SAM SHEPARD – PURGATORY

I really mourned the death of Sam Shepard, named Samuel Shepard Rogers at birth. He was a terrific actor but much more than an actor. In his career, he wrote some fifty-eight plays, won ten Obie Awards for writing and directing (more than any other writer or director), and co-wrote the song Brownsville Girl with my all-time favorite songwriter Bob Dylan. What’s not to like?

Full disclosure: I’m also a song writer (50 songs in the U S Copyright Office), but sadly never co-wrote a song with Mr. Zimmerman. Additionally, my personal ancestry dates back to Thomas Rogers, a passenger on the Mayflower and a signatory of The Mayflower Compact. So, it’s possible we are distantly related.

What makes me a huge Shepard fan is his lead role in the television film Purgatory, directed by Uli Edel. It’s one of my personal, all-time top five favorite films. It’s probably the only movie I’ve watched more times than the original Star Wars.

The story finds some of the wild west’s most notorious gunslingers in Refuge. It’s a quiet town wherein the inhabitants are given a second chance to do the right thing. Their desire to avoid hell and make it into heaven is ferociously tested when Blackjack Britton and his gang of outlaws make a thunderous arrival in Refuge.

Blackjack and his gang are escaping from a brazen bank robbery in another town. The gang gets caught up in a dust storm and ends up in Refuge. Since the sheriff (Shepard) and everyone else in town is not “packing” firearms, the outlaws proceed to menace the town and its inhabitants.

By the time things come to a head we have figured out that the sheriff, his deputy and every other ex-gunfighter in Refuge are being tested to resist violence else they get a seat on that last train smoking to hell.

Having committed more than my fair share of youthful transgressions is perhaps why this story of redemption gets to me every time I watch it. I wonder if anyone has ever done a study of what a person’s list of top favorite stories means about who they are. Could be an interesting study.

Benedict Cumberbatch – SHERLOCK/ DOCTOR STRANGE

I’ve always been a huge fan of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character Sherlock Holmes. I lived in Boston in the 1980s when PBS aired forty-two episodes of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett. Brett was a great Sherlock.

Recently, I’ve really enjoyed the contemporized Sherlock featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock. I must say, Cumberbatch’s portrayal might be my all-time favorite. Cumberbatch has appeared in Hollywood movies, for example, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse, Star Trek: Into Darkness, and The Hobbit.

Cumberbatch has received many awards for his superlative acting along with a Golden Globe and Oscar designations for his job in the acclaimed Alan Turing biopic, The Imitation Game. He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016 as the nominal alchemist of Doctor Strange, later repeating the job for blockbusters like Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War.

TARAJI P HENSON – PERSON OF INTEREST

As a fan of the CBS drama Person of Interest, Henson first caught my eye as the no-nonsense Detective Jocelyn Carter. Having grown up around very strong women, I’ve always been drawn to that character type. In retrospect, I can see how Henson’s portrayal of Carter reminded me of my aunt Thelma.

Thelma was in her late teens and early twenties during WWII. In many ways, she was the personification of “Rosie Riveter”. Rosie Riveter was featured in a Norman Rockwell illustration commissioned to recruit female workers for the defense industry. Thelma, as a very young woman, moved from Haverhill Massachusetts to East Hartford Connecticut to work in the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft factory.

In her seventies, Thelma was still running her own small business ferrying passengers from Haverhill MA to Logan International Airport outside of Boston. She was not only the owner, Thelma was the driver, baggage carrier, chief booker, and car washer. She stood about 5’ 1”, but anybody that knew her knew she was nobody to mess with. In fact, one need only be in her presence a few minutes to come to that understanding.

For me, Taraji comes off that same way. Sure, a good actor can project whatever is called for in the script. But I don’t think it is quite as simple as that. Personally, I do not believe an actor, no matter how great they may be, can project something that is not somewhere within them. Certainly, an actor can amplify that “speck of something”, but they must have something within to work with.

