His were the most famous blue eyes in Hollywood history. But Paul Newman, who passed away last weekend at the age of 83, was so much more.
Actor. Movie star. Race car driver and owner. Businessman. Activist. Philanthropist. Father. Husband (to actress Joanne Woodward) of 50 years.
There was so much about Paul Newman to admire, it's difficult to know where to start. You've been reading, seeing and hearing appreciations of him for nearly a week now, and there's not much more I can add. But from a strictly personal standpoint, I can say, blanketed in the warmth of my own memories, that Paul Newman's films have recurringly paralleled significant moments in my own life.
I was just a child when “The Hustler” came out, but I remember my parents coming back from the movies one night and arguing about it – my dad loved it, my mom hated it. But they agreed on one point: Newman was sensational as “Fast” Eddie Felson.
“Cool Hand Luke,” six years later, was one of the first movies for grown-ups that I saw in the theater. To this day I can see all the sweat on that prison-camp gang, and I can hear Luke, in an empty church, questioning God (“Old Man,” he calls him) about his fate. Maybe I didn't understand that movie then, but I did when I grew up, and I do now.
“Winning,” in 1968, was the film that gave Newman the auto racing bug. For me, it was a father-and-son movie night, and a film about cars that also delivered a strong father-and-son message.
I don't know that I've ever had as much fun at a Western as I did at “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” I could watch this one over and over again, and the only reason I've never bought the DVD is I still like to get excited when it shows up on television.
It was fun, too, watching Newman have fun himself in “Slap Shot.” So it didn't have the gravitas of Newman's earlier filmography. Big deal.
I rarely root for anyone on Oscars Night, but I did root for Newman in '83 when he was nominated for his performance as a beaten-down attorney in “The Verdict.” Though he lost (to Ben Kingsley, for “Gandhi”), he took his defeat with an old pro's grace. (He'd win four years later, for “The Color of Money.”)
That grace, that ease before the camera, made Paul Newman a movie star among movie stars. His competitive spirit, his generosity and his social conscience made the man often called Hollywood's antihero a hero of mine.
TOP FIVE MOST RECORDED TV SHOWS
1. “Grey's Anatomy,” ABC
2. “House,” Fox
3. “Desperate Housewives,” ABC
4. “The Office,” NBC
5. “Heroes,” NBC
Source: TiVo.com
FILMS OPENING THIS WEEKEND
“ALLAH MADE ME FUNNY” 
(See review on Page E3)
“AN AMERICAN CAROL”
(To be reviewed tomorrow)
“APPALOOSA”
Ed Harris and his “History of Violence” co-star Viggo Mortensen play longtime partnered hired guns who have traveled through the Old West for a dozen years keeping the peace and developing an easy rapport. Their interplay – often silly, always deeply felt – is the chief attraction here, but the movie could have delivered so much more. (Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Daily News). Rated R; 1 hr., 54 min.
“BATTLE IN SEATTLE” ½
Stuart Townsend's portrayal of that city's 1999 World Trade Organization protests suffers greatly – as do we – from an overdose of noblesse oblige. Woody Harrelson, Charlize Theron, Ray Liotta and Connie Nielsen are among the bigger names involved, and their characters all inhabit a world in which people are wellsprings of righteous indignation, as well as oratorical flourish. (John Anderson, The Washington Post). Rated R; 1 hr., 40 min.
“BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA”
(To be reviewed tomorrow)
“BLINDNESS”
(See review on Page E4)
“FLASH OF GENIUS” ½
(See review on Page E3)
“HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS AND ALIENATE PEOPLE”
(See review on this page)
“NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST”
A Gen Whatever twist on a Hollywood romantic comedy that takes two kids from New Jersey, drops them off in New York and then sends them on an all-night, downtown pursuit of a rumored club gig by an underground band called Where's Fluffy. (Stephen Whitty, Newhouse News Service). Rated PG-13; 1 hr., 30 min.
“RELIGULOUS”
(See review on Page E1)
“SAVE ME”
(Not reviewed)
DVDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
“FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL” After getting dumped by his girlfriend, Sarah (Kristen Bell), Peter (Jason Segel) follows her and her new boyfriend to Hawaii. It's an offbeat comedy as he becomes infatuated with Rachel (Mila Kunis) but can't quite get over Sarah. There are some funny moments, and although this may sound like your typical date movie, there's a bit more to it than that. Audition footage, a gag reel, video diaries, commentaries and a great deal constitute the bonus features. Rated R.
“BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER” Any real American knows you root for Hulk Hogan, Rocky and Arnold. In dissecting our national win-at-all-costs mentality, Chris Bell turns his attention to his two brothers, both of whom have been using steroids for years. This is a very well-made documentary that offers an entertaining, balanced look at the demonized drugs. Bonus material includes deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage. Rated PG-13.
“TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE” Using the death of a young taxi driver in Afghanistan as a starting point, the film objectively examines the unprecedented policies that include a rejection of the Geneva Conventions by the United States. This is not an easy film to watch, but it certainly is an eye-opener. Special features include a commentary, outtakes and interviews. Rated R.
– RICHARD T. RYAN, NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
