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Based on the real-life experiences of co-writer and co-executive producer Nathaniel Deen, who appears at the end to bestow his approval on the dramatization and invite the audience to take its lessons to heart, “Brave the Dark” is a low-key inspirational indie that sensitively elicits empathy and sympathy without ever pushing too hard or simplifying complexities.

Short on surprises but brimming with warm-hearted insight, the film may have a few too many mildly edgy elements to qualify as family-friendly entertainment suitable for all ages. Even so, it likely will pass muster with parents looking for entertainment they can share with children in their early teens and older. Perhaps even more important, the children just as likely will appreciate being brought along to see something a tad more substantial than sanitized kid stuff.

The year is 1986, the place is Lancaster County, Penn., and the storyline focuses on the relationship between Nathan...

On the eve of its 30th birthday, Super Mario Bros.––the 1993 film, not the groundbreaking video game––might be due for critical reappraisal. Dubbed “a complete waste of time and money” by Roger Ebert, rejected by Mario’s custodians at Nintendo, and described with utter contempt by its own stars, it has enjoyed three decades of cultural life as a punchline about the dismal standards of game-to-movie adaptations. Yet the tonally confused kids’ movie, viewed in retrospect of a fully Marvelized Hollywood, recalls a time when genuinely weird, mutant art could sometimes break out of the franchise-blockbuster laboratories. Directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, the spousal duo behind cult cyberpunk sensation Max Headroom, it liberally reimagines the vaguely defined Mario lore of plumbers, princesses, mushrooms, and dinosaurs into a gothic urban fever dream. Pursuing a kidnapped girl, the titular brothers––Bob Hoskins as Mario, adopting a wheezing, gesticulating meatball...

As news of the passing of beloved “Jeopardy!” game-show host Alex Trebek continues to ripple through the entertainment industry and trivia community alike, many are wondering: After nearly four decades at the helm, who could possibly replace Alex Trebek?

For one out of two of the respondents to a 2019 Morning Consult poll, that answer is: no one. Just months after Trebek disclosed his Stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis, half of those surveyed last July said they couldn’t imagine watching “Jeopardy!” without him as the host. Sources with knowledge of the situation say that Sony Pictures Television, the studio behind “Jeopardy!”, has had internal long-term discussions about succession long before Trebek’s diagnosis as the longtime host neared retirement age.

But when the show is ready to get back into production, one frontrunner has long appeared quite clear. The easygoing and quick-witted Ken Jennings, who was earlier this year crowned the champion of the “Jeopardy!

Well, that argument’s settled: Ken Jennings may now be hailed as the best “Jeopardy!” player in history, having earned the coveted Goat title – and a cool million dollars, to boot – this week after defeating James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter at the show’s “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” multi-part tournament. But their spectacular matchup almost never happened at all.

The way Jennings tells it, “Jeopardy!” producers had called him up last fall, not too long after Holzhauer’s 32-game run on the show ended, in an attempt to entice him back to the buzzer. They angled for a tournament ahead of Christmas. He was resistant.

“This is the part of the story that makes me look like an idiot,” says Jennings with a laugh. “I’d suspected this would be coming down the pipe one of these years. After James made such a splash, I knew people were...

William Goldman, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of All the President’s Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, died Thursday in Manhattan from complications from colon cancer and pneumonia. He was 87. His daughter Jenny Goldman confirmed the news to The Washington Post.

Goldman was born August 12th, 1931 in Highland Park, Illinois. He attended Ohio’s Oberlin College with the goal of becoming a writer, but he was unable to publish any work. After graduating in 1952, he entered the U.S. army and was discharged two years later; after graduating from New...

William Goldman, the screenwriter best known for penning “All the President’s Men” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” has died at age 87. According to Deadline, Goldman’s health had been failing for sometime and he passed away surrounded by friends and family in his Manhattan home. Goldman started his career as a novelist before making the jump to screenwriter with the script for Basil Dearden’s 1965 comedy-thriller “Masquerade.”

“All The President’s Men” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” are widely considered to be Goldman’s greatest screenwriting achievements. “Butch Cassidy,” featuring the iconic pairing of Robert Redford and Paul Newman, won Goldman the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay at the 42nd Academy Awards. Goldman won over scripts for “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Two for the Road” that year. He earned his second Oscar for “All The President’s Men,” which won Best Adapted Screenplay at the...

