The Deep Blue Sea Battles an Ocean of Emotions in Order to Convey the Pain and Heartbreak of the Reality of War a Torn Britain

The Deep Blue Sea (4 out 5 Stars)

Directed and Written by Terrence Davies (The House of Mirth)

Starring: Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston, and Simon Russell Beale



After a cheery holiday season, what better way to bring things down to reality with one of the most emotional films of the year.  Throughout this holiday season most of my time has been catching up on films I missed in the theatres, or were in such limited release, I missed their time even at Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge.  This film had been on my list since seeing the preview, I love a good thought provoking emotional journey, and this film fits the bill.

Hester Collyer (Weisz) is married to a judge, Sir William Collyer (Beale).  While during the World War II Hester becomes caught in a heated love affair with an air force pilot Freddie Paige (Hiddleston). The film centers on Hester's discovery of the passion she lacks with her older more traditional husband, and Davies rather shrewdly uses impeccable editing in his script to take audiences back and forth between the two worlds where Hester never reaches the emotional stability she needs.

This film is based on the 1952 play by Terrence Ratigan, centering on love that feels incredibly right, but goes wrong when Hester's uncontrollable emotions start to consume her actions.  Davies uses his own experiences growing up in working class Liverpool to emphasize the emotional context of this story.  Davies work in the film The House of Mirth helps extrapolate the social mores within this film looking at the noble judge in comparison with World War II pilot.  Within this film Davies uses the social structure and post war era emotions to help emphasize the emotional struggle of the three characters caught in the love triangle.

One of the main stars outside of the film is the city of war torn London.  From the first and last scenes the the image of a building torn apart by bombing raids proves to symbolize the actresses emotional journey as she battles her fiery relationship, and new found journeys.  Davies knows how to make these scenes impact the film without letting the tone, or scene control the film.  Davies quick cuts from scene to scene allow audiences to create their own understanding of each characters journey, and letting the actor's performance shine.

Each of the three stars is brilliant in their own way, but the most illuminating is Weisz (past Best Supporting Actress winner for The Constant Gardener).  Weisz's character Hester never truly hoots or hollers, nor does she let the stories melodrama become too much.  Weisz has proven throughout the evolution of her career and with this role as Hester that she has perfected her craft, and become one of the best actresses.  As you watch Weisz dance between these two men there is never an instant where you don't struggle with her character; she transforms the viewer allowing them to fight along with her.

The two other men in her life are Freddie and Sir William are also played with utter expertise.  Beale captures the quiet refined nature, while showing his anguish over losing someone he loves; his performance is the quiet brilliance within this film.  Hiddleston is a fire storm; he is one of the best new actors on the scene, from his role as villain Loki in The Avengers, to his alcoholic nature in this film. Hiddleston represents the other side of love passion, and his performance elevates the intense feelings of the passionate love affair.

In the early part of the film Hester's mother-in-law says "Beware of passion Hester.  It always leads to something ugle."  Hester responds with a glib "What would you replace it with?" and mother-in-law responds "with a guarded enthusiasm."  This line represents the true differentiation between passion f

Oscar Roundup 2012: Where Have all the Genre Films Gone

The year is coming to an end, the critics have named their top tens, the Globe and SAG nominations have been announced, soon the other Guilds will announce their nominees, and the Oscar nominees will be right around the corner.  If we look at all the precursors, and experts predictions, which align for the most part. These are the top ten pictures (if there are ten) which most likely be nominated for Best Picture (in alpha order):

Argo 
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
The Master 
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln 
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

These are the most predicted top ten, but there are two spoilers still in contention, but genre fans should not get excited because those two spoilers are The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (nominated at SAG and the Golden Globes), and Flight, which could get attention from numerous branches and had a great box office take.

So I have to ask the Academy does this list of ten "serve the purpose" they intended?  After the 2008 Oscar debacle nominating The Reader over The Dark Knight Rises (or any other better film that year), the Academy knew they had reached their precipice. The Academy wanted to become more "audience friendly" and changed their rules to nominate 10 films, the following year.  Although this rule has been revised and their could be any combination between 5 and 10 now.

