Bring up Golden Age Hollywood filmmaker Busby Berkeley, and most people conjure his staging of elaborate, kaleidoscopic dance numbers in such films as “Dames” and “Footlight Parade,” Ginger Rogers singing “We’re in the Money” at the height of the Depression in “Gold Diggers of 1933,” or his sinuous camera weaving through dancer’s legs in such hits as Oscar-nominated “42nd Street” (1933).
A three-time Oscar nominee (for Best Dance Direction), Berkeley’s musicals were credited with saving Warner Bros. from financial collapse before he became a key player in Arthur Freed’s unit at MGM, where he propelled the careers of numerous stars, including Rogers, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Gene Kelly. Behind the scenes, Berkeley’s life was darker and often tragic — beset by scandal and numerous brushes with the law.
Arguably, Berkeley’s Hollywood artist’s journey is the untold story that “Babylon” wasn’t — and it coincides...
A three-time Oscar nominee (for Best Dance Direction), Berkeley’s musicals were credited with saving Warner Bros. from financial collapse before he became a key player in Arthur Freed’s unit at MGM, where he propelled the careers of numerous stars, including Rogers, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Gene Kelly. Behind the scenes, Berkeley’s life was darker and often tragic — beset by scandal and numerous brushes with the law.
Arguably, Berkeley’s Hollywood artist’s journey is the untold story that “Babylon” wasn’t — and it coincides...
- 3/17/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Juliette Binoche will receive Donostia at this year's San Sebastian Film Festival Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival French star Juliette Binoche will receive a Donostia Award at this year's San Sebastian Film Festival in recognition of her onscreen career.
This year's festival will run from September 16 to 24 and the awards ceremony will be accompanied by a screening of Claire Denis' Berlin Silver Bear winner Both Sides Of The Blade.
The star, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The English Patient, also appears on one of the posters of the festival.
Binoche, who made her screen debut in Pascal Kané's Liberty Belle in 1983, has enjoyed both French and English language film success, with directors including Jean-Luc Godard, Leos Carax and Krzysztof Kieslowski.
The star has visited the festival before, including in 2018, with Claire Denis' High Life and Naomie Kawase's Vision and 2019 with Hirokazu Kore-eda's The Truth.
This year's festival will run from September 16 to 24 and the awards ceremony will be accompanied by a screening of Claire Denis' Berlin Silver Bear winner Both Sides Of The Blade.
The star, who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in The English Patient, also appears on one of the posters of the festival.
Binoche, who made her screen debut in Pascal Kané's Liberty Belle in 1983, has enjoyed both French and English language film success, with directors including Jean-Luc Godard, Leos Carax and Krzysztof Kieslowski.
The star has visited the festival before, including in 2018, with Claire Denis' High Life and Naomie Kawase's Vision and 2019 with Hirokazu Kore-eda's The Truth.
- 5/14/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The face of an upscale U.S. independent cinema which climaxed with “The English Patient” and a go-to actress for many of the world’s greatest directors from Krzysztof Kieślowski to Claire Denis, France’s Juliette Binoche will receive one of this year’s San Sebastian Donostia Awards, the Spanish festival’s prestigious plaudit for career achievement.
The Award will be presented to Binoche before a screening of Denis’ “Both Sides of the Blade,” a Silver Bear winner for best director at February’s Berlin Festival.
An actor with a prolific career reaching back to her first breakout in Philip Kaufman’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” – one of her many movies which have been literary adaptations – Binoche will also feature on the poster of this year’s 70th San Sebastian Film Festival, snapped by French photographer Brigitte Lacombe.
Binoche’s presence gives a first French touch to San Sebastián,...
The Award will be presented to Binoche before a screening of Denis’ “Both Sides of the Blade,” a Silver Bear winner for best director at February’s Berlin Festival.
An actor with a prolific career reaching back to her first breakout in Philip Kaufman’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” – one of her many movies which have been literary adaptations – Binoche will also feature on the poster of this year’s 70th San Sebastian Film Festival, snapped by French photographer Brigitte Lacombe.
Binoche’s presence gives a first French touch to San Sebastián,...
- 5/13/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
An artist doesn’t always know they’ve created the “greatest ever” of something.
Gene Kelly certainly didn’t. And yet many cinephiles would say “Singin’ in the Rain” is the greatest-ever movie musical. Those who are on the fence about it now have another chance to assess: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment just released a 4K ultra-hd Blu-ray restoration of the movie, which Kelly co-directed with Stanley Donen, for its 70th anniversary.
In a new interview with IndieWire, Kelly’s widow and biographer, Patricia Ward Kelly, talked about the idea of cinematic greatness and what exactly it means — including for when we talk about new movie musicals being made today. Are today’s musicals pushing the medium forward the way “Singin’” did? Are they expressing as personal of a vision? Are they trying to do something new?
Though not naming names about specific recent musicals, Kelly thinks her husband would...
Gene Kelly certainly didn’t. And yet many cinephiles would say “Singin’ in the Rain” is the greatest-ever movie musical. Those who are on the fence about it now have another chance to assess: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment just released a 4K ultra-hd Blu-ray restoration of the movie, which Kelly co-directed with Stanley Donen, for its 70th anniversary.
In a new interview with IndieWire, Kelly’s widow and biographer, Patricia Ward Kelly, talked about the idea of cinematic greatness and what exactly it means — including for when we talk about new movie musicals being made today. Are today’s musicals pushing the medium forward the way “Singin’” did? Are they expressing as personal of a vision? Are they trying to do something new?
Though not naming names about specific recent musicals, Kelly thinks her husband would...
- 4/22/2022
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) has signed on for a role in the drama Downtown Owl, from Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Films, Deadline can confirmed. He’s set to star alongside previously announced cast members including Ed Harris, Vanessa Hudgens, Finn Wittrock, Jack Dylan Grazer, August Blanco Rosenstein and Lily Rabe.
The feature directorial debut of Rabe and Hamish Linklater is based on Chuck Klosterman’s New York Times bestselling novel of the same name. It’s set somewhere in rural North Dakota in 1983, in the fictional town called Owl. There, you won’t find cable or pop culture, but you will find a downtown with a first-rate Chevrolet dealership, three bars and a new high school English teacher whose presence upends the lives of locals, just in time for a white-out blizzard for the ages.
Linklater wrote the script for the project, which was part of the Sundance Institute Creative Producing Summit and Talent Forum.
The feature directorial debut of Rabe and Hamish Linklater is based on Chuck Klosterman’s New York Times bestselling novel of the same name. It’s set somewhere in rural North Dakota in 1983, in the fictional town called Owl. There, you won’t find cable or pop culture, but you will find a downtown with a first-rate Chevrolet dealership, three bars and a new high school English teacher whose presence upends the lives of locals, just in time for a white-out blizzard for the ages.
Linklater wrote the script for the project, which was part of the Sundance Institute Creative Producing Summit and Talent Forum.
- 4/14/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Busby Berkeley’s musical comedy extravaganza not only gets away with a social message, it makes one of the best cultural statements ever about the Great Depression. Social upheaval suddenly being a real thing these days, we understand. The story is a romantic backstage musical but The Wolf at the Door is present in the dialogue, the lyrics, everywhere. This might be the sexiest of Berkeley’s musicals, with even star Joan Blondell teasing the nudity; but audiences were floored when the gala curtain number ‘Remember My Forgotten Man’ shouted out a cry for social justice. Warren William, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell & Guy Kibbee star; and this is Ned Sparks’ best role, with additional gold-digging by pert ‘n’ perky Ginger Rogers.