Academy Award-winning screenwriter and acclaimed novelist William Goldman died last night at age 87.

Goldman is probably best known for his Oscar wins for his scripting of the films “All the President’s Men” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” However, those Robert Redford films only give the briefest of introductions to the incredible work done by this writer.

In addition to the aforementioned films, the writer also was responsible for scripts for films like “The Stepford Wives,” “Flowers for Algernon,” “Misery,” “Chaplin,” and “A Bridge Too Far,” among many more.

Continue reading William Goldman Has Died: Oscar-Winning Screenwriter Of ‘All The President’s Men’ Was 87 at The Playlist.

William Goldman, who won Oscars for his original screenplay for “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and his adaptation of “All the President’s Men,” died on Friday in his Manhattan home, according to the the Washington Post. He was 87.

His daughter Jenny Goldman cited complications from colon cancer and pneumonia as the cause of his death.

“Butch Cassidy,” a revisionist Western that helped popularize the buddy movie, announced Goldman as a screenwriter able to balance big laughs with a sense of adventure, while “All the President’s Men” cemented his status as a deft writer of suspense. The two are considered to be among the finest screenplays ever written and exemplify Goldman’s range and versatility.

In a 2015 interview with Signature, Goldman was asked about his ability to bounce from genre to genre.

“You cross your fingers and never stop,” he said. “Praying is also good.”

Goldman, who frequently transferred his novels,...

Perhaps there’s nothing worse than a film with a campy premise that takes itself too seriously. Everything, Everything takes it title from a spoiler alert its lead character Maddy Whittier (Amandla Stenberg) leaves on her blog as she reviews Flowers for Algernon, another story about a chronically ill character (“Love is Everything. Everything”). This is a dull, illogical, yet sincere and well-meaning drama. Sadly, its core audience should demand more from their entertainment.

The sophomore effort from director Stella Meghie — whose debut feature, the delightful family comedy Jean of the Joneses, enjoyed a healthy life on the festival circuit last year and a well-deserved Spirit Award nomination — Everything, Everything crashes by taking itself way too seriously as it chronicles the young love of homebound Maddy and the boy next door Olly Bright (Nick Robinson). Diagnosed early in life by her physician mother Pauline (Anika Noni Rose) with a case...

Guys, you have to Google "polyembolokoilamania," stat. I dare you.

Well, only if you're a huge medical nerd. Not only did Chicago Med Season 2 Episode 12 finally deliver on a story about foreign objects inserted into *ahem* orifices (a staple of the medical genre), but we all learned a really cool vocabulary word to describe it.

While Choi tackled the dangerous twist on a common problem, there were several rare cases for the rest of the team to handle. Mirror synesthesia and situs invertus are both pretty rare; what are the odds an ER would see a case of each on the same day?

I shouldn't have been surprised that the headline case was approached so seriously since the foreign object in question was a loaded gun, but other shows have trained me to see these cases as amusing not dire. As have real world docs who write about the not so uncommon phenomenon.

In Stephen King’s 1978 short story “The Lawnmower Man,” a pagan employee of a lawn service company run by the god Pan murders a new customer with a magic lawnmower. It’s not a great story, but it is what it is. What it is not is a riff on Flowers For Algernon about a mentally challenged greenskeeper […]

The post They’re Making ‘The Lawnmower Man’ Into a Virtual Reality Series For Some Reason appeared first on /Film.

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Barclay! Super-brains! Walks around the arboretum! Here's our latest look-back at Star Trek: The Next Generation season four...

This review contains spoilers.

4.19 Nth Degree

The episode opens as Lt. Reg Barclay and Dr. Crusher perform some AmDram in front of the crew, whose enlightened 24th Century dispositions allow them to appreciate even the most stilted and awkward performance. And that’s just from the D-list ensigns they have to shove into every episode now that Wesley’s gone. Everyone congratulates Barclay’s progress even though he’s terrible, and Data even learns a pithy lesson about being polite (and with that box ticked, he basically disappears for the rest of the episode.)

Barclay still isn’t feeling confident, but is happy when Geordi picks him to go on a mission to examine a probe that has disabled the Argus Array, a subspace telescope that has been disabled and needs to be fixed.

Warning: The following contains spoilers from Tuesday’s iZombie Season 2 premiere.

No wonder iZombie executive producer Rob Thomas has been keeping mum about Major’s arc in Season 2!

