Cord Jefferson‘s “American Fiction” is filled with witty dialogue, yet the thematic complexities of the film are such that often the characters still aren’t able to express what they’re really feeling, to each other and even themselves. Yet as the movie veers between satire, family drama, and romance — with a few action beats thrown in for good measure — the tonal balance remains precise and the characters’ feelings — and how we as audience members are supposed to feel about those feelings — are always clearly conveyed. This is largely thanks to one of the movie’s greatest strengths: composer Laura Karpman‘s exquisitely conceived and performed jazz score.
The way in which dialogue and score intertwine and complement each other is no accident; Karpman says she always saw the actors’ voices as part of her ensemble, as she created themes and instrumentation designed to riff on the dialogue and its delivery.
The way in which dialogue and score intertwine and complement each other is no accident; Karpman says she always saw the actors’ voices as part of her ensemble, as she created themes and instrumentation designed to riff on the dialogue and its delivery.
- 1/5/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Donald Bogle, who teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, is one of the pioneering film scholars on the subject of Black representation onscreen. For 50 years his work has explored how the images we see reflect and reinforce narratives in the culture at large, and he has given a spotlight to Black images onscreen since the time when few others in academia or film criticism were willing to do so.
IndieWire is honored to present this excerpt from his latest book for Running Press and in partnership with Turner Classic Movies, “Lena Horne: Goddess Reclaimed,” about a trailblazer whose fraught relationship with Hollywood typified the industry’s relationship to Blackness for decades. After Horne’s one star turn in 1943’s “Cabin in the Sky,” MGM relegated her to small walk-on parts in musicals, appearing in just one scene at a time,...
IndieWire is honored to present this excerpt from his latest book for Running Press and in partnership with Turner Classic Movies, “Lena Horne: Goddess Reclaimed,” about a trailblazer whose fraught relationship with Hollywood typified the industry’s relationship to Blackness for decades. After Horne’s one star turn in 1943’s “Cabin in the Sky,” MGM relegated her to small walk-on parts in musicals, appearing in just one scene at a time,...
- 10/27/2023
- by Donald Bogle
- Indiewire
One of the best pictures to come out of Hollywood in the late 1960s, Sydney Pollack’s screen version of Horace McCoy’s hardboiled novel is a harrowing experience guaranteed to elicit extreme responses. Jane Fonda performs (!) at the top of an ensemble of stars suffering in a Depression-Era circle of Hell – it’s an Annihilating Drama with a high polish. And this CineSavant review ends with a fact-bomb that ought to start Barbara Steele fans off on a new vault search.
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen 1:37 flat Academy / 120 min. / Street Date September 5, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, Bruce Dern, Allyn Ann McLerie.
Cinematography: Philip H. Lathrop
Production Designer: Harry Horner
Film Editor: Fredric Steinkamp
Written by James Poe, Robert E. Thompson from the novel They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?...
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen 1:37 flat Academy / 120 min. / Street Date September 5, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, Bruce Dern, Allyn Ann McLerie.
Cinematography: Philip H. Lathrop
Production Designer: Harry Horner
Film Editor: Fredric Steinkamp
Written by James Poe, Robert E. Thompson from the novel They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?...
- 9/30/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Jean Simmons is the original frustrated Mad Housewife who runs away from a 'dream marriage' in search of something more fulfilling. Uncompromising, adult, and making use of an interesting cast. Plus, the soundtrack uses Michel Legrand's incomparable song "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" The Happy Ending Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 112 min. / Ship Date January 19, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Jean Simmons, John Forsythe, Shirley Jones, Teresa Wright, Nanette Fabray, Bobby Darin, Kathy Fields, Tina Louise, Dick Shawn, Lloyd Bridges, Karen Steele, Erin Moran. Cinematography Conrad Hall Original Music Michel Legrand, lyrics Alan & Marilyn Bergman Produced, Written and Directed by Richard Brooks
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I looked at some of the poster artwork for The Happy Ending, and yes indeed, one of the main styles is indeed like the cover of this disc -- a photo of a rusty garbage...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I looked at some of the poster artwork for The Happy Ending, and yes indeed, one of the main styles is indeed like the cover of this disc -- a photo of a rusty garbage...
- 2/13/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The crowded Gop debate ended on Thursday and the analysis is coming thick and fast. The Hollywood Reporter asked noted social critic and author Camille Paglia for her thoughts on the debate and she didn't disappoint. Dear Hollywood Reporter, Ten Gop candidates turned up for the presidential audition tonight at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena. They need some work. Where's Max Factor and Sydney Guilaroff when you need them? Here's my report. Best, Camille Donald Trump What's with the carpet-bombing Don Rickles routine? Does Trump have any facial expression beyond knotted, squinting scowl? It's a strain even to look at
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- 8/7/2015
- by Camille Paglia
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fans of classic movies know that "Woman of the Year" marks the beginning of the 25-year partnership, on- and off-screen, between one of film's most beloved and enduring couples: Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Released 70 years ago today (on January 19, 1942), "Woman of the Year" came to define combustible romantic chemistry, thanks to the two fiery, evenly-matched leads. It launched a partnership that lasted until Tracy's death in 1967, a quarter-century union that resulted in nine films and an extramarital affair that was Hollywood's worst kept secret. What fans may not know is how the partnership came to be, who the real-life inspirations were for Hepburn's high-minded columnist and Tracy's earthy sportswriter, or the forgotten screen pairing of the two stars that came four years earlier. Read on for the untold story of "Woman of the Year" and its long afterlife in the realms of Broadway, TV, and magazines. 1. "Woman of the Year...
- 1/19/2012
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
There are some days you just can’t forget. On March 13, 1993, I was given the opportunity to watch Lena Horne film her introductions for That’s Entertainment! III and interview her for Entertainment Tonight. The setting was the recording stage where Horne and all the MGM stars and musicians worked during the “golden age.” (Never mind that it was now the Sony Pictures lot; the stage itself hadn’t changed a bit.) The fabled hairdresser to the stars, Sydney Guilaroff, had come out of retirement to take care of Ms. Horne that day, and Roddy McDowall was there with his camera…...
- 5/10/2010
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
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