ChrisPenn Tagged Articles at Cinematical

According to the coroner's report, Chris Penn died from a combination of an enlarged heart and a deadly mix of multiple medications. Though they're calling it an accident, even with the release of this report, there are still a ton of questions unanswered. Did Penn intentionally overdose on his medication or was he just being careless with his health, not realizing it would lead to his demise?

The coroner's office lists the primary cause of death as "nonspecific cardiomyopathy" which, in non-doctor terms, means he had an enlarged heart which was under the influence of a ton of medications  including promethazine with codeine. Yet, with a heart weighing a few hundred grams more than average, Penn's assortment of meds did not include any sort of remedy for that problem. Promethazine prevents vomiting, while codeine kills pain - so why the hell was he taking that if the real issue was his heart? Perhaps we'll be provided with a clearer explanation when the full coroner's report is released in a few weeks.

In a move that seems somehow appropriate, Sean Penn honored his brother's memory last weekend by confronting a photographer. Penn and his fellow macho man Mark Ruffalo are reported to have "got[ten] into a scuffle" with a photographer who was taking pictures at Chris Penn's funeral over the weekend. Apart from the fact that Ruffalo took the memory card out of the man's camera, details on the incident are few and far between. However, since The Guardian says that the photographer is the one who "disrupted" the funeral, it's safe to assume that Penn and his wingman will be portrayed as selflessly trying to protect the memory of the departed. God only knows what really happened.

In other news that involves hitting people, Joe Pesci is alleged to have also slugged a man who happened to be holding a camera, albeit nowhere near the Penn funeral. Apparently things in the Pesci case are a bit more serious, because he's been questioned by police about the incident - the actor could be charged with misdemeanor battery if the cops decide there's merit to his (alleged) victim's case.

Note to Pesci: next time you want to kick someone's ass for taking a picture of you, make sure there's a casket near by. If there is, you're home free.

A few hours after leaving last night's press screening of Finn Taylor's The Darwin Awards, my phone started blowing up with the news that the thing had been bought. Rights were picked up by Bauer Martinez – the new kids on the block, who came out of relative obscurity to pick up Harsh Times at Toronto – in a deal brokered sometime after the pic's Wednesday night public premiere. Darwin has an all-star cast, including Winona Ryder, Joseph Fiennes, the late Chris Penn, poet laureate Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Metallica as Metallica. The film, a takeoff on the website which "awards" those unlucky enough to get themselves killed in idiotic ways, was shot on video in and around San Francisco. Variety had no financial details to report, but we'll pass them along as soon as we can.

The LA county coroner has announced that the autopsy on Chris Penn was inconclusive, though it enabled him to rule out foul play as the cause of death. According to a spokesperson, the coroner speculated that Penn could have died as a result of a past illness (though he never said what the illness was) or the use of "multiple drugs;" the proverbial "natural causes" are also a possible cause. Since the toxicology screen won't be back for several weeks, it was not said whether the drugs discussed were prescribed or of the legal variety, but it's probably a safe guess that Penn had used both in the past.

When news hit the wires late Tuesday that the body of Chris Penn – star of over 50 films, from Footloose to Reservoir Dogs to Starsky and Hutch, and brother of Oscar winner Sean – had been found in a Santa Monica condo, most outlets didn't file the item alongside their coverage of Sundance. But Penn was fourth-billed in The Darwin Awards, the much-anticipated film by Finn Taylor which premieres here in Park City tonight, and the actor's death is already having an impact on that film's festival blitz. Out of respect for their co-star, the film's actors (including Winona Ryder, Joseph Fiennes and David Arquette) have cancelled all planned interviews and media appearences. Tonight's premiere will go through as planned, but sans press line. We'll be seeing Darwin tomorrow and will have a review up as soon as we can. There's also a Darwin awards party tonight, but with cast and crew in mourning, we imagine it probably won't be much of a party, despite the fact that Metallica is scheduled to play in a room the size of my black faux-crocodile handbag.

It's rare that I open my news feeds and am actually shocked by something in the "movies!" folder, but the news of Chris Penn's death this morning really shook me - and I can't imagine I'm alone in my affection for him. Though Penn made dozen and dozens of mostly unimpressive films, there was always something powerful inside him that, when called upon, could produce moments of greatness. From the bumbling buddy in Footloose to the brutally conflicted son in At Close Range; from the dim flunky in Reservoir Dogs to the out of control brother in The Funeral, his surprising, affecting performances made us regret all the crap that much more, and perhaps explain why so many of us were inexplicably on his side.

Penn was 40; the cause of his death is unknown.