On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: After Dark but Make It for Gays of a Certain Age
When I was pressed into service for IndieWire After Dark, I hesitated all of five seconds before I screamed, “What’s the Matter With Helen?” at Ali. Partly because it’s a truly bonkers hagsploitation movie but mostly because I greedily grasp at every excuse to discuss Curtis Harrington’s examination of what the mothers of thrill killers Leopold and Loeb might have done with their lives after their sons’ convictions.
Move from the Midwest to Los Angeles to...
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: After Dark but Make It for Gays of a Certain Age
When I was pressed into service for IndieWire After Dark, I hesitated all of five seconds before I screamed, “What’s the Matter With Helen?” at Ali. Partly because it’s a truly bonkers hagsploitation movie but mostly because I greedily grasp at every excuse to discuss Curtis Harrington’s examination of what the mothers of thrill killers Leopold and Loeb might have done with their lives after their sons’ convictions.
Move from the Midwest to Los Angeles to...
- 4/27/2024
- by Mark Peikert and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Clockwise left to right: Get Out (Universal Pictures), This Is Spinal Tap (MGM Home Entertainment), That Thing You Do! (20th Century Studios), Lady Bird (A24)Graphic: The A.V. Club
It’s always neat when someone you’ve admired shows off a hidden talent that makes you see them in a different light.
It’s always neat when someone you’ve admired shows off a hidden talent that makes you see them in a different light.
- 4/12/2024
- by Mary Kate Carr, Saloni Gajjar, Drew Gillis, William Hughes, Matthew Jackson, Jarrod Jones, Emma Keates, Jacob Oller, Matt Schimkowitz, and Cindy White
- avclub.com
Spoiler Alert! This story contains plot points from Wednesday’s episode of The Conners on ABC.
The Conners celebrated a big milestone — 100 episodes! — by doing what it does best: telling stories about small-town life and reminding folks that it has one of the most experienced ensembles on broadcast TV. Here, executive producers Bruce Helford and Dave Caplan talk about their six-season odyssey and whether it’s time to start planning for a seventh year on ABC.
Deadline: I still remember the day when former ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey abruptly canceled the Roseanne reboot. And now, the spinoff, The Conners, is celebrating 100 episodes.
Dave Caplan: We have a hard time believing that ourselves.
Bruce Helford: There are a couple of milestones. This is the first time to have the whole cast of a show hit the 100-episode milestone twice.
Deadline: Because you are celebrating 100 episodes, did you purposely...
The Conners celebrated a big milestone — 100 episodes! — by doing what it does best: telling stories about small-town life and reminding folks that it has one of the most experienced ensembles on broadcast TV. Here, executive producers Bruce Helford and Dave Caplan talk about their six-season odyssey and whether it’s time to start planning for a seventh year on ABC.
Deadline: I still remember the day when former ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey abruptly canceled the Roseanne reboot. And now, the spinoff, The Conners, is celebrating 100 episodes.
Dave Caplan: We have a hard time believing that ourselves.
Bruce Helford: There are a couple of milestones. This is the first time to have the whole cast of a show hit the 100-episode milestone twice.
Deadline: Because you are celebrating 100 episodes, did you purposely...
- 4/11/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
As you've no doubt heard by now, the royal family is in a state of crisis.
After removing herself from public life for several months, Kate Middleton announced last week that she has cancer.
The Princess of Wales didn't go into specifics with regard to the severity of her condition or the organs affected, but anyone who's ever experienced the ravages of cancer -- either firsthand or by witnessing a loved one's battle -- knows that it's a horrible disease that extracts a devastating toll.
In other words, it's nothing to joke about, which is why Stephen Colbert issued an apology to Kate and her family this week.
In case you missed it, Colbert -- like just about every other public figure in the Western world -- commented on Kate's disappearance and offered some lighthearted speculation about the possible causes.
The clip above is from a monologue that Colbert delivered two weeks ago,...
After removing herself from public life for several months, Kate Middleton announced last week that she has cancer.
The Princess of Wales didn't go into specifics with regard to the severity of her condition or the organs affected, but anyone who's ever experienced the ravages of cancer -- either firsthand or by witnessing a loved one's battle -- knows that it's a horrible disease that extracts a devastating toll.
In other words, it's nothing to joke about, which is why Stephen Colbert issued an apology to Kate and her family this week.
In case you missed it, Colbert -- like just about every other public figure in the Western world -- commented on Kate's disappearance and offered some lighthearted speculation about the possible causes.
The clip above is from a monologue that Colbert delivered two weeks ago,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Tyler Johnson
- TVfanatic
Scott Derrickson is set to adapt Davis Grubb’s novel that was turned into a classic film back in 1955. More on The Night Of The Hunter adaptation below.
While we’re still waiting for The Black Phone 2 to hit cinemas next year, director Scott Derrickson is adding another project to his growing roster of films he wants to make.