Some of what works for the viewer on the screen can be attributed to the keen eye of a casting director. A casting director who understands the script well will know what to look for in each of the story’s cast of characters. A competent director can help the actor manifest that “something”, but no one is going to convince me that can be done absent that “speck of something” within the actor.

When I’m introduced to a talented actor as I was with Henson in Person of Interest, I often search for other stories in which they appear. In Taraji Henson’s case, it turns out there is a lot of cinematic creativity to enjoy. Some of my favorites are Hustle & Flow, The Division, Eli Stone, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and the remake of The Karate Kid.

Colin Farrell – PHONE BOOTH

I was initially attracted to the movie Phone Booth because Kiefer Sutherland was listed in the credits. I never missed a weekly episode of the TV series 24 Hours where he played Jack Bauer. Although Sutherland only made a brief appearance on screen in Phone Booth, I did not feel “cheated” because his presence in the movie’s credits served its purpose. It introduced me to the terrific acting of Colin Farrell in what turned out to be one of my favorite mysteries.

There are a ton of approaches to compose and coordinate a spine-chilling mystery. Normally, to increase the anticipation, mystery makers play with spaces, add more cast individuals to thicken the plot etcetera. However, that was not the situation with Joel Schumacher’s execution of Phone Booth. Many critics applauded the minimalist touch of this memorable film.

The greater part of the film takes place in a New York phone booth. Colin Farrell (as Stuart Shepard) is on a call with his sweetheart Pam (Katie Holmes). When their call ends and Stuart hangs up, the phone rings, and he answers the call.

The unsuspecting Stuart’s life is about to change forever. An anonymous caller threatens to kill Stuart if Stuart chooses to hang up on him. As the story continues it is obvious that the stranger on the other end of the phone literally has Stuart in his sights. Additionally, the stranger knows an awful lot about Stuart and much of it is pretty awful.

Denzel Washington – THE BOOK OF ELI

It’s hard to pick out a favorite movie for an actor of the caliber of Denzel Washington. He is an extraordinarily gifted actor and a very solid human being. I don’t remember the circumstances that motivated a reporter to stick a microphone in Denzel’s face and ask whom Denzel voted for in the 2016 election. Denzel may have been on tour promoting The Magnificent Seven. I’m not sure why he was anywhere near a reporter. But I love Denzel’s answer. “None of your damn business.”

Denzel Washington is one of those skilled A-list stars who effectively portrays a wide range of characters. Dustin Hoffman is another. For Denzel, I’m thinking about films from Training Day to Philadelphia. On the other hand, it seems to me some actors just play themselves. Robert De Niro comes to mind. De Niro seems to always play a version of Robert De Niro. Denzel is able to arrest his natural persona more convincingly and let his character come through.

Now for the record, I enjoy De Niro’s work immensely, but, from where I sit it looks like he is mostly playing Robert De Niro. It might have something to do with the fact that most of my opinion of De Niro’s work is based on the nine films he made with the same director, Martin Scorsese.

EMMA STONE – SUPERBAD

Emma Stone who was acclaimed as the highest-paid actress in 2017 first came to my attention when she played Gwen Stacey in The Amazing Spider Man (as Peter Parker’s love interest). Her character is so approachable to me because she does not seem to take herself too seriously. Some of her work as a teenager includes hits like Superbad (2007), The House Bunny (2008), and Zombieland (2009).

She likewise was well received in The Help and the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love. Stone was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a recovering addict in the Birdman (2014). Emma received her first Oscar win for her depiction of a hopeful entertainer in La La Land (2016).

Her portrayal of a tennis legend in the Battle of the Sexes was spot on. That’s coming from a guy who remembers gleefully watching the real Billie Jean King send the mouthy Bobby Riggs packing (6-4, 6-3, 6-3) in 1973.

GARY SINISE – FOREST GUMP

Gary Sinise’s stage, film, and TV career has endured for over forty years. In 1974, at 18, he helped to establish Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater Company. Twenty years later, for his Lt Dan Taylor role in Forrest Gump, he received awards from Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and the Academy Awards.

