Detrás de la alta costura: Daniel Brühl y Théodore Pellerin protagonizan la serie sobre los orígenes de Karl Lagerfeld. © Disney Plus+
Ya se han publicado el primer tráiler y póster de “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld”, la nueva serie original de Disney Plus+ ambientada en plena década de los 70 en París, Mónaco y Roma, que narra la historia de Karl antes que Lagerfeld, la compleja e icónica personalidad de la alta costura parisina, alguien a punto de convertirse en el Emperador de la moda. Esta historia es una adaptación del best-seller “Kaiser Karl” de Raphaëlle Bacqué y llega por primera vez a la pantalla con un reparto estelar.
En 1972, Karl Lagerfeld (Daniel Brühl) tiene 38 años y aún no luce su icónico peinado. Es un diseñador de prêt-à-porter desconocido para el gran público. Cuando conoce y se enamora de Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), un joven dandi ambicioso y atormentado, el más misterioso de los diseñadores de moda,...
Ya se han publicado el primer tráiler y póster de “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld”, la nueva serie original de Disney Plus+ ambientada en plena década de los 70 en París, Mónaco y Roma, que narra la historia de Karl antes que Lagerfeld, la compleja e icónica personalidad de la alta costura parisina, alguien a punto de convertirse en el Emperador de la moda. Esta historia es una adaptación del best-seller “Kaiser Karl” de Raphaëlle Bacqué y llega por primera vez a la pantalla con un reparto estelar.
En 1972, Karl Lagerfeld (Daniel Brühl) tiene 38 años y aún no luce su icónico peinado. Es un diseñador de prêt-à-porter desconocido para el gran público. Cuando conoce y se enamora de Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), un joven dandi ambicioso y atormentado, el más misterioso de los diseñadores de moda,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Marta Medina
- mundoCine
Disney+ has unveiled the trailer for “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld,” the streamer’s highly anticipated original series starring Daniel Brühl as the iconic fashion designer.
Produced by Gaumont (“Lupin”) and Jour Premier, the six-part series chronicles the rise of Karl Lagerfeld through the world of 1970s Parisian high fashion. It will be available to stream on Disney+ in France and international territories, and on Hulu in the U.S., on June 7. “Becoming Karl” world premiered at Canneseries, where it received a standing ovation and warm reviews.
The lushly lensed series opens in 1972, when the 38-year-old Lagerfeld is a ready-to-wear designer, unknown to the general public. He falls in love with a sultry dandy, Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), who inspires him to challenge himself and act on his ambition to become the world’s most famous French fashion designer. He faces off Yves Saint Laurent (Arnaud Valois), who reigned supreme with...
Produced by Gaumont (“Lupin”) and Jour Premier, the six-part series chronicles the rise of Karl Lagerfeld through the world of 1970s Parisian high fashion. It will be available to stream on Disney+ in France and international territories, and on Hulu in the U.S., on June 7. “Becoming Karl” world premiered at Canneseries, where it received a standing ovation and warm reviews.
The lushly lensed series opens in 1972, when the 38-year-old Lagerfeld is a ready-to-wear designer, unknown to the general public. He falls in love with a sultry dandy, Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), who inspires him to challenge himself and act on his ambition to become the world’s most famous French fashion designer. He faces off Yves Saint Laurent (Arnaud Valois), who reigned supreme with...
- 4/24/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Diane Kruger is re-teaming with her In the Fade director Fatih Akin on the new German period drama Amrum, which began principal photography in Hamburg today.
The film follows a family living in a small village on Amrum Island in rural northern Germany in early 1945, in the final days of World War II. The story is based on the childhood memories of Akin’s In the Fade co-screenwriter, German author and director Hark Bohm. Bohm had initially planned to direct the film himself before handing the reins over to Akin, who co-wrote the Amrum screenplay.
The movie is a coming-of-age story of Nanning, a 12-year-old boy (played by Jasper Billerbeck) and his best friend Hermann (Kian Köppke). Laura Tonke (When Will It Be Again Like It Never Was Before) plays Nanning’s mother, Hille Hagener. Kruger plays Tessa Bendixen, a farmer’s wife. Matthias Schweighöfer (Oppenheimer), Detlev Buck (Same Same...
The film follows a family living in a small village on Amrum Island in rural northern Germany in early 1945, in the final days of World War II. The story is based on the childhood memories of Akin’s In the Fade co-screenwriter, German author and director Hark Bohm. Bohm had initially planned to direct the film himself before handing the reins over to Akin, who co-wrote the Amrum screenplay.
The movie is a coming-of-age story of Nanning, a 12-year-old boy (played by Jasper Billerbeck) and his best friend Hermann (Kian Köppke). Laura Tonke (When Will It Be Again Like It Never Was Before) plays Nanning’s mother, Hille Hagener. Kruger plays Tessa Bendixen, a farmer’s wife. Matthias Schweighöfer (Oppenheimer), Detlev Buck (Same Same...
- 4/22/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paging Don Johson! Report to the set of Ryan Murphy’s new ABC drama series, Dr. Odyssey, to join Joshua Jackson on a medical emergency! That’s right, patients. Don Johnson is scrubbing up for Murphy’s mysterious new project, Dr. Odyssey, which could be a medical procedural. The 20th Century Studios series targets a fall launch, with Ryan Murphy Television leading the charge.
While details about the show remain a mystery, reports indicate it’s a medical procedural aboard a cruise ship. If we know Murphy, there’s more than ship-wide food poisoning on the menu. Details about Johnson’s character remain unknown.
Murphy will write Dr. Odyssey and executive produce with Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken. Paris Barclay directs and executive produces Dr. Odyssey. Eric Paquette, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, and Nissa Diederich also executive produce alongside Jackson.
We’re big fans of Don Johnson in these parts,...
While details about the show remain a mystery, reports indicate it’s a medical procedural aboard a cruise ship. If we know Murphy, there’s more than ship-wide food poisoning on the menu. Details about Johnson’s character remain unknown.
Murphy will write Dr. Odyssey and executive produce with Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken. Paris Barclay directs and executive produces Dr. Odyssey. Eric Paquette, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, and Nissa Diederich also executive produce alongside Jackson.
We’re big fans of Don Johnson in these parts,...
- 4/15/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Cannes stood up for Daniel Brühl, as his new Disney+ show “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld” earned a 3-minute standing ovation on Sunday.
Premiering out of competition, it captures the late German designer before morphing into the instantly recognizable figure that took pop culture by storm. And, courted by young Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), finally opening up for love.
Local viewers enjoyed the spectacle, laughing at Lagerfeld’s awkwardness or at Yves Saint Laurent’s (Arnaud Valois) clumsy attempts at romancing de Bascher. The verdict? A “fun” and “entertaining” new show, declared Canneseries audience members, happy to share their enthusiasm with Variety even despite the language barrier: “C’est genial!”
The screening, which started with a joyful fashion show similar to Lagerfeld’s collection for Chloé in the 1970s – spotlighted in the first episode – attracted just about every celebrity in town. Including “Beverly Hills, 90210” alumni Jason Priestley and “Riverdale’s” Vanessa Morgan,...
Premiering out of competition, it captures the late German designer before morphing into the instantly recognizable figure that took pop culture by storm. And, courted by young Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), finally opening up for love.
Local viewers enjoyed the spectacle, laughing at Lagerfeld’s awkwardness or at Yves Saint Laurent’s (Arnaud Valois) clumsy attempts at romancing de Bascher. The verdict? A “fun” and “entertaining” new show, declared Canneseries audience members, happy to share their enthusiasm with Variety even despite the language barrier: “C’est genial!”
The screening, which started with a joyful fashion show similar to Lagerfeld’s collection for Chloé in the 1970s – spotlighted in the first episode – attracted just about every celebrity in town. Including “Beverly Hills, 90210” alumni Jason Priestley and “Riverdale’s” Vanessa Morgan,...
- 4/7/2024
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
A slew of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner collectibles sold at auction over the weekend, including a pink Pucci dress worn by the actress and a smoking jacket and slippers worn by the Playboy founder.
The three-day auction, which ended Saturday, saw the long-sleeved silk jersey Pucci dress go to the winning bidder for $325,000, which set a record for a Pucci dress sold at auction, according to organizer Julien’s Auctions.
