"Don't get involved in this, Mr. Caul." Don't get involved in what?! Who is after him?! Studiocanal UK has revealed a new re-release trailer for Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, for its 50th anniversary this year. The film initially opened in 1974 and premiered at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival, meaning he is back again premiering his newest film (Megalopolis) at Cannes 2024 a full 50 years later. "To mark the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal neo-noir thriller, The Conversation, we are is thrilled to announce a brand-new 4K restoration of the film to UK cinemas on July 5th." This paranoia masterpiece stars Gene Hackman as sound surveillance expert Harry Caul, who hears something while taping a couple. A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered. The ensemble cast also includes John Cazale, Allen Garfield,...
- 5/2/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Two years after he leapt to the forefront of the New Hollywood with The Godfather, and just months before he picked up the threads of that operatic crime saga with the magnificent sequel/prequel The Godfather Part II, Francis Ford Coppola released a quiet movie, one in which sound itself — and, more specifically, its surreptitious recording — is the narrative engine. Arriving during a particularly fertile era for American film, The Conversation was not a hit, but it is one of the period’s most subtle and shattering features. Half a century later, it resounds as hauntingly as ever, not merely as a cautionary tale but as a searing portrait of where we are now.
The movie took its New York bow on Coppola’s 35th birthday, April 7, 1974, a few weeks before its Palme d’Or triumph in Cannes. Today the octogenarian writer-director is again preparing to compete on the Croisette,...
The movie took its New York bow on Coppola’s 35th birthday, April 7, 1974, a few weeks before its Palme d’Or triumph in Cannes. Today the octogenarian writer-director is again preparing to compete on the Croisette,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 1974 suspense thriller smartly predicted the increasing importance of technology and lack of privacy in our lives
In the 50 years since Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation was released in theaters, the evolution of technology and the devolution of political culture have combined to make it seem both prescient and quaint. The film’s hero, Harry Caul, fears the future his job as a professional wiretapper helps to create, one in which surveillance threatens to encroach on everyday life and anti-government paranoia runs so rampant that truth seem as graspable as sand through your fingers. What would Harry make of a world where small cameras are ubiquitous in public spaces and people voluntarily give away information about themselves on social media or ice cream apps?
Consider Harry’s 44th birthday, which he celebrates by changing his mailing address to a Po Box and breaking up with a sometime girlfriend he...
In the 50 years since Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation was released in theaters, the evolution of technology and the devolution of political culture have combined to make it seem both prescient and quaint. The film’s hero, Harry Caul, fears the future his job as a professional wiretapper helps to create, one in which surveillance threatens to encroach on everyday life and anti-government paranoia runs so rampant that truth seem as graspable as sand through your fingers. What would Harry make of a world where small cameras are ubiquitous in public spaces and people voluntarily give away information about themselves on social media or ice cream apps?
Consider Harry’s 44th birthday, which he celebrates by changing his mailing address to a Po Box and breaking up with a sometime girlfriend he...
- 4/7/2024
- by Scott Tobias
- The Guardian - Film News
Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein, co-written with Gene Wilder (seen here with Marty Feldman and Teri Garr) inspired Tony McNamara’s screenplay adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel for Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things (Oscar wins for Emma Stone and costume designer Holly Waddington).
By using well-chosen excerpts from the audiobook of Gene Wilder’s autobiography, Kiss Me Like A Stranger, Ron Frank lets Wilder himself guide us through the documentary, by positioning him in dialogue with many friends and colleagues assembled here, most prominently Mel Brooks, who directed Wilder in a number of groundbreaking movies. We find out how the two met, because Anne Bancroft, starring at the time on stage in Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage (with Wilder as the Chaplain), was dating Brooks, who was looking for an actor to play Leo Bloom in what was to become The Producers. The two men clicked, as they both recall,...
By using well-chosen excerpts from the audiobook of Gene Wilder’s autobiography, Kiss Me Like A Stranger, Ron Frank lets Wilder himself guide us through the documentary, by positioning him in dialogue with many friends and colleagues assembled here, most prominently Mel Brooks, who directed Wilder in a number of groundbreaking movies. We find out how the two met, because Anne Bancroft, starring at the time on stage in Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage (with Wilder as the Chaplain), was dating Brooks, who was looking for an actor to play Leo Bloom in what was to become The Producers. The two men clicked, as they both recall,...
- 3/21/2024
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Known for his iconic portrayal of the Marvel superhero Iron Man in the MCU, Robert Downey Jr. has once again emerged victorious in the realm of acting. The 58-year-old actor has enjoyed a series of wins this award season for his compelling performance as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and has added yet another feather to his cap by clinching the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards for Oppenheimer.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
As Downey Jr. took the stage to accept his well-deserved award, he didn’t miss the chance to playfully tease his fellow nominees, including Ryan Gosling and Robert De Niro among others.
Robert Downey Jr. Won the SAG For Best Supporting Actor
Beloved Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. once again stole the spotlight as he graciously accepted the prestigious SAG Award for his performance as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 blockbuster Oppenheimer.
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
As Downey Jr. took the stage to accept his well-deserved award, he didn’t miss the chance to playfully tease his fellow nominees, including Ryan Gosling and Robert De Niro among others.
Robert Downey Jr. Won the SAG For Best Supporting Actor
Beloved Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. once again stole the spotlight as he graciously accepted the prestigious SAG Award for his performance as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 blockbuster Oppenheimer.
- 2/25/2024
- by Laxmi Rajput
- FandomWire
Robert Downey Jr. won the best supporting actor in a movie award at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday night. Following an awards season full of comedic acceptance speeches by the actor, he took a moment to list off actors (and his wife) that inspired him throughout the years.
“This is actually incredibly meaningful to me, thank you very much,” Downey Jr. said. “Why me? Why now? Why do things seem to be going my way? Unlike my fellow nominees, I will never grow tired from the sound of my own voice.”
Downey Jr., who won for his role as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, continued: “I’m going to do a name check. I have Chris Nolan in my ear. Basically the only note he gave me, ‘maybe just one with nothing on it.’ Teri Garr, James Spader, Anthony Michael Hall, Mel Gibson, Whoopi Goldberg, Alfre Woodard,...
“This is actually incredibly meaningful to me, thank you very much,” Downey Jr. said. “Why me? Why now? Why do things seem to be going my way? Unlike my fellow nominees, I will never grow tired from the sound of my own voice.”
Downey Jr., who won for his role as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, continued: “I’m going to do a name check. I have Chris Nolan in my ear. Basically the only note he gave me, ‘maybe just one with nothing on it.’ Teri Garr, James Spader, Anthony Michael Hall, Mel Gibson, Whoopi Goldberg, Alfre Woodard,...
- 2/25/2024
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Francis Ford Coppola‘s 1974 masterpiece “The Conversation” will be remade as a TV series, with “Margin Call” and “All Is Lost” filmmaker J.C. Chandor attached to both write and direct the series, IndieWire has confirmed.
Chandor will direct via his CounterNarrative Films banner alongside Temple Hill, producer Adam Fishbach, and executive produced by Coppola’s American Zoetrope. Erin Levy, known for her work on “Mad Men” and “Mindhunter,” will be the showrunner on “The Conversation” remake.
MRC is the studio behind the series, and the company optioned the TV remake rights directly from the Coppola estate.
Despite a rumor that Aubrey Plaza was attached to star, no cast is involved at this stage, as a source close to the project tells IndieWire. Other media reports suggested it would be a limited series and that it was set up at a network, but it is being envisioned as an ongoing series,...
Chandor will direct via his CounterNarrative Films banner alongside Temple Hill, producer Adam Fishbach, and executive produced by Coppola’s American Zoetrope. Erin Levy, known for her work on “Mad Men” and “Mindhunter,” will be the showrunner on “The Conversation” remake.
