Thursday Movie Picks: Movies that feature an actor who passed away in 2016
1) Snow Cake - Alan Rickman
Rickman also played Severus Snape, one of the most fascinating characters in the Harry Potter series but his work in this little indie Snow Cake is among my favorites. He plays a man who goes to report the death of a woman he just met to her mother, who has autism and forms an interesting relationship with her.
2) Like Crazy - Anton Yelchin
Narrowing down a Yelchin performance is difficult. I think my favorite film he's been in is Alpha Dog, but I wanted to pick a performance where he's the lead, and he was spectacular in Like Crazy.
3) The Empire Strikes Back - Carrie Fisher
I know it's rather typical to pick a Star Wars movie for Fisher, but Empire Strikes Back is still the best Star Wars movie out there and I count it among my favorite films of all time.
I really wish I didn't have to write this post at all. I wish these wonderful actors were still with us.
How on earth did I not think of Like Crazy? Yelchin was amazing in it.
ReplyDeleteHe's good in so many things, it's hard to choose! He was great in 5-7 and Green Room too.
DeleteI think I did myself a favour my accidentally going off an out of date schedule, because I would be far too upset to put a list like this together! Love all your picks <3
ReplyDeleteI actually had Underdogs ready to post too until last week when I realized she changed it. lol
DeleteInteresting choices though I've only seen one. Love Alan Rickman but haven't seen Snow Cake, looking at the cast list though sounds very worth checking out.
ReplyDeleteThough I've seen a few other films he's been in the only Yelchin movies I'm really familiar with are the Star Trek ones were he does a good job as Chekov.
I'm not much of a Star Wars fan but Empire Strikes Back is a good entry and Carrie is inimitable in it though I thought her best onscreen role was in When Harry Met Sally.
Snow cake is a wonderful little film, you should definitely see it. Yelchin is great in everything he touches too.
DeleteIt's a sad theme this week but it's interesting to see what people chose even if they selected the same performer as we did with Rickman. I had to go slightly over since I couldn't decide between these four performers.
ReplyDeleteThis Happy Feeling (1958)-Debbie Reynolds-When her boss makes a pass at a party in the Connecticut countryside New Yorker Janet Blake (Debbie) dashes into the rain just as Bill Tremaine (John Saxon) is passing and offers a ride to the subway. When she misconstrues a comment Bill makes as a come-on she jumps out and makes her way to the nearest house which belongs to retired star Preston “Mitch” Mitchell (Curt Jurgens) which he shares with his live-in housekeeper, the tippling Mrs. Early (a hysterical scene stealing Estelle Winwood). Stuck and soaked to the skin she stays the night in his guest room but when Mitch’s lady friend, the droll Nita Hollaway (a standout Alexis Smith) stops by in the morning she assumes the worst. Mitch sets her straight and hires Janet as his secretary beginning a charming romantic comedy with Debbie falling for Curt while John falls for her and she being pulled one way and another while Alexis makes caustic remarks from the sidelines. Little known Blake Edwards comedy is a hidden gem and a first-rate showcase for Debbie’s special magic.
Sense and Sensibility (1995)-Alan Rickman- When the Dashwood sisters Elinor and Marianne (Emma Thompson & Kate Winslet) and their mother are forced to move out of their home by their brother’s rotten wife they move to a cottage on their cousin’s estate in the English countryside. There Marianne becomes enamored of the dashing Willoughby (Greg Wise) while the more sedate Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman) pines for her. Meanwhile Elinor yearns for the unavailable Edwards Ferrars (Hugh Grant). There’s so much more in this top flight Jane Austen adaptation directed by Ang Lee but this is a great example of Alan Rickman’s versatility. Best known as the suave but ruthlessly evil Hans Gruber in Die Hard he is the complete opposite here and makes both characters fully formed people.
Me, Natalie (1969)-Patty Duke-Natalie Miller (Patty) is an average looking Brooklyn teen who has a developed a complex from her mother always telling her she’ll be beautiful someday so don’t worry about being plain now. Her traditional father’s no help, he’s bribed a nerdy family friend (Bob Balaban) to marry her so she can be the housewife he thinks is all she should or can be. Encouraged by her jovial Uncle Harold (Martin Balsam) she breaks free. Renting an apartment from the dotty Miss Dennison (Elsa Lanchester) in Greenwich Village she embarks on a sometimes rocky journey of discovery where she finds that being comfortable with herself is more important than how she looks. Somewhat heavy with late 60’s trappings but aside from The Miracle Worker this is Patty Duke’s best big screen performance. Al Pacino makes his screen debut in a short scene at a dance.
