After the Hays Code was finally dropped in the late ’60s, it allowed filmmakers to make films without any restrictions, which led to the rise of some of the greatest names in filmmaking. This included acclaimed filmmaker George Lucas, who rose to prominence following the success of American Graffiti, starring Harrison Ford, which hit the shelves in ’73.
But it was his next collaboration with Ford that would go on to change Hollywood forever, kickstarting one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time. However, making Star Wars: A New Hope was pretty taxing for the filmmaker, as the sci-fi juggernaut almost fumbled after Lucas underwent some medical issues.
George Lucas’s Medical Emergency Almost Halted Star Wars’ Production
George Lucas on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. (Credit: Lucasfilm)
With A New Hope George Lucas not only created one of the most influential sci-fi releases of all time,...
But it was his next collaboration with Ford that would go on to change Hollywood forever, kickstarting one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time. However, making Star Wars: A New Hope was pretty taxing for the filmmaker, as the sci-fi juggernaut almost fumbled after Lucas underwent some medical issues.
George Lucas’s Medical Emergency Almost Halted Star Wars’ Production
George Lucas on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. (Credit: Lucasfilm)
With A New Hope George Lucas not only created one of the most influential sci-fi releases of all time,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
The 1983 classic Risky Business is getting the Criterion Collection treatment with an upcoming 4K Uhd and Blu-ray release – and the list of special features reveals that this release will feature both the theatrical cut of the film as well as writer/director Paul Brickman’s director’s cut, which has the original, darker ending. That ending was available as a bonus feature on a previous Blu-ray release of Risky Business, but these Criterion discs will be the first to actually have a full, official “director’s cut” of the film on them.
Risky Business has the following description: A sly piece of pop subversion, this irresistible satire of Reagan-era materialism features Tom Cruise in his star-is-born breakthrough as a Chicago suburban prepster whose college-bound life spirals out of control when his parents go out of town for the week and an enterprising call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) invites him...
Risky Business has the following description: A sly piece of pop subversion, this irresistible satire of Reagan-era materialism features Tom Cruise in his star-is-born breakthrough as a Chicago suburban prepster whose college-bound life spirals out of control when his parents go out of town for the week and an enterprising call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) invites him...
- 4/15/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
For so many reasons, George Lucas' 1977 "Star Wars" is a revolutionary film. Like any game-changer, some of the ways in which "Star Wars" re-shaped the cinematic landscape couldn't have been predicted; its ushering in a huge wave of big budget sci-fi/fantasy films, its one-two punch with "Jaws" establishing the summer blockbuster, its use of Joseph Campbell-inspired myth making shaping the way so many screenplays would be written for the next few decades, and so on.
However, some of the innovations created by "Star Wars" were very visible while it was being made, none more so than by Lucas himself. In addition to gathering together a cadre of visual-effects pioneers and wizards who could make his vision a reality on screen (a coterie later dubbed Industrial Light & Magic), Lucas faced the problem of making sure their work could be seen in its best light, literally. As Paul Hirsch, one of...
However, some of the innovations created by "Star Wars" were very visible while it was being made, none more so than by Lucas himself. In addition to gathering together a cadre of visual-effects pioneers and wizards who could make his vision a reality on screen (a coterie later dubbed Industrial Light & Magic), Lucas faced the problem of making sure their work could be seen in its best light, literally. As Paul Hirsch, one of...
- 2/18/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
"Star Wars" was only the third feature film that George Lucas ever directed and it was easily more ambitious and expensive than "Thx 1138" and "American Graffiti" — the $11 million budget for "Star Wars" is equal to about $65 million today. Handling that kind of money, and spending it on a film whose absurdity invited dozens of ways to fail, strained Lucas' mental wellbeing.
It didn't help that the film suffered from a production that was anything but smooth, with constant effects problems and trailing behind schedule. Not all the actors (Harrison Ford included) had faith in Lucas' vision while they were shooting it. It's a matter of filmmaking legend now how "Star Wars" didn't come together until Marcia Lucas (one of the film's three credited editors and George's then-wife) cut it into shape in her editing bay; before that, Lucas was concerned he'd bitten off more than he could chew.
In...
It didn't help that the film suffered from a production that was anything but smooth, with constant effects problems and trailing behind schedule. Not all the actors (Harrison Ford included) had faith in Lucas' vision while they were shooting it. It's a matter of filmmaking legend now how "Star Wars" didn't come together until Marcia Lucas (one of the film's three credited editors and George's then-wife) cut it into shape in her editing bay; before that, Lucas was concerned he'd bitten off more than he could chew.
In...
- 2/18/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
The Academy picked the right year to give an Honorary Oscar to film editor Carol Littleton. They’re saluting a female editor at a time when three of the year’s major awards contenders —“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Oppenheimer” and “Maestro” — are edited by Thelma Schoonmaker, Jennifer Lame and Michelle Tesoro, respectively, and when other women in the mix include Hilda Rasula for “American Fiction,” Victoria Boydell for “Saltburn,” Sarah Flack for “Priscilla” and co-editors Claire Simpson (with Sam Restivo) for “Napoleon” and Oona Flaherty (with Nick Moore) for “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
“The Editors Guild has about 2,900 picture editors, and 764 women,” said Littleton, a one-time president of that guild. “That’s about a fourth. So isn’t it interesting that these three big prestigious films, ‘Oppenheimer,’ and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and ‘Maestro,’ are edited by women?”
If all three are nominated for Oscars...
“The Editors Guild has about 2,900 picture editors, and 764 women,” said Littleton, a one-time president of that guild. “That’s about a fourth. So isn’t it interesting that these three big prestigious films, ‘Oppenheimer,’ and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and ‘Maestro,’ are edited by women?”
If all three are nominated for Oscars...
- 12/29/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
“Star Wars” is one of the biggest franchises of all time and has welcomed multiple generations to a galaxy far, far away for 45 years. George Lucas’ groundbreaking vision, which began all the way back in 1977 with “A New Hope,” changed the movie industry forever and, with that, made a mark on the Academy Awards that year with a Best Picture nomination. However, the relationship between “Star Wars” and the Oscars hasn’t always been as lovable as Han Solo and Chewie. In fact, there’s often been a touch of Vader-Luke in the conflicted dynamic between the two institutions. Here’s a breakdown of the history of every “Star Wars” movie at the Academy Awards, ranked in terms of Oscars success.
“A New Hope” (1977)
Dir: George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
“Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and...
“A New Hope” (1977)
Dir: George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
“Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and...
- 7/28/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
The Sun Valley Film Festival announced their 2023 award winners, with National Geographic’s Documentary “Wild Life” taking home the audience award, “Fancy Dance” winning best narrative and “Nascondino” earning the documentary feature film prize. The annual Idaho Awards Bash took place from March 29 to April 2 at Whiskey Jacques.
In addition to the film awards, the festival hosted a performance by Blair Gun and Variety honored this year’s 10 Producers to Watch. Other highlights include Josh Brolin receiving the Vision award, Emilio Estevez receiving the Pioneer award, Sophie Thatcher receiving the Rising Star award and Nina Yang Bongiovi receiving the Creative Impact Honoree in Producing.
Since 2012, each spring has brought another Svff celebration of groundbreaking new films and television premieres, with opportunities for filmmakers to connect with one another and find mentorship through industry panels, coffee talks and screenwriting workshops. Svff also works year-round to bring special projects to Sun Valley.
In addition to the film awards, the festival hosted a performance by Blair Gun and Variety honored this year’s 10 Producers to Watch. Other highlights include Josh Brolin receiving the Vision award, Emilio Estevez receiving the Pioneer award, Sophie Thatcher receiving the Rising Star award and Nina Yang Bongiovi receiving the Creative Impact Honoree in Producing.
Since 2012, each spring has brought another Svff celebration of groundbreaking new films and television premieres, with opportunities for filmmakers to connect with one another and find mentorship through industry panels, coffee talks and screenwriting workshops. Svff also works year-round to bring special projects to Sun Valley.
- 4/3/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
The American Cinema Editors (Ace) has announced its new board. Current president Kevin Tent will serve another two-year term.
Lillian Benson will continue to serve alongside him as will vice president Sabrina Plisco and treasurer Andrew Seklir. Former associate board members Dana Glauberman and Nancy Richardson have been bumped up to the board, replacing outgoing members Anita Brandt-Burgoyne and Michael Ornstein.
“On behalf of American Cinema Editors, we are proud to welcome our newly elected Board Members to the Ace leadership team,” stated Tent.
Tent is best known for his collaboration with filmmaker Alexander Payne. They first worked together on the 1996 film “Citizen Ruth.” He was elected to the board in 2020 and was nominated for both an Ace Eddie and an Academy Award for editing Payne’s film “The Descendants,” starring George Clooney. He won the Ace Eddie Award for best edited drama film that year.
Says Tent, “As Ace...
Lillian Benson will continue to serve alongside him as will vice president Sabrina Plisco and treasurer Andrew Seklir. Former associate board members Dana Glauberman and Nancy Richardson have been bumped up to the board, replacing outgoing members Anita Brandt-Burgoyne and Michael Ornstein.
“On behalf of American Cinema Editors, we are proud to welcome our newly elected Board Members to the Ace leadership team,” stated Tent.
