The 1984 summer movie season kicked off in May and early June with a flurry of blockbusters. "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" opened to a gargantuan $25 million over Memorial Day weekend, and, unconcerned about getting chopped up in the mega-sequel's wake, Paramount scored a $17 million debut the following weekend with "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock." If you're thinking the studios might sit out a weekend while these films dominate the box office, Columbia and Warner Bros opted to throw a couple of haymakers over the June 8 three-day with, respectively, "Ghostbusters" and "Gremlins."
And then, on the fourth weekend of the summer movie season, Hollywood at last took a breather. With kids fresh out of school, the studios sat back and watched the aforementioned titles continue to flourish, while other pricey gambles (e.g. "Streets of Fire" and "Once Upon a Time in America") flopped.
Then on June...
And then, on the fourth weekend of the summer movie season, Hollywood at last took a breather. With kids fresh out of school, the studios sat back and watched the aforementioned titles continue to flourish, while other pricey gambles (e.g. "Streets of Fire" and "Once Upon a Time in America") flopped.
Then on June...
- 6/11/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Last Updated on June 10, 2024
Jack Nicholson is one of the all-time Hollywood legends – and was one of the all-time partiers, too. With both comes a wealth of stories about his most raucous days. So saddle up, kids, it’s time to hear a funny tale about Jack Nicholson and cocaine!
As recalled by Kevin Spacey – who actually made his debut in the Jack Nicholson / Meryl Streep film Heartburn – the three-time Oscar winner put himself in a potentially awkward situation with a sound man during the making of Prizzi’s Honor, John Huston’s 1985 crime film which earned him his fifth Best Actor nomination. In a pitch-perfect Nicholson impression, Spacey remembered sound mixer Dennis Maitland telling him the story, which took place in Nicholson’s trailer.
As it goes, Maitland expressed his excitement for again working with the star, reminding the actor that they met back on 1976’s The Missouri Breaks. Nicholson replied,...
Jack Nicholson is one of the all-time Hollywood legends – and was one of the all-time partiers, too. With both comes a wealth of stories about his most raucous days. So saddle up, kids, it’s time to hear a funny tale about Jack Nicholson and cocaine!
As recalled by Kevin Spacey – who actually made his debut in the Jack Nicholson / Meryl Streep film Heartburn – the three-time Oscar winner put himself in a potentially awkward situation with a sound man during the making of Prizzi’s Honor, John Huston’s 1985 crime film which earned him his fifth Best Actor nomination. In a pitch-perfect Nicholson impression, Spacey remembered sound mixer Dennis Maitland telling him the story, which took place in Nicholson’s trailer.
As it goes, Maitland expressed his excitement for again working with the star, reminding the actor that they met back on 1976’s The Missouri Breaks. Nicholson replied,...
- 6/8/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
We can’t get enough of John Mulaney these days.
After winning his third Emmy last year for writing his Netflix stand-up special “Baby J,” where he spoke candidly (and hilariously) about his stint in rehab for addiction, the former “Saturday Night Live” writer has risen from the ashes like a comically witty Phoenix.
In the Emmy race once again this year in multiple categories, most notably for guest comedy actor for his performance in the brilliant episode “Fishes” from FX’s second season of “The Bear” and outstanding talk series for the Netflix live smash “Everybody’s in L.A.”
On this episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Mulaney discusses his experience and perspectives on Los Angeles’ identity, his creative processes, and whether he’ll host the Oscars. Listen below!
Mulaney surprised everyone as the host of the 14th annual Governors Awards, where he killed in the...
After winning his third Emmy last year for writing his Netflix stand-up special “Baby J,” where he spoke candidly (and hilariously) about his stint in rehab for addiction, the former “Saturday Night Live” writer has risen from the ashes like a comically witty Phoenix.
In the Emmy race once again this year in multiple categories, most notably for guest comedy actor for his performance in the brilliant episode “Fishes” from FX’s second season of “The Bear” and outstanding talk series for the Netflix live smash “Everybody’s in L.A.”
On this episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Mulaney discusses his experience and perspectives on Los Angeles’ identity, his creative processes, and whether he’ll host the Oscars. Listen below!
Mulaney surprised everyone as the host of the 14th annual Governors Awards, where he killed in the...
- 6/6/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Viggo Mortenson’s sophomore directorial offering features some exceptional performances from the actor-turned-director and his cast. The Dead Don’t Hurt follows the story of two pioneers (Mortensen and Vicky Krieps) as they fight for their lives and their love on the American frontier during a deadly Civil War.
HeyUGuys spoke to Mortensen and his cast about the importance of telling the story of how the West was made from the stand point of those who have never been given a voice before in the Western genre.
Krieps talked of her love for the character of Vivienne, a woman more than capable to stand on her own two feet in a man’s world. We also spoke to actor Danny Huston – son of legendary Hollywood filmmaker John Huston – about his love for the western genre and what it meant to him to be part of such an exciting project.
Elsewhere, British...
HeyUGuys spoke to Mortensen and his cast about the importance of telling the story of how the West was made from the stand point of those who have never been given a voice before in the Western genre.
Krieps talked of her love for the character of Vivienne, a woman more than capable to stand on her own two feet in a man’s world. We also spoke to actor Danny Huston – son of legendary Hollywood filmmaker John Huston – about his love for the western genre and what it meant to him to be part of such an exciting project.
Elsewhere, British...
- 5/31/2024
- by Linda Marric
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
“All this filming isn’t healthy,” says blind but perceptive Mrs. Stephens (Maxine Audley) late in Michael Powell’s resolutely disturbing Peeping Tom, and every aspect of the film’s rigorously self-reflexive construction seems to bear her out. From the opening shot of an opening eye, to the final shot of a blank screen swathed in black and blood-red gel lighting, Peeping Tom obsessively examines the social and psychological ramifications of overactive cinephilia. This situates Powell’s film as a direct precursor to later 1960s autocritiques along the lines of Federico Fellini’s 8½, Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up, and Haskell Wexler’s Medium Cool.
Powell and screenwriter Leo Marks originally wanted to make a film about Sigmund Freud and his theories, but word of John Huston’s upcoming Freud biopic put the kibosh on those plans. So instead they came up with the story of Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm), who works...
Powell and screenwriter Leo Marks originally wanted to make a film about Sigmund Freud and his theories, but word of John Huston’s upcoming Freud biopic put the kibosh on those plans. So instead they came up with the story of Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm), who works...
- 5/24/2024
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
Marilyn Monroe‘s star burned brightly and briefly before her untimely death in 1962 at age 36. Yet she managed to enter the pop culture lexicon with just a handful of films, becoming Hollywood’s most memorable sex symbol. In honor of her birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1926, Monroe started off as a model before moving into acting with a series of bit parts, most notably in “All About Eve” and “The Asphalt Jungle,” both released in 1950. She became a leading lady with a trio of 1953 titles: the noir “Niagara,” the musical “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and the romantic comedy “How to Marry a Millionaire.”
She became iconic thanks to Billy Wilder‘s “The Seven Year Itch” (1955), in which she played a young woman tantalizing her married neighbor (Tom Ewell). Her image was forever burned into our memories thanks to...
Born in 1926, Monroe started off as a model before moving into acting with a series of bit parts, most notably in “All About Eve” and “The Asphalt Jungle,” both released in 1950. She became a leading lady with a trio of 1953 titles: the noir “Niagara,” the musical “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and the romantic comedy “How to Marry a Millionaire.”