Not only is he directing the star-studded The Gorge, but Derrickson will now also reunite with his frequent collaborator, writer C Robert Cargill, to re-adapt The Night Of The Hunter. The duo previously made Sinister (2012), Sinister 2 (2015), Doctor Strange (2016) and The Black Phone (2021) together. The news of their latest project comes to us via The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on a 1953 novel by Davis Grubb, The Night Of The Hunter tells the story of Harry Powell, an ex-con who poses as a preacher as he sets out to find his old cellmate’s hidden cash.
While we’re still waiting for The Black Phone 2 to hit cinemas next year, director Scott Derrickson is adding another project to his growing roster of films he wants to make.
Not only is he directing the star-studded The Gorge, but Derrickson will now also reunite with his frequent collaborator, writer C Robert Cargill, to re-adapt The Night Of The Hunter. The duo previously made Sinister (2012), Sinister 2 (2015), Doctor Strange (2016) and The Black Phone (2021) together. The news of their latest project comes to us via The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on a 1953 novel by Davis Grubb, The Night Of The Hunter tells the story of Harry Powell, an ex-con who poses as a preacher as he sets out to find his old cellmate’s hidden cash.
- 3/27/2024
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, the terrorific team behind horror hits Sinister and The Black Phone, are going noir.
Universal has tapped Derrickson to direct an adaptation of The Night of the Hunter, the acclaimed 1953 crime novel by Davis Grubb that was previously turned into a 1955 thriller starring Robert Mitchum.
Derrickson will write the script with Cargill, his frequent collaborator who also worked with him on Marvel Studios entry Doctor Strange.
Peter Gethers will produce through his KramMar Delicious Mystery Productions, and Amy Pascal will produce through her Pascal Pictures first-look deal with Universal Pictures.
Hunter told the story of Harry Powell, a murderous ex-con who takes up the identity of a preacher in order to do his misdeeds. While in prison, a cellmate slated for execution tells Powell that he hid stolen cash with his kids. Upon his release, Powell finds the widow, woos her and marries her,...
Universal has tapped Derrickson to direct an adaptation of The Night of the Hunter, the acclaimed 1953 crime novel by Davis Grubb that was previously turned into a 1955 thriller starring Robert Mitchum.
Derrickson will write the script with Cargill, his frequent collaborator who also worked with him on Marvel Studios entry Doctor Strange.
Peter Gethers will produce through his KramMar Delicious Mystery Productions, and Amy Pascal will produce through her Pascal Pictures first-look deal with Universal Pictures.
Hunter told the story of Harry Powell, a murderous ex-con who takes up the identity of a preacher in order to do his misdeeds. While in prison, a cellmate slated for execution tells Powell that he hid stolen cash with his kids. Upon his release, Powell finds the widow, woos her and marries her,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
At the inaugural Academy Awards in 1929, native Pennsylvanian Janet Gaynor made history as the first American-born performer to win an Oscar by taking the Best Actress prize for her body of work in “7th Heaven,” “Street Angel,” and “Sunrise.” Over the subsequent 95 years, 215 more thespians originating from the United States won the academy’s favor, meaning the country has now produced 68.1% of all individual acting Oscar recipients. Considering the last decade alone, the rate of such winners is even higher, at 70.3%.
At this point, 96.8% of American-born acting Oscar victors have hailed from one of 34 actual states. Of those constituting the remainder, three originated from the federal District of Columbia, while four were born in the territory of Puerto Rico. New York (home to 49 winners) is the most common birth state among the entire group, followed by California (34), Illinois (13), Massachusetts (11), and Pennsylvania (11).
Bearing in mind our specific birthplace focus, the 16 states...
At this point, 96.8% of American-born acting Oscar victors have hailed from one of 34 actual states. Of those constituting the remainder, three originated from the federal District of Columbia, while four were born in the territory of Puerto Rico. New York (home to 49 winners) is the most common birth state among the entire group, followed by California (34), Illinois (13), Massachusetts (11), and Pennsylvania (11).
Bearing in mind our specific birthplace focus, the 16 states...
- 3/18/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Has any entertainment scripted project ever featured more Oscar winners? Tour our special Valentine’s Day photo gallery to see which 33 Academy Awards champs made appearances on the very popular Aaron Spelling show “The Love Boat.”
For one full decade of 1977 to 1987, ABC could count on its comedy/drama series “The Love Boat” to bring in millions of audience members on Saturday nights. The show would have multiple story arcs (often three for a one-hour episode) with five to 10 celebrity guest stars each time. Some arcs were playing out for laughs, others for romance and the remainder could take on tough issues. The show airs daily on the Decades network and on Sunday afternoons for Me-tv. You can also stream every episode on Paramount+.
Regular cast members would either take command of some segments or be in the backseat on others. The charming actors throughout the decade were Gavin MacLeod...
For one full decade of 1977 to 1987, ABC could count on its comedy/drama series “The Love Boat” to bring in millions of audience members on Saturday nights. The show would have multiple story arcs (often three for a one-hour episode) with five to 10 celebrity guest stars each time. Some arcs were playing out for laughs, others for romance and the remainder could take on tough issues. The show airs daily on the Decades network and on Sunday afternoons for Me-tv. You can also stream every episode on Paramount+.