Gold Diggers of 1933
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1933 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 96 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date February 8, 2022 / 21.99
Starring: Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell,...
Gold Diggers of 1933
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1933 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 96 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date February 8, 2022 / 21.99
Starring: Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell,...
- 2/8/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Every time you say ‘Cheap and Vulgar’ I’m going to kiss you.”
Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler in Gold Diggers Of 1933 (1933) will be available on Blu-ray February 8th from Warner Archive. It can be purchased at the Warner Archive Amazon Store Here
A Broadway producer has the talent, the tunes, the theater, and everything else he needs to put on a show – except the dough. Not to worry, say Ginger Rogers and the other leggy chorines decked out in giant coins. Everyone will soon be singing “We’re in the Money.” Soon after 42nd Street, the brothers Warner again kicked the Depression blues out the stage door and into a back alley. Mervyn Le Roy directs the snappy non-musical portions involving three wonderfully silly love matches (including Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler). And Busby Berkeley brings his peerless magic to the production numbers, his camera swooping and gliding...
Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler in Gold Diggers Of 1933 (1933) will be available on Blu-ray February 8th from Warner Archive. It can be purchased at the Warner Archive Amazon Store Here
A Broadway producer has the talent, the tunes, the theater, and everything else he needs to put on a show – except the dough. Not to worry, say Ginger Rogers and the other leggy chorines decked out in giant coins. Everyone will soon be singing “We’re in the Money.” Soon after 42nd Street, the brothers Warner again kicked the Depression blues out the stage door and into a back alley. Mervyn Le Roy directs the snappy non-musical portions involving three wonderfully silly love matches (including Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler). And Busby Berkeley brings his peerless magic to the production numbers, his camera swooping and gliding...
- 1/26/2022
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Apple TV Plus has ordered its first Russian-language original series, “Container,” Variety can exclusively reveal.
The series, which comes via a co-production deal with subscription-based streaming service Start, is a thriller starring “The Bourne Supremacy’s” Oksana Akinshina alongside Russian screen stars Filipp Yankovskiy (“The Three Musketeers”), Marusya Fomina (“Gold Diggers”) and Artem Bystrov (“Earthquake”).
Described as “bold” and “unflinching,” the series sees Akinshina play Sasha, a surrogate mother hiding a dangerous secret who reluctantly finds herself ensconced in the luxurious home of the rich family whose baby she is gestating. As Sasha navigates the privilege and politics of the super-rich, both her secrets and theirs threaten to collide.
The series was directed by Maksim Sveshnikov (“257 Reasons to Live”) from a screenplay written by Alexey Lyapichev (“257 Reasons to Live”). It is produced by Eduard Iloyan, Vitaly Shlyappo, Alexey Trotsyuk, Denis Zhalinsky and Mikhail Tkachenko.
“Container” premiered in Russia and Cis...
The series, which comes via a co-production deal with subscription-based streaming service Start, is a thriller starring “The Bourne Supremacy’s” Oksana Akinshina alongside Russian screen stars Filipp Yankovskiy (“The Three Musketeers”), Marusya Fomina (“Gold Diggers”) and Artem Bystrov (“Earthquake”).
Described as “bold” and “unflinching,” the series sees Akinshina play Sasha, a surrogate mother hiding a dangerous secret who reluctantly finds herself ensconced in the luxurious home of the rich family whose baby she is gestating. As Sasha navigates the privilege and politics of the super-rich, both her secrets and theirs threaten to collide.
The series was directed by Maksim Sveshnikov (“257 Reasons to Live”) from a screenplay written by Alexey Lyapichev (“257 Reasons to Live”). It is produced by Eduard Iloyan, Vitaly Shlyappo, Alexey Trotsyuk, Denis Zhalinsky and Mikhail Tkachenko.
“Container” premiered in Russia and Cis...
- 12/13/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Six time Emmy-nominated actress Anna Chlumsky has been cast in John Logan’s untitled Blumhouse movie which is set at a gay conversion camp.
She joins Logan’s feature directorial, which is billed as a Lgbtqia+ empowerment feature alongside already announced Kevin Bacon, Carrie Preston and Theo Germain.
Jason Blum and Michael Aguilar are producing. Bacon and Scott Turner Schofield are serving as EPs.
Chlumsky first blasted off opposite John Candy in Uncle Buck and Macaulay Culkin in My Girl back in the early ’90s. She played White House aide Amy Brookheimer on HBO’s comedy series Veep scoring six comedy series supporting actress Primetime Emmy nominations as well a nom for a Critics Choice Award. She won a SAG Award with the cast in the category of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Chlumsky was also lauded with the Gracie Allen Award in 2015 for Outstanding...
She joins Logan’s feature directorial, which is billed as a Lgbtqia+ empowerment feature alongside already announced Kevin Bacon, Carrie Preston and Theo Germain.
Jason Blum and Michael Aguilar are producing. Bacon and Scott Turner Schofield are serving as EPs.
Chlumsky first blasted off opposite John Candy in Uncle Buck and Macaulay Culkin in My Girl back in the early ’90s. She played White House aide Amy Brookheimer on HBO’s comedy series Veep scoring six comedy series supporting actress Primetime Emmy nominations as well a nom for a Critics Choice Award. She won a SAG Award with the cast in the category of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Chlumsky was also lauded with the Gracie Allen Award in 2015 for Outstanding...
- 9/30/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Six-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee Anna Chlumsky has signed with ICM Partners.
The Chicago native actress who blasted onto the scene at the age of 11 opposite Macaulay Culkin in the 1991 family dramedy My Girl not only reaped Emmy lauds from her turn as Amy Brookheimer in the HBO multi-award winning series Veep, but she also shared in a 2018 SAG Comedy Series ensemble win for the show.
In 2019, Chlumsky was nominated for her sixth consecutive Emmy in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Veep. She was also nominated for a Critics Choice Award. Chlumsky has also won the Gracie Allen Award in 2015 for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy or Musical for her work in the series.
Chlumsky is currently in production in the highly anticipated Shondaland/Netflix limited series Inventing Anna. The series is based on the New York magazine...
The Chicago native actress who blasted onto the scene at the age of 11 opposite Macaulay Culkin in the 1991 family dramedy My Girl not only reaped Emmy lauds from her turn as Amy Brookheimer in the HBO multi-award winning series Veep, but she also shared in a 2018 SAG Comedy Series ensemble win for the show.
In 2019, Chlumsky was nominated for her sixth consecutive Emmy in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Veep. She was also nominated for a Critics Choice Award. Chlumsky has also won the Gracie Allen Award in 2015 for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy or Musical for her work in the series.
Chlumsky is currently in production in the highly anticipated Shondaland/Netflix limited series Inventing Anna. The series is based on the New York magazine...
- 6/2/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Mindy Kaling is known for her effervescent, sometimes airy, characters, like Kelly Kapoor on “The Office” or Mindy Lahiri on “The Mindy Project.” But don’t get them confused with Mindy Kaling, the rising entertainment mogul and founder of Kaling International, the production company with three shows in motion and an appetite for more.
For Variety’s Power of Women issue, Kaling talked in-depth about her intense daily schedule (literally half a dozen television and film projects), the evolution of her style as a boss and exec producer, the importance of sharing her hard-earning wisdom with the next generation of women of color looking to break into the business, and the best things she’s watched during the pandemic.
