Private Johnny and the Spectacles of War

It's ironic that a tireless war protester like John  Lennon would have ever accepted a film role as a soldier. But that's just what he did back in 1966 when he appeared as Private Gripweed in Richard Lester's movie "How I Won the War." The film was an absurd black comedy about the misadventures of an army troop led by…

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Ognir Rrats: They’re Gonna Put Me in the Movies

When Ringo sang the words of Buck Owens' hit "Act Naturally" on the B side of the 1965 Beatles' single "Yesterday," little did he know that acting would become a second career of sorts. "Well, I'll bet you I'm gonna be a big star. Might win an Oscar, you can never tell," he wailed in his no-frills voice. Well, the plucky drummer may not have lasted a day in the acting workshops of Lee Strasberg or Stella Adler, but he managed to put his kooky stamp on a number of independently-made films through the years, sharing credits with acting giants like Peter Sellers and Richard Burton. And then there was that TV movie of his. Hmmm, does anybody out there remember Ognir Rrats (Ringo Starr spelled backwards)? Allow me to refresh your memory.

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Benicio of the Bull

The guys who run the local video store must hate me. The other day I brought back "The Usual Suspects," its entrails crumpled, shredded and hanging from the cassette due to excessive play-pause-slow-motion-rewind-search action during scenes featuring the sexy, sultry and talented-as-all-getout Benicio Del Toro. It’s been said that I really know my way around a multi-function remote, but my fascination with his awesome Fred Fenster character really just drove me into freeze-frame frenzy. I hoped to placate said store owners by finally forking over $19.95 for my own copy that I could rough-house through my four-head VCR to my heart’s content.

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