#Victor DiMattia

[90smovies]

[clemsfilmdiary]

Cool as Ice (1991, David Kellogg)

4/9/23

[dweemeister]

Whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I.

Born to a turbulent family on a Mississippi farm, James Earl Jones passed away today. He was ninety-three years old. Abandoned by his parents as a child and raised by a racist grandmother (although he later reconciled with his actor father and performed alongside him as an adult), the trauma of his childhood developed into a stutter that followed him through his primary school years – sometimes, his stutter was so debilitating, he could not speak at all. In high school, Jones found in an English teacher someone who found in him a talent for written expression, and encouraged him to write and recite poetry in class. He overcame his stutter by graduation, although the effects of it carried over for the remainder of his life.

Jones' most accomplished roles may have been on the Broadway stage, where he won three Tonys (twice winning Best Actor in a Play for originating the lead roles in 1969's The Great White Hope by Howard Sackler and 1987's Fences by August Wilson) and was considered one of the best Shakespearean actors of his time.

But his contributions to cinema left an impact on audiences, too. Jones received an Honorary Academy Award alongside makeup artist Dick Smith (1972's The Godfather, 1984's Amadeus) in 2011. From the end of Hollywood's Golden Age to the dawn of the summer Hollywood blockbuster in the 1970s to the present, Jones' presence – and his basso profundo voice – could scarcely be ignored. Though he could not sing like Paul Robeson nor had the looks of Sidney Poitier, his presence and command put him in league of both of his acting predecessors.

Ten of the films James Earl Jones appeared in, whether in-person or voice acting, follow (left-right, descending):

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) – directed by Stanley Kubrick; also starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, and Slim Pickens

The Great White Hope (1970) – directed by Martin Ritt; also starring Jane Alexander, Chester Morris, Hal Holbrook Beah Richards, and Moses Gunn

Star Wars saga (1977-2019; A New Hope pictured) – multiple directors, as the voice of Darth Vader, also starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz

Claudine (1974) – directed by John Berry; also starring Diahann Carroll, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, and Tamu Blackwell

Conan the Barbarian (1982) – directed by John Milius; also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sandahl Bergman, Ben Davidson, Cassandra Gaviola, Gerry Lopez, Mako, Valerie Quennessen, William Smith, and Max von Sydow

Coming to America series (1988 and 2021; original pictured) – multiple directors; also starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, Shari Headley, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, and KiKi Layne

The Hunt for Red October (1990) – directed by John McTiernan; also starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, and Sam Neill

The Sandlot (1993) – directed by David Mickey Evans; also staring Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York, Brandon Adams, Grant Gelt, Shane Obedzinski, Victor DiMattia, Denis Leary, and Karen Allen

The Lion King (1994) – directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, as the voice of Mufasa; also starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Moira Kelly, Niketa Calame, Ernie Sabella, Nathan Lane, and Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings, and Madge Sinclair

Field of Dreams (1989) – directed by Phil Alden Robinson; also starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta, and Burt Lancaster

[ulkaralakbarova]

This animated take on Oliver Twist re-imagines Oliver as an adorable orphaned kitten who struggles to survive in New York City and falls in with a band of canine criminals led by an evil human. First, Oliver meets Dodger, a carefree mutt with street savoir faire. But when Oliver meets wealthy Jenny on one of the gang’s thieving missions, his life changes forever. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Oliver (voice): Joey Lawrence Dodger (voice): Billy Joel Tito (voice): Cheech Marin Einstein (voice): Richard Mulligan Francis (voice): Roscoe Lee Browne Rita (voice): Sheryl Lee Ralph Fagin (voice): Dom DeLuise Roscoe (voice): Taurean Blacque Desoto (voice): Carl Weintraub Sykes (voice): Robert Loggia Jenny (voice): Natalie Gregory Winston (voice): William Glover Georgette (voice): Bette Midler (voice): Deborah Gates Additional Voice (voice): Charles Bartlett Additional Voice (voice): Jonathan Brandis Additional Voice (voice): Kal David Additional Voice (voice): Marcia Del Mar Additional Voice (voice): Victor DiMattia Additional Voice (voice): Judi M. Durand Additional Voice (voice): Greg Finley Additional Voice (voice): Javier Grajeda Louie the Sausage Vendor (voice): Frank Welker Additional Voices (voice): Nancy Parent Rita (singing voice) (uncredited): Ruth Pointer Additional Voices (voice): J.D. Hall Film Crew: Screenplay: James Mangold Novel: Charles Dickens Story: Roger Allers Editor: Mark A. Hester Screenplay: Tim Disney Animation: Chris Buck Editor: James Melton Songs: Howard Ashman Original Music Composer: J.A.C. Redford Songs: Billy Joel Director: George Scribner Screenplay: Jim Cox Songs: Barry Manilow Producer: Kathleen Gavin Character Designer: Glen Keane Songs: Huey Lewis Other: Alan Smart Layout: Bill Perkins Animation: Anthony DeRosa Animation: Jay Jackson Color Designer: Maria Gonzalez Animation Manager: Pat Sito Movie Reviews: CinemaSerf: I suppose it was only a matter of time before this classic Charles Dickens story got the Disney treatment – but given that it’s completely devoid of any darkness or eeriness, this rather too cheerful and vibrant pet-fest doesn’t really work for me. The eponymous kitten is adopted by a gang of dogs that, much like “Fagin’s Boys” in the book, engage in a bit of petty crime for their boss “Fagin” who, himself, lives in terror of the malevolent “Sykes”. When the latter cottons on that “Oliver” has been adopted into a wealthy home, he insists that “Fagin” enact a trap to lure “Jenny” from her luxury mansion so he can ransom her back to her dad. It falls to “Oliver” and his canine companions to thwart this dastardly plan. You can’t really fault the quality of the animation and an array of musicians including Barry Manilow and Dan Hartman are behind the songs that won’t exactly stick in your mind afterwards, but that do help to keep this amiable production rolling along. Sadly, though, it’s all just way too predictably light and fluffy and takes just a little too much of a factory approach to one of the more substantial stories of English literature. Younger kids may like it though – it’s pretty joyous and extols the virtues of loyalty, team playing and friendship and it’s not without the odd laugh to two.

