Frank Frazetta Could Have Helped 'John Carter'

March, 18, 2012 3:40 pm | Comments On #Movies

Frank Frazetta rotoscoped me for director Ralph Bakshi’s "Fire and Ice."

Remember Bakshi’s "Fritz the Cat" which in the 1980s made him a star? Well, Bakshi cast me in "Fire and Ice."  We filmed the movie and then I was rotoscoped by Frazetta (right). Rotoscoping is a process of creating a cartoon by drawing directly on the film.

Frank Frazetta also drew early images of John Carter. Edgar Rice Burroughs was a fan of Frazetta and they collaborated with Frazetta doing the book jackets for many of Burroughs' novels.

Edgar Rice Burroughs flunked his entrance exam for West Point. He had more...

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Picasso Visits 'Downton Abbey'

March, 14, 2012 9:01 am | Comments On #Carole Mallory, Movies

In 1971, on our first date, Claude Picasso, Pablo's son, moved into my apartment in New York City. As a model, I was on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Newsweek and New York  Magazine. Claude was going through a divorce and so was I. He had difficulty making a living as a photographer so I offered to help him out financially. His mother, Françoise Gilot, gave me a three pieces of Picasso jewelry to show her gratitude.

In 1973 upon Picasso's death, Claude and I became engaged. There was no hope for him to inherit Picasso's fortune due to the Napoleonic Code. Napoleon, like Picasso, had been a philanderer and had protected his assets. This French code or law said any child born out of wedlock could not inherit if there were no will. Enfin, Pablo Picasso would not leave a will because he felt the...

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'The Artist' Producer Thomas Langmann Learned From His Film Family

February, 27, 2012 12:26 pm | Comments On #Harvey Weinstein, Movies, producer, The Artist, Thomas Langmann

Where did producer Thomas Langmann, an Oscar winner for "The Artist," come from? 

And what is it about the French that they love to embrace risk?

Langmann sold his home and borrowed money from relatives to get "The Artist" rolling. Then he met Harvey Weinstein and the rest is cinema history.

Langmann’s father was Claude Berri, whom I met on the beaches of St. Tropez in the early...

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Pan Am Memories: Aloha to Hawaii And to My Mother

February, 22, 2012 6:18 pm | Comments On #Television

Because the faltering TV series "Pan Am" was pulled from the schedule this past week -- its actual fate yet to be decided by ABC -- I was inspired to write the following piece about my trip to Hawaii with my mother.

We were flying to Oahu from San Francisco. It would be our first layover on our trip around the world as a guest of Pan Am. I had been a stewardess for six months so I had benefits.


As we landed at the Ohana Honolulu Airport, I tried to imagine the Japanese bombing this peaceful island. Pearl Harbor was a lagoon harbor three miles to the west. No, I told myself, that was long ago and far away.

Tokyo was our next...

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What Norman Mailer Would Have Told Me About 'Safe House'

February, 17, 2012 9:35 am | Comments On #Movies

 

In "Safe House," Denzel Washington plays one badass sociopath, murderer, traitor and still manages to steal screen time from all of those around him and to be charming to boot. This includes Ryan Reynolds (Matt Weston) whose character is along for the ride and a backdrop for Tobin Frost’s (Washington’s) driving escape from the CIA.

Julian Assange anyone? (Not that we know if Assange is guilty, whereas we know Frost is.)

The script by David Guggenheim is one-dimensional in that the film is about Frost’s running from the CIA and from Weston, the “housekeeper “of a safe house...

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How 'The Woman In Black' Reminded Me of 'Stepford Wives'

February, 09, 2012 12:40 pm | Comments On #Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Movies, The Stepford Wives, The Woman in Black

Is death ever kind?

Oh, I'm not speaking of mercy killing. I mean are there benevolent ghosts who do unto others as they would have others do onto them? Does a ghost always view death as deadly or is it kinder on the other side?