At the close of the CW series’ sophomore opener on Tuesday night, Liv’s ex-fiancé was blackmailed by Max Rager into agreeing to kill off all of Seattle’s zombies. In return, Major’s pretty, undead ex stays unharmed. (Oh, and thanks to the cure’s side effects, Major can now sense when somebody is a zombie. Helpful!)

RelatediZombie Boss Talks Liv and Blaine Romance (?!), ‘Fun’ Cure Side Effects, Veronica Mars Guest...

"iZombie" wrapped up a really entertaining first season tonight, and I have a few thoughts on the finale, followed by a lot of thoughts from executive producers Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright, coming up just as soon as I am to serotonin what Milton Hershey was to chocolate... "iZombie" is a show with a lot of moving parts, and "Blaine's World" was no different in that regard. It not only gave us a pretty thorough accounting of the Case of the Week — albeit one connected to all the business with Max Rager, which looks to be the main thrust of season 2 — but had to leave room for Major to go full-on Travis Bickel with the zombies at Meat Cute (scored to '80s synth classic "Der Komissar"), and for several reversals in terms of who would stay a zombie, who would be cured, and who might just die. Liv giving...

Daniel Keyes, the author whose novel Flowers for Algernon was turned into an Oscar-winning film, died Sunday at the age of 86. He died from complications of pneumonia, his daughter Leslie told The New York Times. Photos  Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2014 Keyes published the novella Flowers for Algernon in 1959. He turned the story, which centers on a low-iq man who becomes a genius, into a novel in 1966. It tied for the Nebula Awards' novel of the year and went on to sell 5 million copies. Photos 35 of 2014's Most Anticipated Movies The film adaptation, Charly,

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So Heather did put together a pretty fabulous shindig to show off how much money she has. It all went pear shaped pretty quickly and ended in tears and contusions, but on the bright side everyone got onion rings out of it. For an event on "The Real Housewives of Orange County," that's not bad.  It's hard to know who was more of a jerk in this episode, as it seemed everyone except the new girl, Lizzie, had a share of the blame in turning the hoedown into a shootout. The longer I watch this show, the more I find Vicki to be regressing, like a "Flowers for Algernon" story but mean and ornery. At this point, she seems to have stalled at the emotional maturity level of a middle school student. The snoring thing? It might have been funny once. Now, it just proves she lacks good material for her bullying.

Top 10 Ryan Lambie 14 Jan 2014 - 06:26

Our occasional series of journeys back into the weirder films of the past continues with 1992's Vr horror thriller, The Lawnmower Man...

As a document of the early 1990s, The Lawnmower Man serves as a colourful time capsule. Aside from its big shirts, tight jeans and unaccountably buoyant hair, it's also a snapshot of the era's technology and fascination for virtual reality.

At a time when the media was gripped by images of people wearing cumbersome headsets and gloves pawing eerily at the empty air in front of them, virtual reality was widely considered to be the emerging technology which could transform life as we know it. And while this may yet come to pass - Oculus Rift has recently seen Vr back in the news - we're no nearer to having our daily lives transformed by it than we were 20 years ago.

The Lawnmower Man,...

Welcome to EW.com’s Ya novel bracket game. We’re pitting 64 young adult books against each other in a March-Madness style game to determine which you think is the best of all time. Round one begins below.

Check out the full bracket and vote!

Little Women The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Ask any young reader to name her literary role model, and chances are she’ll point to Jo March ­a headstrong, hot-headed heroine modeled after Alcott herself. But there’s more to Little Women than Jo alone; Alcott’s domestic tale is truly absorbing, complete with one...

With Halloween in the air, we thought it would be fun to reach out to the horror genre's biggest and brightest stars - both legends in the industry and up-and-coming superstars - to ask them two quick questions: What's your biggest fear, and what's your favorite scary movie? Read on for the results!

Some of the results will make you laugh. Some will make you shiver... and some, well some are just too funny for words. Sit back and get ready to hear from the likes of Anne Rice, John Carpenter, Robert Englund, the "Ghost Adventures" crew, cast members from "The Walking Dead," George A. Romero, and many - Many - more. Who knows? You may even find some new movies you should check out or at least revisit.

Let the scares begin!

A

Jace Anderson

Writer - The Toolbox Murders (2004), Schism, Night of the Demons (2009), Mother of Tears

1) I...

Back in the Game, Season 1, Episode 5, “She. Could. Go. All. The. Way!”

