss Hayden Panettiere who played the character Beth Cooper. Every once in a while, you watch someone on screen who you’ve never seen before, and think, “Wow, what an amazing actor, and why haven’t I heard of you before.” Hayden Panettiere played just such a part in this movie, and I don’t think it would have been anywhere near as good if another actress had been cast in the role. Hayden Panettiere was really quite amazing in the part. I’m not sure what other movies she’s been in, but I’m sure after this movie she will be in a lot more down the road. The only other thing I noticed her in lately was a skin care commercial. I’m sure I’ve seen the commercial, but just didn’t realize the girl in it was such an accomplished actress.

I think what I liked about how she played the part, was that she made the character so real. I know a large part character creation has to do with the writers, and to some extent the director, but Hayden Panettiere really carried the role off her. I also think, that a large part of the character creation process comes from the actors themselves, and I have to believe that was the case here. How Hayden Panettiere does in future roles will confirm or deny the validity of my belief, but I’m not too concerned.

I like it when teenage angst movies throw in a little bit of eighties era music classics. The use of Beth by Kiss was a pretty easy fit for this movie, kind of ironic for me as well. I was just listening to an end of the year 70’s top music countdown when Beth came on the radio. My daughter was in the car, and I told her it was Gene Simmons from the Family Jewels playing the song. Then, we watched that movie, and there it was again. Cool huh?

December 18th, 2009

Is Russell Crowe A Hero Or A Villian?

One of my favorite movies ever is Gladiator, and the reason for it being one of my favorites, is the leading actor Russell Crowe. His role as Maximus Decimus Meridius has to be one of the most raw and inspiring and macho I have ever watched. I remember being awestruck after seeing the film, and talking to my Dad about it after. He seem at the time to think the movie had little to say about anything. I suppose he was right, in that there wasn’t a major life changing message in any of it. But I still loved the film, and his performance in it.

If the movie had anything to say, it had to be a message about honor, and uphold your own definition of honor no matter what. Irregardless what others around you do, and have to say. The fact that the movie was directed by Ridley Scott didn’t hurt it in my books whatsoever. Ridley Scott happens to be one of my favorite directors of all time. Something to do with a couple of movies he did called Blade Runner and Legend.

I’m sure most of you have heard of Blade Runner, but not so many know of Legend. Legend starred Tom Cruise, a very young Tom Cruise I might had. It’s a mythical piece about fairies, elfs, unicorns and their accompanying nasty enemies. The role of the big bad was played by Tim Curry, in one of my most memorable movie scenes ever. Where he goes charging across in those big red horns . . . well, it was one of those things you just had to see for yourself.

I forget the young actress that played the maid in need of saving (Mia something . . . ) was quite remarkable, especially when dressed up in her evil costume. I think she’s the same girl that played Ferris’s love interest in the seminal movie Ferris Buellers Day off. Another one of my favorites to be discussed at a later date I’m sure. Matthew Broderick is pretty terrific in that one.

But, getting back to Russell Crowe, I was pretty happy he won the Academy Award when he did, even though he lost out the next year to Denzel Washington for his effort in Training Day. I think Russell would have won it, if he hadn’t managed to piss off a few reports and the media in general. Anyway, one of the lines in the early stages of Gladiator is one that always sticks with me. Maximus hears from his lieutenant Quintus, “People should know when their beaten”, to which he replies “Would you Quintus, Would I”.

December 18th, 2009

Harrison Ford Is One Of My All Time Favorites

It’s hard to come up with a bigger Marquee movie actor than Harrison Ford. Here’s a guy who in his early years as an actor made one blockbuster record breaking movie after another. American Grafitti, 3 Star Wars movies, 3 Indiana Jones movies, and one of my own personal favorites Blade Runner. These movies being made by the likes of the Hollywood elite such as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were bound to launch the careers of many an up and coming actor. I mean even his small role in American Grafitti pitted him up against such industry veterans as Ron Howard. Blade Runner featured a very young Daryl Hanna and Edward James Olmos as an investigative cop. This was long before James was to make it big in Miami Vice and decades later in one of the most brilliant shows ever to hit television Battlestar Gallactica.

As much as I enjoyed his roles in the Star Wars franchise, and the Indiana Jones franchisee, it was his role as Decker in Blade Runner, that really worked well for me. He played the usual tough guy private investigator, but with his usual working class guy charm. Something that Harrison had to come by naturally as he spent a lot of time as a carpenter before making it big. Rumour had it that George Lucas discovered him working on one of the movie sets and decided to cast him in American Graffatti.