Sinise achieved a Best Supporting Actor Award from the National Board of Review and the Commander’s Award from the Disabled American Veterans for his convincing role of a double amputee. Other film credits include Apollo 13, Snake Eyes, Impostor, The Green Mile, Mission to Mars, and The Human Stain.

My favorite Sinise film is Ransom in which he actually plays the “bad guy”. I know, I know I’m not supposed to like the “perp” and I didn’t like the character. But, stop and think about it. Doesn’t the real success of a suspenseful “thriller” depend on a rotten-to-the-core villain?

The closer the antagonist is to a total psychopath the greater the suspense. Add to that mix a surface “good guy” façade and your desire to see the good guys win and the bad guy dispatched straight to hell, keeps you glued to your seat.

SARAH SHAHI – LIFE

Sarah Shahi is perhaps best known for her role in “Reverie”. My personal favorite is Shahi as Det Charlie Crews’ detective partner Dani Reese in Life. I loved that TV series so much I watched every episode twice.

Life begins when Det Charlie Crews is finally freed from prison after being convicted and given a life sentence for killing his former partner. Although Crews, played by the accomplished Damian Lewis is financially set for life (he receives a huge financial settlement from the city), he chooses to return to police work.

Nobody at police headquarters wants to work with him so he is partnered with Dani Reese (Shahi) as punishment for her dereliction of duty. Shahi is absolutely terrific throughout her tenure with Life as she is when she inhabited a decidedly different character in Person of Interest.

However, I consider her performance in the episode where she was taken captive and forced to drink alcohol among the finest, most poignant performances by an actor I’ve ever seen. When she is rescued, as she emerges from the house onto the porch her portrayal is so believable it is gut-wrenching.

LAURENCE FISHBURNE – MATRIX

Laurence Fishburne, born Laurence John Fishburne III, July 30, 1961, in Augusta, Georgia, the childhood hometown of the “amazing Mr. Please, Please himself”, “the hardest working man in show business”, “the Godfather of Soul”, Jaaaaaaaames Brown. So I couldn’t resist.

Fishburne earned a Tony Award (1992) for his work in August Wilson’s play Two Trains Running. Clearly, his most memorable role thus far has been his portrayal of Morpheus in the Matrix film trilogy.

His explanation to Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) of the “Red” and “Blue” pills has become kind of cultural shorthand for the difference between those who want to know the truth no matter how painful (they take the red pill) versus those who are quite happy remaining comfortably numb.

Fishburne’s first role was actually playing a character named, of all things “Fish” in the TV movie titled You Give A Dance, You Gotta Pay The Band. Thereafter, he appeared in fifteen episodes of One Life to Live playing John West Hall. Being in a well-established soap opera was the boost his career needed to really take off.

It’s reported that Fishburne actually lied about his age to get the role of Tyrone “Mr. Clean” Miller a Navy Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class in Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now (1979). Apocalypse Now is at the top of my list of movies I wish I had not seen. I’ve often wondered if Brando’s state of mind during its filming somehow got transmuted onto the film.

TOM HANKS – CASTAWAY

Tom Hanks is one of those actors I find very easy to like. His portrayal of the hyper-efficient FedEx executive Chuck Noland in Cast Away and as the Conductor in The Polar Express are my favorite Hanks’ movies. The Polar Express is one of those movies I love to watch during the holiday season along with It’s a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Carol.

BTW, the Albert Finney Scrooge is hands down my favorite. Every time we watch it, for the next several days we bounce around our place singing “Thank you very, thank you very much…” In the movie, Anthony Newly sings it at the end as the transformed Ebenezer dances down the streets with his newfound friends. From the very first time I heard Newly sing What Kind of Fool I Am and Who Can I Turn To I became a huge fan.

His voice reminds me of what a rock critic for the Philadelphia Enquirer once said in a piece he was doing on Tom Petty. The critic said, and I am probably paraphrasing, “To be a great singer you do not need a great voice, you need an interesting voice.” In Anthony Newly’s case, his voice is not only interesting it is great. Plus, he is a great tunesmith.

