When James Caan died last week at 82 it was cause for a pause of appreciation for the work he left behind. I went searching for a 70's Caan film I hadn't yet seen, having done most of his ouvre at one time or another. I settled on Czech filmmaker Karel Reisz' brilliant 1974 film 'The Gambler', based on a James Toback script and I'm so glad I did. Before jumping into that film, this episode offers a brief re-appraisal of Caan's work in 'The Godfather' and in Michael Mann's 'Thief' (Caan's favorite film role), and a consideration of the relationship audiences end up having with actors with long careers onscreen and in the public eye, human flaws and imperfections all.
274. Sacred Cows: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Since I contain multitudes, have run out of ideas, and since I aspire the podcas
273. 'My Cousin Vinny' (1992)
Somehow, I've never seen this film before for reasons to do with "the 90's" as d
272. Emergency Episode: The Bachman Twist Pretzel Crisis of 2026
In this urgent plea for understanding in these troubled times, I veer off the no
271. Abbas Kiarostami's 'Close-up' (1990)
One of the greatest, most thought-provoking yet totally accessible films is this
Comments & Upvotes