Regular cast members would either take command of some segments or be in the backseat on others. The charming actors throughout the decade were Gavin MacLeod...
- 2/13/2024
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Robert Wise’s Odds Against Tomorrow came along at the tail end of film noir’s steady decline in popularity in the 1950s and just before the civil rights movement reached its peak in the ’60s. The quintessential male icons of these two distinct eras clash in the film through the extremely confrontational yet mutually beneficial collaboration between a virulently racist ex-con, Earle (Robert Ryan), and a slick, Black jazz musician, Johnny (Harry Belaafonte).
The unlikely pair are brought together by a disgraced retired cop, Burke (Ed Begley), who caught wind of a robbery that’s a sure thing. If something sounds too good to be true in a noir, it always is, but the weaselly Earle’s too macho to let his doting wife, Lorry (Shelley Winters), continue being the breadwinner. Meanwhile, Johnny’s gambling debts have caused him to be estranged from his wife, Ruth (Kim Hamilton), as...
The unlikely pair are brought together by a disgraced retired cop, Burke (Ed Begley), who caught wind of a robbery that’s a sure thing. If something sounds too good to be true in a noir, it always is, but the weaselly Earle’s too macho to let his doting wife, Lorry (Shelley Winters), continue being the breadwinner. Meanwhile, Johnny’s gambling debts have caused him to be estranged from his wife, Ruth (Kim Hamilton), as...
- 2/1/2024
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
The Obie Awards, the venerable honors for outstanding Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway productions, is doing away with its annual ceremony and will instead use the funds to provide winners with grants ranging from $1,000-$5,000.
Heather Hitchens, the president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, which presents the Obies, called the grants a new path forward for the awards, saying the move “genuinely reflects the ethos of the Awards as well as the Off & Off Off Broadway movements – which is to continuously evolve and meet the moment.”
Select winners of this year’s 67th Obie Awards will be announced Saturday on New York’s Spectrum News NY1 as a special presentation of the channel’s On Stage program hosted by Frank Dilella. The special airs at 7:30 p.m./Et.
“The grants and our relationship with Spectrum News NY1 will provide meaningful support, and more effective, nationwide promotion for these incredible artists,...
Heather Hitchens, the president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, which presents the Obies, called the grants a new path forward for the awards, saying the move “genuinely reflects the ethos of the Awards as well as the Off & Off Off Broadway movements – which is to continuously evolve and meet the moment.”
Select winners of this year’s 67th Obie Awards will be announced Saturday on New York’s Spectrum News NY1 as a special presentation of the channel’s On Stage program hosted by Frank Dilella. The special airs at 7:30 p.m./Et.
“The grants and our relationship with Spectrum News NY1 will provide meaningful support, and more effective, nationwide promotion for these incredible artists,...
- 1/25/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Courtesy of Kino Lorber
by Chad Kennerk
Considered the first film noir to feature a leading black protagonist, Odds Against Tomorrow is a vital entry in the noir canon. Directed by legend Robert Wise and produced by star Harry Belafonte’s HarBel Productions, the gritty look at racial tension is also one of cinema’s most important films about prejudice. Created amidst growing disquiet in America, the film heralds the explosive events to come at the dawn of the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement.
The screenplay was based on the novel by William P. McGivern (The Big Heat) and secretly written by Abraham Polonsky, who penned the screenplays for films such as Body and Soul and Force of Evil. Polonsky had been blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, so Belafonte approached black novelist and friend John O. Killens to serve as the credited screenwriter. It would take until...
by Chad Kennerk
Considered the first film noir to feature a leading black protagonist, Odds Against Tomorrow is a vital entry in the noir canon. Directed by legend Robert Wise and produced by star Harry Belafonte’s HarBel Productions, the gritty look at racial tension is also one of cinema’s most important films about prejudice. Created amidst growing disquiet in America, the film heralds the explosive events to come at the dawn of the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement.
The screenplay was based on the novel by William P. McGivern (The Big Heat) and secretly written by Abraham Polonsky, who penned the screenplays for films such as Body and Soul and Force of Evil. Polonsky had been blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, so Belafonte approached black novelist and friend John O. Killens to serve as the credited screenwriter. It would take until...
- 1/20/2024
- by Chad Kennerk
- Film Review Daily
Few TV shows define the early days of the medium like "Leave it to Beaver." Over six decades after it began airing, the idyllic family sitcom isn't just synonymous with 1950s television, but 1950s America as a whole. While its white picket fence dreams have never been reflective of the real world, the show still functions as a gentle comedic escape from reality for many a classic TV fan.
As one of the oldest culturally significant TV shows still in syndication, it's impossible to watch "Leave It To Beaver" without wondering what became of the cheerful bunch of actors populating its sunny suburban world. Unfortunately, the considerable passage of time means that most of the actors involved in the series have died, but there are still three main actors — all of them former child stars — who are carving out paths for themselves in a post-"Leave it to Beaver" world.
