Sydney Pollack (1934-2008)

Director. Producer. Actor.

That was the great Sydney Pollack. It’s hard to believe that he’s gone. The Academy Award-winning director of such hits as Tootsie and Three Days of the Condor passed away on May 26 after a long bout with cancer.

His was an amazing career, beginning as an actor in the 1950s. He did stage and TV before making the leap to films in the early 60s, starting with War Hunt, a Korean War drama co-starring another young actor named Robert Redford. The two first met on this film and formed a lifelong friendship and professional partnership.

Interestingly, Pollack never really considered himself an actor, and soon made the transition to directing and producing. The results were magical. As a director, he made a number of memorable films, including Jeremiah Johnson, Absence of Malice, Out of Africa (which won the Best Picture Oscar for 1985 and garnered Pollack the Best Director statuette), and of course, Tootsie.

His producing credits were diverse, including such films as Presumed Innocent, Sense and Sensibility, and The Talented Mr. Ripley (one of several films he made with the late Anthony Minghella).

I always saw Pollack as a journeyman director, the kind of filmmaker who builds an incredible body of work over years – decades, even – films of all genres and temperaments, the kind of director that Hollywood just doesn’t seem to produce anymore. He was a director that actors clamored to work with, knowing he could take their performances to a whole, new level.

Don’t believe me?

Just ask Dustin Hoffmann. Or Meryl Streep. Or Robert Redford. These actors, and many others like them, loved working with Sydney Pollack because they knew that he would take care of them, that he would make them feel safe, that he would do whatever it took to help them give the best performance possible, and turn a good movie into a great movie.

Pollack was the kind of director that cinema needs more of – however, sadly today, it has one less. And like all of the other directors we’ve lost recently, he will be missed by the audiences he leaves behind.

The 2008 Summer Movie Season

They’re here…

The 2008 Summer Movies! And we all know what that means.

Crowded, air-conditioned theaters.

Buckets of popcorn…much of which you’ll be stepping on to get to your seat.

Crying babies, talking teens, and at least one person who never remembers to set their cell phone on vibrate!

Enough CGI to send you into a cartoon coma.

And enough heavy bass coming out of your local theater’s speakers to rattle the fillings in your teeth.

That being said, I’m actually looking forward to (most of) this summer’s crop of tentpole movies. Which isn’t usually the case, especially in recent years. Now don’t get me wrong. I love a good popcorn movie as much as anybody, but they’re just not like they used to be. I still long for the days back when I was a kid and had (at least) one good movie to look forward to over summer vacation to make me believe in the magic of the movies. Movies that instilled a sense of wonder in me and took me into amazing imaginative worlds. Movies that thrilled me or scared the yell out of me.

Movies that made me believe.

Movies like the original Star Wars. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Superman: The Movie. Alien. Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Terminator. At the end of the 70s and for most of the 80s, it seemed like there was always a summer movie or two (or three) that took my breath away and amazed me with its originality and power.

These days…not so much.

Of course, there are still amazing summer movies being made that carry us off into a unique world we’ve never seen before (or maybe only once or twice, depending upon which sequel it is). But for the most part, they usually lack a genuine sense of wonder, or that certain “We’ve never seen anything quite like this before…” quality that I remember growing up.

And that’s why most summers I don’t really get that excited about what the studios are sending our way to drive up the weekend grosses.

But this year is different.

For the first time in a long time, I’m looking forward to more than a few films coming out between Memorial Day and Labor Day. (or more accurately, between the beginning of May and Labor Day – man, is it me, or is summer getting longer every year?)

In fact, the summer movie season kicks off with the arrival of Iron Man on May 2. Yes, it’s yet another superhero movie from the gang at Marvel Comics (who, incidentally, are so far ahead of the DC kids that at this point, it’s ridiculous. Come on Warner Brothers, let’s get it in gear!) However, I’ve always liked this particular character. I read Tony Stark/Iron Man’s adventures in the comics as a kid, and I always thought that he was pretty cool, especially since he had no powers and had to rely on his smarts to survive. That, and his ultra cool suit of armor that could fly (and shoot repulsor rays!). Plus, Stark was not a goodie two-shoes. He was a complex character who had problems and demons of his own to fight (like so many of the Marvel characters). The fact that director Jon Favreau chose an actor of Robert Downey, Jr.’s caliber speaks well for the project. I’m hoping it’s a good flick.

Along with Iron Man, there are quite a few other superheroes on their way to the big screen this summer, and it’ll be interesting to see how these movies fare:

- The Incredible Hulk, with Ed Norton as Bruce Banner. I’m really hoping this one is better than the last Hulk movie with Eric Bana. Nothing against director Ang Lee and the cast he put together with that one, but I really didn’t care for that story at all. My fingers are crossed that this one is a better script.

- Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I have to admit, I know nothing about this movie, except for the fact that I liked the first Hellboy. Ron Perlman's the man. Put him in prosthetic makeup, all the more so.

- Hancock, starring Will Smith. I know absolutely nothing about this movie, except for the trailer I saw online. I’ve never heard of this character before, so I’m assuming he’s not based upon a comic book. If I’m wrong, maybe somebody can correct me. Don’t know what to expect, and unless I hear it’s dreadful, I’ll give it a chance and judge the flick on its own merits.