In 2009 the year after the rule change took effect the addition of five extra nominees added more genre films: Avatar (Sci-Fi/Action), District 9 (Sci-fi/Action), Up (Animated).  Avatar would have been a nominee no matter what, in fact it was probably the second place film, losing to The Hurt Locker.  The other two films District 9, and Up would never have made the top five, and these two films provided a greater film landscape, proving their new system was starting to work.  You could argue Inglorious Basterds may fit within a "genre" but to me this film fits more a classic drama style with intense action (the same way this year's Django Unchained does).

In 2010 two films would fit within the genre world, Inception (Sci-fI/Action), and Toy Story 3 (Animated).  With Nolan missing out on Best Director (again), I am going to argue that without 10 nominees both of these films would have missed out on the top five.  Now this is merely a hypothesis, and there is no proof, but I think if there were only five nominees it would have been Black Swan, The Fighter, The King's Speech, The Social Network, and True Grit.  Another way the ten nominees helped change the system.

In 2011 (after the rule change) there only nine nominees, and no genre nominee, there was no animated film the merited breaking into this group.  There were two "genre" films that could have broken into the Best Picture race, but were left off.  Drive is an action film, but was never taken seriously by the Academy and missed out on a nomination.  A Separation was the eventual winner in the Best Foreign Language Film category film from Iran, but did not make the top 9.  No foreign language film has ever made it into the top 10 since the rule change.

This year has the most potential for action or sci-fi films ever, with The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Looper, and Skyfall.  These four films could shake up the system, and all could be considered for this Best Picture race, but are any of them serious contenders?

Let's look at the super hero flick first. The Avengers will make it into the Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects category, but will go no further.  The Dark Knight Rises may get a Cinematography, Editing, or Original Score nomination, in the major technical categories, and like The Avengers will most likely score nominations in both Sound categories and the Visual Effects category.  Neither of these super hero tales will be taken seriously enough to make this list.

Looper a true science fiction action adventure film is being ignored left and right by many groups.  The Guild nominees will help determine if this is a viable contender.  Looper could sneak into the Best Original Screenplay category, and become Rian Johnson's first nomination, but may be passed over for more traditional fair, like Django Unchained, Moonrise Kingdom, Flight, The Master, and Zero Dark Thirty.  Looper could also make the Sound and Visual Effects categories, but has a lot of competition.

The biggest action film with the biggest chances at Oscar is the often forgotten James Bond, and Skyfall.  Of these four films Skyfall makes the most "sense" and deserves to make it into the Best Picture race, but at the moment is a major long shot.  Skyfall could score one major nomination with Javier Bardem in Best Supporting Actor, and will most likely get a nomination for Cinematography, Editing, Original Song, Sound, and Visual Effects.   No James Bond film has received an Oscar nomination, and this will be the first one.  Oscar has the chance to reward this film, and make a statement, but voters will unfortunately not put this into the Best Picture category.

No animated film has a shot like last year, but this year is filled with strong foreign language films, but only one has a shot, Amour.  With no foreign language film shaking up the box office like Crouching Tiger,  Amour has an uphill battle.  Amour has a shot in the Best Actress category, the Best Original Screenplay category, and of course will be nominated for Best Foreign Language film, but without any major support this film like most others will be contained within the foreign language category.

Have the more traditional voters monopolized the newer system, and brought even more traditional films into the fold?  The answer is still up in the air because the nominations have not been announced, but based on statistics none of the genre films are going to make the top ten.  This has been one of the best years in film in a long time, and I would hate for the Academy to play it too safe yet again, but it looks as though history will repeat, and comedy, action, sci-fi, animated, and foreign films will be left in the lurch.

All Things Vampire, the Pop Culture Obsession

Throughout the year people have clamored around different popular culture icons, from princesses (Disney) to super hero space fighters (Star Wars and Star Trek), but no figure has reached the heightened popularity and hysteria of today's vampire.  

