He is survived by his wife Carol Kikumura and his daughter Felicia Taylor, a financial reporter for CNN.
It is with an always heavy heart that we say goodbye to another of the names that has come to mean a great deal to movie lovers. Rod Taylor, that good looking Australian actor who had been walking across stage and screen (and even radio) since the 1950s, has passed away at the age of 84, just four days shy of his 85th birthday. Beginning in his native Australia and working his way to Hollywood, where he would work alongside the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, David Niven and Tippi Hedren, he became a fixture of television in the 70s, and even developed something of a tough guy persona in his film work, before coming to a semi-retirement in the late 90s.
He is survived by his wife Carol Kikumura and his daughter Felicia Taylor, a financial reporter for CNN. by Cookie N Screen Nobody does the film awards quite like us British. I mean, not only do we produce some of the greatest romping movies but we direct, write and star in them. Last year’s coveted awards may have been met with some contention (Gravity being nominated for Best British Film whilst American Hustle was not only nominated, but actually one a couple.) But 2014 has wiped clean that slate and looks to be brimming with excellence:- The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Birdman, Whiplash, Foxcatcher and much more all deserve their place within the nominations But now it’s time to see exactly who the British Academy of Film and Television Arts have bestowed that prodigious honour of being some of the greatest films of years. The nominations ceremony, hosted by Sam Claf-chin…sorry.. Sam Claflin and for his tenth year, Stephen Fry (who will later host to award ceremony evening) the BAFTA Film Awards looks set to be the red carpet event of the season. But who has been nominated? by Cookie N Screen Claustraphobia in films; how would you define it? There is, of course, the literal sense that works so well in horror and thriller films such as Buried, 127 Hours or even Saw, which sees the characters trapped in a tiny space, living off what little resources they have and surviving with walls that seem to be caving in at every minute. Whilst these are terrifying, I would argue that claustrophobia can be intensely done with emotions, seeing the psyche of a person cave in with emotions can be just as horrifying, if not more, as the physical side of the fear. With Steve Kahn’s fifteen minute short Fear, it’s an incredible combination of both that sees the film become this superb masterful thriller. by Matthew Howe I’m on a roll. Which is weird, usually at least half the films I end up watching are crap. This isn’t counting all the ones I shut off ten minutes in. But this last week has been great. Seven legitimately good films in a row. A recap: by Cookie N Screen Zombies. They are all the rage right now. Ever since George A Romero popularised the genre with Night Of The Living Dead (it’s the 1932 film White Zombie that is credited with being the first ever movie of this kind), the reanimated corpses of those deceased have shuffled across our screens in every form. And whilst sure enough, the zombie apocalypse is coming along like a freight train (we’re all hiding in zombie survival expert/publicist Jo Johnstone or die in hilariously comic ways like myself), we can’t help but enjoy the groaning creatures in shows like The Walking Dead and films such as World War Z. So that’s a lofty bar to reach, it takes something entirely different to fit into this abundance of movies. Basically, a movie with some brains. Can Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro work provide it? by Cookie N Screen What does James McAvoy, Will Poulter, Tom Hardy, Shia LeBeouf and Eva Green all have in common? That’s right, they are all recipients of the EE BAFTA Rising Star Award! The coveted award, shortlisted by a jury and chosen entirely by the public votes, celebrates the new fresh talented that is set for global stardom. They range from impressive teenage actors to older thespians just breaking into the arts. Nevertheless, the nominees always smatter of excellence and 2015’s actors seem to be just as exuberant and talented as those who have come before. Announced this morning, have a look at the nominees for this year’s award; by Cookie N Screen Quick! If someone asked you to name your favourite film awards, what would you say? If you immediately went straight to BAFTA, then you are the kind of person we want to talk to. Screw the “Oscars” people! As the days are getting longer, the nights are getting shorter and we plunge ourselves head first into the award season, the promising 8th of February is a mere month away. We British know exactly how to do a ceremony and we power through the rain shimmering with our positively marvellous glamour! So as we get excited to see the stars done the Red Carpet (Cumberbatch, Redmayne, Stevens and Hiddleston are personally getting our hearts thumping,) we are reminding ourselves at what makes BAFTA’s truly awesome. by Laura W Meryl Streep. Sondheim. Fairy tales. The stage. Who knew? Here’s a tidbit about theatre fans, for those far away from Broadway and The West End - we are a diverse bunch. We’re really not afraid of expressing ourselves. When the announcement came that Into the Woods, one of the most famous “fairy tale” musicals ever, was being adapted into a feature film, we were most definitely expressing ourselves. Opinions were divided and everything from casting right down to sets and costuming had to be analyzed and discussed. Would Sondheim and Lapine even be involved (which they were, thank goodness)? Would the musical even adapt well to screen? With an Oscar nominated director with strong experience in both theatre and film, along with a strong cast and crew, one would assume this would be a stellar film. Unfortunately, it fell just a bit short, in more ways than one. No amount of wishing or working or even selling magical beans could have fully rescued this film. |
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