Category Archives: tribute

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!

Brad’s Scene of the Day – The Bar Fight in CODE OF SILENCE!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

As a teenager of the late 1980’s, I’ve always been a huge fan of Chuck Norris. And my favorite Chuck Norris movie has always been CODE OF SILENCE. My wife and I are celebrating the action star’s 86 birthday by watching the classic from director Andrew Davis! Norris was never better than he is here!

Scenes I Love: Robert Carradine vs David Carradine in Mean Streets

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Rest in Peace, Robert Carradine.  The veteran character actor and son of John Carradine (as well as brother of Keith and half-brother of David) has passed away at the age of 71.

Most of the articles about his death describe him as being “Lizzie Maguire star Robert Carradine.”  Robert Carradine, however, had a long career and it started long before Lizzie Maguire.  Eternally youthful, he was still playing teenagers when he was in his 30s.  (Let’s just say that he was a bit old to be a college freshman in Revenge of the Nerds.)  Robert appeared in his share of 70s exploitation films but he also appeared in films directed by Hal Ashby, Walter Hill, and Martin Scorsese.

In fact, one of Carradine’s first roles was in Scorseses’s 1973 masterpiece, Mean Streets.  Here he is, sharing an unforgettable scene with his brother David.

Robert Duvall, RIP

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Salud, you glorious actor.

I knew this day was going to come because he was only 5 years away from 100 but still, it breaks my heart.

Rest in peace, Robert Duvall.

In my opinion, Robert Duvall was the best of American actors to come to prominence during the 60s and 70s, someone who was consistently great, who could move you to tears or make you laugh, someone who was just as good at being a villain as he was at being a hero.  It’s hard not to think of a single movie that was not improved by the presence of Robert Duvall.

He was the original Boo Radley and, though he was only in To Kill A Mockingbird for a few minutes, his performance was unforgettable.  He captured both the shyness and the compassion of an outcast with a good heart.

In M*A*S*H, he was Major Frank Burns, the dangerously incompetent doctor who drove Bud Cort to tears, got punched out be Elliott Gould, and eventually tried to kill Donald Sutherland.  Burns was the perfect villain and Duvall wisely didn’t play the role for laughs.

In the original Godfather novel, Tom Hagen was described as being bland and colorless.  In the films, Duvall transformed him into one of the most vibrant characters in the entire saga.  During the first film, when he asks Michael “why am I out?,” he breaks your heart.  When Michael snaps at him in the sequel, you realize that Michael is losing the one person who still cares about him.  His absence in Godfather Part III is so deeply felt that it makes you realize that Robert Duvall was just as important to the saga as Pacino, Caan, Brando, and the rest.

(Robert Duvall had previously worked with Brando in The Chase and, on the set of The Godfather, he was one of the few actors who could call Marlon out.  Once, when Marlon was holding up filming with a hundred nit-picky questions, Duvall said, “Don’t worry, Marlon, we don’t have anywhere to be either.”  Marlon laughed and shot the scene.)

In Apocalypse Now, Duvall delivery of one line — “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” — summed up everything that the film had to say about war.

In Tender Mercies, he gave one of the most honest performances that I’ve ever seen and he won a deserved Oscar.  Tender Mercies is one of the great Texas films and that’s largely due to Robert Duvall.

In the miniseries Lonesome Dove, he made you laugh, he made you cry, he made you believe that he had stepped out of the Old West, and he made it all look easy.

With The Apostle, he proved himself to be as strong a director as an actor.  He crafted one of the best American films about religion to come out in the 90s and he gave a fearless performance that should have won him a second Oscar.

Even in a seriously flawed film like The Judge, he could hold your attention like few other actors.

Robert Duvall was born in California, raised in Maryland, and began his career in New York and yet somehow, he was one of the most authentic Southerners that I’ve ever seen on screen.  Down in my part of the world, we considered him to be something of an honorary Texan.  By most reports, he had the fiercely independent but generous spirit that defines the best of the Southwest.  When he was a struggling actor, his roommates were Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman.  His best friend was James Caan.  He knew and worked with the best actors and directors of the past 60 years.

He was a truly one of the greats.  He may be gone but his performances will live forever.