Harvey Korman: 1927-2008

Comedy legend dies at 81.

Harvey Korman, the ebullient comic best known for his role in Mel Brook’s Blazing Saddles and for a decade on the groundbreaking “The Carol Burnett Show,” died in Los Angeles Thursday from complications of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. He was 81.

Following voice work on cartoons including The Tom & Jerry Show and as The Great Gazoo on The Flintstones, Korman rose to television fame on “The Danny Kaye Show” in the 1960s. He appeared there regularly for three years until moving to “The Carol Burnett Show” in 1967. He would remain on the Burnett show for ten seasons, winning four Emmys, before leaving to helm his own short-lived television series.

But ulimately it was his Blazing Saddles role as Hedley Lamarr, the conniving assistant to Mel Brook’s befuddled governor, that would garner him the most lasting attention. Brooks cast Korman in several more films over two decades, including History of the World Part I and High Anxiety, trypically in supporting but nonetheless prominent roles. Korman also appeared in dozens of television shows and movies, including two Pink Panther films and as Bud Abbot in Bud & Lou, a 1978 television biography of the Abbot & Costello comedy team.

In recent years Korman toured the country with his Burnett Show castmate Tim Conway, performing as “Tim Conway and Harvey Korman: Together Again.” The pair completed several shows a week, despite their advanced years.

By way of tribute, we’d like to present the following scene from Blazing Saddles, with Korman doing that voodoo that he do so well.

 

Keeping Track of the Minutemen

The original heroes of the Watchmen universe explained.

Warner Bros. released this publicity image from Zack Snyder’s The Watchmen the other day, showing another enticing image from a film based on what many consider the best graphic novel or comic book ever written.

These aren’t the Watchmen of the title; no, these are the Minutemen, the original super team of the very complex alternate history in which the comic and movie are set. And make no mistake – the attention to detail and accuracy, like much of the rest of the production, is painstakingly accurate.

Basically, the Minutemen protected the American homefront from Nazi spies and other assorted threats throughout the 1940s. Within the continuity of the graphic novel, its members led dark lives often marred by tragedy and violence even after their costumed careers ended. The members are, from left to right:

Silhouette: A Jewish refugee from Austria, Ursula Zandt was expelled from the group in 1946 when her homosexuality became public knowledge. She was killed by a revenge-seeking former enemy weeks later.

Mothman: Persecuted by McCarthyism, Byron Lewis (Niall Matter) succumbed to alcoholism and psychological problems that left him permanently hospitalized. Fondly remembered by the other heroes, he’s sometimes visited by the second Nite Owl, Dan Dreiberg (Patrick Wilson).

Dollar Bill: The public spokesman and “in house superhero” for a national bank, Dollar Bill (Dan Payne) was shot dead by robbers when his flowing cape became caught in a branch location’s revolving door.

Nite Owl I: Hollis Mason (Stephen McHattie) was a police officer by day and the crimefighting Nite Owl by night. A salt-of-the-earth type who retired to a life as an auto mechanic, his tell-all autobiography Under The Hood is excerpted in the Watchmen graphic novel’s early chapters. He’s both friend and mentor to his successor, Dan Dreiberg.

Captain Metropolis: A former Marine lieutenant, Captain Metropolis was the group’s organizer and strategist. He attempts to start a similar group, the Crimebusters, in the 1960s, citing both “promiscuity” and “black unrest” as social ills. His homosexual relationship with Hooded Justice was concealed in part with help from the original Silk Spectre.

The Comedian: (kneeling) Edward Blake’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) murder sets off the events of the story’s main plotline. A hero turned government enforcer, Blake participated in America’s victory in Vietnam and later helped cover up the break-in at the Watergate Hotel. Blake assaulted teammate Sally Juspeczyk (Cala Gugino), the first Silk Spectre, after a Minutemen meeting in their headquarters but was stopped and viciously beaten by Hooded Justice.

Silk Spectre I: Sally Juspeczyk was a burlesque dancer who fought crime as a means of attracting publicity for her entertainment career. Sexually assaulted by The Comedian, a brief tryst between the two decades later produced a daughter, Laurel (Malin Akerman), who would in time become the second Silk Spectre.  