Tent is best known for his collaboration with filmmaker Alexander Payne. They first worked together on the 1996 film “Citizen Ruth.” He was elected to the board in 2020 and was nominated for both an Ace Eddie and an Academy Award for editing Payne’s film “The Descendants,” starring George Clooney. He won the Ace Eddie Award for best edited drama film that year.
Says Tent, “As Ace...
- 11/23/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
American Cinema Editors has announced it will honor The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood with its Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award at the 73rd annual Ace Eddie Awards, taking place within UCLA’s Royce Hall on March 5, 2023.
The Golden Eddie is an award recognizing an artist who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. Past recipients include Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Kathleen Kennedy, Christopher Nolan, Lauren Shuler Donner, Guillermo del Toro, Vince Gilligan, J.J. Abrams, Nancy Meyers, Martin Scorsese, Norman Jewison, Robert Zemeckis, George Lucas, and the Sundance Institute, among others.
“A supremely versatile trailblazer from day one of her career, Gina Prince-Bythewood has consistently entertained us with intimate films and global blockbusters that explore the human experience through formidable female characters,” said Ace president Kevin Tent, Ace. “A champion of diverse, character-driven narratives, her latest film — The Woman King — is the crown jewel...
The Golden Eddie is an award recognizing an artist who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. Past recipients include Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Kathleen Kennedy, Christopher Nolan, Lauren Shuler Donner, Guillermo del Toro, Vince Gilligan, J.J. Abrams, Nancy Meyers, Martin Scorsese, Norman Jewison, Robert Zemeckis, George Lucas, and the Sundance Institute, among others.
“A supremely versatile trailblazer from day one of her career, Gina Prince-Bythewood has consistently entertained us with intimate films and global blockbusters that explore the human experience through formidable female characters,” said Ace president Kevin Tent, Ace. “A champion of diverse, character-driven narratives, her latest film — The Woman King — is the crown jewel...
- 10/27/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Opposition to the Academy’s plan to award eight Oscars prior to the live telecast continues to grow, with more than 350 new names — including more than a dozen Oscar-winning editors, cinematographers and production designers — added to the petition sent last week to Academy president David Rubin urging a reversal of the plan.
Among the industry professionals signing are Oscar-winning cinematographers John Seale (“The English Patient”), John Toll (“Braveheart”) and Dean Semler (“Dances With Wolves”), and Oscar-winning editors Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch (“Star Wars”), Mikkel Neilsen (“The Sound of Metal”), Pietro Scalia (“JFK”) and Zach Staenberg (“The Matrix”).
Oscar-winning production designers Hannah Beachler (“Black Panther”), Barbara Ling (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”), Adam Stockhausen (“Grand Budapest Hotel”) and David and Sandy Wasco (“La La Land”) also signed on.
Cinematography will be presented during the live show, but editing and production design are among the eight awards to be presented during the 4 p.
Among the industry professionals signing are Oscar-winning cinematographers John Seale (“The English Patient”), John Toll (“Braveheart”) and Dean Semler (“Dances With Wolves”), and Oscar-winning editors Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch (“Star Wars”), Mikkel Neilsen (“The Sound of Metal”), Pietro Scalia (“JFK”) and Zach Staenberg (“The Matrix”).
Oscar-winning production designers Hannah Beachler (“Black Panther”), Barbara Ling (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”), Adam Stockhausen (“Grand Budapest Hotel”) and David and Sandy Wasco (“La La Land”) also signed on.
Cinematography will be presented during the live show, but editing and production design are among the eight awards to be presented during the 4 p.
- 3/17/2022
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Underdog “King Richard” (Warner Bros.) beat the higher profile “Dune” (Warner Bros.) and “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) for drama film editing honors at the 72nd Annual Ace Eddie Awards. The live ceremony was held Saturday at the Ace Hotel. Likewise, “Tick Tick Boom” (Netflix) prevailed over the favored “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix) in the film comedy category. Other winners included Oscar favorites “Encanto” (Disney) and “Summer of Soul” (Searchlight Pictures) for animated feature and documentary, and “Oslo” (HBO Films) for non-theatrical feature.
On the TV side, “Succession” (HBO), “Mare of Easttown” (HBO), “The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney+), “Kevin Can F**k Himself” (AMC), “Hacks” (HBO Max), and “Bob’s Burgers” (Fox) were the big winners for drama, limited series, documentary non-theatrical, multi-camera and single-camera comedy series, and non-theatrical animation, respectively. Editors Lillian E. Benson (“Eyes on the Prize”), the first woman of color to join the American Cinema Editors Society,...
On the TV side, “Succession” (HBO), “Mare of Easttown” (HBO), “The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney+), “Kevin Can F**k Himself” (AMC), “Hacks” (HBO Max), and “Bob’s Burgers” (Fox) were the big winners for drama, limited series, documentary non-theatrical, multi-camera and single-camera comedy series, and non-theatrical animation, respectively. Editors Lillian E. Benson (“Eyes on the Prize”), the first woman of color to join the American Cinema Editors Society,...
- 3/6/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“King Richard” editor Pamela Martin topped the dramatic feature editing category at the American Cinema Editors 72nd Ace Eddie Awards, while “Tick, Tick … Boom!’s” Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum won the category for best edited comedic feature during Saturday’s in-person ceremony at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized by my peers, most importantly,” Martin told Variety before the ceremony. “I’m over the moon and I’m so grateful to be in such wonderful, talented company from the other nominees.”
Michelle Statter accepted the prestigious Ace Golden Eddie Award — recognizing an artist or company for distinguished achievement in film — on behalf of The Sundance Institute. Film editors Lillian E. Benson, ACE and Richard Chew, ACE received Career Achievement Awards for their outstanding contributions to film editing. The event was hosted by DJ Lance Rock and presided over by ACE President Kevin Tent,...
“It’s a great honor to be recognized by my peers, most importantly,” Martin told Variety before the ceremony. “I’m over the moon and I’m so grateful to be in such wonderful, talented company from the other nominees.”
Michelle Statter accepted the prestigious Ace Golden Eddie Award — recognizing an artist or company for distinguished achievement in film — on behalf of The Sundance Institute. Film editors Lillian E. Benson, ACE and Richard Chew, ACE received Career Achievement Awards for their outstanding contributions to film editing. The event was hosted by DJ Lance Rock and presided over by ACE President Kevin Tent,...
- 3/6/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
“King Richard” and “tick, tick…Boom!” have been named the best-edited feature films of 2021 by the American Cinema Editors, which held its annual Ace-Eddie Awards on Saturday at, appropriately enough, the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
“King Richard” beat fellow Oscar nominees “Dune” (the presumed favorite) and “The Power of the Dog” to win in the drama category, while “tick, tick…Boom!” beat the Oscar-nominated “Don’t Look Up” in the comedy category.
In the 22 years since Ace split its film award into separate drama and comedy categories, one of its winners has gone on to win the Oscar for Best Film Editing 15 times. All but one of those wins have come in the drama category. Last year’s winner, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” lost the Oscar to “Sound of Metal.”
In the documentary categories, music docs ruled, with “Summer of Soul” taking the prize for documentary feature...
“King Richard” beat fellow Oscar nominees “Dune” (the presumed favorite) and “The Power of the Dog” to win in the drama category, while “tick, tick…Boom!” beat the Oscar-nominated “Don’t Look Up” in the comedy category.
In the 22 years since Ace split its film award into separate drama and comedy categories, one of its winners has gone on to win the Oscar for Best Film Editing 15 times. All but one of those wins have come in the drama category. Last year’s winner, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” lost the Oscar to “Sound of Metal.”
In the documentary categories, music docs ruled, with “Summer of Soul” taking the prize for documentary feature...
- 3/6/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Warner Bros. sports drama King Richard took the top Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) honor Saturday to cap the American Cinema Editors’ 72nd annual Ace Eddie Awards.
Pamela Martin edited the pic, which sees Will Smith portraying the father to tennis sensations Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton), who had a plan that would take the young tennis players from the streets of Compton to the global stage. The win puts Martin and the film in frontrunner status in the Best Film Editing Oscar race, where it is competing against fellow nominees Don’t Look Up, Dune, The Power of the Dog and Tick, Tick…Boom!. Twenty-two of the past 30 Ace winners for best edited dramatic film and 11 of the past 16 have gone on to score the Oscar, but Ford v. Ferrari won the Academy Award last year after Paradise took the Eddie.
King Richard is up for six Oscars this year,...
Pamela Martin edited the pic, which sees Will Smith portraying the father to tennis sensations Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton), who had a plan that would take the young tennis players from the streets of Compton to the global stage. The win puts Martin and the film in frontrunner status in the Best Film Editing Oscar race, where it is competing against fellow nominees Don’t Look Up, Dune, The Power of the Dog and Tick, Tick…Boom!. Twenty-two of the past 30 Ace winners for best edited dramatic film and 11 of the past 16 have gone on to score the Oscar, but Ford v. Ferrari won the Academy Award last year after Paradise took the Eddie.
King Richard is up for six Oscars this year,...
- 3/6/2022
- by Denise Petski and Fred Topel
- Deadline Film + TV
The American Cinema Editors (Ace) has nominated “Belfast,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “No Time to Die” and “The Power of the Dog” in the category of feature film drama at the 72nd annual Ace Eddie Awards.