You’ve been, unsurprisingly, very busy. You’re producing Season 2 of “Never Have I Ever.” You’ve got “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” you’re adapting “Gold Diggers” for TV,...
For Variety’s Power of Women issue, Kaling talked in-depth about her intense daily schedule (literally half a dozen television and film projects), the evolution of her style as a boss and exec producer, the importance of sharing her hard-earning wisdom with the next generation of women of color looking to break into the business, and the best things she’s watched during the pandemic.
You’ve been, unsurprisingly, very busy. You’re producing Season 2 of “Never Have I Ever.” You’ve got “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” you’re adapting “Gold Diggers” for TV,...
- 5/7/2021
- by Elaine Low
- Variety Film + TV
A column of random thoughts:
Whatever you think about the year’s movies, you have to admit the titles were confusing. For example, we had “Pieces of a Woman,” “Promising Young Woman,” “I’m Your Woman,” “I Am Woman” and “Wonder Woman 1984.”
That last title could also confuse future film historians. In the old days, when studios included the year in a title, it was straightforward, like “Golddiggers of 1933” (which came out in 1933). That was also true of other films such as “Broadway Melody of 1936,” “Big Broadcast of 1936” and “Hit Parade of 1941.”
However, in the 21st century we’ve had “Blade Runner 2049” (2017), Wong Kar Wai’s “2046” (2004) and Sam Mendes’ “1917” (2019). With so many new titles each year and so many platforms, you’d think the studios would want to clarify things for us, not the reverse.
Speaking of future historians, it will be interesting to see...
Whatever you think about the year’s movies, you have to admit the titles were confusing. For example, we had “Pieces of a Woman,” “Promising Young Woman,” “I’m Your Woman,” “I Am Woman” and “Wonder Woman 1984.”
That last title could also confuse future film historians. In the old days, when studios included the year in a title, it was straightforward, like “Golddiggers of 1933” (which came out in 1933). That was also true of other films such as “Broadway Melody of 1936,” “Big Broadcast of 1936” and “Hit Parade of 1941.”
However, in the 21st century we’ve had “Blade Runner 2049” (2017), Wong Kar Wai’s “2046” (2004) and Sam Mendes’ “1917” (2019). With so many new titles each year and so many platforms, you’d think the studios would want to clarify things for us, not the reverse.
Speaking of future historians, it will be interesting to see...
- 4/22/2021
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Sanjena Sathian’s novel Gold Diggers is being adapted for television by Mindy Kaling’s Kaling International. Sathian will co-write the adaptation, with Kaling set to executive produce.
Spanning two continents, two coasts and four epochs, Gold Diggers is a social satire and tale of magical realism. It follows Neil Narayan, a floundering second-generation teenager growing up in the Bush-era Atlanta suburbs who is authentic, funny and smart. He just doesn’t share the same drive as everyone around him. His perfect older sister is headed to Duke. His parents’ expectations for him are just as high. He tries to want this version of success, but mostly, Neil just wants his neighbor across the cul-de-sac, Anita Dayal.
But Anita has a secret: she and her mother Anjali have been brewing an ancient alchemical potion from stolen gold that harnesses the ambition of the jewelry’s original owner. Anjali’s...
Spanning two continents, two coasts and four epochs, Gold Diggers is a social satire and tale of magical realism. It follows Neil Narayan, a floundering second-generation teenager growing up in the Bush-era Atlanta suburbs who is authentic, funny and smart. He just doesn’t share the same drive as everyone around him. His perfect older sister is headed to Duke. His parents’ expectations for him are just as high. He tries to want this version of success, but mostly, Neil just wants his neighbor across the cul-de-sac, Anita Dayal.
But Anita has a secret: she and her mother Anjali have been brewing an ancient alchemical potion from stolen gold that harnesses the ambition of the jewelry’s original owner. Anjali’s...
- 2/17/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s Global Bulletin, the National Theatre shares details on its upcoming “Romeo and Juliet” feature adaptation, HBO Europe and ITV commission documentaries on Covid-19 and the Irish mother and baby home scandal respectively, Tim picks up Discovery Plus in Italy, Oble acquires Start series “Gold Diggers” and “A Good Man” to sell globally and Channel 4 announces three new digital series for its E4 platform.
Theater
One day after announcing new deputy director Clint Dyer, the National Theatre has dropped a first-look image of its upcoming production of “Romeo and Juliet,” produced as a feature film to be broadcast on Sky Arts and PBS this April.
Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley will play the young star-crossed lovers, as seen in the image of the couple as they meet on Juliet’s balcony in front of a full moon.
Further casting has been announced as well, with Olivier Award...
Theater
One day after announcing new deputy director Clint Dyer, the National Theatre has dropped a first-look image of its upcoming production of “Romeo and Juliet,” produced as a feature film to be broadcast on Sky Arts and PBS this April.
Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley will play the young star-crossed lovers, as seen in the image of the couple as they meet on Juliet’s balcony in front of a full moon.
Further casting has been announced as well, with Olivier Award...
- 1/27/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
For an industry that relies on theatrical releases for up to 80% of its revenue, it was perhaps inevitable that 2020 would be a challenging year for the Russian film biz, as the coronavirus pandemic shuttered cinemas throughout the spring and summer, and theaters subsequently reopened at reduced capacity.
But Evgenia Markova, head of the state film promotion body Roskino, sees a silver lining in the industry’s resilience in the face of such an existential threat. “The Russian industry has learned to adapt to all the new circumstances,” she says. “It became more flexible, and more responsive to the needs of the global market.”
Since the end of this summer’s lockdown, Russian production has continued apace, with local streaming services stepping in to fill the theatrical void. “The good thing is that the platforms are growing, and they’re also becoming more active in terms of buying films as well,...
But Evgenia Markova, head of the state film promotion body Roskino, sees a silver lining in the industry’s resilience in the face of such an existential threat. “The Russian industry has learned to adapt to all the new circumstances,” she says. “It became more flexible, and more responsive to the needs of the global market.”
Since the end of this summer’s lockdown, Russian production has continued apace, with local streaming services stepping in to fill the theatrical void. “The good thing is that the platforms are growing, and they’re also becoming more active in terms of buying films as well,...
- 10/28/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Notebook Primer introduces readers to some of the most important figures, films, genres, and movements in film history.Above: 42nd StreetWhile other genres undoubtedly advanced with the dawning of sound technology, the musical is likely the most indebted to the reverberations of this complementary process. More than that, though, the movie musical was fundamentally born with the surge of sound—it simply could not have existed otherwise. And since that time, the musical has indeed been a uniquely cinematic venture, less beholden to conventional narratives and often disposed to experimentations in color, location, camera mobility, production design, and special effects. Especially in its heyday, the so-called “Golden Age” lasting between the mid-1930s and late-‘50s, Hollywood musicals were an enrapturing experience, delighting audiences with spectacle, romance, athleticism, fine performances, and, of course, song and dance. Some of America’s brightest stars sparkled in the musical, while many of...
- 10/7/2020
- MUBI
The Criterion Channel’s September 2020 Lineup Includes Sátántangó, Agnès Varda, Albert Brooks & More
As the coronavirus pandemic still rages on, precious few remain skeptical about going to the movies. But while your AMCs and others claim some godlike safety from Covid, there remains a chunk of people still uncomfortable hitting up theaters. To them, we bring you the September 2020 Criterion Channel lineup.
