Just got off the phone with Sheila. If you haven't visited her site yet.....GO! It's thoughtful, insightful, funny, and always filled with STUFF. We talked about showbusiness, Mitchell, Chrisanne, missing each other, The Porch, Joan Crawford, Cary Grant, The SAG Awards, The Oscars, Chynna (have you SEEN Surreal Life yet???), her writing, my fear of The Move, and I think my cell phone bill is now officially $900.00. I couldn't care less. Sheila is one of those friends I have that I could be away from for 8 years, and when I pick up the phone at 10:30 at night, on a Saturday, and she's watching "Shallow Hal" and I've just finished another ice pack on my swollen cheek from the oral surgery nightmare, I feel like she just left my house an hour ago. You know those kind of people? She never really leaves. We talked so long, and laughed so loud, I'm happy the people across the hall were having a big Saturday night shindig, or someone would have called the police. We were that loud. In fact, we talked until both our cell phones lost power.

One of the interesting subjects (well, interesting to us anyway) was the longevity of actor's careers. For instance, why is it that Cary Grant was able to last for 5 decades as a major Star with power and influence, and Joan Crawford became camp? My theory was that Crawford embodied the term Star, and Grant was lucky enough to be blessed with a natural talent as an actor so that when acting styles changed, Grant was able to change with them. Crawford had a good thing going, and subscribed to the old adage: If it aint broke, don't fix it. She stuck with what she knew. So when the Brandos, and Stanely's, and Hoffmans, and Bancrofts came along, (I need to add Jane Fonda to that list as well), when they all came around and began what became known as The Method, Crawford and Gardner, and even Gable to a certain extent, were stuck in the Star system. They suffered from the very thing that made them famous. The gestures, the veer toward the correct key light, the diction, the speech patterns, all things that made them great, suddenly made them old hat. There's no blame to be had, there's no need to judge styles, or push the old "Addiction" in our faces, although all those things apply, the simple fact was that there were some stars that believed what they were doing was the only way. And truly, it WAS the only way.....the only way THEY knew. No blame to be had.

Hepburn made it, and I believe had drugs and booze not devoured them, Tracey, Bogart, Garland, and Monroe would still be around making grand, intimate, earth shattering Indies. Can you imagine? A film nowadays starring Gena Rowlands, Ellen Burstyn, Humphrey Bogart and Judy Garland? My head is spinning. Off.

Ah well.

Here's the last of my list.



81). SISSY SPACEK (Carrie)

King, as a rule, doesn't seem to transfer to the screen with much luck, but in this, the story of a whacked out teen with super duper powers, Spacek brought her own unique brand of quiet, disarming charm to the title role. With brilliant help by a terrific script, and some fine direction by Brian Depalma, Spacek soars in an Oscar nominated role, that in the hands of any other self indulgent actress, could have turned into an ordinary Teen On A Rampage movie. Searing and ultimately satisfying. By the way, the pig blood was a combination of red food dye and Hersheys chocolate.



82). ERNEST BROGNINE (Marty)

Another mostly forgotten movie, by, quite frankly, a mostly forgotten actor. Known for his larger than life, almost John Wayne-like portrayals for Men In Charge, Borgnine's sweet, often copied Marty was a lesson in transformation. He infused Marty with dignity, pathos, and poetic justice. An extraordinary two hours. By the way, Ernest Borgnine was married to Ethel Merman for 6 months. In Merman's autobiography, she devotes an entire chapter to Ernest, which consists of one page, entirely blank.



83). GENA ROWLANDS (A Woman Under The Influence)

Directed by her freakishly gifted husband, and one of the first few "Independent" films to be showered with praise by both audiences and critics, Rowlands proves to the world why she's not only one of the greatest actresses around, but why, in fact, she's STILL around. And working. Genius.



84). JACK NICHOLSON (One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest)

Copied but never duplicated, Nicholson's way of behaving abnormally in normal situations is always a marvel, but put his behavior, and uncanny knack for human dignity in an ABnormal situation and you have gold. This performance in this particular movie is a marvel. It's one of those that should be shown in acting classes just to get a taste of what it's like to live inside a role. A gritty disturbing film and Jack smack dab in the thick of things, doing what he does best, taking us to a dark place and shedding light.



