There were a number of times during last night's Oscars ceremony when I found myself near tears. And no, it wasn't just me crying over another Degeneres joke that landed like a ton of bricks. With another year having gone by, we've lost a great many actors, writers, directors, and others who contributed to this world of movies we love so much. This year's In Memoriam segment was introduced by Glenn Close, beginning with the late James Gandolfini and closing with the recently-passed Philip Seymour Hoffman.
And as if it wasn't a moving enough segment on its own, Bette Midler came out at the end to perform "Wind Beneath My Wings" and guarantee there wasn't a dry eye in the house. It may have been a better idea to have her perform it during the video rather than after, but oh well. You can check out the In Memoriam video and Midler's performance below.
Legendary actor Peter O'Toole has passed away at the age of 81. The world "legend" gets thrown around a lot, but in this case it fits O'Toole perfectly. A star of the stage and big screen, O'Toole made his big breakthrough in 1962's Lawrence of Arabia, considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made. While he'll always be remembered most for his performance in that film, he earned eight Oscar nominations throughout his career, never coming away with a victory. O'Toole remained active, and when the Academy tried to give him an honorary Oscar in 2003 he flatly declined it at first, saying that he would win one on his own. Even though he eventually accepted it, I admired him greatly for that, especially when he was nominated yet again in 2006 for Venus, which along with the biting satire The Ruling Class remain my favorite O'Toole performances ever. His refusal to be put out to pasture harkening back to his defiant, hard-partying early days
O'Toole retired from acting last year, leaving behind a legacy that is undeniable. We send our condolences to O'Toole's family and friends for their loss.
Dean Wright has been behind the visual effects for a few films you might have heard of, including Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia, M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable. He's doing something a little different for his writing and directorial debut, however, taking on the Mexican Cristero War with For Greater Glory(aka Cristiada).
Wright has pulled together a strong cast for the historical epic, with Andy Garcia playing the reluctant General Gorostieta, who comes out of retirement to lead a rebellion against the anticlerical government in power. Eva Longoria is his wife, with Catalina Sandino Moreno(Maria Full of Grace), Peter O'Toole, Oscar Isaac, Bruce Greenwood, Ruben Blades, and Nestor Carbonell.
The Crisero War is actually very interesting, and I'm curious to see how Blades plays President Calles, an atheist who enacted the anti-Catholic laws which led to the uprising. Overall the film looks good, but has a score and bad voice over that gives it the impression of a made-for-TV movie.
For Greater Glory opens on June 1st, but you can check out the first trailer below....[Comingsoon]
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