When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences theater screened a newly-restored print of comic masterpiece, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, I was there, smiling and remembering the full and until-now untold story behind the movie.
There are some celebrities who, by virtue of what they represent and contribute beyond their talent, become something more than simply what their chosen profession would indicate.
When Hitchcock cast Grace Kelly in 1954's Dial M For Murder, he quickly knew he'd found his ideal female muse: an impossibly beautiful blonde who could convey ice on the surface while exuding fire underneath.
One had to acknowledge and admire Tony Curtis's sheer spirit and zest. But while Curtis was the ultimate public personality, filmmaker Arthur Penn, who died two days ago, was basically a private man.
The women's movement used to have a kind of steam that I think has gone out of it. We have to keep talking about change and women's rights, not only here but all around the world.
The production is handsome, the acting is exceptional, and the special effects are mostly effective. But, at the end of the day, Watchmen is not an exciting story.
Based on one of the most collected and memorable comic book runs in history, the movie Watchmen tries to be all things cosmic and ambiguously moral to all of us.