Paul Newman: 1925 - 2008

Acclaimed actor, humanitarian, and race car enthusiast Paul Newman has died of cancer in his home in Westport, Connecticut. He was 83. I did a remembrance of the actor for NPR News. Listen for the clip from Our Town, I think it provides a perfect cap to his career (and it made me cry). The feature closes with the song Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but I wish I had reminded them to play Newman himself singing Plastic Jesus from Cool Hand Luke. But then I would have started to cry all over again. He'll be missed.

Actor Paul Newman had a career that successfully spanned five decades. He won an Oscar in 1986 for his role in The Color of Money, and received Emmy and Tony nominations for his stage and television work. He also won acclaim behind the camera having directed films such as Rachel, Rachel and Sometimes a Great Notion. Newman also leaves behind a legacy of philanthropy. Since 1982 his Newman's Own food products have donated more than $220 million dollars to charity. Although Newman was an internationally recognizable Hollywood icon, he chose to live a quiet life in Connecticut with his wife actress Joanne Woodward. Newman was also a race car enthusiast who once finished second in the grueling Le Mans 24-hour race.

Choke / Interview with Writer-Director Clark Gregg

Brad William Henke and Sam Rockwell in Choke based on Chuck Palahniuk's book. (Fox Searchlight)

Choke (opening September 26 at select theaters including Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas, AMC La Jolla, Edwards Mira Mesa, and Regal Parkway Plaza) is a new film based on a novel by Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk. So right off the bat, you know it's bound to be provocative. Throw in the fact that the main character played by Sam Rockwell is a sex addict and it only gets more interesting. I spoke with actor Clark Gregg about making his feature writing and directing debut with challenging material like Choke. You can listen to my KPBS Radio feature or read the review.

Tropic Thunder

The cast of Tropic Thunder (Paramount)

I remember Monty Python's John Cleese stating on a talk show that people need to be offended - often. Well Tropic Thunder (opening August 13 throughout San Diego) seems to have already struck a sensitive nerve as protests are already rolling in about the film's use of the word "retard" and it's depiction of a mentally handicapped person. The film also has the potential to offend with white actor Robert Downey, Jr. essentially donning "blackface" to play an African American character. But those are only the two most overt offenses in a film ripe with political incorrectness. Others who may want to line up at the complaint department are gays, priests, obese people, Vietnam vets, Asians, animal lovers... umm, let's see, who did I leave out? But before you decide to join any of the boycotts or protests, consider this, the real butt of all the jokes is Hollywood as writer-director-producer-star Ben Stiller nibbles at if not outright bites the hand that feeds him.

Then She Found Me

Helen Hunt makes her feature film directing debut with Then She Found Me (THINKFilm)

Last year we had a trio of movies about female characters coping with unwanted pregnancies: Waitress, Knocked Up and Juno. This year we already have two films about thirtysomething women who want babies and just can't seem to get pregnant: Baby Mama and now Then She Found Me (opening May 9 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas and La Jolla Village Theaters). It's almost like Hollywood is feeling its biological clock ticking as much as these female characters are. This latest pregnancy-themed film also marks the feature-directing debut of actress Helen Hunt, and with its multiple mother-daughter themes, it's hoping to tap into the Mother's Day crowd.

Into the Wild on DVD

Emile Hirsch as Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild (Paramount Vantage)

Paramount Vantage delayed the DVD release of Into the Wild from February 12 to March I1 probably in the hopes of being able to add a sticker saying "with Oscar-winner Hal Holbrook." But old Hollywood vets just aren't winning votes any more, and Into the Wild failed to nab gold in either of its Oscar bids. So in hindsight, a DVD release before the awards might have generated more interest than having the DVD arrive after the film has become an official loser. The film arrived on DVD yesterday and since I missed reviewing Into the Wild when it opened in theaters, I thought I'd catch up with it now.

In January of 1993, author and mountaineer Jon Krakauer wrote an article entitled "Death of an Innocent" for Outsider Magazine. The article was about Christopher Johnson McCandless, a young man from an affluent East Coast family. He graduated with honors from Emory University, gave away his entire savings to charity, hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mount McKinley with tragic results. The article generated more mail than any other article in the magazine's history. Some admired McCandless' idealism and independent spirit; others thought him a fool or an arrogant idiot. The article proved to be just the beginning of Krakauer's obsessive quest to discover more about McCandless.

Very Bad Things: Interview with Peter Berg

Very Bad Things are about to happen to these ordinary people.

From very early on you know that Very Bad Things is not going to be a very typical film. It starts with a lively, slightly nervous sequence of a prelude to a wedding. Then it flashes back to the groom's wild bachelor party in Las Vegas. There we witness these average suburban guys accidentally kill a prostitute and then murder a security guard to cover up the first death. What's unusual is the way first time director Peter Berg chooses to depict the murder. He shows the men outside the bathroom and blocking the door so that the fatally wounded security guard can't get out. Then we hear the pathetic pleadings of the guard, yet none of the men do anything to help. It's a disturbing scene and believe it or not it's in a film that can accurately be labeled a comedy (albeit a dark one). By shooting the scene in this manner, Berg reveals that he's not going to pull any punches or look for any easy ways out. And unlike most films that head down this dark path, Very Bad Things actually has the nerve to stay true to its dark nature and not cop out to any Hollywood pressure to make a feel good movie.