MRC is the studio behind the series, and the company optioned the TV remake rights directly from the Coppola estate.
Despite a rumor that Aubrey Plaza was attached to star, no cast is involved at this stage, as a source close to the project tells IndieWire. Other media reports suggested it would be a limited series and that it was set up at a network, but it is being envisioned as an ongoing series,...
- 2/2/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
"Love is for suckers." Studiocanal UK has revealed an official trailer for a re-release of the 1982 film titled One from the Heart, Francis Ford Coppola's follow up to Apocalypse Now. One from the Heart: Reprise is a spectacular 4K restoration and reimagining of the 1982 cult classic – six minutes of footage were added to replace the original negative, previously thought to be destroyed, resulting in this brand-new "Reprise" version, approved by Coppola himself. The film tells the story of a Las Vegas couple (Teri Garr & Frederic Forrest) whose break-up on the 4th of July leads them both to a night on the strip in pursuit of romantic fantasies (Raul Julia & Nastassja Kinski). But in this town of gamblers and dreamers should they bet it all on dreams, or give true love another roll of the dice? "Featuring breathtaking design, show-stopping set pieces, the stunning photography of Vittorio Storaro and accompanied...
- 1/24/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Talk to any true Francis Ford Coppola fan and it’ll take inside three minutes until they sing praises of One from the Heart, a film whose oddity and majesty is mirrored by its troubles: shot with the man’s own money on a post-Apocalypse jolt of creative energy, it caused such immense financial precarity that the next fifteen-or-so years were spent, in part, recouping what it took. (And hobbling ambitions to make Megalopolis in the process.) Its specter in his legacy is such that even fans who’d likely prefer it go untouched might understand why a recut-happy Coppola would next set his sights on the 1982 musical, which has been reshaped into One from the Heart: Reprise, now on a nationwide tour ahead of a (U.K.) 4K release arriving March 4.
During which time there’s a new trailer––not spelling-out any revisions but showing the extent of American...
During which time there’s a new trailer––not spelling-out any revisions but showing the extent of American...
- 1/22/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Francis Ford Coppola adds a further six minutes, as One From The Heart Reprise is set to land on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in March.
While he puts together his pretty much self-funded $100m+ passion project Megaolopolis, Francis Ford Coppola is also continuing to tune some of his older movies. This time? It’s One From The Heart that he’s reworked, with a new edition of the film going by the name One From The Heart Reprise.
The movie dates back to 1982, and is a musical comedy drama that was heavily billed as from the director of The Godfather I & II and Apocalypse Now. The film being advertised was nothing like those though. It was headlined by Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinski, Lainie Kazan and Harry Dean Stanton, and it fell hard at the box office.
Costing $26m and with Coppola relying on independent funding to get it made,...
While he puts together his pretty much self-funded $100m+ passion project Megaolopolis, Francis Ford Coppola is also continuing to tune some of his older movies. This time? It’s One From The Heart that he’s reworked, with a new edition of the film going by the name One From The Heart Reprise.
The movie dates back to 1982, and is a musical comedy drama that was heavily billed as from the director of The Godfather I & II and Apocalypse Now. The film being advertised was nothing like those though. It was headlined by Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinski, Lainie Kazan and Harry Dean Stanton, and it fell hard at the box office.
Costing $26m and with Coppola relying on independent funding to get it made,...
- 1/22/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
Francis Ford Coppola's 1982 musical "One from the Heart" opens with the rattle of a roulette pill over a black screen. The shouts and dings and hopes and hopes and lamentations of the casino are nowhere to be heard. It's just that damn ball clattering across that spinning wheel, daring bettors to pick a number and a color. When the rotation slows and the pill finds its slot, the red-light logo of Zoetrope Studios cuts through the dark of the theater.
Coppola's wager? Everything. He'd pushed all-in on the outsized dream of an artist-controlled movie studio nestled in the heart of Hollywood. Everyone who bought a ticket to see the film on opening day knew that the most celebrated filmmaker of the 1970s had risked it all to revolutionize an exclusionary industry. He wanted every craftsperson of every creed/color/class to soar as far as their talent would take them,...
Coppola's wager? Everything. He'd pushed all-in on the outsized dream of an artist-controlled movie studio nestled in the heart of Hollywood. Everyone who bought a ticket to see the film on opening day knew that the most celebrated filmmaker of the 1970s had risked it all to revolutionize an exclusionary industry. He wanted every craftsperson of every creed/color/class to soar as far as their talent would take them,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Francis Ford Coppola has been thinking about utopia his whole career. His upcoming, self-financed epic Megalopolis is about just that. But his first experiment with utopia climaxed in 1980 with the creation of Zoetrope Studios, which he imagined would be its own top-to-bottom, all-encompassing, soul-enriching creative ecosystem free of Hollywood dysfunction. Its initial project was to be the hugely ambitious musical romantic drama One From the Heart, starring Teri Garr, Frederic Forrest and Raul Julia. The 1981 film may have bombed at the box office, but the story of its creation is far brighter, revealing how Coppola’s cast and crew came to believe in his grand vision, and helped him overcome financial disaster. As a new director’s cut of the film comes to New York’s IFC Center on Jan. 19 and L.A.’s Cinemathèque on Jan. 26, the following excerpt from Sam Wasson’s new book The Path to Paradise:...
- 1/19/2024
- by Sam Wasson
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix generates more contemporary content than anyone, but they’re dipping into the past to curate the great movies from the ’70s. These are the films that people like myself discovered as kids in the early days of when HBO premiered on cable. Bravo, I say. Here’s the preliminary list.
Alice Doesn’T Live Here Anymore
A widowed singer and single mother starts over as a diner waitress in Arizona, befriending her coworkers and romancing a ruggedly handsome rancher.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Robert Getchell
Producers: Audrey Maas, David Susskind
Key Cast (Alphabetical): Ellen Burstyn, Jodie Foster, Diane Ladd, Alfred Lutter, Harvey Keitel, Kris Kristofferson, Vic Tayback
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Discovery
Initial Release Date: December 9, 1974
At the 47th Academy Awards, Burstyn won Best Actress
Black Belt Jones
High-kicking Black Belt Jones is dispatched to take down a group of Mafia goons trying to muscle in on a downtown karate studio.
Alice Doesn’T Live Here Anymore
A widowed singer and single mother starts over as a diner waitress in Arizona, befriending her coworkers and romancing a ruggedly handsome rancher.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Robert Getchell
Producers: Audrey Maas, David Susskind
Key Cast (Alphabetical): Ellen Burstyn, Jodie Foster, Diane Ladd, Alfred Lutter, Harvey Keitel, Kris Kristofferson, Vic Tayback
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Discovery
Initial Release Date: December 9, 1974
At the 47th Academy Awards, Burstyn won Best Actress
Black Belt Jones
High-kicking Black Belt Jones is dispatched to take down a group of Mafia goons trying to muscle in on a downtown karate studio.
- 1/17/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
1974 was quite a year for cinema; 50 years later, Netflix (of all places) is celebrating the golden jubilee.
In recognition of the anniversary, the streamer on Wednesday launched a new, dedicated content row (and direct URL link) with the first films being honored under its new “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection” banner. Each of the 14 films came to Netflix this month by way of Warner Bros., Paramount, or Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
The 1974 collection includes “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Black Belt Jones,” “Blazing Saddles,” “California Split,” “Chinatown,” “The Conversation,” “Death Wish,” “The Gambler,” “The Great Gatsby,” “It’s Alive,” “The Little Prince,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” “The Parallax View,” and “The Street Fighter” (“Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken”).
