In memoriam Diana Wynne Jones

British fantasy and science fiction writer Diana Wynne Jones has reportedly died. Jones, author of the wildly popular 1986 fantasy novel Howl's Moving Castle, is said to have passed away on Saturday after a long battle with cancer.

In memoriam Bernd Eichinger

Der deutsche Filmproduzent Bernd Eichinger ist im Alter von 61 Jahren in Los Angeles gestorben. Er erlag beim Abendessen einem Herzinfarkt.


Bernd Eichinger, one of the most influential producers for the modern German film scene died in L.A. aged 61 of a sudden heart attack.

He reformed the German movie industry and led it to new success with movies that put entertainment again in front of message, away from the so called authors cinema of the 70's which mostly produced small movies for a intellectual minority. Eichinger understood that cinema needs artful adaptations of novels like Isabelle Allende's The House of the Spirits just as much as the quick entertainment thrill provided by the Resident Evil series.

















We will miss him a lot.

In memoriam Oswalt Kolle

On September 24. of this year Oswalt Kolle died, he was the most famous figure of post-war sexual education in Germany. His pioneering efforts, an honest effort to free sexuality from constraining bonds imposed on it by religious dogmatism and prejudiced short sightedness, mark the importance of his work.

Although the films he produced must seem comedic at best seen from a today's viewpoint, they shaped the way sex got portrayed in German movies.

In memoriam Tony Curtis

Hollywood star Tony Curtis has died at his home in Las Vegas after suffering a cardiac arrest, aged 85.

Sad news, we like to say goodbye and thank you from here to Tony Curtis for the wonderful and diverse roles he played in his career. His performances, such as in Some like it hot, The Defiant Ones, The Great Race or Sex and the single girl (both at the side of Natalie Wood) will remain unforgotten.
And naturally his appearance in the TV-Show The Persuaders as the prototypical American playboy.
Thanks for the memories! And our condolence to his family and friends.

In memoriam Frank Frazetta

Frank Frazetta ... died on Monday in Fort Myers, Fla.
He was 82.


Frazetta is best known for his cover illustrations for fantasy mainstays like
E. R. Burroughs Tarzan and Carter of Mars series and his work on Warren magazines like Vampirella and Eerie.
The huge influence his work had on Fantasy artists is visible in the work of younger illustrators like Mike Hoffman, but also in the early work of such greats as Boris Vallejo.
He's certainly best known to the younger generation for his iconic Death Dealer, which appeared among other places prominently on the movie poster for Ralph Bakshi's Fire & Ice and an album cover for rock band Molly Hatchet.

In memoriam Éric Rohmer

A late post in memory of a great director: Éric Rohmer.
He died on January 11th, only a few months before his ninetieth birthday.

Rohmer was a master of depicting the triviality of life.
Movies like his four seasons cycle, or Le rayon vert show life as it is; no Hollywood decorum or heavy handed drama, just real humans that go through life the same way we all do, one step at a time and never sure where the journey will take them.
His movies are honest and insightful, never trying to lecture us about anything.
He simply knew better than that.

A exceptional director, we say thank you for your movies, for giving them to us.

In memoriam Peter Graves

Peter Graves, the tall, stalwart actor likely best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in the long-running television series "Mission: Impossible," died Sunday.


Peter Graves, the original star of Mission Impossible.
I’m a bit to young to actually remember him from that show, I do remember him mostly as this charming elder man playing in comedy faves like Airplane or Mad Mission II, and incidentally The Slipper and the Rose which I happened to recommend to somebody, just a few days ago.

My condolence to his family and friends.

In Memoriam Jacinto Molina Álvarez

Rest in Peace: Jacinto Molina AKA Paul Naschy

Jacinto Molina, the genre genious behind the legendary figure of the cursed count Waldemar Daninsky, movie histories longest running Werewolf series and second longest running movie series, only topped by the James Bond movies so far, died on 30. November from cancer at the age of 75.

I can sure say that if it hadn't been for this iconic movie character of his, I wouldn't have found my undying love for this specific subgenre (werewolf movies) that soon. Thanks for those wonderful movies.

You will be sadly missed.
My heartfelt condolences go to his family and friends.

In memoriam Patrick Swayze

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Patrick Swayze, whose hunky good looks and sympathetic performances … made him a romantic idol to millions, died Monday. He was 57.



