Category Archives: Notes

‘Atonement’: Striking all the right notes in Venice

Posted on August 29, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett VENICE – Composer Dario Marianelli has created a wonderfully inventive score for Joe Wright’s new film “Atonement,” which features the tapping of typewriter keys as percussion. It’s a very effective device that plays off the title and it … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Music, Notes, Venice International Film Festival | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Alfonso Cuaron was shaken by Bond, but not stirred

Posted on July 28, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron (pictured) says he was going to make a James Bond picture until Joel Coen talked him out of it. Speaking in a Q&A at BAFTA in London on Friday, the director … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Music, Notes | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Alfonso Cuaron was shaken by Bond, but not stirred

CANNES: Malcolm McDowell on Lindsay Anderson

Posted on May 26, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett CANNES – Stephen Frears is a big-time movie director (“The Queen”) and this year’s jury president at the snazziest film festival in the world, but Malcolm McDowell recalls yelling at him to fetch the tea on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Notes | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

‘Billy Elliot: The Musical’ still running after two years

Posted on April 21, 2007 by admin

I called Elton John and Lee Hall’s “Billy Elliot: The Musical” irresistible when it opened in March 2005 and so it has proved as the tuneful adaptation of the well-regarded 2000 movie celebrates its second anniversary at London’s Victoria Palace … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, News, Notes, Theatre | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Billy Elliot: The Musical’ still running after two years

Helen Mirren wins Critics’ Circle’s top award

Posted on April 13, 2007 by admin

Helen Mirren was awarded with Critics’ Circle’s 2006 Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts at a lunch at the National Theatre on April 11. The star of the film “The Queen” and TV’s “Elizabeth I”has already won the Oscar, BAFTA, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, News, Notes, Theatre | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Helen Mirren wins Critics’ Circle’s top award

Like Gregory Peck, on my birthday, ‘Above all, life!’

Posted on April 5, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett Gregory Peck sent me this postcard from Paris in 1996. We shared the same birthday, April 5, and once we exchanged cards. He wrote: “This French graffiti describes perfectly how it feels to be 80 all of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Memory Lane, Notes, Recalling ... | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Delivering ‘Northanger’ romance at Lismore Castle

Posted on March 25, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett The daunting edifice in “Northanger Abbey,” ITV’s new version of the Jane Austen novel that aired tonight starring Felicity Jones and JJ Feild (pictured), is actually Lismore Castle in County Waterford, Ireland. Andrew Davies, who wrote the … Continue reading →

Posted in Notes, Places, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Delivering ‘Northanger’ romance at Lismore Castle

Elton John at 60 recalling happy days

Posted on March 25, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett I can recall when none of my friends wanted to see Elton John, who turns 60 today. It was 1971 and the only Elton John record anyone had heard was the ballad “Your Song.” I was working … Continue reading →

Posted in Memory Lane, Music, Notes | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Channeling Edith Piaf in ‘La Vie en Rose’

Posted on March 21, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett EMI Music sent over their soundtrack CD for the film “La Vie en Rose,” a biography of French singer Edith Piaf, and I’ve been playing it ever since (alternating with Ry Cooder’s exceptional “My Name is Buddy”) … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Music, Notes | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Channeling Edith Piaf in ‘La Vie en Rose’

The fine eye of Joni Mitchell

Posted on March 19, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett When I lived in Los Angeles, Joni Mitchell was a regular at my watering hole of choice, Dan Tana’s restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard. Tana’s is famously relaxed about the big names that dine there, but given … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, News, Notes | Tagged , , | 1 Comment