Also sold were the one-space mausoleum crypt at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary in Los Angeles, located near the final side-by-side resting places of Hugh Hefner and Marilyn Monroe, for $195,000; a grave marker from Monroe’s crypt, for $88,900 (constant touching from fans led to minor wear, causing it to be replaced); Hefner’s burgundy smoking jacket, slippers, pajamas and tobacco pipe ensemble ($13,000); and a circular mansion bed custom-made for Hefner as a backup to his primary bed...
The three-day auction, which ended Saturday, saw the long-sleeved silk jersey Pucci dress go to the winning bidder for $325,000, which set a record for a Pucci dress sold at auction, according to organizer Julien’s Auctions.
Also sold were the one-space mausoleum crypt at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary in Los Angeles, located near the final side-by-side resting places of Hugh Hefner and Marilyn Monroe, for $195,000; a grave marker from Monroe’s crypt, for $88,900 (constant touching from fans led to minor wear, causing it to be replaced); Hefner’s burgundy smoking jacket, slippers, pajamas and tobacco pipe ensemble ($13,000); and a circular mansion bed custom-made for Hefner as a backup to his primary bed...
- 3/31/2024
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Luc Besson’s Dogman is in search of some kind of distinctive armature on which to hang its psychoanalytical and philosophical ramblings. Which is ironic considering that Douglas Munrow (Caleb Landry Jones), the paralyzed “Dogman” of the film’s title, makes much ado about having discovered his voice through drag, pontificating on the value of disguises and lip-synching while dressed as Édith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, and Marilyn Monroe. All the while, Jones plays the dog-loving avenger as a puzzling riff on Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-winning performances as the Joker. It’s a performance that, like much of the film, flits between telegraphing seriousness and wanting to be understood as camp.
Doug was abused and abandoned as a child, and after embracing his ostracization as an adult, he began taking in stray dogs and playing the part of the Pied Piper by having his “babies” burglarize the wealthy and take down criminals.
Doug was abused and abandoned as a child, and after embracing his ostracization as an adult, he began taking in stray dogs and playing the part of the Pied Piper by having his “babies” burglarize the wealthy and take down criminals.
- 3/24/2024
- by Clayton Dillard
- Slant Magazine
One of the world’s great true-life train heist stories is set to return to the big screen in China. Filmmaker DaMing Chen and veteran producer Chris Lee have partnered to develop a feature adaptation of James Zimmerman’s acclaimed nonfiction book, The Peking Express: The Bandits Who Stole a Train, Stunned the West, and Broke the Republic of China.
The new film, like the book, will recount the improbable saga of a 1923 incident once known as the “Lincheng Outrage,” which was sparked when Chinese bandits raided a luxury express train bound for Beijing and took over 300 international hostages — captivating the world and stirring up a six-week geopolitical showdown. A subject of popular fascination a century ago, the event inspired no less than Josef von Sternberg’s 1932 romance/adventure classic Shanghai Express, starring Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong, as well as two later Paramount Pictures remakes.
Zimmerman’s book...
The new film, like the book, will recount the improbable saga of a 1923 incident once known as the “Lincheng Outrage,” which was sparked when Chinese bandits raided a luxury express train bound for Beijing and took over 300 international hostages — captivating the world and stirring up a six-week geopolitical showdown. A subject of popular fascination a century ago, the event inspired no less than Josef von Sternberg’s 1932 romance/adventure classic Shanghai Express, starring Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong, as well as two later Paramount Pictures remakes.
Zimmerman’s book...
- 3/23/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Disney+ has unveiled a proper first look of German-Spanish actor Daniel Brühl as the titular iconic designer in the new show Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, produced by leading French film and TV company Gaumont.
Rush, Good Bye, Lenin! and Captain America: Civil War actor Brühl is shown sporting Lagerfeld’s trademark ponytail and black tailored suit of his later years.
Disney+ has also released a first subtitled trailer for the show.
The new images – which follow a silhouetted image teased by Disney+ in January – were released in unison with the announcement that the show will premiere at the Canneseries TV festival in April.
Gaumont produced the drama with Jour Premier for Disney+, which will launch the six-part bio-series on June 7. The series will be available in the U.S. on Hulu from that same date.
Adapted from Raphaëlle Bacqué’s best-seller ‘Kaiser Karl’, the series stars follows Lagerfeld’s ascension to...
Rush, Good Bye, Lenin! and Captain America: Civil War actor Brühl is shown sporting Lagerfeld’s trademark ponytail and black tailored suit of his later years.
Disney+ has also released a first subtitled trailer for the show.
The new images – which follow a silhouetted image teased by Disney+ in January – were released in unison with the announcement that the show will premiere at the Canneseries TV festival in April.
Gaumont produced the drama with Jour Premier for Disney+, which will launch the six-part bio-series on June 7. The series will be available in the U.S. on Hulu from that same date.
Adapted from Raphaëlle Bacqué’s best-seller ‘Kaiser Karl’, the series stars follows Lagerfeld’s ascension to...
- 3/12/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
This well-executed film spans the life of a traumatised jewellery thief with a host of dog acolytes
The question of whether Luc Besson has got his groove back is only going to annoy those who dispute any former groove-ownership. Besson himself might contend that box office success is in any case the sole criterion for assessing groove. At all events, this bizarre and macabre drama-thriller is watchable and Caleb Landry Jones gives an oddly engaging performance as Douglas Munrow, a wheelchair-using “Dogman”, questioned by police psychologist Evelyn (Jojo T Gibbs) after being arrested in full drag gear, smeared with blood, while at the wheel of a van filled with his “babies” – his dogs.
Murrow’s conversation with Evelyn reveals in flashback a childhood kept in a dog kennel by an abusive father, at whose hands a terrible injury was sustained; then there are poignant teen years in a children’s...
The question of whether Luc Besson has got his groove back is only going to annoy those who dispute any former groove-ownership. Besson himself might contend that box office success is in any case the sole criterion for assessing groove. At all events, this bizarre and macabre drama-thriller is watchable and Caleb Landry Jones gives an oddly engaging performance as Douglas Munrow, a wheelchair-using “Dogman”, questioned by police psychologist Evelyn (Jojo T Gibbs) after being arrested in full drag gear, smeared with blood, while at the wheel of a van filled with his “babies” – his dogs.
Murrow’s conversation with Evelyn reveals in flashback a childhood kept in a dog kennel by an abusive father, at whose hands a terrible injury was sustained; then there are poignant teen years in a children’s...
- 3/5/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Caleb Landry Jones is “DogMan,” whatever that moniker means.
The indie actor, who has appeared in the acclaimed likes of “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri” and “Nitram,” leads controversial French director Luc Besson’s latest feature. Per the elusive logline, “DogMan” tells the story of a man who, following a traumatic childhood, finds salvation and justice through his connection with dogs.
Yet, there’s more to the twisted crime thriller than just that: Jones plays Douglas Munrow, a victim of childhood abuse who relives his past while being interviewed by a psychiatrist (Jojo T. Gibbs) after Douglas is accused of murder. Turns out Douglas’ childhood was far from fetching, with his only source of love being the dogs his father (Clemens Schick) would lock him in cages with.
As an adult, Douglas balances performing in drag as iconic stars like Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, and Marilyn Monroe with a crime spree.
The indie actor, who has appeared in the acclaimed likes of “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri” and “Nitram,” leads controversial French director Luc Besson’s latest feature. Per the elusive logline, “DogMan” tells the story of a man who, following a traumatic childhood, finds salvation and justice through his connection with dogs.
Yet, there’s more to the twisted crime thriller than just that: Jones plays Douglas Munrow, a victim of childhood abuse who relives his past while being interviewed by a psychiatrist (Jojo T. Gibbs) after Douglas is accused of murder. Turns out Douglas’ childhood was far from fetching, with his only source of love being the dogs his father (Clemens Schick) would lock him in cages with.
As an adult, Douglas balances performing in drag as iconic stars like Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, and Marilyn Monroe with a crime spree.
- 2/22/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Near the end of Billy Wilder’s Witness for the Prosecution, after the central court case seems all but completely settled, senior barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) contemplates the surprising evidence that’s just been presented. “It’s a little too neat, too tidy, and altogether too symmetrical,” he remarks. It’s a comment that begs to be read through the lens of Wilder’s own wry approach to filmmaking, which often feels throughout his canon like an alchemic combination of effortless story execution, pinpoint humor, and acting masterclass.
