Elmore Leonard Left An Indelible Mark On Film And Literature

A great talent in the writing world was lost today when Elmore Leonard succumb to effects of a stroke he recently suffered at age 87. Movie fans will be familiar with Leonard’s work through the films and television that were adapted from his immense body of work.

Most notably in 1957 his short story set in the old west about an outlaw who is being transported is unexpectedly left in the hands of a lowly farmer to get him to the train for prison transfer. Glenn Ford would go on to star in the classic western story 3:10 To Yuma which would send Leonard’s work on a blazing trail to the silver screen for the next 56 years. The film would go on to find a new audience and have new life when mega-stars Christian Bale and Russell Crowe would star in the remake 50 years later.

In between those years some of his best work work would go on to be made into film by such film making giants as Quentin Tarantino, Barry Sonnenfeld and Steven Soderbergh. Stars from all aspects of Hollywood would star in his films and they would certainly be highlights of their careers.

When it came to crime dramas and stories it could be argued that no one did it better than Elmore Leonard. Mr. Leonard wrote until he physically could no longer do so as he was working on a new novel at the time of his death. He was the quintessential writer and a man whose passion for his craft ran deeper than anyone can ever know. He had a knack for in depth crime stories and twists throughout a story that will make your head spin.

Hollywood and the literary world lost a giant today and no matter what medium you knew his work through, if you were a fan, no doubt you are saddened at this news. We will have a few more films be released soon based on his work and without a doubt the series Justified will carry on and do so in a manner to best honor this writing giant.

Hollywood And Broadway Has Always Been A Happy Pairing

For years now musicals and musical theatre has awed audiences young and old. For many of those years tho the challenge has arose to transfer that great experience to the big screen. In recent years Hollywood has occasionally gotten it right.

This past February at the Academy Awards the theme was a tribute the musical to honor the last musical to take the best picture Oscar, Chicago which celebrated it’s 10 year anniversary. It was only fitting that one of the most celebrated musicals of all time was a best picture nominee in Les Miserable.

Les Mis took a unique and risky approach to filming the musical when it recorded the voices live as if it were a live production. There was no post production recordings so as to give it as real as a feeling of a live musical as possible. While it was a wonderful production, quite possibly the best film production of the musical, it didn’t give quite the feeling a live show gives you.

Musical theatre is one of the most underrated forms of entertainment. To turn in a pitch perfect performance every single night, is just incredible. If you have never seen a live professional musical performance you are doing yourself a disservice. Theatre Tickets are always available so that no one has an excuse as to not being able to attend no matter what major city you are in. Anything from Mama Mia! to Jersey Boys is available so there is something for everyone.

While Hollywood always looks to the stage for new film ideas, it is a two way street and stage directors look to Hollywood for new musical and stage production ideas. For example one of the most successful in recent years was the adaptation of Disney’s Lion King with it’s breathtaking stage productions and art work. As well as one of the most beloved films of all time, The Wizard Of Oz spawned the show Wicked about the origin of the witches of the land of Oz.

There is also a soon to be musical based on the Oscar winning boxing film of Rocky. As odd of pairing as that may seem, you can bet Tickets will be at a premium for that show like so many others.

Soon we will have a screen adaptation of Jersey Boys, the story of the struggles and rise of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The good thing to look forward to here is that Clint Eastwood is at the helm. This may sound odd but when you understand the musical knowledge and talent Eastwood has he just may do the story justice.

John Hughes Related To More Than Just Teens

For as much as John Hughes will be remembered as perfectly portraying the teen mind on screen he may have raised the bar in 1988 with She’s Having A Baby. One of his lesser known films, as far as the box office is concerned. He may have captured the first 5 years or so of an average marriage (take that term with a grain of salt because like life there is no average)  perfectly. When he cast a fairly young Kevin Bacon and new comer Elizabeth McGovern he formed a chemistry and the makings of a film that every young married person could relate to.

Hughes was, at the time, know for his clear glimpse into teen life and angst despite having lived in a different decade. His teen films have clearly surpassed the test of time and will forever live in teen life and help individuals get through high school life.

