R.I.P. Buck Henry (1930-2020)

Buck Henry

On January 8, 2020, comedian and writer Buck Henry passed away at the age of 89 in Los Angeles, California. With over 50 years of experience, he created an incredible career featuring two Oscar nominations for the films The Graduate and Heaven Can Wait. Along with his work on the film, he became known for what he did on TV as the co-creator of Get Smart as well as frequent appearances on Saturday Night Live. As an entertainer, he was capable of finding deeper insight into even the most absurd of scenarios, managing to create a complex and sympathetic view of the world that made it a more interesting place. What he leaves behind is one of the most charismatic, entertaining resumes that an artist can give. He will be missed. 

Check Out This Year's Honorary Oscar Winners

Jackie Chan

Every year, there's something just as exciting as the Oscar season itself: the Honorary Oscar winners. While held separately from the actual ceremony, the choice to highlight artists who have made cinema a far more interesting place is itself an event worth checking out. For the Class of 2016, the line-up definitely reflects President Cheryl Boone Isaacs' desire to branch out to have a more diverse representation both in terms of female and nonwhite members. In what is probably the most shocking and exciting name on the list is actor, singer, and stunt performer Jackie Chan - whose impressive career continues to serve as the inspiration for actors who want to make action movies while doing their own stunts. The other names are just as exciting, but Chan's placement on the list definitely reflects a positive change.

Theory Thursday: "Easy Rider" is Overrated

Scene from Easy Rider

Welcome to a weekly column called Theory Thursdays, which will be released every Thursday and discuss my "controversial opinion" related to something relative to the week of release. Sometimes it will be birthdays while others is current events or a new film release. Whatever the case may be, this is a personal defense for why I disagree with the general opinion and hope to convince you of the same. While I don't expect you to be on my side, I do hope for a rational argument. After all, film is a subjective medium and this is merely just a theory that can be proven either way. 

R.I.P.Mike Nichols - 1931-2014

Left to right: Leslie Caron and Mike Nichols

There's a lot that can be said about director Mike Nichols' influence on cinema. For starters, his films combined racked up a total of 42 nominations and 7 total wins. Beyond the numbers, his influence is still felt today in a lot of his films, notably The Graduate, which he won Best Director for. That film is important for a lot of reasons, including the Simon & Grafunkel soundtrack which when set to footage of a brooding Dustin Hoffman created the most iconic symbolism of 60's wayward youth. It also helps that the film itself featured bold, risque subject matter that paved the way for 70's New Hollywood movement and redefined the movie soundtrack simultaneously. Even if this is all that he is known for, he would have left an important stamp on film history. However, he was so much more. He was an auteur.

My Top 5 Favorite Dustin Hoffman Performances

Dustin Hoffman

Today is the 77th birthday of actor Dustin Hoffman. In terms of great American actors, I would consider him to be one of the greats. The only strange issue is that in the echelon of great performers, I feel like he gets overshadowed by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino despite being always on par with their craft. Maybe it was because his work was more nuanced and his character tics were often subtle. Nonetheless, he holds a rare feat of not only winning three Oscars, but also starring in THREE Best Picture winners as the lead (Midnight Cowboy, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Rain Man) in three different decades. That is a feat that very few performers have achieved. Say what you will, but I want to give recognition to him on his birthday for an impressive body of work and his continuing ability to make thought provoking films.