In the best edited comedic feature category, “Cruella,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “Tick, Tick…Boom!” all received nominations.
Among the animated features nominated were “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Sing 2.” The TV nominees include “Succession” and “The White Lotus.”
The Eddies are considered a precursor for the best picture and best editing categories at the Oscars. Five of the past 11 winners for best edited drama feature went on to win the film editing Oscar.
Since 1961, only 10 women have won in the best edited drama feature category. This year, there are two women who made the cut: Pamela Martin (“King Richard”) and...
In the best edited comedic feature category, “Cruella,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “Tick, Tick…Boom!” all received nominations.
Among the animated features nominated were “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Sing 2.” The TV nominees include “Succession” and “The White Lotus.”
The Eddies are considered a precursor for the best picture and best editing categories at the Oscars. Five of the past 11 winners for best edited drama feature went on to win the film editing Oscar.
Since 1961, only 10 women have won in the best edited drama feature category. This year, there are two women who made the cut: Pamela Martin (“King Richard”) and...
- 1/27/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Nominees for the 72nd annual Ace Eddie Awards include feature dramas “Dune,” “Belfast,” “King Richard,” “No Time to Die,” “The Power of the Dog,” along with feature comedies “Licorice Pizza” and “Don’t Look Up.” Also getting comedy nods were “Cruella,” “The French Dispatch,” and “Tick Tick Boom.” The winners will be announced live during the Ace Eddie awards March 5 at the Ace Hotel theater.
“Dune,” “Belfast,” “King Richard,” “Don’t Look Up,” and “The Power of the Dog” have the strongest chance of getting Oscar nominations. However, “Licorice Pizza” and “No Time to Die” could also make the cut. Although “West Side Story” was overlooked by Ace, there’s still the chance that three-time Oscar winner Michael Kahn and co-editor Sarah Broshar could squeeze into the race.
Animation nominations, much like previously announced guild votes, went to Disney’s “Encanto” and “Raya and the Last Dragon,” Pixar’s “Luca,” Netflix/Sony...
“Dune,” “Belfast,” “King Richard,” “Don’t Look Up,” and “The Power of the Dog” have the strongest chance of getting Oscar nominations. However, “Licorice Pizza” and “No Time to Die” could also make the cut. Although “West Side Story” was overlooked by Ace, there’s still the chance that three-time Oscar winner Michael Kahn and co-editor Sarah Broshar could squeeze into the race.
Animation nominations, much like previously announced guild votes, went to Disney’s “Encanto” and “Raya and the Last Dragon,” Pixar’s “Luca,” Netflix/Sony...
- 1/27/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The American Cinema Editors has spliced together the nominees for its 72nd annual Ace Eddie Awards.
The editors behind Belfast, Dune, King Richard, No Time to Die and The Power of the Dog will compete for Best Edited Dramatic Feature Film. Up for Comedy Feature are Cruella, Don’t Look Up, The French Dispatch, Licorice Pizza and tick, tick…Boom! The Animated Feature race will be among Encanto, Luca, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon
and Sing 2.
Vying in the Documentary Feature competition are Flee, The Rescue, Summer of Soul, Val and The Velvet Underground. See the full list of the Eddie Award nominations below.
Trophies will be presented during the guild’s awards ceremony on March 5 at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. The half-capacity show originally was set for February 26.
A highlight on the TV side is Kevin Can F**k Himself,...
The editors behind Belfast, Dune, King Richard, No Time to Die and The Power of the Dog will compete for Best Edited Dramatic Feature Film. Up for Comedy Feature are Cruella, Don’t Look Up, The French Dispatch, Licorice Pizza and tick, tick…Boom! The Animated Feature race will be among Encanto, Luca, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, Raya and the Last Dragon
and Sing 2.
Vying in the Documentary Feature competition are Flee, The Rescue, Summer of Soul, Val and The Velvet Underground. See the full list of the Eddie Award nominations below.
Trophies will be presented during the guild’s awards ceremony on March 5 at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. The half-capacity show originally was set for February 26.
A highlight on the TV side is Kevin Can F**k Himself,...
- 1/27/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
“Belfast,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “No Time to Die” and “The Power of the Dog” have been nominated as the best dramatic film editing of 2021 by the American Cinema Editors, which announced the nominees for the 72nd annual Ace Eddie Awards on Thursday.
Those five films will compete in the Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) category, while the field in Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy) will consist of “Cruella,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “tick, tick…Boom!”
The most surprising omission was probably “West Side Story,” while Ace Eddie voters also bypassed “Nightmare Alley,” “Coda” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Nominations for the editing of animated features went to the same five animated films that have also been nominated by the Cinema Audio Society, Motion Picture Sound Editors, Visual Effects Society and Art Directors Guild: “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Sing 2.
Those five films will compete in the Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) category, while the field in Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy) will consist of “Cruella,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “tick, tick…Boom!”
The most surprising omission was probably “West Side Story,” while Ace Eddie voters also bypassed “Nightmare Alley,” “Coda” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Nominations for the editing of animated features went to the same five animated films that have also been nominated by the Cinema Audio Society, Motion Picture Sound Editors, Visual Effects Society and Art Directors Guild: “Encanto,” “Luca,” “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Sing 2.
- 1/27/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Film editors Lillian E. Benson and Richard Chew will receive Career Achievement Awards for their outstanding contributions to film editing at the 72nd Annual Ace Eddie Awards, taking place on March 5 at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.
“Lillian and Richard are rock star editors and represent the very best of our craft and profession,” said Ace president Kevin Tent. “Just look at those credits! Not only have they had incredibly prolific careers, but they’ve given back to our community in many ways, not the least of which by mentoring the next generation of editors. We are thrilled to honor these two special editors and look back at their amazing careers.”
Past recipients of the Ace Career Achievement Award include Alan Heim, Thelma Schoonmaker, Dede Allen, Janet Ashikaga, Craig Mckay, Margaret Booth, Carol Littleton, John Soh, Mark Goldblatt and Leon Ortiz-Gil, among many others.
Benson made history as...
“Lillian and Richard are rock star editors and represent the very best of our craft and profession,” said Ace president Kevin Tent. “Just look at those credits! Not only have they had incredibly prolific careers, but they’ve given back to our community in many ways, not the least of which by mentoring the next generation of editors. We are thrilled to honor these two special editors and look back at their amazing careers.”
Past recipients of the Ace Career Achievement Award include Alan Heim, Thelma Schoonmaker, Dede Allen, Janet Ashikaga, Craig Mckay, Margaret Booth, Carol Littleton, John Soh, Mark Goldblatt and Leon Ortiz-Gil, among many others.
Benson made history as...
- 1/25/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequel trilogy was not beloved by critics, but it does have an admirer in Mark Hamill. As part of an interview for J.W. Rinzler’s just-published book on “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” film producer Howard Kazanjian, Hamill revealed he was “impressed” with Lucas’ controversial entries “The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones,” and “Revenge of the Sith.” Hamill sat the prequel trilogy out, but he did return as Luke in the Disney-backed sequel trilogy years later.
“I was impressed the prequels had their own identity,” Hamill said. “They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably, like he said back in 1976, they weren’t as commercial. It’s a darker story. But in the age of social media, people’s voices are amplified, and I’m shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of ‘Star Wars’ films,...
“I was impressed the prequels had their own identity,” Hamill said. “They were criticized because they were exposition-heavy and more cerebral and probably, like he said back in 1976, they weren’t as commercial. It’s a darker story. But in the age of social media, people’s voices are amplified, and I’m shocked at how brutal they can be, not just in the case of ‘Star Wars’ films,...
- 9/24/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Marcia Lucas is no fan of the Disney-produced “Star Wars” movies. While being interviewed for J.W. Rinzler’s just-published book on “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” film producer Howard Kazanjian, Lucas slammed current Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams for their storyline decisions. The choice to kill off Han Solo and Luke Skywalker particularly made Lucas upset.
Lucas won an Oscar for editing the original “Star Wars” along with Paul Hirsch and Richard Chew. She returned to co-edit “Return of the Jedi” and went uncredited on “The Empire Strikes Back.” Prior to “Star Wars,” Lucas made a name for herself editing Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” and she was also Oscar nominated for “American Graffiti.” Marcia Lucas was married to George Lucas between 1969 and 1983.
“I Like Kathleen. I always liked her,” Marcia Lucas says in Rinzler’s book,...
Lucas won an Oscar for editing the original “Star Wars” along with Paul Hirsch and Richard Chew. She returned to co-edit “Return of the Jedi” and went uncredited on “The Empire Strikes Back.” Prior to “Star Wars,” Lucas made a name for herself editing Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” and she was also Oscar nominated for “American Graffiti.” Marcia Lucas was married to George Lucas between 1969 and 1983.
“I Like Kathleen. I always liked her,” Marcia Lucas says in Rinzler’s book,...
- 9/20/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Many people (rightfully) talk about the opening, tomb-raiding sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which introduces adventurer archaeologist Indiana Jones to the audience as he lifts a golden idol from a booby-trapped Peruvian temple. But it’s not as common to hear about the movie’s ending…
No, I’m not talking about the scene in which the supernatural force inside the Ark of the Covenant melts the Nazis’ faces, or even the long, ominous final shot of the Ark being packaged away in some nondescript government warehouse—we talk about those plenty. I’m referring to the final scene between our hero, Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), and his partner-in-adventure Marion (Karen Allen). In the Raiders denouement, Marion meets a grumpy Indy on the steps of a Washington D.C. building after his fight with government bureaucrats, the latter of whom said they’ll be taking care of...