As one of the oldest culturally significant TV shows still in syndication, it's impossible to watch "Leave It To Beaver" without wondering what became of the cheerful bunch of actors populating its sunny suburban world. Unfortunately, the considerable passage of time means that most of the actors involved in the series have died, but there are still three main actors — all of them former child stars — who are carving out paths for themselves in a post-"Leave it to Beaver" world.
- 12/28/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Steven Spielberg had tackled serious subjects before, but none of his previous work had the power and artistic vision of “Schindler’s List,” which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Based on the book by Thomas Keneally, “Schindler’s List” relates the true story of Nazi party member and war profiteer Oskar Schindler, who ended up saving 1,000 Jews from the Nazi death camps during World War II. Shot in black-and-white-save for a little girl wearig red coat- ‘Schindler’s List” is often a difficult watch, but it’s message of “Never Forget” is particularly relevant today with the rise of anti-Semitism and the white power movement. The epic stars Liam Neeson as Schindler, Ben Kingsley as the Jewish manager of Schindler’s factor and Ralph Fiennes, terrifying as a ruthless Nazi commandant Amon Goth.
The reviews were laudatory and despite its length — 3 hours 15 minutes — “Schindler’s List” made over $322 million worldwide. Nominated for 12 Oscars...
The reviews were laudatory and despite its length — 3 hours 15 minutes — “Schindler’s List” made over $322 million worldwide. Nominated for 12 Oscars...
- 12/18/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The only thing better than a free thing is more of that free thing. This month, Amazon’s ad-supported streamer Freevee is adding dozens of new titles to its existing library of thousands, and no matter your choice (or choices), Freevee titles are available for free on the platform with no additional membership required, so you can watch without an additional hit to the bank account this holiday season!
Take a tour through both the classic and current this December, including the 1950s classic film noir “The Night of the Hunter,” the queer history classic “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” and the complete series collection of “Night Court,” “The Waltons,” and more.
Once you brush up on your history, catch up with the contemporaries, such as the beloved sci-fi series “Fringe”, the animated hit “Hotel Transylvania,” and the superhero black comedy “Kick-Ass.”
Check out The Streamable’s...
Take a tour through both the classic and current this December, including the 1950s classic film noir “The Night of the Hunter,” the queer history classic “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” and the complete series collection of “Night Court,” “The Waltons,” and more.
Once you brush up on your history, catch up with the contemporaries, such as the beloved sci-fi series “Fringe”, the animated hit “Hotel Transylvania,” and the superhero black comedy “Kick-Ass.”
Check out The Streamable’s...
- 11/29/2023
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
Graphic: Images: IMDBThe Thing (1982)
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Rating: 8.2/10
Stars: Kurt Russell (MacReady), Wilford Brimley (Dr. Blair), Keith David (Childs), Richard Masur (Clark)
Halloween (1978)
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes...
A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.
Rating: 8.2/10
Stars: Kurt Russell (MacReady), Wilford Brimley (Dr. Blair), Keith David (Childs), Richard Masur (Clark)
Halloween (1978)
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes...
- 10/28/2023
- avclub.com
"Friday the 13th" wasn't originally intended to go on to manifest multiple murderous sequels featuring Jason Voorhees as a machete-wielding madman. The famed hockey mask didn't even make it into the films until "Friday the 13th Part III." No, the initial killing spree at Camp Crystal Lake was carried out by Jason's mother, Mrs. Pamela Voorhees, played by the illustrious Betsy Palmer.
Rather famously, Palmer wasn't exactly thrilled initially to be participating in a fairly low-rent horror film surrounded by young, up-and-coming starlets whose acting experience paled in comparison to her rather impressive filmography dating back to the Golden Age of television during the early '50s. The budget for the first "Friday the 13th" didn't really allow for a big marquee name, and Palmer wasn't even the first choice to play the role. Oscar winners Shelley Winters and Estelle Parsons were approached before Palmer eventually accepted the part after...
Rather famously, Palmer wasn't exactly thrilled initially to be participating in a fairly low-rent horror film surrounded by young, up-and-coming starlets whose acting experience paled in comparison to her rather impressive filmography dating back to the Golden Age of television during the early '50s. The budget for the first "Friday the 13th" didn't really allow for a big marquee name, and Palmer wasn't even the first choice to play the role. Oscar winners Shelley Winters and Estelle Parsons were approached before Palmer eventually accepted the part after...
- 10/13/2023
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
Albert Einstein and his wife ElsaPhoto: Topical Press Agency (Getty Images)
One of the most famous tongues in history is getting a second look. Albert Einstein, the man responsible for the theory of relativity (which determined that a Princeton eight is a Los Alamos 11) somehow leaves Christopher Nolan’s pitch-black...
