One of my very favorite directors and actors is gone.  Sydney Pollack, a man who directed and acted in such literate and intelligent ways, was a throwback to times where stories and characters mattered most in movie making.  His Academy Award winning film Out Of Africa touched me deeply because it reminded me so much of my mother and father and the love that they shared.  Even in films where he wasn't as successful (e.g. The Interpreter), the themes and narratives which he conveyed were always smart, rich with detail, and involving.