I just got read a fascinating book about the career of legendary movie actor Robert De Niro.
The biography was written by John Baxer. I do not think it was the authorized version, but nevertheless paints a mostly complimentary picture of the actor,
in my opinion.
Man what a career! And what a disciplined guy. His work ethic and approach has really inspired me in other areas of my life, since I myself am not an actor.
He would always say that “You have to earn the right to Play a Role” or something to that effect. For a role such as his Oscar Winning performance in ‘Raging Bull’
that meant not only working closely with the real life middle weight champion Jake Lamotta but also becoming a boxer himself. He became very good, winning most of his fights. Lamotta claimed he would have been among the top
20 middleweights if he had become a professional. He became so good that he was dangerous, breaking Joe Pesci’s ribs
during the filming despite Joe wearing a thick vest. One funny thing happened involving director Martin Scorsese, who could not stand blood. De Nero, when training during real fights,
yelled at Scorsese as he was leaving “where are you going? Stay here! I am doing this for you, you know!”. He apparently wqas forced to watch the carnage.
Then toward the end of filming De Niro famously ballooned up in weight for the final scenes. he worked them off by his next film, ‘True Confessions’, which was released in 1981 and co-starred Robert Duvall.
For the 1976 movie Taxi Driver, in which he was nominated for the best-actor oscar, he was so completely absorbed in the role that the crew was worried that he would never come out of the character when the shooting ended.
That role actually changed his face permanently…..he was in character 24/7 which required a certain crooked grin, which left a certain wrinkle and sidewise slant that he still has to this day.
‘The King of Comedy’ required stand up comedy practice, and so on…..
I would have to say that my personal favorite Robert De Nero films include ‘Heat’ in which he plays an ace thief. Co-stars include Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Diane Venora and Ton Loc, among several others.
I also liked him as Al Capone in the classic 1987 thriller ‘The Untouchables’ which co-starred Andy Garcia, Kevin Costner, Sean Connery and Marcia Gay-Harden. Directed by Brian De Palma.
I also thought ‘Were No Angels’ was cool. This 1989 film co-starred Sean Pean, Demi Moore and John C. Reilly. Him and Penn play escaped convicts on the run, posing as catholic priests.
I liked ‘Cape Fear’. he played criminal Max Cady in a tour-de force performance. According to the book his preperation for this role was incredible. he was nominated for best actor for it in 1991.
Co-stars include Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck.
He was also nominated for best actor for the 1990 flick ‘The Awakenings’ which co-starred Robin Williams,
the 1978 Vietnam War flick ‘The Deer Hunter’ which co-starred Meryl Streep and Christopher Walken, and he won an oscar for best supporting actor
for his brilliant work in the 1974 blockbuster ‘The Godfather part 2′
He also got major kudos for his work opposite Jeremy Irons in ‘The Mission’, Terry Gilliams science fiction film ‘Brazil’,
and ‘Casino’ opposite Sharone Stone and Joe Pesci. Of and Goodfellas and ‘Mean Streets’ as well, both directed by Martin scorsese.
Robert De Niro has also directed 2 films: ‘A Bronx Tale’ and the recent Matt Damon & Angelina Jolie thriller ‘The Good Shepard’
He is also an award winning broadway actor and owns the Tribeca Film Center too. This is one talented dude. Roger Ebert said in his movie reviews book
that he only knew of 2 movie actors from this era that would be legends (like Marlon Brando) and that they were Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro.
I agree and might also add Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins to that list. Of course, De iro has had a flew flops and several roles that were not universally well reviewed,
as have virtually all actors. They include ‘the 1992 film noir drama ‘Night and the City’ co-starring Jessica Lange and Jack Warden and the 1996 Tony Scott thriller ‘The Fan;
which co-starred Wesley Snipes and Ellen Barkin. The film ‘Mad dog and Glory’, co-starring Uma Thurman, David Caruso and Bill murray, also recieved mixed reviews. His latest film is
‘Stardust’ co-starring Michelle Pfeifer, Peter O’Toole and several others.