Netflix doesn’t plan to stop with disco’s heyday. In April, the streaming service will do the same for films from 1984 (turning 40); July will celebrate 1994 movies (turning 30); and in October...
In recognition of the anniversary, the streamer on Wednesday launched a new, dedicated content row (and direct URL link) with the first films being honored under its new “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection” banner. Each of the 14 films came to Netflix this month by way of Warner Bros., Paramount, or Sony — the distributors that license content to Netflix.
The 1974 collection includes “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Black Belt Jones,” “Blazing Saddles,” “California Split,” “Chinatown,” “The Conversation,” “Death Wish,” “The Gambler,” “The Great Gatsby,” “It’s Alive,” “The Little Prince,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” “The Parallax View,” and “The Street Fighter” (“Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken”).
Netflix doesn’t plan to stop with disco’s heyday. In April, the streaming service will do the same for films from 1984 (turning 40); July will celebrate 1994 movies (turning 30); and in October...
- 1/17/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
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Sometimes, the reputations of certain movies have been built up so much over the decades that, to an extent, newcomers can't help but come away disappointed when they finally experience it for the very first time. Others, however, live up to every inch of their status as bona fide classics. It's safe to say that "Close Encounters of a Third Kind," director Steven Spielberg's first film about extraterrestrial visitors, belongs firmly in the latter category. Although multiple generations of movie lovers only encountered the 1977 film through their parents, film school courses, or entirely on their own, various re-releases over the years and constant praise from both filmmakers and critics alike have kept "Close Encounters" exactly where it deserves to be -- at the forefront of the conversation about the greatest and most influential movies of all time.
Of course,...
Sometimes, the reputations of certain movies have been built up so much over the decades that, to an extent, newcomers can't help but come away disappointed when they finally experience it for the very first time. Others, however, live up to every inch of their status as bona fide classics. It's safe to say that "Close Encounters of a Third Kind," director Steven Spielberg's first film about extraterrestrial visitors, belongs firmly in the latter category. Although multiple generations of movie lovers only encountered the 1977 film through their parents, film school courses, or entirely on their own, various re-releases over the years and constant praise from both filmmakers and critics alike have kept "Close Encounters" exactly where it deserves to be -- at the forefront of the conversation about the greatest and most influential movies of all time.
Of course,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Francis Ford Coppola’s “One From the Heart: Reprise” is getting a restored re-release.
The 1982 film, which follows a couple in Las Vegas, landed a “Reprise” cut with more than 19 minutes of additional footage in September 2023, debuting at the Venice Film Festival. Overseen by Coppola, the 4K restoration of the “Reprise” cut comes courtesy of distributor Rialto Pictures, which will release the film in select theaters on January 19.
“I’ve always loved ‘One from the Heart,’ despite the disruption it caused in my dreams for American Zoetrope,” Coppola said. “However, there is magic in cinema and while preparing this film for 4K, it was apparent I could refine the story. This new version is an improvement in many ways and I am proud of what was achieved with ‘One from the Heart: Reprise.'”
“One From the Heart” centers on Hank (Frederic Forrest} and Frannie (Teri Garr) who break up on their fifth anniversary.
The 1982 film, which follows a couple in Las Vegas, landed a “Reprise” cut with more than 19 minutes of additional footage in September 2023, debuting at the Venice Film Festival. Overseen by Coppola, the 4K restoration of the “Reprise” cut comes courtesy of distributor Rialto Pictures, which will release the film in select theaters on January 19.
“I’ve always loved ‘One from the Heart,’ despite the disruption it caused in my dreams for American Zoetrope,” Coppola said. “However, there is magic in cinema and while preparing this film for 4K, it was apparent I could refine the story. This new version is an improvement in many ways and I am proud of what was achieved with ‘One from the Heart: Reprise.'”
“One From the Heart” centers on Hank (Frederic Forrest} and Frannie (Teri Garr) who break up on their fifth anniversary.
- 12/15/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
While Francis Coppola plans to set cinema alight in 2024 with his final epic Megalopolis, the Oscar-winner will begin the year with a revisit of one his most misunderstood efforts, One From The Heart. That’s the 1981 picture that Coppola threw himself into so hard, creatively and financially, that his American Zoetrope had to declare bankruptcy when it failed to draw audiences. It took Coppola years to build back his fortune with film hits and a win empire, to the current situation where he was able to self finance the $100 million+ Megalopolis.
Specialty distributor Rialto Pictures is bringing a brand-new 4K restoration of One From The Heart: Reprise to theaters on January 19. Coppola supervised the reprise cut, which will be released in New York and Los Angeles before rolling out to additional cities across the U.S. StudioCanal and Park Circus will be releasing the film in cinemas and home entertainment...
Specialty distributor Rialto Pictures is bringing a brand-new 4K restoration of One From The Heart: Reprise to theaters on January 19. Coppola supervised the reprise cut, which will be released in New York and Los Angeles before rolling out to additional cities across the U.S. StudioCanal and Park Circus will be releasing the film in cinemas and home entertainment...
- 12/15/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Teri Garr’s disappearance from the limelight has spanned over a decade and has left moviegoers who followed her career wondering what has become of the American actress. Born to parents who worked in showbiz, the Lakewood, Ohio native began her career as a ballet dancer during her teenage years. Along the way, she developed a passion for acting. This inspired her to drop out of California State University, Northridge, and move to New York City to pursue an acting career. After studying acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, Teri Garr made her screen debut in 1963. Her...
- 12/1/2023
- by Banks Onuoha
- TVovermind.com
Film fans talk about the 1990s as another Golden Age of cinema. Not only is there the jam-packed year of 1999, which gave us classics such as The Matrix, Toy Story 2, and The Talented Mr. Ripley, but the 90s also saw the rise of new auteurs, including Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, and Guillermo del Toro. Hollywood turned its attention to indie and foreign films, enriching a moviegoing experience that still featured fan-favorite blockbusters.
But to really see how good the 90s were, we can’t just look at the hits. Rather, the flops tell us the true tale of the decade’s quality – the movies that audiences skipped at the time but have proven their worth in the years that followed. Here are the best flops of the 1990s; films that couldn’t find a wide enough audience upon release, but still deserve attention today.
Mom and Dad Save the World...
But to really see how good the 90s were, we can’t just look at the hits. Rather, the flops tell us the true tale of the decade’s quality – the movies that audiences skipped at the time but have proven their worth in the years that followed. Here are the best flops of the 1990s; films that couldn’t find a wide enough audience upon release, but still deserve attention today.
Mom and Dad Save the World...
- 10/7/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
There is, of course, the legend that Martin Scorsese’s career nearly ended at Raging Bull: after the disappointments of New York, New York and attendant personal struggles, he (for at least some time) considered the boxing biopic––handled with a “kamikaze” mindset––a fine end of the road. That, of course, did not happen, but we’ve come closer to other retirements than most realize: in a great new GQ profile, Scorsese reveals the one-two punch of Gangs of New York (about which most know Weinstein-inflicted wounds) and The Aviator nearly made him give up. His next movie would nab Best Director and Best Picture Oscars and troubles were averted, but nobody predicted as much at the time.
At nearly 81 the speculation starts again––first with a pre-Cannes Killers of the Flower Moon interview in which Scorsese dwelled on age, then seemingly quelled by news of a couple films he had in development,...
At nearly 81 the speculation starts again––first with a pre-Cannes Killers of the Flower Moon interview in which Scorsese dwelled on age, then seemingly quelled by news of a couple films he had in development,...
- 9/25/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Watch any classic movies, and there’s a good chance you’ll see someone who got famous down the line. A future pop star appeared as a dancer in Elvis Presley’s Viva Las Vegas. That was far from the end of her career on the big screen.