No, I’m not talking about the scene in which the supernatural force inside the Ark of the Covenant melts the Nazis’ faces, or even the long, ominous final shot of the Ark being packaged away in some nondescript government warehouse—we talk about those plenty. I’m referring to the final scene between our hero, Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), and his partner-in-adventure Marion (Karen Allen). In the Raiders denouement, Marion meets a grumpy Indy on the steps of a Washington D.C. building after his fight with government bureaucrats, the latter of whom said they’ll be taking care of...
- 6/12/2021
- by Kayti Burt
- Den of Geek
Filmgoers don’t know the name Paul Hirsch nearly as well as those of Brian De Palma, George Lucas or John Hughes, but after a five-decade career as a film editor, he’s been an integral part of some of the biggest movies ever.
Hirsch says editing is a creative art despite the mechanical specialization of the pre-digital days, and his new book “A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away” (Chicago Review Press) makes a powerful case for the influence an editor can have over the creative direction of a film.
The book’s opening paragraph tells a story about how the decision to switch a wide shot to a close-up of the star in one of his early movies (De Palma’s “Obsession”) convinced Columbia Pictures to pick up and distribute the film. “Context is everything,” writes Hirsch, who along with Marsha Lucas and Richard Chew...
Hirsch says editing is a creative art despite the mechanical specialization of the pre-digital days, and his new book “A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away” (Chicago Review Press) makes a powerful case for the influence an editor can have over the creative direction of a film.
The book’s opening paragraph tells a story about how the decision to switch a wide shot to a close-up of the star in one of his early movies (De Palma’s “Obsession”) convinced Columbia Pictures to pick up and distribute the film. “Context is everything,” writes Hirsch, who along with Marsha Lucas and Richard Chew...
- 11/7/2019
- by Drew Turney
- Variety Film + TV
Moments after cameraman David Myers finished filming a couple having sex in the tall grass at the Woodstock festival in 1969, he happened upon a middle-aged sanitation worker cleaning out an overflowing toilet with a giant suction hose. “It’s hard to keep up,” he says. “I’m glad to do it for these kids. My son’s here, and I got one over in Vietnam too. He’s up in the Dmz right now flyin’ helicopters.” As the Port-o-San man moves on to his next toilet, a tall hippie staggers...
- 8/3/2019
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Will the highest grossing film of the year “Black Panther” score a Best Picture nomination? It’s a fair question as no Marvel film has ever even been in the conversation. And the question has produced so much turmoil the academy temporarily thought of adding a Best Popular Film category. We should look towards another popular origin story that was not your typical Oscar fare — 1977’s “Star Wars: IV A New Hope” — as our guide towards “Black Panther’s” potential Oscar nomination haul.
George Lucas’s original “Star Wars” spawned a franchise that includes seven prequels and sequels and two spinoffs to date. Luke Skywalker’s origin story maybe outside the Oscars comfort zone but that didn’t stop the film from picking up 10 nominations including Best Picture; Best Director (Lucas); Best Original Screenplay (Lucas); and Best Supporting Actor (Alec Guinness).
It won six below-the line races: Best Film Editing...
George Lucas’s original “Star Wars” spawned a franchise that includes seven prequels and sequels and two spinoffs to date. Luke Skywalker’s origin story maybe outside the Oscars comfort zone but that didn’t stop the film from picking up 10 nominations including Best Picture; Best Director (Lucas); Best Original Screenplay (Lucas); and Best Supporting Actor (Alec Guinness).
It won six below-the line races: Best Film Editing...
- 1/19/2019
- by Amanda Spears
- Gold Derby
Ryan Lambie Jan 12, 2018
Great photography, sound and editing turned Star Wars: Rogue One's Death Star into a true force of nature, Ryan writes...
The behind-the-scenes story of 1977’s Star Wars is one of the most written-about in cinema history. It takes in a young director with a space fantasy concept in his head that some of his collaborators couldn’t quite grasp; a difficult shoot and a studio uncertain about the film’s prospects. And then there was its fraught editing process, in which the film was stripped back down and built back up again following a lukewarm reception to its pedestrian rough cut.
See related The Handmaid's Tale episodes 1-3 spoiler-free review The Handmaid's Tale: watch the first full-length trailer
This latter stage in Star Wars’ making was recently covered in this superb YouTube video, which explores how George Lucas’ then-wife, Marcia - already an Oscar-winning editor -...
Great photography, sound and editing turned Star Wars: Rogue One's Death Star into a true force of nature, Ryan writes...
The behind-the-scenes story of 1977’s Star Wars is one of the most written-about in cinema history. It takes in a young director with a space fantasy concept in his head that some of his collaborators couldn’t quite grasp; a difficult shoot and a studio uncertain about the film’s prospects. And then there was its fraught editing process, in which the film was stripped back down and built back up again following a lukewarm reception to its pedestrian rough cut.
See related The Handmaid's Tale episodes 1-3 spoiler-free review The Handmaid's Tale: watch the first full-length trailer
This latter stage in Star Wars’ making was recently covered in this superb YouTube video, which explores how George Lucas’ then-wife, Marcia - already an Oscar-winning editor -...
- 1/10/2018
- Den of Geek
Richard Chew — an Oscar winner for editing 1977’s Star Wars with Paul Hirsch and Marcia Lucas — believes Hollywood still has “a long way to go” in telling more diverse stories.
Speaking in a featured conversation Saturday at American Cinema Editors' EditFest L.A., the veteran editor, who was born in Los Angeles to Chinese immigrant parents and studied Law at Harvard, said an inspiration for getting into film was “to be able to tell the story of people that the majority might feel are ‘the others.’ I always hated the notion of the ‘they.’ I wanted to work in...
Speaking in a featured conversation Saturday at American Cinema Editors' EditFest L.A., the veteran editor, who was born in Los Angeles to Chinese immigrant parents and studied Law at Harvard, said an inspiration for getting into film was “to be able to tell the story of people that the majority might feel are ‘the others.’ I always hated the notion of the ‘they.’ I wanted to work in...
- 8/13/2017
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Star Wars franchise is going strong 38 years later. But what about the artists and filmmakers who helped make the 1977 original a hit?
In theatres all over the world in 1977, audiences thrilled at the sights and sounds of Star Wars. Harking back to a bygone age of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, it also pointed forward to the coming age of ubiquitous computers and special effects-led blockbusters.
But while the triumphant fanfare of John Williams' score gave Star Wars a confident swagger, its success was far from preordained. George Lucas reworked his script time and again; studios turned his concept down; even the production was rushed and torturous.
By now, the contribution George Lucas, John Williams and Star Wars' cast made to cinema is well documented. But what about some of the other artists, technicians and fellow filmmakers who helped to make the movie such a success? Here's...
In theatres all over the world in 1977, audiences thrilled at the sights and sounds of Star Wars. Harking back to a bygone age of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, it also pointed forward to the coming age of ubiquitous computers and special effects-led blockbusters.
But while the triumphant fanfare of John Williams' score gave Star Wars a confident swagger, its success was far from preordained. George Lucas reworked his script time and again; studios turned his concept down; even the production was rushed and torturous.
By now, the contribution George Lucas, John Williams and Star Wars' cast made to cinema is well documented. But what about some of the other artists, technicians and fellow filmmakers who helped to make the movie such a success? Here's...
- 4/22/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Now this is a list that could result in a lot of fascinating dissection and thanks to HitFix it comes to our attention almost three years after it was originally released back in 2012, celebrating the Motion Picture Editors Guild's 75th anniversary. Over at HitFix, Kris Tapley asks, "Is this news to anyone elsec" Um, yes, I find it immensely interesting and a perfect starting point for anyone looking to further explore the art of film editing. In an accompanying article we get the particulars concerning what films were eligible and how films were to be considered: In our Jan-feb 12 issue, we asked Guild members to vote on what they consider to be the Best Edited Films of all time. Any feature-length film from any country in the world was eligible. And by "Best Edited," we explained, we didn't just mean picture; sound, music and mixing were to be considered as well.
- 2/4/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
A random bit of researching on a Tuesday night led me to something I didn't know existed: The Motion Picture Editors Guild's list of the 75 best-edited films of all time. It was a feature in part celebrating the Guild's 75th anniversary in 2012. Is this news to anyone else? I confess to having missed it entirely. Naturally, I had to dig in. What was immediately striking to me about the list — which was decided upon by the Guild membership and, per instruction, was considered in terms of picture and sound editorial as opposed to just the former — was the most popular decade ranking. Naturally, the 1970s led with 17 mentions, but right on its heels was the 1990s. I wouldn't have expected that but I happen to agree with the assessment. Thelma Schoonmaker's work on "Raging Bull" came out on top, an objectively difficult choice to dispute, really. It was so transformative,...
- 2/4/2015
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Script rewrites. Exacting directors. Terrible twists of fate. We look back through the ages to bring you 20 nightmarish film shoots…
The lavish lifestyles of Hollywood’s more famous actors and filmmakers may hint at a world of glamour and cash, but as this list proves, the process of actually putting a movie together is rarely a dignified process. What follows is a lengthy catalogue of ill-advised location choices, tantrums, dreadful acts of God, spiked bowls of soup, ruined studios, bruised egos, broken bones and shattered dreams.