"The Woman in Black" is based on Susan Hill's haunting novel from a screenplay by Jane Goldman. It is the story of a tormented ghost and all of those who see her and her suffering. Whenever someone sees "The Woman in Black," something horrible happens to this person or this person's family.

Will this lawyer Arthur Kipps( Daniel Radcliffe)...

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Ridley and Tony Scott Put Their Stamp on 'The Grey'

January, 30, 2012 2:17 pm | Comments On #liam neeson, Movies, Ridley Scott, the Grey, Tony Scott

Complaint. Don’t leave the theater once the credits come on. Ever.

There is a tag ending on "The Grey." If the entire ladies room had not been buzzing about what had happened after the credits, I would not know the conclusion. Not that it is black and white. Grey, it is.

I refuse to say more so as not to spoil this thriller of a film directed by Joe Carnahan from a script by Ian MacKenzie Jeffers based on his short story "Ghost Walker."

I was so frightened I was unable to watch the screen at times. The soundtrack is a character unto itself and at times indicates what will, or could happen. And this works to build the suspense.

...

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The Night I Danced With the Shah of Iran

January, 23, 2012 5:38 pm | Comments On #Pan Am, Television

 

With the return of the TV series "Pan Am" on Sunday night, I recalled my layover in Iran.

Tehran was a destination that held mystery to me. Another stewardess was dating one of the princes and wanted me to meet him. The Shah had done wonders for this country and had given rights to repressed women. I wanted to see their struggles towards independence.

When we landed at Mehrabad airport, the Alborz Mountains loomed in the distance. Janice was my good friend who flew with me and on another trip to Tehran had met one of the sons of the Shah. 

As we drove up...

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Watching 'Red Tails' With the Real Tuskegee Airmen

January, 22, 2012 11:02 am | Comments On #Movies, Red Tails

 

Racism in the Army during WWII. Who thinks about this? Who talks about this? Yet segregation was thriving in war torn skies over Europe. Tuskegee Airmen were African American fighter pilots who escorted and protected U.S. bombers.

"We were a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement," said Tuskegee Airman Major Joe Gomer. This 332 Fighter Group, paved the way for a black president. Some 150 airmen perished out of 450 who eventually won the hearts of their white majors. This struggle required that African Americans resort to their skill as fighter pilots, their courage and their regard for each other to command respect from the "white" folk in the military.

...

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Misogynistic 'Bridesmaids' Wins Praise from Gervais at the Golden Globes

January, 16, 2012 9:58 am | Comments On #Movies

I hated "Bridesmaids" because I felt it was misogynistic.

Yes, it’s written by two women, Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. Does this protect it from claims of misogyny? I don’t think so. Or that, comedian Melissa Mc Carthy, not a man, which could have been the circumstances in "The Hangover," was made famous for defecating in a sink?

Perhaps "Bridesmaids" won Best Comedy at the Critics Choice Awards because, as Ricky Gervais said to the Golden Globes audience, “Defecating in a sink was less demeaning then what most of you have done to make it in show business.”

But I don’t...

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Description

Carole Mallory is an actress, journalist, professor, film critic. Her film credits include “Stepford Wives” and “Looking for Mr. Goodbar.” As a supermodel she graced the covers of Cosmopolitan, New York, Newsweek. Her new novel, "Flash," hit #22 on Kindle's bestseller list of erotica in its first day of release. She also has written a memoir of her time with Norman Mailer, “Loving Mailer.”  After the writer's death, she sold her archive of his papers to Harvard. Her journalistic pieces on Vonnegut, Jong, Vidal, Baryshinikov, Heller have been published in Parade, Esquire, Playboy, Los Angeles Magazine, the Huffington Post. Her review of Charles Shields' biography of Kurt Vonnegut, "And So It Goes," was published in the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer.  She is teaching creative writing at Temple University and Rosemont College and blogs at malloryhollywoodeast@blogspot.com.

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