Hooded Justice: The first of the costumed crimefighters to appear on the public scene, Hooded Justice’s identity remains a mystery, though some suspect he was a circus strongman with Nazi sympathies. He vanishes after questioning by the House Un-American Affairs Committee, leading many to speculate he was murdered by The Comedian in revenge for the beating Blake received after attacking Sally Juspeczyk.  

- Michael Kabel

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Sydney Pollack: 1934 – 2008

Legendary American filmmaker dies of cancer.

Sydney Pollack, the Oscar-winning American actor-producer-director whose work included Out of Africa, Absence of Malice, and Tootsie, died Monday at his Los Angeles home. He was 73.

Marked by an unobstrusive yet intelligent directing style, Pollack’s films were often meditative yet skeptical studies of the individual’s struggle against indifferent external forces. Born the child of Jewish Russian immigrants in Lafayette, Indiana, Pollack originally worked in New York as an actor before directing television shows including The Fugitive, The Defenders, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. His second feature film, an adaptation of Tennesee Williams’ This Property Is Condemned, launched a fruitful collaborative partnership with then-relatively unknown actor Robert Redford. The two would make six more films together, including the classics Jeremiah Johnson, The Way We Were, and Out of Africa. Co-starring Meryl Streep, Out of Africa won seven Academy Awards in 1986, including Best Director and Best Picture. 

Besides many of his own films, Pollack’s producer credits include The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Quiet American, and Bright Lights, Big City.

In addition to Redford, Pollack directed the most famous movie stars of three decades over more than thirty films, including Robert Mitchum, Jane Fonda, Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and many others. Beginning in the 1990s he carved out a second career as a character actor, often playing the unflappable, slightly arrogant voice of Establishment authority in films including Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, his own The Interpreter and Random Hearts, and last year’s Michael Clayton. His most recent screen appearance was as Patrick Dempsey’s father in the romantic comedy Made of Honor.

By way of tribute, we’d like to present the following scene from Tootsie, in which Pollack plays Dustin Hoffman’s long-suffering acting agent. Legend has it Pollack took the part at the famously difficult Hoffman’s suggestion, after the two clashed repeatedly on set.

What Are These Five Actors Thinking?

Career intervention for five performers we’re worried about.

Hindsight is 20/20. Anyone can look back on the careers of actors and do a passable postmortem, pinpointing with reasonable accuracy the choices that led to their stagnant careers. Yet, there are so many actors making such poor decisions these days, it’s hard not to predict how these choices may affect their careers long-term. At the least we’ll get to say, “I told you so,” if they ever call us.

Actor:Tamoh Penikett
Upcoming Project: Dollhouse (debuts mid-season on Fox)
Why this is a bad idea: Association with Joss Whedon is like giving  your career an inertia pill. Case in point: Nathan Fillion, whose talent and good looks should have blown up the screens five years ago, after Firefly was yanked. Whedon also doesn’t have a great track record with Fox, so the longevity of Dollhouse seems questionable. Combine that with a recent turn on Battlestar Galactica, and Penikett could be the next James Marsters – a stunningly gorgeous, hugely talented actor, often better than the shows in which he appears, languishing in typecast sci-fi roles from which he will have a difficult time emerging.
What he should be doing instead: We see him in a recurring role as Don Draper’s rival for the affections of Rachel Menken on AMC’s do-no-wrong hit Mad Men.

Actor/Writer: Mike Myers
Upcoming Project: The Love Guru (opens June 20th)
Why this is a bad idea: Most people of a certain age (read: mid-thirties) have waited a long time for Mike Myers to remind them why they thought he was a comic genius after So I Married an Axe Murderer. Guru isn’t going to help. Myers’ career has followed the same trajectory of stale kitsch-fests that’s landed Jim Carrey on the back-burner for the past several years. While it may be difficult in the future to pinpoint exactly when Myers jumped the shark, watching his accent-riddled take on The Ladies’ Man (incidentally, a much better movie than it should be) is just going to be painful.
What he should be doing instead: Losing the accent and taking a cue from better actors. Myers’ planned remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty could be a promising return to form, but with his track record, we’re expecting schtick that would make even Danny Kaye spin in his grave. Myers needs to follow Kaye’s lead in this – it’s ok to be goofy. Just do it in moderation.