‘Mickey’ singer Toni Basil danced to a Ray Charles song in Elvis Presley’s ‘Viva Las Vegas’
Toni Basil is a dancer and choreographer who’s most known for her No. 1 single “Mickey.” In a 2014 Facebook post, she discussed her experiences on the set of Viva Las Vegas. “Over the months of rehearsing with Anne-Margret and Elvis Presley, [choreographer] David Winters and I became close friends with them,” she recalled.
“David the choreographer and I worked on many musical numbers for this film,” Basil added. “Here’s ‘What’d I Say’ where I got to be the girl with the red dress on.
‘Mickey’ singer Toni Basil danced to a Ray Charles song in Elvis Presley’s ‘Viva Las Vegas’
Toni Basil is a dancer and choreographer who’s most known for her No. 1 single “Mickey.” In a 2014 Facebook post, she discussed her experiences on the set of Viva Las Vegas. “Over the months of rehearsing with Anne-Margret and Elvis Presley, [choreographer] David Winters and I became close friends with them,” she recalled.
“David the choreographer and I worked on many musical numbers for this film,” Basil added. “Here’s ‘What’d I Say’ where I got to be the girl with the red dress on.
- 9/17/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Clockwise from top left: Grease 2 (Paramount), Jaws: The Revenge (Universal), Exorcist II: The Heretic (Warner Bros.), Batman & Robin (Warner Bros.)Image: The A.V. Club
In 1997’s Scream 2, self-proclaimed film geek Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) rants about sequels in his college film class. “Sequels suck! By definition alone they’re inferior films,...
In 1997’s Scream 2, self-proclaimed film geek Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) rants about sequels in his college film class. “Sequels suck! By definition alone they’re inferior films,...
- 9/8/2023
- by Robert DeSalvo
- avclub.com
If all you knew about Francis Ford Coppola’s epic-scale 1982 musical “One from the Heart” was that it’s reportedly “brain food” for the “Joker” sequel “Folie à Deux”, you might think it was more successful. Coppola’s first film after a decade-long run that included two “Godfathers,” “Apocalypse Now,” and “The Conversation” is a nostalgic musical about two ordinary people trying to rekindle their romance on the outskirts of Las Vegas.
A kitsch throwback in the vein of “New York, New York,” it was an even bigger disaster, and ultimately more ruinous for its director. Costing nearly twice its initial $15 million budget (admittedly not a terrible ratio for Coppola), it grossed only $8 million. Within 18 months, Coppola’s studio was bankrupt and, by 1992, he’d filed for a third time.
A new “refined” cut and 4K-scanned restoration, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, is a reminder of the technical...
A kitsch throwback in the vein of “New York, New York,” it was an even bigger disaster, and ultimately more ruinous for its director. Costing nearly twice its initial $15 million budget (admittedly not a terrible ratio for Coppola), it grossed only $8 million. Within 18 months, Coppola’s studio was bankrupt and, by 1992, he’d filed for a third time.
A new “refined” cut and 4K-scanned restoration, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, is a reminder of the technical...
- 9/1/2023
- by Adam Solomons
- Indiewire
Forget “Annie Hall” or “Sex and the City.” For a certain generation of audiences, Martin Scorsese’s 1985 “After Hours” made you want to move to New York City.
“It’s like, wow, that place is so exciting and you never know what’s around the next corner and who I’m going to bump into and how I’m almost going to die and the subway fare will get raised in the middle of the night,” “After Hours” producer Amy Robinson said in a recent interview with IndieWire.
If you haven’t seen this existential screwball classic about paranoid android computer programmer Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) and his dark night of the soul in lower Manhattan, a more recent film serves as a useful retrospective primer: Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid” and especially its Hieroynomous-Bosch-on-bath-salts first hour, set in a downtown hellscape spinning off the orbit of 40-something-year-old virgin...
“It’s like, wow, that place is so exciting and you never know what’s around the next corner and who I’m going to bump into and how I’m almost going to die and the subway fare will get raised in the middle of the night,” “After Hours” producer Amy Robinson said in a recent interview with IndieWire.
If you haven’t seen this existential screwball classic about paranoid android computer programmer Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) and his dark night of the soul in lower Manhattan, a more recent film serves as a useful retrospective primer: Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid” and especially its Hieroynomous-Bosch-on-bath-salts first hour, set in a downtown hellscape spinning off the orbit of 40-something-year-old virgin...
- 8/15/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most influential and distinctive filmmakers of our time. His movies are known for their stylish violence, witty dialogue, eclectic soundtracks, and homages to various genres and eras of cinema. He has also been vocal about his admiration for other filmmakers and their works, often citing them as inspirations or influences for his own projects.
In a recent interview, Tarantino revealed his list of seven perfect movies that he considers flawless and masterful in every aspect. He said that these movies are “the ones that I go, ‘Ok, this is as good as a movie can get.’ And I don’t think I can do any better than that.”
CineArticles decided to rank these seven perfect movies according to their own criteria and preferences. Here is their list, from the least to the most perfect movie picked by Tarantino:
7. The Wild Bunch (1969) The Wild Bunch...
In a recent interview, Tarantino revealed his list of seven perfect movies that he considers flawless and masterful in every aspect. He said that these movies are “the ones that I go, ‘Ok, this is as good as a movie can get.’ And I don’t think I can do any better than that.”
CineArticles decided to rank these seven perfect movies according to their own criteria and preferences. Here is their list, from the least to the most perfect movie picked by Tarantino:
7. The Wild Bunch (1969) The Wild Bunch...
- 7/29/2023
- by amalprasadappu
- https://thecinemanews.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_4649
Martin Scorsese was at a crossroads in 1985. The King of Comedy had tanked at the box office, and Paramount had recently pulled the plug on his passion project, The Last Temptation of Christ, weeks before production was set to begin. So when the script for After Hours came across his desk via actor-producer Griffin Dunne and producer Amy Robinson, who had appeared in Mean Streets, Scorsese jumped at the chance to helm a small-scale, low-budget black comedy set in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood.
After Hours comes full circle by opening and closing at the workplace of bored data entry drone Paul Hackett (Dunne). In between, Paul’s nightmarish nightlong odyssey sees him repeatedly returning to the same handful of locations and oddball individuals, spiraling ever deeper into an infernal realm of anxiety, paranoia, and free-floating guilt. In this regard, the film shares themes and motifs with other titles...
After Hours comes full circle by opening and closing at the workplace of bored data entry drone Paul Hackett (Dunne). In between, Paul’s nightmarish nightlong odyssey sees him repeatedly returning to the same handful of locations and oddball individuals, spiraling ever deeper into an infernal realm of anxiety, paranoia, and free-floating guilt. In this regard, the film shares themes and motifs with other titles...
- 7/20/2023
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
Malcolm Mowbray, the British director of “A Private Function,” died June 23, producer Deniz Erel confirmed to Variety. He was 74.
Mowbray was known for directing “The Revengers’ Comedies,” “Meeting Spencer,” “Out Cold” as well as the 1984 feature “A Private Function.”
Maggie Smith, Michael Palin, Richard Griffiths, Denholm Elliott, John Normington and Tony Haygarth starred in “A Private Function,” which Mowbray co-wrote. The dark comedy followed the citizens of a small English town in 1947 who were awaiting the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. The citizens had to ration their food, but the royal celebration was the one exception. They gathered to prepare and raise a pig for the celebratory meal — but a couple, Smith’s Joyce and Palin’s Gilbert, decide to steal the pig in an act of rebellion. The film garnered six BAFTA wins, including original screenplay and best film.
In 1989, Mowbray directed the black comedy “Out Cold,...
Mowbray was known for directing “The Revengers’ Comedies,” “Meeting Spencer,” “Out Cold” as well as the 1984 feature “A Private Function.”
