RIP Robbie Robertson

 sad day today, even sadder than 2 days ago when Billy Friedkin passed...

Sixto Rodriguez is gone also (but that was y-day on the 8th)...

just spoke about The Band 2 days ago, considered by many the best band ever, and last year or so I saw the doc focusing on Robbie Robertson's and The Band, Once Were Brothers...he was one of the Great ones, played with Bob,  probably Scorsese's best friend in the seventies and more, he's rejoining Levon Helm, Richard Manuel and Rick Danko on that Last Waltz...all dead but as Neil says it, not forgotten...

listen to Beautiful Madness from his SINEMATIC album, a very personal one...also loved Robbie's work for Marty, his album from 2011, How To Become Clairvoyant, and his theme song for The Irishman (2019) also Rememberance, the second song, also from Sinematic.

His final score will be heard this fall when Scorsese's latest KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON releases.

and here's Scorsese tribute to the Man, in Esquire....

RIP William Friedkin

The French Connection 

The Exorcist

Sorcerer

Cruising

To Live and Die in L.A.

Rules of Engagement

The Hunted

Bug

Killer Joe

One of my top favorite directors and much more than that, he had crossed the final bridge today. 

William "Hurricane Billy" Friedkin was 1987...He won the Oscar for directing in 1972 for The French Connection, at that time being the youngest recipient of the award at 33.

Met him thrice in Cannes, in 2006 with Bug at the American Pavillion, in 2007 at the Quinzaine with Cruising and nine years later in 2016 in Bunuel at La Lecon du Cinema. 

Friedkin had recently completed “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” starring Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Clarke. His now-final film will premiere in September at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

respects from the Industry here

Francis Ford Coppola took to Instagram to pay tribute to Friedkin, who he called “a giant of a man.”

“William Friedkin was my first friend among the filmmakers of my generation and I grieve for the loss of a much-loved companion,” Coppola said. “His accomplishments in Cinema are extraordinary and unique. He is the only colleague I knew whose work actually saved a man’s life (‘The People v. Paul Cruimp’). Billy’s work represents true milestones in Cinema, a list which will never be forgotten; certainly ‘The French Connection,’ ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘Sorcerer,’ but all of his films are alive with his genius. Pick any of them out of a hat and you’ll be dazzled. His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man. It’s very hard to grasp that I will never enjoy his company again, but his work will at least stand in for him.”

RIP Mark Margolis

I know Mark Margolis from Scarface (1983, which I saw in 1984 or so, first time in black and white pan and scan video), where he was the Bolivian psychotic killer who doesn't speak English, "cienta metros"...His character is billed as "The Shadow".  Once you saw him there you never forgot him.

Character actor of Jewish Polish descent, he was born in Philadelphia in 1939. He studied acting under Stella Adler at the Actor's Studio. He was in a lot of films and TV (over 150!), including many Darren Aronofsky films, from Pi to Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Noah and Black Swan.

But his late fame came from the Breaking Bad series, where he was the evil "Tio" Hector Salamanca, even more evil on a wheelchair ! He got nominated by a singular Emmy for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series". He was a big part the spin-off too, in Better Call Saul. Last part he played was in the Your Honor series (also with Bryan Cranston), as the mob boss Carmine Conti.

Mark Margolis died August 3 2023 in New York. He was 83. RIP...

Obituary here

"You don't play villains like they are villains. You play them like you know exactly where they are coming from. Which hopefully you do."

                                                                                       Mark Margolis 

RIP Paul Reubens

Paul "Pee-wee" Reubens is gone! Really 70 years already ?