It’s October now and the unofficial official start of the scary season.
I’ve been waiting all year for THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER which is a sequel to the 50 year-old, ground breaking original, THE EXORCIST.
50 years ago, a 40 year-old Ellyn Burstyn starred in THE EXORCIST in which she netted a Best Actress Oscar nomination. An extreme rarity for any actor in a horror film. Burstyn, by the way, has been a nominated for a total of 5 times for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She won in 1975 for ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE.
Burstyn makes a triumphant return in THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER but now at 90 years old. And yet, she is the primary reason why I’m beyond excited to see THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER.
I’m thrilled Taylor Swift’s ERAS concert film moved the film a week up early in the fall release schedule to October 13. Not only do we get to experience THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER earlier, but it’s during the Thanksgiving long weekend here in Canada.
Burstyn is arguably the biggest recognizable name in THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER and she gives credence to how high the scary bar can and should be for this sequel. It’s hard to believe Burstyn is 90 years old, but she’s continued to act in films and television.
I adored Burstyn and the late great, Paul Sorvino, as the exasperated but loving Italian parents of a thirtysomething daughter who returns to school in CBS’ totally underrated, THAT’S LIFE.
And I love her even more as the matriarch of the Stabler family. She’s the mom and the real boss of hot head, hot shot NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler in NBC’s LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME (the BEST installment of the L&O series).
In this interview with Interview Magazine with her Organized Crime co-star Christopher Meloni, the topic of her age is also raised. How unbelievable it is that she’s staying booked and busy at almost 91 years old.
But I get why Burstyn is so busy these days and that’s because she’s still got it and fans want to see her on screen. If there’s a sequel to THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER and it again stars Ellyn Burstyn, hell yeah, I’ll be there!
Ageism and Irrelevant Demographics
So much debate and contempt has been brought up about ageism and legacy when it comes to the workplace, media and entertainment, politics, health care…you name it.
It used to be advertisers were salivating over those young and careless Millennials. But now, even Millennials are aging out of the advertising system and it’s all about Gen Z. In another ten years, it’ll be onto the next generation and the next who has the spotlight.
But those of us who have worked in advertising and marketing understand that times have changed. The life stages approach in categorizing consumer segments isn’t necessarily as simple and straightforward.
It’s no longer grow up, go to school, get a job, and get married and have a kids and live happily ever after in a big house with a yard. Life can be a circuitous rollercoaster where nothing is guaranteed no matter how old you are.
You can be 90 years old like Ellyn Burstyn and still booking acting jobs left and right. Or you can be 90 years old and afflicted with health issues preventing you from doing much.
Sirs Ian McKellen and Michael Caine know what’s up
Nothing is guaranteed. Michael Caine, who’s also 90, recently made headlines by sort of, kind of, not exactly announcing that he was retiring from acting. He lamented about not being able to do the physical things he used to do like running around or playing football. But he expressed immense gratitude at having made it to age 90 and has lived best life possible.
On the other hand, an 84 year-old Ian McKellen, is soldiering forward as an in-demand actor. He defiantly told Variety, “[W]hile the knees hold up and the memory remains intact, why shouldn't I carry on? I really feel I'm quite good at this acting thing now.” And the acting thing is still lucrative for Sir Ian who has stayed busy on stage and on the big and small screen.
And that’s the words of wisdom that only an elder can credibly provide.
Both Ian and Michael are right in their approaches about age and their craft. You accept where you are and you are grateful. But you can keep going as you’ve been going if you’re still able to go.
Be grateful the OG’s we love are still making movies for us
We as movie fans should be totally grateful that actors, writers, directors, cinematographers, composers, costume designers, editors, stunt people, background people, and so on and so forth are still able to make films despite being beyond the typical retirement age of 65.
And we should cherish and celebrate the fact that these OG’s are still alive and healthy enough to keep working on their craft.
When I look at the ages of the superstars that I grew up with and loved going to the movies to see with my friends and family, I can’t believe they’re in their 50’s and 60’s now. Tom Hanks. Sandra Bullock. Tom Cruise. Brad Pitt. Denzel Washington. Meg Ryan. Julia Roberts. Will Smith. Angela Bassett. So on. It’s not too long before they, too, are in their 70’s, and then 80’s and then maybe 90’s. And then they’ll be gone.