One of the most famous tongues in history is getting a second look. Albert Einstein, the man responsible for the theory of relativity (which determined that a Princeton eight is a Los Alamos 11) somehow leaves Christopher Nolan’s pitch-black...
- 7/28/2023
- by Matt Schimkowitz
- avclub.com
Indy’s back — and in tears.
The time finally came for the Cannes Film Festival to host an old friend — a swashbuckling archaeologist named Indiana Jones — courtesy of the world premiere of James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Held Thursday evening at the Palais, the screening saw the filmmaker joined by beloved franchise star Harrison Ford alongside co-stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge (in Schiaparelli Haute Couture), Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore (in custom Ami), Shaunette Renee Wilson and Mads Mikkelsen.
And after every last credit rolled for the Lucasfilm and Disney blockbuster, the black-tie audience responded by dialing up a rousing standing ovation to five minutes, a strong showing for the out-of-competition title on what turned out to be a very emotional night for its franchise star.
Ahead of the screening, festival director Thierry Fremaux surprised the audience by taking the stage and presenting a highlight reel of Ford’s legendary career.
The time finally came for the Cannes Film Festival to host an old friend — a swashbuckling archaeologist named Indiana Jones — courtesy of the world premiere of James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Held Thursday evening at the Palais, the screening saw the filmmaker joined by beloved franchise star Harrison Ford alongside co-stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge (in Schiaparelli Haute Couture), Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore (in custom Ami), Shaunette Renee Wilson and Mads Mikkelsen.
And after every last credit rolled for the Lucasfilm and Disney blockbuster, the black-tie audience responded by dialing up a rousing standing ovation to five minutes, a strong showing for the out-of-competition title on what turned out to be a very emotional night for its franchise star.
Ahead of the screening, festival director Thierry Fremaux surprised the audience by taking the stage and presenting a highlight reel of Ford’s legendary career.
- 5/18/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NatGeo’s widely acclaimed new limited series “A Small Light” chronicles the heroism of Miep Gies and several other brave Amsterdam residents who hid Anne Frank and her family, as well as four other people from the Nazis in a hidden attic apartment in Otto Frank’s office building. After the eight Jewish residents were arrested and sent to concentration camps in 1944, it was Gies who saved Anne’s diary and kept it in her desk drawer. Otto Frank, who was the only member of the immediate family who survived the camps — Anne died of typhus in March 1945 at Bergen-Belson — returned to Amsterdam, Gies gave him Anne’s diary. And in 1947 “The Diary of a Young Girl” was published in Europe. Five years later, “Diary” made its way to America. It has been translated into over 67 languages.
Anne had received a red checkered autograph book for her 13th birthday on...
Anne had received a red checkered autograph book for her 13th birthday on...
- 5/17/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Edward L. Rissien, who produced the Burt Lancaster-starring war film Castle Keep and served as an executive at ABC, Bing Crosby Productions, Filmways and Playboy Productions, has died. He was 98.
Rissien died April 8 of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, his nephew, Emmy-nominated director Michael Zinberg (The Bob Newhart Show, The Good Wife, NCIS), told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Eddie was a well-respected man who had beautiful taste in material,” Zinberg said. “He was always looking for something that would make a difference.”
An Iowa native who started out as a stage manager on Broadway, Rissien helped set up Harry Belafonte‘s HarBel Productions after acquiring the film rights for Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), the Robert Wise-directed drama that starred Belafonte, Robert Ryan and Shelley Winters.
He also produced Snow Job (1972), starring legendary French skier and Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy as a thief in his only feature role,...
Rissien died April 8 of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, his nephew, Emmy-nominated director Michael Zinberg (The Bob Newhart Show, The Good Wife, NCIS), told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Eddie was a well-respected man who had beautiful taste in material,” Zinberg said. “He was always looking for something that would make a difference.”
An Iowa native who started out as a stage manager on Broadway, Rissien helped set up Harry Belafonte‘s HarBel Productions after acquiring the film rights for Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), the Robert Wise-directed drama that starred Belafonte, Robert Ryan and Shelley Winters.
He also produced Snow Job (1972), starring legendary French skier and Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy as a thief in his only feature role,...
- 5/10/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Godzilla & Godzilla Raids Again Novelizations from University of Minnesota Press
First published in Japan in 1955, the original novelizations of Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again will be released in English for the first time on October 3 via University of Minnesota Press.
Jeffrey Angles, professor of Japanese at Western Michigan University, has newly translated the original material written by Shigeru Kayama, who conceived the initial story for Godzilla.
The two young adult novellas are being published together in one 256-page book, which is available to pre-order in paperback for $17.41 and and e-book for $9.99.
Scooby-Doo Play Set from Mezco Toyz
Mezco Toyz has announced a Scooby-Doo Friends & Foes box set as part of its 5 Points line of retro-style 3.75” scale action figures.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Godzilla & Godzilla Raids Again Novelizations from University of Minnesota Press
First published in Japan in 1955, the original novelizations of Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again will be released in English for the first time on October 3 via University of Minnesota Press.
