the russians are coming Tagged Articles at Cinematical

In the big-screen adaptation of the '60s TV show Get Smart, Alan Arkin takes on the role of The Chief, the spymaster originally portrayed by Edward Platt. Bold, resolute, and perpetually frustrated by the efforts and mistakes of the overly-enthusiastic Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell), The Chief is an ideal part for someone with Arkin's slow-burn comedy timing, and a chance for the Oscar-winning actor to stand out in one of the biggest-budget films of Arkin's career. Cinematical spoke with Arkin in Hollywood about how he came on board the film, his long professional history of mocking the American intelligence establishment, doing his own stunts and if he'd be back for a Get Smart sequel.

Cinematical: I was reading in the press notes, which I'm never inclined to trust ...

Alan Arkin: I deny it; I never said anything like that in my life. ...

Cinematical: I read how Mr. Carell was how you got involved in the film ...

AA: I'm hearing that today for the first time; I've heard it from three people, so maybe it's true ...

Sad news arrived Thursday afternoon for fans of colorful actors. John Phillip Law, who appeared in dozens of movies over a career that spanned more than four decades, died on Tuesday from undisclosed causes, according to the Associated Press. He was 70 years old.

As noted at his official site, Law took on roles both big and small, in epic blockbusters and tiny independents, all over the world. He began his acting career on Broadway before getting nominated for a Golden Globe Award as Most Promising Newcomer for playing an endearingly sweet Russian seaman in Norman Jewison's The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming in 1965. He swiftly moved on to meatier parts in films that later became enduring cult favorites -- Giulio Petroni's Death Rides a Horse, Mario Bava's Diabolik, and, especially, Roger Vadim's Barbarella, in which he played a blind angel.

As his career continued, the overall quality of his films varied wildly, but he could be counted upon for level-headed performances, always looking like a proper dignified gentleman no matter his surroundings. I think my first exposure to him was when he played the title role in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad; he looked very heroic to me as he battled mythical creatures, but I also loved him in Open Season, snapping off words as the nastiest kind of all-American villain. Demonstrating his versatility, both films came out the same year (1974).