November 19, 2002

James Coburn is dead.

His list of credits is over 200 projects long in his 54-year-long career.  Five years ago, he finally got his first Oscar nomination and then his first Oscar, for his role in Affliction.  He has been a movie star since 1960, when he broke through in The Magnificent Seven. 

Hell Is For Heroes, The Great Escape, Charade, The Americanization of Emily, Our Man Flint, In Like Flint, The President’s Analyst, Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid, Bite The Bullet, Midway, California Suite, The Muppet Movie, Loving Couples, Looker, Draw!, Hudson Hawk, Maverick, The Player, Mastergate, The Nutty Professor, Affliction, Monsters, Inc., Snow Dogs, The Man from Elysian Fields and soon to come, American Gun.

It’s just a small handful of what comes to mind when thinking of that long, lanky frame, that sly, sex-tinged voice and in recent years, those ever-present fragile hands.  Coburn was A Man.  But even better, he was a man who wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable on screen.   

I grew up watching Flint movies in constant Saturday afternoon and Sunday night reruns on WTVJ Channel 2 in Miami.  And Coburn wasn’t just the Bondian stud.  He was far more ironic because he was far more subtle and far less subtle at the same time. 

I included the oddball Loving Couples on my list because of the impression it made on me as a horny teen… at 52, you could believe the 34-year-old Susan Sarandon was actually hot for this guy.  In fact, I had a much harder time seeing what she saw in Stephen Collins. 

I followed Coburn around during his Oscar run in 1997/1998.  I gently shook this man’s hand.  I was in the pressroom when he came back with his Oscar and it was sweet, sweet, sweet.  It reminded me of Peter O’Toole’s Alan Swan reveling in the first live applause of his career and just lingering in that warm light.  Of course, it was highly ironic that this gentle moment came out of a role that was as hard as nails.

Part of me doesn’t mind seeing Coburn descend into a fog of crappy movies again.  But the passing of a man who has fought so hard to live is a sad thing.  He will be missed.

OSCAR FEVER:  It’s getting ugly now. 

The more “important” this column becomes in the Oscar game, the weirder things get.  You would think things would get easier, clearer.  But instead, it becomes more and more like a house of mirrors. 

Simplicity is loving Solaris, loving Adaptation, loving City of God and screaming about each from the highest metaphorical tower I can find.  But once you reach into the big pot o’ gray…

You would think that I would be used to being lied to by now.  I’m not.  You would think that people would be aware that they were lying.  Sometimes, they are not. 

And what of the psychology of pushing into early screenings?  There are those in positions of power who are inevitably invited to see things early.  Though I have been lucky enough to be in that group in more and more cases, it is not always necessary.  Sometimes, it is just an ego issue.  And sometimes, publicists who are keeping me out of certain screenings are taking food out of my mouth.  My livelihood is based on my knowledge and since I am not particularly interested in basing my ideas solely on buzz, access to the films reigns supreme, far more so than access to movie stars.  It can be that simple and that real.  It is discerning where that line between ego and reality is that is difficult.

 The fact remains, no studio owes me anything.  And as a journalist, I owe them nothing.  And then, we both make some concessions based on mutual benefit.  They need to protect and build good buzz for their films.  I need to protect my own sense of honor and you, as trusting readers.  But usually, a good balance can be found.  This time of year, all of that tends to change, particularly at some studios.

Does three weeks not seeing a movie mean anything in real life?  No.  But this isn’t real life. 

I’m going to stop this little rant now, before I say anything specific. 

RUSSELL CROWE GOES HOME:  He’s had enough!  He’s tired. He’s cranky.  He needs a nap.  So he claims he’s putting his career on hold.    Keep his Australian fax number close and his e-mail address closer.

READER OF THE DAY:  Ssssssss writes:  “I saw "Heaven" a few weeks back. Could Miramax have buried this one any more? I'm assuming they thought the topic of a "bomber" was too sensitive, and wrote this one off. The movie played a few art theatres here in Boston for a grand total of one week.

If the Academy Awards really represented excellence  "Heaven" would get a Best Cinematography nomination, but I know it won't. 

Interesting film, I wish more people had seen it. I feel like I need a 2nd viewing to get more of a handle on it. The second half of the film when Blanchett and Ribisi are on the run in the Italian countryside is just breathtaking.

The 3 shots that stand out for me are as follows:

1) The view from the train coming out of the tunnel, with the little white dot of light up ahead. Is this what birth or death is like?

2) The long shot of Blanchett and Ribisi standing near the tree on the hill at dusk as they are about to have sex.

3) The final shot of the helicopter ascending toward the "heavens."

One final note, it must have been an acting challenge for Blanchett in the scene when she is in police custody. Her reaction of incomphrension, to shock, to inconsolable grief is a tour de force moment of acting for Blanchett, not surprisingly so.”

And THE LIVING ROOM writes:  ‘This years five nominated in the best actress race will be:

Salma Hayek in Frida (probably the weakest of the bunch)

Nicole Kidman in The Hours (the "popular" actress right now, will get a nod alongside Streep if she is good)

Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven (current frontrunner)

Meryl Streep in The Hours (almost guaranteed a nod)

Reneé Zellweger in Chicago (if the movie is big then she is in)”

E ME:  Interesting… but I have some other ideas… ideas I will share in tomorrow’s column, aka Oscar IV.

What’s your Oscar input?