Directed by Joe Nussbaum

Written by Eric Goldberg & Peter Tibbals

Airs Wednesdays at 8:30pm Est on ABC

After last week’s mess of an episode, last night’s Back in the Game is quite an improvement. Although it doesn’t do everything right, “She. Could. Go. All. The. Way!” successfully sets the show back on track, utilising all of its characters. This week Terry gets the main storyline as we see her dive back into the dating world. At first it is a little odd to watch her struggle with asking Jack out because she is usually so confident, but Terry soon turns this around and then continues to remain strong throughout the episode. Once again, Back in the Game struggles with the message it sends this week. Last week we saw Danny fight through humiliation to...

Tonight’s episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia had an uncharacteristically highbrow vibe, taking its inspiration from the classic short story Flowers for Algernon and name-dropping Leo Tolstoy and Stephen Hawking, and that was no mistake: Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who are friends with the Sunny crew, wrote the script. (The episode was dubbed “Flowers for Charlie,” but we prefer our alternate title: Game of Bar Stools.)

We start out with the gang visiting a science lab for — what else? — a quick buck. They all fight to prove who’s smartest and therefore...

Tonight’s episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia had an uncharacteristically highbrow vibe, taking its inspiration from the classic short story Flowers for Algernon and name-dropping Leo Tolstoy and Stephen Hawking, and that was no mistake: Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who are friends with the Sunny crew, wrote the script. (The episode was dubbed “Flowers for Charlie,” but we prefer our alternate title: Game of Bar Stools.)

We start out with the gang visiting a science lab for — what else? — a quick buck. They all fight to prove who’s smartest and therefore...

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has always been dark, but this week it's getting an infusion of bleak straight from Westeros. Wednesday's episode, "Flowers for Charlie," was written by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who are longtime fans of the show and became friendly with Rob McElhenney (Mac). The pair pitched McElhenney the story of the episode in a bar, and he was impressed. Photos: 'Game of Thrones'' Most Gruesome Death The result sees Charlie (Charlie Day) undergo an experiment for increased intelligence ala the classic 1966 novel Flowers for Algernon. While on the

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FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is on track to become cable’s longest-running comedy, and is set to tent-pole the launch of a whole new channel next month with its ninth season premiere (FX’s comedy focused spin-off channel Fxx). Yet the cult-favorite series is perennially snubbed for Golden Globes and Emmys — not only has Sunny never won a major award, it’s also never even been nominated.*

But the cast is going to tackle the issue in an episode this fall titled “The Gang Desperately Tries to Win an Award.” The setup: They realize all the...

While you may not know the name William Goldman (though, if you're reading this site, you probably should), you've likely seen one of his movies. "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid," "The Hot Rock," "All The President's Men," "Marathon Man," "The Princess Bride"... they speak for themselves. But if you really wanted to get inside the man's brain, here's your chance. In 2010, The Writer's Guild Foundation sat down for a length 90-minute interview with Goldman, and he talks about everything, from the craft of writing, to his career and so much more. He talks about falling into the business by accident after being asked to adapt "Flowers For Algernon," despite having never written a screenplay, the messiness of the "All The President's Men" (which Robert Redford claims to have written) and basically anything else you could ask for. A long weekend for many is ahead on July 4th, and with the temperatures going,...

FEARnet is proud to reprint this rare interview – originally printed in the 2013 World Horror Convention Souvenir Program Book (which was limited to only a few hundred copies) – with kind permission from Paul Goat Allen. In just five short years, John Joseph Adams has risen from relative obscurity to become one of the most renowned (and sought after) editors in all of genre fiction. His name has become synonymous with excellence. As a book critic who has spent the last 20 years reviewing science fiction, fantasy, and horror, very few releases truly excite me anymore – but when an anthology with Adams’s name on it lands on my doorstep, I’m instantly thrilled. He has put together some of the strongest anthologies I’ve ever read (and I’ve read a lot!): the best zombie anthologies (The Living Dead and The Living Dead 2), the best vampire anthology (By Blood We Live...

Graceful stage actor who stood out in Doctor Who on TV and the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

In a long and distinguished career, the actor Aubrey Woods, who has died aged 85, covered the waterfront, from West End revues and musicals to TV series and films, most notably, perhaps, singing The Candy Man in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), starring Gene Wilder, and playing the Controller in the Day of the Daleks storyline in Doctor Who (1972).