As Hughes aged he made films like Planes, Trains And Automobiles and She’s Having A Baby. Had John Candy not died one can only wonder where John Hughes would have gone and what he would have made. For it was Candy’s death that, for all intense and purposes, made Hughes withdraw from main stream film making.

Films like She’s Having A Baby showed the adult perspective that Hughes had. He saw the world clearly, young and older.  Baby was the thoughts of his early career and thoughts on having a family which were as complex as most peoples but explained so plainly that many almost couldn’t take it serious.

Baby is a heartfelt look inside marriage and family life. Every temptation is talked about and looked at deeply in a way that makes anyone sympathize with either angle that is freely shown through Hughes unique eye.

The soundtrack is one that when re-listened to at anytime, (Listen to Kate Bush’s This Woman’s Work) could almost bring tears of joy and sadness to your eyes. His ability to mesh fantastic story telling and perfect music was clearly not lost on this film.

Bacon would go on to be a massive star, whereas McGovern would take a slightly different road but not one to be ashamed of. She kept her artistic integrity and can even been seen on the highly successful Downton Abbey.

Bacon and McGovern for me will forever be the perfect couple. Not because everything was perfect in their marriage and lives but because they were imperfect. John Hughes brought things together in a way that will always bring my and many others live’s into perspective. He had an uncanny way of looking into life at any age and adult life was no different than teen life. The teens and younger people who grew up on Hughes will also be able to mature on Hughes with films like this.

Guest Blogger Jackie Looks At Why Casting Your Little Stinker Might Make Your Movie a Stinker

We are pleased to have Jackie from popheadlines.wordpress.com joining us as a guest blogger with her look at how movies that cast kin fare at the box office.

“I know who would be perfect to play my son,” the A-list star says as he tosses a handful of head shots aside. “And, the best part is, he looks exactly like me.” If said star also has a son, chances are you know where this conversation is going.

Mini-me versions of actor Mom, Dad or older brother (I’m looking at you Culkin kids) pop up in films all the time. However, this gimmick is often used in small doses – a quick flashback to Mom’s embarrassing moment in elementary school or the slow reveal of a traumatic moment in Dad’s childhood. It’s the type of cameo that makes the last few minutes of Access Hollywood or shows up as a line item in the review. No big deal.

It’s when the kin of the star win a larger role that people seem to care. But, what’s even more interesting is that people only seem to play the nepotism card when the film has bombed at the box office. If the film does well, the review warmly heralds the casting of the real-life mother-daughter team.

After Earth, a sci-fi film about life on another planet, ahem, after Earth, opened in third place at the box office earlier this summer. It took in about $28 million for the weekend, about half of what star Will Smith’s box office standard openings had previously been. When it comes to summer box office, Will Smith up until this point could seemingly do no wrong. Mr. July brought in hit after hit. To date, the film has only brought in a disappointing $60 million domestic on a $130 million budget. So what went wrong? For one, the film was big time panned by critics who slammed not only the actors but also the not-so-hot anymore director M. Night Shyamalan. Critics also slammed real-life father-son co-stars Will and Jaden Smith.

What’s interesting is that this is not the first time that Will and Jaden have co-starred together. In their last foray into nepotism, Jaden was praised for his role as Will’s son in The Pursuit of Happyness. I’m sure they thought teaming up again would be a win-win for their careers. Does the difference lie in the fact that The Pursuit of Happyness was critically stamped “a good movie” while After Earth is considered the opposite? Or do viewers have a single serving appetite when it comes to nepotism? Yes, you can cast your kid once, but a second time? Maybe it’s time to give another actor a shot.

That being said, Judd Apatow has cast his wife Leslie Mann in a handful of flicks and no one minds, because those movies have all done well at the box office. If he had cast her for a fifth time in a movie that critics and audiences alike rejected, you can bet his casting choice would have been a topic point in the reviews. Not only does he cast his wife, his two daughters have both appeared as Mann’s fictitious children in three Apatow movies – Knocked Up, Funny People and This is 40. Again, this seems to fall under the “isn’t this cute” category of Hollywood, because the films fared quite well.