85). CARY GRANT (Bringing Up Baby)

A Sheila O'Malley favorite. That goes a long, long way with me. There's never been an actor like Grant, and in this movie, paired with Katherine Hepburn, he's at his zany, level headed best. The script is magnificent, written at a time when comedies were for grown ups (even the screw ball ones) and casting Grant against type as a stuffy scientific Nerd against Hepburn's flighty socialite was inspired. A lot of the dialog between the two was fleshed out in rehearsals, and continued during filming. Cary was absolutely terrified of the live tiger, Hepburn performed most every scene with the animal, unafraid and exhilarated. The two had a love affair on screen that rivaled Tracey and Hepburn's off screen. Grant is searingly funny.



86). DORIS DAY (The Man Who Knew Too Much)

Few directors gave Day a chance to shed her goody goody image and stretch as an actor. Hitchcock did. In this film she plays the terrified mother stuck in the middle of a kidnapping plot. Her understated, nuanced performance is Oscar worthy. An actress underrated and still under appreciated. She was the first actress offered the title role as Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate".



87). AL PACINO (Dog Day Afternoon)

"Attica! Attica! Attica!" Pacino has an inner turmoil unequaled by most actors in films. He was already a star by the time he played the bumbling bank robber who only wanted to raise enough money to get his lover a sex change for the ultimate present, but this solidified his place in Hollywood history. Pacino at his peak. And what a present! Boy, there's a guy who really cares.




88). HILLARY SWANK (Boys Don't Cry)

In keeping with the Transgendered theme, Swank's honest portrayal of Brandon is a small revelation. I never once believed she was playing "at" something, or commenting on what was happening to her, she was simply carried up in what and who she was, and I followed her every step of the way. All set for another Oscar win this year? Hmmmm......



89). JUDY DAVIS (My Brilliant Career)

You say "Judy Davis" and your average movie goer says: "Who"? It's probably just the way she likes it. If you don't know who she is, think back a couple of years ago when the movie on the life of Judy Garland was finished. She played Garland not as an impersonation, not even really as Judy Garland, but more over, as an extremely gifted living legend who happened to have a substance problem. Davis in "My Brilliant Career" does almost the same thing. There's no one like her, and especially in this particular film.



90). PETER SELLERS (Being There)

A simple man done plainly and honestly by the chameleon of all actors. Sellers made a career out of being many different people and portraying them honestly and without reservation. Again, a film hardly anyone remembers, but Sellers performance is stellar. Shirley MaClaine (in another break through role) and he became fast friends when they found they had something in common: they both firmly believed in reincarnation.



91). Merle Oberon (Wuthering Heights)

I have to thank Jackie for this one. It wouldn't have entered my pea brain had she not mentioned this. Oberon is another actor mostly forgotten by Hollywood. Her magnificent presence and her ability to allow herself to go a little farther than just romantic lead and allow the vivid, epic story take precedence is a comment on how good she is in this. Her monologue by the cliffs is reason enough to stand her next to the great actors of her time. She made far too little films and disappeared years too early as well. Unfortunately, Olivier was dealing with then wife Vivian Leigh's mental health problems at the time of filming, so his flying back and forth to America to care for is ailing wife took a toll on production, but Oberon's performance never suffered.



92). JANE FONDA (Klute)

The hooker with a heart, but never over the top. The scene where she travels from trick to audition is seemless. Fonda needs a comeback, and fast. The screen is empty without her genius. Jane and Donald Sutherland were rumored to have a tumultuous affair during filming.



93). Gene Wilder (Young Frankenstein)

I don't care, I think he's brilliant in this comedy. As it started out, Brooks and Wilder were looking to do a spoof of some old black and white horror films. If everyone had their original way, Frankenstein might have been "Jeckle and Hyde", that was Wilder's real passion. Thank goodness we got what we got. Where would we be without the Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman Cloris Leachman ensemble? Comedy in movies would definitely have suffered, and Wilder is at his zany, unique best. The main thing that makes him so hilarious is the fact that he plays this film as though he were in a drama. He's never once at ease with the physical comedy, it's always a surprise. By that I mean, the funny never seems calculated. By the way, the scene with he, Feldman, and the policeman (with the fake hand) was improvised by Wilder and Brooks.