Actor: Elizabeth Banks
Upcoming Project: Meet Dave (opens July 11th)
Why this is a bad idea: Not every part is a plum. Banks is one of the most talented comediennes working today, which is a shame, because Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Will Ferrell have been doing everything in their power to kill the American movie comedy. Though she’s branching out a bit in her upcoming choices – Laura Bush in Oliver Stone’s W.; a remake of the Korean horror film The Uninvited with David Strathairn - she’s still at risk of getting stuck in a Judd Apatow rut with other upcoming roles (with Paul Rudd in Little Big Men, with Seth Rogan in the Kevin Smith-directed Zack and Miri Make a Porno). Hence, her need to be more selective with parts.
What she should be doing instead: Stop taking every script that comes across her desk. Same advice goes for Missi Pyle. America is starved for smart, funny women, and their talents are strong enough to keep their careers going even if they only work three or four times a year instead of twelve (I mean you, Missi!) Moviegoers will start to associate their talent with the caliber of productions they’re in, so the better the scripts, the better their chances of becoming the next Madeline Kahn.

Actor: Michael Cera
Upcoming Project: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (opens October 3rd)
Why this is a bad idea: Ah, the Juno backlash has begun, and Michael Cera’s poised to reap the fickleness of audiences everywhere. Because of his age and comedic talents, Cera’s getting typecast as the goofy high school student whose bad luck with girls provides the project’s premise (Arrested Development, Superbad, the upcoming Youth in Revolt). Unfortunately, there are only so many times this can be done before audiences get sick of him in this role. Arrested Development showed he’s got chops beyond the comedic, yet he rarely gets a chance to use them. That doesn’t bode well for his longevity beyond the Apatow Era.
What he should be doing instead: Break free of the Emo crowd. Juno was, ironically, a good career move – an indie pic with a credible slate of B-list actors. Unfortunately for him, it blew up a little too much, and now he’s stuck as the poster boy for hipster kids who can’t get a date. We suggest doing some tragicomedies that are a bit less precious and a bit more brainy, like Little Miss Sunshine or The Royal Tennenbaums, that show his range and get him out of his box.

Actor: Keri Russell
Upcoming Project: Bedtime Stories (opens December 25th)
Why this is a bad idea: She’s playing it safe. Russell’s co-starring part in the Adam Sandler-starring Stories will probably not launch her into the public’s hearts. (Click sure did nothing for Kate Beckinsale.) Russell showed her chops in Waitress, did the obligatory follow-up melodrama (August Rush), and now returns in this bit of holiday tripe. She’s being a bit too calculated in her choices, and that’s turning her movie career into the same kind of commercial milquetoast that defined her years in television.
What she should be doing instead: Despite previous rants about Judd Apatow above, Rusell is one actress who could do with some association with him while he’s still a hot commodity. A turn in something not quite as raunchy as his usual fare but still grittier than her usual movies could do what Mission: Impossible 3 should’ve accomplished but didn’t: add a nice edge to her screen persona while helping directors see her range.

- Jennifer Vasil

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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Long-awaited fourth adventure collapses under its own wait. 

After nineteen years, could Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull possibly live up to expectations? And what kind of movie would in fact please everyone? Well, you’d think George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford et al. could’ve done better than this. 

Unevenly paced, slow to find its rhythms and too impressed with itself by half, the fourth installment of the beloved retro-series shows the mish-mash of the endless script versions, revisions and rewrites that dragged its development out for years without ever gelling into a coherent whole. The plot, such as it is, involves Jones’ attempts to find and return a crystal skull – a Macguffin if ever there was one – to its rightful place in a long-secreted South American temple. He gets help from Brando-esque teen rebel Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), his ex-love Marian Ravenwood (Karen Allen), and a former colleague (John Hurt) turned holy fool by the skull’s mysterious properties. They’re pursued – relentlessly, incredulously – by Soviet agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), a one-dimensional Russian baddie complete with jodhpurs and fencing rapier. There’s family drama, and lost love, and some jokes about growing old gracefully. But they’re murmurs in the whirlwind of the action.

