"I don't try to be mysterious for the sake of being mysterious. I do it for the work. The overexposure of an actor is a strong idea with me...Actors suffer a problem we all have: We have to learn to cope with fame and attention. There's a contradiction there. In a way you have to be an observer and have anonymity to approach the work freely. Sometimes the lure of fame is there with all the sirens calling you, and so you're torn. That's where I've seen actors go from actors to personalities. They become so flattered and turned on to that fame that they lose their purpose. They get caught up in their celebrity and stay there." from the book "Al Pacino In His Own Words: Conversations, 1979-2000"



Al Pacino's comments about actors and the dangers of celebrity also apply to the character he plays in "Danny Collins". The fact that Pacino has had to grapple with these issues himself, and has managed a successful film career that began in the late 1960s, lends depth and authenticity to his portrayal of Danny Collins, a pop star overwhelmed by the demands of fame and wealth.

Pacino has released three films in the last 12 months. In addition to "Danny Collins", he also starred in "Manglehorn" and "The Humbling". His character in "The Humbling" is an actor who suffers a nervous breakdown onstage, and becomes increasingly delusional in his private life, no longer able to separate fantasy from reality. Most of the film is fairly dark in tone, but it also contains one of the funniest scenes Al Pacino has ever performed on film. His character is injected with horse tranquilizers (you have to see the movie) and then attempts to have a conversation with the parents of his (much younger) lover. Pacino is now 75 years old, but he continues to experiment and take risks on-screen.

Michael Mann, one of Pacino's favorite directors (they worked together on "The Insider" and "Heat"), looks as if he is finally going to be able to start work on a story he's been interested in for 15 years. The subject is the car maker Enzo Ferrari. Christian Bale has signed on to play Ferrari and shooting is scheduled to begin next summer.

Finally, sometimes you may click on an article on the Drama Movies site and see someone's name other than mine with the explanatory phrase "guest author". What this actually means is that the article was written by a previous editor of the site. I do not necessarily agree with the point of view presented by the author. Each time I post a new review on the site, I am replacing a review written by a previous editor. In time, the site will more accurately represent my taste and interests and, I hope, yours as well.


Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

Danny Collins Film Review
Is it ever too late to change your life? A letter from John Lennon prompts an aging pop star to examine his ways in "Danny Collins". Al Pacino and Annette Bening star in this directorial debut from Dan Fogelman.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art68173.asp

Please visit dramamovies.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Drama Movies.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Drama Movies located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=153

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Angela K. Peterson, Drama Movies Editor
http://dramamovies.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com