It starts off with quite the swath of content too. Béla Tarr’s Sátántangó hits the service on September 1, and its seven-plus hours should take up a large chunk of your day. Coming soon after is a collection of more than a dozen Joan Blondell starrers from the pre-Code era, including Howard Hawks’ The Crowd Roars, three collaborations with Mervyn LeRoy, and Ray Enright & Busby Berkeley’s Dames.
For some stuff released almost a century later, the service also sees the addition of documentary bender Robert Greene. His Actress, Kate Plays Christine, and Bisbee ’17 join soon after. Janicza Bravo, director of Lemon,...
It starts off with quite the swath of content too. Béla Tarr’s Sátántangó hits the service on September 1, and its seven-plus hours should take up a large chunk of your day. Coming soon after is a collection of more than a dozen Joan Blondell starrers from the pre-Code era, including Howard Hawks’ The Crowd Roars, three collaborations with Mervyn LeRoy, and Ray Enright & Busby Berkeley’s Dames.
For some stuff released almost a century later, the service also sees the addition of documentary bender Robert Greene. His Actress, Kate Plays Christine, and Bisbee ’17 join soon after. Janicza Bravo, director of Lemon,...
- 8/25/2020
- by Matt Cipolla
- The Film Stage
Above: Picture Snatcher (1933)During the Depression, MGM's studio engorged our starving millions with yachts, bassoons, and polar bears. Grand Hotel, Lovers Courageous, The Washington Masquerade, and Dinner at Eight represent Metro frivolity shouting itself from the rooftops. But these were accompanied by other, somewhat more cagey films whose essential message was, "Hey, the rich have problems too!" Take Bonnie Jordan (Joan Crawford) in Dance, Fools, Dance, personifying plutocracy on the skids: a suddenly ex-debutante forced by circumstance to actually earn her living, armed with moxie and—heaven forfend, Ladies and Gentlemen!—a job. Crawford's wish-list physiognomy, seemingly carved from bone in imitation of some marble original, makes us forget that jobs are themselves an American fantasy, post-Crash. Into the oblivion of "Ars Gratia Artis" fly bothersome words: "paycheck," "meal," "ob-jay." Pulling our minds in the opposite direction was that furiously propulsive beast of a studio Warner Bros., forever relieving itself...
- 8/18/2020
- MUBI
Boutique international streamer Walter Presents has inked a two-year deal with Russian premium SVOD service Start, and will be available in the territory from early July.
Walter Presents, which specializes in non-English language programming, will launch on the service with a 100-hour collection encompassing 11 first-run series. This will grow to 400 hours. Shows available to Russian viewers include Belgian comedy crime drama “Professor T,” International Emmy-nominated Chilean HBO thriller series “Fugitives,” French psychological thrillers “Kepler(s)” and “Stalk,” Swedish thriller “Box 21,” Norwegian drama “Young and Promising,” Dutch crime drama “The Blood Pact” and gritty Belgian thriller “Code 37: Sex Crimes.”
Start is a part of Russian independent studio the Yellow, Black and White Group that also produces its own dramas via Start Studios. Walter Presents recently licensed one of Start Studio’s biggest hit series, “Gold Diggers” (aka “Russian Affairs”) for the U.K.
“I am hugely excited to be launching in Russia,...
Walter Presents, which specializes in non-English language programming, will launch on the service with a 100-hour collection encompassing 11 first-run series. This will grow to 400 hours. Shows available to Russian viewers include Belgian comedy crime drama “Professor T,” International Emmy-nominated Chilean HBO thriller series “Fugitives,” French psychological thrillers “Kepler(s)” and “Stalk,” Swedish thriller “Box 21,” Norwegian drama “Young and Promising,” Dutch crime drama “The Blood Pact” and gritty Belgian thriller “Code 37: Sex Crimes.”
Start is a part of Russian independent studio the Yellow, Black and White Group that also produces its own dramas via Start Studios. Walter Presents recently licensed one of Start Studio’s biggest hit series, “Gold Diggers” (aka “Russian Affairs”) for the U.K.
“I am hugely excited to be launching in Russia,...
- 7/2/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Walter Presents, the expanding streaming service for non-English-language drama, has acquired U.K. rights to “Russian Affairs,” a glossy drama about power, money, and sex in present-day Russia that is currently the number one TV show in its home country where the local title translates as “Gold Diggers.”
The ensemble series, which is sold by Russia’s Yellow, Black & White Studios, was picked up earlier this year under the title “Russian Affairs” by Amazon Prime Video as an exclusive for Germany, France and the Netherlands.
The deal with Walter Presents, which is a unit of the U.K.’s Channel 4, was announced during the Roskino Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition market. It will mark the show’s debut on the Anglo-Saxon market. Walter Presents will rebrand it as “Gold Diggers.”
Produced by Russia’s Start Studios, the “Dynasty”-like drama set amid Russia’s elite has consistently scored stellar...
The ensemble series, which is sold by Russia’s Yellow, Black & White Studios, was picked up earlier this year under the title “Russian Affairs” by Amazon Prime Video as an exclusive for Germany, France and the Netherlands.
The deal with Walter Presents, which is a unit of the U.K.’s Channel 4, was announced during the Roskino Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition market. It will mark the show’s debut on the Anglo-Saxon market. Walter Presents will rebrand it as “Gold Diggers.”
Produced by Russia’s Start Studios, the “Dynasty”-like drama set amid Russia’s elite has consistently scored stellar...
- 6/9/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Every filmmaker hopes to make a good movie, but sometimes the impact is bigger than expected.
Neon’s “Parasite” is one example of a 2019 film hitting a nerve. Writer-director Bong Joon Ho’s film has been praised for its originality and daring shifts in tone. It also has resonance due to its subject matter: the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
“Parasite” is only one of the year’s films that address this zeitgeist subject, also including “Hustlers,” “Joker,” “Knives Out” and the French “Les Miserables,” to name a few. It’s not a new theme: In prehistoric times, some people were no doubt troubled that other cave dwellers had more than they did.
But the subject found new expression in 19th century novels from writers including Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens. In 1902, Maxim Gorky’s play “The Lower Depths” was a sensation with its depiction of people at a homeless shelter.
Neon’s “Parasite” is one example of a 2019 film hitting a nerve. Writer-director Bong Joon Ho’s film has been praised for its originality and daring shifts in tone. It also has resonance due to its subject matter: the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
“Parasite” is only one of the year’s films that address this zeitgeist subject, also including “Hustlers,” “Joker,” “Knives Out” and the French “Les Miserables,” to name a few. It’s not a new theme: In prehistoric times, some people were no doubt troubled that other cave dwellers had more than they did.
But the subject found new expression in 19th century novels from writers including Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens. In 1902, Maxim Gorky’s play “The Lower Depths” was a sensation with its depiction of people at a homeless shelter.
- 1/22/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
“Sure he was great, but don’t forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did. . . backwards and in high heels.”
This quote from a 1982 Frank and Ernest cartoon sums up one of the greatest dance duos in film history, the debonair Fred Astaire and the tenacious Ginger Rogers. For July 16, we celebrate the spunky Ms. Rogers on what would have been her 109th birthday.