My friend Alex informed me I had to watch The Vampire Diaries, this has honestly, up until now, been the only vampire television series I have not watched.  My hesitancy with adding this show to my list has to do with the way in which this trend has caught on so rapidly.  Most of major vampire fiends are young teenage girls (or adult women) who fall for the beautiful boys cast in the lead roles.  In the current gamut of shows and films, the young girls are waiting for Edward Cullen or Damon Salvatore to consume their life blood, and posses their mind body, and soul.  An incredibly unhealthy metaphor that young women seem to be sinking their teeth into too easily.

Before I lambaste a whole group or even roast a television series, or film series' popularity it's time to explore the origin of vampires. Within the Vampire Encyclopedia (yes there is an Encyclopedia for everything)  Silver and Ursini stated "The notion of vampirism has existed for millennia; cultures such as the Mesopotamians, Hebrews, Ancient Greeks, and Romans had tales of demons and spirits which are considered precursors to modern vampires. However, despite the occurrence of vampire-like creatures in these ancient civilizations, the folklore for the entity we know today as the vampire originates almost exclusively from early-18th-century southeastern Europe."Based on research the modern vampire (originally entitled vampyre) did not exist until the late 18th Century in Eastern Europe.  

To boil down then when, where, and why of the origin of vampires could be told in anthologies of books.  Mythologies have existed all over the world, but their true birth in "popularity" came in 1897 with the publication of Bram Stoker's "Dracula."  Stoker's book portrays vampires, specifically Dracula's vampirism as a disease or possession of the human body.  The books undertones of sex, blood lust, and disease were seen as metaphors for tuberculosis and syphilis during the Victorian Era. Stoker's tale was based on a mixture of different mythologies, but this book is the birth of the modern vampire in film and television.  Dracula is so popular, the character has been used in more than any other character except, Sherlock Holmes.

To chronicle each and every Dracula reference would be another time consuming task, but the first was the silent German film Nosferatu (1922).  Although the film changes or alters the name of the character the vampire in the film is meant to be Dracula.  A film chronicling the making of Nosferatu entitled Shadow of the Vampire (2000) chronicles the actors own thoughts on himself as a vampire and his evolution into being consumed with the vampire myth.  The most popular old Hollywood film was Dracula (1931) which starred Bela Lugosi, with Dracula in his first speaking role.

While Dracula has seen many incarnations there have been other different vampiric characters who brought about an evolution of the vampire myths.  Dark Shadows, a Daytime drama (1967-1971) portrayed lead vampire Barnabis Collins as poetic tortured soul.  Like the way the Victorian Era inspired Bram Stoker, the late 60s and early 70s laid the ground work for a new vampire story.  During this time, many did not trust the government, and this concept of this evil vampire sucking the blood (or life) out of folks was the government.  No doubt that this show, and the books from Marilyn Ross challenged this trend.

The same can be said for Ann Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" which spanned from 1976 until 2003, and included such popular titles as "Interview with the Vampire" and "Queen of of the Damned" (both were made into films).  The best way to explain the evolutionary understanding of Rice's work is to look at her book/the film Interview with a Vampire.  In both telling there are two main vampires Lestat and Louie.  Louie (who was played by Pitt in the film) can be seen as the tragic vampire who while living it up at one point, and enjoying his life, finally realizes his own tragic journey; he tries to break off from the evil and blood lusting Lestat, the more traditionally dark vampire.  While vampires do not have a soul in many of these modern adaptations there is something within many of them which has made them more kind or poetic.  They find love, although they are still seen as the living dead.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the next step.  There was a film in 1992, but the more popular version is the television series, and eventual comic book (1997-2003) starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as well, a vampire slayer.  The show from creator Joss Whedon is the best interpretation of the vampire myth.  While the show focuses on the vampire huntress Buffy, and her group of friends, the show uses the different mythical beings to represent the different difficulties of being a teenager.  Of course Buffy falls for two different vampires, Angel and Spike (team Angel all the way).  Within the series Buffy is also a kick ass independent female who while her killing Angel shatters her, she is one of the strongest female characters of all time.

