I've watched Leonardo DiCaprio die a dozen times as Jack Dawson in Titanic, each time cursing that Rose (Kate Winslet) for not sharing the Floating Debris of Life with her doomed lover. With every frail tweet of that rescue whistle, every whispered "Come baaaack!" I've wondered: Did Jack really have to die?
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The unshakeable bond between a shy nerd from the ‘burbs and his faithful dog is the heart of Frankenweenie, the black and white stop motion picture (in theaters today) Tim Burton refers to as a “memory piece.” Drawn from his own childhood memories of growing up in Burbank, California, it’s an ode to the kooky neighborhood kids and adults Burton knew, the monster movies that shaped him, and, as Burton told Movieline with a smile, his way of teaching kids about one of the toughest facts of life: Death.
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As Hollywood processes the apparent suicide of filmmaker Tony Scott reports — included a report that he jumped to his death wearing the lucky (faded) red baseball cap that he first donned on the set of his blockbuster his Top Gun — I prefer to dwell, not on Scott's tragic death, but his life in movies. In Roger Ebert's review of Scott's essential True Romance, the critic wrote: "This is the kind of movie that creates its own universe, and glories in it." I actually think that assessment applies to most of Scott's work and is what made him special as a filmmaker. Even when his movies weren't cohesive — Domino or The Hunger come to mind— they were still worth watching and impossible to dismiss because they were filled with provocative ideas, images and themes that amounted to something more than a collection of scenes, acts and dialogue. Below, my list of Scott's best movies. If you have a different list in mind, check out our Movieline poll where you can vote for your favorite Scott movie. more »
As I skim the warmed-over tributes to Marilyn Monroe on the dubious occasion of her being dead for 50 years, a variation of one headline keeps coming up: "50 Years Dead and More Alive Than Ever." Rather than post some smart-ass comment about lazy headline writers, I thought I'd work with that idea: If Marilyn was still alive, what would have been some great movie vehicles for her? Below, in no particular order, my Movieline Nine wish list, which mostly ignores what Monroe's actual would have been when these movies would have been made. This is hypothetical after all, and, besides, if you, type "Marilyn Monroe" and "ageless" into Google, you get more than 3.8 million hits. Okay, Marilyn fans, you've been served. Now, in the words of J.J. Hunsecker: "Match me." Put your wish lists in the comments section below. more »
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