Wilder effects an outward feeling of wily and out of control scenarios that are running like well-oiled machines within. The ending of Witness for the Prosecution exemplifies this by throwing its characters’ preceding buttoned-up decorum out of whack, as they race through a procession of sudden revelations that contain a clear logic and purpose. But per Wilder’s wont, the...
Wilder effects an outward feeling of wily and out of control scenarios that are running like well-oiled machines within. The ending of Witness for the Prosecution exemplifies this by throwing its characters’ preceding buttoned-up decorum out of whack, as they race through a procession of sudden revelations that contain a clear logic and purpose. But per Wilder’s wont, the...
- 2/13/2024
- by Clayton Dillard
- Slant Magazine
With its scathing social satire, raunchy humor and frequent use of the controversial N-word, “Blazing Saddles” got mixed reviews upon its release February 7, 1974. Nonetheless, it galloped to the top of the box office and earned three Oscar nominations, and set new standards for comedy films with its irreverence, spoofs and just plain silliness. Some reviewers did get the joke from the beginning, including Roger Ebert, who awarded it four out of four stars, saying it’s “a crazed grab bag of a movie that does everything to keep us laughing except hit us over the head with a rubber chicken.” On its 50th anniversary, we look back at how “Blazing Saddles” has endured as one of the greatest and most beloved comedies of all time.
It all started when Mel Brooks bought the film rights to a story titled “Tex-x” (changed so it wouldn’t be mistaken for an X-rated...
It all started when Mel Brooks bought the film rights to a story titled “Tex-x” (changed so it wouldn’t be mistaken for an X-rated...
- 2/7/2024
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
The Oscars, it seems, agree with The Hollywood Reporter: Sandra Hüller is a star.
When THR put the German actress on its cover for its Toronto Film Festival issue, it was under the headline “Actress of the Year?” It was an acknowledgment that Hüller had given two of the most outstanding performances in film in 2023: as a novelist accused of murder in Justine Triet’s mystery thriller Anatomy of a Fall and as a domestic Nazi in Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest.
On Tuesday, Hüller scored a nomination for the 2024 Oscars in the best actress category for Anatomy of a Fall. Both Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest were also nominated in the best picture and best director categories.
In Anatomy, Hüller plays Sandra Voyter, a successful German novelist living in the French Alps who may or may not have murdered...
When THR put the German actress on its cover for its Toronto Film Festival issue, it was under the headline “Actress of the Year?” It was an acknowledgment that Hüller had given two of the most outstanding performances in film in 2023: as a novelist accused of murder in Justine Triet’s mystery thriller Anatomy of a Fall and as a domestic Nazi in Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest.
On Tuesday, Hüller scored a nomination for the 2024 Oscars in the best actress category for Anatomy of a Fall. Both Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest were also nominated in the best picture and best director categories.
In Anatomy, Hüller plays Sandra Voyter, a successful German novelist living in the French Alps who may or may not have murdered...
- 1/23/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What makes a great courtroom thriller? A mesmerizing and clever plot that draws viewers in immediately. Three-dimensional characters that keep you guessing if they are the guilty party and twists and turns that leave audiences gasping and gob smacked.
Justine Triet’s dazzling French thriller “Anatomy of a Fall” has all the qualities and then some that make it a classic of the genre. Since winning the Palme D’or last May, “Anatomy of a Fall” has continued its winning ways receiving several critics’ honors, as well as two Golden Globes, a Critics Choice honor and seven BAFTA nominations including best film, best director, screenplay and best actress for Sandra Huller’s powerhouse performance. One can’t forget that Messi, the border collie ,who plays the family pet Snoop, received the Palm Dog at Cannes.
Huller plays a bisexual woman with a troubled marriage and a young blind son. When...
Justine Triet’s dazzling French thriller “Anatomy of a Fall” has all the qualities and then some that make it a classic of the genre. Since winning the Palme D’or last May, “Anatomy of a Fall” has continued its winning ways receiving several critics’ honors, as well as two Golden Globes, a Critics Choice honor and seven BAFTA nominations including best film, best director, screenplay and best actress for Sandra Huller’s powerhouse performance. One can’t forget that Messi, the border collie ,who plays the family pet Snoop, received the Palm Dog at Cannes.
Huller plays a bisexual woman with a troubled marriage and a young blind son. When...
- 1/18/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
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
In real life, cigarettes and cigars are a nasty vice that assail the olfactory nerve with a thick, pungent odor capable of leaving clothes, car interiors, and whole rooms smelling like ashtrays. They're also incredibly addictive and, when one's habit stretches out over decades, ruinous to an individual's health.
In movies, however, they're instant atmosphere machines that can, when wielded by an actor who knows how to smoke with style, heighten a character's sense of sophistication or sex appeal. Marlene Dietrich defined pre-code cinematic carnality with her wickedly sensuous French inhale in "Shanghai Express," while Humphrey Bogart conveyed marrow-deep weariness with every heavy exhale in "Casablanca." As for cigars, conjure up an image of Edward G. Robinson, and you'll invariably see the sawed-off star with a stogie clenched between his sausage-thick fingers.
Though the entire world has long been tragically aware of how deadly a nicotine addiction can be, films...
In movies, however, they're instant atmosphere machines that can, when wielded by an actor who knows how to smoke with style, heighten a character's sense of sophistication or sex appeal. Marlene Dietrich defined pre-code cinematic carnality with her wickedly sensuous French inhale in "Shanghai Express," while Humphrey Bogart conveyed marrow-deep weariness with every heavy exhale in "Casablanca." As for cigars, conjure up an image of Edward G. Robinson, and you'll invariably see the sawed-off star with a stogie clenched between his sausage-thick fingers.
Though the entire world has long been tragically aware of how deadly a nicotine addiction can be, films...
- 12/20/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Michael Chow is meant to be in Riyadh. But as drones spell out his name in the sky above Saudi Arabia’s capital, heralding the Oct. 5 opening of the latest outpost of his eponymous restaurant, the charismatic restaurateur, artist and bon vivant is in his Los Angeles home, grounded with a positive Covid-19 test. He is in good spirits nonetheless. “My name is Gatsby,” Chow says with a laugh, invoking the name of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tragic hero, known for hosting extravagant parties but not necessarily attending them. “When he gives a party, they always turn up.”
Of course, Chow, 84, has long been known for his hosting prowess, with more than five decades of feeding the A-list legions of Hollywood, fashion, art, politics and beyond at his Mr. Chow restaurants. Now numbering seven locations, his empire launched with a London spot that opened in 1968, followed by Beverly Hills in...
Of course, Chow, 84, has long been known for his hosting prowess, with more than five decades of feeding the A-list legions of Hollywood, fashion, art, politics and beyond at his Mr. Chow restaurants. Now numbering seven locations, his empire launched with a London spot that opened in 1968, followed by Beverly Hills in...
- 10/17/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the early 1940s, a young Lena Horne began an engagement at an intimate L.A. club called Little Troc, where her silken voice — with her perfect enunciation and her sophisticated interpretation of the lyrics — dazzled the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Cole Porter, Lana Turner and Greta Garbo. Among the many eyes that observed her during her run were those of the astute, sensitive Roger Edens, who was an integral member of the Freed Unit at MGM Studios. Led by innovative producer Arthur Freed, the unit consisted of musical artists who created many of MGM’s great musicals from the golden age: It had recently produced Babes in Arms (1939) and would strike gold with An American in Paris (1951), Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Gigi (1958).
Within the Freed Unit, Edens stood out as a highly respected composer, arranger and associate producer who eventually won three Academy Awards. After seeing Lena perform,...
Within the Freed Unit, Edens stood out as a highly respected composer, arranger and associate producer who eventually won three Academy Awards. After seeing Lena perform,...
- 10/12/2023
- by Donald Bogle
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marlene Dietrich in Witness For The Prosecution, Albert Finney in Murder On The Orient Express, Maggie Smith in Evil Under The Sun, Kenneth Branagh in Murder On The Orient ExpressGraphic: United Arists/Emi Films/20th Century Fox
It makes sense that filmmakers have been turning to Agatha Christie for source...
