Writer • Musician
1917 is a story about two British soldiers in World War I sent by their commanding general to warn another battalion, currently preparing an assault on German forces, that they are in fact walking into a trap and playing right into the hands of the enemy. One of the two soldiers has a brother in …
I remember being a small boy and staying awake during the nap hour of pre-school, since I never liked going to sleep and its calling forth of that inevitable and so sorrowful end to a day, much as it still seems to do now. So I stayed awake in the dark room, we all did, …
Continue reading "adolescence, it’s last crossing. Epilogue to the Italian kick"
After La Dolce Vita Marcello Mastroianni is a man's man and an actor of the truest form who roams the desert hills palms up and facing the Italian badlands, lamenting over the crying woman dressed in black, kneeling to the ground with her child like some old Sicilian tragedy. Marcello, brother of Brando. The other, …
Last night after acting class I came home and began watching 'Me and Orson Welles', which reminded me further of the potential sense of fulfillment that comes from performing, whether that be on the stage, before a camera or on the radio. Orson Welles was a man who must have harbored a profound degree of …
Continue reading "Morning thoughts in middle to late January"
Before the stars fall tonight, Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy ride. A legend Burning invincible Spreading across the light Splitting apart the darkest night A star, so bright She sang She danced Kept men imprisoned Stuck in an abusive trance But oh, she was lovely Capable of such love Later …
Directors Martin Scorcese and Alfred Hitchcock have made some of the most memorable and influential films in American Cinema. With the majority of his work being made during Hollywood’s Classical Era; Hitchcock eventually became famous for the signature stylistic and thematic elements seen in so many of his pictures--like camera technique, casting and music. During …
I’ve seen the Exorcist 167 times, and it keeps gettin’ funnier every single time I see it. -“Beetlejuice” While the genres of Horror and Comedy are vastly different from each other in tone, they might cross paths more so than any other two genres in American Cinema. Whether intentional or unintentional, there is an absurdity …
Hollywood Blvd. Interviewer: Good Evening Mr. Phillips. Gordon Phillips: Good Evening Tom. Interviewer: This is quite a busy time for you as your new book on President John F. Kennedy comes out tomorrow. My first question for you tonight is why you felt compelled to write it... Phillips: Sure Interviewer: ...There have been a great …
Casablanca and Citizen Kane: a story of an un-review by G.T. Phillips Part I I always prefer to sleep on my sofa. At least these days. It keeps me feeling mobile. On the move. Never settled. All these thoughts swarm and scurry through my brain at two in the morning as I lie awake in …
Continue reading "The Disgruntled Critic or: ‘The Fallacy in Film Criticism’"
Spent day going over songs and acetates. Recording is an entirely different situation, but still fun nonetheless. Continuing an apparently ceaseless obsession with Oliver Stone pictures. I don’t know why. I just for some reason can't stop watching and getting into them. JFK above all others. If I were not committed to some idea of …
A film has the ability to move us not just through the story it’s telling, but by the way in which it tells the story. The technical means a filmmaker follows to convey a film’s message is often overlooked, for it can make a tremendous difference is an audience’s reaction. Few films provide as …
Oh my darling Bette Davis You were a bitch and crude some still say But I love you oh specter of the night sky My dear beloved Bette Beneath your skin of rock I see beauty A delicacy that I could dive into and swim for all eternity. You were a legend you were a …
Watching the 1947 film 'Dark Passage', I was enthralled by the chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. They seem as though they are two sides of one coin--the coin being a tough-as-nails, yet smooth-talking and independent human being. They are essentially the male and female version of the same personality. They are two souls …
I walked out of the theater last night not quite sure what to make of 'The Kids Are All Right.' I knew that the acting was great, for it was the kind that always inspires me as an actor whenever I witness it. Annette Bening's performance in particular was so exceptional that it reminded me of …
Continue reading "the kids are all right, the parents…not so much. Paul’s Defense."
>"What do you look like?", he asks. There is nothing but static on the other end of the phone until he hears the voice whisper back softly. "It depends on who's looking." I've always been deeply interested in the unexplained, or more specifically, in the mysteries of the world that exist beyond the realm of …
Wow! That's right, I have a blog. Nice to know we're off to such a great start ladies and gentlemen (so far it's still just yours truly since I still have yet to invite anyone to the Quinby realm). At this moment I'd like to take a pause in memory of a blog I started …
Ren Michael 