Tall and well-favoured in grace and authority on the stage, he played Fagin in the musical Oliver! for three years, succeeding Ron Moody in the original 1960 production. He was equally in demand on BBC radio, writing and appearing in many plays, including his own adaptations of the Mapp and Lucia novels by Ef Benson (he was a vice-president of the Ef Benson society).

In the early part of his career he...

Disney Channel’s Boy Meets World spinoff is looking for more young stars.

The production has started the casting process for two more roles now that producers have figured out who’s playing Riley, the daughter of Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga Matthews (Danielle Fishel) in the pilot (that would be 11-year-old Rowan Blanchard). Plus, we now have a detailed description of Cory and Topanga’s son — Elliott. Also, in case you missed it, we just broke the casting of Riley’s best friend Maya, so check out that story too.

The new characters are:

– Elliott Matthews, 13. Cory and Topanga’s son.

Feature James Hunt Jan 30, 2013

What will Rhino and Electro bring to The Amazing Spider-Man? James explores the history of the characters to find out...

Spoiler note: we've spoilers from the comics for Rhino, Electro and Gwen Stacy in this feature. Whether they all make it to the films remains to be seen!

The announcement of Paul Giamatti as The Rhino this week heavily suggests that Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be going the Batman Returns route, pitting its hero against two villains – Jamie Foxx having already been cast as Electro. But who are these characters? How do they fit into Spidey's life? And more importantly, how might they figure into the film?

The Rhino, aka Aleksei Sytsevich, was a small-time thug who took on the appearance of a Rhino when a synthetic, experimental costume was bonded to his skin. With his strength, speed and endurance enhanced by the suit,...

If last week's episode showed us how low The League's gang could go, "Judge MacArthur" proved uhow easily they can go back to being relatively regular, fairly relatable (and occasionally lice-covered) guys. 

The brilliant surprise at the heart of this week's installment was a de-fanged Rodney Ruxin. Ruxin has long been The League's resident Lex Luthor figure, wandering around casually, planning the downfall of others. He, like Taco or Rafi, is not a character who has been developed with too much emotional heft. He's a dick, and that's the end of it.

But seeing the depths that Ruxin plunges into after doing poorly on the Wonderlic intelligence test - leading him to a full-tilt, reverse-Flowers for Algernon intellectual breakdown - it's hard not to empathize with the guy, or to see all his trouble-making as the hollow gestures of an immature, insecure, grown-up nerd. Dumb Ruxin seemed...

When it comes to protecting people he cares about, Reese (James Caviezel) is a force of nature. The trail to finding Mr. Finch (Michael Emerson) has led to south Texas, and in case you were wondering, yes. The Machine’s far-reaching vision extends all over the Us, it seems. Creeped out, yet? But even though the Machine seems to “know” where it’s master is, it still have a job for Reese to do, and that is helping others. Even if the help comes too late. Root (Amy Acker) almost comes off sympathetic in this episode. She has a mission to set the Machine free from those who would use it for evil, and she’s actually making some sense when she tries to convince Finch. Well, except for stringing her new prisoner, Denton Weeks (Cotter Smith) up in an “enhances interrogation technique”… which disgusts her audience a bit. Reese,...

What?!? There was no new person of interest for Reese to worry about this week?

Well, technically, the Machine didn't spit out any social security numbers, but Reese was honed in on one person: Root.

That's right, the computer whiz with a pretty face and a knack for crazy was still holding Finch hostage, and she was determined as ever to not only discover the location of the Machine, but to prove to Finch that people are just bad code.

Which is an interesting concept, in that despite the parallels between the two techno geniuses, their outlooks are vastly different. Finch wants to save people and recognizes innocence and goodness in others... while Root is vested in the ideal that people are manipulative, backstabbing and just plain bad.

I guess it takes one to know one.

Root is fantastically played by Amy Acker, who provides for a multifaceted character with devious undertones.

This one’s for Martha …

Nothing like a good book to get the rabble-rousers going.

In Field Of Dreams, Ray Kinsella’s wife, played by Amy Madigan, successfully shuts down the effort to ban Terence Mann’s books from the local Iowa school system. Terence Mann – played by James Earl Jones – was based on J.D. Salinger, the reclusive author of Catcher In The Rye.