She was born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she moved to Texas with her mother. She never saw her birth father again, and when her mother remarried, she adopted her stepfather’s surname of Rogers. A young cousin had trouble saying “Virginia”, so she became “Ginger”. Her mother was a career woman, involved in show business, as a scriptwriter among other things, and was a huge influence on Rogers for all her life. She got her own...
This quote from a 1982 Frank and Ernest cartoon sums up one of the greatest dance duos in film history, the debonair Fred Astaire and the tenacious Ginger Rogers. For July 16, we celebrate the spunky Ms. Rogers on what would have been her 109th birthday.
She was born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she moved to Texas with her mother. She never saw her birth father again, and when her mother remarried, she adopted her stepfather’s surname of Rogers. A young cousin had trouble saying “Virginia”, so she became “Ginger”. Her mother was a career woman, involved in show business, as a scriptwriter among other things, and was a huge influence on Rogers for all her life. She got her own...
- 7/16/2019
- by Susan Pennington, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
“Sure he was great, but don’t forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did. . . backwards and in high heels.”
This quote from a 1982 Frank and Ernest cartoon sums up one of the greatest dance duos in film history, the debonair Fred Astaire and the tenacious Ginger Rogers. For July 16, we celebrate the spunky Ms. Rogers on what would have been her 109th birthday.
SEEFred Astaire movies: 20 greatest films ranked worst to best
She was born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she moved to Texas with her mother. She never saw her birth father again, and when her mother remarried, she adopted her stepfather’s surname of Rogers. A young cousin had trouble saying “Virginia”, so she became “Ginger”. Her mother was a career woman, involved in show business, as a scriptwriter among other things, and was a huge influence on Rogers for all her life.
This quote from a 1982 Frank and Ernest cartoon sums up one of the greatest dance duos in film history, the debonair Fred Astaire and the tenacious Ginger Rogers. For July 16, we celebrate the spunky Ms. Rogers on what would have been her 109th birthday.
SEEFred Astaire movies: 20 greatest films ranked worst to best
She was born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she moved to Texas with her mother. She never saw her birth father again, and when her mother remarried, she adopted her stepfather’s surname of Rogers. A young cousin had trouble saying “Virginia”, so she became “Ginger”. Her mother was a career woman, involved in show business, as a scriptwriter among other things, and was a huge influence on Rogers for all her life.
- 7/16/2019
- by Susan Pennington and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
• Oscilloscope Musings Interesting piece about Zach Snyder's Suckerpunch and how it reflects various old movies, especially the musical Gold Diggers of 1933
• Cartoon Brew on the making of a new animated feature Big Fish & Begonia, now in select cities
• Deadline Jumanji (2017) broke a long held record just barely toppling Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002) to become Sony's all time biggest domestic hit
lots more news and entertainment tidbits after the jump including Omar Sharif, Glenn Close, Melissa McCarthy, Anika Noni Rose and Keiynan Lonsdale...
• Cartoon Brew on the making of a new animated feature Big Fish & Begonia, now in select cities
• Deadline Jumanji (2017) broke a long held record just barely toppling Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002) to become Sony's all time biggest domestic hit
lots more news and entertainment tidbits after the jump including Omar Sharif, Glenn Close, Melissa McCarthy, Anika Noni Rose and Keiynan Lonsdale...
- 4/11/2018
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Don't remember the context of this photo of Jamie Dornan with a Spider-Man figurine but I look at it once in a while and giggle. We shouldn't speak for him but let's guess that Jamie Dornan is excited that Spider-Man Homecoming hits DVD and BluRay today. Should we take a second look at it? Would you read if we did? (It's always difficult to know whether you Tfe readers like talking about movies when they're in theaters, or wait until they're streaming or on DVD or all three...?)
New on DVD this week:
Girls Trip (Nathaniel's Review and Podcast) Lady MacBeth (Yes, we will finally screen this. So sorry for the long delay at saying anything!) Landline (Nick's Podcast Dismissal) Spider-Man Homecoming (Chris's Review and Podcast) Step (On the Doc NYC Oscar Hopeful List) Older Films Released or Reissued This Week: Captain Fury (1939), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), One Million BC...
New on DVD this week:
Girls Trip (Nathaniel's Review and Podcast) Lady MacBeth (Yes, we will finally screen this. So sorry for the long delay at saying anything!) Landline (Nick's Podcast Dismissal) Spider-Man Homecoming (Chris's Review and Podcast) Step (On the Doc NYC Oscar Hopeful List) Older Films Released or Reissued This Week: Captain Fury (1939), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), One Million BC...
- 10/17/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
By Danny Bowes
Witness the rise of a star, Joan Blondell, in a deeply fascinating era of film history.
The article ‘Gold Diggers of 1933’ And The Allure of Pre-Code Cinema appeared first on Film School Rejects.
Witness the rise of a star, Joan Blondell, in a deeply fascinating era of film history.
The article ‘Gold Diggers of 1933’ And The Allure of Pre-Code Cinema appeared first on Film School Rejects.
- 8/30/2017
- by Danny Bowes
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Updated: Following a couple of Julie London Westerns*, Turner Classic Movies will return to its July 2017 Star of the Month presentations. On July 27, Ronald Colman can be seen in five films from his later years: A Double Life, Random Harvest (1942), The Talk of the Town (1942), The Late George Apley (1947), and The Story of Mankind (1957). The first three titles are among the most important in Colman's long film career. George Cukor's A Double Life earned him his one and only Best Actor Oscar; Mervyn LeRoy's Random Harvest earned him his second Best Actor Oscar nomination; George Stevens' The Talk of the Town was shortlisted for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. All three feature Ronald Colman at his very best. The early 21st century motto of international trendsetters, from Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and Turkey's Recep Erdogan to Russia's Vladimir Putin and the United States' Donald Trump, seems to be, The world is reality TV and reality TV...
- 7/28/2017
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Some actors manage to catch lightning in a bottle twice. It’s impressive enough to find your niche in Hollywood’s A-list even once. Occasionally, an actor will reinvent him/herself and begin a new phase of their careers that will be even more successful than it was before. Here are nine actors who had a cinematic rebirth.
Liam Neeson- Neeson has had a long career, and the early part of it was in dramatic roles. An intense dramatic actor, he apeared in films like The Dead Pool, Dark Man, Schindler’s List, Rob Roy and Les Miserables. His career rebirth came after playing Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars-Episode one: The Phantom Menace. After that, he got more offers for actions parts and recreated himself as an action hero in films like Gangs of NY, Batman Begins, Taken, Clash of the Titans, the A-Team, Unknown, the Grey, Taken 2,...
Liam Neeson- Neeson has had a long career, and the early part of it was in dramatic roles. An intense dramatic actor, he apeared in films like The Dead Pool, Dark Man, Schindler’s List, Rob Roy and Les Miserables. His career rebirth came after playing Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars-Episode one: The Phantom Menace. After that, he got more offers for actions parts and recreated himself as an action hero in films like Gangs of NY, Batman Begins, Taken, Clash of the Titans, the A-Team, Unknown, the Grey, Taken 2,...
- 4/22/2017
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
The 1930s – more films about women, more films about working life. And often the two overlapped. You watch a film made today, it’s brutally clear that the people who made it rarely have to be anywhere In the ‘30s, at the height of the studio system, the entire creative force behind a picture worked 9-5 on the studio lot, just like anyone else. They had a workplace. And while many made a great deal more money than the characters they were depicting, they knew what it was to hold a job. That mindset, that constant awareness of money and office work and routine, bleeds into the pictures of the period.
