R.I.P., Tom Noonan

 

R.I.P. to Tom Noonan, one of the all-time great character actors, who sometimes played a gentle giant, but mostly a series of unspeakably frightening/whispering menaces, whose performances in THE MONSTER SQUAD, COLLISION COURSE, EIGHT-LEGGED FREAKS, GLORIA, HEAVEN'S GATE, and MANHUNTER have been much discussed on this site. I never publicly reviewed his amazing directorial debut, WHAT HAPPENED WAS, or his seminal roles in LAST ACTION HERO, HEAT, ANOMALISA, or ROBOCOP 2. I occasionally saw him as an audience member at performances of downtown NYC theater, trying not to draw attention to himself (his lanky and iconic 6'6'' frame made that difficult!) as he supported local and underground theater artists. I have no other choice than to deem him one of the coolest to ever do it.

R.I.P., Nicky Katt

R.I.P., David Lynch

 

R.I.P., James Earl Jones

Farewell to James Earl Jones, whose booming, iconic voice and endless acting chops made STAR WARS a staple of my childhood, brought gravitas to films like CLAUDINE, THE MAN, BY DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER and BEST OF THE BEST, and elevated essentially irredeemable fare like EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC or ALLAN QUATERMAIN AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD. (Pictured here in BEST OF THE BEST, giving Eric Roberts a well-deserved dressing down.) R.I.P.

R.I.P., Roger Corman

Farewell at 98 to a legend of genre cinema, B-Movie mogul Roger Corman. On this site, I have opined at length about films he directed, like X: THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES or THE PREMATURE BURIAL, or movies he produced and/or presented, like CANNONBALL!/CARQUAKE, CRAZY MAMA, BLOOD BATH, ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK, ROCK N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL, or CHOPPING MALL, or even movies he just had a cameo in, like SCREAM 3 (pictured), SWING SHIFT, or John Carpenter's BODY BAGS. There are a lot of great artists, from Jonathan Demme to Jack Nicholson to Jack Hill to Joe Dante to John Sayles to James Cameron (um, I guess he had a preference for dudes with 'J' names?) whose careers he helped launch and cultivate. He handled the American distribution for Akira Kurosawa's DERSU UZALA, Ingmar Bergman's CRIES AND WHISPERS, and Federico Fellini's AMARCORD, keeping one foot in the arthouse while the other was in the grindhouse. R.I.P.

R.I.P., Lou Gossett, Jr.

Very sorry to hear that we lost Lou Gossett, Jr., who I've loved in everything from A RAISIN IN THE SUN to WATCHMEN. 

 

On this blog, I've had things to say about Gossett films like FIREWALKER, ENEMY MINE (one of his best!), JAWS 3-D, THE PRINCIPAL, and BLUE CHIPS. 

Quite often I wrote something along the lines of "Lou Gossett, Jr. deserves better," but he brought his all to these films, whether they were genuine Oscar bait, low budget genre flicks, absurdist Cannon Films, or A-list actioners. R.I.P.

R.I.P., M. Emmet Walsh

 

I was saddened to learn of the death of perennial "irascible old man" character actor M. Emmet Walsh, maybe best known for BLOOD SIMPLE, but also BLADE RUNNER, STRAIGHT TIME, WHITE SANDS, THE GLASS SHIELD, CANNERY ROW, CRITTERS, MISSING IN ACTION, one of the most memorable episodes of TALES FROM THE CRYPT, and a whole raft of others. R.I.P.

R.I.P., Carl Weathers

 

R.I.P, Glenda Jackson

One of the greats is gone. A two-time Oscar winner, the fire that fueled several of Ken Russell's greatest films (THE MUSIC LOVERS, WOMEN IN LOVE), host of THE MUPPET SHOW, a member of parliament. I'm so glad I got to see her live as KING LEAR in 2019. It's no exaggeration to say she was one of the most fearless and talented performers of all time.

R.I.P., Angela Lansbury

R.I.P., Clu Gulager

This one hurts. Clu first came to my attention as "Lee" in Don Siegel's THE KILLERS, where his vicious calm and truly inspired acting choices made such an impression that I was compelled to seek out as many of his films as I could get my hands on. 

First, it was the easiest ones to find––like THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE, WINNING, or MCQ; and then it was the rarities––staying up late to catch IRONSIDE, WALKER, TEXAS RANGER, and MURDER, SHE WROTE reruns, or buying old dog-eared videocassettes of WONDERLAND COVE/a.k.a. STICKIN' TOGETHER and THE WILLIES and HUNTER'S BLOOD and THE INITIATION. Recently, I'd been overjoyed to see him reaching new audiences with bit parts in Sean Baker's TANGERINE and Tarantino's ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD.