Jeffrey Angles, professor of Japanese at Western Michigan University, has newly translated the original material written by Shigeru Kayama, who conceived the initial story for Godzilla.
The two young adult novellas are being published together in one 256-page book, which is available to pre-order in paperback for $17.41 and and e-book for $9.99.
Scooby-Doo Play Set from Mezco Toyz
Mezco Toyz has announced a Scooby-Doo Friends & Foes box set as part of its 5 Points line of retro-style 3.75” scale action figures.
- 3/24/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Anne Frank continues to resonate as perhaps the most famous symbol of Jewish suffering and persecution in the face of the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust during World War II. It was her teenage diary, after all, that remains perhaps the most vivid description of what it was like to live under Nazi occupation – specifically in Amsterdam between 1942 and ’44, while her family was in hiding and she wrote her famed remembrance of being sheltered out of view until a betrayal led to their being discovered.
It was a woman named Miep Gies, however, who provided a first-hand aural witness’s account of those hiding out in what came to be known as the Secret Annex. It’s her tale that’s told in “A Small Light,” a powerful eight-part limited series from NatGeo that premieres with a pair of installments on May 1 and streams the next day on Disney+. It...
It was a woman named Miep Gies, however, who provided a first-hand aural witness’s account of those hiding out in what came to be known as the Secret Annex. It’s her tale that’s told in “A Small Light,” a powerful eight-part limited series from NatGeo that premieres with a pair of installments on May 1 and streams the next day on Disney+. It...
- 3/23/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Influential Italian auteur Francesco “Citto” Maselli who worked with Lucia Bosé, Claudia Cardinale, Shelley Winters and Valeria Golino on films that combined his political passion with his bent for female-centered dramas, has died in Rome.
Maselli, who was known for making left-wing militant cinema, was 92.
The director’s death was announced to Italian news agency Ansa by Maurizio Acerbo, leader of Italy’s small Communist Refoundation Party, the group of die-hard Italian leftists that Maselli championed, and confirmed by the director’s wife. The exact cause of Maselli’s death was not revealed.
Born into a cultured family originally from Italy’s Southern Molise region and raised in an intellectually stimulating environment – his father was an art critic – Maselli participated at a very early age in Italy’s partisan Resistance movement against fascists and German occupiers and as a young man started asserting his belief in Communism.
After graduating from...
Maselli, who was known for making left-wing militant cinema, was 92.
The director’s death was announced to Italian news agency Ansa by Maurizio Acerbo, leader of Italy’s small Communist Refoundation Party, the group of die-hard Italian leftists that Maselli championed, and confirmed by the director’s wife. The exact cause of Maselli’s death was not revealed.
Born into a cultured family originally from Italy’s Southern Molise region and raised in an intellectually stimulating environment – his father was an art critic – Maselli participated at a very early age in Italy’s partisan Resistance movement against fascists and German occupiers and as a young man started asserting his belief in Communism.
After graduating from...
- 3/21/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
There have been no shortage of retellings of Anne Frank’s iconic book “The Diary of a Young Girl.” From the time it was first published in 1947 as Het Achterhuis (The Secret Annex) in Dutch in a small edition of 3,036 copies and went on to become one of the most translated books in the world, it’s been adapted to every medium imaginable – from stage to screens big and small, as a musical, as a dance interpretation, even as a 2017 graphic diary. The first play version of “The Diary of Anne Frank” hit Broadway in 1955 and proved a rousing success, running more than 700 performances and earning its playwrights a Pulitzer Prize. A 1959 theatrical film directed by George Stevens earned eight Academy Award nominations and won three: for Shelley Winters as supporting actress as well as its cinematography and art direction/set decoration.
Yet throughout all of the wartime story’s many renderings,...
Yet throughout all of the wartime story’s many renderings,...
- 3/20/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
For most actors, winning an Oscar is seen as the absolute pinnacle of a Hollywood career. For a select group of performers, though, one simply isn’t enough.
There have been 44 different actors to have won multiple awards, the first coming in 1937 when Luise Rainer became the original two-time Oscar darling.
Some manage to win every time they are nominated. Others, such as the inimitable Meryl Streep, have careers peppered with nominations, winning only when the so-called narrative dictates.
In 2021, Anthony Hopkins took home his second statuette, for his role in The Father. The year before, Renée Zellweger took home her second Oscar after playing Judy Garland in Judy.
In 2020, Mahershala Ali picked up his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Best Picture winner Green Book. He previously won for Moonlight in 2017.
Here are the actors with the most Oscar wins.
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins picked up his second Oscar for The Father,...
There have been 44 different actors to have won multiple awards, the first coming in 1937 when Luise Rainer became the original two-time Oscar darling.
Some manage to win every time they are nominated. Others, such as the inimitable Meryl Streep, have careers peppered with nominations, winning only when the so-called narrative dictates.
In 2021, Anthony Hopkins took home his second statuette, for his role in The Father. The year before, Renée Zellweger took home her second Oscar after playing Judy Garland in Judy.