Silver Streak (1976)-Gene Wilder-While traveling to his sister’s wedding on the Silver Streak train easy-going George Caldwell (Gene) falls smack dab into murder and intrigue when he becomes smitten with Hilly Burns (Jill Clayburgh) the secretary of seemingly innocuous Professor Schreiner. When he thinks he sees a dead body thrown from the train it’s the start of a wild ride both on and off the train during which he partners up with escapee Grover Muldoon (Richard Pryor) who gets him in and out of one crazy situation after another. Mix of comedy, slapstick, thriller and adventure was the first and best pairing of Wilder and Pryor.
I've never seen Sense and Sensibility which is kind of mad considering how much I love Rickman. I've had it in my Netflix queue for a while.
DeleteS&S contains Rickman's other favorite performance of mine beside Die Hard but the film really has so much more going for it beside his great work. Everybody is playing on their A game and Ang Lee's direction has such a feeling for the period and the material. Plus the settings and costumes are so well thought out, almost another character in the film.
DeleteI hope to see it soon!
DeleteAnton is just.. I can't. That's something I will never get over. Just like I'm still not over Heath.
ReplyDeleteI'm not over Heath either. It's hard to lose your favorites, especially when they're so young. It's crazy to me that I'm now a year older than Heath was when he died.
DeleteThis theme makes me so sad. Love the nerf herder line though - that cheered me up.
ReplyDeleteLike Crazy was brilliant but depressing but both Yelchin and Jones were superb.
I do too, Leia's snark was perfection. There's a deleted scene in Empire where she calls Luke and Han "space jockeys" or something like that. I loved that too.
DeleteLike Crazy is my favorite Anton Yelchin film - still not over him being gone, he's a fantastic actor. I haven't seen the Alan Rickman pick but it sounds like something I should check out. I haven't seen a lot of Carrie Fisher's work outside of Star Wars, but this was a great movie.
ReplyDeleteYelchin being so young and dying in such a ridiculous way is hard to accept. He was such a good actor.
DeleteI'm The guilty one who chose this theme but I'm loving the choices. I think Alan Rickman is the popular person this week but I love the different movies showcased with him in it. I haven't seen Snowcake but I have marked it down. I haven't seen the 2nd film but will look into it. I have seen the Star Wars film and agree that this is the best one.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad! lol. I'm glad Alan is getting a lot of love, that one was so hard. (Well, all three of mine are) but since that came so early in 2016 and right after Bowie it felt terrible.
DeleteLike Crazy is awesome, I didn't know why I didn't think of that. Empire remains the best Star Wars film. I haven't seen Snow Cake but I did pick another film starring Alan Rickman that I'm sure not all of us have seen or heard.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go check it out now!
DeleteSnow Cake sounds an interesting film. haven't seen Like Crazy but I have, obviously, see Empire Strikes Back. Certainly agree its the best Star Wars film
ReplyDeleteSnow Cake is so good, you should definitely see it.
DeleteIn the most respectable way possible, f--k this post.
ReplyDeleteF--k 2016 for the next two thousand and sixteen years.
(that said, I've only seen Empire...gotta check these other two asap)
2016 can definitely get fucked. I hate everything about it. lol
DeleteSnow Cake is a lovely movie, it's so underrated!
ReplyDeleteI agree! more people need to see it.
DeleteI still haven't seen Snow Cake. Thanks for reminding me I need to fix that. That Empire gif...just made me sad again. Man I miss Carrie Fisher.
ReplyDeleteI miss her too :( Star Wars won't be the same without her.
DeleteVery nice tribute to these wonderful actors. It's hard to imagine that they're gone.
ReplyDeleteIt is. I'm glad we still have a few more things of Anton and Carrie's to see, but no more of Alan's is devastating.
DeleteCarrie Fisher - I had rewatched the Scream trilogy recently and she was in the last one and was funny, even made a reference to Star Wars.
ReplyDeleteI remember that! lol. I love the Scream movies.
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