She became iconic thanks to Billy Wilder‘s “The Seven Year Itch” (1955), in which she played a young woman tantalizing her married neighbor (Tom Ewell). Her image was forever burned into our memories thanks to...
- 5/24/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Fred Roos, the casting director turned producer who jump-started the career of Jack Nicholson and collaborated often with Francis Ford Coppola, sharing a best picture Oscar with the filmmaker for The Godfather Part II, has died. He was 89.
Roos died Saturday at his home in Beverly Hills, a publicist announced.
It’s part of Hollywood lore that before Harrison Ford became a famous actor, he was laboring as a carpenter to make ends meet. What some might not know is that it was at Roos’ house where Ford was woodworking when the casting director befriended him, eventually pushing him for roles in George Lucas’ American Graffiti (1973) and Star Wars (1977) and Coppola’s The Conversation (1974).
And it was Roos who convinced Lucas — who had been leaning toward Amy Irving — that Carrie Fisher should portray Princess Leia in Star Wars. (Roos did not have an official role on that film.)
Roos, however,...
Roos died Saturday at his home in Beverly Hills, a publicist announced.
It’s part of Hollywood lore that before Harrison Ford became a famous actor, he was laboring as a carpenter to make ends meet. What some might not know is that it was at Roos’ house where Ford was woodworking when the casting director befriended him, eventually pushing him for roles in George Lucas’ American Graffiti (1973) and Star Wars (1977) and Coppola’s The Conversation (1974).
And it was Roos who convinced Lucas — who had been leaning toward Amy Irving — that Carrie Fisher should portray Princess Leia in Star Wars. (Roos did not have an official role on that film.)
Roos, however,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: As the Cannes market kicks into gear, leading German producer Christian Becker, How to Be Single bilingual writer-director Christian Ditter and international sales agent Rocket Science are landing on the Croisette with Momo, one of their most ambitious projects to date.
The big-budget project, which is currently filming in Croatia, is the English-language adaptation of one of Michael Ende’s most beloved fantasy novels. Most will be familiar with Ende as the writer of The Neverending Story, which was adapted for the big screen in 1984 and became a cult classic in the U.S. and internationally (that title is currently getting a big new screen adaptation with See-Saw Films). But Momo is one of the German novelist’s most beloved stories, especially in Europe, and has been translated into more than 50 languages and has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.
The story focuses on Momo (played by A Gentleman...
The big-budget project, which is currently filming in Croatia, is the English-language adaptation of one of Michael Ende’s most beloved fantasy novels. Most will be familiar with Ende as the writer of The Neverending Story, which was adapted for the big screen in 1984 and became a cult classic in the U.S. and internationally (that title is currently getting a big new screen adaptation with See-Saw Films). But Momo is one of the German novelist’s most beloved stories, especially in Europe, and has been translated into more than 50 languages and has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.
The story focuses on Momo (played by A Gentleman...
- 5/14/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Steven Spielberg's filmmaking techniques took a large bound forward in 2001 with the release of "A.I. Artificial Intelligence." The sci-fi film, set in a near future populated by conscious androids, was a project Spielberg took over from an ailing Stanley Kubrick, who passed on it when he felt Spielberg could do it better. In "A.I.," Spielberg's photography and editing were very different from the slick, adventure films and glossy prestige pictures he had become popular making. Now everything was hazy, staid, more deliberate.
Although he had already won three Oscars (two for "Schindler's List" and one for "Saving Private Ryan") and was widely considered to be a reigning master of Hollywood's blockbuster class, Spielberg evolved. After 2001, Spielberg's career bifurcated into dispassionate effects-based thrillers wherein the filmmaker was merely experimenting, and deeply passionate political thrillers that used the politics of the past to reflect on issues of the day.
The official...
Although he had already won three Oscars (two for "Schindler's List" and one for "Saving Private Ryan") and was widely considered to be a reigning master of Hollywood's blockbuster class, Spielberg evolved. After 2001, Spielberg's career bifurcated into dispassionate effects-based thrillers wherein the filmmaker was merely experimenting, and deeply passionate political thrillers that used the politics of the past to reflect on issues of the day.
The official...
- 5/12/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
I love me some damn dirty apes, and I’m not alone. Ever since the first Planet of the Apes movie in 1968, it’s been one of Hollywood’s most consistent (on a quality level) franchises. Think about it. Has there ever really been a lousy Planet of the Apes movie? Not really. Yet, it’s often unheralded when we talk about the great franchises. So, let’s look at the series as a whole, with this Planet of the Apes movies ranked list (from worst to best). And don’t worry – you’ll get to have your say tomorrow with a poll I’ll be publishing, so check back for that.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Tim Burton’s remake of the original 1968 classic is a mixed bag. Mark Wahlberg was a little too green at this point in his career to make a captivating action hero, with him paling...
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Tim Burton’s remake of the original 1968 classic is a mixed bag. Mark Wahlberg was a little too green at this point in his career to make a captivating action hero, with him paling...
- 5/11/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
This post contains spoilers for "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes."
The majority of people currently alive today have never known a world without the "Planet of the Apes" franchise. French author Pierre Boulle first published his novel "La Planète des singes" in 1963, and the world has been fascinated with an alternate future where our own hubris have destroyed humans, and highly intelligent apes are now the dominant species on Earth. "Maze Runner" and future "The Legend of Zelda" director Wes Ball is the latest to sit in the director's chair, delivering "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," the tenth film overall in this legacy series.
The film follows the events of the previous trilogy a few hundred years later, where a young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) sets off on a journey after his clan has been attacked by a rival group under the control of the...
The majority of people currently alive today have never known a world without the "Planet of the Apes" franchise. French author Pierre Boulle first published his novel "La Planète des singes" in 1963, and the world has been fascinated with an alternate future where our own hubris have destroyed humans, and highly intelligent apes are now the dominant species on Earth. "Maze Runner" and future "The Legend of Zelda" director Wes Ball is the latest to sit in the director's chair, delivering "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," the tenth film overall in this legacy series.
The film follows the events of the previous trilogy a few hundred years later, where a young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) sets off on a journey after his clan has been attacked by a rival group under the control of the...
- 5/10/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
The stars and writer-director of the Prime Video limited series Expats sat down Sunday at the Deadline Studio at Prime Experience. Based on Janice Y.K. Lee’s bestselling novel of the same name, Expats revolves around the lives of a group of expatriates in Hong Kong — more specifically, it’s story of three women from different backgrounds linked by a tragic event, grief, loss and complicated family issues.
Appearing on our panel Sunday were star/executive producer Nicole Kidman, actors Ji-Young Yoo, Sarayu Blue, Jack Huston and Brian Tee, and creator/writer/director/executive producer Lulu Wang.
Watch the conversation here, and scroll down for a photo gallery of the event.
Kidman, who has become as prolific a producer through her Blossom Films as she is an actor, also just received the prestigious AFI Lifetime Achievement Award over the weekend, something celebrated by all her Expats colleagues as we began...
Appearing on our panel Sunday were star/executive producer Nicole Kidman, actors Ji-Young Yoo, Sarayu Blue, Jack Huston and Brian Tee, and creator/writer/director/executive producer Lulu Wang.
Watch the conversation here, and scroll down for a photo gallery of the event.
Kidman, who has become as prolific a producer through her Blossom Films as she is an actor, also just received the prestigious AFI Lifetime Achievement Award over the weekend, something celebrated by all her Expats colleagues as we began...
