1934-2008Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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2008
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May
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- Lost - S4, E13: "There's No Place Like Home, Parts...
- RIP Sydney Pollack
- Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (Robert Luketic, 2004)
- Film Script's Top 7 - Animated Movies (Contemporary)
- National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Jon Turteltaub...
- Lost - S4, E12: "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1"
- I Drink Your Milkshake
- Monument Ave. (Ted Demme, 1998)
- In the Screening Room - Anthony Minghella's The En...
- Lost - S4, E11: "Cabin Fever"
- Sweet and Lowdown (Woody Allen, 1999)
- Must See Movie of the Month: May 2008
- Lost - S4, E10: "Something Nice Back Home"
- Recent Watches: May 2008
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May
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2 comments:
This one surprised me. Not because of his age, but because he had such vitality. He has been working nonstop for the last 40 plus years. He did so much for the industry whether directing, acting, or producing. He was quite a Renaissance Man. His presence in the medium will surely be missed.
Back when his producing partner Anthony Minghella passed, I heard rumors that Sydney Pollack was close to following him. At that point I was incredibly shocked, having seen him in Michael Clayton only months before (I realize it was filmed probably a year before) looking as vital as ever.
A lot of Pollack's obituaries have focused on his directing as what he'll be remembered most for and while that's probably true of most people, I always enjoyed his acting performances. He was always a welcome screen presence for me, a stand-in for any film that required someone who is able to show up without a back story and still manage to be the wisest man in the room. He did it in recent years in everything from Eyes Wide Shut to Changing Lanes to The Interpreter (and that's a tough feat).
His directorial efforts I've had varying feelings on. Ups such as Three Days of the Condor or Absence of Malice and downs like Random Hearts, The Interpreter and The Firm. I wasn't even a huge fan of the much-beloved Tootsie, but I'm glad there are still gems I've yet to uncover from Pollack including both his directorial Oscar-winning Out of Africa and his acting in one of Woody Allen's highly regarded 90's films Husbands and Wives.
This continues a rough 2008, with us losing a key contributor to the film industry in every month since it began. Let's hope this trend ends here. And hope that it ends without us missing another accomplished filmmaker like Sydney Pollack who I felt still had more to give. I look forward to seeing him again in my future screenings.
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