For the prospective filmmaker, this article could be read as a cautionary tale of just how badly wrong a production can go – though in order to keep the tone relatively light, we’ve excised those film productions that ended in tragedy (you’ll have to look elsewhere to discover the sad stories behind Twilight Zone: The Movie and The Crow).
Nevertheless, we suggest you...
The lavish lifestyles of Hollywood’s more famous actors and filmmakers may hint at a world of glamour and cash, but as this list proves, the process of actually putting a movie together is rarely a dignified process. What follows is a lengthy catalogue of ill-advised location choices, tantrums, dreadful acts of God, spiked bowls of soup, ruined studios, bruised egos, broken bones and shattered dreams.
For the prospective filmmaker, this article could be read as a cautionary tale of just how badly wrong a production can go – though in order to keep the tone relatively light, we’ve excised those film productions that ended in tragedy (you’ll have to look elsewhere to discover the sad stories behind Twilight Zone: The Movie and The Crow).
Nevertheless, we suggest you...
- 1/19/2012
- Den of Geek
Part of what makes the horror genre so much fun is all the creatures lurking in the shadows. One man who knows that in particular is special effects creator Jeff Farley, whose work has recently been featured in "Camera Obscura", a new web series by Drew Daywalt that is currently being featured on Daily Motion as well as right here on Dread Central.
Farley, who grew up in Southern California, has made a name for himself over the last 25 years in the industry, working on such classics like The Serpent & The Rainbow, Shocker and Freddy’s Dead as well as modern cult faves like Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys, Evil Bong, and Parasomnia. We recently had a chance to catch up with Farley to chat about how he got his start working in special effects and his collaboration with Daywalt on "Camera Obscura".
Dread Central: Can you talk about how...
Farley, who grew up in Southern California, has made a name for himself over the last 25 years in the industry, working on such classics like The Serpent & The Rainbow, Shocker and Freddy’s Dead as well as modern cult faves like Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys, Evil Bong, and Parasomnia. We recently had a chance to catch up with Farley to chat about how he got his start working in special effects and his collaboration with Daywalt on "Camera Obscura".
Dread Central: Can you talk about how...
- 10/11/2010
- by thehorrorchick
- DreadCentral.com
This review was written for the film festival screening of "Bobby".VENICE, Italy -- Set among the guests and staff at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the day in 1968 when presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was murdered, "Bobby" is a sentimental love letter from writer-director Emilio Estevez to his hometown and the slain politician. A well-crafted piece with a large ensemble cast featuring some big names, the film's success will depend on whether audiences respond to its rose-tinted view of Los Angeles in the late 1960s and its clear belief that RFK was a saint.
With its strong liberal bias, the picture will appeal to nostalgic left-leaning audiences in the U.S. It might well prosper internationally as it presents a very different face of American politics from the one on offer from the current administration.
Estevez obviously is one of the many who believe that Bobby Kennedy traveled from his bullying younger days via the Damascus road, picking up an epiphany along the way that made him America's last great hope following the death of Martin Luther King Jr.
"Bobby" features many clips showing RFK addressing campaign audiences and by the time he ran for president, he was certainly talking the talk. Its preamble also uses real footage to set the scene showing bombs falling in Vietnam, the march on Selma, President Johnson's resignation and the Cesar Chavez protests.
Estevez focuses, however, on the people at the Ambassador who include hotel fixture John Casey (Anthony Hopkins), who will reminisce about its glamorous history at every opportunity and always has time for a chess game in the lobby with his old pal Nelson (Harry Belafonte).
There's also hotel manager Paul (William H. Macy), who is married to Miriam Sharon Stone) but having an affair with Angela (Heather Graham), one of the switchboard operators. Well liked and a committed Democrat, Paul fires the hotel's racist catering manager, Timmons (Christian Slater), after he declines to let his staff of blacks and Latinos off work to vote.
Estevez does a good job of cutting between many story elements that cover Kennedy's political team at work. In the kitchen, blacks and Latinos strive to get along. Guests include a businessman (Martin Sheen) and his self-conscious younger wife (Helen Hunt); a drunken singer (Demi Moore) and her unhappy husband (Estevez); a young woman (Lindsay Lohan), getting married to save her groom (Elijah Wood) from Vietnam; and a would-be actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who works in the coffee shop and tries to help two very stoned Kennedy volunteers (Brian Geraghty and Shia LaBeouf), high on LSD purchased from a whacked-out dealer played by Ashton Kutcher.
The dialogue is heavy with aspiration and regret. Laurence Fishburn has a good scene lecturing on racial pragmatism. Hopkins and Belafonte reflect wryly on growing old, and so do Stone and Moore, though in a very different way.
Cultural references are used cleverly with Los Angeles Dodger Don Drysdale's effort to achieve six straight shutouts on everybody's mind, and people talking about such films as "The Graduate" and "Planet of the Apes".
Cinematographer Michael Barrett captures Patti Podesta's production design in expert fashion. Editor Richard Chew helps Estevez keep all the identities clear as the events of the day gather pace. Mark Isham's score is as expert as usual.
As the climax nears, Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" plays. Whether or not Bobby Kennedy was the man his supporters believed him to be, the film makes a persuasive case that something important in America was silenced when he was gunned down.
With its strong liberal bias, the picture will appeal to nostalgic left-leaning audiences in the U.S. It might well prosper internationally as it presents a very different face of American politics from the one on offer from the current administration.
Estevez obviously is one of the many who believe that Bobby Kennedy traveled from his bullying younger days via the Damascus road, picking up an epiphany along the way that made him America's last great hope following the death of Martin Luther King Jr.
"Bobby" features many clips showing RFK addressing campaign audiences and by the time he ran for president, he was certainly talking the talk. Its preamble also uses real footage to set the scene showing bombs falling in Vietnam, the march on Selma, President Johnson's resignation and the Cesar Chavez protests.
Estevez focuses, however, on the people at the Ambassador who include hotel fixture John Casey (Anthony Hopkins), who will reminisce about its glamorous history at every opportunity and always has time for a chess game in the lobby with his old pal Nelson (Harry Belafonte).
There's also hotel manager Paul (William H. Macy), who is married to Miriam Sharon Stone) but having an affair with Angela (Heather Graham), one of the switchboard operators. Well liked and a committed Democrat, Paul fires the hotel's racist catering manager, Timmons (Christian Slater), after he declines to let his staff of blacks and Latinos off work to vote.
Estevez does a good job of cutting between many story elements that cover Kennedy's political team at work. In the kitchen, blacks and Latinos strive to get along. Guests include a businessman (Martin Sheen) and his self-conscious younger wife (Helen Hunt); a drunken singer (Demi Moore) and her unhappy husband (Estevez); a young woman (Lindsay Lohan), getting married to save her groom (Elijah Wood) from Vietnam; and a would-be actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who works in the coffee shop and tries to help two very stoned Kennedy volunteers (Brian Geraghty and Shia LaBeouf), high on LSD purchased from a whacked-out dealer played by Ashton Kutcher.
The dialogue is heavy with aspiration and regret. Laurence Fishburn has a good scene lecturing on racial pragmatism. Hopkins and Belafonte reflect wryly on growing old, and so do Stone and Moore, though in a very different way.
Cultural references are used cleverly with Los Angeles Dodger Don Drysdale's effort to achieve six straight shutouts on everybody's mind, and people talking about such films as "The Graduate" and "Planet of the Apes".
Cinematographer Michael Barrett captures Patti Podesta's production design in expert fashion. Editor Richard Chew helps Estevez keep all the identities clear as the events of the day gather pace. Mark Isham's score is as expert as usual.
As the climax nears, Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" plays. Whether or not Bobby Kennedy was the man his supporters believed him to be, the film makes a persuasive case that something important in America was silenced when he was gunned down.
- 11/15/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This review was written for the film festival screening of "Bobby".VENICE, Italy -- Set among the guests and staff at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the day in 1968 when presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was murdered, "Bobby" is a sentimental love letter from writer-director Emilio Estevez to his hometown and the slain politician. A well-crafted piece with a large ensemble cast featuring some big names, the film's success will depend on whether audiences respond to its rose-tinted view of Los Angeles in the late 1960s and its clear belief that RFK was a saint.
With its strong liberal bias, the picture will appeal to nostalgic left-leaning audiences in the U.S. It might well prosper internationally as it presents a very different face of American politics from the one on offer from the current administration.
Estevez obviously is one of the many who believe that Bobby Kennedy traveled from his bullying younger days via the Damascus road, picking up an epiphany along the way that made him America's last great hope following the death of Martin Luther King Jr.
"Bobby" features many clips showing RFK addressing campaign audiences and by the time he ran for president, he was certainly talking the talk. Its preamble also uses real footage to set the scene showing bombs falling in Vietnam, the march on Selma, President Johnson's resignation and the Cesar Chavez protests.
Estevez focuses, however, on the people at the Ambassador who include hotel fixture John Casey (Anthony Hopkins), who will reminisce about its glamorous history at every opportunity and always has time for a chess game in the lobby with his old pal Nelson (Harry Belafonte).