- 4/29/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
What if Bruce, the mechanical shark in "Jaws," had actually worked? It's one of the biggest what-ifs in Hollywood history. While the movie's Great White Shark may have been "a perfect engine" (to quote Richard Dreyfuss' bespectacled scientist Matt Hooper), Bruce -- who got its moniker from Steven Spielberg's lawyer, Bruce Ramer -- was anything but. Because of this, Spielberg and editor Verna Fields were forced to reconfigure the film's raw footage to avoid showing "The Great White Turd" (as the movie's crew came to call it) as much as possible. What emerged was a triumph of minimalistic horror filmmaking where what you don't see is just as terrifying as what you do, if not more so.
But what if Spielberg had never gotten to direct one of his all-time best movies to begin with? It's easy to recognize in hindsight that ol' Stevie Boy was fated to adapt Peter Benchley's pulpy best-seller,...
But what if Spielberg had never gotten to direct one of his all-time best movies to begin with? It's easy to recognize in hindsight that ol' Stevie Boy was fated to adapt Peter Benchley's pulpy best-seller,...
- 4/7/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
The classic mystery Chinatown is heading to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in the UK this June: here’s more information on the release.
How about this for a flat-out classic? 1974’s Chinatown remains one of the very, very, very best films of Jack Nicholson’s career. A neo-noir detective mystery penned by Robert Towne. Nicholson plays Jake Gittes in the film, and in the 50 years since its release has garnered a reputation as being one of the best films of all time.
Directed by rapist Roman Polanski, it co-stars Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Diane Ladd and Perry Lopez. There’s an extensive cast to enjoy, and a tight mystery at the heart of it too. Genuinely, if you’ve never had the pleasure, it’s a film that deserves its reputation.
(Its belated sequel, The Two Jakes, was directed by Jack Nicholson and is worth a look too, although inevitably...
How about this for a flat-out classic? 1974’s Chinatown remains one of the very, very, very best films of Jack Nicholson’s career. A neo-noir detective mystery penned by Robert Towne. Nicholson plays Jake Gittes in the film, and in the 50 years since its release has garnered a reputation as being one of the best films of all time.
Directed by rapist Roman Polanski, it co-stars Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Diane Ladd and Perry Lopez. There’s an extensive cast to enjoy, and a tight mystery at the heart of it too. Genuinely, if you’ve never had the pleasure, it’s a film that deserves its reputation.
(Its belated sequel, The Two Jakes, was directed by Jack Nicholson and is worth a look too, although inevitably...
- 4/3/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
Everyone remembers their first time. That is the first time they saw Marlon Brando.
For the late Mike Nichols, seeing Brando on Broadway in 1947 in his seminal turn as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams‘ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” was the catalyst that lead to his career in the arts which saw him become a rare Egot winner. The teenage Nichols and his then girlfriend’s mother were given tickets for the second night of the Elia Kazan-directed production. “There had never been anything like it, I know that by now,” Nichols recalled in a 2010 L.A. Times interview. It was, to this day, the only thing onstage that I had ever seen that was 100% real and 100% poetic. Lucy and I weren’t exactly theater buffs, but we couldn’t get up at the intermission. We were just so stunned. Your heart was pounding. It was a major experience.”
Susan L.
For the late Mike Nichols, seeing Brando on Broadway in 1947 in his seminal turn as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams‘ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” was the catalyst that lead to his career in the arts which saw him become a rare Egot winner. The teenage Nichols and his then girlfriend’s mother were given tickets for the second night of the Elia Kazan-directed production. “There had never been anything like it, I know that by now,” Nichols recalled in a 2010 L.A. Times interview. It was, to this day, the only thing onstage that I had ever seen that was 100% real and 100% poetic. Lucy and I weren’t exactly theater buffs, but we couldn’t get up at the intermission. We were just so stunned. Your heart was pounding. It was a major experience.”
Susan L.
- 4/2/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
One of 2024’s obsessions is “Feud: “Capote vs. the Swans.” The FX on Hulu limited series revolves around the best-selling novelist Truman Capote‘s friendship with several of the highest of New York’s society women include Babe Paley, Slim Keith and Lee Radziwill, the sister of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The women treat him as a sort of father confessor, but when he publishes an excerpt from what he considers his will be his masterwork “Answered Prayers” in Esquire — a thinly veiled account of their lives and secrets –they feel betrayed and turn their back on their once trusted friend. He spends the rest of his life trying to get back into their good graces.
Everyone knows Capote wrote “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and his superb “In Cold Blood” and was a witty albeit inebriated guest on countless talk shows, but how much do you really know about him?
Capote was...
Everyone knows Capote wrote “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and his superb “In Cold Blood” and was a witty albeit inebriated guest on countless talk shows, but how much do you really know about him?
Capote was...
- 3/19/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Cinephiles will have plenty to celebrate this April with the next slate of additions to the Criterion Channel. The boutique distributor, which recently announced its June 2024 Blu-ray releases, has unveiled its new streaming lineup highlighted by an eclectic mix of classic films and modern arthouse hits.
Students of Hollywood history will be treated to the “Peak Noir: 1950” collection, which features 17 noir films from the landmark film year from directors including Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, and John Huston.
New Hollywood maverick William Friedkin will also be celebrated when five of his most beloved movies, including “Sorcerer” and “The Exorcist,” come to the channel in April.
Criterion will offer the streaming premiere of Wim Wenders’ 3D art documentary “Anselm,” which will be accompanied by the “Wim Wenders’ Adventures in Moviegoing” collection, which sees the director curating a selection of films from around the world that have influenced his careers.
Contemporary cinema is also well represented,...
Students of Hollywood history will be treated to the “Peak Noir: 1950” collection, which features 17 noir films from the landmark film year from directors including Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, and John Huston.
New Hollywood maverick William Friedkin will also be celebrated when five of his most beloved movies, including “Sorcerer” and “The Exorcist,” come to the channel in April.
Criterion will offer the streaming premiere of Wim Wenders’ 3D art documentary “Anselm,” which will be accompanied by the “Wim Wenders’ Adventures in Moviegoing” collection, which sees the director curating a selection of films from around the world that have influenced his careers.
Contemporary cinema is also well represented,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Daniel Sackheim’s intriguing landscapes of Los Angeles evoke a time of classic film of the Film Noir period. His landscapes of Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood Blvd, the distant pier of Santa Monica create a moody scene iridescent of classics like Double Indemnity; Mildred Pierce, The Third Man, and Shadow of a Doubt. The seductive tones of a bygone era are visually stimulating creating a mood of mystery that captured the eyes of audiences when The Maltese Falcon was first released.
Sackheim’s directing credits include Lovecraft Country, Game of Thrones, True Detective, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and Ozark to name a few. Having been a director for many years before delving into photography, he says his eye tends to land on a cinematic sensibility naturally. This perspective then informs his approach to photographic storytelling.
“There is not so much one specific film, though there are iconic images from...
Sackheim’s directing credits include Lovecraft Country, Game of Thrones, True Detective, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and Ozark to name a few. Having been a director for many years before delving into photography, he says his eye tends to land on a cinematic sensibility naturally. This perspective then informs his approach to photographic storytelling.
“There is not so much one specific film, though there are iconic images from...
- 3/18/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
April’s an uncommonly strong auteurist month for the Criterion Channel, who will highlight a number of directors––many of whom aren’t often grouped together. Just after we screened House of Tolerance at the Roxy Cinema, Criterion are showing it and Nocturama for a two-film Bertrand Bonello retrospective, starting just four days before The Beast opens. Larger and rarer (but just as French) is the complete Jean Eustache series Janus toured last year. Meanwhile, five William Friedkin films and work from Makoto Shinkai, Lizzie Borden, and Rosine Mbakam are given a highlight.
