Passages

[fdm]

Mario Monicelli kills himself.

The fact that this doesn't cause a single comment says a whole lot about the reception of Italian comedy in the English speaking world.

RIP.

Maybe it had to do with it being in Italian. This one at msnbc provided a seemingly good overview of his films. Certainly had my curiosity piqued. <Insert at least an Eclipse box set request here.>

[Perkins Cobb]

Mario Monicelli kills himself.

The fact that this doesn't cause a single comment says a whole lot about the reception of Italian comedy in the English speaking world.

So Italians think throwing yourself out a window when you're 95 is funny? I admit it, I didn't laugh.

[antnield]

Elaine Kaufman, founder of Elaine's restaurant in New York (as featured in Manhattan).

[Antares]

Don Meredith

[domino harvey]

Guest star on the best episode of King of the Hill ever!

[antnield]

American-born Australian actor and boxer Gus Mercurio (also father to Strictly Ballroom's Paul Mercurio).

[mfunk9786]

A woman who had a really rough last few years, Elizabeth Edwards.

[Antares]

James Moody

[skuhn8]

James Moody

On a visit to California in April I went to a James Moody celebration show at Yoshi's (Oakland, CA) which he was supposed to headline (but couldn't due to illness); Frank Wess stepped up and led the show beautifully, but it was certainly worrying. When I met him in '98 he was about the warmest and most jovial musician's I'd had the pleasure of meeting. So sorry to see him leave us.

[Feego]

Turner Classic Movies' annual tribute. Nice, but there were some surprising and sad omissions.

[Minkin]

J. Michael Hagopian- great documenter of the Armenian Genocide.

[ambrose]

Richard Holbrooke

[perkizitore]

Since when do we care about diplomats on this forum?

[GaryC]

English-born Australian TV and documentary director Eric Fullilove, best known for directing many episodes of Skippy.

[MichaelB]

Jean Rollin.

[ambrose]

Since when do we care about diplomats on this forum?

Well as another poster had commemorated the passing of Elizabeth Edwards(a politicians wife) without any objections, I had assumed that it would be acceptable to this community if I posted Mr. Holbrooke's obituary!.

[tavernier]

It is acceptable

[antnield]

Neva Patterson

[Timec]

Blake Edwards

[dad1153]

Fuck, I grew up loving every minute of every "Pink Panther" movie he did (even "Trail" and "Curse" had great moments scattered around) except for "Son of the Pink Panther," his unworthy swan song to film directing. R.I.P. Blake.

[colinr0380]

Jean Rollin.

A very interesting horror director, especially of the vampire film. So many of his works have a dream-like, drifting, semi-conscious, automatic writing quality to them (which I mean as a compliment!), and I love the way that I find events blur together while watching into a unique experience.

Though I guess that the vampire films will be what he will mostly be remembered for, I quite like the zombie films he made, even if the motifs of female companions exploring dark ruins and eroticism didn't sit quite as comfortably in that subgenre. The Grapes of Death, in which the Night of the Living Dead-style outbreak is caused by - what else? - yokels drinking tainted wine is a lot of fun (And, while it doesn't do much with the premise, it could be seen as a part of a 70s trend of horror films using ecological matters or chemical dumping as their inciting incidents, including Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue, Day of the Animals and Rollin's own Living Dead Girl, in which the re-animation occurs through toxic chemical dumping). Highlights of Grapes include:

Spoiler

a wonderful eerie electronic score; Brigitte Lahaie stealing the show again as a non-disfigured monster, but perhaps even more insane than the rest; a spectacular crucifixion/decapitation and the prerequisite ultra-downbeat ending.

The Living Dead Girl is also excellent, though of course Zombie Lake is to be avoided (except maybe seen in a Eurociné double feature with Jess Franco's Oasis Of The Zombies). The urban thriller films like Night of the Hunted and Killing Car share a few similar motifs with the vampire films as well.

Which of the vampire films to recommend? Perhaps the easiest would be Fascination as his best 'all round' film (Brigitte Lahaie wearing nothing but a cape and wielding a scythe!) Or perhaps the early classics like Shiver of the Vampires, Le viol de vampire or La vampire nue? Or maybe jump straight into the notorious Requiem For A Vampire?

Even with the resurgence of French horror in recent years, I still mostly associate Gallic chills with Jean Rollin! (Though it was great to see Lahaie turn up in an appropriate role in Calvaire!)

[Richard]

Blake Edwards

I don't care what people say. I love Breakfast at Tiffany's.

[Cinephrenic]

RIP Blake Edwards

RIP to the french Jesus Franco, Jean Rollin

[flyonthewall2983]

Captain Beefheart

[denti alligator]

That hits hard.