April 14, 1930 – January 16, 2018

It has taken a few days for me to write down my thoughts about Bradford Dillman's passing. It has been difficult for me to find the correct words to express what I wanted to say, and what I needed to say. I will start by saying he was a good actor. Indeed, he was an extraordinary actor--never once giving a bad or uninteresting performance. He seemed to take absolute delight in his work, and it always showed.

HELP. I was just rewatching Working Girl (1988), and as always it is about 80 shades of problematic and confusingly regressive with toxic ideas yet sometimes subversive and mostly always fun.

And, as I sat and actively did not critique the film, I could only think about how much I was jamming with the fashion, and how that is probably embarrassing. But, then I definitely saw a couple of outfits that I have definitely worn ~recently~ and so WHATEVS--I am unashamed.

17 March 1925 – 2 December 2015

Gabriele Ferzetti, the man who single-handedly got high school me to watch '60s Italian cinema.

(I actually have a distinct memory of sitting and waiting for my driver's ed class to start, while screen-shoting Le Amiche on my laptop.)

Okay. What.

I decided to watch this movie after noting the title on James Garner's IMDb page. It was from the '60s and I had never seen it. EXTRAORDINARY. Then, I saw that it costarred Angie Dickinson (queen of my heart!) and Dick Van Dyke and was some kind of ridiculous, crazy, slightly "edgy" comedy from the 1960s: MY FAVORITE.

Little did I know.

James Garner has died at the age of 86.

Soon the many articles and obituaries and remembrances will be coming. They will use words like effortless, charming, and beloved. Certainly, James Garner projected an aura of effortlessness. He was also probably the most charming person to ever exist. And clearly beloved.

However, he was also so much more, and that is why his loss to the film and television world is so--real.

I wasn't able to post a proper tribute in August when Eydie Gormé died because of all the wildness with school starting, but I really wanted to do something to remember her special kind of brilliance.

She was exhilarating: beautiful, talented, hilarious, and wonderful.

2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013

"Well, it was pitch dark and there he was. Tall, blue eyes, slim, quite good-looking."

-Audrey Hepburn in How to Steal a Million

There is nothing to say about Peter O'Toole that hasn't already been said. And, that's because he really was everything. An wildly brilliant, fascinating, and charismatic actor and man--he always had all the attention.

1 July 1939 – 8 August 2013

I mostly love Karen Black from completely random things that no one else cares about, but she was always absurdly great. She had the most fascinating face and the most brilliantly charismatic presence. One simply could not look away when she was on screen.

Rest in peace.

Okay, guys. Have I ever steered you wrong about any movie ever?

No.

(No one who has watched Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine has ever regretted it.)

Guys. GUYS. GUYS! You need to go watch The Maze. It's on Netflix (only until the 15th, when the rest of my Netflix queue disappears forever), it's on YouTube (I think). I'm sure it's everywhere. I'm too lazy to go look. But, I'm sure there are many ways that you can watch this film both legally and slightly-less-than-what-is-necessarily-legal.

PLEASE GO WATCH IT!

You won't be able to appreciate the full magnitude of my delirious excitement unless you too have experienced the "The Twist" (you heard it hear first: best twist ever).

So, I have a lot to say. In fact, I ACTUALLY TOOK NOTES WHILE WATCHING THIS FINE FILM. I wrote random musings and quotes in my Kindle (name: Percy) as it went; but, apparently, I titled the notes with Broken Arrow instead of The Naked Spur. No idea why. I've never even seen Broken Arrow. JIMMMMYYY! *shakes fist*

And that brings me to why I have so much to say. I mean, I often have a lot to say.

December 4, 1921 – April 2013

Deanna Durbin was one the most special, talented, beautiful, joyful actresses of the 1930s and 1940s. That is her legacy. She intentionally ended her short career at its height, because she didn't need the career. She was a wonderful actress and singer and person.

She is the definition of multifaceted; there are so many things that could be written about her.

Yet, I have no words.

It's a very odd movie. And the only real review I could find of it online described it as "pretentious." And, I totally get that. But, it's also perfect.

October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013

I'm finding real difficulty writing this post. I have so many things I want to say about the brilliance of Annette and why she is so important to me, but I just don't have the words.

For me, Annette is the essence of a feeling, an emotion, of a time in my life.

You know when you're little you have more endurance than God is ever to grant you again.

Children are man at his strongest.

They abide.

August 28, 1930 - February 3, 2012.

Ben Gazzara was a brilliant actor -- on the stage, in film, on television. He brought his Gazzaraness to everything.

He's one of my favorite actors to watch because he was so striking and unique. It's impossible to forget one of his performances. He could be doing the most lazy acting job in the stupidest movie, and STILL be utterly fascinating. He just WAS fascinating.

So, yeah. {Spoilers ahead, of course.}

September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011

Cliff Robertson was just an awesome person. I can't think of a single performance I haven't enjoyed. There was just something about that made you wish he was your friend. Maybe it was that sneaky, little smile or that completely inimitable voice?

He was perfect for light, fluffy '60s comedies.... but he was an even better serious actor.

I mean, he was the guy who played the famous Newman and Brando and Lemmon roles -- before they played them.

I had only seen a few bits and pieces of Compulsion before, so I was SUPER-excited to see it tonight! (Orson Welles + Bradford Dillman? HECK YEAH.)

It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.