Passages

[yoloswegmaster]

James Earl Jones

[zedz]

James Earl Jones

A huge loss. I don't have any stats on this, but my gut instinct is that he's in the running for the all-time "best performance in the movie" record, because he was (in my experience) never not good, and he appeared in a ton of films that were all over the map in terms of quality.

(For the record, I would have no qualms about declaring that Darth Vader's voice was the best thing about the first three Star Wars movies!)

[TechnicolorAcid]

Terrible loss and one of those actors with a true bigger than life presence with as varied as actor could wish for. And I do agree that his Darth Vader performance is fantastic and really helps with the effect of the taking of Vader’s mask off before he dies into this sweet and tender moment. Long live the king.

[domino harvey]

This is indeed a disturbing universe

[JSC]

A tremendous actor. I was very lucky to see him at the ART's production of Night of the Iguana and even
though he was in a wheelchair (partly for his character, partly for his health), he was still in amazing form.

[hearthesilence]

If I had to pick favorites, it would actually be two that he did back-to-back well into his career: A Family Thing and The Second Civil War. The latter more for the film itself since Jones has a supporting role with only a modest bit of screen time, and he's absolutely wonderful in the former, which may be my favorite film performance from Jones. He even uses his natural stutter which he remarkably had his entire life but rarely showed it on-screen.

EDIT: A Family Thing is streaming for free on multiple platforms (including Disney+'s nemesis, Tubi), and the credits are pretty interesting - Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson are credited as the writers (just as they were for One False Move four years earlier) and the director was a cinematographer for some landmark documentaries including Dont Look Back, Woodstock and Hearts and Minds.

[beamish14]

A tremendous actor. I was very lucky to see him at the ART's production of Night of the Iguana and even
though he was in a wheelchair (partly for his character, partly for his health), he was still in amazing form.

I sadly only saw him on stage once, in an incredibly ill-conceived production of Driving Ms. Daisy with Vanessa Redgrave. He was wearing some kind of ear piece, and I worried that he was being fed lines offstage.

I really wish I’d been able to see him in August Wilson’s Fences in 1987

I highly recommend Charles Burnett’s recently restored and finally widely-available The Annihilation of Fish (where he acts opposite another Redgrave, Lynn)

[dwk]

Comic book artist John Cassaday

[GaryC]

James Earl Jones

A huge loss. I don't have any stats on this, but my gut instinct is that he's in the running for the all-time "best performance in the movie" record, because he was (in my experience) never not good, and he appeared in a ton of films that were all over the map in terms of quality.

The film of his I saw most recently was End of the Road. which I rewatched and reviewed earlier this year just after John Barth died. Only Jones's third film, and he pretty much steals it when he's onscreen.

[brundlefly]

The film of his I saw most recently was End of the Road. which I rewatched and reviewed earlier this year just after John Barth died. Only Jones's third film, and he pretty much steals it when he's onscreen.

This is the performance that came to mind after the obvious ones. It's a tough watch, and Aram Avakian (the underrated Cops and Robbers, forum favorite 11 Harrowhouse -- though this is unlike either of those) is not interested in reigning anyone in, but having mostly seen Jones be either solemn or congenial I was shocked how eagerly he got unhinged here. It can be a striking looking film -- it's Gordon Willis' first feature as DP, Michael Chapman's his camera operator -- and gets fascinated by the way Jones contorts his lips.

A Family Thing is streaming for free on multiple platforms (including Disney+'s nemesis, Tubi)

You make it sound a righteous choice to support Fox News! As you note, it's also streaming for free on Roku and Pluto.

[knives]

If you like Jones unhinged you’ve got to watch the most u hinged movie: Exorcist II: The Heretic.

[beamish14]

James Earl Jones

A huge loss. I don't have any stats on this, but my gut instinct is that he's in the running for the all-time "best performance in the movie" record, because he was (in my experience) never not good, and he appeared in a ton of films that were all over the map in terms of quality.

The film of his I saw most recently was End of the Road. which I rewatched and reviewed earlier this year just after John Barth died. Only Jones's third film, and he pretty much steals it when he's onscreen.

Wonderful film

[hearthesilence]

You make it sound a righteous choice to support Fox News! As you note, it's also streaming for free on Roku and Pluto.

Hah, I keep forgetting they own them!

