To play the English major taken prisoner by the Japanese in World War II in his 1983 film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, director Nagisa Ōshima cast David Bowie. It was an inspired choice to complete the superb quartet at the heart of the film: English actor Tom Conti, another musician in Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Takeshi … Read more

Steve Martin has long marveled at the many phases of his life. There’s his youth as a Disneyland performer, surrounded by vaudeville performers and magicians. A decade as a stand-up before the sudden onset of stadium-sized popularity. An abrupt shift to movies. Later, a new chapter as a banjo player, a father and, a comedy … Read more