It makes sense that filmmakers have been turning to Agatha Christie for source...
- 9/11/2023
- by Cindy White
- avclub.com
Queen Elizabeth II’s career was, well, being queen. Her life changed at 10 years old when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated, cementing her status as a future queen. However, in later years, she admitted if a career outside the royal family had been an option, she knew what she would’ve selected.
An entertainer’s World War II visit inspired the queen’s alternate career choice Queen Elizabeth II | Jonathan Brady/Pool/Afp via Getty Images
Think the queen would’ve made a career of breeding dogs or racing horses, given her lifelong love of dogs and horses? Wrong. Sure, she bred both horses and dogs. But, if given the opportunity for a different career path, neither would’ve been her first choice.
As royal author Gyles Brandreth told Radio Times, it went back to a certain entertainer who paid a World War II-era visit to Windsor Castle when...
An entertainer’s World War II visit inspired the queen’s alternate career choice Queen Elizabeth II | Jonathan Brady/Pool/Afp via Getty Images
Think the queen would’ve made a career of breeding dogs or racing horses, given her lifelong love of dogs and horses? Wrong. Sure, she bred both horses and dogs. But, if given the opportunity for a different career path, neither would’ve been her first choice.
As royal author Gyles Brandreth told Radio Times, it went back to a certain entertainer who paid a World War II-era visit to Windsor Castle when...
- 9/9/2023
- by Mandi Kerr
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Too bombastic for the French establishment and too idiosyncratic to ever go full Hollywood, Luc Besson once charted an impressive middle ground on the international scene.
At his 1990s peak, the action auteur riffed and danced around the blockbuster formula, delivering genre potboilers so perverse (in the case of 1994’s “Leon: The Professional”) or uncanny (as with 1997’s “The Fifth Element”) as to stand noticeably apart from your standard studio offering and, in the process, Besson built for himself an empire. Beset with legal and financial problems the French director’s star has dimmed in the past decade, but his hunger clearly has not.
Which brings us to “Dogman.” Premiering in competition at the Venice Film Festival, the project marks a splashy comeback of sorts for the beleaguered filmmaker, just recently acquitted of sexual assault charges, and an impassioned argument that his erstwhile model still has some juice. That could very well be the case,...
At his 1990s peak, the action auteur riffed and danced around the blockbuster formula, delivering genre potboilers so perverse (in the case of 1994’s “Leon: The Professional”) or uncanny (as with 1997’s “The Fifth Element”) as to stand noticeably apart from your standard studio offering and, in the process, Besson built for himself an empire. Beset with legal and financial problems the French director’s star has dimmed in the past decade, but his hunger clearly has not.
Which brings us to “Dogman.” Premiering in competition at the Venice Film Festival, the project marks a splashy comeback of sorts for the beleaguered filmmaker, just recently acquitted of sexual assault charges, and an impassioned argument that his erstwhile model still has some juice. That could very well be the case,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Ben Croll
- The Wrap
No animals were harmed in the making of Luc Besson’s new thriller, Dogman, but plenty of people get mauled, bitten, robbed and attacked, and one guy has his junk put into a serious vice grip, by a pack of extremely well-trained canines.
That being said, the director’s first film since his 2019 femme-driven assasin flick, Anna, is actually one of his least violent movies to date when it comes to bullets and bodies depicted on screen. If there’s violence, it’s predominantly of the domestic and psychological kind, in a story that follows a young man whose childhood traumas transform him into a very unusual sort of superhero: a paralyzed vigilante who dresses in drag, performs incredible lip-syncs of classic European ballads, and rules over a small, fierce army of obedient pups, as if the Joker and Ace Ventura were somehow merged into a single character. Also, he lives in New Jersey.
That being said, the director’s first film since his 2019 femme-driven assasin flick, Anna, is actually one of his least violent movies to date when it comes to bullets and bodies depicted on screen. If there’s violence, it’s predominantly of the domestic and psychological kind, in a story that follows a young man whose childhood traumas transform him into a very unusual sort of superhero: a paralyzed vigilante who dresses in drag, performs incredible lip-syncs of classic European ballads, and rules over a small, fierce army of obedient pups, as if the Joker and Ace Ventura were somehow merged into a single character. Also, he lives in New Jersey.
- 8/31/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Being an independent producer was never easy. But these days, it’s near impossible. Even before the dual writers and actors strikes, changes in the international film and TV market had made life tough for the indies. Old models of art house moviemaking have been ravaged by a combination of decline in the specialty box office, the collapse of ancillary revenue for home entertainment and TV licensing, and the more recent pullback by streaming companies, who have begun to back fewer, and more mainstream, movies.
But one indie production company has gone from making just a handful of movies a year to dozens, finding a way to turn the turbulent new reality into a business model for making cutting-edge art house cinema that, shockingly, can actually turn a profit. It’s the company behind five of the most hotly anticipated titles at the Venice Film Festival this year: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things,...
But one indie production company has gone from making just a handful of movies a year to dozens, finding a way to turn the turbulent new reality into a business model for making cutting-edge art house cinema that, shockingly, can actually turn a profit. It’s the company behind five of the most hotly anticipated titles at the Venice Film Festival this year: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things,...
- 8/25/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix is bringing the prized Paris Theater back online after major upgrades, including installing a new Dolby Atmos sound system and the technology needed to play 70mm film for the first time in over 15 years, the streamer announced Wednesday.
New York’s iconic art house cinema at 4 W. 58th Street will celebrate the occasion by hosting “Big & Loud,” a program showcasing classics from across the decades, as well as films for the sonically-obsessed. It runs Sept. 1-7.
The 70mm lineup includes 2001: A Space Odyssey, Baraka, Lawrence of Arabia, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Playtime, Roma and Top Gun.
Dolby Atmos Dcp movies being screened in the “Big & Loud” program include Apocalypse Now: Final Cut, Blade Runner: Final Cut, Da 5 Bloods, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Matrix, Memoria — which has never before screened in Atmos — and A Quiet Place. Other offerings include Blow Out, La Ciénaga, The Conversation...
New York’s iconic art house cinema at 4 W. 58th Street will celebrate the occasion by hosting “Big & Loud,” a program showcasing classics from across the decades, as well as films for the sonically-obsessed. It runs Sept. 1-7.
The 70mm lineup includes 2001: A Space Odyssey, Baraka, Lawrence of Arabia, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Playtime, Roma and Top Gun.
Dolby Atmos Dcp movies being screened in the “Big & Loud” program include Apocalypse Now: Final Cut, Blade Runner: Final Cut, Da 5 Bloods, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Matrix, Memoria — which has never before screened in Atmos — and A Quiet Place. Other offerings include Blow Out, La Ciénaga, The Conversation...
- 8/9/2023
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Beatles‘ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band features numerous famous people on the cover. One movie star is featured on the album three times. During one of those appearances, she’s depicted as a doll.
A movie star is on The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’ 3 times and 1 time she’s barely visible
The cover of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper includes people from many fields. For example, it includes authors like Karl Marx and Oscar Wilde, musicians like Bob Dylan and Dion Dimucci, and religious leaders like Aleister Crowley and Paramahansa Yogananda.
Despite this, Hollywood stars make up a huge portion of the people on the album. Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, W. C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, Bette Davis, Tyrone Power, and Marlene Dietrich are all there. According to Goldmine, child star Shirley Temple is on Sgt. Pepper three times. Each appearance is very different from the last.
A movie star is on The Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’ 3 times and 1 time she’s barely visible
The cover of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper includes people from many fields. For example, it includes authors like Karl Marx and Oscar Wilde, musicians like Bob Dylan and Dion Dimucci, and religious leaders like Aleister Crowley and Paramahansa Yogananda.
Despite this, Hollywood stars make up a huge portion of the people on the album. Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, W. C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, Bette Davis, Tyrone Power, and Marlene Dietrich are all there. According to Goldmine, child star Shirley Temple is on Sgt. Pepper three times. Each appearance is very different from the last.
- 7/16/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Betta St. John, who portrayed the lovely island girl Liat in the original Broadway production of South Pacific and starred as a princess alongside Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in the MGM romantic comedy Dream Wife, has died. She was 93.