Sad news, I liked the movies he made a lot (yes even Steel Dawn gained a certain nostalgic worth by now).


Dirty Dancing is a great legacy to leave behind though, and I cherish the memory of countless legions of boys claiming to have been forced by their girl friends to watch that movie. Personally I loved it, it’s one of those I watched several times in theatre.
Patrick Swayze was certainly the perfect choice to play the part of Johnny; charismatic, attractive, but not too handsome, not girlish like a lot of the ‘Rebels’ following in his footsteps.




Tiger Warsaw (Called Dirty Tiger in Germany *g*), I never saw that movie, I admittedly didn’t take that much notice of Patrick’s work beyond Dirty Dancing, mainly stays in mind for it’s obvious try to make money from his Dirty Dancing stardom.








Ghost, that's my sisters favourite of his movies which she likes even more than Dirty Dancing, is the movie that made him probably most prominent and it is among the few that I can’t help but feel to be a typical Chick-Flick (if you excuse me using that term) in the sense that it is a great movie but one that really seems to be best understood and most adored by women (although I can easily imagine millions of men, and some women, too, no doubt, picturing themselves in Patrick’s place in the famous love scene).



Red Dawn, another classic, silly movie, a typical cheesy 80’s actioner that I probably would have long since forgotten if it wasn’t for the stupid rallying of certain groups against it, calling in all but words a capitalistic offence against eastern states.
Some people take entertainment far too serious.

And who of us 80’s could ever forget the phenomenon that was North & South?
Fond memories, all of them.


Goodbye "Orry" we already miss you…

In memoriam John Hughes

John Hughes, noted director of 80s "Brat Pack" films like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, has died at the age of 59.

With great sadness I read the news of John Hughes dead.
He shaped my youth like few others did, made it into a magical place to be and I will keep remembering him as the very embodiment of Teen Movies in the finest sense.
Hollywood lost one of their greatest, and we lost a man who set an example in his works for us youngsters worthy to strive after.


In a time when moviemakers seem only to either make movies about sex crazed teenagers void of any sense of belonging or stupid comedies to dumb to enjoy, to lose such a fine moviemaker and writer hurts all the more.


My heartfelt regret for their loss goes out to his friends and family.

In memoriam Karl Malden

Veteran actor Karl Malden, who won an Academy Award for his role in "A Streetcar Named Desire," has died at age 97, his manager said Wednesday.

“Mike Stone will no longer patrol the streets of San Francisco”.
That was about my first thought when I heard that actor Karl Malden passed away in his sleep.
The TV-Crime show “The Streets of San Francisco” made Malden a TV Icon, aside from that he was best known to my age group for his appearance in Dario Argento’s “Il gatto a nove code”.

Malden appeared throughout his career in a wide variety of movies, some of them of lesser importance like “Meteor”, and some of them true time honoured classics like “How the West was won”.
He played more than his share of character roles, appearing in movies like “On the Waterfront”, “Baby Doll” and “A Streetcar named desire” all directed by Elia Kazan, appeared in several War dramas like “Patton” and a good number of Wild West movies.

97, almost a century, that’s a blessed age to reach. Thank's for playing all those wonderful characters throughout the years.
May you rest in peace.

In memoriam Farrah Fawcett

Fawcett, 62, died Thursday morning at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, after being diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006.

Read it yesterday on TV-text, it’s always sad when somebody dies that young.
I will keep her in my memory as one of the Angels, that’s what she always was to me, part of the Angels, together with Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson.
And who could’ve resisted at age nine or ten a show featuring three beautiful crime fighting women. But it’s never fair to reduce an actor to a single role, I do remember her naturally from her short appearance in Logan’s Run, too, and from starring in Saturn City.


I also will remember her from playing Marjorie in Extremities, a movie about a woman taking revenge on a rapist. More than the Death Wish movies did, and more than the ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan movies did, Extremities stirred up the emotions here and started a heated discussion about how far has revenge a right to go?
Maybe it’s just the idea of a woman taking revenge that traditionally sits uneasy with the masses. However, Extremities was a heavily discussed movie, a difficult to stomach one, and an important one at that.

Kudos for taking that role.

Thank you for the memories Farrah and my condolences to friends and family mourning her death.


In closing let me quote Christina Applegate:

Today please donate money to a great cancer organization for research. This damn disease has taken another. We must find a cure. Farrah RIP.