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Our second film honoring the late Robert Duvall not only shows off his musical abilities, but it won him an Academy Award for Best Actor! Directed by Bruce Beresford, 1983's "Tender Mercies" tells the story of washed-up country singer Mac Sledge (Duvall) who, after a drunken night, finds himself stranded, penniless, at a small motel/gas station in Texas. He seeks out the proprietor, Rosa Lee (Tess Harper) who, with her young son Sonny (Allan Hubbard), tend to the business as best they can, and offers to work to pay off his room. He ends up staying on and cleans himself up, stops drinking, and becomes close with both Rosa and Sonny. He also begins writing new songs, although he tells no one about them. Eventually he professes his affections to Rosa and and the two get married. After a reporter (Paul Gleason) write a story about him in the local paper, a group of young musicians show up and tell him how much his music inspired them. He takes one of his songs to his ex-wife Dixie's (Betty Buckley) manager, Harry (Wilford Brimley) and asks him if he'd take it to her and see if she'd be interested in performing it. He also confronts Dixie and asks about his daughter, Sue Anne (Ellen Barkin) who he hasn't seen in a decade. Dixie throws him out, and Harry tells him she rejected his song outright, calling it substandard. Eventually, the young country band ask permission to record two of his songs, and Sue Anne comes to visit him against her mother's wishes now that she's turned 18. Things start to look up, but as Mac knows all too well, tragedy is always right around the corner - what matters is how you deal with it and move on. Plus, the trio FINALLY return to the list they began in early August and reveal which two films starring Dudley Moore will make up the next pairing!

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We conclude our "In Memorium" pairings (for now) by paying tribute to the legendary actor Robert Duvall, who passed away on February 15th, 2026. Like with Rob Reiner and Catherine O'Hara, we've already reviewed several films, but there are no shortage of great performances left to choose from! Our first film is from 1979, directed by Lewis John Carlino. In "The Great Santini," Duvall plays Bull "The Great Santini" Meechum, a fierce and dedicated Marine fighter pilot who had the misfortune to enlist between wars, thus leaving him no one to fight. As a result, he is extremely disciplined... most of the time, until he isn't. He functions as the head of his family like he would as head of a military unit. Thus, his wife Lillian (Blythe Danner), eldest son Ben (Michael O'Keefe), his eldest daughter Mary Anne (Lisa Jane Persky), his youngest daughter Karen (Julie Anne Haddock), and youngest son Matthew (Brian Andrews) have adapted as best they can to a very military style of family life. As the oldest, however, Ben is the first to up-end the familial balance when he begins to assert control of his own life as his 18th birthday approaches. But even "The Great Santini" can find it in himself to bend when necessary, at least once it's proven to him, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he must.

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Our second film, and dedication, is to a gentleman who was primarily a television actor but did do enough film work to have turned in a few very memorable roles. James Van Der Beek passed away from cancer on February 11th, 2026. He is most famous for his starring role on the series "Dawson's Creek" which ran from 1998 to 2003. But his first major film role, in 1999's "Varsity Blues," demonstrated that he had the talent to be the lead in just about any project. Directed by Brian Robbins, "Varsity Blues" tells the story of backup quarterback Jonathan "Mox" Moxon, for the West Canaan Coyotes in the small town of West Canaan, Texas. This town eats, breathes, and lives high school football, and the team is headed for yet another district championship. Led by Coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight) and all-star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker), Mox spends most of the season on the bench watching Lance and friends Billy Bob (Ron Lester), Charlie Tweeder (Scott Caan), and Wendel Brown (Eliel Swinton) win game after game. Due to being hit by two defensive ends, Billy Box is injured worse that Kilmer believes, and in the next game after his injury, he's sent out to block for Lance but passes out as the play begins, resulting in Lance suffering a severe knee injury, leaving Mox to fill in as quarterback for the rest of the season. But Mox is a scholar athlete, and wants to be done with football so he can go to college and get a degree that will allow him a professional, non-sports-related carrer. His sudden advancement to starting quarterback threatens to disrupt his relationship with his girlfriend Julie Harbor (Amy Smart), especially after Lance's girlfriend, Darcy (Ali Larter) attempts to seduce him. Add to that a confrontation between Mox and Kilmer about the coach's obsession with winning at the expense of his players, and you have a high school football film that doesn't go where you expect it to... mostly.

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This pairing is a combined "In Memorium" to two more actors claimed by 2026. Bud Cort, a veteran character actor, passed away on February 11th of 2026, so our first film is honoring him with his most famous film appearance! Directed by Hal Ashby, 1971's "Harold and Maude" tells the story of Harold Chasen, a young man who is obsessed with death in all its many forms. He spends his days attempting to terrorize his mother (Vivian Pickles) who has long since turned an exasperated blind eye to Harold's theatrics. Attending funerals is one of Harold's pastimes, and it is at one such even that he meets Maude Chardin (Ruth Gordon), a 79-year-old widow who seems particularly focused on the fact that she's soon to turn 80. The two forge an unlikely friendship, and Maude teaches Harold how to witness and enjoy life even as she acknowledges that she's approaching the end of hers. Harold's mother, however, is doing everything she can to try to turn Harold 'normal,' including sending him to a psychiatrist (G. Wood), setting him up on three computer dates, and getting rid of the hearse he drives and replacing it with a modern sports car. But Harold is his own man and chooses to continue his path, even as Maude manages to change his worldview through their adventures. Also starring Cyril Cusack (father of Sinéad Cusack), Charles Tyner, Eric Christmas, and an early appearance from Tom Skerritt! Plus, the trio reveal which two films they've chosen to honor Robert Duvall who passed away on February 15th of 2026!

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