Catcher was published in 1951, and has pretty much stayed on “attempts to ban it” lists since its publication. In fact, it was the most censored book in America from 1961 to 1982, even though, according to Wikipedia, it was the “second most taught book in United States public schools.” It most recently reappeared on the “most challenged books” list, published by American Library Association, in 2009.

These are some of the books I remember being on the curriculum when I was in school, along some that I missed because...

Headlining the most successful entertainment of all time, The Phantom Of The Opera, Michael Crawford was actually not the first name the creative team considered for the gothic musical undertaking during its creation in the mid-1980s, believe it or not. Steve Harley famously recorded the original single of the title song with composer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webbers muse Sarah Brightman and subsequently starred in the grandiose Ken Russell fever dream music video. While the public and critics alike assumed Harleys bid for the lead role in the gestating show was all but guaranteed after the video debut, it was not meant to be. Master director Hal Prince had his sights set on a British stage and screen star who had made a name with American audiences decades before in the troubled film versions of two Broadway hits - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and Hello,...

Sitting through an awful film is an excruciating experience, especially when you feel compelled to keep going for the sake of critical merit. The whole thing feels like a colonic irrigation that, lets face it, is even more wasteful if you don’t conclude it.

But what is so much worse than that, on so many levels of mental strife, is a film which has a great premise, great potential, but an average or downright poor end product. This is when your desperate pleas change from “this is awful!” to “why is this awful?!” And naturally it’s more torturous because you just know that, with a few more better aligned brain cells or less hangover infused writing sessions, you could be watching something better, good or great even.

Here are a list of films that had everything going for them, and how they failed to reach their heights, or simply fell apart all together.

Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan Downey continue to use their production company, Team Downey, to acquire starring vehicles for the actor. The latest movie that they’ve got their hands on is a joint venture with Warner Bros. that comes from an Adam Gibgot pitch called The Accidental Genius. Downey will play a normal guy in a coma who, when he wakes up, finds that’s he’s now ridiculously smart. That’s not it though, there’s a twist; he’s also having visions of some crazy symbol. In researching the phenomenon, Downey’s character teams up with a “burnt out prodigy” who also recognizes the symbol, and the two men go on to solve a hundred year old mystery with world-changing consequences. So basically what we have here sounds like a mix between Flowers for Algernon and a mystical version of National Treasure. Hopefully, the Downeys can get Nic Cage to play the...

Cliff Robertson passed away Saturday in Stony Brook, NY. The Oscar winner was 88. In 1969, Robertson took home the gold beating out Alan Arkin ("The Heart is a Lonely Hunter"), Peter O'Toole ("The Lion in Winter"), Alan Bates ("The Fixer), and Ron Moody ("Oliver!"). But Robertson's performance in "Charly" was deemed the best of the year (see clip below).

In 2002's "Spider-Man," Robertson, playing Uncle Ben, uttered the famous line that became the crux of the franchise -- "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility."

Here's more on the brilliant life of Cliff Robertson from the NY Daily News:

Robertson, a native of La Jolla, California, had already won an Emmy when he had his moment of big-screen recognition in 1968 -- 13 years after his feature debut in "Picnic." Though he played JFK as a young naval officer in "Pt 109 " - released five months before Dealey Plaza -- and gave an icy...

The Oscar winning actor passed away over the weekend from natural causes.

It always saddens me when an acclaimed filmmaker or actor passes away (as I suppose it should).  But you know what makes me even more depressed?  When I've seen very little of the actor or filmmakers actual filmography.  That is deeply apparent here, in which this very talented actor passes away and everybody speaks of his various achievements.  All I can say is "I loved him in Spider-Man."  And for what it's worth, he is great in that film.  However, actor Cliff Robertson has a very lengthy filmography of over a 100 years, and I've seen two of them.  How said is that?

But enough lamenting for my ignorance; it's much more appropriate to mourn the loss of another great actor.  On Saturday, Oscar winning actor Cliff Robertson passed away of natural causes in Stony Brook, Long Island.  With...

Two actors familiar to genre audiences passed away over the weekend - one an Oscar winning veteran with a long career behind him, the other a young star unfairly cut down in his prime.

Cliff Robertson, whom most will recognise these days for his portrayal of Peter Parker's father figure Uncle Ben in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man", passed away at age 88 from natural causes.

Robertson scored an Oscar in 1968 for the lead role in "Charly", an adaptation of "Flowers for Algernon". Other notable roles included "Pt 109," "The Best Man," "Gidget," "Three Days of the Condor," "J.W. Coop" and various TV shows like "Falcon Crest," "Batman" and "The Twilight Zone".