Except now the whirlwind feels winded. Lucas and Spielberg, to paraphrase P.T. Barnum, never went broke underestimating the intelligence of their audience, but this time the film’s gaps in plotting and common sense are too wide to ignore. Problems of logic and reason are left untended, until what’s supposed to be escapism becomes instead distracting. In the case of a less-celebrated director, such gaps would get blamed on lack of skill. Here, they hint of complacency – worse, of arrogance. Adding self-indulgence to injury, the directors endlessly rehash their favorite visual motifs. 1950s nostalgia? It’s there, first thing. Cute animals that behave like humans? In abundance, no less than twice. Mindless, stupid gore? Better believe it. Overlong set pieces? Of course. The many obvious soundstages look Disney-theme-park fake, as well, as if shot on a studio backlot. While that’s partly homage to the serials of yesteryear, it’s also glaringly artificial.

As for the performances, the actors make the most of the few scenes they have that don’t involve punching, jumping, ducking, or lunging. Ford and LaBeouf have a comfortable rapport, but their instant familiarity telegraphs a mid-film revelation that will surprise no one with intelligence greater than the film’s numerous CGI prairie dogs. Blanchett has been better, and Allen isn’t given much to do except drive whatever commandeered vehicle lays around, moon over Ford, and serve as an example of aging gracefully. LaBeouf isn’t terrible in a part that’s obviously meant to satisfy Lucas’ seeming compulsion to introduce minors into deadly situations and an overweening readiness to spin off a new franchise.

And Ford. At 65, the actor looks worn down to his last but still game for a final adventure. Unfortunately, the effortless charm that endeared Han Solo and Indy to a generation is at a low flame here, only coming to life in occasional scenes where he manages to imbue a little weariness into the shrillness around him. Even just an extra scene or two more might’ve helped the film towards becoming a fully-realized piece – but there’s special effects and fights and a field of killer ants and raging waterfalls and an army of angry monkeys (honestly) that won’t wait for such luxuries. The film aims to amaze, not entertain.

Twenty four hours after its debut, a backlash is already brewing. If the public rejects this last installment as more Temple of Doom than Last Crusade, who’s responsible? American film audiences are a fickle lot, and modern genre devotees especially delight in second-guessing film creators about how a follow-up can – and more importantly should – be handled. And of course the results are often disappointing and even dispiriting. But we as ticket buyers expect more from the best filmmakers of their generation, especially after waiting through years of rumors and hints about one last ride with the hero of many a childhood. We expect more, and for decades of loyalty we as fans actually sort of deserve it.

- Michael Kabel

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Weekend Mood Music: The Indiana Jones Theme

If you don’t get a little thrill hearing it you’re probably a little dead inside.

We’ll have our review of the new film up tomorrow, but in the meantime here’s a YouTube video of the classic John Williams theme in its entirety.

So if you’re reading us at work, close the door and crank the volume. Then leap out as the music swells into that awesome refrain.
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Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

 Awaiting the coming of a lion in a film that’s gone to the dogma.

Director Andrew Adamson’s 2005 film adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe was by no means a great film, but it was nevertheless a thoroughly likable picture thanks to its great ensemble cast. The menace of the White Witch (Tilda Swinton) was nicely balanced by the stunningly lifelike CGI lion Aslan (voiced with regal authority by Liam Neeson). Though the story’s religious subtext was clearly present, it was at least tastefully restrained. Between the harrowing scenes of the Nazi Blitzkrieg and the charming friendship between ten year old Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) and the “faun” Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy), the film possessed an emotional anchor that generated empathy despite its fantastic setting.  So that film’s relative success makes Adamson’s dreary follow-up all the more baffling and disappointing.

Prince Caspian sees the return of the four Pevensie children to the realm of Narnia thirteen hundred years later (but only one year Earth-time.) The warlike Telmarines have invaded Narnia and all but annihilated its population of centaurs, fauns, minotaurs and other talking creatures. Young Caspian (Ben Barnes), a naive but otherwise decent fellow, is the rightful heir to the Telmarine throne until his villainous uncle Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) attempts to murder him and claim the crown for his own.  Driven into hiding, Caspian inadvertently summons the Pevensie kids from World War II-era England, and they join forces to defend the surviving Narnians while awaiting the return of the magical (and messianic) lion Aslan.     