The television True Blood is based on the Sookie Stackhouse Series, and while I have only read the first book, the television series has far surpassed the popularity of the books.  While vampires are at the center of the show, there are also witches, werewolves, and shifters, oh my!  True Blood's mythical creatures are the modern answer to what it means to be different in today's society.  True Blood explores the concept of a world where synthetic blood exists, and vampires are part of the manstream culture, a regular minority group like being gay.  The show takes on that deep meaning of what it means to be different using the myth to help tell the story.

Twilight from Stephanie Meyer represent the most popular book/film series about the subject matter, and have evolved in a different way.  People fight over Jacob or Edward for Bella Swan.   Twilight represents the common vampire lore the least, while making Bella and empty shell of a human being who clings to a man with whom she hopes he will drain the life out of her and make her into a vampire.  I am not going to lay into theTwilight series completely, but the popularity of these books, along with the films have further pushed the vampire to the next level in popular culture, leading to even more television shows, books, and film.

While I am new to The Vampire Diaries, the show seems similar to the Twilight concept with a lot more edge, and better characters.  The lead character Elena is caught between two brothers who are vampires, Stefan and Damon.  In the third episode Stefan  writes in his journal "I am looking for a shred of humanity in my brother."  This episode and the beginnings of this show prove the yearning for the male vampire to be something different, although this brother relationship feels similar to the relationship between Lestat and Louie in "Interview with a Vampire."  Even in the fourth episode Damon is reading Twilight pokes fun at it and states Ann Rice had it right.  The show (at the moment) proves there is a battle to find the soul within these lifeless creatures.

Where does this heart and soul come from?  Why do people find such an intense connection, with character who still the life and soul of their victims? The goal for authors and creators of these many different vampiric characters is to provide a deeper context for who they are, and where they came from.  In the past many have tried to paint characters as villains without giving a back story, and sometimes that works for the sake of art, but villainy is complex.  There are numerous examples, in which "evil" is given a back story, and changes the opinion of the past.

Look at the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz.  In the 1939 film and book from L, Frank Baum she was truly just an evil woman. In the book "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" from Gregory Maguire (which eventually became the musical Wicked) we see the story from another perspective, which humanizes this once vilified character.  People flock to read the book, and see the musical, maybe because they want to believe there is even in the darkest people there is still good.  There is also the thought that people want to connect with something familiar, and by changing up the origin story (ever so slightly) you help connect people to their youth, nostalgia.  

For me the questions up above are a bit complex.  The quote from Vampire Diaries about vampires is the connection most people have.  They want to find the heart and soul in these "dead" men.  Luckily producers no longer cast ugly older men, but hot young guys to allow people to be able to connect with or fall in love with and find the soul in the vampires.  Lead vampire characters are typically men, Bill, Lestat, Louis, Barnabis, Edward, Angel, Spike, Eric Northman, Stefan, Damon, and many more, proving at the end of the day these dark brooding characters while after blood and "life" can be changed by the a young pretty girl. I must add I am guilty of this trend, Eric Northman is hot, the same can be said for Angel from Buffy and Angel.  These once dark and brooding characters have "souls" and make their once dark pasts forgettable.  These vampires are the bad boys who have had hundreds of years to evolve because they are tired of the same old thing.

There is more than just the brooding attractive male vampire, although I can see the appeal. Many shows have social undertones, which make the shows even more important.   Buffy was funny, and as a teenager at the time I connected with the mores Joss Whedon used. Alan Ball's True Blood I watch because most of the undertones are about vampires as the "others" and for Ball the othered member are LGBT folks.   Vampires are being used as a metaphor for many different things, which helps the masses get a better understanding of the issues today.

Looking at this one mythical creature and their pop culture evolution is fascinating minus Twilight vampires who shine like glitter in the sunlight, really?  There is something about these mythical creatures which has people fascinated, or maybe we have all just been glamoured.