One of my very favorite films, Comrades: Almost a Love Story plays in a series I’ve been trying to program for years: “Hong Kong in New York,” boasting the magnificent Full Moon in New York, Farewell China, and An Autumn’s Tale. Wim Wenders gets his “Adventures in Moviegoing”; After Hours, Personal Shopper, and Werckmeister Harmonies fill...
One of my very favorite films, Comrades: Almost a Love Story plays in a series I’ve been trying to program for years: “Hong Kong in New York,” boasting the magnificent Full Moon in New York, Farewell China, and An Autumn’s Tale. Wim Wenders gets his “Adventures in Moviegoing”; After Hours, Personal Shopper, and Werckmeister Harmonies fill...
- 3/18/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The 2024 Oscar nominees for Best Director are Jonathan Glazer (“The Zone of Interest”), Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”), Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”), Martin Scorsese (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), and Justine Triet (“Anatomy of a Fall”). Our odds currently show that Nolan (3/1) is most likely to win, followed in order by Lanthimos (4/1), Glazer (9/2), Triet (9/2), and Scorsese (9/2).
Three of these five filmmakers have been nominated at least once before, with Scorsese standing out as the only previous victor in the group. Now on his 10th bid (only two behind category record holder William Wyler), he initially triumphed on his sixth for “The Departed” (2007), which is also the only Best Picture winner in his filmography. He earned his remaining notices for “Raging Bull” (1981), “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1989), “Goodfellas” (1991), “Gangs of New York” (2003), “The Aviator” (2005), “Hugo” (2012), “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2014), and “The Irishman” (2020).
Having previously ranked as the third oldest directing nominee ever...
Three of these five filmmakers have been nominated at least once before, with Scorsese standing out as the only previous victor in the group. Now on his 10th bid (only two behind category record holder William Wyler), he initially triumphed on his sixth for “The Departed” (2007), which is also the only Best Picture winner in his filmography. He earned his remaining notices for “Raging Bull” (1981), “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1989), “Goodfellas” (1991), “Gangs of New York” (2003), “The Aviator” (2005), “Hugo” (2012), “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2014), and “The Irishman” (2020).
Having previously ranked as the third oldest directing nominee ever...
- 3/7/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Reader, you have been lied to! Film history is littered with unfairly maligned classics, whether critics were too eager to review the making of rather than the finished product, or they suffered from underwhelming ad campaigns or general disinterest. Let’s revise our takes on some of these films from the wrongheaded to the correct opinion.
The list of sequels to masterpieces that can be considered masterpieces themselves isn’t a very long one; “The Godfather Part II” is an obvious candidate, and arguments can be made for James Cameron‘s “Aliens” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and “The Color of Money” all have their partisans, and Ingmar Bergman scored a late-career triumph with his “Scenes From a Marriage” sequel “Saraband.” One movie that almost never gets mentioned in this company is “The Two Jakes,” the 1990 sequel to “Chinatown” directed by its star,...
The list of sequels to masterpieces that can be considered masterpieces themselves isn’t a very long one; “The Godfather Part II” is an obvious candidate, and arguments can be made for James Cameron‘s “Aliens” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and “The Color of Money” all have their partisans, and Ingmar Bergman scored a late-career triumph with his “Scenes From a Marriage” sequel “Saraband.” One movie that almost never gets mentioned in this company is “The Two Jakes,” the 1990 sequel to “Chinatown” directed by its star,...
- 3/6/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Finally, the end is in sight. The 96th Academy Awards are just around the corner on March 10 after six months of film festivals, critics’ honors and major awards. So, it’s the perfect time of offer up some fun Oscar facts and tidbits of awards long past as well as the present.
It’s hard to escape all the news reports and late-night pundits discussing the fact that the nominees for President this year are elderly. Joe Biden is 82; Donald Trump is 77 but will be 78 by the time of the election. Let’s face it, Washington, D.C. has become “No District for Old Men.”
But do you know which best director Oscar nominee is in his 80s? Martin Scorsese. He’s 81 and still on the top of his game earning his 10th nomination for best director for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” But instead of being a punchline on late night TV,...
It’s hard to escape all the news reports and late-night pundits discussing the fact that the nominees for President this year are elderly. Joe Biden is 82; Donald Trump is 77 but will be 78 by the time of the election. Let’s face it, Washington, D.C. has become “No District for Old Men.”
But do you know which best director Oscar nominee is in his 80s? Martin Scorsese. He’s 81 and still on the top of his game earning his 10th nomination for best director for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” But instead of being a punchline on late night TV,...
- 3/4/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
There will be spoilers ahead for "Star Wars: The Bad Batch" season 3, episode 2, "Paths Unknown."
"Star Wars: The Bad Batch," the animated series that followed the popular show "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," enters its third and final season today. Throughout the show, we've been treated to incredible cameos and recurring characters familiar to fans of movies and television. One of the biggest came in the form of Rhea Perlman of "Cheers" fame, who took on the role of the Trandoshan Cid during the first two seasons. Wanda Sykes has appeared repeatedly as a treasure hunting scoundrel named Phee Genoa. Héctor Elizondo voiced a one-off character in the first season named Romar Adell. Ernie Hudson made an appearance, as did Taran Killam and Ben Schwartz. There has been no shortage of star power coming to the world of "Star Wars," but in the three-episode premiere of the third season of "The Bad Batch,...
"Star Wars: The Bad Batch," the animated series that followed the popular show "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," enters its third and final season today. Throughout the show, we've been treated to incredible cameos and recurring characters familiar to fans of movies and television. One of the biggest came in the form of Rhea Perlman of "Cheers" fame, who took on the role of the Trandoshan Cid during the first two seasons. Wanda Sykes has appeared repeatedly as a treasure hunting scoundrel named Phee Genoa. Héctor Elizondo voiced a one-off character in the first season named Romar Adell. Ernie Hudson made an appearance, as did Taran Killam and Ben Schwartz. There has been no shortage of star power coming to the world of "Star Wars," but in the three-episode premiere of the third season of "The Bad Batch,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Bryan Young
- Slash Film
As attention turns to the Oscars around this time every year, it’s easy to get caught up remembering some of the big winners. One of the most notable champs was The Silence of the Lambs, which took home the “Big Five” awards in 1992: Best Picture, Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Director (Jonathan Demme), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally), as well as Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing to round it out.
And despite owning the film rights to works of author Thomas Harris, super-producer Dino De Laurentiis saw none of that windfall, be it Oscar gold or box office riches. How could a savvy Hollywood player, responsible for making some of the most important movies of all time, make such a wild mistake?
It’s all Michael Mann’s fault.
Hannibal and the Italian
In 1981, author Thomas Harris published Red Dragon, a...
And despite owning the film rights to works of author Thomas Harris, super-producer Dino De Laurentiis saw none of that windfall, be it Oscar gold or box office riches. How could a savvy Hollywood player, responsible for making some of the most important movies of all time, make such a wild mistake?
It’s all Michael Mann’s fault.
Hannibal and the Italian
In 1981, author Thomas Harris published Red Dragon, a...
- 2/19/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Film and TV studio Fifth Season has secured international distribution rights to “Monsieur Spade,” the crime drama series starring and executive produced by Clive Owen.
Fifth Season will represent the title at the upcoming Berlin European Film Market.
The six-episode series is based on Dashiell Hammett’s hard-boiled private detective Sam Spade, the protagonist of 1930 novel “The Maltese Falcon,” adapted several times for the screen, most notably in 1941 by John Huston with Humphrey Bogart as the sleuth.