The film depends in large amount upon the child actors’ performances, but the kids play their parts with so little distinction that they become virtually interchangeable. Admittedly, this is partly the fault of the action-heavy script, but if the directors of the Harry Potter films consistently get well-rounded performances out of their young actors, why can’t Adamson? Only William Moseley’s Peter, the eldest of the Pevensie siblings, receives three whole dimensions to his character, two of which are “shallow” and “vain.” As for the 26-year old Barnes, he woodenly plays the title character as a younger, blander Brandon Routh with a laughably inconsistent accent: picture The Office‘s Michael Scott imitating The Princess Bride’s Inigo Montoya. 

Neeson and Swinton reprise their previous roles in greatly diminished doses, but the first film’s McAvoy, Jim Broadbent and Ray Winstone don’t return for this installment, and that leaves Peter Dinklage as a dwarf named Trumpkins, who unfortunately is relegated to a tertiary supporting role while buried under whole cakes of makeup.  The scene-stealing mouse cavalier Reepicheep (voiced by Eddie Izzard) provides some bright moments of levity, but these are painfully few and far between.

As for the inordinately long chases and epic battle sequences, they all feel reminiscent – if not derivative – of other movies, particularly The Lord of the Rings trilogy and George Lucas’s blatant Rings pastiche Willow. Lewis of course collaborated on the Narnia books with his close friend J.R.R. Tolkein, so some degree of mimicry is understandable. But if you’re going to watch a film with walking trees and rivers come to life, you might as well rent the one with good acting and developed characters. Prince Caspian is also far more mean-spirited than its influences – one particularly distasteful and manipulative sequence features many of the whimsical Narnians slaughtered in captivity.

Adamson ramps the book’s deliberate allegory into overdrive, delivering several moments of outright patronizing morals that promote Christian theology. This would be fine if the filmmakers genuinely engaged the underlying philosophical questions instead of curtly dismissing such thorny details in favor of dogma. (Why exactly did Aslan abandon Narnia to thirteen hundred years of genocide?) An example: at one point Peter wishes for some sign of Aslan’s presence, but is silenced when his little sister Lucy admonishes, “Maybe it’s we who need to prove ourselves to him.” You don’t have to be Jewish or Christian to appreciate the Indiana Jones films and you don’t have to be atheist to enjoy The Golden Compass, but Prince Caspian is a film with one and only one point of view, and shame on anyone who wants otherwise.

Perhaps more troubling is the depiction of the dark-skinned Telmarines as swarthy, barbaric and altogether treacherous. The Narnia books have been frequently castigated for none-too-subtle racist attitudes towards the Middle East, and Adamson’s film does very little to stifle such criticism. In the denouement, Aslan describes the Telmarines as having descended from “brigands” and “pirates.” Note also that Caspian – the rightful, altruistic ruler – is easily the palest Telmarine in the kingdom. I’m not suggesting that the source material be bowdlerized to accommodate a more diverse perspective (ever see Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves or The Sum of All Fears?), but surely it must be possible to remain faithful to the spirit of the text without perpetuating hateful stereotypes. (Admittedly, there’s a heroic black centaur displayed prominently, but that’s about it.)

Bigger, louder and dumber than its predecessor, Prince Caspian exemplifies that hoary pejorative “sequel.” Given its disappointing opening weekend at the box office, hopefully the Walt Disney Corporation will learn from its mistakes before adapting the next five installments of Lewis’s sweeping vision.

 - Steve Kabel
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HBO’s “Recount” Revisits 2000 Presidential Election

No matter which way you voted in the 2000 presidential election – or if you didn’t vote and it was counted, or if you did vote and it wasn’t – you’ve likely got a strong opinion about what went down in Florida those strange, intense weeks of December and January.

HBO’s new original movie, directed by Jay Roach (the Austin Powers trilogy) and written by Danny Strong (Seabiscuit) looks to take an edgy comedic look at those historic events a la Primary Colors. We sort of wish John Sayles had helmed the project, but the trailer looks promising all the same.

