OK, I have to admit: Even though I've seen those ads that promote Michigan tourism for the better part of two years, I've never been able to figure out on my my own what teasingly familiar movie music score is played throughout the spots. The Natural
? Nope. Fried Green Tomatoes
? Uh-uh. Driving Miss Daisy
? Nah. After months of frustration, I decided to cop out today and simply Google for the info. And I'm a wee bit embarrassed to say that, really, I should have guessed the right answer right from the start: Rachel Portman's Oscar-nominated score
for The Cider House Rules
. D'oh. By he way: Tim Allen is the guy who narrates the spots. I couldn't figure that out on my own, either. Play the above video, and you'll fully appreciate what a dim bulb I am.
, a 
, an amusing and admiring portrait of the Washington, D.C. talk-show host played by Don Cheadle in 
-- so I have high hopes for his contribution to the 
, 
, 
and 
. (Quite the renaissance man, he also earned an Oscar nomination for special effects work on 1942's 
.) As a director, he was justly proud of his subtly masterful work on 
(1960) with Alec Guinness -- who also played a cantankerous Dylan Thomas-like artist in Neame's 
(a cheeky 1966 caper with Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine that, unfortunately, people keep threatening to remake), 
(1980).
. But, then again, directing that movie made him financially independent, so he couldn't really find it in his heart to actually apologize for the film. (Of course, he likely was amused more than two decades later when two different sets of filmmakers couldn't do any better -- and, indeed, actually fared much worse -- with their ill-starred remakes of Poseidon as 
and 
projects.)
(1969), Judy Garland's final film performance in 
(1963), and Albert Finney's portrayal of a singing Dickensian skinflint in 
(1970). He also directed 
(1979), a campy sci-fi drama that pitted Sean Connery and Natalie Wood against a big hunk of rock on a collision course with Earth. He was a true journeyman, and his best movies entertained millions. And many of his not-so-good movies were at the very least diverting. That's the sort of track record that defines old-school professionalism.
a solid 100-plus. Adapted with surprising faithfulness, if not the highest fidelity, from Nick Hornby’s 
, this is a sharp and smart comedy-drama about growing up, taking stock, letting go, setting course and settling down – the top five challenges facing the overgrown-adolescent lead character played so vibrantly by top-billed John Cusack." I'm not quite sure if enough time has passed for this one to qualify as a oldie but goodie. But it remains a career highlight for Cusack and just about everyone else -- including director Stephen Frears and co-star Jack Black -- involved.
? Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney and I ponder these pressing questions -- well, OK, one of those pressing questions -- as we chat about 
, 
) and Chevron over 
.
, 
, 
and 
. He also directed the original 
(1981), which, really, shouldn't be held against him. Fraker speaks eloquently and insightfully about his craft -- and about what he learned while working with directors as diverse as Richard Brooks and Roman Polanski -- in 
– and a chopper-riding rebel journeying across America alongside Peter Fonda in 
. And, mind you, that disparate combo of credits only begins to hint at the variety and versatility that define the resume of the late, great actor, who finally lost his long battle with prostate cancer Saturday at age 74. You can read my 1990 interview with Hopper 
.
.
, the half-hour Western “chronicles a slice-in-time of protagonist John Marston as he tracks down his former fellow outlaw and friend, Bill Williamson. Along the way, Marston encounters many of Red Dead Redemption's eclectic cast of dreamers, misfits and liars. Using the world of Red Dead Redemption as a virtual film studio and created entirely with in-game assets and technology, Hillcoat re-imagines Marston’s pursuit of justice and salvation.”