In the series, the year is 1963, and legendary detective Spade (Owen) is enjoying retirement in the South of France. Spade’s life in Bozouls is peaceful and quiet, but the rumoured return of his old adversary will change everything. Six beloved nuns have been brutally murdered, and as the town grieves, secrets emerge and new leads are established. Spade learns the murders are connected to a mysterious child, who is believed to possess great powers.
Fifth Season will represent the title at the upcoming Berlin European Film Market.
The six-episode series is based on Dashiell Hammett’s hard-boiled private detective Sam Spade, the protagonist of 1930 novel “The Maltese Falcon,” adapted several times for the screen, most notably in 1941 by John Huston with Humphrey Bogart as the sleuth.
In the series, the year is 1963, and legendary detective Spade (Owen) is enjoying retirement in the South of France. Spade’s life in Bozouls is peaceful and quiet, but the rumoured return of his old adversary will change everything. Six beloved nuns have been brutally murdered, and as the town grieves, secrets emerge and new leads are established. Spade learns the murders are connected to a mysterious child, who is believed to possess great powers.
- 2/12/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Actors Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid announced the 96th Oscars® nominations today (January 23), live from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater via a global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org and the Academy’s digital platforms, an international satellite feed and broadcast media.
Beetz and Quaid announced the nominees in 8 categories at 5:30 a.m. Pt, followed by the remaining 15 categories at 5:41 a.m. Pt, at the live event attended by international media and industry guests. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.
Academy members from each of the 18 branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film, International Feature Film and Live Action Short Film categories, nominees are selected by a vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.
Beetz and Quaid announced the nominees in 8 categories at 5:30 a.m. Pt, followed by the remaining 15 categories at 5:41 a.m. Pt, at the live event attended by international media and industry guests. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.
Academy members from each of the 18 branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film, International Feature Film and Live Action Short Film categories, nominees are selected by a vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.
- 1/23/2024
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Michael I. Levy, a veteran talent representative involved in the careers of such major stars and players as Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Duval, Bruce Lee, Marlon Brando and William Peter Blattey, died January 11 of complications from Covid pneumonia. He was 84.
His death was announced today by his family.
At the start of his career, Levy represented blacklisted film and TV writers including Waldo Salt, Ring Lardner Jr., and Dalton Trumbo. He would later participate in the careers of Milos Foreman, Michael Mann, Ingmar Bergman, John Huston, John Landis, Mario Puzo and Stan Lee of Marvel Comics as well as Marvel Comics itself.
Through his Michael I. Levy Enterprises, Levy packaged more than 100 films, TV series, and TV movies for major producing clients. In 1981, he became President and CEO of CBS Theatrical Film Group, contributing to the Fox-cbs video deal and the formation of Tri-Star Motion Pictures.
Throughout his career,...
His death was announced today by his family.
At the start of his career, Levy represented blacklisted film and TV writers including Waldo Salt, Ring Lardner Jr., and Dalton Trumbo. He would later participate in the careers of Milos Foreman, Michael Mann, Ingmar Bergman, John Huston, John Landis, Mario Puzo and Stan Lee of Marvel Comics as well as Marvel Comics itself.
Through his Michael I. Levy Enterprises, Levy packaged more than 100 films, TV series, and TV movies for major producing clients. In 1981, he became President and CEO of CBS Theatrical Film Group, contributing to the Fox-cbs video deal and the formation of Tri-Star Motion Pictures.
Throughout his career,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar winners John Williams and Martin Scorsese continue to prove that age is just a number with their 2024 nominations.
Williams, 91, already the most nominated person alive and second most nominated ever behind Walt Disney, added an Original Score nomination for Indiana Jones and the Dial Of Destiny, his 54th overall. Meanwhile, Scorsese surpassed Steven Spielberg to become the living director with most Oscar nominations, 10, with a directing nom for Killers of the Flower Moon.
Related: ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone Makes History As First Native Actress Of American Descent To Be Oscar Nominated
This is Williams’ second consecutive Oscar nomination; he was nominated in the same category last year for The Fabelmans when he became the oldest Oscar nominee at 90. Williams’ nominations, which include mentions for four movies in the Indiana Jones franchise, span seven decades, with the first one coming in 1968 for Valley of the Dolls.
Williams, 91, already the most nominated person alive and second most nominated ever behind Walt Disney, added an Original Score nomination for Indiana Jones and the Dial Of Destiny, his 54th overall. Meanwhile, Scorsese surpassed Steven Spielberg to become the living director with most Oscar nominations, 10, with a directing nom for Killers of the Flower Moon.
Related: ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone Makes History As First Native Actress Of American Descent To Be Oscar Nominated
This is Williams’ second consecutive Oscar nomination; he was nominated in the same category last year for The Fabelmans when he became the oldest Oscar nominee at 90. Williams’ nominations, which include mentions for four movies in the Indiana Jones franchise, span seven decades, with the first one coming in 1968 for Valley of the Dolls.
- 1/23/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Benedict Fitzgerald, the co-writer of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, has died. He was 74.
Fitzgerald died Jan. 17 after a long illness at his home in Marsala, Sicily, his cousin Nancy Morgan Ritter told The Hollywood Reporter.
Best known for his work on Gibson’s 2004 Biblical epic, the highest-grossing Christian film, as well as the highest-grossing independent film of all time, Fitzgerald’s other credits include co-writing the screenplay for John Huston’s Wise Blood (1979), the adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel.
Born on March 9, 1949, in New York, Fitzgerald was born into a literary household. His deeply Catholic mother, Sally, was a writer and editor and his father, Robert, was a poet, United States Poet Laureate (1984-1985), critic, and famed translator of classic ancient Greek and Latin texts, who was responsible for perhaps the most well-known translation of Homer’s The Odyssey.
In the late 1950s, Fitzgerald’s family...
Fitzgerald died Jan. 17 after a long illness at his home in Marsala, Sicily, his cousin Nancy Morgan Ritter told The Hollywood Reporter.
Best known for his work on Gibson’s 2004 Biblical epic, the highest-grossing Christian film, as well as the highest-grossing independent film of all time, Fitzgerald’s other credits include co-writing the screenplay for John Huston’s Wise Blood (1979), the adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel.
Born on March 9, 1949, in New York, Fitzgerald was born into a literary household. His deeply Catholic mother, Sally, was a writer and editor and his father, Robert, was a poet, United States Poet Laureate (1984-1985), critic, and famed translator of classic ancient Greek and Latin texts, who was responsible for perhaps the most well-known translation of Homer’s The Odyssey.
In the late 1950s, Fitzgerald’s family...
- 1/22/2024
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Benedict Fitzgerald, best known as the screenwriter of The Passion of the Christ, died at home in Marsala, Sicily after a long illness on January 17, 2024. He was 74 and no cause of death was given by his family.
He first won acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood, cowritten with his brother, Michael. The film, produced in 1979 by Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald and directed by John Huston, starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ned Beatty.
Fitzgerald specialized in literary adaptions, among them Zelda, (starring Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton) in 1993; Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in 1993 (starring John Malkovich); a television mini-series of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood in 1996 and Moby Dick in 1998 (starring Patrick Stewart as Ahab and nominated for 5 primetime Emmy awards).
The Passion Of The Christ (2004), the...
He first won acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood, cowritten with his brother, Michael. The film, produced in 1979 by Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald and directed by John Huston, starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ned Beatty.