St. John died June 23 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Brighton, England, her son, TV producer Roger Grant, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The California native played one of the survivors of an airline crash, who is chased by a crocodile in Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) — the first Tarzan film in 15 years and the first one in color — and then returned for Tarzan the Magnificent (1960). Both films starred Gordon Scott as the King of the Jungle.
St. John also starred with Stewart Granger, Ann Blyth and Robert Taylor in All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953); with Victor Mature, Piper Laurie and Vincent Price in the 3-D adventure Dangerous...
St. John died June 23 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Brighton, England, her son, TV producer Roger Grant, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The California native played one of the survivors of an airline crash, who is chased by a crocodile in Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) — the first Tarzan film in 15 years and the first one in color — and then returned for Tarzan the Magnificent (1960). Both films starred Gordon Scott as the King of the Jungle.
St. John also starred with Stewart Granger, Ann Blyth and Robert Taylor in All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953); with Victor Mature, Piper Laurie and Vincent Price in the 3-D adventure Dangerous...
- 7/7/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If location truly was everything, the Taormina Film Festival would be the biggest in the world.
Here on “Isola bella” (Sicilian for “beautiful island”) you have it all: The sun, the sea and sunsets that look CGI-ed in their beauty (one of the reasons The White Lotus picked the region as a backdrop for its latest season). Above it all, the volcano, Mount Etna, with its bursts of fire and ash adds drama to the proceedings. The landscape is palm trees and prickly pear cacti and all the colors of the Mediterranean. The air smells of basil. The festival screenings take place in the Teatro Antico amphitheater, one of the largest historic Greek theaters in all of Sicily.
It’s easy to see why, back in 1955, organizers decided to set up a film festival here. First in the city of Messina, from 1957 on before moving to the nearby municipality of Taormina.
Here on “Isola bella” (Sicilian for “beautiful island”) you have it all: The sun, the sea and sunsets that look CGI-ed in their beauty (one of the reasons The White Lotus picked the region as a backdrop for its latest season). Above it all, the volcano, Mount Etna, with its bursts of fire and ash adds drama to the proceedings. The landscape is palm trees and prickly pear cacti and all the colors of the Mediterranean. The air smells of basil. The festival screenings take place in the Teatro Antico amphitheater, one of the largest historic Greek theaters in all of Sicily.
It’s easy to see why, back in 1955, organizers decided to set up a film festival here. First in the city of Messina, from 1957 on before moving to the nearby municipality of Taormina.
- 6/27/2023
- by Ilaria Ravarino
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s hard to remember a time when fashion and beauty commentary were not ubiquitous. When red carpet pre-shows for the Oscars or the Met Gala were not the norm, or before anyone with a TikTok or Instagram account could be an obsessive pundit on celebrity style.
Steven Cojocaru was there, however, at the beginning of this sartorial saturation. The Canadian writer and TV host, now 50, hustled tirelessly in his early career to get legacy media to take style as seriously as he did. He became People magazine’s first West Coast fashion editor in 1997 and was the first out gay fashion correspondent for NBC’s “Today” during the highly watched Matt Lauer and Katie Couric era.
His persona was so vivid that Jimmy Fallon parodied him on “SNL” in 2001. His exacting analysis of winners and losers in the high-stakes game of celebrity dressing was equally loud and memorable. But decades ago,...
Steven Cojocaru was there, however, at the beginning of this sartorial saturation. The Canadian writer and TV host, now 50, hustled tirelessly in his early career to get legacy media to take style as seriously as he did. He became People magazine’s first West Coast fashion editor in 1997 and was the first out gay fashion correspondent for NBC’s “Today” during the highly watched Matt Lauer and Katie Couric era.
His persona was so vivid that Jimmy Fallon parodied him on “SNL” in 2001. His exacting analysis of winners and losers in the high-stakes game of celebrity dressing was equally loud and memorable. But decades ago,...
- 6/21/2023
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Ringo Starr joined a wild ride when the Beatles added him to their roster. The drummer seemed to be the key to unlocking the band’s potential as they climbed to the top of the charts in England within nine months. The Beatles were rarely upstaged after that, and Ringo proved his worth when he came up big one of the greatest Fab Four songs. Yet some older entertainers weren’t ready to cede the spotlight in the early 1960s. That included actor Marlene Dietrich. She shared a bill with and tried to grab the spotlight from The Beatles, but Ringo found the upside of sharing a bill with her.
(l-r) Ringo Starr; Marlene Dietrich | Evening Standard/Getty Images; Chris Morphet/Redferns Ringo Starr took in Marlene Dietrich’s legs when she tried to grab the Beatles’ spotlight
The Fab Four’s rise in England and the United States happened differently.
(l-r) Ringo Starr; Marlene Dietrich | Evening Standard/Getty Images; Chris Morphet/Redferns Ringo Starr took in Marlene Dietrich’s legs when she tried to grab the Beatles’ spotlight
The Fab Four’s rise in England and the United States happened differently.
- 6/8/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Marlene Dietrich’s iconic Van Cleef & Arpels ruby and diamond Jarretière bracelet sold at a Christie’s sale, titled “The Magnificent Jewels of Anne Eisenhower,” in New York on June 7 for $4.5 million.
The actress commissioned the bracelet from the jeweler in 1937 and wore it to the 1951 Academy Awards and in Alfred Hitchcock’s film Stage Fight. The auction totaled $11.5 million and featured several other stunning pieces of jewelry from Tiffany & Co. and Cartier. Dietrich’s bracelet sold for the highest price.
“This bracelet is legendary in a lot of ways,” said Claibourne Poindexter, vp and jewelry specialist at Christie’s, when the auction was first announced in March. “It was one of [Dietrich’s] favorite pieces of jewelry. It’s bold. It’s very large in scale and has a wonderful curvature. She wore it so beautifully in Stage Fright, an Alfred Hitchcock film from 1950, and you get this appreciation for how sculptural the design is.
The actress commissioned the bracelet from the jeweler in 1937 and wore it to the 1951 Academy Awards and in Alfred Hitchcock’s film Stage Fight. The auction totaled $11.5 million and featured several other stunning pieces of jewelry from Tiffany & Co. and Cartier. Dietrich’s bracelet sold for the highest price.
“This bracelet is legendary in a lot of ways,” said Claibourne Poindexter, vp and jewelry specialist at Christie’s, when the auction was first announced in March. “It was one of [Dietrich’s] favorite pieces of jewelry. It’s bold. It’s very large in scale and has a wonderful curvature. She wore it so beautifully in Stage Fright, an Alfred Hitchcock film from 1950, and you get this appreciation for how sculptural the design is.
- 6/8/2023
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film actor whose hypnotic presence was central to a trio of films directed by Luchino Visconti in the late 1960s and early 70s
With his glacial blue eyes, blade-like face and feline elegance, Helmut Berger, who has died aged 78, was one of the most ravishing and hypnotic actors in postwar European cinema, and a lingering presence even after his best days were behind him. He was also Vogue’s first male cover star; the magazine photographed him in 1970 alongside his then-girlfriend, the model Marisa Berenson, while he was simultaneously in a relationship with the director Luchino Visconti. Madonna, who featured him in her controversial 1992 coffee-table book Sex, cited among her influences “every movie that Visconti ever made starring Helmut Berger”.
The first of these films – and only Berger’s fourth screen appearance – was The Damned (1969), an unrestrainedly lurid melodrama charting the decline of a fictional family of industrialists, loosely based on the Krupps family,...
With his glacial blue eyes, blade-like face and feline elegance, Helmut Berger, who has died aged 78, was one of the most ravishing and hypnotic actors in postwar European cinema, and a lingering presence even after his best days were behind him. He was also Vogue’s first male cover star; the magazine photographed him in 1970 alongside his then-girlfriend, the model Marisa Berenson, while he was simultaneously in a relationship with the director Luchino Visconti. Madonna, who featured him in her controversial 1992 coffee-table book Sex, cited among her influences “every movie that Visconti ever made starring Helmut Berger”.
The first of these films – and only Berger’s fourth screen appearance – was The Damned (1969), an unrestrainedly lurid melodrama charting the decline of a fictional family of industrialists, loosely based on the Krupps family,...