Take a film like Rafter Romance, which played at TCM Classic Film Festival Friday morning. Ginger Rogers and Norman Foster star as two broke strangers living in the same apartment building (and they say people knew their neighbors back...
Take a film like Rafter Romance, which played at TCM Classic Film Festival Friday morning. Ginger Rogers and Norman Foster star as two broke strangers living in the same apartment building (and they say people knew their neighbors back...
- 4/12/2017
- by Scott Nye
- CriterionCast
Nostalgia just ain’t what it used to be.
When the poster for American Graffiti (1973) asked the question “Where were you in ’62?” it was marketing a trend, spiked by the increasing popularity of the theatrical musical Grease, for audiences of a certain age to look backward to a time when life wasn’t ostensibly so complicated, when your life was still out there waiting to be lived, to a time when America hadn’t yet “lost its innocence.” The demarcation point for that alleged loss is often assigned to the upheaval of grief and national confusion experienced in the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963, so it was no accident that the setting for American Graffiti’s night of cruising, romancing and soul-searching was placed a little over a year before that cataclysmic event. The interesting thing about Graffiti was the aggressiveness with which that...
When the poster for American Graffiti (1973) asked the question “Where were you in ’62?” it was marketing a trend, spiked by the increasing popularity of the theatrical musical Grease, for audiences of a certain age to look backward to a time when life wasn’t ostensibly so complicated, when your life was still out there waiting to be lived, to a time when America hadn’t yet “lost its innocence.” The demarcation point for that alleged loss is often assigned to the upheaval of grief and national confusion experienced in the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963, so it was no accident that the setting for American Graffiti’s night of cruising, romancing and soul-searching was placed a little over a year before that cataclysmic event. The interesting thing about Graffiti was the aggressiveness with which that...
- 2/13/2017
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Since any New York cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Metrograph
Ib Technicolor prints of Hatari!, Singin’ in the Rain, and Vertigo screen this Saturday.
As part of the “Metrograph A-z” series, Cat People and The Cassandra Cat play this Friday. Barry Lyndon also plays Friday, as well as Sunday — along with Scorsese‘s The Age of Innocence.
A new print of Craig’s Wife screens this Sunday.
Metrograph
Ib Technicolor prints of Hatari!, Singin’ in the Rain, and Vertigo screen this Saturday.
As part of the “Metrograph A-z” series, Cat People and The Cassandra Cat play this Friday. Barry Lyndon also plays Friday, as well as Sunday — along with Scorsese‘s The Age of Innocence.
A new print of Craig’s Wife screens this Sunday.
- 3/18/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Mathematicians, or theater producers, have determined that the ideal interval separating the emergence of an entertainment genre from its recurrence as a musical spoof is 35 years — about the time it takes for the youngsters who first made the form popular to become oldsters eager to see it sent up. Anyway, that’s the interval that worked for a spate of shows in the ’50s and ’60s that poked fun at material from three decades earlier. The Boy Friend, which introduced Julie Andrews in 1953, parodied Roaring ’20s musicals; Little Mary Sunshine, in 1959, did the same to ’20s operetta. Dames at Sea, which originated Off–Off Broadway in 1966, took a crack at ’30s Warner Bros. musicals, but was different from the others in a way we would now call camp. Instead of sticking close to the presentational style of Busby Berkeley spectaculars like Gold Diggers of 1933, it literally...
- 10/23/2015
- Vulture
★★★★★When we think of the American musical, our collective consciousness will immediately race to Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, but choreographer turned director Busby Berkeley is the flamboyant, wildcard auteur of the genre. After organising military parades as an army officer in the First World War, he made his name as the creator of some of the most astonishing set pieces in cinema with an unrivalled trio of 1933 pre-Code musicals; The Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade and 42nd Bacon Street, Berkeley managed to turn the chorus line into an art form. The sequences were sublime but they also tapped into the social issues of the day, from the men lost to war to the depths of The Great Depression.
- 9/22/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Tod Browning’s “Freaks”
Before R-ratings, anti-heroes and gratuitous violence and nudity in mainstream Hollywood movies, there was the Hays Code. As a form of self-policing the industry, virtually every movie released up until 1968 needed that stamp of approval if it wanted distribution. And while it helped produce all of Old Hollywood’s true classics for several decades, it often included ridiculous rulings like not being able to show or flush a toilet on screen, not allowing married couples to be shown sleeping in the same bad or always making sure criminals, even protagonists of the movie, got punished in the end.
But before the Hays Code was nothing, and it was a gloriously weird, scandalous time for the movies. Certain Hollywood films in the early ’30s as “talkies” were rapidly taking hold have since been labeled “Pre-Code” films that never received Hollywood’s stamp of approval.
Every Friday in September,...
Before R-ratings, anti-heroes and gratuitous violence and nudity in mainstream Hollywood movies, there was the Hays Code. As a form of self-policing the industry, virtually every movie released up until 1968 needed that stamp of approval if it wanted distribution. And while it helped produce all of Old Hollywood’s true classics for several decades, it often included ridiculous rulings like not being able to show or flush a toilet on screen, not allowing married couples to be shown sleeping in the same bad or always making sure criminals, even protagonists of the movie, got punished in the end.
But before the Hays Code was nothing, and it was a gloriously weird, scandalous time for the movies. Certain Hollywood films in the early ’30s as “talkies” were rapidly taking hold have since been labeled “Pre-Code” films that never received Hollywood’s stamp of approval.
Every Friday in September,...
- 9/4/2014
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
Visage...
Voice...
Vitaphone...
In Dimitri Kirsanoff's Menilmontant a destitute waif, betrayed and abandoned by the man who seduced her, sits on a park bench with her newborn infant. Beside her is an old man eating a sandwich. This wordless exchange is one of the greatest moments ever committed to film. Nadia Sibirskaia’s face reveals all of life’s cruel mysteries as she gazes upon a crust of bread.
The persistence of hope is the dark angel that underlies despair, and here it taunts her mercilessly. A whole series of fluctuations of expression and movement in reaction to anguish, physical pain involving hesitation, dignity, ravenous hunger, survival, self-contempt, modesty, boundless gratitude. All articulated with absolute clarity without hitting notes (without touching the keys). Chaplin could have played either the old man on the bench (his mustache is a sensory device!) or Nadia. And it would have been masterful and deeply affecting,...
Voice...
Vitaphone...
In Dimitri Kirsanoff's Menilmontant a destitute waif, betrayed and abandoned by the man who seduced her, sits on a park bench with her newborn infant. Beside her is an old man eating a sandwich. This wordless exchange is one of the greatest moments ever committed to film. Nadia Sibirskaia’s face reveals all of life’s cruel mysteries as she gazes upon a crust of bread.
The persistence of hope is the dark angel that underlies despair, and here it taunts her mercilessly. A whole series of fluctuations of expression and movement in reaction to anguish, physical pain involving hesitation, dignity, ravenous hunger, survival, self-contempt, modesty, boundless gratitude. All articulated with absolute clarity without hitting notes (without touching the keys). Chaplin could have played either the old man on the bench (his mustache is a sensory device!) or Nadia. And it would have been masterful and deeply affecting,...