Fitzgerald specialized in literary adaptions, among them Zelda, (starring Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton) in 1993; Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in 1993 (starring John Malkovich); a television mini-series of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood in 1996 and Moby Dick in 1998 (starring Patrick Stewart as Ahab and nominated for 5 primetime Emmy awards).
The Passion Of The Christ (2004), the...
- 1/21/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Benedict Fitzgerald, co-screenwriter of “The Passion of the Christ,” died Jan. 17 in Marsala, Sicily, after a long illness, his cousin Nancy Ritter told Variety. He was 74.
Fitzgerald co-wrote 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ” with director and producer Mel Gibson. The biblical epic remains the highest-grossing independent film of all time.
Fitzgerald first received acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of the Flannery O’Connor novel “Wise Blood,” which he co-wrote with his brother Michael. Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald produced the John Huston-directed film, which starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton and Ned Beatty.
“Wise Blood” marked the beginning of Fitzgerald’s many literary adaptations, including 1993’s “Zelda” with Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton, and Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” (1993), starring John Malkovich. He wrote the miniseries adaptations of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” (1996) and Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” (1998), starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Ahab. Both series were nominated for several Emmy Awards.
Fitzgerald co-wrote 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ” with director and producer Mel Gibson. The biblical epic remains the highest-grossing independent film of all time.
Fitzgerald first received acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of the Flannery O’Connor novel “Wise Blood,” which he co-wrote with his brother Michael. Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald produced the John Huston-directed film, which starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton and Ned Beatty.
“Wise Blood” marked the beginning of Fitzgerald’s many literary adaptations, including 1993’s “Zelda” with Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton, and Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” (1993), starring John Malkovich. He wrote the miniseries adaptations of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” (1996) and Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” (1998), starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Ahab. Both series were nominated for several Emmy Awards.
- 1/21/2024
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix generates more contemporary content than anyone, but they’re dipping into the past to curate the great movies from the ’70s. These are the films that people like myself discovered as kids in the early days of when HBO premiered on cable. Bravo, I say. Here’s the preliminary list.
Alice Doesn’T Live Here Anymore
A widowed singer and single mother starts over as a diner waitress in Arizona, befriending her coworkers and romancing a ruggedly handsome rancher.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Robert Getchell
Producers: Audrey Maas, David Susskind
Key Cast (Alphabetical): Ellen Burstyn, Jodie Foster, Diane Ladd, Alfred Lutter, Harvey Keitel, Kris Kristofferson, Vic Tayback
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Discovery
Initial Release Date: December 9, 1974
At the 47th Academy Awards, Burstyn won Best Actress
Black Belt Jones
High-kicking Black Belt Jones is dispatched to take down a group of Mafia goons trying to muscle in on a downtown karate studio.
Alice Doesn’T Live Here Anymore
A widowed singer and single mother starts over as a diner waitress in Arizona, befriending her coworkers and romancing a ruggedly handsome rancher.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Robert Getchell
Producers: Audrey Maas, David Susskind
Key Cast (Alphabetical): Ellen Burstyn, Jodie Foster, Diane Ladd, Alfred Lutter, Harvey Keitel, Kris Kristofferson, Vic Tayback
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Discovery
Initial Release Date: December 9, 1974
At the 47th Academy Awards, Burstyn won Best Actress
Black Belt Jones
High-kicking Black Belt Jones is dispatched to take down a group of Mafia goons trying to muscle in on a downtown karate studio.
- 1/17/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
1974 was quite a year for cinema; 50 years later, Netflix (of all places) is celebrating the golden jubilee.
In recognition of the anniversary, the streamer on Wednesday launched a new, dedicated content row (and direct URL link) with the first films being honored under its new “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection” banner. Each of the 14 films came to Netflix this month by way of Warner Bros., Paramount, or Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
The 1974 collection includes “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Black Belt Jones,” “Blazing Saddles,” “California Split,” “Chinatown,” “The Conversation,” “Death Wish,” “The Gambler,” “The Great Gatsby,” “It’s Alive,” “The Little Prince,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” “The Parallax View,” and “The Street Fighter” (“Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken”).
Netflix doesn’t plan to stop with disco’s heyday. In April, the streaming service will do the same for films from 1984 (turning 40); July will celebrate 1994 movies (turning 30); and in October...
In recognition of the anniversary, the streamer on Wednesday launched a new, dedicated content row (and direct URL link) with the first films being honored under its new “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection” banner. Each of the 14 films came to Netflix this month by way of Warner Bros., Paramount, or Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
The 1974 collection includes “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Black Belt Jones,” “Blazing Saddles,” “California Split,” “Chinatown,” “The Conversation,” “Death Wish,” “The Gambler,” “The Great Gatsby,” “It’s Alive,” “The Little Prince,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” “The Parallax View,” and “The Street Fighter” (“Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken”).
Netflix doesn’t plan to stop with disco’s heyday. In April, the streaming service will do the same for films from 1984 (turning 40); July will celebrate 1994 movies (turning 30); and in October...
- 1/17/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
Exclusive: It is only after Eric Roth invites you to sit on his front porch and discuss screenwriting and the thorny process of making great movies that you find yourself saying, wait, you wrote that one too? He’ll tell you you’re sitting in a chair where Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer winners held court — as if sitting with arguably the greatest and most successful living screenwriter isn’t intimidating enough — and there will be the occasional interruption as neighbors or passersby stop by this covered birdhouse looking repository at the edge of his lawn where Roth places books he’s read and admired, to help others revel in his lifelong love of words. They all want to talk about what they read and Roth is in no hurry to send them on their way.
You wonder why a writer, so unparalleled at distilling a massively successful book like Killers of the Flower Moon...
You wonder why a writer, so unparalleled at distilling a massively successful book like Killers of the Flower Moon...
- 1/15/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
All works of IP exploitation are, on some level, legitimized fanfiction. Once divorced from the original author, the line that separates a franchise’s sequel, prequel or reboot from the average post on Wattpad is a great deal of money and the blessing of an estate and/or corporation. But even with this baseline, the AMC limited series “Monsieur Spade” is an especially unabashed act of wish fulfillment through and for a beloved protagonist. The namesake of “Monsieur Spade” is none other than Sam Spade (Clive Owen), the private investigator who headlined the Dashiell Hammett novel turned John Huston film noir “The Maltese Falcon,” plus a handful of Hammett short stories published in the 1930s. For their spin on Spade, series creators Tom Fontana (“Oz”) and Scott Frank (“The Queen’s Gambit”) send the sleuth to the south of France, where he spends a few weeks of his not-so-peaceful retirement looking...
- 1/14/2024
- by Alison Herman
- Variety Film + TV
For a character who is at the center of one full-length story, The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade is as iconic as it gets in the world of detective fiction. Dashiell Hammett’s book, and John Huston’s 1941 movie adaptation with Humphrey Bogart, loom impossibly large over the gumshoe genre, to the point where Spade is just as famous as Philip Marlowe and Mike Hammer, who have appeared in far more novels and films over the years.
But the Sam Spade who appears in the new miniseries Monsieur Spade is not...
But the Sam Spade who appears in the new miniseries Monsieur Spade is not...
- 1/13/2024
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
If you’re on any form of social media, you probably know that on January 1, an early incarnation of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain. This prompted the usual memes putting the beloved character in decidedly adult situations and, in just a few months, we’ll be treated to a Mickey Mouse slasher film.
For a different, more pastoral, approach to elevated fan fic — this one conducted with the approval of the Dashiell Hammett Estate, rather than public domain — look to six-episode limited series Monsieur Spade, which will roll out on AMC, AMC+ and Acorn TV.