[houseofgeekery]

Movie Review: 'Death Rider in the House of Vampires'

Director: Glenn Danzig Cast: Devon Sawa, Julian Sands, Kim Director, Ashley Wisdom, Glenn Danzig, Victor DiMattia, Yulia Klass, Danny Trejo Plot: A mysterious figure known only as Rider travels across the Old West, arriving at a Vampire Sanctuary where he buys his way in looking to kill vampires. Review: Not long ago we reviewed a fascinating horror movie created by heavy metal punk rocker…

[i-finally-watched-it]

The Sandlot (1993)

dir. David Mickey Evans

In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team, resulting in many adventures. (via IMDb)

Highlight/s: Smalls is adorable 😭; the performances!

Lowlight/s: Unnecessary arse shot of a woman crossing the road, being ogled by CHILDREN; then Squints later tricking her into giving him mouth to mouth at the pool so he could forcibly kiss her - at least it wasn't just brushed of as some harmless "boys will be boys" BS though! (well, sort of); buuuut then they ended up getting married & having NINE KIDS when Squints finished school apparently?? ..ew.

Will I watch it again? Maybe. I think this is one of those movies that's kind of hard to really get into if you're watching it for the first time as an adult. I know that if I'd seen this when I was a kid, I would've loved it, the way I love Honey I Shrunk The Kids and Hallmark's Alice in Wonderland, and I would've been watching it regularly for that sweet nostalgia hit 😂

Rating: 👍🏻

[gamesspex]

TheSandlot1993

20CENTURYFOXDirectedBy:DavidMickeyevans

[clasicosyruidosos]

Nuestra pandilla / ¡Prohibido pasar! Hercules vigila (1993)

“¡Me matas, Smalls!“, le lanza Ham Porter (Patrick Renna) al chico nuevo del vecindario porque quiere jugar al béisbol y no sabe quién es Babe Ruth. Es el verano de 1962 y Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), en busca de amigos nuevos, ha encontrado a los mejores. Habituados a jugar en el arenero del barrio y capitaneados por el talentosisimo Benjamin Rodriguez (Mike Vitar), pasan el tiempo en la pileta del barrio, yendo al parque de diversiones más cercano y temiendo a la presencia de Hércules, el mastodóntico perro del vecino: una bestia de la cual se tejieron siniestras historias referentes a su brutal comportamiento.

Todo iba más o menos bien hasta que, tras perderse una pelota en territorio enemigo (léase: Hércules y su dueño), Scotty no tiene mejor idea que prestar la que posee su padrastro (Dennis Leary), firmada por la leyenda deportiva George Herman “Baby” Ruth. Que acaba, por esas desgracias del deporte, a merced del can; es hora de agudizar el ingenio y recuperar ese tesoro antes de que se entere el dueño de la pelota.

Una de las películas más amadas por los niños noventeros, su título original es “The Sandlot” (”El arenal”), aunque el castellano ha sido pródigo a la hora de nombrarlo: “Nuestra pandilla”, como se la conoció por cable, “¡Prohibido pasar! Hércules vigila”, como tituló el canal de TV argentino Telefé a la hora de emitirlo o “Travesuras en el parque”, escogido por Gativideo para editarlo en VHS. Llame cono se llame, es una joyita del cine familiar que cuenta con guión y dirección de David Mickey Evans y las actuaciones de Karen Allen, James Earl Jones y, por supuesto, el grupete en cuestión:  Chauncey Leopardi (Michael "Squints" Palledorous), Marty York (Alan "Yeah-Yeah" McClennan), Brandon Quintin Adams (Kenny DeNunez), Grant Gelt (Bertram Grover Weeks), Victor DiMattia (Timmy Timmons) y Shane Obedzinski (Tommy "Repeat" Timmons).

[itsthacover2]

Tweeted

ICYMI: My Q&A with #Eagles superfan Victor DiMattia, star of ‘The Sandlot’. #FlyEaglesFly⁠ ⁠ @KyleBrandt @PSchrags @darealtank78 @DMESandlot @gmfb @RobMaaddi @shandershow @TheEaglesWire https://t.co/aHoRrMK9g3

— Andrew DiCecco (@adicecco_5) August 23, 2018

[90smovies]