Chuck WilsonLongtime L.A. Weekly film critic F. X. Feeney, whose soulful writing is an indelible part of the paper’s legacy, died unexpectedly this week at the age of 66. Feeney loved movies and the men and women who make them, a love that infused every line of his deeply intelligent prose. He wrote for the Weekly for over 20 years while also writing for — and helping to program — the fabled 1980s cable station, the Z Channel. In 2004, he co-directed, with Xan Cassavetes, the marvelous documentary, Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession. There were screenplays and books, too, including the definitive biography, Orson Welles: Power, Heart, and Soul (2005). On social media this week, the Los Angeles film community has been mourning his loss, and in those expressions of grief there is a common theme: F.X. Feeney loved cinema like no other, but valued his friends even more. His voice, on the page and in life, will be dearly missed.
Below, a small sampling of Feeney’s work for this publication.
The Talented Messrs. Heston, Newman, Pollack, Minghella and Ledger
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