Hailing from the powerhouse creative duo of Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit) and Tom Fontana (Oz) and boasting a likably droll central turn by Clive Owen, Monsieur Spade takes Hammett’s Sam Spade and drops him into a bucolic retirement in the South of France. There, rather than reconfiguring the protagonist for an ironic excursion to the dark side,...
For a different, more pastoral, approach to elevated fan fic — this one conducted with the approval of the Dashiell Hammett Estate, rather than public domain — look to six-episode limited series Monsieur Spade, which will roll out on AMC, AMC+ and Acorn TV.
Hailing from the powerhouse creative duo of Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit) and Tom Fontana (Oz) and boasting a likably droll central turn by Clive Owen, Monsieur Spade takes Hammett’s Sam Spade and drops him into a bucolic retirement in the South of France. There, rather than reconfiguring the protagonist for an ironic excursion to the dark side,...
- 1/12/2024
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Starsky & Hutch" actor David Soul passed away this week at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy of memorable film and TV roles as well as a successful career as a soft rock musician. Soul's run on the stylish '70s detective series ended in 1979, but the performer continued working well into his golden years, most recently appearing in the 2013 film "Filth."
The man behind Detective Sergeant Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchison isn't the first "Starsky & Hutch" castmate to leave us — Captain Dobey actor Bernie Hamilton passed away in 2008. Two of the main leads of the action-packed cop series are still alive, and have packed their careers with interesting, varied, and popular on-screen projects. Turn on Netflix, and you'll catch actor Paul Michael Glaser in "Grace and Frankie," while you can find Antonio Fargas popping up in the DC TV world on "Black Lightning." Here's everything else these two stars...
The man behind Detective Sergeant Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchison isn't the first "Starsky & Hutch" castmate to leave us — Captain Dobey actor Bernie Hamilton passed away in 2008. Two of the main leads of the action-packed cop series are still alive, and have packed their careers with interesting, varied, and popular on-screen projects. Turn on Netflix, and you'll catch actor Paul Michael Glaser in "Grace and Frankie," while you can find Antonio Fargas popping up in the DC TV world on "Black Lightning." Here's everything else these two stars...
- 1/5/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Alexander Payne (Adapted Screenplay Oscar wins for Sideways with Jim Taylor and The Descendants with Nat Faxon and Jim Rash) at JFK airport with Anne-Katrin Titze on the Wc Fields poster in The Holdovers: “I remember that. I had that poster in my room growing up.”
In the second instalment with Alexander Payne, director of the Golden Globe-nominated The Holdovers (screenplay by David Hemingson), starring Dominic Sessa and Golden Globe nominees Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, we start out discussing the Oscar-shortlisted score by Mark Orton after my recommendation of Wurzel-Sepp, an apothecary shop in Munich from 1887. From there we move on to the Trapp Family recordings of The Little Drummer Boy and Silent Night, plus Cat Stevens in the soundtrack; the influence of Marcel Pagnol’s Merlusse, Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternberg’s The Blue Angel, Robert Donat in Sam Wood’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and...
In the second instalment with Alexander Payne, director of the Golden Globe-nominated The Holdovers (screenplay by David Hemingson), starring Dominic Sessa and Golden Globe nominees Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, we start out discussing the Oscar-shortlisted score by Mark Orton after my recommendation of Wurzel-Sepp, an apothecary shop in Munich from 1887. From there we move on to the Trapp Family recordings of The Little Drummer Boy and Silent Night, plus Cat Stevens in the soundtrack; the influence of Marcel Pagnol’s Merlusse, Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternberg’s The Blue Angel, Robert Donat in Sam Wood’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and...
- 1/1/2024
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
For the entirety of my twenties and a chunk of my thirties, I knew the inebriated pleasure of debating the most trivial subjects known to humankind via what we used to call the "bar argument." Oh sure, people still knock back beers and fiercely debate the Hegelian messaging of the "Airport" franchise, but there was a time, a glorious time, when an elbow-tipping blowhard could loudly assert as fact that "The White Shadow" was an "All in the Family" spinoff, and no one could pull a rectangular device out of their pocket to authoritatively prove they're utterly full of horse pucky. Short of pulling Norman Jewison out from behind the jukebox for a McLuhan-esque correction, this dolt could double and triple down, and all you could do was yell at them. We've lost so much.
The best bar arguments tended to revolve around song lyrics, but movie quotes ran a very close second.
The best bar arguments tended to revolve around song lyrics, but movie quotes ran a very close second.
- 12/24/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Like most movies, The Invisible Man travelled a long and winding road to the silver screen, and perhaps longer and more winding than most. As biographer James Curtis put it in his book James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters, “The gestation of The Invisible Man was the lengthiest and most convoluted of all of James Whale’s films. It involved four directors, nine writers, six treatments, and ten separate screenplays—all for a film that emerged very much in harmony with the book on which it was based.” It was first suggested as a possible follow-up to Dracula (1931), perhaps as a vehicle for new star Bela Lugosi, but was dropped in favor of Frankenstein (1931) due to the complicated special effects it would require. After Frankenstein was an even bigger success, both director James Whale and star Boris Karloff were immediately attached to The Invisible Man and several...
- 12/21/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Catering directly to my interests, the Criterion Channel’s January lineup boasts two of my favorite things: James Gray and cats. In the former case it’s his first five features (itself a terrible reminder he only released five movies in 20 years); the latter shows felines the respect they deserve, from Kuroneko to The Long Goodbye, Tourneur’s Cat People and Mick Garris’ Sleepwalkers. Meanwhile, Ava Gardner, Bertrand Tavernier, Isabel Sandoval, Ken Russell, Juleen Compton, George Harrison’s HandMade Films, and the Sundance Film Festival get retrospectives.
Restorations of Soviet sci-fi trip Ikarie Xb 1, The Unknown, and The Music of Regret stream, as does the recent Plan 75. January’s Criterion Editions are Inside Llewyn Davis, Farewell Amor, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and (most intriguingly) the long-out-of-print The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blu-rays of which go for hundreds of dollars.
See the lineup below and learn more here.
Back By Popular Demand
The Graduate,...
Restorations of Soviet sci-fi trip Ikarie Xb 1, The Unknown, and The Music of Regret stream, as does the recent Plan 75. January’s Criterion Editions are Inside Llewyn Davis, Farewell Amor, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and (most intriguingly) the long-out-of-print The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blu-rays of which go for hundreds of dollars.
See the lineup below and learn more here.
Back By Popular Demand
The Graduate,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
As December begins, you might be looking forward to spending time with friends and family over the holidays—and in need of some gift-giving inspiration. Look no further than Notebook's Cinephile Gift Guide, the proverbial online Shop Around the Corner (1940).Below is our third annual, lovingly curated guide to the holiday season. It's sure to spread film-themed cheer, and we hope it's thorough enough to surprise all of the film fans in your life.Jump to a category:Books about cinemaBooks by filmmakers and artistsHome videoMusicHome goods, posters, and gamesApparel Books About CINEMAFirst up is UK culture and music critic Ian Penman’s kaleidoscopic, genre-bending offering to Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Fassbinder Thousands of Mirrors. The book has drawn comparisons to Charles Baudelaire and Roland Barthes, but is undoubtedly a sui generis response to a singular legacy.On offer this year from Another Gaze Editions is My Cinema by Marguerite Duras, a...