Holy Motors is one of the Most Interesting, and Strangest Movies I Have Seen This Year. This Meta Adventure is a Fascinating Advancement of Film

Holy Motors (4 out of 5 Stars)

Directed and Written by Leos Carax (Boy Meets Girls, Mauvais sang)
Starring: Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes, and Kyle Minogue



On first viewing (because I will need to see this film again) films like Holy Motors require the mind of someone who can figure out puzzles.  People who are good at solving puzzles know the way the pieces fit together without even trying to to understand the inner workings of the jagged edges. One of the joys about film is that some films are those easy/simple 100 piece puzzles, and some seem to be humungous, and you are always looking for the missing pieces.  Holy Motors is the latter.

Monsiuer Oscar (Lavant) is being driven around in a white limousine by Celine (Scob) to go the his "appointments." of the day.  Prior to his being picked up,  Monsiuer Oscar walks through this movie theatre filled with people, then leaves his home.  Throughout his time with these "appointments" Monsiuer Oscar takes on different personas, and old Gypsy woman, a crazed vagabond who kidnaps a model (Eva Mendes, a banker, a disappointed father, a dying millionaire, and a few more.  All of these different "appointments" feel as though Monsiuer Oscar is taking on different acting gigs throughout the day.  One key to this is one where he where little white dots and performs a dance with some intense sexual connection, and when the camera moves to the screen we see Monsiuer Oscar and his partner in CGI form.  

In this film Lavant is a true star, and gives an incredible performance in each of these different roles.  Throughout the film Lavant adds brilliant layers, often not speaking, and conveys some of the deeps emotions.  After working with Carax before it feels as though these two worked together with great ease and even though this is one of the most complex performances of the year, Lavant turned in a fantastic performance, and one of the most complicated from this year.Lavant's performance is the largest piece of the puzzle on screen, but the director's vision leads to so many depths, which can't be answered by the performer.

Carax a former film critics, takes you on a journey fitting together these different puzzle pieces to create something much larger about film.  Carax worked on a larger budget American film, but the film never came to life. With this project never coming to life Carax, started working on this low budget film, and was finally brought to the screen 13 years after his last picture.  Motors feels  like director David Lynch's Mullholland Dr. both providing a sharp critique on movies today, and the evolution of the modern cinema.  The "actor" goes from gig to gig without the emotional understanding of the part or faking the way they feel about the character.  One of the funniest moments was when Lavant played the dying millionaire whose step niece was grieving for him.  After he said his goodbye in what would be defined as on screen, Monsiuer Oscar gets up asks the girl her name and walks out of the room.

While each of these elements adds to the greater understanding of this film, Carax also references other film styles, and different French cinema.  Without studying or knowing these styles, the film leaves some pieces missing.  For example one of Carax's influences for this film was the French film Eyes Without a Face (1960) by Georges Franju.  Face starred Scob, who plays Celine Monsiuer Oscar's driver.  Within Face Scob (who is brilliant in this film) donned a mask to cover her face; she dons the same mask with this film.  Moments like this made me go out and do my research on French cinema, to some film is lark, made for fun, but Carax recognizes the beauty in the concept of cinema.

Without my own research that piece of the film would have gone way over my head, and while many would view this as a flaw, I view this as opportunity to delve deeper into the world of film, study more about the past, and experience this film once again.  Film is a journey, an adventure, and Carax uses this film as a way to help transport people towards having a better understanding of what it means to watch, and absorb cinema.  Plus who doesn't like a good musical movie homage with Kyle Minogue?Holy Motors is one of the fascinating films this Year.  This meta adventure is a fascinating advancement of film  

While Uneven Les Miserables is an Entertaining, and Emotional Experience Saved by Solid Performances (minus Russell Crowe)

Les Miserables (3 out of 5 Stars)

Directed by Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)

Written by William Nicholson (Gladiator, Nell, Shadowlands)

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks, Sascha Baron Cohen, and Helena Bonham Carter

Making this project looked like a labor of love.  The stage version is one of Les Miserables is one of the most popular, and most acclaimed stage shows of all time.  The film was made into a live action film, without singing back in 1998 with Liam Neeson as the lead.  Without music this film missed the mark in every way on achieving the Hugo's goal.  When this project was announced, fans screamed with utter joy, and as the cast list came out, people exclaimed with even more joy.  With such high expectations there was bound to be both excitement, and disappointment.   This film is an entertaining ride, but there are also flaws in the direction, which prevent it from being truly great.