In 2020, Mahershala Ali picked up his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Best Picture winner Green Book. He previously won for Moonlight in 2017.
Here are the actors with the most Oscar wins.
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins picked up his second Oscar for The Father,...
- 3/12/2023
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - Film
Since the enormous popularity surrounding Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe has never waned in the seven decades since they both rocketed to superstardom, it’s no wonder that Austin Butler and Ana de Armas sailed to Oscar nominations for portraying them in the 2022 films “Elvis” and “Blonde.” What is odd, however, is that the respective Best Actor and Best Actress hopefuls are the only ones nominated in any of this year’s acting categories for playing real people. While this 90 percent fictional character rate is far from unprecedented, it does stand in stark contrast to the preceding decade’s average of 59 percent and thus raises questions as to why academy voters chose to veer in the opposite direction.
The last instance of two or fewer portrayals of real people leading to Oscar nominations in the same year involved 2003 Best Actress champ Charlize Theron, whose “Monster” character, Aileen Wuornos, stood completely...
The last instance of two or fewer portrayals of real people leading to Oscar nominations in the same year involved 2003 Best Actress champ Charlize Theron, whose “Monster” character, Aileen Wuornos, stood completely...
- 3/6/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
As we approach O-Day and the 95th Academy Awards on March 12, it’s always fun to go back and look at the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories and revel in some of the trivia and shockers that have gone down on the awards season’s biggest stage. This is the rare year when Meryl Streep isn’t in the running, as her 21 overall nominations in the acting categories are nearly double the number of her closest female pursuer, Katherine Hepburn, who has 12. However, Hepburn still holds the all-time Oscar record with four acting wins. Streep has a mere three.
Here are some other actress category factoids to chew on:
Should Cate Blanchett win Best Actress this year for her role in “Tar,” she would tie Streep, Ingrid Bergman and Frances McDormand for second place behind Hepburn among actresses with three triumphs apiece. All four of Hepburn’s wins...
Here are some other actress category factoids to chew on:
Should Cate Blanchett win Best Actress this year for her role in “Tar,” she would tie Streep, Ingrid Bergman and Frances McDormand for second place behind Hepburn among actresses with three triumphs apiece. All four of Hepburn’s wins...
- 2/28/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Movies That Made Me veteran guest and screenwriter Dan Waters discusses his favorite year of cinema (1989) with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
Love At First Bite (1979)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Demolition Man (1993)
Heathers (1989)
Warlock (1989)
The Matrix (1999)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Jaws (1975)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Nashville (1975)
Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Field Of Dreams (1989)
My Left Foot (1989)
Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Sex Lies And Videotape (1989)
Easy Rider (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
All That Jazz (1979)
Hair (1979)
Alien (1979)
Fight Club (1999)
Office Space (1999)
Magnolia (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
American Pie (1999)
The Iron Giant (1999)
All About My Mother (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Pretty In Pink (1986)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Say Anything… (1989)
Miracle Mile (1989)
True Love (1989)
Powwow Highway (1989)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Southside With You...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
Love At First Bite (1979)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Demolition Man (1993)
Heathers (1989)
Warlock (1989)
The Matrix (1999)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Jaws (1975)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Nashville (1975)
Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Field Of Dreams (1989)
My Left Foot (1989)
Crimes And Misdemeanors (1989)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Sex Lies And Videotape (1989)
Easy Rider (1969)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
All That Jazz (1979)
Hair (1979)
Alien (1979)
Fight Club (1999)
Office Space (1999)
Magnolia (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
American Pie (1999)
The Iron Giant (1999)
All About My Mother (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Pretty In Pink (1986)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Say Anything… (1989)
Miracle Mile (1989)
True Love (1989)
Powwow Highway (1989)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Southside With You...
- 2/21/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Stella Stevens, who starred in such films as “The Nutty Professor”, “The Poseidon Adventure” and alongside Elvis Presley in “Girls! Girls! Girls!”, has died. She was 84.
According to multiple reports, Stevens died Friday in Los Angeles following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Before making a name for herself on the big and small screen, Stevens was a Playboy Playmate and appeared on its centerfold page in January 1960. She was modeling in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, when she was discovered, ultimately leading her to roles in the 1962 music comedy “Girls! Girls! Girls!” and then starring alongside comedy giant Jerry Lewis in the 1963 sci-fi comedy “The Nutty Professor”.
Read More: Raquel Welch, Actress and Legendary Bombshell, Dead at 82
In a New York Times review of the film (via Variety), Stevens’ performance as Stella Purdy (the student Lewis’ nutty professor character pursues) is singled out.
“It’s about a shy...
According to multiple reports, Stevens died Friday in Los Angeles following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Before making a name for herself on the big and small screen, Stevens was a Playboy Playmate and appeared on its centerfold page in January 1960. She was modeling in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, when she was discovered, ultimately leading her to roles in the 1962 music comedy “Girls! Girls! Girls!” and then starring alongside comedy giant Jerry Lewis in the 1963 sci-fi comedy “The Nutty Professor”.
