By John H. Foote So much Oscar history was made last night yet all anyone is talking about is the slap heard round the word, the one WiIl Smith delivered to comedian Chris Rock, who Smith felt had insulted his wife, Jada Pinkett. On one hand, good for Smith for defending his wife, but should…
By John H. Foote The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made another bone head move this week. In their attempt to shorten the show, they have decided to not broadcast the awarding of several awards, believing the time cut will help keep the show to a more manageable length. I for one oppose…
By John H. Foote Canadian filmmaker Ivan Reitman, 75, passed away suddenly this past weekend, dying in his sleep at his home in California. In the eighties Reitman gave us some of the biggest box office hits of the decade with Meatballs (1980), Stripes (1981), and the massive hit film Ghostbusters (1984). Most recently he…
By John H. Foote The Directors Guild of America announced their nominations for Best Director of 2021 Thursday, with few surprises, and two record setters. Steven Spielberg received his 12th nomination for West Side Story, continuing to run up his numbers making him the most nominated filmmaker in the history of the Guild. He has…
By John H. Foote I have been told by actors themselves – Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen and Holly Hunter – that an opinion such as mine, coming from a man who has acted, who has studied acting, and who has directed a substantial number of plays matters a great deal to them. “Well,…
By John H. Foote “The Golden Globes are fun; the Oscars are about money”. So spoke Warren Beatty about 40 years ago when the Globes came under fire, and not for the first or last time. Did anyone really think it would come to this? Last night the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a dubious group…
By John H. Foote Groundbreaking Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier passed away this week, his life dedicated to breaking ground in film for African Americans. Actor, director, writer, Civil Rights spokesman, Poitier was a mountain of dignity during some of the most turbulent times in America history, always carrying himself with confidence and humility as…
By John H. Foote West Side Story, Steven Spielberg’s breathtaking remake of the classic musical is failing to bring in audiences, the film is faltering at the box office. The first weekend was a dismal failure and already harbingers of doom are attacking the film. It failed to make money. So? No a bigger SO…
By John H. Foote The first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award as Best Director has passed. Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmuller died yesterday at the age of 93, after living a full life and having an extraordinary career. Her most exceptional period was in the seventies, during which she made history becoming the…
By John H. Foote With Steven Spielberg’s remake of the Academy Award winning musical West Side Story, several other major remakes have been put into pre-production. Bear in mind the long-awaited remake of Dune, directed by the gifted Denis Villeneuve, delayed in 2020 arrives this fall. Cannot wait for both. The King and I, which won…