[What A Disgrace]

Emi Shinohara, aged 61

Japanese voice actress, of an undisclosed illness. Responsible for Sailor Jupiter, as well as iconic roles in Naruto, Cardcaptor Sakura, Tenchi Muyo!, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and Perfect Blue among many others.

[mrb404]

Lee Hoi-Sang, at 83.

[flyonthewall2983]

This is indeed a disturbing universe

His appearance in the first Treehouse of Horror, split over the three segments concluding with his masterful reading of Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Raven’, is a big part why it’s still one of my favorite episodes.

[colinr0380]

Emi Shinohara, aged 61

Japanese voice actress, of an undisclosed illness. Responsible for Sailor Jupiter, as well as iconic roles in Naruto, Cardcaptor Sakura, Tenchi Muyo!, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and Perfect Blue among many others.

Starting out by voicing "B-ko" in the "Project A-ko" series, including singing the Cinderella Rhapsody title song in the third! And whilst I prefer the (UK) English dub of the series I see she also voiced the character of Remi in the third episode of Cyber City OEDO 808

[GaryC]

Australian actor and director Lex Marinos, aged 75.

[hearthesilence]

Trailblazing ballerina Michaela DePrince. Gone far too soon at the age of 29, the cause of death was not given but it was "sudden" and unexpected.

[colinr0380]

Kenneth Cope at 93, most famous for his television work, particularly as Hopkirk in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and in long running soap Coronation Street. But there are a few interesting film roles too. He's in the ensemble casts of the 1958 version of Dunkirk and the Irwin Allen mid-60s production of Genghis Khan, as well as in another Omar Sharif epic production a decade later with Richard Lester's Juggernaut. He's also in the ensemble casts of a couple of the better entries in the Carry On series: Carry On Matron and the one that tackles unions bringing work at a toilet factory to a regular halt, Carry On At Your Convenience.

Plus he's also in a few 60s horror titles: Hammer's X the Unknown, in the biker gang in Joseph Losey's The Damned and the Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing film Night of the Big Heat. One of his few recent roles outside of television was in the 1994 Julia Ormond and Tim Roth film Captives.

[Lemmy Caution]

Trailblazing ballerina Michaela DePrince. Gone far too soon at the age of 29, the cause of death was not given but it was "sudden" and unexpected.

Heartbreaking story. Her parents were killed in the brutal Sierra Leone civil war (sponsored by Qaddafi). Her and her sister were adopted by a NJ woman. The legend is that a magazine page blew up against the orphanage gate and she saw a photo of a ballerina and decided to become that image. Apparently, her adoptive mother just died, leading me to wonder if the dancers death was depression related, either accidental or intentional. Yesterday I saw a minute or two performance of her dancing from an X-Twitter feed and found it striking, but I wasn't aware of the context.

So much human talent gets wasted and thwarted and destroyed in the world.
At least she got to live out her dream for a time ...

[yoloswegmaster]

Norman Chui

[Mr Sausage]

Norman Chui

He was in some spectacular New Wave wuxias, like The Blade, Duel to the Death, and Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain.

[thirtyframesasecond]

Kenneth Cope at 93, most famous for his television work, particularly as Hopkirk in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and in long running soap Coronation Street. But there are a few interesting film roles too. He's in the ensemble casts of the 1958 version of Dunkirk and the Irwin Allen mid-60s production of Genghis Khan, as well as in another Omar Sharif epic production a decade later with Richard Lester's Juggernaut. He's also in the ensemble casts of a couple of the better entries in the Carry On series: Carry On Matron and the one that tackles unions bringing work at a toilet factory to a regular halt, Carry On At Your Convenience.

Plus he's also in a few 60s horror titles: Hammer's X the Unknown, in the biker gang in Joseph Losey's The Damned and the Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing film Night of the Big Heat. One of his few recent roles outside of television was in the 1994 Julia Ormond and Tim Roth film Captives.

Randall and Hopkirk was shown on BBC2 in the 90s, probably in the 6.00-7.30pm slot that often had the Simpsons, the Fresh Prince, and various Star Treks. Kenneth's son, Nick, was in a 90s indie band and now has a lovely music programme on CBeebies.

[hearthesilence]

Tito Jackson of the Jackson 5/The Jacksons