Thin Ice is a novel by British character actor Alan Ford (23rd February 1938, London). Known to many as Brick Top from Guy Ritchie’s iconic crime caper film Snatch (2000),

In case you somehow hadn’t heard, the Oscars rolls around this Sunday, and for an actor, there’s no greater recognition for a performance than winning an Academy Award, which has celebrated the year’s best films since 1929.

Coming clean, he told the world why he was robbing the bank that day. Citing that through his wife’s suicide attempt over not having a woman body he had resorted to robbing a bank to provide for it.

“Nobody would ever rob a bank to give a guy a sex-change operation, that’s why they made a movie about it”

Many believe his larger than life stage performances were related to Sammy’s secret desire to be liked and to overcome prejudice. He finished his army days in the entertainment section traveling across the US, gorging himself on the joy of being liked. He looked for haters in his audience and gave his performances an extra burst of strength and energy to make them acknowledge him as an entertainer. Back in Civy Street he perfected his performances

© Words Dennis Munday. Ronchi Dei Legionari, Gorizia, Italy

When the ‘pint’ sized Mickey Rooney died on April 6, 2014, it was truly the end of an era. Rooney was born Joe Yule Jr. on September 23, 1920, the son of vaudeville performers Joe Yule and Nell Carter. He first appeared on stage as part of the family act, at the age of 17 months, playing a mouth organ. They were divorced when Rooney was seven, and when his parents separated in 1924, his mother took
him off to Hollywood.

© Words - Scott Powhatan Collins
Based upon the memoir by Jordan Belfort. Screenplay Written by Terence Winter Directed by Martin Scorsese**** (four stars)

"...do the Wall Street Shuffle
Let your money hustle
Bet you'd sell your mother
You can buy another..."
-10cc "The Wall Street Shuffle"

Now THAT was a movie....

© Words - Scott Powhatan Collins

Dear readers, as I have often expressed to you, I am no film expert. I am only a film enthusiast. When I write my reviews and postings, I am only offering my opinion of the films that I have seen and not truly expressing a "set-in-stone" assessment designed to be the final word. Essentially, you have your opinions and I have mine, no one is inherently right or wrong and that is exactly how it should be. Even so, there are times in which my opinion seems to fall directly against what is seemingly the mass consensus,

© Words –Richard Williamson/ ZANI Media

Gore Verbinski and Jerry Bruckheimer's Lone Ranger is a lot better movie than the media line and box office receipts so far might suggest.  The filmmakers succeed here, and bring home the silver if not the gold, by proving their  respects to  the entire Western film tradition through strong story-telling, solid performance, glorious visuals and technical excellence.  It's a different kind of classic with a lot for eyes willing see what it offers and heads ready to have fun.

© Words William Goodchild

Oren Moverman’s follow-up to the Oscar-nominated The Messenger sees the writer/director again not shying away from challenging subjects and the downright bleak.

Dave “Date Rape” Brown (Woody Harrelson) is an unapologetic misanthrope who is happy to dish out merciless beatings. Sometimes he even shoots people. He’s also a member of the Rampart Division of LAPD, which serves the mostly-Hispanic communities of Downtown Los Angeles. The “Date Rape” '