- 6/2/2023
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Austrian actor Helmut Berger, who became a star of 60s and 70s art cinema with roles in films such as Luchino Visconti’s The Damned, and Ludwig and Joseph Losey’s The Romantic Englishwoman, has died aged 78. His death was announced by his management agency, which posted a statement on its website saying Berger had “passed away peacefully but unexpectedly” in Salzburg, the city where he grew up.
Born Helmut Steinberger in the Austrian spa town of Bad Ischl in 1944, Berger studied acting in London before moving to Italy, where he met and began a relationship with acclaimed director Luchino Visconti, nearly 40 years his senior. Visconti gave him his first acting role, a small part in the comic anthology The Witches, and subsequently cast him in a spectacular role in his landmark 1969 epic The Damned.
Born Helmut Steinberger in the Austrian spa town of Bad Ischl in 1944, Berger studied acting in London before moving to Italy, where he met and began a relationship with acclaimed director Luchino Visconti, nearly 40 years his senior. Visconti gave him his first acting role, a small part in the comic anthology The Witches, and subsequently cast him in a spectacular role in his landmark 1969 epic The Damned.
- 5/19/2023
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Austrian actor Helmut Berger, the groundbreaking star of European cinematic masterpieces such as Luchino Visconti’s “The Damned” and Vittorio De Sica’s “Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” has died at the age of 78. Berger died at home in Austria from natural causes.
In one of European cinema’s most storied and creative periods, the 60s and 70s, Berger boldly established his place in the pantheon of Continental stars via a handful of films directed by Visconti, his one-time romantic partner. “The Damned,” “Ludwig” and “Conversation Piece” were all crafted with standout roles for Berger and the films were hugely successful both at the arthouse box office and with critics and awards groups.
“The Damned”
Berger was nominated for a Golden Globe for “The Damned,” which was also nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar in 1970. No less an authority than the late German filmmaking maestro Rainer Werner Fassbinder called it “perhaps the greatest film,...
In one of European cinema’s most storied and creative periods, the 60s and 70s, Berger boldly established his place in the pantheon of Continental stars via a handful of films directed by Visconti, his one-time romantic partner. “The Damned,” “Ludwig” and “Conversation Piece” were all crafted with standout roles for Berger and the films were hugely successful both at the arthouse box office and with critics and awards groups.
“The Damned”
Berger was nominated for a Golden Globe for “The Damned,” which was also nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar in 1970. No less an authority than the late German filmmaking maestro Rainer Werner Fassbinder called it “perhaps the greatest film,...
- 5/19/2023
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
When Twa Flight 3, a twin-engine DC-3 concluding its cross-country route from Indiana to Burbank, California, slammed into Potosi Mountain just outside of Las Vegas in the early evening of January 16, 1942, the movies lost its greatest screwball comedienne.
Carole Lombard was 33 years old, and had just weathered a run of tepidly received dramas to reclaim her stature as one of Hollywood's most dependably hilarious performers via Alfred Hitchcock's "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." She was about to receive another round of critical acclaim for her turn as the Polish theater diva Maria Tura in Ernst Lubitsch's masterful "To Be or Not to Be." She was married to Rhett Butler himself, Clark Gable, and had committed herself to the war effort (she'd been in her home state of Indiana to host a war bond rally). Lombard was as beloved and consequential an actor as there was in the industry, and, just like that,...
Carole Lombard was 33 years old, and had just weathered a run of tepidly received dramas to reclaim her stature as one of Hollywood's most dependably hilarious performers via Alfred Hitchcock's "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." She was about to receive another round of critical acclaim for her turn as the Polish theater diva Maria Tura in Ernst Lubitsch's masterful "To Be or Not to Be." She was married to Rhett Butler himself, Clark Gable, and had committed herself to the war effort (she'd been in her home state of Indiana to host a war bond rally). Lombard was as beloved and consequential an actor as there was in the industry, and, just like that,...
- 5/13/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Ag Kino clamed there is ”an increasing lack of direction in the German Film Academy as far as German cinema concerned”.
The German Film Academy’s procedure for nominating this year’s German Film Awards has come under fire from the arthouse cinemas association Ag Kino - Gilde deutscher Filmkunsttheater.
In an unprecedented open letter, published just days ahead of the gala awards ceremony on May 12, Ag Kino claimed this year’s shortlist and nomination procedure showed “an increasing lack of direction in the German Film Academy as far as German cinema concerned”.
The cinema owners were particularly critical of...
The German Film Academy’s procedure for nominating this year’s German Film Awards has come under fire from the arthouse cinemas association Ag Kino - Gilde deutscher Filmkunsttheater.
In an unprecedented open letter, published just days ahead of the gala awards ceremony on May 12, Ag Kino claimed this year’s shortlist and nomination procedure showed “an increasing lack of direction in the German Film Academy as far as German cinema concerned”.
The cinema owners were particularly critical of...
- 5/11/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Movie star John Wayne and actor Marlene Dietrich had quite a history that forever links them together. However, there were some intriguing encounters between the pair that speak to the way that their relationship developed. Wayne once publicly steered clear of Dietrich after she shouted at him, “Mommy wants that for Christmas.”
John Wayne played Dan in ‘Seven Sinners’ L-r: Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne | Universal Pictures/Getty Images
Wayne and Dietrich starred in three movies over the course of their careers. It all started with 1940’s Seven Sinners, which was directed by Tay Garnett. The story follows a torch singer, played by Dietrich, who makes a move on a Navy officer, played by Wayne, as well as his fellow shipmates to achieve her goals.
Next, they released two movies within the same year of 1942. First, they starred in The Spoilers together. Wayne played an Alaskan miner, who has the...
John Wayne played Dan in ‘Seven Sinners’ L-r: Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne | Universal Pictures/Getty Images
Wayne and Dietrich starred in three movies over the course of their careers. It all started with 1940’s Seven Sinners, which was directed by Tay Garnett. The story follows a torch singer, played by Dietrich, who makes a move on a Navy officer, played by Wayne, as well as his fellow shipmates to achieve her goals.
Next, they released two movies within the same year of 1942. First, they starred in The Spoilers together. Wayne played an Alaskan miner, who has the...
- 4/12/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Fort Apache actor John Wayne had experience working with a wide array of his peers on sets over the years. His conservative political beliefs put him at odds with many co-stars over the years, but he still had a certain charm that enticed many of those around him. Wayne went out of his way to help those in need on his movie sets, which was exactly the case when a female co-star fainted while working on Fort Apache due to heat stroke.
John Wayne-collaborator John Ford became worried about Anna Lee John Wayne as Capt. Kirby York | Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Wayne had several collaborators that he was closely associated with over the course of his filmography. Director John Ford was one of those, who amplified the actor to movie star status with 1939’s Stagecoach. However, Wayne’s connection with the filmmaker ultimately gave him the unique opportunity...
John Wayne-collaborator John Ford became worried about Anna Lee John Wayne as Capt. Kirby York | Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Wayne had several collaborators that he was closely associated with over the course of his filmography. Director John Ford was one of those, who amplified the actor to movie star status with 1939’s Stagecoach. However, Wayne’s connection with the filmmaker ultimately gave him the unique opportunity...
- 4/10/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Exclusive: Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Chevalier) and Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) have closed deals to star opposite Stranger Things breakout Sadie Sink in Searchlight Pictures’ original rock opera O’Dessa from Patti Cake$ filmmaker Geremy Jasper. It is heading into production in Croatia in May.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, O’Dessa follows Sink’s farm girl of the same name on an epic quest to recover a cherished family heirloom. Her journey leads her to a strange and dangerous city where she meets her one true love – but in order to save his soul, she must put the power of destiny and song to the ultimate test.
While no details as to Bartlett’s role have been disclosed, sources tell Deadline that Harrison will play O’Dessa’s love interest, Euri Dervish — a punk performer described as an “unholy mix of Iggy Pop, Marlene Dietrich and Prince.”
Written and to be directed by Jasper,...
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, O’Dessa follows Sink’s farm girl of the same name on an epic quest to recover a cherished family heirloom. Her journey leads her to a strange and dangerous city where she meets her one true love – but in order to save his soul, she must put the power of destiny and song to the ultimate test.