The other tragedy today was the death of 39-year-old "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" star Andy Whitfield. The Welsh-born, Australian-trained actor got his start in Australia in guest roles on numerous local dramas including "All Saints," "Packed to the Rafters" and...

Actor Cliff Robertson, known by the majority of our readers as the Uncle Ben Parker to Tobey Maguire‘s Peter Parker in director Sam Raimi‘s trilogy of Spider-Man movies, died of natural causes this past Saturday, just one day after his 88th birthday. Robertson starred in over 70 films during his career spanning almost seven decades.

Robertson previously stated on his own website,

“Since Spiderman 1 and 2, I seem to have a whole new generation of fans. That in itself is a fine residual.”

Robertson was personally chosen by John F. Kennedy to portray the president in the 1963 movie P.T. 109, which was the story of then Lt. John F. Kennedy’s heroic World War II exploits as the Captain of a P.T. Boat. He also won an Academy Award for his starring role in the 1968 film Charly, which was an adaptation of the Daniel Keyes novel Flowers for Algernon.

Robertson relaxing on the set of P.T. 109.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Oscar winning actor Cliff Robertson has died at age 88. He passed away a day after his birthday. Robertson had a long and illustrious career that began in the golden days of television and extended to the Spiderman movies of recent years. Although he generally played quiet, dignified characters, Robertson marched to his own drumbeat- a trait that earned him respect but that also damaged aspects of his career. In 1977 when he was still very much an in-demand leading man, Robertson ignored advice to hush up a scandal that involved the head of Columbia Pictures, David Begelman, who had utilized Robertson's name in a bizarre check forging scandal. Begelman was momentarily disgraced, payed a small fine and was later rewarded for his crime by being appointed as the head of MGM. Meanwhile, Robertson found his own career went into immediate decline.

Cliff Robertson, who won an Oscar for playing mentally disabled man in the 1968 film Charly and later played Ben Parker in the Spider-Man films, has died. He was 88.

Robertson died of natural causes on Saturday in Long Island, one day after his 88th birthday, Evelyn Christel, Robertson's secretary for 53 years, told The Associated Press.

See other celebrities who have died this year

Besides his Oscar-winning role in Charly — which was adapted from Daniel Keyes' short novel, Flowers for Algernon, and told the story of a mentally disabled man who becomes a genius after medical treatment — Robertson is also remembered for playing President John F. Kennedy in 1963's Pt-109. The film...

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Oscar-winning actor Cliff Robertson died on Saturday, just one day after his 88th birthday.

The star died of natural causes in Stony Brook, New York.

Robertson won an Academy Award in 1968 for his portrayal of a mentally disabled man in Charly, an adaptation of the novel Flowers for Algernon.

He was personally picked by John F. Kennedy to play the politician in the biographical 1963 film Pt-109, and also racked up credits in films including Gidget, Three Days of the Condor, Obsession and Autumn Leaves.

In later years, he found a new generation of fans playing Uncle Ben Parker in the Spider-Man film franchise.

Rob Lowe has taken to his Twitter.com page to pay tribute to the star, who played his onscreen dad in the 1983 movie Class.

Lowe writes, "Goodbye to my father in 'Class', the great Oscar winner Cliff Robertson. Lovely man, fantastic actor and full of... Class."

Meanwhile, Robertson's daughter tells the Associated Press, "My father was a loving father, devoted friend, dedicated professional and honourable man. He stood by his family, friends, and colleagues through good times and bad. We will all miss him terribly."...

Oscar-winning actor Cliff Robertson died on Saturday, just one day after his 88th birthday.

The star died of natural causes in Stony Brook, New York.

Robertson won an Academy Award in 1968 for his portrayal of a mentally disabled man in Charly, an adaptation of the novel Flowers for Algernon.

He was personally picked by John F. Kennedy to play the politician in the biographical 1963 film Pt-109, and also racked up credits in films including Gidget, Three Days of the Condor, Obsession and Autumn Leaves.

In later years, he found a new generation of fans playing Uncle Ben Parker in the Spider-Man film franchise.

Rob Lowe has taken to his Twitter.com page to pay tribute to the star, who played his onscreen dad in the 1983 movie Class.