- 12/12/2023
- MUBI
Since 2012, revered filmmaker Martin Scorsese has belonged to a select group of three-time Best Director Golden Globe winners that grew to include six members when Steven Spielberg took last year’s prize for “The Fabelmans.” Over a decade later, the ever-active octogenarian has a strong chance at rising above his fellow triple champs by achieving another directing victory for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” thus following Elia Kazan as the second quadruple honoree in this category’s 81-year history. Since this would be his 10th time competing here, he would also join Spielberg in the rare distinction of having double-digit directing mentions.
Scorsese earned his first Golden Globe Award in 2003 for “Gangs of New York” (on his sixth bid) and was then further lauded for “The Departed” (2007) and “Hugo” (2012). His remaining half dozen directing notices came for his work on “Raging Bull” (1981), “Goodfellas” (1991), “The Age of Innocence” (1994), “Casino” (1996), “The Aviator...
Scorsese earned his first Golden Globe Award in 2003 for “Gangs of New York” (on his sixth bid) and was then further lauded for “The Departed” (2007) and “Hugo” (2012). His remaining half dozen directing notices came for his work on “Raging Bull” (1981), “Goodfellas” (1991), “The Age of Innocence” (1994), “Casino” (1996), “The Aviator...
- 12/7/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Tom Blyth is set to follow in the footsteps of Gary Cooper, Rock Hudson and George Hamilton to star in Michael Winterbottom’s new adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel A Farewell to Arms.
Fremantle, Winterbottom’s production company Revolution Films and Passenger are joining forces on the production.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Billy the Kid star Blyth will play volunteer ambulance driver Frederic Henry, who is wounded and falls in love with his nurse in Italy during World War One.
Published in 1929, A Farewell To Arms is inspired by Hemingway’s own experiences as a volunteer ambulance driver with the Italian Army on the Isonzo Front.
Considered one of the greatest war novels of the twentieth century, it established Hemingway as a household name.
The novel has previously been...
Fremantle, Winterbottom’s production company Revolution Films and Passenger are joining forces on the production.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Billy the Kid star Blyth will play volunteer ambulance driver Frederic Henry, who is wounded and falls in love with his nurse in Italy during World War One.
Published in 1929, A Farewell To Arms is inspired by Hemingway’s own experiences as a volunteer ambulance driver with the Italian Army on the Isonzo Front.
Considered one of the greatest war novels of the twentieth century, it established Hemingway as a household name.
The novel has previously been...
- 12/7/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Clockwise from left: The Godfather Part II, Bonnie And Clyde, Goodfellas, The Departed (all images courtesy Warner Bros.)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Gangster movies are loaded with inherently alluring qualities: the vicarious thrill of watching an antihero buck the establishment and take what they want with impunity; the glamorous trappings...
Gangster movies are loaded with inherently alluring qualities: the vicarious thrill of watching an antihero buck the establishment and take what they want with impunity; the glamorous trappings...
- 12/6/2023
- by Scott Huver
- avclub.com
Martin Scorsese is famous for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, and the first feature-length film with all three, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” has become a critical and commercial success. It’s not unusual for a director to find a “favorite” actor and form a successful relationship. In fact, this practice goes back to the beginning of the industry.
In 1912, pioneering filmmaker D.W. Griffith cast 18-year-old Lillian Gish in his short film “An Unseen Enemy,” and the two worked on more than 40 short and feature-length productions over the next decade. One of the most famous scenes from the silent era is in their film “Way Down East,” in which Gish floats unconscious on an ice floe; she had lifelong nerve damage in several fingers as a result of her performance in that scene.
SEEMartin Scorsese movies: All 26 films ranked worst to best
During the Golden Age of Hollywood,...
In 1912, pioneering filmmaker D.W. Griffith cast 18-year-old Lillian Gish in his short film “An Unseen Enemy,” and the two worked on more than 40 short and feature-length productions over the next decade. One of the most famous scenes from the silent era is in their film “Way Down East,” in which Gish floats unconscious on an ice floe; she had lifelong nerve damage in several fingers as a result of her performance in that scene.
SEEMartin Scorsese movies: All 26 films ranked worst to best
During the Golden Age of Hollywood,...
- 11/18/2023
- by Susan Pennington and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Martin Scorsese is famous for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, and the first feature-length film with all three, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” has become a critical and commercial success. It’s not unusual for a director to find a “favorite” actor and form a successful relationship. In fact, this practice goes back to the beginning of the industry.
In 1912, pioneering filmmaker D.W. Griffith cast 18-year-old Lillian Gish in his short film “An Unseen Enemy,” and the two worked on more than 40 short and feature-length productions over the next decade. One of the most famous scenes from the silent era is in their film “Way Down East,” in which Gish floats unconscious on an ice floe; she had lifelong nerve damage in several fingers as a result of her performance in that scene.
During the Golden Age of Hollywood, there were quite a few famous collaborations,...
In 1912, pioneering filmmaker D.W. Griffith cast 18-year-old Lillian Gish in his short film “An Unseen Enemy,” and the two worked on more than 40 short and feature-length productions over the next decade. One of the most famous scenes from the silent era is in their film “Way Down East,” in which Gish floats unconscious on an ice floe; she had lifelong nerve damage in several fingers as a result of her performance in that scene.
During the Golden Age of Hollywood, there were quite a few famous collaborations,...
- 11/18/2023
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
Michel Ciment, the esteemed French film critic, historian, author, radio producer and editor of the influential film magazine Positif, has died. He was 85.
His death was reported Monday by the French radio channel France Inter, the home of his culture program Le Masque et la Plume since 1970.
Ciment was “perhaps the freest and most encyclopedic mind that film criticism has ever produced,” Le Masque et la Plume producer Jérome Garcin in a statement. He made what would be his last appearance on the show in September.
The Paris native also produced Projection privée on France Culture radio from 1990-2016. He was “an immense critic and historian who devoted his entire life to passing on, in words and in writing, his erudition and his passion for the seventh art,” a statement from the channel said.
Ciment joined Positif after sending in a story about the Orson Welles film The Trial in 1963 and would become its editor,...
His death was reported Monday by the French radio channel France Inter, the home of his culture program Le Masque et la Plume since 1970.
Ciment was “perhaps the freest and most encyclopedic mind that film criticism has ever produced,” Le Masque et la Plume producer Jérome Garcin in a statement. He made what would be his last appearance on the show in September.
The Paris native also produced Projection privée on France Culture radio from 1990-2016. He was “an immense critic and historian who devoted his entire life to passing on, in words and in writing, his erudition and his passion for the seventh art,” a statement from the channel said.
Ciment joined Positif after sending in a story about the Orson Welles film The Trial in 1963 and would become its editor,...
- 11/14/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
French critic, historian and author was loyal contributor to Screen’s Cannes jury grid.
Iconic French film critic and historian Michel Ciment has died, his entourage confirmed on Monday evening to French radio station France Inter, home to his world-renowned radio show Le Masque et la Plume since 1970. He was 85.
Born in 1938 in Paris, Ciment devoted his life to cinema and became a pillar of French film criticism and history for more than half a century.
He served as a juror at major festivals including Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Locarno and received numerous French civic honours including the Legion of Honour,...
Iconic French film critic and historian Michel Ciment has died, his entourage confirmed on Monday evening to French radio station France Inter, home to his world-renowned radio show Le Masque et la Plume since 1970. He was 85.
Born in 1938 in Paris, Ciment devoted his life to cinema and became a pillar of French film criticism and history for more than half a century.
He served as a juror at major festivals including Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Locarno and received numerous French civic honours including the Legion of Honour,...
- 11/13/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
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