While no details as to Bartlett’s role have been disclosed, sources tell Deadline that Harrison will play O’Dessa’s love interest, Euri Dervish — a punk performer described as an “unholy mix of Iggy Pop, Marlene Dietrich and Prince.”
Written and to be directed by Jasper,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Critics can debate just how diverse the 2023 Oscars really were. Alongside a record number of winners of ethnically Chinese and Indian decent — including Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, director-screenwriter Daniel Kwan and producer Jonathan Wang for Everything Everywhere All At Once, and a best song trophy for “Naatu Naatu” composer M.M. Keeravaani and lyricist Chandrabose — the 95th Academy Awards includes just a single Black winner, costume designer Ruth Carter, who picked up her second Oscar for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and just one Oscar for a Latino filmmaker, going to Mexican director Guillermo del Toro for his animated feature Pinocchio.
On one measure, however, the 2023 Oscars get top marks. This year’s event was one of the most globally diverse in the event’s history.
Winners in 13 of 24 Oscar categories hailed from outside the U.S. — 15 if you include Ke Huy Quan, (who was born in Vietnam and immigrated...
On one measure, however, the 2023 Oscars get top marks. This year’s event was one of the most globally diverse in the event’s history.
Winners in 13 of 24 Oscar categories hailed from outside the U.S. — 15 if you include Ke Huy Quan, (who was born in Vietnam and immigrated...
- 3/17/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A ruby-and-diamond bracelet that legendary star Marlene Dietrich commissioned from Van Cleef & Arpels in 1937 and wore to the Academy Awards in 1951 is headed to the auction block. It will be offered as part of Christie’s upcoming June 7 sale in New York, titled “The Magnificent Jewels of Anne Eisenhower.”
Interior designer and jewelry collector Anne Eisenhower.
Eisenhower — an interior designer who died last year and was a granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower — was also privately a collector of many pieces of exceptional jewelry, from a Panthère de Cartier brooch to a Tiffany and Co. Art Deco diamond bracelet on which a rose is depicted by rubies and emeralds. Both are included in the auction, which has a total of 31 lots.
But it’s Dietrich’s bracelet, which Eisenhower anonymously purchased at auction in 1992, that is the undisputed star of the sale as well as the lot with the highest estimate — $2.5 million to $4.5 million.
Interior designer and jewelry collector Anne Eisenhower.
Eisenhower — an interior designer who died last year and was a granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower — was also privately a collector of many pieces of exceptional jewelry, from a Panthère de Cartier brooch to a Tiffany and Co. Art Deco diamond bracelet on which a rose is depicted by rubies and emeralds. Both are included in the auction, which has a total of 31 lots.
But it’s Dietrich’s bracelet, which Eisenhower anonymously purchased at auction in 1992, that is the undisputed star of the sale as well as the lot with the highest estimate — $2.5 million to $4.5 million.
- 3/16/2023
- by Degen Pener
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Daniel Brühl is set to star as late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld in “Kaiser Karl,” the anticipated Disney+ original series which Gaumont (“Lupin”) is currently producing. The show is currently shooting in France, Monaco and Italy.
The six-part series will chronicle the rise of Karl Lagerfeld through the world of 1970s Parisian high fashion. In 1972, a 38-year-old Karl Lagerfeld aspired to become the most famous French fashion designer, at a time when Yves Saint Laurent reigned supreme. Lagerfeld went on to become the head designer and creative director of Chanel, Fendi and his own label.
The series will also explore the rivalry between Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent’s partner Pierre Berge, as well as his love story with Jacques de Bascher.
Along with depicting the clan rivalries and ego battles of the high fashion world, the series will also portray the epic partying and decadence, tragic love affairs and...
The six-part series will chronicle the rise of Karl Lagerfeld through the world of 1970s Parisian high fashion. In 1972, a 38-year-old Karl Lagerfeld aspired to become the most famous French fashion designer, at a time when Yves Saint Laurent reigned supreme. Lagerfeld went on to become the head designer and creative director of Chanel, Fendi and his own label.
The series will also explore the rivalry between Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent’s partner Pierre Berge, as well as his love story with Jacques de Bascher.
Along with depicting the clan rivalries and ego battles of the high fashion world, the series will also portray the epic partying and decadence, tragic love affairs and...
- 3/8/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Cary Grant was a one-of-a-kind movie star. Sure, there have been others who have reached his level of fame, acclaim, and stature, but in terms of what made Grant a movie star, there has been no one like him before or since. His ability to seamlessly shift between a Hitchcock noir like "Notorious" to a total goofball comedy like "Monkey Business" remains unparalleled. Add to that his dashing good lucks, tall, athletic frame, and signature mid-Atlantic accent, and you have one of the greatest Hollywood icons of all time, if not the greatest.
For someone with such a distinctly defined movie star persona, his malleability as a performer was rather unusual. In the classic Hollywood era, the major studios were the ones molding stars. They had performers under long-term contracts, allowing them to basically plug in anyone they wished into certain projects. Actors would be paid like regular salaried employees...
For someone with such a distinctly defined movie star persona, his malleability as a performer was rather unusual. In the classic Hollywood era, the major studios were the ones molding stars. They had performers under long-term contracts, allowing them to basically plug in anyone they wished into certain projects. Actors would be paid like regular salaried employees...
- 3/4/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Quentin Tarantino has floated around the possibility of doing another Kill Bill film. But the filmmaker hasn’t seemed to commit to the idea.
One of the reasons Uma Thurman said Tarantino wasn’t ready for a Kill Bill Vol. 3 was because of her looks.
How Uma Thurman helped Quentin Tarantino create ‘Kill Bill’ Quentin Tarantino | Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Tarantino and Thurman have only done three movies together. But those three movies were enough to have a huge influence on Thurman’s career trajectory. The pair first collaborated on Pulp Fiction, which turned Tarantino into one of Hollywood’s most well-known directors overnight. From there, Tarantino recalled forming a unique bond with Thurman that he couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of.
“It’s just this cool connection that happened while we were doing Pulp Fiction. I mean, von Sternberg had Marlene Dietrich, Hitchcock had Ingrid Bergman, Andre Techine had Catherine Deneuve.
One of the reasons Uma Thurman said Tarantino wasn’t ready for a Kill Bill Vol. 3 was because of her looks.
How Uma Thurman helped Quentin Tarantino create ‘Kill Bill’ Quentin Tarantino | Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Tarantino and Thurman have only done three movies together. But those three movies were enough to have a huge influence on Thurman’s career trajectory. The pair first collaborated on Pulp Fiction, which turned Tarantino into one of Hollywood’s most well-known directors overnight. From there, Tarantino recalled forming a unique bond with Thurman that he couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of.
“It’s just this cool connection that happened while we were doing Pulp Fiction. I mean, von Sternberg had Marlene Dietrich, Hitchcock had Ingrid Bergman, Andre Techine had Catherine Deneuve.
- 3/4/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The launch of innovative thrillers like “Glass Onion” and “Bullet Train” has re-ignited the love for this classic genre. These films are a potent concoction of action, suspense, crime, and sci-fi – prepared to keep viewers in an endless loop of anticipation (or fear).
IMDb makes it a breeze for thriller fanatics to find the cream of the crop. From award-winning classics like “Witness for the Prosecution” that form this genre’s identity to worldwide successes such as “Parasite.” It even includes two dark superhero movies from “The Dark Knight” franchise among its top-rated gems.
Ranked Best Thriller Movies [Sortable Table] Rank Title Year IMDb Metascore 18 Witness for the Prosecution 1957 8.4 76 17 The Lives of Others 2006 8.4 89 16 Rear Window 1954 8.5 100 15 Oldboy 2003 8.4 77 14 Psycho 1960 8.5 97 13 Aliens 1986 8.4 84 12 Parasite 2019 8.5 96 11 The Usual Suspects 1995 8.5 77 10 Léon: The Professional 1994 8.5 64 9 Memento 2000 8.4 81 8 Joker 2019 8.4 59 7 The Departed 2006 8.5 85 6 The Prestige 2006 8.5 66 5 The Silence of the Lambs 1991 8.6 85 4 Se7en 1995 8.6 65 3 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 8.4 78 2 Inception 2010 8.8 74 1 The Dark Knight 2008 9 84 More About the Best Thriller Movies List...