His work is magnificent, no matter the context; in turns it can be morbid, melancholy, rugged, or hilarious. I saw him sow deep, satisfying empathy across a rogues' gallery of murderers, abusers (THE GAMBLER, among others!), and perverts (TAPEHEADS, among others!). There's his wonderfully macabre work with his departed wife Miriam Byrd-Nethery in FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM, creating a very human monster who bleeds pathos and induces in the viewer something approaching a somber state of agony. In each role he is intensely connected achieves a shocking level of intimacy; in each role he captures something that is true. Even in the films where he given nearly nothing to work with, like COMPANY OF KILLERS.

Then, I discovered Clu as a filmmaker. I saw the haunting and poetic A DAY WITH THE BOYS (available on the Criterion edition of GEORGE WASHINGTON and nominated for the short film Palm d'Or at Cannes), a film that wrests the viewer from reality and into a dream-space, one that's frightening and powerful. I saw several of the shorts he collaborated on with his family for their legendary acting workshops, read about the struggles of FUCKING TULSA (an incomplete film I dearly hope to have the opportunity to see one day), and got many kick from his son John Gulager's lovably demented horror features from the past decade (which are truly Gulager family affairs––films like the FEAST trilogy and PIRANHA 3DD). The entire family's work is infused with a fearless Grand Guignol sensibility and an infectiously gleeful streak of sadism, but it grapples with something larger and darker and more mysterious. In their incredible story, I see the anguish of life's stumbling blocks and I see the joy of what compels human beings to create. Clu and his family are soldiers of cinema, in the Herzogian sense.

PS–– For more context, I also highly recommend this piece about the Gulager clan (Clu, his wife Miram Byrd-Nethery (R.I.P.), his sons Tom and John, and daughter-in-law Diane Ayala) which first appeared in L.A. Weekly in 1997.

R.I.P., David Warner

R.I.P. to David Warner: glorious Shakespeare actor, genre movie standby, and, for a VHS enthusiast, one of the most recognizable faces of all time. Best known to children of the '80s as the villain in TRON and TIME BANDITS, and best known to '70s horror fans from THE OMEN and TIME AFTER TIME. Maybe he'll be remembered by a new generation from his appearance in 2018's MARY POPPINS RETURNS.

At Junta Juleil, we've seen him suffer through the courtroom clichés of MR. NORTH and the peasant blouse nonsense of Cannon Films' HANSEL AND GRETEL.

In TITANIC, he was Billy Zane's henchman, and in his finest moment shot a disapproving look after catching Leo and Kate doing some unauthorized folk-dancing hanky-pankery.

He stopped by as a drama professor in SCREAM 2, a human in STAR TREK V, a Klingon in STAR TREK VI, and a dad in THE COMPANY OF WOLVES.

On TV, he effortlessly jumped between fare like TALES FROM THE CRYPT, THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW, and CAPTAIN PLANET. He improved some of the roughest patches of TWIN PEAKS Season 2 by his mere presence, and delivered a lot of pathos in the TWIN PEAKS-adjacent WILD PALMS.

He had fun as Van Helsing in MY BEST FRIEND IS A VAMPIRE and hammed it up as an evil wax museum impresario in WAXWORK.

He collaborated twice with John Carpenter, playing members of the medical profession in BODY BAGS and  IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS. He collaborated thrice with Sam Peckinpah, playing a reverend, a rapist, and a Nazi, respectively, in THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE, STRAW DOGS, and CROSS OF IRON.

He rocked out––so hard––to the music of Vanilla Ice in TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: THE SECRET OF THE OOZE, and made us believe it. He exuded dignity no matter where he ended up.

R.I.P.

R.I.P., Dean Stockwell

R.I.P., Clarence Williams III

R.I.P. to Clarence Williams III. Best known to audiences for THE MOD SQUAD, he was a former paratrooper, brilliant stage performer, and character actor who brought a singular intensity and scary fun to his roles, even when he was being pigeonholed as a convict or a gangster (see: MANIAC COP 2, AGAINST THE WALL, REINDEER GAMES, MIAMI VICE, AMERICAN GANGSTER, HOODLUM, THE COOL WORLD, etc.). He had a small but solid arc as an FBI agent on TWIN PEAKS, a fun bit in John Frankenheimer's TALES FROM THE CRYPT (one of his six collaborations with Frankenheimer) and got to play at "Cryptkeeper" himself in TALES FROM THE HOOD. He had an excellent supporting role in the very underrated DEEP COVER, and was the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" of butlers in THE BUTLER. His role as Prince's dad in PURPLE RAIN is an especially good one, but I must say that my personal favorite might be his turn as a blackmailer in Frankenheimer's Cannon film 52 PICK-UP, where he plays one of the most fearsome sociopaths in filmdom. R.I.P.