- 6/30/2014
- by Daniel Riccuito
- MUBI
Hollywood megastar Ryan Gosling is set to bring a major new biopic to the big screen. In a surprising move, the young heartthrob is set to play a major role in celebrating Busby Berkeley’s life story on celluloid. Gosling is partnering with Warner Brothers for the project. Gosling will not only produce ‘Berkeley, Buzz: The Life And Art Off Busby Berkeley’ but he is also now looking likely to star in the title. Busby Berkeley was a director, choreographer and Hollywood creative legend. He was renowned for such films as 42nd Street, Dames, Gold Diggers Of 1933 and Hollywood Hotel. He also choreographed the Scarecrow’s movement in The Wizard Of [ Read More ]
The post Ryan Gosling set for epic Berkeley Biopic appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Ryan Gosling set for epic Berkeley Biopic appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 3/24/2014
- by just
- ShockYa
Director. Choreographer. Creator of stylish musical numbers. If the name Busby Berkeley conjures up imagery of classic Hollywood, top hats, costumes and whirling dancers, then you're not alone. And if you thought about producing and potentially star in a biopic as the man himself, your name might just be Ryan Gosling. The Drive and Only God Forgives star is partnering with producer Marc Platt and Warner Bros. to option Jeffrey Spivak's book about Berkeley, Buzz: The Life And Art Of Busby Berkeley. Gosling is initially overseeing development simply as one of the producers, but he has an eye on both the lead, and if everything works out, the director's chair. Berkeley made his name on films such as 42nd Street, Dames, Gold Diggers Of 1933 and Hollywood Hotel. He also choreographed the Scarecrow's number in The Wizard Of Oz. But his life extended far beyond that, with a stint in...
- 3/21/2014
- EmpireOnline
Why am I jazzed at the idea of Ryan Gosling taking on a biopic of an old Hollywood choreographer and director who is long forgotten by too many? Because Busby Berkeley was cool. He's a great, sexy subject--not unlike doing a movie of the life of "Cabaret" director Bob Fosse. (Oh, he already did it himself: "All That Jazz." Btw, there's a must-read new bio out by Sam Wasson, who's picking up screenwriting gigs.) Berkeley moved from Broadway as a 20s dance director to Hollywood, where he helped to create the movie musical genre with a string of brilliant movies for Warner Bros. Check out the elaborate camera moves and kaleidoscopic dancers in "42nd Street," "Footlight Parade" and "Gold Diggers of 1933"-- all released in 1933 alone. Berkeley, who never trained as a dancer, drilled holes in soundstage ceiling for the overhead cameras. And watch the hallucinogenic clips below (Carmen Miranda with phallic bananas!
- 3/20/2014
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Debonair leading man Ryan Gosling has spent the last few years doing terrific work for stylists Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) and Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive). But, when it comes to mainstream roles, he is still resigned to being a part of the ensemble. Now, it looks like we’ll be getting to see the actor in an exciting starring part as he’s currently circling the glamorous role of legendary Hollywood choreographer Busby Berkeley for an adaptation of Buzz, a biography of the musical legend from author Jeffrey Spivak.
Berkeley is an icon for fans of the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema, with his extravagant dance numbers featuring many, many chorus girls. Even during a time before colour film, Berkeley’s show-stoppers were lively and animated. Besides his behind-the-scenes role for the innovative musical 42nd Street, Berkeley was also a director of titles like Gold Diggers of 1933 and Babe in Arms,...
Berkeley is an icon for fans of the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema, with his extravagant dance numbers featuring many, many chorus girls. Even during a time before colour film, Berkeley’s show-stoppers were lively and animated. Besides his behind-the-scenes role for the innovative musical 42nd Street, Berkeley was also a director of titles like Gold Diggers of 1933 and Babe in Arms,...
- 3/20/2014
- by Jordan Adler
- We Got This Covered
He’s always up for a challenge, and Ryan Gosling's next gig will see him portraying noted choreographer Busby Berkeley.
According to a report, the “Drive” hunk will star in a still-untitled adaptation of Jeffrey Spivak’s “Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley,” and he may also produce and direct the project.
During his life, Busby was famous for choreographing group dance numbers for “42nd Street,” “Fast and Furious” (the 1939 version), and “Gold Diggers of 1933,” and he was well-loved in Tinseltown.
Of course, Berkeley also had a dark side that involved alcoholism, tax evasion and a total of six marriages by the time he died in 1976.
According to a report, the “Drive” hunk will star in a still-untitled adaptation of Jeffrey Spivak’s “Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley,” and he may also produce and direct the project.
During his life, Busby was famous for choreographing group dance numbers for “42nd Street,” “Fast and Furious” (the 1939 version), and “Gold Diggers of 1933,” and he was well-loved in Tinseltown.
Of course, Berkeley also had a dark side that involved alcoholism, tax evasion and a total of six marriages by the time he died in 1976.
- 3/20/2014
- GossipCenter
Warner Bros. has picked up the rights to Jeffrey Spivak's book, Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley, and they are looking to bring it to the big screen. The studio is looking at Ryan Gosling to produce the film and potentially both star in and direct it as well.
The project is still in the early process of development, but if Gosling stars in the film he will play Berkeley, who was a famous director and choreographer of musicals from Hollywood’s golden age. Gosling is a hell of a talented guy, and this would be an interesting project for him to take on. I'd like to see him do it, but we'll see how it plays out. Gosling is currently working on his first directorial debut with How to Catch a Monster.
The book was published in 2010, and this is the official description:
Characterized by grandiose song-and-dance...
The project is still in the early process of development, but if Gosling stars in the film he will play Berkeley, who was a famous director and choreographer of musicals from Hollywood’s golden age. Gosling is a hell of a talented guy, and this would be an interesting project for him to take on. I'd like to see him do it, but we'll see how it plays out. Gosling is currently working on his first directorial debut with How to Catch a Monster.
The book was published in 2010, and this is the official description:
Characterized by grandiose song-and-dance...
- 3/20/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Actor to produce and possibly take lead role in film based on biography of celebrated choreographer and director
Ryan Gosling may star in a biopic of Hollywood legend Busby Berkeley, the choreographer and director who created some of the most famous dance routines in the history of film.
Gosling has signed on to produce a proposed movie from Warner Bros, which has optioned Jeffrey Spivak's biography Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley. The studio plans to develop the project as a vehicle for the star of Drive and Blue Valentine.
Born in Los Angeles in 1895, Berkeley rose to fame in the 1930s with his work on dance routines for hit Warner Bros musicals 42nd Street, Footlight Parade and Gold Diggers of 1933 – all of which were released in 1933 – and the following year's Fashions of 1934. He was known for his use of kaleidoscope-style imagery incorporating showgirls and props to create elaborate fantasy motifs.
Ryan Gosling may star in a biopic of Hollywood legend Busby Berkeley, the choreographer and director who created some of the most famous dance routines in the history of film.
Gosling has signed on to produce a proposed movie from Warner Bros, which has optioned Jeffrey Spivak's biography Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley. The studio plans to develop the project as a vehicle for the star of Drive and Blue Valentine.
Born in Los Angeles in 1895, Berkeley rose to fame in the 1930s with his work on dance routines for hit Warner Bros musicals 42nd Street, Footlight Parade and Gold Diggers of 1933 – all of which were released in 1933 – and the following year's Fashions of 1934. He was known for his use of kaleidoscope-style imagery incorporating showgirls and props to create elaborate fantasy motifs.