The film follows Jean Valjean (Jackman) who has been imprisoned for 19 years after stealing a loaf of bread.  As the day of labor ends prison gaur Javert (Crowe) informs Jean Valjean he has been allowed parole, although he will always be seen as scum by others.  When Valjean is finally taken in by a priest he robs him, but the priest grants mercy on him helping him transform his life.  Years later Valjean is mayor of a small town under a different name.  One day while a fight between some women breaks out a factory in his town and worker Fantine (Hathaway) is tossed out, and fired.  Fantine eventually gets taken advantage of to support her daughter Cosette (Seyfried).  The film centers on Valjean's escape from his past and being chased by Javert, along with Cosette.  

Les Mis is based on the novel by Victor Hugo, which has been adapted numerous times in a variety of way.  This version, with William Nicholson's screenplay (one of a dozens) is the most faithful, which helps hit all of these right notes.  Nicholson's screenplay does not reinvent the wheel, neither hurting or adding to the film experience.  Without giving too much of the plot away (if you have not seen the show) those are the basics to the film set to the second part of the French Revolution. The film balances the intense drama of love, war, mixed with the humor perpetuated by innkeepers Thenardier (Cohen) and his wife Madame Thernardier (Carter).  The comedic helps balance out the heavy drama, which sometimes becomes to overwrought in the film.

Director Tom Hooper is the reason Les Mis becomes often overwrought.  Hooper who directed the Best Picture winner The King's Speech (and won director for that film) was guilty of that same crime in his directorial style.  In The King's Speech the direction hit hard so often at the characters emotions that you often lost the nuances of the story.  With King's Speech solid acting saved the film (although I thought King's Speech was beyond over rated).  Hooper hits hard at the emotional here as well.

Hooper hits the emotions so hard he wanted his actor's to sing live while listening to an ear piece of a piano being played.  With this method actors are able to perform while singing rather than letting digitally enhanced voices to determine their actions on camera.  In Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream" this method is beyond successful. Hathaway is brilliant with her performance stealing the film in her brief role; she emotes so well, and the camera focusing on her without cutting away works.  I would add that this also works incredibly well in with Eponine's (Barkman) soliloquy "On My Own."

The problem here (for the most part) is the direction, and not the performances. Hooper strives to capture every emotion, sometimes forcing the emotion, without cutting away in every song.  Hooper has not learned the lesson that this style can detract from the impact of the material.  Hooper did not learn because he was not slapped on the wrist for his direction of King's Speech; he was rewarded with a Best Director Oscar.  Hopefully he will heed these words for future projects.  Hooper needs to let the performances speak for themselves.

As mentioned above Ms. Hathaway is the true standout of the film, namely because her version of "I Dreamed a Dream was one of the most poignant parts of the film, giving me chills.  This was Hathaway's first time singing in film, although she has proven her talent on the Oscar stage.  Jackman the film's lead has done Oklahoma, and The Boy from Oz.  Barkman has done Les Mis in the anniversary version of the show.  Seyfried did the pop musical film Mamma Mia.  Cohen and Carter were both in the film version of Sweeney Todd.  Redmayne is no stranger to the theatre winning for the play Red.  Together these performers know how to bring a musical to life, and they inhabit their characters well.

Jackman proves he does his best while singing, carrying the emotional complexities of Jean Valjean well, along with the physical journey.  After Jackman's tour de force performance, the true standouts were Redmayne, and Barker.  Redmayne has started to get larger film roles, and his performance here has proven he is going to be a sought after man in the next few years.  If you kept a dry eye during his "Empty Chairs" soliloquy you are heartless.  The same can be said for Barkman's "On My Own" and her performance, a star on the rise.  These two actors better get ready for a lot of job offers!