Some of his later work as international CIA information analyst Jack Ryan in the Patriot Games & Clear And Present Danger movies was good, but not really my favorite. I suppose I do have a soft spot for science fiction and fantasy roles, especially when they feature top rate actors, actresses and directors.

Harrison Ford was a bit of a natural writer and improv stand up it appears as well. It’s well noted Hollywood trivia, that he came up with the line “I Know”, as Carrie Fishers’ Princess Leila character was about to wish him farewell being frozen in carbon something and said “I love you”. It really built both his characters and personal image as a cocky cowboy that all the girls can’t help but fall for.

But, Harrison appeal to both sexes on the silver screen. Not only did the girls swoon, but most guys watching him would consider him a guys guy. Somone other guys wish they could be like. Of course the pairing of him in the third Indiana Jones with Sean Connery as his father was perfect casting. Well, in spite of the fact that casting Sean Connery in just about anything could be considered perfect casting.

December 18th, 2009

Michelle Pfeiffer Is Smart Sexy And Terrific

A decade or so ago, at a new employee orientation for a job I was just starting, I was asked the question, “If you could meet and spend time with anyone in the world, who would it be?”. Now don’t go getting the wrong idea, and assuming that my answer had sexual connotations of any kind, as it didn’t, but my answer was Michell Pfeiffer. I mean, c’mon who wouldn’t want to spend some time with Michelle?

Here was an actress that was both beautiful, intelligent and edgy. At least in her roles she was. I didn’t realize, that she was married to David E Kelley, who would one day make it huge as a writer for the Ally McBeal show, and a few others such as Boston Public and Chicago Hope. At the time, I knew Michelle mostly for her role as Al Pachino’s coked out trophy wife in the classic movie Scarface. That movie was a career maker for both of them I might add.

But, she was so brilliant in that role, at the time it was hard to consider her in anything else. Although Michelle has had a very eclectic career starring as a smoky lounge singer in The Fabulous Baker Boys and stretching even further to fit into catwomans skin tight leather suit in one of the Batman movies. That was a real Jekyll and Hyde role for here, where she played basically two very different characters in one movie.

She also seemed to be one of the few actresses of her time, who managed to make it big, get critical acclaim, and be taken seriously without self destructing. She didn’t seem to get caught up in any serious alcohol and drug addictions. Rarely if ever made it to the cover of those trashy Hollywood tabloids. Plus, managed to stay married to the same guy for decades. Wow, how often does that ever happen anymore. Far too many actors seem to need to get caught naked doing something incredibly stupid before their career takes off.

Nope, not for Michelle. She seems to be one of those actresses who managed to get by on her talents and hard work. Being beautiful and smart helps a lot in the business of Hollywood. I think the one thing that separated her from the rest of the crash and burn celebrities that we see today, is that she understood the difference between being an actress, and being a celebrity.

November 25th, 2009

Celebrity Gossip – What’s It Good For?

paparazzi Well, it certainly does seem to take up quite a bit of our time, when you have a look around, and see all the publications out there that talk about it. And, I’m not just talking about traditional media like television, newspapers, and magazines. Although it is extremely prevalent there. But it obviously lives like crazy on the internet. When you come to think about it, the internet is really the ultimate gossip magazine. Not because it’s so easy for the big tabloid companies to publish their stuff, but because it’s really more and more driven by the population at large. Just look at the power of social networks online with it comes to celebrity news.

Services like Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace are the ultimate gossip mongering tools. Sometimes, I don’t think they should be called social media, I think they should be called GossipMedia. That’s really what they come down to. It’s kind of like all those chatty clicks at school on steroids. What I find interesting about all this now is, that it’s really being driven by the average person. For years there’s been the argument, that paparazzi and tabloid reports weren’t the real monsters, but the people who buy their stuff. It’s an interesting argument, but one that’s mostly academic until you can actually test it.

Well, the testing has now become reality. When anybody can have a blog, and anybody can post pictures, and anyone can become a YouTube star by posting videos, you really have to wonder who the real paparazzi are? Personally, I think that theory has proven itself. The people who were buying tabloids for years, and pretending it wasn’t them harassing the stars are the same people posting all kinds of breaking news stories, pictures and videos long before the major corporations can.

For a while the big tabloid companies I’m sure were paranoid that their jobs were on the line. But, I think nowadays, that’s all changed. They see this as an opportunity to turn every fan into a reporter or photographer with the potential to grab that million dollar photo. I wouldn’t want to be a celebrity these days. It would seem they have no where to hide any more.