Category Archives: tribute

Jeeves, RIP

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

When I first heard that Ask.com had shut down on May 1st, my initial reaction was to be surprised that it was still around.  I always figured that it had shut down in 2006, around the same time that it retired Jeeves as its mascot.  After I got over my surprise, I felt surprisingly sad.  Another part the early Internet is gone.

Kids today might not believe it but there was a time when people used several different search engines instead of just typing all of their queries into Google.  Yahoo was the big one but people also used Lycos, Altavista, DuckDuckGo, Infoseek, AllTheWeb, and several others.  And, if you wanted a personalized experience, you asked Jeeves.  Jeeves would not only answer your questions and give you links but he would do so in the voice of a dryly humorous British manservant.  Before AI, there was Jeeves.  And Jeeves made a lot less mistakes!

Jeeves is gone now and so is a large part of the Internet’s early history.  Today, we take Google for granted and no one calls this place the “information super highway” anymore.  Jeeves might not seem like a big deal to those who never met him but, for many of us, he represents a time when the Internet was new and exciting, when it was a collection of niche sites as opposed to a soul-sucking Behemoth.  Sadly, future generations will never know the joy of Jeeves directing them to the most comprehensive Simpsons fan site on Geocities.  I feel bad for them.

RIP, Jeeves.  Thanks for the memories.

 

 

Happy 63rd Birthday to Jet Li!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

Back in the late 90’s, I remember seeing the trailer for LETHAL WEAPON 4 that shouted out Jet Li. As a person who was just starting to get into Hong Kong cinema, I thought he was absolutely incredible and the best thing about the movie. I was soon watching all of his Hong Kong films and having a ball! The American market loved Jet Li, and used him often in movies like ROMEO MUST DIE and THE EXPENDABLES franchise, but he never reached the quality of his best Hong Kong films like ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA and FONG SAI-YUK. 

Happy Birthday, Jet! You’re one of the all time greats!

Patrick Muldoon, RIP

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This morning, I was saddened to read about the passing of actor Patrick Muldoon.  He died of a heart attack yesterday.  He was 57 years old.

Patrick Muldoon will always be remembered by many for playing Jeff, the “frat boy babe stealer” from Saved By The Bell.  Personally, I thought Jeff and Kelly made for a cute couple and it always bothered me that the show’s writers suddenly changed Jeff from being a nice guy to being a cheater just so Kelly and Zack could (eventually) get back together.  Supposedly, years after the show aired, Muldoon still had strangers yelling at him on the street for breaking up Kelly and Zack.  I felt bad for him reading that.  The man was an actor and he did a good job.

Muldoon went on to play an important supporting role in Starship Troopers, making him the second Saved By The Bell actor to appear in a Paul Verhoeven film.  (Unlike Elizabeth Berkley, Muldoon at least seemed to understand that he was appearing in a satire.)  He also appeared in a countless number of Lifetime films, occasionally sharing the screen with Starship Troopers co-star, Casper Van Dien.  Muldoon was also the first actor to play Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives.  

Here he is in Starship Troopers, getting into a memorable fight with Casper Van Dien.

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Edie Sedgwick Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots from 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots from 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

83 years ago today, Edie Sedgwick was born in Santa Barbara, California.

While at a party in 1970, Edie ran into a palm reader who grabbed her hand and then stepped away, shocked at just how short her lifeline was.  “It’s okay,” Edie sweetly told him, “I know.”  One year later Edie Sedgwick would pass away, with the cause of death officially being an overdose of barbiturates.  She only lived 27 years but, for a brief few years, she was one of the most famous women in America.  She was a model and an actress and, in her way, a revolutionary.  She died before she had a chance to play the roles that she truly deserved.  Instead, we have only a few films that she made with Andy Warhol and a lot of speculation about what could have been.

This post is dedicated to Edie on her birthday.

These are…

4 Shots From 4 Edie Sedgwick Films

Beauty #2 (1965, dir by Andy Warhol)

Poor Little Rich Girl (1965, dir by Andy Warhol)

Outer and Inner Space (1966, dir by Andy Warhol)

Lupe (1966, dir by Andy Warhol)

Happy 79th Birthday to the incredible James Woods!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

I’ve been a fan of James Woods going back to the last half of the 1980’s. As a person who practically lived at the video store in the late 80’s, that period of time was a particularly strong time in Woods’ career and he had emerged as one of those actors whose body of work I wanted to see. With classics already to his name, such as ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, and having just received his first Oscar nomination for Oliver Stone’s SALVADOR, Woods was doing excellent work in both films and TV.

In 1986, the same year of his Oscar nomination, James Woods won the Primetime Emmy for outstanding lead in a miniseries for his role as a schizophrenic in the film THE PROMISE, which also starred James Garner. Interestingly, he would win the same award 3 years later when he played the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in MY NAME IS BILL W, again costarring James Garner. James Woods has always spoken so highly of Garner and their work together. That time also found Woods bringing his incredible on-screen intensity to films like BEST SELLER, COP, and TRUE BELIEVER. Each of these films showcase Woods at his very best. These were the kinds of films I was looking for at that time in my life, and that great work turned me into a lifelong fan.