94). HENRY FONDA (Grapes Of Wrath)

There's absolutely nothing like Fonda's heartbreaking "I'll be there" speech on the edge of the wagon, after the dust storm to his broken hearted mother. Film acting at it's zenith.



95). LAURA DERN (Citizen Ruth)

A small film that barely made a dent, but marked Dern as the Queen on the Indies. With a gritty, disturbing heroine at hand, no one has the finesse or the where with all to put her across honestly like Dern. Capable and malleable, Dern does the impossible: she makes us care about the insanity swirling around her, and never once comments on the absurdity of the real world. The cameo of her real life mother is a stroke of small genius. Dern is unique and if it's possible, completely UN Hollywood.



96). CHARLIE CHAPLIN (The Great Dictator)

Banned in the US almost directly after it's premiere this silent film classic shows Chaplin bouncing a helium filled globe on his knee while dressed as Adolph Hitler. Years ahead of his time, Chaplin made a mockery of what we perceived as a closeted, human tragedy. Something so grand, Americans were terrified to take part or admit fault of the Holocaust. Chaplin was a true actor before we even knew what that meant. He could bring tears and elicit rage at the drop of a hat when movies had no voice. To do this he accomplished the impossible, he dug at a place that is now considered a lost art. He got us where we lived, and he stayed there. A film classic and a miraculous performance. Chaplin, as in most of his films, wrote, directed, starred and even at times, ran the camera himself. Streisand would have been called pious or egotistical, Chaplin was called a genius.



97). HAYLEY JOEL OSMOND (The Sixth Sense)

I don't care, he's brilliant in this film. He never plays the wide eyed kid, and we're constantly terrified by what's going to happen next. It's no wonder critics called him a prodigy. Without Osmond's performance, the movie could have found it's way into plain spooky oblivion. With his performance, we're caught in a web of shock, despair, and an ending people still talk about.



98). MERYL STREEP (Kramer Vs. Kramer)

Luckily Kate Jackson was not allowed out of her Charlie's Angels contract and so they "settled" for Streep. Found in New York on stage, director Benton cast her only after Jackson was unable to read for the role of Joanna. With help of La Meryl, the part was re written and is now the definitive Streep: vulnerable, outspoken, edgy, witty, and spiraling out of control. One of Streep's gifts is to come across as assessable and even, while underneath creating absolute havoc. Her screen time is limited to almost 15 minutes, but we remember her as if she never left. An Oscar for her, and many more to come. If the Academy has a brain.



99). JOHN HURT (The Elephant Man)

And yet....American audiences wouldn't know John Hurt from Judy Davis. Another testament to Hurt's ability to climb inside the skin of someone else and lose himself. The make up job to transform Mr. Hurt into deformed John Merrik took over 10 hours a day. Hurt's performance is all but forgotten (except by me) and it's unfortunate, because it's never been equaled. Because of the make up used to give the illusion of the awful disease that Merrik suffered from, Hurt was allowed only his eyes. The only part that moved were his eyes. It's almost impossible to explain, and even when witnessed, it seems inconceivable.



100). BARBRA STREISAND (The Way We Were)

Yes, I know what kind of movie it is, and yes, I know what we're talking about, but if you strip away the garbage, and the soapy writing, and the sweeping scenery, and the flowered up political messages, you have a performance by Streisand that is sentimental, and solid. Her phone conversation when she's begging Hubbell (Robert Redford) to come back home because he's her "...best friend" is heart aching. The scene was done in one take, which is rare for her, and the director wanted to do another one, because Babs kept her hand in front of her face through most of it, but the scene was so honest, he didn't want to risk it. It's the last time Streisand's allowed herself to be that open through an entire film. Rent it again, you'll see for yourself how terrific she is. Thank God "Fockers' has introduced her to a whole new generation, but let's not forget what's underneath that voice, and all the camp; a very gifted actor who gets critiqued on her antics more than her ability.



...............another list is in my head. This one's even more bizarre.