Recount premieres Memorial Day weekend – Sunday, May 25th. You don’t need us to tell you to check your local listings for time and channel number, so we won’t.

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Five Fall Television Shows To Watch

Our picks and items of interest for the upcoming season

The major television networks announced their 2008-2009 schedules this past week. The good news: several very good shows that didn’t have time to develop their audience before the writer’s strike last fall are getting a second chance. So if you’re a fan of Life or Terminator: The Sara Connor Chronicles, congratulations. The bad news is that a lot of other 2007 premieres are not: goodbye Journeyman, Carpoolers, and many more. Some established shows, such as CBS’ Shark and NBC’s Las Vegas, are also signing off.

But each new fall sees fresh hope on the schedule, including a few bright spots that have us interested. There’s no ranking or hierarchy to the shows listed below – we just think they might be worth 24 – 44 minutes or your time once a week, minus commercials.

Dollhouse: Geek Caesar Joss Whedon’s return to network television stars Buffy The Vampire Slayer alum Eliza Dushku as Echo, a secret agent whose skill sets and identities can be downloaded, erased, or changed at the will of her shadowy superiors. Former Angel cast member Amy Acker plays one of Echo’s scientist caretakers, while Battlestar Galactica‘s Tamoh Penikett plays her FBI agent love interest. So it’s like: Johnny Mnemonic meets Alias. It could be a hit because: plenty of people miss Buffy and Alias, and this is kinda like both. On the downside: It’s been a long time since Whedon really amazed us, and Fox’s patience with sci-fi – including Whedon’s own Firefly – is notoriously short. Premieres midseason on Fox.

Life On Mars: David E. Kelley adapts this cult BBC drama for American audiences, in which an injured police detective finds himself inexplicably transported back in time to the 1970s. Irish actor Jason O’Mara (Band of Brothers) plays the cop, while Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Colm Meaney plays his hardboiled 70s partner. So it’s like: The Practice crossed with your David Bowie CD’s. It could be a hit because: Kelley’s presence means the show is likely geared to those viewers old enough to remember the 70′s, lowering the kitsch factor and keeping the focus on character development. On the downside: American translations of British television don’t always retain the originals’ quality – for every The Office, there’s a Cracker. Fall premiere on ABC.

The Cleveland Show: Cleveland Brown, The Family Guy’s mellow pal to Peter Griffin, moves to Virginia and starts a new family with his high school sweeheart, his son and her daughter. Their new neighbors in the quiet town of Stoolbend include a British family stuck in the Victorian Era and a clan of talking bears. So it’s like: The Brady Bunch meets Family Guy. It could be a hit because: Cleveland’s one of the more loveable denizens of Quahog, and creator Seth McFarlane is likely re-energized after finalizing a long-running negotiation with 20th Century Fox. On the downside: Cleveland was probably no fan’s first choice to launch a spinoff; McFarlane’s other toon, American Dad, hasn’t exactly set the world afire. Premieres midseason on Fox.

Crusoe: A big-budget adaptation of Daniel Defoe’s classic novel about an Englishman marooned on a desert island. The NBC drama reportedly retains the book’s 17th Century setting, meaning don’t expect helicopter rescues, GPS, or Wilson the volleyball. So it’s like: Lost meets your Seventh Grade summer reading list. It could be a hit because: Star Philip Winchester (Flyboys) has Next Big Thing all but written across his forehead; it’s different enough to be an out-of-left-field success. On the downside: It’s scheduled to air in the Fridays at 8pm Death Slot. Fall premiere.

Untitled The Office Spinoff: NBC is keeping mum on this project, though they’ve revealed it will debut following the Super Bowl next January. We’re still hoping for The New York Office, in which Jim gets Ryan’s job at corporate while Pam attends design school, but earlier rumors specify the cast will be all-new. So it’s like: The Office meets CSI. Maybe Dunder Mifflin: Miami? It could be a hit because: Really, the show only has to air to be a hit – at least through the first season. On the downside: Office fans are a ferocious bunch, and could turn on the new show if they feel it doesn’t live up to the beloved original.

