Flick of the Day

Film: AMISTAD

Director: Steven Spielberg

Actors: Djimon Hounsou, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Matthew McConaughey, Nigel Hawthorne, Pete Postlethwaite, Stellan Skarsgard, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anna Paquin, David Paymer

Year: 1997

Synopsis: A group of Africans stand trial for the murder of their captors aboard a slave ship.

Actor Djimon Honsou was certainly robbed of an Oscar nomination for this poignant, beautiful performance of an enslaved African fighting for his freedom. This film is one of the best films I've ever seen and it beautifully tells the story of human will and power. You should definitely see it.

Flick of the Day

Film: THE TOWN

Director: Ben Affleck

Actors: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper

Year: 2010

Synopsis: A bank-robber falls in love with his hostage.

I'm not so entirely sure about Ben Affleck's choices for movie roles, but when it comes to directing ("Gone Baby Gone") and writing ("Good Will Hunting") he knows what he's doing. Affleck stars in this acclaimed film featuring his beloved Boston. He's actually quite good, but really it's the ensemble cast (led mostly by a fierce, Oscar nominated Jeremy Renner) that is fantastic. The story is action-packed, but it doesn't rely on that aspect alone. It's a smart script with complex characters. If you haven't seen this, you will be missing out. Good job, Ben!!!

In Memoriam...

Pete Postlethwaite (February 7, 1946 - January 2, 2011) was a film, stage, and television actor. He was born in Warrington, England in a family with two sisters and a brother. He studied to become a teacher at St. Mary's College, Strawberry Hill. He taught theater at Loreto College in Manchester, but decided he wanted to act as well and trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

a candid from 1977

with Daniel Day-Lewis in 1993's "In the Name of the Father".

Postlethwaite was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

with Gabriel Byrne and Stephen Baldwin in 1995's "The Usual Suspects"

with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in "Romeo and Juliet"

in 1997's "Jurassic Park: The Lost World"

in 2005's "Dark Water"

starring in a 2009 stage production of "King Lear"

playing 'The Florist' in "The Town"

and the Oscar Goes to...