Maggie Smith, Michael Palin, Richard Griffiths, Denholm Elliott, John Normington and Tony Haygarth starred in “A Private Function,” which Mowbray co-wrote. The dark comedy followed the citizens of a small English town in 1947 who were awaiting the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. The citizens had to ration their food, but the royal celebration was the one exception. They gathered to prepare and raise a pig for the celebratory meal — but a couple, Smith’s Joyce and Palin’s Gilbert, decide to steal the pig in an act of rebellion. The film garnered six BAFTA wins, including original screenplay and best film.
In 1989, Mowbray directed the black comedy “Out Cold,...
- 6/26/2023
- by Charna Flam
- Variety Film + TV
One of the biggest question marks on the 2024 film calendar is “Joker: Folie à Deux.” For the sequel to his Oscar-winning DC villain origin story, Todd Phillips blew up his narrative formula by deciding to make a musical. Lady Gaga joined the franchise as Harley Quinn, but little is known about how Phillips plans to infuse music into his version of Gotham. Film history is not exactly littered with superhero musicals, so it can be difficult for outside observers to gauge what his points of reference might be.
However, cinematographer Lawrence Sher might have given fans one of their first big hints about the film’s influences. Sher, who shot both “Joker” and “Folie à Deux,” recently revealed that he used an infamous Francis Ford Coppola musical as a point of reference. In an interview with YouTuber Matti Haapoja, Sher listed Coppola’s 1981 film “One from the Heart” as one...
However, cinematographer Lawrence Sher might have given fans one of their first big hints about the film’s influences. Sher, who shot both “Joker” and “Folie à Deux,” recently revealed that he used an infamous Francis Ford Coppola musical as a point of reference. In an interview with YouTuber Matti Haapoja, Sher listed Coppola’s 1981 film “One from the Heart” as one...
- 6/24/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Sydney Pollack was the Oscar winning filmmaker who could’ve branded himself as Hollywood’s favorite journeyman, crafting solid entertainments for over 40 years. But how many of his titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at all 20 of his films as a director, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1934, Pollack got his start as an actor, studying under legendary New York teacher Sanford Meisner. He cut his teeth is television, appearing in such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Playhouse 90” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before transitioning into directing for the small screen. Even after making a name for himself behind the camera, he kept popping up onscreen, starring in “The Player” (1992), “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Changing Lanes” (2002), “Michael Clayton” (2007) and his own “Tootsie” (1982), to name but a few.
It was this experience as a performer that made him a favorite with actors, including Robert Redford, with whom he made seven films.
Born in 1934, Pollack got his start as an actor, studying under legendary New York teacher Sanford Meisner. He cut his teeth is television, appearing in such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Playhouse 90” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before transitioning into directing for the small screen. Even after making a name for himself behind the camera, he kept popping up onscreen, starring in “The Player” (1992), “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Changing Lanes” (2002), “Michael Clayton” (2007) and his own “Tootsie” (1982), to name but a few.
It was this experience as a performer that made him a favorite with actors, including Robert Redford, with whom he made seven films.
- 6/24/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Mike Nesmith always had a soft spot for The Monkees‘ only feature film, Head. The 1968 film was misunderstood by many critics and fans of the band who were used to the casual hijinks of the quartet’s NBC series. However, Nesmith discussed how the film had a hidden meaning missed by many. He claimed the film poked “a lot of fun at The Monkees’ expense.”
The Monkees in a scene from the feature film ‘Head’ | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Mike Nesmith shared in a rare interview the intentions of the movie ‘Head’
Mike Nesmith shared the purposes of the group’s first feature film in a rare interview with Monkees bandmates Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork for the Hy Lit Show. Head, he explained, poked “a lot of fun” at the expense of its stars.
“The most fun was the character assassination,” Nesmith said of the darker...
The Monkees in a scene from the feature film ‘Head’ | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Mike Nesmith shared in a rare interview the intentions of the movie ‘Head’
Mike Nesmith shared the purposes of the group’s first feature film in a rare interview with Monkees bandmates Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork for the Hy Lit Show. Head, he explained, poked “a lot of fun” at the expense of its stars.
“The most fun was the character assassination,” Nesmith said of the darker...
- 6/1/2023
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Elvis Presley starred in 31 movies in his acting career. Not every single one was a critical darling, but many did well at the box office, giving Presley the status of one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. His movies earned over $284 million worldwide, and a few earned Elvis a pretty payday.
Here are the top 5 highest-grossing Elvis Presley movies 5. ‘Jailhouse Rock’ – $4 million Elvis Presley | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images
Jailhouse Rock is the third movie starring Elvis Presley. Directed by Richard Thorpe, the film centers around Vince (Presley), a convict who discovers in jail that he has the potential to become a star. While the movie received mixed reviews from critics, it was a hit with audiences and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
The film is also fondly remembered for its soundtrack, which included the song “Jailhouse Rock.” The titular tune reached No.
Here are the top 5 highest-grossing Elvis Presley movies 5. ‘Jailhouse Rock’ – $4 million Elvis Presley | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images
Jailhouse Rock is the third movie starring Elvis Presley. Directed by Richard Thorpe, the film centers around Vince (Presley), a convict who discovers in jail that he has the potential to become a star. While the movie received mixed reviews from critics, it was a hit with audiences and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
The film is also fondly remembered for its soundtrack, which included the song “Jailhouse Rock.” The titular tune reached No.
- 3/11/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Actress Rhea Seehorn discusses a few of her favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Swimmer (1968)
Linoleum (2023)
Close Encounters of The Third Kind (1977)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
Glengarry Glenn Ross (1992)
Short Cuts (1993)
Lars And The Real Girl (2007)
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
Breaking The Waves (1996)
Sound Of Metal (2020)
Starman (1984)
The Worst Person In The World (2021)
Beatriz At Dinner (2017)
Frida (2002)
The Shape Of Water (2017)
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
The Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)
The Lobster (2015)
Delicatessen (1992)
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
The Favourite (2018)
World’s Greatest Dad (2009)
Birdman (2014)
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
The Stepford Wives (1975)
The Stepford Wives (2004)
Triangle Of Sadness (2022)
Get Out (2017)
Nope (2022)
Brazil (1985)
Safe (1995)
Withnail & I (1987)
The Fisher King (1991)
Regarding Henry (1990)
Lost in La Mancha (2002)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Swimmer (1968)
Linoleum (2023)
Close Encounters of The Third Kind (1977)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)
Glengarry Glenn Ross (1992)
Short Cuts (1993)
Lars And The Real Girl (2007)
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
Breaking The Waves (1996)
Sound Of Metal (2020)
Starman (1984)
The Worst Person In The World (2021)
Beatriz At Dinner (2017)
Frida (2002)
The Shape Of Water (2017)
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
The Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)
The Lobster (2015)
Delicatessen (1992)
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
The Favourite (2018)
World’s Greatest Dad (2009)
Birdman (2014)
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
The Stepford Wives (1975)
The Stepford Wives (2004)
Triangle Of Sadness (2022)
Get Out (2017)
Nope (2022)
Brazil (1985)
Safe (1995)
Withnail & I (1987)
The Fisher King (1991)
Regarding Henry (1990)
Lost in La Mancha (2002)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote...
- 3/7/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
There are some people who were clearly born to be movie stars, whose combination of looks, charisma, and talent are just undeniable. Steve Martin is one of them. His '30s-matinee-idol meets playful-imp face combined with his comedic sensibilities being both anarchic and intelligent is a combination so dynamite, it's almost like he was destined to be on screen.