What made me enjoy Hanks so much in Cast Away was it reminded me of my boyhood days in the Cub Scouts where we were taught to be as resourceful as Noland. Somehow, I imagined if I got stranded on an island I would fare just as well as Noland. Probably not, but hey I can imagine what I want, right?

Hanks got started performing with the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in 1977. Later he moved to New York City. He was featured in the TV sitcom Bosom Buddies. However, it was his performance in the Ron Howard film Splash that made Hanks a household name.

I personally have often thought of Hanks as a modern-day Cary Grant. An actor equally comfortable in comedy (The Burbs, Big, Turner & Hooch, The Money Pit, etc); mystery (The Green Mile, The DaVinci Code, Inferno, Road to Perdition, etc); drama (Bridge of Spies, The Post, News of the World, etc); and romance (Sleepless In Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, Larry Crowne, The Terminal, etc).

Hanks’ line, “Would you like to get an eat to bite” in The Terminal is almost as iconic (at least for me) as Clint Eastwood’s, “Go ahead, make my day” in the Dirty Harry movies. BTW, it was Eastwood who directed Hanks in the critically acclaimed Sully.

KEANU REEVES – Jack Traven

Keanu Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon from where his family moved to Toronto, Canada. His work in River’s Edge and the two satirical Bill and Ted’s Adventure movies brought Reeves significant attention. He is probably best known for his Neo role in Matrix.

My personal favorite is Reeves as LAPD officer Jack Traven in Speed. Jack comes to the aid of bus driver Sandra Bullock after a crazed lunatic played by Dennis Hopper (of Easy Rider fan) claims to have planted a bomb on the bus. And here’s the bad news, the bomb will explode if the speed of the bus drops below 50 mph.

I’m not alone in my appreciation of this movie. Speed grossed in excess of $350 million. That’s about ten times what it costs to produce. It is a suspenseful, “edge of your seat” movie to the climatic end.

CLINT EASTWOOD – DIRTY HARRY

What could one say that would possibly be worthy of the cinematic Hercules that is Clint Eastwood? It is not often we find a box office star and a critically acclaimed actor/director embodied in the same person. Clint Eastwood is that person. Of course, it was not always that way. It took a very long time for Hollywood’s elites to catch up with the movie-going public.

My interest in Clint’s work goes back to the days of Rawhide where for seven years he played Rowdy Yates. Yates was a ramrod on a cattle drive crew and it was a ramrod’s job to move cattle in the right direction. The stories on Rawhide typically involved people the crew encountered on their cattle drives, especially overcoming the challenges these people faced.

It’s actually fairly difficult to get an accurate count of the number of Eastwood films. Google it and you get “at least 60” as the answer. Before the Dirty Harry movies, he was best known for starring roles in Westerns like Hang ‘Em High; Pale Rider; High Plains Drifter; The Outlaw Josey Wales; A Fistful of Dollars; For a Few More Dollars; Unforgiven; and The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (my personal favorite Clint Western).

One of Eastwood’s more recent crime dramas is The Mule but his role as Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry is my favorite among his prolific work in this genre. It’s not often that an actor’s line in a movie becomes part of the popular lexicon but Clint can claim lightning struck twice in that regard for these two Dirty Harry lines:

“Go ahead, make my day” and “Do you feel lucky punk, well do you”. Maybe it’s just me but no line from a movie has stuck with me like those, with the possible inclusion of the aforementioned “Eat to bite” from Hanks’ The Terminal.

A surprising thing about Eastwood is his ability to pull off truly offbeat characters like Philo Beddoe in Every Which Way But Loose. You have to be in possession of a serious set of “mental cojones” to pick an orangutan to play Clyde, your sidekick in a movie. What Eastwood fan saw that coming?

Was Eastwood trying to break a “typecast” or was he just laughing at those of us who will watch anything he makes?

Just in case starring with an orangutan fails to destroy the Eastwood “cowboy” typecast, Clint pulls off a touching performance in the romantic The Bridges of Madison County playing opposite Meryl Streep. Definitely, in my humble opinion a better co-star choice than Clyde.