Remembering Pete Postlethwaite

1946-2011

What a sad way to start the new year. Pete Postlethwaite has passed away, and while the name may not be immediately recognizable, he is certainly one of the great "That Guy" actors. While he would often take small roles in movies, you knew a director was going the extra mile to flesh out their characters when they cast Postlethwaite. When you look at the films he played a part in, you begin to realize that he is woven into the fabric of the last twenty years of cinema: Inception, The Town, The Usual Suspects, The Lost World, Romeo + Juliet, Amistad, The Constant Gardner, Alien 3, and of course In the Name of the Father, among many others. It was that latter film for which he got a well deserved Oscar nomination, breaking out of his reputation as just a character actor and getting the recognition he richly deserved. A few years later, Steven Spielberg even proclaimed him to be the best actor in the world. Because he wasn't a marquee name actor, you never knew when he might show up in a film you were watching. I always found myself delighted when Postlethwaite would show up unexpectedly in a film, and going to the movies won't be the same knowing he won't be there to provide some much appreciated gravitas.

RIP Leslie Nielsen

1926-2010

I'm sure I speak for a number of people from my generation when I say that Leslie Nielsen is one of the cornerstones of modern comedy. From Airplane! to The Naked Gun trilogy to my childhood guilty pleasure Surf Ninjas, Leslie Nielsen was a shinning example of deadpan comedy. No one could do it as well as he could, and even when he was slumming in films that were beneath him, he would still bring his A-game to each role. It's truly sad to hear he has passed away today at age 84, but he leaves behind an indelible legacy. The roles he created, specifically Lt. Frank Drebin and Dr. Rumack, have become icons of cinema, and he will surely be delighting people with those and his many other roles long after he is gone.