Yet the man whose career has spanned several decades, up to and including his current well-received Hulu series "Only Murders in the Building," was at one time considered not bankable enough to matter to executives at Paramount Pictures. The studio was where Martin and his collaborators (primarily co-writer Carl Gottlieb) developed what would become Martin's feature film debut, 1979's "The Jerk." In a quirk of the movie industry commonly known as "stupidity," Paramount executives decided not to shepherd Martin to the big screen, instead giving Universal the chance to receive box office success,...
Yet the man whose career has spanned several decades, up to and including his current well-received Hulu series "Only Murders in the Building," was at one time considered not bankable enough to matter to executives at Paramount Pictures. The studio was where Martin and his collaborators (primarily co-writer Carl Gottlieb) developed what would become Martin's feature film debut, 1979's "The Jerk." In a quirk of the movie industry commonly known as "stupidity," Paramount executives decided not to shepherd Martin to the big screen, instead giving Universal the chance to receive box office success,...
- 12/31/2022
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we take a look at an Oscars category from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winner stands the test of time.)
Without question, the biggest living Oscars bridesmaid on the acting side is Glenn Close. She made her film debut 40 years ago this year with "The World According to Garp," which earned her a Best Supporting Actress nom right out of the gate. Over the course of her career, she has been nominated for eight Academy Awards and has never emerged victorious. She ties Peter O'Toole as the most nominated actor who hasn't won, and since O'Toole is no longer with us, Close very well could take that mantle for herself if she keeps working, getting nominated, and not winning.
Every time a new Glenn Close project gets announced, the Oscar buzz immediately starts, with all of us wondering, "Will this finally be her year?...
Without question, the biggest living Oscars bridesmaid on the acting side is Glenn Close. She made her film debut 40 years ago this year with "The World According to Garp," which earned her a Best Supporting Actress nom right out of the gate. Over the course of her career, she has been nominated for eight Academy Awards and has never emerged victorious. She ties Peter O'Toole as the most nominated actor who hasn't won, and since O'Toole is no longer with us, Close very well could take that mantle for herself if she keeps working, getting nominated, and not winning.
Every time a new Glenn Close project gets announced, the Oscar buzz immediately starts, with all of us wondering, "Will this finally be her year?...
- 12/28/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
When you're as much of a comedic genius as Mel Brooks, you draw the other great comedy minds of your generation to work with you like moths to a hilarious flame. Over the course of his long and storied career, Brooks had the opportunity to work with such talents as John Candy, Richard Pryor, and Gene Wilder.
One of Brooks' best works is "Young Frankenstein," another of his incisive parodies this time taking aim at the classic horror and monster genres. The film is a hilarious and irreverent entry in the Brooks canon which features performances from actors like Wilder, Teri Garr, and Gene Hackman, but one of the biggest scene-stealers in the movie is Cloris Leachman, who portrays the stern housekeeper Frau Blücher. Leachman and Wilder in particular had great comedic chemistry, so much so that, according to a 2012 interview, Wilder was rendered unable to continue filming the scene from laughter.
One of Brooks' best works is "Young Frankenstein," another of his incisive parodies this time taking aim at the classic horror and monster genres. The film is a hilarious and irreverent entry in the Brooks canon which features performances from actors like Wilder, Teri Garr, and Gene Hackman, but one of the biggest scene-stealers in the movie is Cloris Leachman, who portrays the stern housekeeper Frau Blücher. Leachman and Wilder in particular had great comedic chemistry, so much so that, according to a 2012 interview, Wilder was rendered unable to continue filming the scene from laughter.
- 10/30/2022
- by Matt Rainis
- Slash Film
It’s no mystery why Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” is nominated for 17 Emmy Awards including comedy series, actor and guest actor and actress: a delish plot, snappy dialogue, pitch-perfect directing, and a cast to die for led by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez. They are “The Three Amigos” for the 21st century. To celebrate the series, which recently had its second season finale, why not look at some fun facts and trivia of the cast many of whom already have mantle full of honors.
Steve Martin
Talk about a modern-day Renaissance man. Martin is an actor, writer, musician-he plays a mean banjo-composer and ace tap dancers. Is there anything he can’t do? Martin won an honorary Oscar in 2014, the AFI’s Life Achievement Award in 2015, four Grammy Awards including two for best comedy recording in 1978 and 1979, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2007 such critics honors...
Steve Martin
Talk about a modern-day Renaissance man. Martin is an actor, writer, musician-he plays a mean banjo-composer and ace tap dancers. Is there anything he can’t do? Martin won an honorary Oscar in 2014, the AFI’s Life Achievement Award in 2015, four Grammy Awards including two for best comedy recording in 1978 and 1979, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2007 such critics honors...
- 9/5/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Regardless of whether or not you are a science fiction fan, you have to acknowledge the importance of sci-fi films in the history of cinema. There is almost no way of appreciating modern special effects without examining the importance of Stanley Kubrick's work in 1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey."
Similarly, it's hard to understand the state of modern filmmaking without looking at the "Star Wars" franchise. The reinvention of classical mythology in a science fiction context laid the groundwork for many modern films. Even if you've never seen the original "Star Wars," you have probably learned a lot about the franchise through cultural osmosis. You don't have to be a "Star Wars" fan to know who Darth Vader, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3Po, or Yoda is.
However, it may be overwhelming for non-science fiction fans to start watching a franchise that they've never seen before. Let's say that you've...
Similarly, it's hard to understand the state of modern filmmaking without looking at the "Star Wars" franchise. The reinvention of classical mythology in a science fiction context laid the groundwork for many modern films. Even if you've never seen the original "Star Wars," you have probably learned a lot about the franchise through cultural osmosis. You don't have to be a "Star Wars" fan to know who Darth Vader, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3Po, or Yoda is.
However, it may be overwhelming for non-science fiction fans to start watching a franchise that they've never seen before. Let's say that you've...
- 8/25/2022
- by Liam Gaughan
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Bob Rafelson, the writer, director, producer and maverick who set the tone for the swinging, psychedelic 1960s with The Monkees, then was a pioneer in one of the most influential eras in the history of independent film, has died. He was 89.
Rafelson, who collaborated with Jack Nicholson on seven features, including the classics Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970) and The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), died Saturday night of natural causes at his home in Aspen, Colorado, his wife, Gabrielle, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Rafelson earned Oscar nominations for co-writing and producing Five Easy Pieces and then, for an encore, produced Peter Bogdanovich‘s breakthrough hit, The Last Picture Show (1971).
Along with his late partner Bert Schneider, Rafelson created The Monkees, the touchstone NBC show that debuted in 1966. He conceived the idea of a program that mimicked the exuberance of The Beatles, specifically the...
Bob Rafelson, the writer, director, producer and maverick who set the tone for the swinging, psychedelic 1960s with The Monkees, then was a pioneer in one of the most influential eras in the history of independent film, has died. He was 89.
Rafelson, who collaborated with Jack Nicholson on seven features, including the classics Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970) and The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), died Saturday night of natural causes at his home in Aspen, Colorado, his wife, Gabrielle, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Rafelson earned Oscar nominations for co-writing and producing Five Easy Pieces and then, for an encore, produced Peter Bogdanovich‘s breakthrough hit, The Last Picture Show (1971).
Along with his late partner Bert Schneider, Rafelson created The Monkees, the touchstone NBC show that debuted in 1966. He conceived the idea of a program that mimicked the exuberance of The Beatles, specifically the...
- 7/24/2022
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Looking for something new to watch on Amazon Prime Video? You’ve come to the right place. While it can be difficult to find exactly which movies available on Prime Video you haven’t seen before, below we’ve rounded up a list of some new titles added in April that are well worth checking out, from a variety of genres that include classic films, acerbic comedies and Oscar-nominated sci-fi.
Check out our list of the best new movies on Amazon Prime Video in April 2022 below.