And when I look back at the directors and writers who were responsible for some of my most favorite movies, I also can’t believe most are older than my parents. Michael Mann, director of the greatest modern day crime thriller, HEAT, is 80 years old now and still churning out bangers. But as the late, great Aaliyah song is called, Age Ain’t Nothing’ But a Number.
This Is Us is a masterclass in celebrating one’s entire life cycle
If anyone watched the NBC series THIS IS US, you probably cried every time you watched an episode. But you probably felt the actual pain and loss after the death of Rebecca Pearson from Alzheimer’s.
She wasn’t just an elderly lady who is expected to pass on at her age. She looks old. She is old. Dying isn’t a surprise. And yet it still seemed like such a blind side when she died.
THIS IS US was such a masterclass in portraying the whole life of a person. It wasn’t just about the untimely death of the father and husband and the family’s unravelling and rebuilding after the tragedy. It was also the full life of the mother and wife, Rebecca Pearson.
We saw every aspect of her life’s cycle from a little girl, a young single woman, a vibrant adult, a lively grandmother, a deteriorating elderly woman, and then finally at her death bed.
But the demise of Rebecca wasn’t just of an elderly woman lying and dying in a hospital bed. No, in the penultimate episode, we got to see Rebecca in her prime as she walked through the train. And if you watched THIS IS US, you probably felt as if that was the Rebecca you knew and remembered. Not the elderly and frail woman in the hospital bed.
Yes, she was elderly and she was that frail woman, but her as a person was that Rebecca on the train. She was the night club singer who could’ve been someone famous. She was the unexpected single mom to three kids after the sudden death of her husband. She wasn’t just some old lady who was at her expiration date.
This debate about how old is too old and when should so and so stop and step down because they’re this age now is not binary.
As Sir Ian McKellen proclaimed, he’s feeling good and so why not continue with the acting thing? But as Sir Michael Caine lamented, he’s not feeling 100%, and so maybe he’ll slow down a bit. Both should be able to exist as well as all of the inbetween.
Some of my favorite OG’s
Here’s a list of some of the current artists who happen to be of a certain age that I still want to see more movies from.
The Actors
James Hong, 94
Must Watch: Everything Everywhere All At Once, Big Trouble In Little China, Kung Fu Panda
Morgan Freeman, 86
Must Watch: The Shawshank Redemption
George Takei, 86
Must Watch: Star Trek, on the news/his social media handles
Jane Fonda, 85
Must Watch: Book Club
Al Pacino, Actor, 83
Must Watch: Heat, Scent of a Woman
Harrison Ford, 81
Must Watch: Sabrina, Air Force One, What Lies Beneath
Robert De Niro, 80
Must Watch: The Intern, Heat, A Bronx Tale
Helen Mirren, 78
Must Watch: Red, The Fate of the Furious
Diane Keaton, 77
Must Watch: Somethings Gotta Give, Book Club
Tommy Lee Jones, 77
Must Watch: Men In Black, US Marshals
Meryl Streep, 74
Must Watch: It's Complicated, The Devil Wears Prada
Samuel L. Jackson, 74
Must Watch: A Time to Kill, Avengers: Endgame
The Directors
Barry Levinson, 81
Must Watch: Homicide: Life on the Street
Martin Scorsese, 80
Must Watch: Casino, Goodfellas, Killers of the Flower Moon
Michael Mann, 80
Must Watch: Collateral, Heat
Nancy Meyers, 73
Must Watch: It's Complicated, The Holiday, Something's Gotta Give
Kathryn Bigelow, 71
Must Watch: Strange Days
The Writers
Ronald Bass, 81
Must Watch: My Best Friend's Wedding, The Joy Luck Club, What Dreams May Comes, Stepmom, Dangerous Minds
Eric Roth, 78
Must Watch: Forrest Gump, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Killers of the Flower Moon
The Cinematographers
Dante Spinotti, 80
Must Watch: Heat
Roger Deakins, 74
Must Watch: The Shawshank Redemption
John Toll, 71
Must Watch: It's Complicated
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