There's also hotel manager Paul (William H. Macy), who is married to Miriam Sharon Stone) but having an affair with Angela (Heather Graham), one of the switchboard operators. Well liked and a committed Democrat, Paul fires the hotel's racist catering manager, Timmons (Christian Slater), after he declines to let his staff of blacks and Latinos off work to vote.
Estevez does a good job of cutting between many story elements that cover Kennedy's political team at work. In the kitchen, blacks and Latinos strive to get along. Guests include a businessman (Martin Sheen) and his self-conscious younger wife (Helen Hunt); a drunken singer (Demi Moore) and her unhappy husband (Estevez); a young woman (Lindsay Lohan), getting married to save her groom (Elijah Wood) from Vietnam; and a would-be actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who works in the coffee shop and tries to help two very stoned Kennedy volunteers (Brian Geraghty and Shia LaBeouf), high on LSD purchased from a whacked-out dealer played by Ashton Kutcher.
The dialogue is heavy with aspiration and regret. Laurence Fishburn has a good scene lecturing on racial pragmatism. Hopkins and Belafonte reflect wryly on growing old, and so do Stone and Moore, though in a very different way.
Cultural references are used cleverly with Los Angeles Dodger Don Drysdale's effort to achieve six straight shutouts on everybody's mind, and people talking about such films as "The Graduate" and "Planet of the Apes".
Cinematographer Michael Barrett captures Patti Podesta's production design in expert fashion. Editor Richard Chew helps Estevez keep all the identities clear as the events of the day gather pace. Mark Isham's score is as expert as usual.
As the climax nears, Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" plays. Whether or not Bobby Kennedy was the man his supporters believed him to be, the film makes a persuasive case that something important in America was silenced when he was gunned down.
With its strong liberal bias, the picture will appeal to nostalgic left-leaning audiences in the U.S. It might well prosper internationally as it presents a very different face of American politics from the one on offer from the current administration.
Estevez obviously is one of the many who believe that Bobby Kennedy traveled from his bullying younger days via the Damascus road, picking up an epiphany along the way that made him America's last great hope following the death of Martin Luther King Jr.
"Bobby" features many clips showing RFK addressing campaign audiences and by the time he ran for president, he was certainly talking the talk. Its preamble also uses real footage to set the scene showing bombs falling in Vietnam, the march on Selma, President Johnson's resignation and the Cesar Chavez protests.
Estevez focuses, however, on the people at the Ambassador who include hotel fixture John Casey (Anthony Hopkins), who will reminisce about its glamorous history at every opportunity and always has time for a chess game in the lobby with his old pal Nelson (Harry Belafonte).
There's also hotel manager Paul (William H. Macy), who is married to Miriam Sharon Stone) but having an affair with Angela (Heather Graham), one of the switchboard operators. Well liked and a committed Democrat, Paul fires the hotel's racist catering manager, Timmons (Christian Slater), after he declines to let his staff of blacks and Latinos off work to vote.
Estevez does a good job of cutting between many story elements that cover Kennedy's political team at work. In the kitchen, blacks and Latinos strive to get along. Guests include a businessman (Martin Sheen) and his self-conscious younger wife (Helen Hunt); a drunken singer (Demi Moore) and her unhappy husband (Estevez); a young woman (Lindsay Lohan), getting married to save her groom (Elijah Wood) from Vietnam; and a would-be actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who works in the coffee shop and tries to help two very stoned Kennedy volunteers (Brian Geraghty and Shia LaBeouf), high on LSD purchased from a whacked-out dealer played by Ashton Kutcher.
The dialogue is heavy with aspiration and regret. Laurence Fishburn has a good scene lecturing on racial pragmatism. Hopkins and Belafonte reflect wryly on growing old, and so do Stone and Moore, though in a very different way.
Cultural references are used cleverly with Los Angeles Dodger Don Drysdale's effort to achieve six straight shutouts on everybody's mind, and people talking about such films as "The Graduate" and "Planet of the Apes".
Cinematographer Michael Barrett captures Patti Podesta's production design in expert fashion. Editor Richard Chew helps Estevez keep all the identities clear as the events of the day gather pace. Mark Isham's score is as expert as usual.
As the climax nears, Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" plays. Whether or not Bobby Kennedy was the man his supporters believed him to be, the film makes a persuasive case that something important in America was silenced when he was gunned down.
- 11/15/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
VENICE, Italy -- Set among the guests and staff at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the day in 1968 when presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was murdered, "Bobby" is a sentimental love letter from writer-director Emilio Estevez to his hometown and the slain politician. A well-crafted piece with a large ensemble cast featuring some big names, the film's success will depend on whether audiences respond to its rose-tinted view of Los Angeles in the late 1960s and its clear belief that RFK was a saint.
With its strong liberal bias, the picture will appeal to nostalgic left-leaning audiences in the U.S. It might well prosper internationally as it presents a very different face of American politics from the one on offer from the current administration.
Estevez obviously is one of the many who believe that Bobby Kennedy traveled from his bullying younger days via the Damascus road, picking up an epiphany along the way that made him America's last great hope following the death of Martin Luther King Jr.
"Bobby" features many clips showing RFK addressing campaign audiences and by the time he ran for president, he was certainly talking the talk. Its preamble also uses real footage to set the scene showing bombs falling in Vietnam, the march on Selma and the Cesar Chavez protests.
Estevez focuses, however, on the people at the Ambassador who include hotel fixture John Casey (Anthony Hopkins), who will reminisce about its glamorous history at every opportunity and always has time for a chess game in the lobby with his old pal Nelson (Harry Belafonte).
There's also hotel manager Paul (William H. Macy), who is married to Miriam Sharon Stone) but having an affair with Angela (Heather Graham), one of the switchboard operators. Well liked and a committed Democrat, Paul fires the hotel's racist catering manager, Timmons (Christian Slater), after he declines to let his staff of blacks and Latinos off work to vote.
Estevez does a good job of cutting between many story elements that cover Kennedy's political team at work. In the kitchen, blacks and Latinos strive to get along. Guests include a businessman (Martin Sheen) and his self-conscious younger wife (Helen Hunt); a drunken singer (Demi Moore) and her unhappy husband (Estevez); a young woman (Lindsay Lohan), getting married to save her groom (Elijah Wood) from Vietnam; and a would-be actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who works in the coffee shop and tries to help two very stoned Kennedy volunteers (Brian Geraghty and Shia LaBeouf), high on LSD purchased from a whacked-out dealer played by Ashton Kutcher.
The dialogue is heavy with aspiration and regret. Laurence Fishburn has a good scene lecturing on racial pragmatism. Hopkins and Belafonte reflect wryly on growing old, and so do Stone and Moore, though in a very different way.
Cultural references are used cleverly with Los Angeles Dodger Don Drysdale's effort to achieve six straight shutouts on everybody's mind, and people talking about such films as "The Graduate" and "Planet of the Apes".
Cinematographer Michael Barrett captures Patti Podesta's production design in expert fashion. Editor Richard Chew helps Estevez keep all the identities clear as the events of the day gather pace. Mark Isham's score is as expert as usual.
As the climax nears, Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" plays. Whether or not Bobby Kennedy was the man his supporters believed him to be, the film makes a persuasive case that something important in America was silenced when he was gunned down.
BOBBY
MGM
Bold Films/The Weinstein Co./Arclight Films
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Emilio Estevez
Producers: Edward Bass, Michael Litvak, Holly Wiersma
Executive producers: Daniel Grodnik, Gary Michael Walters, Anthony Hopkins
Cinematographer: Michael Barrett
Production designer: Patti Podesta
Music: Mark Isham
Editor: Richard Chew
Cast:
Nelson: Harry Belafonte
Patricia: Joy Bryant
Dwayne: Nick Cannon
Tim Fallon: Emilio Estevez
Edward Robinson: Laurence Fishburne
Cooper: Brian Geraghty
Angela: Heather Graham
John Casey: Anthony Hopkins
Samantha: Helen Hunt
Wade Buckley: Joshua Jackson
Jimmy: Shia LaBeouf
Diane: Lindsay Lohan
Paul: William H. Macy
Lenka Janacek: Svetlana Metkina
Virginia Fallon: Demi Moore
Jose: Freddy Rodriguez
Jack: Martin Sheen
Timmons: Christian Slater
Miriam: Sharon Stone
Miguel: Jacob Vargas
Susan Taylor: Mary Elizabeth Winstead
William: Elijah Wood
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 120 minutes...
With its strong liberal bias, the picture will appeal to nostalgic left-leaning audiences in the U.S. It might well prosper internationally as it presents a very different face of American politics from the one on offer from the current administration.
Estevez obviously is one of the many who believe that Bobby Kennedy traveled from his bullying younger days via the Damascus road, picking up an epiphany along the way that made him America's last great hope following the death of Martin Luther King Jr.
"Bobby" features many clips showing RFK addressing campaign audiences and by the time he ran for president, he was certainly talking the talk. Its preamble also uses real footage to set the scene showing bombs falling in Vietnam, the march on Selma and the Cesar Chavez protests.
Estevez focuses, however, on the people at the Ambassador who include hotel fixture John Casey (Anthony Hopkins), who will reminisce about its glamorous history at every opportunity and always has time for a chess game in the lobby with his old pal Nelson (Harry Belafonte).
