In the 1987 film Less Than Zero (loosely based on the Bret Ellis novel of the same name), Robert Downey Jr. played a character that was alternately pathetic and contemptible: a young drug addict whose life had spiraled out of control, who was forced into extreme acts of degradation, and who was headed nowhere but the city morgue. It was a lurid 1980s melodrama, but one that contained the seeds of prophecy.
The young acting prodigy, mid-1980s.
As the 1980s rolled into the next decade, Downey’s own life began to resemble a real life version of Less Than Zero. He had long flirted with drugs (perhaps the product of his bohemian upbringing by his Greenwich Village parents), but his addiction began to consume him. His family had moved from New
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In 2008 he landed the role to the film Iron Man, and the rest, as they say, was history. The film was a smash hit, and the perfect vehicle for Downey’s mix of genial humor, physicality, and flawed humanity.
Several Iron Man sequels have cemented his place at the top of Hollywood’s A list. He also took on a memorable series of roles in the “Sherlock Holmes” films of British director Guy Ritchie. It was an incredible transformation, nearly miraculous in scope and execution.
He has signed the first $100 million dollar movie contract in history, and his know to be a hard bargainer for his roles. Clearly, Downey knows his worth and is not afraid to stand up for himself.
It is an incredibly inspiring story. How did Downey do it? It was a mixture of natural talent, good fortune (Mel Gibson taking a chance on him, his discovery of kung fu, his decision finally to quit drugs, and his landing the right roles), and his own innate likability.
He has a charismatic intensity that few other actors have. The same inner intensity that enabled his addictions was, paradoxically, the source of his redemption. The Downey story teaches us that it is never too late to change, and that if the will is there, good things will eventually
Arguably the most popular — and certainly the busiest — movie leading man in Hollywood history, John Wayne entered the film business while working as a laborer on the Fox Studios lot during summer vacations from university, which he attended on a football scholarship. He met and was befriended by John Ford, a young director who was beginning to make a name for himself in action films, comedies, and dramas. Wayne was cast in small roles in Ford's late-'20s films, occasionally under the name Duke Morrison. It was Ford who recommended Wayne to director Raoul Walsh for the male lead in the 1930 epic Western The Big Trail, it was a failure at the box office, but the movie showed Wayne's potential as a leading actor. During the next nine years, be busied himself in a multitude of B-Westerns and serials — most notably Shadow of the Eagle in between occasional bit parts in larger features such as Warner Bros.' Baby Face. But it was in action roles that Wayne excelled, exuding a warm and imposing manliness onscreen to which both men and women could respond.
... which he received universal praise. Other films included The Long Kiss Goodnight, Deep Blue Sea, The Negotiator, Unbreakable, and Shaft. Despite his fame as a great Hollywood actor, Jackson has made time for stage work and independent films in order to stay close to his acting roots.
...ed against the moon, his films have sketched images in our minds we are unable to forget. His influence upon mainstream Hollywood directing is more than evident. Whether it be making us reflect on past tragedies or teaching us that differences should be celebrated aside from being just recognized, his methods of storytelling have established him as more than just a wonderful film director, but as a great humanitarian.
attempts to fulfill his personal dreams amongst the lower classes of Hollywood. Hackett comes to
Mel Gibson has reached an acting pinnacle, at least so far, with Braveheart. It is an epic
The main protagonist of the film, Scotty Smalls, is introduced as a straight-A, friendless young boy who has just moved into a new neighborhood in new state. While
Robin Williams was a standup comedian and actor, who was in films such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Aladdin, and Dead Poets Society. Ben Stiller in an interview with Rolling Stone says: “He made many, many film crews laugh out loud before the audiences ever saw it. He made such a big impact on the world. So there is the man, and his talent and I think in his case both were extraordinary” (Montgomery). Robin Williams comedy was groundbreaking and influential.
...hanged dramatically since the dawn of the 1960s, granting a sort of semi-legitimacy to drug-influenced art that grows stronger and less self-conscious every year. This pervasiveness of drug imagery in our culture today is no accident-it represents the outgrowth of these artists' introduction of drugs into the popular consciousness. The lingering effects of their efforts to publicize and poetize their altered states of mind can be readily seen in the mainstream culture of America today, which possesses both an awareness of and begrudging respect for the drug experience.
In film, many times the auteur often uses the medium to convey a moral or make a social commentary. In the case of Howard Hawkes’s original version of Scarface, there is more being portrayed through the characters then merely the story. Hawkes makes a statement about the façade of organized crime, and the farce of the American Dream.
But in the lesser role of the prince's evil half brother, Keanu Reeves didn?t appear to be all that special, at times he did look evil but I have never been a big fan of Keanu?s acting. He always sounds like a baboon when he opens his mouth. Maybe I am just remembering too much of Bill and Ted?s Excellent adventure?
The eighties had Ronald Reagan’s war on drugs, the crack epidemic in major cities, and the Columbian cartels’ emergence as a threat. Kingpin “freeway Ricky Ross” made his debut in the eighties and organized an empire solely on drugs. Ad campaigns featuring the first lady, Nancy Reagan, were launched in an attempt to have kids “just say no,” and “nope to dope” (Martin). The crack epidemic hit so hard, that many conspiracy theories stating that the CIA was sending crack...
Less Than Zero is a film that demonstrates how powerful a drug addiction can be and that no amount of lecturing, pleading and care can change someone’s drug habit. Addicts need support systems but the decision to get clean comes from within. In the end, Julian was in too deep and the only person who could have ended his drug addiction was
that he embodies this characterization he accepts the role as he later in life writes, “ I have been cast by
Have you ever had the desire to fit in? Well this man did. From the streets of New York to the hills of L.A. came Harry Lockhart. A man with the desire to fit in with people that do not want him, a man pretending to be something he's not, and a man that strives to get "the girl that got away". All because he is new to L.A.. "This is one of Downey's most enjoyable performances, and one of Kilmer's funniest. It's a relationship comedy wrapped in sharp talk and gunplay, a triumphant comeback for Black, and one of the year's best movies."( E. Russell) a movie that has incorporated all of these things plus more into it. It is a movie packed with dark humour, witty comments, action and even romance.
starred in many of the war movies made at that time. By seeing so many