December 18, 2007
Biography of film great Robert De Niro
December 17, 2007
An IPOD for Christmas?
Trying to decide what to get someone for Christmas? Can’t decide between a Blacberry or an Iphone?
If your budget is under $150, you have soome good choices, according to new York Post writer/journalist Maxine Shen.
How about an iPod Nano? the diminutive, steel-colored Nano holds some one thousand tunes, plus it even plays video.
These features really make it a more attractive gift thn the Shuffle, which is only about eight bucks yet only has the capacity for 240 tunes.
So whether the recipient wants to listen to U2, the Rolling Stones or 50-Cent they are good to go.
Another cool gift could be the one hundred and twenty dollar Philips 7-in. Susan G. Komen Portable DVD player. This is a nifty idea
for a broad range of people. In addition, Philips has donated a lot of money to breast cancer research thru the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.
For about eight bucks you can get a G-Tech Smart-Fabric Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard. This gift could also appeal to a very wide range of folks since
just about everybody uses a computer these days. This full, laptop-sized, QWERTY keyboard rolls up so that it is pocket-size and works with the majority of Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Another cool gadget gift idea is the Mimobot Designer USB flash drive. With these you can easily jazz up your data with awesome Mac and Windows-compatible limited-edition drives,
which happen to hold one to four gigabytes worth of files, designed by artists such as Mori Chack (of Gloomy Bear fame) and Sket One. In addition to this, there is a radical “Halo”-themed version plus
a “Star Wars” collection. pretty nifty stuff to be sure.
December 4, 2007
Romanian Filmmaker is European Film Prize winner
According to the ‘Courrier International’,
while the Romanian film “Four Months, three Weeks and two Days” by director Cristian Mungiu won the best film award at the European Film Awards presentation in Berlin, Germany, it is a far cry from being presented an oscar….
The director was overjoyed, also noting the validation of also winning the award at the Cannes film festival on the French Riviera. He was quoted as wondering if tinseltown will follow suit
and also honor his film about abortion. He noted that his melodrama may not necessarily be the winner at the Oscars next spring for several reasons including the fact that “The European Film Academy is younger; the American Film Academy has many more members and they are older….”.
He also pointed out the fact that they very rarely give high profile awards for films of a revolutionary nature. Among the other winners at the
European Film Academy awards besides Cristian Mungiu were Fatih Akin and Frenchman Jean-Luc Godard. Meanwhile,
long time theater and film actor Sasson Gabai of israel was voted Actor of the Year at the awards.
He won the prize for the lead role in Eran Kolirin’s The Band’s Visit. Kolirin also walked away with the award after he was named “Discovery of the Year”.
In addition, previous Oscar winner Helen Mirren won yet another award for her performance as Elizabeth II in the Stephen Frears’ motion picture “The Queen,” taking the best actress crown at the Awards ceremony.
In lesser awards, The People’s Choice Award went to Giuseppe Tornatore’s “La Sconosciuta” (The Unknown) from Italy. German-Turkish director Fatih Akin collected the best screenplay prize for “The Edge of Heaven.”
although still very important for it’s ability to heighten the profile of a rising or upstart filmmaker,
the European Film Awards are still generally regarded as being somewhat overshadowed by the Oscar and the major film festivals and national film award ceremonies.
It simply does not yet have the prestige of Venice, Cannes, Toronto and Hollywood. Next year the ceremony will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, according to the Reuters news network.
In other movie award news, Sean Penn’s feature film “Into the Wild,” won for best feature at the Gotham Awards in New York, which is one of the top independent film awards in the united States.
Some other films which walked away with prizes included the Michael Moore’s “Sicko” (top documentary) about the American health care system. “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead,” starring Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and “Talk to Me,” starring Don Cheadle, tied for best ensemble cast.