District 9 TriStar Pictures
If it’s sci-fi you’re in the mood for, 2009 Best Picture nominee “District 9” offers something unique and throught-provoking. The film from director Neill Blomkamp takes place years after an alien spaceship landed over South Africa, bringing with it over one million malnourished aliens. The extraterrestrials now live in a fenced-in terrestrial camp known as District 9, and the story...
Check out our list of the best new movies on Amazon Prime Video in April 2022 below.
District 9 TriStar Pictures
If it’s sci-fi you’re in the mood for, 2009 Best Picture nominee “District 9” offers something unique and throught-provoking. The film from director Neill Blomkamp takes place years after an alien spaceship landed over South Africa, bringing with it over one million malnourished aliens. The extraterrestrials now live in a fenced-in terrestrial camp known as District 9, and the story...
- 4/24/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
A new month means new movies on your favorite streaming service, and HBO Max has plenty of new titles to thumb through in April. While there’s a lot to dig into, we’ve singled out seven newly added films we think are absolutely worth your time, across a wide range of genres so there’s a little something for everyone. They include ghoulish dark comedies, prestige Oscar-winning dramas, hidden gem indies and even a unique William Shakespeare adaptation.
Check out our list of the best new movies to watch on HBO Max in April below.
Beetlejuice Warner Bros.
Tim Burton’s comedy classic is a great watch pretty much anytime. “Beetlejuice” revolves around a couple who die in a car accident (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) and become ghosts trapped inside their home, where they’re forced to witness its sale and renovation by a gauche family from the city.
Check out our list of the best new movies to watch on HBO Max in April below.
Beetlejuice Warner Bros.
Tim Burton’s comedy classic is a great watch pretty much anytime. “Beetlejuice” revolves around a couple who die in a car accident (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) and become ghosts trapped inside their home, where they’re forced to witness its sale and renovation by a gauche family from the city.
- 4/10/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Have you ever been mesmerized by a magician on the big screen? Magic has always been a popular topic for movies, and there have been some great ones.
Hollywood has always been fascinated by the world of magic and illusion. From the early days of cinema, magicians have been appearing on the silver screen, performing their tricks for the amusement of moviegoers.
13 Movies About Twins You Can’t Miss
In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in magic in movies, with several films exploring the theme of magic and its place in the modern world.
These movies offer a unique perspective on the world of magic and provide audiences with an insight into the fascinating world of magicians.
They are also entertaining and often humorous, providing viewers with an enjoyable way to escape from the everyday world. Whether you are interested in the history of magic or want...
Hollywood has always been fascinated by the world of magic and illusion. From the early days of cinema, magicians have been appearing on the silver screen, performing their tricks for the amusement of moviegoers.
13 Movies About Twins You Can’t Miss
In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in magic in movies, with several films exploring the theme of magic and its place in the modern world.
These movies offer a unique perspective on the world of magic and provide audiences with an insight into the fascinating world of magicians.
They are also entertaining and often humorous, providing viewers with an enjoyable way to escape from the everyday world. Whether you are interested in the history of magic or want...
- 4/4/2022
- by Israr
- buddytv.com
None of this is what Harry Caul wanted. While it was by no means a technically effortless endeavor, it should, still, have been another routine assignment. He and his freelance team of surveillance experts were to record the conversation between two subjects as they traversed the lunchtime crowd mingling around Union Square. Harry was to then assemble the recordings and deliver the tapes to his employer. That’s it. Then he’d move on. But this isn’t what happens in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation (1974). Instead, as Coppola’s chief protagonists had done in the other films that distinguished the director’s extraordinary run of the 1970s,Harry finds himself reluctantly, though perhaps inevitably, enveloped in a world of intrigue and violence, and he endures the existential despair fundamentally resulting from his occupational options.Under The Conversation’s opening credits, an overhead shot of San Francisco’s social hub slowly zooms closer,...
- 1/11/2022
- MUBI
“I am not a Frankenstein. I’m a Fronkensteen!”
We Are Movie Geeks’ own Jim Batts will be hosting a screening of one of his favorite films. It’s Mel Brooks’ classic comedy Young Frankenstein from 1974. The screening will beMonday October 4th at the Buder branch of the St. Louis Library. Showtime is 1:30pm and it’s a Free event. Jim will introduce the film and host a post-discussion about it afterwards. Don’t miss it!
Good comedies are rare. Great ones are rarer. Great parodies are needles in the haystack, and this is it. The parody can be brilliantly funny (most are horrid), but Young Frankenstein is near perfect.
Mel Brooks hit all nails right on the head in his black & white classic from 1974. Taking its themes from the Mary Shelley novel and providing some spot-on homage/parody to the James Whale classic Bride Of Frankenstein (and plenty...
We Are Movie Geeks’ own Jim Batts will be hosting a screening of one of his favorite films. It’s Mel Brooks’ classic comedy Young Frankenstein from 1974. The screening will beMonday October 4th at the Buder branch of the St. Louis Library. Showtime is 1:30pm and it’s a Free event. Jim will introduce the film and host a post-discussion about it afterwards. Don’t miss it!
Good comedies are rare. Great ones are rarer. Great parodies are needles in the haystack, and this is it. The parody can be brilliantly funny (most are horrid), but Young Frankenstein is near perfect.
Mel Brooks hit all nails right on the head in his black & white classic from 1974. Taking its themes from the Mary Shelley novel and providing some spot-on homage/parody to the James Whale classic Bride Of Frankenstein (and plenty...
- 9/30/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
When the 2020 Oscar nominations were announced, Scarlett Johansson attracted attention by earning two for acting. With inclusions in both the Best Actress (“Marriage Story”) and Best Supporting Actress (“Jojo Rabbit”) categories, she was the first actor in 12 years who had a chance at winning two acting Academy Awards on the same night. She ultimately lost both bids, but the feat placed her in the rare company of only 11 others who have achieved it since the supporting categories were introduced at the Oscars in 1937.
Here is a screen-time based analysis of all of them, from earliest to most recent. We note the names and screen time of key rival nominees and the winners in each race as well.
Fay Bainter (1939)
Best Actress nominee for “White Banners”
Best Supporting Actress winner for “Jezebel”
Combined: 1 hour, 15 minutes, 57 seconds
Just four years after beginning her film acting career, Bainter earned her first two Oscar nominations in the same year,...
Here is a screen-time based analysis of all of them, from earliest to most recent. We note the names and screen time of key rival nominees and the winners in each race as well.
Fay Bainter (1939)
Best Actress nominee for “White Banners”
Best Supporting Actress winner for “Jezebel”
Combined: 1 hour, 15 minutes, 57 seconds
Just four years after beginning her film acting career, Bainter earned her first two Oscar nominations in the same year,...
- 1/6/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
David Fincher’s period drama “Mank” shines a light on the personal and professional drama of Hollywood’s golden age, but as a lot of women pointed out after it debuted over the weekend on Netflix, it also inadvertently shined a light on Hollywood’s enduring problems with sexist and ageist casting decisions.
The film, which covers the battle between Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and director Orson Welles over the writing credits for “Citizen Kane,” stars 62-year-old Gary Oldman as Mankiewicz, who in reality was only 43. That works in part because Mankiewicz was, famously, an alcoholic whose dangerously excessive drinking made him look decades older than he was, and ultimately killed him at age 55.
But as noted by writer Emily Nunn, Mank’s wife, who in real life was the exact same age, is played by 33 year old Tuppence Middleton. The two of them had been married since 1920 “We don’t feel invisible,...
The film, which covers the battle between Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and director Orson Welles over the writing credits for “Citizen Kane,” stars 62-year-old Gary Oldman as Mankiewicz, who in reality was only 43. That works in part because Mankiewicz was, famously, an alcoholic whose dangerously excessive drinking made him look decades older than he was, and ultimately killed him at age 55.