Nepotism in film will surely be standard fare for years to come. All we can hope is that there aren’t too many film scripts kicking around seeking three generations of a family. The last thing we need is another It Runs in the Family. Kirk Douglas, yes. Michael Douglas, yes. Cameron Douglas? Now that’s a stretch.

Allison Janney Shines As A Star

Many times a versatile actor/actress is very hard to come upon. When it comes to the genre of comedy it can be even more difficult. Over the last 12 to 13 years one of these people has clearly been Allison Janney. With her unquestionable brilliant work on The West Wing, which mixed her comedic and dramatic talents all at once along with a natural ability to deliver fast paced dynamic dialogue.

Janney’s career can not just be measured on screen. She was discovered on stage by true genuine Hollywood royalty in Paul Newman and  the lovely Joanne Woodward. They gave her guidance and bits of advice that would see her rise and shine to the tune of FOUR Golden Globe nominations and multiple Emmy wins.

Janney now stars in the sleeper summer hit The Way Way Back in which she costars with Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Sam Rockwell.

I recently had the chance to speak with Ms. Janney about her upcoming film and past work.

 

If you could tell me how the project came to you and what drew you to your character.

 

This project came around my doorstep many years ago through Jim Rash and I knew Jim through mutual friends and had been a fan of his seeing his work at The Groundlings in L.A. I ha seen Nat’s work also but knew Jim personally. [Jim] sent me the script and I felt this is a character I would love to play and can get behind. When I had seen who he assembled as a cast I felt this is a great ensemble movie.

 

Jim Rash and Nat Faxon have both been writing for a while, You had a unique situation in that they are both co-directors and it was each first directing film, Did this present any kind of challenges?

 

I think ity gave them a great opportunity to make it easier some how. I am a fan of it because they would always, more than likely be on the same page about everything , because they had written together for so long and had this in their wheelhouse for a long time. They know every single moment and what they want.They were really fun to work with!

 

You are one of the few people who has really mastered the dialogue of Aaron Sorkin. How has that helped you since the conclusion of The West Wing and on into your future projects?

 

I was trained in the theater so I came to Aaron Sorkin with a good understanding. One of my debuts was an Olk Howard Play. Noalk Howard was an incredible writer where people talked fast and were smart.It’s been my dream to play that kind of woman, so who knew I was gonna run into Aaron Sorkin and he was gonna write me that sort of fast talking dame at the White House. It was sort of a perfect collaborating that happened for me. Since The West Wing part of me feels I’ve used up part of my memorizing chip (laugh).I think I was just in that habit day in and day out so I could memorize a huge chunk in 15 minutes before going into the press briefing room.

 

You mentioned that you started off in the theater. You are credited with being discovered by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. They are Hollywood Royalty as far as Im concerned.

 

Mmmmm I love them. I totally give them that credit too. Because I did work with them and I was working with Paul Newman when I was freshman in college and Paul always said “ if you ever need favor, all you have to do is ask.” I never asked him for that favor because I could never think of the right one to ask. I love that I never used it but always had it in my back pocket, it gave me incredible confidence. I think they were invaluable to me in terms of building my confidence and starting me out on the right foot. I adore them.

 

Is there any one piece of advice they gave you that stuck with you and still sort of drives you?

 

Joanne always told me not to make fun of the material no matter how silly, just don’t make fun of it. That always somehow made sense to me, I understood what she was talking about.Because you have to own it and believe it. She also talked about the right shoes for the character so I’ve always been obsessed with finding the right shoes for the character.

 

You have worked with a lot of directors early in their career much like Jim and Nat. You worked with Sam Mendes first movie and one of Ang Lee’s first films. Do you enjoy working with first time directors?

 

i do. So funny I guess that’s really true, I’ll tell you every single experience I think there has been a real appreciation and  excitement they have. Everyone wants it to go well so everyone’s on the same team.

 

One thing that came across when speaking with Allison Janney is her love for her craft. When speaking about Paul Newman and Ms, Woodward there was a genuine sense of love and reverence for them. Her voice tone immediately changed in a sentimental tone and you could almost feel her love for them.

Allison Janney is a true star and great actress in this industry. Look for no less from her in The Way Way Back.