There's also hotel manager Paul (William H. Macy), who is married to Miriam Sharon Stone) but having an affair with Angela (Heather Graham), one of the switchboard operators. Well liked and a committed Democrat, Paul fires the hotel's racist catering manager, Timmons (Christian Slater), after he declines to let his staff of blacks and Latinos off work to vote.
Estevez does a good job of cutting between many story elements that cover Kennedy's political team at work. In the kitchen, blacks and Latinos strive to get along. Guests include a businessman (Martin Sheen) and his self-conscious younger wife (Helen Hunt); a drunken singer (Demi Moore) and her unhappy husband (Estevez); a young woman (Lindsay Lohan), getting married to save her groom (Elijah Wood) from Vietnam; and a would-be actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who works in the coffee shop and tries to help two very stoned Kennedy volunteers (Brian Geraghty and Shia LaBeouf), high on LSD purchased from a whacked-out dealer played by Ashton Kutcher.
The dialogue is heavy with aspiration and regret. Laurence Fishburn has a good scene lecturing on racial pragmatism. Hopkins and Belafonte reflect wryly on growing old, and so do Stone and Moore, though in a very different way.
Cultural references are used cleverly with Los Angeles Dodger Don Drysdale's effort to achieve six straight shutouts on everybody's mind, and people talking about such films as "The Graduate" and "Planet of the Apes".
Cinematographer Michael Barrett captures Patti Podesta's production design in expert fashion. Editor Richard Chew helps Estevez keep all the identities clear as the events of the day gather pace. Mark Isham's score is as expert as usual.
As the climax nears, Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" plays. Whether or not Bobby Kennedy was the man his supporters believed him to be, the film makes a persuasive case that something important in America was silenced when he was gunned down.
BOBBY
MGM
Bold Films/The Weinstein Co./Arclight Films
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Emilio Estevez
Producers: Edward Bass, Michael Litvak, Holly Wiersma
Executive producers: Daniel Grodnik, Gary Michael Walters, Anthony Hopkins
Cinematographer: Michael Barrett
Production designer: Patti Podesta
Music: Mark Isham
Editor: Richard Chew
Cast:
Nelson: Harry Belafonte
Patricia: Joy Bryant
Dwayne: Nick Cannon
Tim Fallon: Emilio Estevez
Edward Robinson: Laurence Fishburne
Cooper: Brian Geraghty
Angela: Heather Graham
John Casey: Anthony Hopkins
Samantha: Helen Hunt
Wade Buckley: Joshua Jackson
Jimmy: Shia LaBeouf
Diane: Lindsay Lohan
Paul: William H. Macy
Lenka Janacek: Svetlana Metkina
Virginia Fallon: Demi Moore
Jose: Freddy Rodriguez
Jack: Martin Sheen
Timmons: Christian Slater
Miriam: Sharon Stone
Miguel: Jacob Vargas
Susan Taylor: Mary Elizabeth Winstead
William: Elijah Wood
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 120 minutes...
Terrence Malick's "The New World" is a visual tone poem orchestrated around the themes of innocence, discovery and loss. The inspiration is the historical legend of the "Indian princess" Pocahontas and English soldier of fortune John Smith. Malick has tried to base much of his vision on the historical record, delving into the writings of explorers and colonialists in early Virginia to create voice-over monologues by Smith and others. But this is resolutely a film of the imagination. As with all films in Malick's slim body of work, its imagery, haunting sounds and pastoral mood trump narrative.
Clearly "The New World" takes an audience into the rarefied atmosphere of an art film made with a studio budget, making its boxoffice impact hard to assess. The 150-minute film opens Christmas Day in Los Angeles and New York, then expands Jan. 13. Its slow, bucolic rhythms and unwillingness to exploit the violence or sex inherent in the story -- the film nevertheless carries a PG-13 rating for its battle scenes -- relegate the film to audiences devoted to Malick's work and film esoterica. In that world, it may become a hit.
The historical record -- especially on the Native American side, where no written language exists -- is skimpy. Nevertheless, Malick and production designer Jack Fisk bring us into a primeval Eden that feels credible. The weirdly painted natives and white-skinned, armor-clad intruders eye one another suspiciously. Their worlds, goals and beliefs could not be more antithetical.
The natives have little sense of possessions or greed but do have a strong social order. The settlers, most unprepared to deal with a wilderness, seek riches, regard each other with envy and mutiny at a moment's notice. A violent clash is inevitable.
John Smith (Colin Farrell) is first seen in shackles on one of three English ships that reach the James River in 1607. He has been insubordinate but is too valuable a soldier and survivalist to lose to a hanging. So Capt. Newport (Christopher Plummer) frees him upon arrival in the New World. He even gives Smith a key assignment before the captain returns to England for supplies.
Smith leads an expedition upriver to contact a native chief in hopes of establishing trade. Instead his men are killed, and he is taken prisoner. His life is spared by the chief (August Schellenberg) when his favorite daughter, Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher), begs for mercy. The chief releases Smith to this teenager so the two can learn each other's language and he might gain insight into the newcomers' intentions.
What they do, of course, is fall in love. Here the movie enters a dreamlike state, a nearly dialogue-free, lengthy montage composed of the physical world of the Virginia circa 1607. (The film actually was shot in that state.) As a strong bond is formed by two absolute strangers, they take in the richness of landscape and sounds of wind and birds in the forest. What would be unspeakably corny in the hands of a less masterly filmmaker works here because of Malick's absolute fidelity to the underlying emotions.
Smith returns to a crude fort with provisions supplied by the Indians. But his homecoming is like awaking from a dream into the ugliness and pettiness of the coarse settlers. When the settlers plant corn and thereby tip off the native chef that they intend to stay, he prepares to attack. But his daughter warns her lover, and the assault is thwarted.
The natives' heartbroken leader banishes his daughter, who then falls into the hands of another tribe that eventually trades her to the whites as an "insurance policy." Smith vehemently opposes this trade, which causes the ungrateful colonialists to depose him as their leader.
After the return of Capt. Newport, Smith is called back to England to lead other expeditions while the Indian girl adopts to living among the whites. Believing Smith to be dead, she marries newly arrived aristocrat John Rolfe (Christian Bale) and has a child. Much later, the couple travels to England, where this "princess" is introduced to the British monarch. Here she sees Smith for one last time.
While the name Pocahontas is never mentioned -- the settlers ridiculously name her Rebecca -- the film is essentially a love letter to the idealized myth of this historic woman, who is viewed here as both forest naif and earth mother. Malick and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki cover Kilcher with more loving poses and angles than a photographer doing a fashion spread. Kilcher is a striking young woman, and the camera -- and perhaps Malick himself? -- falls in love with her.
The movie has a restlessness as it moves through this story with a meandering camera, inner monologues and shifting points of view. James Horner's sumptuous musical score, incorporating bits of Wagner, Mozart and others, emulates the steadiness of the wind while its repetitive refrains remind one of Philip Glass. The camera lingers on details of frontier life, but the exploration here is less scientific and historical than a spiritual quest for what was lost and what was gained in this clash of civilizations. Certainly, the Westernization of this native woman presages the fate of North American natives and the despoiling of their paradise.
Farrell looks uncomfortable in the role, seldom changing expression and shifting his body aimlessly. Kilcher is quick-witted, full of 15-year-old life and possesses fine instincts despite being a newcomer to acting. Bale underplays his role, letting his innate goodness seep slowly out. In the native roles, Schellenberg and Wes Studi capture the dignity and ferocity of warriors fighting to retain a way of life. David Thewlis, Yorick Van Wageningen and others ably portray the avarice and aggressiveness of the newcomers.
THE NEW WORLD
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Terrence Malick
Producer: Sarah Green
Executive producers: Toby Emmerich, Mark Ordesky, Trish Hofmann, Bill Mechanic, Rolf Mittweg
Director of photography: Emmanuel Lubezki
Production designer: Jack Fisk
Music: James Horner
Costumes: Jacqueline West
Editors: Richard Chew, Hank Corwin, Saar Klein, Mark Yoshikawa
Cast:
Capt. Smith: Colin Farrell
Pocahontas: Q'Orianka Kilcher
Capt. Newport: Christopher Plummer
John Rolfe: Christian Bale
Powhatan: August Schellenberg
Opechancanough: Wes Studi
Wingfield: David Thewlis
Captain Argall: Yorick Van Wageningen
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 150 minutes...
Clearly "The New World" takes an audience into the rarefied atmosphere of an art film made with a studio budget, making its boxoffice impact hard to assess. The 150-minute film opens Christmas Day in Los Angeles and New York, then expands Jan. 13. Its slow, bucolic rhythms and unwillingness to exploit the violence or sex inherent in the story -- the film nevertheless carries a PG-13 rating for its battle scenes -- relegate the film to audiences devoted to Malick's work and film esoterica. In that world, it may become a hit.
The historical record -- especially on the Native American side, where no written language exists -- is skimpy. Nevertheless, Malick and production designer Jack Fisk bring us into a primeval Eden that feels credible. The weirdly painted natives and white-skinned, armor-clad intruders eye one another suspiciously. Their worlds, goals and beliefs could not be more antithetical.