R.I.P., Tawny Kitaen

R.I.P. to Tawny Kitaen, who was more than "a video vixen" or a "BACHELOR PARTY co-star," even if it was by lightly gyrating upon the hoods of expensive cars in Whitesnake videos that she was catapulted to a form of stardom she could never quite escape. Having done a deep dive into her film work last summer, I found an actor of pathos, grand comedic timing, and real star power; a fashion bomb with huge statement bows and teased hair who was one of the great style icons of the 1980s. I wrote at length about her uncommon charisma in WITCHBOARD, CRYSTAL HEART, THE PERILS OF GWENDOLINE IN THE LAND OF THE YIK-YAK, and even in unworthy projects like WHITE HOT and GLORY YEARS. To quote my final installment "Of Whitesnakes and Witchboards... a Tawny Kitaen Retrospective":

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I received a communique from Tawny Kitaen during the course of this retrospective. She wanted everyone to know that 'I hope you get everything that I used to be embarrassed about... David Geffen's right-hand man called me Yoko Ono, I was so embarrassed back then... and then as I got older and realized that the success of [Whitesnake] had a little bit to do with the videos and what I brought to it, and it made me feel really, really good. So I guess if I had any words of wisdom, there's this old Jewish adage, and it goes: 'When you grow up, I wish employees on you.' So John Kalodner, an employee of David Geffen gave a perspective on me that was true, but he was trying to hurt me at the same time... he didn't know that years later his words would come back to haunt him in everything that I do, when I have to talk about my experience, and that was being the Yoko Ono of Whitesnake, so I hope you can throw that into your blog.'

Perhaps this is the best note to end the retrospective on: we've seen six films here, some of them good, some decent, and some bad, but Tawny's charisma has been a consistent baseline throughout. Whether or not history chooses to remember her as 'The Yoko Ono of Whitesnake' or, much less likely, 'The Scapegoat of WHITE HOT,' the ridiculousness of the insult––if it is indeed even such––can be worn as a badge of pride, because in each of these films, many of which are baldly sexist and/or underwritten, she brings much more to the part than is expected of her. Whether as a style icon, a screen presence, or as a skillful actor, she rises above the material. So here's your benediction: 'Tawny rises above.'

R.I.P., Yaphet Kotto

R.I.P. to the inimitable Yaphet Kotto, whose rogue's gallery of bold, funny, scary, lovable, and offbeat characters left an indelible mark on studio pictures, the art house, and genre film alike. He's been eaten by the Alien. Headlined seven seasons of HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET and cameoed on THE WIRE. He's beaten the shit out Freddy Kruger with a ball bat. He's dropped grenades from a cropduster while blasting James Brown in order to help save Gary Busey (in EYE OF THE TIGER). He's run alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger on futuristic gladiatorial TV. He's played Othello. He's worked with Paul Schrader, Larry Cohen, William Wyler, and Rod Serling. He's played a Bond villain. He's even been on MURDER, SHE WROTE. Standout performances include BONE, BLUE COLLAR, MIDNIGHT RUN, ACROSS 110TH STREET, and the aforementioned ALIEN.  You can see him deliver award-worthy performances in less prestigious fare like EXTREME JUSTICE, THE PARK IS MINE, THE RUNNING MAN, and TRUCK TURNER. You can even see him uncovering the racial bias of NYC cabbies in a notorious segment from Michael Moore's TV NATION. He was a one of a kind badass, a profound and sincere actor whose performances could turn on a dime from the brave to the sinister to the comical, and he'll be deeply missed.

R.I.P., Cloris Leachman

R.I.P. to one of the all-time greats, and an actress to whom I've always wanted to devote more time here at Junta Juleil. You can read more about her sublime performances in SOMEONE I TOUCHED, CRAZY MAMA, and Cannon Films' HANSEL AND GRETEL.

R.I.P., Daria Nicolodi

I'm sorry to report the passing of Daria Nicolodi, a true titan of Italian cinema and a true giallo Hall-of-Famer here at Junta Juleil. In her capacity as a performer, a writer, and a muse, she left her mark on horror cinema forever. R.I.P.

R.I.P., Ennio Morricone

R.I.P., Stuart Gordon

I'm sorry to report the death of Chicago horror icon/auteur Stuart Gordon. Though he was best known for his major masterpiece, RE-ANIMATOR, and, perhaps, his connection to HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS (whereupon Disney almost broke him entirely), he made many of the greatest horror films of the 80s, 90s, and 00s, which always brimmed with dark comedy and social commentary––from the best Full Moon Picture THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, to the primordial suburban stew of KING OF THE ANTS, to the best rock-em-sock-robot movie ever made, ROBOT JOX (yeah, that's right, PACIFIC RIM), to the underrated mayhem of DOLLS, to his pitch-black indictment of modern indulgence STUCK, to all his other Lovecraft adapations, FROM BEYOND, DAGON, and the oft-overlooked CASTLE FREAK. He was a great theater director, too, and I was lucky enough to see NEVERMORE in 2011 (his "Jeffrey Combs-as-Edgar Allan Poe" one-man-show) and wished for years for his production of TASTE to come to NYC (it hasn't yet). He certainly left his mark on modern horror––and, as Don Coscarelli remembers––he summed up the genre perhaps better than anyone: "Horror films are a rehearsal for our own deaths."