- 3/20/2014
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
• Ryan Gosling may direct and star in a biopic of famed director and choreographer Busby Berkeley. Warner Bros. has optioned Jeffrey Spivak’s book Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley for Gosling and Marc Platt (Drive) to produce. Berkeley was known for his elaborate, geographic dance numbers in studio musicals such as 42nd Street and Golddiggers of 1933. He moved on to directing films like Babes on Broadway and For Me and My Gal. It’s still very early in the process, and no writer is currently attached. [THR]
• Channing Tatum is reportedly in talks to co-direct an adaption...
• Channing Tatum is reportedly in talks to co-direct an adaption...
- 3/20/2014
- by Lindsey Bahr
- EW - Inside Movies
The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Warner Bros. has picked up the big screen rights to Jeffrey Spivak's book, "Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkely," with plans for Ryan Gosling to produce and potentially both direct and star as well. Published in 2010, Spivak's biography is officially described as follows: Characterized by grandiose song-and-dance numbers featuring ornate geometric patterns and mimicked in many modern films, Busby Berkeley.s unique artistry is as recognizable and striking as ever. From his years on Broadway to the director.s chair, Berkeley is notorious for his inventiveness and signature style. Through sensational films like "42nd Street" (1933), "Gold Diggers of 1933" (1933), "Footlight Parade" (1933), and...
- 3/19/2014
- Comingsoon.net
Perhaps someday we will live in a world where the Olympics are always happening all of the time. Alas, we currently inhabit a cruel reality where the Olympics take place for a mere fortnight every couple years. And so last night we said good night to the Olympics in Sochi. Good night, teenaged figure skaters! Good night, jokes about curling followed by the epiphany that curling is pretty cool! Good night, insipid NBC commentary and insipid snark about the insipid NBC commentary! Good night, awkward cutaways to Putin!
The Closing Ceremony of Sochi 2014 took viewers on a journey through Russian culture.
The Closing Ceremony of Sochi 2014 took viewers on a journey through Russian culture.
- 2/24/2014
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
Pre-Code Hollywood studios spent millions transitioning their medium to sound and other new technologies that brought about major advances in photography, lighting, and set design. But there were still five million unemployed people in the United States and many more just getting by. The studios were losing money, many of them going bankrupt.
By 1930 the breadlines were longer than the ticket lines and people were slow to give up their hard earned money. They wanted to be entertained, they wanted to laugh and forget their troubles for just a while. Comedies, adventure, and musicals quickly became the most popular film genres of the time.
I. Pre-Code Action, Adventure, and Drama
Hollywood took their stories to the far corners of the earth as places like Africa, the South Pacific, and the Far East became exotic settings for movies. An island kingdom somewhere in the Pacific with strange creatures, even stranger natives,...
By 1930 the breadlines were longer than the ticket lines and people were slow to give up their hard earned money. They wanted to be entertained, they wanted to laugh and forget their troubles for just a while. Comedies, adventure, and musicals quickly became the most popular film genres of the time.
I. Pre-Code Action, Adventure, and Drama
Hollywood took their stories to the far corners of the earth as places like Africa, the South Pacific, and the Far East became exotic settings for movies. An island kingdom somewhere in the Pacific with strange creatures, even stranger natives,...
- 1/31/2014
- by Gregory Small
- CinemaNerdz
Observer film critic Philip French explores the dreamlike qualities of the cinema
From early in the 20th century, cinemas became prominent features of the urban landscape and later, in the form of drive-ins, of the American countryside. As the late John Updike observed in his poem Movie House:
No windows intrude real light
Into this temple of shades, and the size of it,
The size of the great rear wall measures
The breadth of the dreams we have there.
It dwarfs the village bank,
Out looms the town hall,
And even in its decline
Makes the bright-ceilinged supermarket seem mean.
Very soon cinemas began to appear in the films themselves, as dream palaces to escape the world, trysting places for lovers, temporary refuges for fugitives, secret rendezvous for spies, or just places in which to work, most suggestively as that key cultural figure, the projectionist.
Gangster John Dillinger was ambushed...
From early in the 20th century, cinemas became prominent features of the urban landscape and later, in the form of drive-ins, of the American countryside. As the late John Updike observed in his poem Movie House:
No windows intrude real light
Into this temple of shades, and the size of it,
The size of the great rear wall measures
The breadth of the dreams we have there.
It dwarfs the village bank,
Out looms the town hall,
And even in its decline
Makes the bright-ceilinged supermarket seem mean.
Very soon cinemas began to appear in the films themselves, as dream palaces to escape the world, trysting places for lovers, temporary refuges for fugitives, secret rendezvous for spies, or just places in which to work, most suggestively as that key cultural figure, the projectionist.
Gangster John Dillinger was ambushed...
- 12/2/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
’Iron Man’ 2008: The Air Force as ’rock stars’ (See previous post: "The American Military at the Movies: The Pentagon-Hollywood Complex.") Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. are connected to the Pentagon by way of the Air Force-aided Iron Man (2008), and so is Dakota Fanning "at the side of top-gunner Tom Cruise" in Steven Spielberg’s Army-aided 2005 remake of War of the Worlds. (Image: Iron Man 2008.) Oscar winners and/or nominees Jennifer Jones, Paul Newman, Fred Astaire, Faye Dunaway, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and once again William Holden (not to mention O.J. Simpson, Susan Blakely, Richard Chamberlain, and Robert Wagner) are all in thanks to John Guillermin’s 1974 blockbuster and Best Picture Academy Award nominee The Towering Inferno. "The Navy lent helicopters," Nick Turse explains, "and the studio [20th Century Fox and Warner Bros.] said thanks in the form of an acknowledgment in the credits." Regarding Paramount’s Jon Favreau-directed Iron Man, Air Force master...
- 10/19/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Natalie Wood movies: From loving Warren Beatty to stripping like Gypsy Rose Lee Three-time Academy Award nominee Natalie Wood, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the ’60s, is Turner Classic Movies’ "Summer Under the Stars" performer today, August 18, 2013. TCM is currently showing Elia Kazan’s Splendor in the Grass (1961), a romantic drama written for the screen by playwright William Inge (Picnic, Bus Stop). Wood is fine as a young woman who loses her emotional balance after she’s seduced and abandoned by the son (Warren Beatty) of a wealthy family in Kansas shortly before the Great Depression. For her efforts, she received a Best Actress Oscar nomination. (Sophia Loren was that year’s winner, for the Italian-made Two Women.) (See “TCM movie schedule: Natalie Wood Hot Hollywood Star.” Next in line is Richard Quine’s feeble attempt at screwball comedy, Sex and the Single Girl (1964), a movie that promises much more than it delivers,...
- 8/18/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Charlton Heston: Moses has his ‘Summer Under the Stars’ day Charlton Heston is Turner Classic Movies’ "Summer Under the Stars" star on Monday, August 5, 2013. TCM will be presenting one Heston movie premiere: Guy Green’s Hawaiian-set family drama Diamond Head (1963), in which Heston plays a pineapple grower, U.S. Senate candidate, and total control freak at odds with his strong-willed younger sister, the lovely Yvette Mimieux. Also in the Diamond Head cast: France Nuyen, Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winner George Chakiris (West Side Story), The Time Tunnel‘s James Darren, and veteran Aline MacMahon (Gold Diggers of 1933, Five Star Final) in one of her last movie roles. And last but not least, silent film star Billie Dove reportedly has a bit role in the film. (Photo: Charlton Heston ca. 1955.) (Charlton Heston movies: TCM schedule.) Now, with the exception of Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil, in which Charlton Heston...
- 8/5/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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