 - Michael Kabel

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Secret Stars: Six Actors Who Deserve More Recognition

If we had our way this would be the Hollywood A-list

Plenty of people in Hollywood are overrated. Movies and television shows teem with actors who were either lucky, shrewd, good-looking, or well-connected enough to rise despite a certain lack of talent. Probably every one has their own pet example – a movie star, an ingenue starlet or a pretty boy semi-celeb – that illustrates just what a capricious bitch good fortune really is, especially when Fame is at stake.

Obviously we watch too many movies and waaayyy too much television, and as a result we’ve seen some actors come and go that we wish worked more. The list below isn’t comprehensive and it’s not scientific; of course it’s not objective either. But if you see one of these actors on a screen, pay attention and you’re guaranteed to see good work.

Lee Tergesen: Of the hundreds of actors (we’re only slightly exaggerating) that came out of the late and much-missed HBO series Oz, perhaps no one is more overdue for widespread acclaim than the actor that brought Tobias Beecher to life. Tergesen’s done laps around the guest star circuit, appearing on the Law & Orders as well as CSI and Masters of Horror, but he’s an astonishingly versatile actor who deserves a wider audience. Possible liability: Suffers from The Nancy Travis Paradox: not pretty enough for leading roles, too charismatic for supporting parts. Notable performance: Any of his scene-stealing guest spots on Rescue Me and Desperate Housewives. Next appears: In this year’s Iraq War HBO mini Generation Kill.

Maria Bello: A true actor’s actor, Maria Bello has held her own against leading men as diverse as Mel Gibson and Viggo Mortensen. Her performances are dependably well-modulated and restrained, showing a technique built on craftsmanship rather than showing off for the camera with a lot of tics and strutting (probably why the Academy routinely ignores her.) Possible liability: Conspicuously not above taking paycheck roles such as in Coyote Ugly. Notable performance: Breathing new life into the waitress-with-a-heart-of-gold archetype in The Cooler. Next appears: Adventuring with Brendan Fraser in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Stephen Root: An actor whose fame has remained at an unreasonable volume for much of his career, Root’s turn as the flopsweating Milton Waddams in 1999′s Office Space made the Swingline stapler a hip accessory. He’s since appeared in O Brother, Where Art Thou?  and done regular work on underrated series like King of the Hill and News Radio. Possible liability: Hollywood only has so many parts for heavyset men that don’t involve buffoon schtick. Notable performance: He’s Milton Waddams, for Christ’s sake. Next appears: In Joe Wright’s (Atonement) Oscar-bait biopic The Soloist, opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Catherine Keener.

Gretchen Mol: Sometimes early fame is a curse. Mol shot to overweening public exposure in the late 90s, a time when new actors were mercilessly forced upon the public. Following starring roles in underperforming films like Rounders and The Thirteenth Floor, Mol built a career in indie cinema including Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things and last year’s The Ten. Possible liability: A tendency to appear in films that aren’t as good as they should be. Notable performance: Her fearless and revelatory starring performance in 2005′s The Notorious Bettie Page. Next appears: Opposite Luke Wilson in the indie comedy Tenure.

Gina Torres: We’re sort of convinced that Fame owes Gina Torres money. If you’re even a little bit geek, you’ve seen her in something: Firefly, 24, Alias, and several more genre serials. A gifted character actress, Torres plays strong women effortlessly without sacrificing her femininity. Possible liability: She may be typecast in geek culture roles. Notable performance: As first mate and Nathan Fillion’s conscience in Joss Whedon’s wildly uneven Serenity. Next appears: In the indie drama Don’t Let Me Drown, about two Latino teens in the aftermath of September 11th (yeah, that old cliche.)

Michael Hogan: Battlestar Galactica has made its mistakes, but even its low points were made gripping thanks to screen-melting performances by Mary McDonnell, Edward James Olmos, and especially Michael Hogan as the troubled and self-loathing Colonel Saul Tigh. Adding layers of emotion to what in other hands might’ve been a generic hardass role, Hogan never resorts to capital-A acting to communicate his character’s complexity. Possible liability: Long-running science fiction shows often become an albatross for their casts’ later careers. Notable performance: Parodying the Tigh character on Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken. Next appears: Helping Galactica grind to a conclusion in its final season.

- Michael Kabel

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