Rolling Obituary Thread: 2018

Yeah, sigh. Probably the most picked in this year's deadpool..

RIP Donald

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbubW7IxNG8

Peter Masterson, theatre/film guy who directed Geraldine Page's Oscar role in The Trip to Bountiful

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/peter-masterson-playwright-actor-and-filmmaker-dies-at-84/2018/12/20/77bff1bc-04a3-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html

Paddy Ashdown.

Simcha "Kazik" Rotem. Last survivor of the Warsaw uprising.

improv pioneer David Shepherd

https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-ent-david-shepherd-second-city-1219-story.html

(Peter Masterson = dad of Mary Stuart Masterson)

Sister Wendy Beckett

https://www.rte.ie/news/2018/1226/1019145-sister-wendy-dead/

Honey Lantree of the Honeycombs

RIP, Honey, even if I wasn’t aware that you were still with us until recently

It's been 5 (five) yeras, but I would like to take this time to celebrate/eulogize acclaimed writer Maya Angelou, who died five (5) years ago. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees.[3] Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.

We take this moment on ILXOR to remember Maya.

also, Honey Laneytree.

Excuse me, Lantree.

was Maya Angelou an original member of the Bobbettes and/or the session guitarist who played the wah-wah bits in Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On"? if not, I'm afraid she doesn't meet the notability requirements for this thread

Israeli novelist Amos Oz: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/dec/28/amos-oz-dead-israeli-novelist-writer-dies

Bre Payton, staff writer at The Federalist, at 26.

David Cavanagh, editor of Select in the 90s and author of some great, great books. (His Creation Records history also functions as a hell of a portrait of the UK indie scene as such in the 80s and 90s, and was the best source of a history of Postcard Records for a long while as well.)

Ringo Lam, director of (most notably) City On Fire.

that is a loss for sure, though for me Full Contact is the go-to Ringo Lam picture.

the shadow he cast was a bit larger than his filmography might indicate; he doesn't have nearly the number of films (nor quality films) to his name as someone like Johnnie To, nor the same number of outsized classics as someone like John Woo, nor the industry-wide domination of someone like Tsui Hark. Nor the arthouse bonafides of Wong Kar-Wai and others. He faded after awhile, and after he made a pair of well-received films in the late nineties w/Victim and Full Alert, he moved into making a lot of Van Damme films and the Dennis Rodman action flick Simon Sez. But City on Fire, Prison on Fire, and Full Contact are absolutely astonishing movies, the latter is probably one of the most awe-inspiring low-grade action films of all time, if not THE most.

Been meaning to see Burning Paradise but I might bump Full Contact ahead.

Yeah Full Contact is a hell of a thing. Should bust out my copy.

was disappointed to find how little of Lam, Woo, To, et al's filmography is available on streaming services.

Johnny To’s stuff sometimes pops up on Mubi but yeah

like, I can't even find the Killer or Hard Boiled

John Woo's got several up on Amazon/Netflix: Red Cliff (which is fantastic in its complete version, however this is the truncated version), Manhunt (his most recent one, mixed reviews abound), and his Dolph Lundgren flick Blackjack. The best Johnnie To available on streaming that I've seen is Breaking News, which is mid-tier To but pretty interesting as a police standoff thriller with *ideas*.

lots of the available To is from the '90s, before he hit his stride and he was at that point making pretty interesting but not very gripping films.

June Whitfield according to twitter, but haven't seen a legit source yet.

Agent has confirmed, according to PA.

Ab Fab's Dame June Whitfield dies aged 93

Man, that sucks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-46706705

Norman Gimbel, film and TV lyricist.

Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey (Chris Isaak, The Avengers) Dead At 61

http://stereoembersmagazine.com/chris-isaak-guitarist-james-calivn-wilsey-dead-at-61/?fbclid=IwAR09UBr-7Hpo-V_C3ESXICqNVgypOBxw0_PbEQm8wYRm0Eyq01OpgMzMZEI

☠️ is really cramming them in before the end of the year

like, what is that today? 6?

Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey (Chris Isaak, The Avengers) Dead At 61

was disappointed to find how little of Lam, Woo, To, et al's filmography is available on streaming services.

Randomly enough I just searched for Johnnie To movies on Netflix the other day and they have a pretty good set right now. None of the more famous Johnnie films but still pretty cool ... they used to only have Three (which I didn't like much).

Netflix has Loving You (1996), Lifeline (1997), Justice My Foot (1992), Mad Monk (1993), The Barefooted Kid (1993), Don't Go Breaking My Heart (2011), Blind Detective (2013), Three (2016)

Norman Gimbel, film and TV lyricist

Whenever you hear a bossa nova classic sung in English it's about even odds the lyrics are his.

(Sometimes they're from Ray Gilbert or Gene Lees, who are also no longer with us).

RIght. Or every once in a while Tom Jobim even wrote them himself. Not a big fan of the Gimble or Gilbert bossa lyrics tbh.

Okay, I guess I like some of his lyrics more than I thought. "How Insensitive" for bossa, "Sway" and "Bluesette" in other styles.

Ray Sawyer.

http://www.wkrg.com/news/mobile-county/dr-hook-s-ray-sawyer-chickasaw-native-dead-at-81/1681232151

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ux3-a9RE1Q

"Oh, that's beautiful."

Oh noooooooo. Will be watching this epic triumph / trainwreck in tribute:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4c3W-XoNXM

aw shit

https://youtu.be/7LXpnNKNxJI