But as noted by writer Emily Nunn, Mank’s wife, who in real life was the exact same age, is played by 33 year old Tuppence Middleton. The two of them had been married since 1920 “We don’t feel invisible,...
- 12/8/2020
- by Andrea Towers
- The Wrap
Actress Alex Essoe walks is through some of her favorite dream sequences.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Starry Eyes (2014)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010)
Mandy (2018), as usual
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Death of Me (2020)
Life Dances On (1937)
Tales of Manhattan (1942)
I Love You, Alice B Toklas (1968)
Papillon (1973)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The Conversation (1974)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
Nashville (1975)
The Ninth Configuration (1980)
The Exorcist (1973)
Shutter Island (2010)
The Exorcist III (1990)
A Shot In The Dark (1964)
Another Woman (1988)
Stardust Memories (1980)
8 ½ (1963)
Interiors (1978)
Dumbo (1941)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
A Woman Under The Influence (1974)
Mulholland Falls (1996)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Fletch (1985)
The ’Burbs (1989)
Dreams (1990)
Ran (1985)
Homewrecker (2019)
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Other Notable Items
Howard Hughes
Panos Cosmatos
The Haunting of Bly Manor TV series (2020)
Shelley Duvall
Tfh Guru Darren Lynn Bousman
The American Cinematheque
The New Beverly Theatre
Julien Duvivier
Jean Renoir
Jean-Luc Godard
François Truffaut
John Cassavetes...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Starry Eyes (2014)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Beyond The Black Rainbow (2010)
Mandy (2018), as usual
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Death of Me (2020)
Life Dances On (1937)
Tales of Manhattan (1942)
I Love You, Alice B Toklas (1968)
Papillon (1973)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The Conversation (1974)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
Nashville (1975)
The Ninth Configuration (1980)
The Exorcist (1973)
Shutter Island (2010)
The Exorcist III (1990)
A Shot In The Dark (1964)
Another Woman (1988)
Stardust Memories (1980)
8 ½ (1963)
Interiors (1978)
Dumbo (1941)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
A Woman Under The Influence (1974)
Mulholland Falls (1996)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Fletch (1985)
The ’Burbs (1989)
Dreams (1990)
Ran (1985)
Homewrecker (2019)
The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Other Notable Items
Howard Hughes
Panos Cosmatos
The Haunting of Bly Manor TV series (2020)
Shelley Duvall
Tfh Guru Darren Lynn Bousman
The American Cinematheque
The New Beverly Theatre
Julien Duvivier
Jean Renoir
Jean-Luc Godard
François Truffaut
John Cassavetes...
- 10/20/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
In today’s film news roundup, Dev Patel will portray a market whiz in a “Flash Crash” movie, the late Marty Sklar is honored at UCLA, “The Conversation” is getting a re-release and Ellen Page’s documentary gets a trailer.
Project Launch
Dev Patel will star in the adaptation of “Flash Crash: A Trading Savant, a Global Manhunt, and the Most Mysterious Market Crash in History.”
See-Saw Films and New Regency won the film rights to Liam Vaughan’s book, detailing the 2010 crash. Producers are See-Saw Films’ Iain Canning and Emile Sherman and Arnon Milchan of New Regency. Patel will executive produce with Simon Gillis of See-Saw as well as New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer.
Jonathan Perera is attached to write the screenplay, based on Vaughan’s book, which will be published in May. “Flash Crash” tells the story of Navinder Singh Sarao, an outsider who found...
Project Launch
Dev Patel will star in the adaptation of “Flash Crash: A Trading Savant, a Global Manhunt, and the Most Mysterious Market Crash in History.”
See-Saw Films and New Regency won the film rights to Liam Vaughan’s book, detailing the 2010 crash. Producers are See-Saw Films’ Iain Canning and Emile Sherman and Arnon Milchan of New Regency. Patel will executive produce with Simon Gillis of See-Saw as well as New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer.
Jonathan Perera is attached to write the screenplay, based on Vaughan’s book, which will be published in May. “Flash Crash” tells the story of Navinder Singh Sarao, an outsider who found...
- 2/20/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Teri Garr, who starred in Tootsie opposite Dustin Hoffman, was briefly hospitalized for dehydration, a rep for the actress confirms to People.
“Teri is fine and should be home tomorrow,” the rep tells People. TMZ first reported the news of her hospitalization.
Garr, who is also known for her roles in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and her 1974 breakthrough film Young Frankenstein, has been open in the past about her health struggles.
In 2002, Garr revealed in an interview on Larry King Live that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after experiencing symptoms for 19 years.
“I...
“Teri is fine and should be home tomorrow,” the rep tells People. TMZ first reported the news of her hospitalization.
Garr, who is also known for her roles in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and her 1974 breakthrough film Young Frankenstein, has been open in the past about her health struggles.
In 2002, Garr revealed in an interview on Larry King Live that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after experiencing symptoms for 19 years.
“I...
- 12/31/2019
- by Alexia Fernandez, Elizabeth Leonard
- PEOPLE.com
Walmart and “Mr. Mom” is a can’t-miss combination … right? The big box store’s streaming service, Vudu, debuted the trailer for its series adaptation of the 1983 Michael Keaton movie on Monday.
This one stars Hayes MacArthur in the title role as wife Andrea Anders heads back into the workforce, the Teri Garr gig from the comedy directed by Stan Dragoti. Though times have certainly changed, the domestic gender role-reversal goes about as well as it did decades ago.
Below is Vudu’s description of its small-screen version.
Based on the classic eighties hit film written by John Hughes and starring Michael Keaton, this series is a modern retelling of Mr. Mom. Megan (Andrea Anders) and Greg (Hayes MacArthur) are at a parenting crossroads. After five years raising their two kids at home, Megan has unexpectedly landed her dream job. Greg’s career is anything but a dream job, so...
This one stars Hayes MacArthur in the title role as wife Andrea Anders heads back into the workforce, the Teri Garr gig from the comedy directed by Stan Dragoti. Though times have certainly changed, the domestic gender role-reversal goes about as well as it did decades ago.
Below is Vudu’s description of its small-screen version.
Based on the classic eighties hit film written by John Hughes and starring Michael Keaton, this series is a modern retelling of Mr. Mom. Megan (Andrea Anders) and Greg (Hayes MacArthur) are at a parenting crossroads. After five years raising their two kids at home, Megan has unexpectedly landed her dream job. Greg’s career is anything but a dream job, so...
- 8/26/2019
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Sydney Pollack would’ve celebrated his 85th birthday on July 1, 2019. The Oscar winning filmmaker could’ve branded himself as Hollywood’s favorite journeyman, crafting solid entertainments for over 40 years. But how many of his titles remain classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at all 20 of his films as a director, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1934, Pollack got his start as an actor, studying under legendary New York teacher Sanford Meisner. He cut his teeth is television, appearing in such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Playhouse 90” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before transitioning into directing for the small screen. Even after making a name for himself behind the camera, he kept popping up onscreen, starring in “The Player” (1992), “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Changing Lanes” (2002), “Michael Clayton” (2007) and his own “Tootsie” (1982), to name but a few.
SEERobert Redford movies: 15 greatest films ranked from...
Born in 1934, Pollack got his start as an actor, studying under legendary New York teacher Sanford Meisner. He cut his teeth is television, appearing in such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Playhouse 90” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before transitioning into directing for the small screen. Even after making a name for himself behind the camera, he kept popping up onscreen, starring in “The Player” (1992), “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Changing Lanes” (2002), “Michael Clayton” (2007) and his own “Tootsie” (1982), to name but a few.
SEERobert Redford movies: 15 greatest films ranked from...
- 7/1/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
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