Posted on June 3, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Judge Sonia Sotomayor, like Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was a big Nancy Drew fan when she was a young girl. I’ve been touched by the reports of Judge Sotomayor, growing up in a housing project, devouring books about the strong, capable, curious, honest, and courageous Nancy Drew. The Girl Sleuth
Posted on May 27, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Movie critic Shawn Levy, author of the superb books King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis
Q: Newman was one of those rare performers who become icons of their eras. What was it about his style of acting and choices of scripts that seemed so particularly characteristic of the post-WWII years?
A: He often played younger than he really was, like many actors, but it was particularly his casting as the failed sons of strong fathers in such films as “The Rack,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Hud” and, in a sense, “The Long Hot Summer” and “The Hustler” that cemented him as an icon. He carried the sensitivity of James Dean into a new era when the promise of a film like “Rebel Without a Cause” bled into mainstream and prestige films. He easily segued into rebel/countercultural figures starting in the mid-’60s (“Harper,” “Hombre,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “Butch Cassidy”). And because he was older than the characters he was playing (he was 38 when he made “Hud”), he also carried a savor of mature authority. He played, in short, equally well to both the establishment and the kids who threw mudballs at it.
Q: Is there a performance of Newman’s that you think is particularly overlooked or underrated?
A: His turn as the stage manager in the Broadway production of “Our Town
Q: What did he consider his biggest failing?
A: In acting, he felt he was too mechanical and calculating for the first 25 years or so of his career, and I think I’d agree. You see him pulling poses and striking moods quite deliberately even in such fine films as “The Hustler
Posted on May 25, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Many thanks to Phil Hall for taking the time to be interviewed about his new book, The History of Independent Cinema
How do you define independent cinema?
I see independent films as productions that are financed and created outside of the Hollywood studio system.
Who were some of the earliest pioneers?
You would need to go back to the silent era. Carl Laemmle and Adolph Zukor challenged the attempt by Thomas A. Edison to create a monopoly on film production and distribution. Those two men literally kicked down the door to enable independent filmmaking to flourish. D.W. Griffith’s “The Birth of a Nation” may be a morally reprehensible film, but it was the first independently produced film to elevate a cinematic release to the level of national conversation. L. Frank Baum, the author of “The Wizard of Oz,” is responsible for the first film franchise, circa 1914 with a brief series of Oz-related films. Lee DeForest and Theodore Case were the leaders in bringing sound to film, while Herbert Kalmus and his partners at the Technicolor Corporation helped to expand the cinematic palette beyond black and white.
Where do independent films get financing?
Traditionally, from private investors. Some filmmakers have self-financed their work, which is easier to do today since the costs of equipment is not very expensive.
What have been some of the innovations in independent film-making that have been adopted by studio films?
For starters, the first film made in Hollywood was an independently financed production – Cecil B. DeMille’s 1913 “The Squaw Man.” The concept of the movie star was invented by Carl Laemmle, who also cooked up the first movie publicity stunt (the rumor that his first star, Florence Lawrence, was killed in a streetcar accident).
As previously mentioned, the use of color and sound in filmmaking and the film franchise originated with independent producers. The use of three-dimensional cinematography, widescreen projection, and video in place of 35mm film stock were all independent creations.
Which independent directors have become mainstream? Which independent actors?
There is a list in the book that I call the indie-to-Hollywood train, and its passengers have included Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, John Waters, Ralph Bakshi, George Lucas, Terrence Malick, Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, Joan Micklin Silver, David Lynch, Joe Dante, Susan Seidelman, Joel and Ethan Coen, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Steven Soderbergh, Richard Linklater, Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez, Edward Burns and Darren Aronofsky.
As for actors, Jack Nicholson is arguably the most prominent – rising from Roger Corman’s no-budget flicks to winning three Academy Awards.
Posted on May 20, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Tom Sturges is the author of Parking Lot Rules & 75 Other Ideas for Raising Amazing Children
Sturges has a day job as executive vice president and head of creative affairs for Universal Music Publishing Group, the world’s largest music publisher, and he says it is a “fascinating and interesting job surrounded by remarkable people.” He is also the son of one of the most brilliant writer-directors in film history, Preston Sturges (of “The Lady Eve,” “The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek,” “Palm Beach Story,” “The Great McGinty,” and “Sullivan’s Travels”). But his father died when he was only two, so Sturges had to become the father he wished he had had. I had a wonderful time talking with him about raising children and the lessons he has learned and shares in this book.