The 90’s saw Woods transition from lead actor in films like THE HARD WAY and DIGGSTOWN (two personal favorites) to supporting roles in films like THE GETAWAY, THE SPECIALIST (co-starring Lisa’s hero Eric Roberts) and CASINO. He was still consistently incredible in these roles, no matter the size of the role or the quality of the film. He received his 2nd Oscar nomination for playing the horrific racist Byron De La Beckwith in Rob Reiner’s GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI. His performance is pure evil personified on screen. A couple of years later, Woods would play Hades in the Disney film HERCULES, an experience he treasured personally. Some of his best work in the 90’s was again on TV, with the film INDICTMENT: THE MCMARTIN TRIAL being a real standout. Woods was great at portraying lawyers on screen and this is some of his best work!

One of the coolest things about James Woods to me is the kindness he has shown me on social media in recent years. I have asked him questions about his movies and what it was like working with certain co-stars, and he has taken the time to answer them directly. He has commented on my film reviews of his work, even sharing them out with his millions of followers on multiple occasions. In my wildest dreams, 15 year old Brad could not have imagined an actor of the quality and success of James Woods taking time out to show me appreciation for simply enjoying his incredible work.

Happy Birthday Mr. Woods! Thanks for sharing your talents with all of us and showing that you actually appreciate your fans!

Valerie Perrine, RIP

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Actress Valerie Perrine passed away today, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease.  She was 82 years old.

Perrine was the type of actress who could do it all.  She made her debut as Montana Wildhack in the 197s adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughter-House Five.  She was Oscar nominated for playing Lenny Bruce’s wife in 1975’s Lenny.  She was the only cop willing to write Adrienne Barbeau a ticket in Cannonball Run.  She could do drama just as easily as comedy.  But for many of us, she will always be best remembered for playing Ms. Teschmacher, Lex Luthor’s assisant who saved Superman’s life in 1978’s Superman and then helped Luthor escape from prison in 1980’s Superman II.

With Perrine’s passing, only three of the principles from Superman and Superman II are still with us: Sarah Douglas, Jack O’Halloran, and Marc McClure.

RIP.

This one hurts… rest in peace Chuck Norris. 

Posted on by Bradley Crain

Chuck Norris was there for me at the very beginning. When I fell in love with action movies, it was primarily because of three men, first Charles Bronson, followed by Clint Eastwood and Chuck Norris. Back in the 80’s when I was too young to drive, I couldn’t just pull a movie up on my phone or TV anytime I wanted. I had to rely on certain TV channels, like Fox 16 out of Little Rock, and the occasional trip to the video store. Chuck Norris was a megastar on Fox 16 and on the shelves of the video store. Fox 16 would have movie weeks filled with movies like SILENT RAGE, LONE WOLF MCQUADE, MISSING IN ACTION, and CODE OF SILENCE. These movies are just a part of who I am, and Chuck Norris always came across as a fundamentally decent and courageous man on screen. 

Chuck may not have been a critical darling, but he had a presence and charisma about him that drew me in from the very beginning. Even today, Norris has his own unique section in my massive collection of physical media. Up to this point, only the loss of my hero Charles Bronson back in 2003 has stirred up these same kinds of feelings that I’m feeling today. I remember when my son discovered the “Chuck Norris Facts” when he was about 10 years old or so. He loved them so much and would tell me his favorites constantly. It made me happy that my own son knew who Chuck Norris was, even if it was through extreme comedic myth making! I was so happy when Norris cameo’d in THE EXPENDABLES 2 and even told one of this Chuck Norris facts. We loved it and it’s definitely my favorite EXPENDABLES movie.

A little part of me is gone tonight knowing that Norris has passed away. From this point forward, anytime I think of Norris or watch his movies, it will be from a perspective that he’s know longer alive. But one of the great things about movies is that whenever I want to see a young, vibrant Norris, I just have to go to my movie shelves and I can be watching THE DELTA FORCE in a matter of moments. I had to learn how to deal with it for Charles Bronson. Now I’ll do the same with Chuck Norris. 

HARD TIMES ON FILM presents “Soldier,” starring Kurt Russell!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

In honor of Kurt Russell’s birthday, I thought I would share one of my favorite podcasts with you. Most of the time Nick and Ray talk about Charles Bronson, but every so often they go outside of Bronson. Their episode on the Kurt Russell film SOLDIER is excellent. It’s a great way to celebrate one of the most popular actors of my lifetime.

Happy Birthday, Kurt, and enjoy my friends!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hard-times-on-film-the-films-of-charles-bronson-and-beyond/id1593402485?i=1000670947806

Happy 57th Birthday, Terrence Howard!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

One of the most enjoyable days of my life was spent watching Director Sean McEwen film his movie TURNBUCKLE this past summer. And the highlight of the day was getting to meet actor Terrence Howard. He was so gracious with his time and so friendly to me and my wife. I can’t wait to see the movie, and I’ll always have great memories from that magical day!