Lowe writes, "Goodbye to my father in 'Class', the great Oscar winner Cliff Robertson. Lovely man, fantastic actor and full of... Class."

Meanwhile, Robertson's daughter tells the Associated Press, "My father was a loving father, devoted friend, dedicated professional and honourable man. He stood by his family, friends, and colleagues through good times and bad. We will all miss him terribly."...

Oscar-winning Us actor Cliff Robertson died yesterday, one day after his 88th birthday. His secretary announced that he died in New York state of natural causes, according to the BBC. Robertson was born in La in 1923. He started acting as early as 1943, and rose to prominence with his performance as future president John F Kennedy in 1963's Pt 109, a drama about the young man's wartime experiences. He was apparently JFK's first choice to play his younger self. It was the 1968 film Charly, an adaptation of Flowers For Algernon, that won...

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New York — President John F. Kennedy had just one critique when he saw photos of the actor set to play him in a World War II drama.

The year was 1963 and actor Cliff Robertson looked convincing in his costume for "Pt-109," the first film to portray a sitting president. Kennedy had favored Robertson for the role, but one detail was off.

Robertson's hair was parted on the wrong side.

The actor dutifully trained his locks to part on the left and won praise for a role he'd remain proud of throughout his life.

Robertson, who went on to win an Oscar for his portrayal of a mentally disabled man in "Charly", died of natural causes Saturday afternoon in Stony Brook, a day after his 88th birthday, according to Evelyn Christel, his secretary of 53 years.

Robertson never elevated into the top ranks of leading men, but he remained a popular actor...

I’ve just woke up to some sad news this morning that Cliff Robertson, the classic Hollywood actor who immortalised Peter Parker’s inspirational father figure Uncle Ben in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, passed away yesterday, just one day after his 88th birthday.

Today, September 11th 2011, was the day I was to run a few articles trying to remember those who we lost on that most dreadful of days ten years ago but now my prayers are also with Robertson’s family as I recall the amazing career he had.

Ironically, Robertson & The Twin Towers can be remembered together in one movie. In Sydney Pollack’s excellent conspiracy thriller Three Days of the Condor (1975), Robertson plays the Deputy Director of CIA New York City who is making Robert Redford’s life hell and his base is an office high-up in the World Trade Center. It’s quite amazing to go...

Cliff Robertson, who won an Academy Award for playing a mentally disabled man in Charly and more recently appeared in the Spider-Man films, died Saturday at age 88. The versatile actor of stage, television and movies died of natural causes at Stony Brook University Medical Center on Long Island, according to his longtime personal secretary Evelyn Christel. A successful actor throughout the 1950s, Robertson had his first memorable role in 1963 as a young John F. Kennedy in the World War II drama Pt 109, made while Kennedy was president. In 1968, he won the best actor Oscar for Charly, a movie based...

Okay, I sort of hate the word "smut." Just typing it makes me feel like I've got my hair in a tight bun and am delivering a shrill lecture while tossing your copies of D.H. Lawrence or "Flowers For Algernon" on the fire. (Baaalllllllllzac.) I'm a liberal child of (mostly) liberal parents and was born and raised in the sex-drenched Sodom & Gomorrah of the country: San Francisco. I believe that I'm Okay, You're Okay, that sex is fantastic, fun and should be empowering and that it's wrong to criminalize sex or any (consensual) sex act. Plus I write for this site which is all about boobs, abs, and, oh yes, the occasional film review. That being said, there are some smutty, creepy-ass photos in the magazines the kids are reading these days. And it's not sexy, it's not.

Frank/graphic sexuality as subject matter is, of course, nothing new. (Just...

What would you do if you could fully tap your brain’s capabilities? Every generation or so, the question is pondered, thanks to the latest breakthroughs or studies in neuroscience. It makes for an interesting discussion and sometimes, brilliant works such as Flowers for Algernon (the great book by Daniel Keyes, and Charly the movie with Cliff Robertson). The most recent addition to this sub-genre of fiction is The Dark Fields, a novel by Alan Glynn, which became the basis for the movie Limitless, which was released on DVD this week by Twentieth-Century Fox Home Entertainment.

If you were Eddie Morra, you apparently turn into something unlike yourself. We meet him teetering atop a high-rise as people bang on his security door to enter his apartment fortress. Flashing back, we learn what happened to turn a slacker into a genius. Leslie Dixon’s screenplay, which makes huge changes from the novel,...