IMDb makes it a breeze for thriller fanatics to find the cream of the crop. From award-winning classics like “Witness for the Prosecution” that form this genre’s identity to worldwide successes such as “Parasite.” It even includes two dark superhero movies from “The Dark Knight” franchise among its top-rated gems.
Ranked Best Thriller Movies [Sortable Table] Rank Title Year IMDb Metascore 18 Witness for the Prosecution 1957 8.4 76 17 The Lives of Others 2006 8.4 89 16 Rear Window 1954 8.5 100 15 Oldboy 2003 8.4 77 14 Psycho 1960 8.5 97 13 Aliens 1986 8.4 84 12 Parasite 2019 8.5 96 11 The Usual Suspects 1995 8.5 77 10 Léon: The Professional 1994 8.5 64 9 Memento 2000 8.4 81 8 Joker 2019 8.4 59 7 The Departed 2006 8.5 85 6 The Prestige 2006 8.5 66 5 The Silence of the Lambs 1991 8.6 85 4 Se7en 1995 8.6 65 3 The Dark Knight Rises 2012 8.4 78 2 Inception 2010 8.8 74 1 The Dark Knight 2008 9 84 More About the Best Thriller Movies List...
- 2/26/2023
- by Buddy TV
- buddytv.com
This expensive production was dismissed as a flop, and literary critics scorned it for diluting the famed novel by Theodore Dreiser. But it plays well now: William Wyler gives star Laurence Olivier what may be his best film acting role ever. Jennifer Jones’ title part suffers from script changes that censor and sentimentalize Dreiser’s intentions, but the film remains a shattering tragedy. Eddie Albert co-stars in one of his first dramatic roles; this encoding includes a scene dropped from the original release.
Carrie (1952)
Region Free Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #200
1952 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 121, 118 min. / Street Date February 22, 2023 / Available from [Imprint] / Aud 34.95
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, Miriam Hopkins, Eddie Albert, Basil Ruysdael, Ray Teal, Barry Kelley, William Reynolds, Mary Murphy, Charles Halton, William Baldwin, Dorothy Adams, Jacqueline de Witt, Don Beddoe, Royal Dano, Margaret Field.
Cinematography: Victor Milner
Art Directors: Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson
Costume Design: Edith Head
Film Editor: Robert Swink...
Carrie (1952)
Region Free Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] #200
1952 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 121, 118 min. / Street Date February 22, 2023 / Available from [Imprint] / Aud 34.95
Starring: Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, Miriam Hopkins, Eddie Albert, Basil Ruysdael, Ray Teal, Barry Kelley, William Reynolds, Mary Murphy, Charles Halton, William Baldwin, Dorothy Adams, Jacqueline de Witt, Don Beddoe, Royal Dano, Margaret Field.
Cinematography: Victor Milner
Art Directors: Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson
Costume Design: Edith Head
Film Editor: Robert Swink...
- 2/18/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Fred Astaire once said The Beatles were “tremendous artists.” The Fab Four thought the same of the singer and dancer. They even pretended to be Astaire in a couple of songs.
Fred Astaire and Dick Cavett | ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images Fred Astaire thought The Beatles were ‘tremendous artists’
During an interview on The Dick Cavett Show, Astaire talked about the contemporary music his grandchildren listened to. His grandson, who was 10 at the time, listened to hard rock.
Cavett asked if Astaire had any Beatles records in his own collection. “Oh, sure,” Astaire said. “I love The Beatles. Tremendous artists.” He said their music alone was great.
He also liked that their music had a distinct sound. For instance, if Astaire heard a song, he would have recognized that it was The Beatles.
Astaire inspired a couple of Beatles songs
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul McCartney wrote that...
Fred Astaire and Dick Cavett | ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images Fred Astaire thought The Beatles were ‘tremendous artists’
During an interview on The Dick Cavett Show, Astaire talked about the contemporary music his grandchildren listened to. His grandson, who was 10 at the time, listened to hard rock.
Cavett asked if Astaire had any Beatles records in his own collection. “Oh, sure,” Astaire said. “I love The Beatles. Tremendous artists.” He said their music alone was great.
He also liked that their music had a distinct sound. For instance, if Astaire heard a song, he would have recognized that it was The Beatles.
Astaire inspired a couple of Beatles songs
In The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul McCartney wrote that...
- 2/17/2023
- by Hannah Wigandt
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
American fashion is making an excellent case for its presence on upcoming red carpets, judging by some of the high-profile shows debuting for Fall/Winter 2023 in New York this week. Jason Wu’s elegant presentation in a theater space at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum was among the season’s outstanding examples, a sublime blend of tailoring and romance told via Wu’s restrained, confident sensibilities.
“In a day when you see much larger houses dominating the red carpet, I’m really proud of the fact that actresses choose to work with me and wear my designs,” Wu (who most recently dressed Viola Davis for the Golden Globes and Niecy Nash for the Critics Choice Awards) told The Hollywood Reporter following the show. “The red carpet has become such a business, but we believe in genuine relationships and friendships. Look at Niecy; she came to my very first fashion show 15 years ago.
“In a day when you see much larger houses dominating the red carpet, I’m really proud of the fact that actresses choose to work with me and wear my designs,” Wu (who most recently dressed Viola Davis for the Golden Globes and Niecy Nash for the Critics Choice Awards) told The Hollywood Reporter following the show. “The red carpet has become such a business, but we believe in genuine relationships and friendships. Look at Niecy; she came to my very first fashion show 15 years ago.
- 2/16/2023
- by Laurie Brookins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Raquel Welch, the actor who became an icon and sex symbol thanks to films like “One Million Years B.C.” and “Three Musketeers,” died Wednesday in Los Angeles after a brief illness, her manager confirmed to Variety. She was 82.
She came onto the movie scene in 1966 with the sci-fi film “Fantastic Voyage” and the prehistoric adventure “One Million Years B.C.,” the latter of which established Welch as a sex symbol. The actor went on to appear in the controversial adaptation of Gore Vidal’s “Myra Beckrinridge,” “Kansas City Bomber” and Richard Lester’s delightful romps “The Three Musketeers” (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe, and “The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge” (1974). She was one of the first women to play the lead role — not the romantic interest — in a Western, 1971 revenge tale “Hannie Caulder” — an inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” (2003), according to the director.
(Earlier, Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford...
She came onto the movie scene in 1966 with the sci-fi film “Fantastic Voyage” and the prehistoric adventure “One Million Years B.C.,” the latter of which established Welch as a sex symbol. The actor went on to appear in the controversial adaptation of Gore Vidal’s “Myra Beckrinridge,” “Kansas City Bomber” and Richard Lester’s delightful romps “The Three Musketeers” (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe, and “The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge” (1974). She was one of the first women to play the lead role — not the romantic interest — in a Western, 1971 revenge tale “Hannie Caulder” — an inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” (2003), according to the director.
(Earlier, Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford...
- 2/15/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
During the pandemic, Valentine’s Day will look noticeably different to previous years.
Many people in relationships will be separated by distance, or due to ongoing lockdown restrictions, while single people are also forced to put their lives on hold.
However, there are myriad ways to celebrate one of the most romantic days of the year. Take inspiration from the poets and musicians who have, through the centuries, managed to convey their affection by sending letters and notes to their loved ones, however far away they might have been.
Below are excerpts from some of the most famous love letters of all time:
1. Johnny Cash to June Carter Cash, 1994 (on June’s 65th birthday)
"Happy Birthday Princess,
We get old and get use to each other. We think alike.
We read each others minds. We know what the other wants without asking. Sometimes we irritate each other a little bit.
Many people in relationships will be separated by distance, or due to ongoing lockdown restrictions, while single people are also forced to put their lives on hold.
However, there are myriad ways to celebrate one of the most romantic days of the year. Take inspiration from the poets and musicians who have, through the centuries, managed to convey their affection by sending letters and notes to their loved ones, however far away they might have been.
Below are excerpts from some of the most famous love letters of all time:
1. Johnny Cash to June Carter Cash, 1994 (on June’s 65th birthday)
"Happy Birthday Princess,
We get old and get use to each other. We think alike.
We read each others minds. We know what the other wants without asking. Sometimes we irritate each other a little bit.
- 2/14/2023
- by Roisin O'Connor
- The Independent - Music
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