When your first son was born, how did you think about the father you wanted to be and the impact it would have on you?
Being a good dad became almost a religion to me. I wanted to be the greatest dad ever, and the only people who could say whether or not I was successful would be my own sons. Along the way I discovered that there were many mistakes I was making or that I saw other parents making and I began to write them down, and that became the book.
My father died very early. He was 58 when I was born and 60 when he died. If I could make sure my children never experienced what I experienced it helped me recover the goodness of my own childhood, it heals you. When my child was the age I was when my father died, I had the date circled in red in the calendar because it was a milestone, passing that day was something I did for him and he did for me. Anything that was painful for you as a child, let’s say there was a day you got chased off the schoolyard or kicked off the cheerleading squad, you can recover that day with your child. You can heal yourself by breaking the chain.
What commitments do you make to your sons?
Children take the mortgage for granted, they take the material things for granted; the important thing is to build a relationship of trust with them. They learn to trust because they realize that you do what you say you will do. So I make Life Promises, and keep them. No hitting, no raised voices, no embarrassing them. This last one is the rule that gets used more than any other.
My son Sam is very sensitive to what the world thinks. After we’ve been playing basketball, when I pull off my t-shirt to change, he says, “Dad! Dad! You’re breaking the No Embarrassing rule!” He gets to say that, and I earn his trust by respecting that he gets to say it. When I do, it is another pebble of trust, and I hope all those little pebbles will build themselves into beautiful bridges of trust.
My favorite of your rules is “smile when you see them.”
That is such an important one! Your children will see a smile on your face and it will give them hope.
It is an easy one to forget because we get so caught up with telling them what we think they need to know.
Parents can make a difference just by making sure the child feels welcome before we launch into telling them what to do. Never be too correcting with your child after a sporting event. It’s just “You tried hard” and “I appreciate it.” We can talk about helping you with your hitting tomorrow. I recently returned from Hawaii and saw a mother scolding her child all the way down the aisle of the airplane. She could not see the look on his face, but I could. We have to remember what it feels like to have a big person, who might weigh twice what you do, yelling at you in front of strangers.
And it’s the person whose good opinion you most need.
The currency of parental discipline is disappointment. Your disapproval is so important and powerful that when you are correcting a child you must always whisper. It really works for me. I was upset with my 11 year old yesterday because he lost an important basketball game and did not practice his free throws afterward. I whispered to him, “We could be working harder.” You have to loft them into the sky like a glider, boost them when they fall.
What mistake parents make concerns you the most?
Forgetting the importance of respect. So many of the rules in the book are just about ways to show the child respect. “Yes not what,” for example – simply changing your response to begin with “yes!” instead of “what?” makes a big difference. Never yelling is a sign of respect, too.
That teaches them how to behave respectfully to other people.
Exactly! I donate a lot of time to a program for inner city children. I was speaking to them on Saturday and I said “The key to a good and successful life is to simply always show the most respect.”
And what are you working on next?
We have a new son, whose middle name, Sullivan, is a tribute to my father. Fifty years from now, he will help keep that legacy alive. And I am working on a sequel to Parking Lot Rules
Posted on May 18, 2009 at 8:00 am
Stevanne Auerbach is better known as “Dr. Toy,” and she and her website are great resources for parents on issues of toys and ply. Her book is Dr. Toy’s Smart Play: How To Raise A Child With a High PQ (Play Quotient)
The book is an indispensable guide for parents. The “work” of young children is play. It is through their imaginative play that they process their understanding of the world and learn everything from constructing a narrative to taking turns. The book has very useful information about guiding children to the kind of play they will find most satisfying and inspiring, play that will enable them to develop a sense of independence, mastery, and confidence. It has wise counsel on the pros and cons of gender-specific toys and information about toys for children with special needs and special talents. It has lists of the top 100 toys and the craft supplies that every family should have on hand every day. It is a welcome reminder of the importance of play for both children and their parents.
