Category Archives: Notes

RIO FILM FESTIVAL: Bright spots in spite of the rain

Posted on October 7, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett RIO DE JANEIRO – They say that Rio de Janeiro sparkles in the sunshine but the sun has been in scarce supply this week with cloudy skies and often torrential rain and the city’s Rio’s Copacabana Beach remains impressive … Continue reading →

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Christopher Walter always asked the right question

Posted on September 18, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett Christopher Walter sat next to me in class at Ashford Boys Grammar School in Kent. He was smart and went on to the sixth form while I went off to seek my fortune in the newspaper game. … Continue reading →

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Silent screen beauty Anita Page dies at 98

Posted on September 9, 2008 by admin

This is how Anita Page’s obituary begins in The Guardian: When Gene Kelly sang You Were Meant for Me to Debbie Reynolds in Singin’ in the Rain (1952), there was an echo of the first time this romantic ballad was performed on … Continue reading →

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Top film composers lined up for 35th Ghent Film Festival

Posted on August 23, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett The World Soundtrack Awards 2008 at the Ghent Film Festival in October will see British composer Dario Marianelli, who won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for best score this year for “Atonement,” once again meet … Continue reading →

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The best little real ale pub in Edinburgh: Halfway House

Posted on June 25, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett No visit to Edinburgh is complete without stopping in at the Halfway House pub on Fleshmarket Close in Old Town between Cockburn Street and Market Street. It is one of the best real ale pubs in Britain … Continue reading →

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Comedian George Carlin dies

Posted on June 24, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett I saw George Carlin, who died today aged 71, perform live in Detroit and Los Angeles and he always put me on the floor. One of his most observant and funniest routines was simply about “stuff”: my … Continue reading →

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CANNES: Woody goes Spanish for ‘Barcelona’ soundtrack

Posted on May 18, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett CANNES – As usual, Woody Allen has scored his new movie, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (which stars Penelope Cruz, left) with synch tracks but instead of the American standards that accompany his Manhattan movies, this time he’s gone … Continue reading →

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‘I Served the King of England’ opens in the UK

Posted on May 9, 2008 by admin

The best film I saw at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival was called “I Served the King of England” and today it is released finally in the U.K., first at London’s Barbican Centre and then to select cinemas nationally. Smart, … Continue reading →

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THEATRE REVIEW: Ringwood players’ ‘Follies’

Posted on April 20, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett To stage a Stephen Sondheim musical gives pause to the best in the business so top marks to the Ringwood Musical & Dramatic Society in Hampshire for tackling “Follies” and carrying it off with flourish. One of hundreds … Continue reading →

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Charlton Heston dies

Posted on April 6, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett Charlton Heston, who has died aged 83, carved out an honorable place for himself in Hollywood history with his many epics and science-fiction pictures, but too often his sense of humor deserted him and pomposity won out. … Continue reading →

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