The main problem in the acting department was Crowe's Javert, who after two decades of playing "tough guys" came across as an incredibly whiney and weak Javert.  Crowe is also another reason singing to the music failed.  Javert's "Stars" misses every mark, and the intense relationship between Valjean and Javert is weakened.  

While this has a significant effect on the film, the film was still entertaining.  Many critics are going to say "I hate this film" and "this film was bad."  Neither are true.  While the film is not the best of the year, there are moments which bring you to sheer excitement.  "Do You Hear the People Sing?" is the best number of the film, making you want to stand up raise a flag and join the cause.  Even though Hooper hammers at the emotions too hard, I often got swept up with the ride, and let it take me away allowing the film to remain successful.  While uneven Les Mis is an entertaining, and emotional experience saved by great performances (minus Russell Crowe).

In Memoriam: Charles Durning

On the heels of losing one great character actor (Jack Klugman) we unfortunately are losing another tonight, Charles Durning.  If you look at Durning's imdb.com profile there were 207 acting credits to his name, a testament of just how hard this man worked in his career.  Durning was a true character actor whose career spanned both television and film.  Their careers even started almost the exact same year.

While Durning never was the "star" his work had people remembering his name.  Perhaps his first memorable role was in the 1973 film The Sting, starring opposite heavy hitters like Paul Newman, and Robert Redford.  Durning was also in the acclaimed film Dog Day Afternoon (1975).

The first time I saw Durning in anything was as a small child in The Muppet Movie (1979) he played the villain attempting to get Kermit to be the spokesperson for his fried frog legs.  I remember as a small naive child hating him for chasing Kermit the frog, but that's what Durning did; he took the tough small roles.

I eventually laughed along side him with Burt Reynolds on his longest gig ever, the television series Evening Shade.  Durning was a talented man because he escaped in and out of small roles, doing the best in comedy in drama, making you like him then making you hate him within the next breath.  One of my favorite roles for the the man was as Jessica Lange's father in Tootsie (1982), you really fell in love with this man who finally learned to love again after losing his wife.

Durning did it all throughout his career, made you laugh, cry, hate him; he was a true character actor with whom no role was too small, and throughout his whole career took on guest roles in dramas, and comedies.  His last major role was in the show Rescue Me. Durning a truly prolific actor, passed away at age 89 of natural causes.

In Memoriam: Jack Klugman

Jack Klugman started his career in the 1950s in small roles in the television series Big Town and Justice.  While Klugman would mainly be known for his roles on television it was a breakout film role in 12 Angry Men (1954) as Juror Number 5, which garnered him more attention at set his career off like a rocket.

After his turn in him film Klugman was on two different television series on and off from throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Naked City and The Twilight Zone.  Klugman also appeared as a guest star in three different episodes of the hit series The Defenders; he won his first Emmy award in The Defenders.

After working on series in a limited basis he finally received his first lead credit in the series The Odd Couple, as grouchy slob Oscar Madison.  The television series was based on the play, and film by Neil Simon.  In the original play and movie the role was played by Walter Matthau.  Klugman's Oscar was one of the funniest sitcom performances, and many actors today use his sitcom brand in their acting. While on the show Kulgman won a Gold Globes and two Emmy Awards for this role. The show ran from 1970-1975.

Almost right after this show ended opportunity knocked giving Klugman an opportunity to star in a serialized medical drama, Quincy M.D..  In Qunicy Klugman played the opinionated medical examiner who solved crimes.  Klugman was nominated for numerous Emmy Awards for this show, but never won, the show ran from 1976 through 1983.

Unfortunately at the height of his popularity Klugman was diagnosed with throat cancer, in 1974; he eventually lost a vocal cord in 1989.  Starring in the film Dear God, you could tell his voice was unfortunately strained.  Yet Klugman was a class act, and a memorable character actor who will be missed.

Below is a clip form my favorite episode of The Odd Couple