I love my superhero movies, so I’m willing to give most Hollywood fare a chance. Which brings me to one other superhero movie that’s coming this summer, and it’s the one I’m most looking forward to…and that’s Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. I have to admit, I was a little wary when I heard that they were bringing Batman back to the big screen with Batman Begins a few years back. While I enjoyed Tim Burton’s interpretation of Batman, I can’t describe how much I hated Joel Schumacher’s. Batman & Robin in particular convinced me that Hollywood had lost its way with the Dark Knight Detective, and I wasn’t in the mood to see my favorite superhero get trashed again anytime soon.

And then I saw Batman Begins. Nolan gave us a vision of Batman that suggests he could really exist, and not as some gothic cartoon world out of Tim Burton’s imagination. And as much as I liked Batman and Batman Returns, it’s the world of Batman Begins that I wanted to play in. Nolan and actor Christian Bale captured the essence of who Bruce Wayne and his terrifying alter ego are. They convinced me that Gotham City could be a real town, set somewhere not too far outside the realm of where I live in the real world. That movie just worked for me on so many levels, and it finally gave us a look at Batman as he always should’ve been portrayed. And that’s why I look forward to The Dark Knight. I want to see how Nolan will build upon the foundation of the first film, and I’m particularly curious to see how the late, great Heath Ledger interprets Batman’s greatest foe, the Joker.

But it isn’t just superheroes drawing me to the theater most weekends this summer. There are a number of other films coming our way in the weeks to come that have caught my eye. Films like:

- Speed Racer. I grew up on the cartoon and am very curious to see how the Wachowski Brothers adapt such an important part of my childhood to the big screen. At least they didn’t change the Mach 5, which honestly, I fully expected them to do. So there’s hope.

- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. These films (and the books they’re based on) have a special place in my heart, so I’m looking forward to seeing another romp through Narnia with the Pevensie kids. Long live Aslan!

- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Well, it certainly took them long enough to make another one of these movies, so I’m hoping it’s worth the wait. Everybody talks about how old Harrison Ford is, but that isn’t what’s really important. What matters is if this movie and its story are worthy successors to a film like Raiders of the Lost Ark. I liked the two earlier sequels, but in my opinion, they just never captured the full magic of Raiders for me. So while my expectations are a bit lowered for Crystal Skull, I have hope. And the fact that they were smart enough to bring Karen Allen back to reprise her role as Marion Ravenwood bodes well for the movie. So keep your fingers crossed.

- The Happening, from director M. Night Shyamalan. I have no idea what this movie is about, but I’m excited that M. Night is back with another movie. Some have criticized him for the inconsistency of his movies in the past (and frankly, I sometimes agree), but the man just has a way with telling stories. And he’s amazing with the ensemble casts he puts together. Even if the story doesn’t always engage me, I always enjoy watching his actors on screen. This was particularly true for me with The Village and Lady In The Water. So we’ll see what he does with his new flick next month.

- The X-Files movie. Okay, so yes, it’s been 10 years since the last X-Files feature film, and I didn’t exactly love it. It’s also been nearly 10 years since the TV show went off the air. Still, I loved that show, and especially the characters of Scully and Mulder, so yes, I DO want to know what they’ve been up to all these years. I’m hearing rumors that this film isn’t part of the show’s mythology, but is in fact a stand-alone story. That sounds intriguing, as many of the show’s stand-alone episodes were quite good, so I’m hoping that a Chris Carter story given the feature film treatment will be good.

- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Yes, I know. This movie series went way off course after the first Mummy remake back in 1999. I loved that film, starring Brendan Fraser and the lovely Rachel Weisz. The Mummy Returns was a movie I wanted to like as much as the first, but just couldn't. It was one of those CGI-fests that numbs my brain, and I wasn't impressed by the whole Scorpion King tie-in that was shoehorned into that film. Still, when I heard about this movie, yes, another CGI-spectacle like the other film in the series - I wondered if maybe, just maybe...

For one thing, they didn't get Rachel Weisz back, which is an argument against this movie. But in their defense, the producers got Maria Bello to take over the role of Evie (I hate re-casting, but there it is). And they got Michelle Yeoh. Both of these women are fine actresses and will undoubtedly bring something to the movie. One just hopes the movie itself isn't a stinker, but I'll give it the benefit of a doubt. And hope I don't come to regret it.

- Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Who would have thunk it, that three years after the last Star Wars movie, that there would be…another Star Wars movie? Especially one set during the prequel era we’ve been treated to for the last decade? Naturally, like many a Star Wars fan, I want a movie that begins with the words, “Episode VII”, but since that will never happen, I guess this will have to do. But that’s a blog for another time. Of course, this release sets up The Clone Wars TV show that’s coming our way soon, but what the heck. It’s one more chance to see tales from a galaxy far, far away, with lightsabers swinging and heroes doing good deeds. If it’s half as good as the 2-D animated Clone Wars cartoon from a few years back, this 3-D entry will be worth the trip.

Well, those are some of the highlights of the summer season that I’m looking forward to seeing. At summer’s end, I’ll do a recap to see if the reality of it all matched my expectations. In the meantime, every chance I get, I’ll be at the movies. Hope to see you there!