R.I.P. Brian Dennehy

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Big Magilla
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Re: R.I.P. Brian Dennehy

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I would add Gorky Park, Cocoon and F/X to the list of his most memorable performances.

I've never seen First Blood or Tommy Boy, nor will I ever.
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Re: R.I.P. Brian Dennehy

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When I look over Dennehy's film credits, it seems an unimpressive list (I had an aghast reaction seeing Tommy Boy and First Blood cited in the obit headline); makes me wonder why it is I've always had such fondness for him as an actor Possibly it was A Killing in a Small Town and Presumed Innocent close together, then seeing him onstage in Brian Friel's Translations. (I didn't see either of his Tony wins, or the Belly of a Architect.) A good, solid actor.

It's a sign of the times that his family had to specify his death had no connection to Coronavirus.
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Re: R.I.P. Brian Dennehy

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To experience Brian Dennehy at the top of his game in cinema one need look no further than Peter Greenaway's The Belly of an Architect (1987). He was staggering brilliant in the film - a must see film and performance.
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Re: R.I.P. Brian Dennehy

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Good actor who never got his due in film--Yahoo! lists him as a "Tommy Boy" and "First Blood" star. I never saw any of his stage work of course, but he was often excellent on TV guest spots and in TV movies. I haven't seen the film in nearly 15 years (and it doesn't appear to be streaming anywhere) but I remember thinking he really should've won the Emmy for a TV movie about the Catholic sex abuse scandals called Our Fathers. (It was set in Boston, and would probably be an interesting double feature with Spotlight--I think Stanley Tucci and Ted Danson play the same role, and Christopher Plummer and Len Cariou definitely do.) I've never been able to track down his Death of a Salesman, which I think is the one stage performance of his that was actually filmed and shown on TV.

Anytime I think of Dennehy I'll always think of Quinn Cummings' great Twitter thread about her time working for Dennehy's agent.
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Re: R.I.P. Brian Dennehy

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FilmFan720 wrote:He didn't get many film roles that truly showed off what he could do, but he is lovely in the film Driveways, that was supposed to come out in May and hopefully will still get some sort of release soon. It is fantastic.
The few reviews out there rave about the film and especially Dennehy. Maybe there's a posthumous Oscar nod for him in the future. About time if it happens.
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Re: R.I.P. Brian Dennehy

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Being a Chicagoan has certain advantages, and I got to see him on stage four times in the last two decades (twice in the shows that won him Tonys). He was a force to be reckoned with on stage.

He didn't get many film roles that truly showed off what he could do, but he is lovely in the film Driveways, that was supposed to come out in May and hopefully will still get some sort of release soon. It is fantastic.
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R.I.P. Brian Dennehy

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