criterionforum.org

Character actor and nice guy Ed Lauter.

Jeff wrote:Character actor and nice guy Ed Lauter.

Hollywood Reporter wrote:One of those character actors whose name is unknown but is instantly recognizable

No matter how true that is, I absolutely hate that cliché.

It's hard to single any one performance of his out but I really, really love that scene near the end of The Longest Yard. I can hear him screaming the Reynolds character's name now as I sit here and type this. The coda to that ("Stick this in yer trophy case!") just makes it all the sweeter.

I had the privilege to meet Ed once and can say without any exaggeration that he was one of the most charming and charismatic people I've ever met. Also... HILARIOUS. I didn't realize until looking at his wikipedia page a moment ago that he started out as a stand up comedian, which makes perfect sense. I've always loved when I'm watching a movie I had no idea he was in, and he appears and completely steals the scene. He will definitely be missed.

Hammer Film's Anthony Hinds

bamwc2 wrote:Hammer Film's Anthony Hinds

What, again?

Mind you, it wouldn't exactly be inappropriate if they'd dug him up, brought him back to life and killed him all over again.

British director Antonia Bird, at just 54.

I've actually only seen Ravenous from her, but it's one of my favorite horror films.

Lovely & massively talented woman... RIP...

Hal Needham.

Damn, and he only just finally got that oscar. Gonna rent me Smokey and the Bandit in honor of him. Fun movies.

MEGAFORCE is unquestionably one of my favorite popcorn flicks. Good, goofy fun. Rad! is a lot of cheesy fun too.

One can only hope Mr. Needham's funeral will involve an appropriate amount of explosions and jumping motorcycles.

MichaelB wrote:British director Antonia Bird, at just 54.

That's very sad. I saw her interviewed at the NFT twice (once after a showing of Ravenous) and she came over very well both times.I liked most of the work of hers I'd seen - Priest is very good and even Mad Love, hacked about by the studios as it was, has its moments. After Ravenous she went back to TV and directed half of the BBC series The Village.

On Antonia Bird I would obviously second all the above recommendations (Ravenous is fantastic - I wish she had been given more opportunities to make feature films) but also want to put in a word for Face, starring Ray Winstone and Robert Carlyle, with its excellent exploration of the deteriorating relationship between a group of criminals following their latest bank heist. It came out the year before Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels caused a resurgence in the British gangster film and got kind of lost in the crush, but I think it is still one of the best of the bunch and perhaps more influenced by Reservoir Dogs and Heat than the late 90s 'lad culture' of the rest of those films.

Particularly amusing was the way that Damon Albarn was hyped up in the advertising for the film as it being his 'acting debut' - he does appear as one of the gang but almost instantly gets killed! Instead I remember more that Face introduced me properly to Steven Waddington for the first time, who delivers one of the best performances of the film as the Lennie to Carlyle's/Ray's George.

flyonthewall2983 wrote:Marcia Wallace.

They said a character on the Simpsons was gonna die this or next season, I guess planned or not it's Mrs. Krabappel.

So...you're suggesting this might have been premeditated murder? Oh The Simpsons, how far you have fallen.

Simpsons producer Al Jean also released a statement on Ms. Wallace’s passing.

“I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace,” he wrote. “She was beloved by all at The Simpsons and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character.”

There had been a recent discussion about a storyline in which a “Simpsons” character passes away, but the character was not to be Ms. Krabappel, he wrote.

“Marcia’s passing is unrelated and again, a terrible loss for all who had the pleasure of knowing her,” he wrote.

I wasn't aware Edna K married Ned Flanders.

Lemmy Caution wrote:I wasn't aware Edna K married Ned Flanders.

Jesus Christ, apparently she did. People still actively watch this? Wallace gave a nice and memorable voice performance, respect given to her for that, but wow

Wait, her name was Krabappel?! I've been calling her Crandall! I've been making an idiot out of myself!

MichaelB wrote:

bamwc2 wrote:Hammer Film's Anthony Hinds

What, again?

Mind you, it wouldn't exactly be inappropriate if they'd dug him up, brought him back to life and killed him all over again.

Sorry. I checked over the last few days of posts and didn't see him mentioned...

colinr0380 wrote:On Antonia Bird I would obviously second all the above recommendations (Ravenous is fantastic - I wish she had been given more opportunities to make feature films) but also want to put in a word for Face, starring Ray Winstone and Robert Carlyle, with its excellent exploration of the deteriorating relationship between a group of criminals following their latest bank heist. It came out the year before Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels caused a resurgence in the British gangster film and got kind of lost in the crush, but I think it is still one of the best of the bunch and perhaps more influenced by Reservoir Dogs and Heat than the late 90s 'lad culture' of the rest of those films.

Especially Heat.

Agreed about the film's considerable merits.

Polybius wrote:Agreed about the film's considerable merits.

I should definitely give Face another look, but I remember being irritated by its incredibly heavy-handed politics - at one point we see the inside of a police locker that just happens to contain a blue Tory Party rosette, and I don't remember the rest being that much subtler.

Although given that relations between the police and the Tories are currently at an all-time low, this shot might read somewhat differently today.

Well it was no The Cops, and it has been a while since I last saw Face too, but then I seem to remember it being much more concerned about the inter-criminal feud than the wider society.

(I'm also sucker for films with scenes set in British motorway service stations in the middle of the night, and there's only really this and Butterfly Kiss that fits that bill!)

Lou Reed tribute thread here.

Also, if someone has died a few days ago and you think you're the first person to post about it, please look back through the last couple of pages just to make sure. We're getting a lot of duplication in here lately.