The natives have little sense of possessions or greed but do have a strong social order. The settlers, most unprepared to deal with a wilderness, seek riches, regard each other with envy and mutiny at a moment's notice. A violent clash is inevitable.
John Smith (Colin Farrell) is first seen in shackles on one of three English ships that reach the James River in 1607. He has been insubordinate but is too valuable a soldier and survivalist to lose to a hanging. So Capt. Newport (Christopher Plummer) frees him upon arrival in the New World. He even gives Smith a key assignment before the captain returns to England for supplies.
Smith leads an expedition upriver to contact a native chief in hopes of establishing trade. Instead his men are killed, and he is taken prisoner. His life is spared by the chief (August Schellenberg) when his favorite daughter, Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher), begs for mercy. The chief releases Smith to this teenager so the two can learn each other's language and he might gain insight into the newcomers' intentions.
What they do, of course, is fall in love. Here the movie enters a dreamlike state, a nearly dialogue-free, lengthy montage composed of the physical world of the Virginia circa 1607. (The film actually was shot in that state.) As a strong bond is formed by two absolute strangers, they take in the richness of landscape and sounds of wind and birds in the forest. What would be unspeakably corny in the hands of a less masterly filmmaker works here because of Malick's absolute fidelity to the underlying emotions.
Smith returns to a crude fort with provisions supplied by the Indians. But his homecoming is like awaking from a dream into the ugliness and pettiness of the coarse settlers. When the settlers plant corn and thereby tip off the native chef that they intend to stay, he prepares to attack. But his daughter warns her lover, and the assault is thwarted.
The natives' heartbroken leader banishes his daughter, who then falls into the hands of another tribe that eventually trades her to the whites as an "insurance policy." Smith vehemently opposes this trade, which causes the ungrateful colonialists to depose him as their leader.
After the return of Capt. Newport, Smith is called back to England to lead other expeditions while the Indian girl adopts to living among the whites. Believing Smith to be dead, she marries newly arrived aristocrat John Rolfe (Christian Bale) and has a child. Much later, the couple travels to England, where this "princess" is introduced to the British monarch. Here she sees Smith for one last time.
While the name Pocahontas is never mentioned -- the settlers ridiculously name her Rebecca -- the film is essentially a love letter to the idealized myth of this historic woman, who is viewed here as both forest naif and earth mother. Malick and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki cover Kilcher with more loving poses and angles than a photographer doing a fashion spread. Kilcher is a striking young woman, and the camera -- and perhaps Malick himself? -- falls in love with her.
The movie has a restlessness as it moves through this story with a meandering camera, inner monologues and shifting points of view. James Horner's sumptuous musical score, incorporating bits of Wagner, Mozart and others, emulates the steadiness of the wind while its repetitive refrains remind one of Philip Glass. The camera lingers on details of frontier life, but the exploration here is less scientific and historical than a spiritual quest for what was lost and what was gained in this clash of civilizations. Certainly, the Westernization of this native woman presages the fate of North American natives and the despoiling of their paradise.
Farrell looks uncomfortable in the role, seldom changing expression and shifting his body aimlessly. Kilcher is quick-witted, full of 15-year-old life and possesses fine instincts despite being a newcomer to acting. Bale underplays his role, letting his innate goodness seep slowly out. In the native roles, Schellenberg and Wes Studi capture the dignity and ferocity of warriors fighting to retain a way of life. David Thewlis, Yorick Van Wageningen and others ably portray the avarice and aggressiveness of the newcomers.
THE NEW WORLD
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Terrence Malick
Producer: Sarah Green
Executive producers: Toby Emmerich, Mark Ordesky, Trish Hofmann, Bill Mechanic, Rolf Mittweg
Director of photography: Emmanuel Lubezki
Production designer: Jack Fisk
Music: James Horner
Costumes: Jacqueline West
Editors: Richard Chew, Hank Corwin, Saar Klein, Mark Yoshikawa
Cast:
Capt. Smith: Colin Farrell
Pocahontas: Q'Orianka Kilcher
Capt. Newport: Christopher Plummer
John Rolfe: Christian Bale
Powhatan: August Schellenberg
Opechancanough: Wes Studi
Wingfield: David Thewlis
Captain Argall: Yorick Van Wageningen
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 150 minutes...
- 1/19/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Star Wars", a Lucasfilm for 20th Century Fox, will undoubtedly emerge as one of the true classics in the genre of science fiction-fantasy films. In any event, it will thrill audiences of all ages for a long time to come.
The film, written and directed by George Lucas and produced by Gary Kurtz, is magnificent in scope, but the script and the engaging performances also add an effective human element to the totally believable technological aspects. Lucas combines excellent comedy and drama and progresses it with exciting action in tremendously effective space battles.
Likable heroes on noble missions and despicable villains capable of the most dastardly deeds are all wrapped up in some of the most spectacular special effects to illuminate a motion picture screen.
The story is set "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," where the evil Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) rules the Galactic Empire from his Death Star, an enormous artificial planet manned by Imperial Storm Troopers.
Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), one of the leaders of the rebel forces, gets hold of the plans for the Death Star, which reveal its one weak point. When she is captured, she sends these charts on to Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi (Alec Guinness), the last of the Jedi Knights, who were once the guardians of peace and justice and who drew their power from the "Force", a mystical energy field composed of all living matter.
Kenobi enlists Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), whose father had also been a Jedi Knight and who has inherited the "Force", and together with Han Solo (Harrison Ford), a smug and cynical space smuggler whose ship and services they entice with promises of great riches, they go off to save the princess and the galaxy.
Cushing and Guinness are outstanding in their roles, and Fisher, Hamill and Ford all create personable characterizations, full of youthful energy and desires, who are capable or rising to heroic deeds despite their charming immaturity, which also adds fun and identification. Much of the comedy relief is provided by a nagging, pessimistic robot (Anthony Daniels) and a self-propelled computer (Kenny Baker), who are two of the most adorable characters ever to enliven a film.
David Prowse is commanding as Lord Darth Vader, a Jedi Knight who has sold his soul to evil, and Peter Mayhew is amusing as Chewbacca, a simian (right out of "Planet of the Apes") who is Solo's first mate. Credit for the success of the unique characters should go to special production and mechanical effects supervisors John Stears, costume designer John Mollo (whose futuristic designs are superb) and makeup supervisor Stuart Freeborn.
The technical credits are extraordinary, although they are too numerous to list here. Suffice it to say that everyone involved should be extremely proud of this enormous achievement. Special mention, however, must be made of John Barry's fantastic production design, Gilbert Taylor's awe-inspiring photography, John Dykstra's special photographic effects supervision (which makes imaginative use of laser beams and other technological devices) and Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew's perfectly paced editing.
John Williams has composed a rich, luxuriant score that engulfs the ear as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The Dolby sound is also a major asset in that it is sparkling clear and, in the battle sequences, achieves an enveloping, thunderous pitch without hint of distortion.
The film, written and directed by George Lucas and produced by Gary Kurtz, is magnificent in scope, but the script and the engaging performances also add an effective human element to the totally believable technological aspects. Lucas combines excellent comedy and drama and progresses it with exciting action in tremendously effective space battles.
Likable heroes on noble missions and despicable villains capable of the most dastardly deeds are all wrapped up in some of the most spectacular special effects to illuminate a motion picture screen.
The story is set "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," where the evil Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) rules the Galactic Empire from his Death Star, an enormous artificial planet manned by Imperial Storm Troopers.
Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), one of the leaders of the rebel forces, gets hold of the plans for the Death Star, which reveal its one weak point. When she is captured, she sends these charts on to Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi (Alec Guinness), the last of the Jedi Knights, who were once the guardians of peace and justice and who drew their power from the "Force", a mystical energy field composed of all living matter.
Kenobi enlists Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), whose father had also been a Jedi Knight and who has inherited the "Force", and together with Han Solo (Harrison Ford), a smug and cynical space smuggler whose ship and services they entice with promises of great riches, they go off to save the princess and the galaxy.
Cushing and Guinness are outstanding in their roles, and Fisher, Hamill and Ford all create personable characterizations, full of youthful energy and desires, who are capable or rising to heroic deeds despite their charming immaturity, which also adds fun and identification. Much of the comedy relief is provided by a nagging, pessimistic robot (Anthony Daniels) and a self-propelled computer (Kenny Baker), who are two of the most adorable characters ever to enliven a film.
David Prowse is commanding as Lord Darth Vader, a Jedi Knight who has sold his soul to evil, and Peter Mayhew is amusing as Chewbacca, a simian (right out of "Planet of the Apes") who is Solo's first mate. Credit for the success of the unique characters should go to special production and mechanical effects supervisors John Stears, costume designer John Mollo (whose futuristic designs are superb) and makeup supervisor Stuart Freeborn.
The technical credits are extraordinary, although they are too numerous to list here. Suffice it to say that everyone involved should be extremely proud of this enormous achievement. Special mention, however, must be made of John Barry's fantastic production design, Gilbert Taylor's awe-inspiring photography, John Dykstra's special photographic effects supervision (which makes imaginative use of laser beams and other technological devices) and Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew's perfectly paced editing.
John Williams has composed a rich, luxuriant score that engulfs the ear as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The Dolby sound is also a major asset in that it is sparkling clear and, in the battle sequences, achieves an enveloping, thunderous pitch without hint of distortion.
- 1/31/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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