Read More: Raquel Welch, Actress and Legendary Bombshell, Dead at 82
In a New York Times review of the film (via Variety), Stevens’ performance as Stella Purdy (the student Lewis’ nutty professor character pursues) is singled out.
“It’s about a shy...
- 2/17/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Stella Stevens, who starred in the 1972 disaster film “Poseidon Adventure” and in films opposite Elvis Presley, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, died Friday in Los Angeles at the age of 84.
Her son, actor/producer Andrew Stevens, confirmed her passing to TheWrap via email. “I was notified early this morning,” Stevens said. “Stella had been in hospice for quite some time with stage seven Alzheimer’s.”
She is perhaps best known for her role as one of the victims of an ocean liner disaster in Irwin Allen’s epic “Poseidon Adventure.” She played a former prostitute married to Ernest Borgnine’s police detective, who, along with Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters, try to make it to the top of the overturned ship.
Stevens also starred with Elvis Presley in the 1962 musical “Girls! Girls! Girls!,” Jerry Lewis in 1963’s “The Nutty Professor,” and Dean Martin in the 1966 spy spoof “The Silencers.” In...
Her son, actor/producer Andrew Stevens, confirmed her passing to TheWrap via email. “I was notified early this morning,” Stevens said. “Stella had been in hospice for quite some time with stage seven Alzheimer’s.”
She is perhaps best known for her role as one of the victims of an ocean liner disaster in Irwin Allen’s epic “Poseidon Adventure.” She played a former prostitute married to Ernest Borgnine’s police detective, who, along with Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters, try to make it to the top of the overturned ship.
Stevens also starred with Elvis Presley in the 1962 musical “Girls! Girls! Girls!,” Jerry Lewis in 1963’s “The Nutty Professor,” and Dean Martin in the 1966 spy spoof “The Silencers.” In...
- 2/17/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Stella Stevens, who starred with Elvis Presley in “Girls! Girls! Girls!” and with Jerry Lewis in “The Nutty Professor” as well as in disaster film “The Poseidon Adventure,” died Friday in Los Angeles. Her son, Andrew Stevens, said she had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She was 84.
“Girls! Girls! Girls!” (1962) was one of the more generic Elvis films— there wasn’t all that much for Stevens to do — but Variety was keen on her performance in 1963’s “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father,” starring Glenn Ford and Shirley Jones in the story of a widower who’s romantically interested in one woman while his son wants him to marry another: “Stella Stevens comes on like gangbusters in her enactment of a brainy but inhibited doll from Montana. It’s a sizzling comedy performance of a kook.”
In “The Nutty Professor” (1963) or any other Jerry Lewis film, one might expect the...
“Girls! Girls! Girls!” (1962) was one of the more generic Elvis films— there wasn’t all that much for Stevens to do — but Variety was keen on her performance in 1963’s “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father,” starring Glenn Ford and Shirley Jones in the story of a widower who’s romantically interested in one woman while his son wants him to marry another: “Stella Stevens comes on like gangbusters in her enactment of a brainy but inhibited doll from Montana. It’s a sizzling comedy performance of a kook.”
In “The Nutty Professor” (1963) or any other Jerry Lewis film, one might expect the...
- 2/17/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
For most actors, winning an Oscar is seen as the absolute pinnacle of a Hollywood career. For a select group of performers, though, one simply isn’t enough.
There have been 44 different actors to have won multiple awards, the first coming in 1937 when Luise Rainer became the original two-time Oscar darling.
Some manage to win every time they are nominated. Others, such as the inimitable Meryl Streep, have careers peppered with nominations, winning only when the so-called narrative dictates.
In 2021, Anthony Hopkins took home his second statuette, for his role in The Father. The year before, Renée Zellweger took home her second Oscar after playing Judy Garland in Judy.
In 2020, Mahershala Ali picked up his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Best Picture winner Green Book. He previously won for Moonlight in 2017.
Here are the actors with the most Oscar wins.
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins picked up his second Oscar for The Father,...
There have been 44 different actors to have won multiple awards, the first coming in 1937 when Luise Rainer became the original two-time Oscar darling.
Some manage to win every time they are nominated. Others, such as the inimitable Meryl Streep, have careers peppered with nominations, winning only when the so-called narrative dictates.
In 2021, Anthony Hopkins took home his second statuette, for his role in The Father. The year before, Renée Zellweger took home her second Oscar after playing Judy Garland in Judy.
In 2020, Mahershala Ali picked up his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Best Picture winner Green Book. He previously won for Moonlight in 2017.
Here are the actors with the most Oscar wins.
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins picked up his second Oscar for The Father,...
- 1/25/2023
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - Film
Luigina “Gina” Lollobrigida, The Italian film actor who became one of the most famous stars in European cinema during the 1950s and ’60s, has died, Italian news outlet Lapresse reported Monday. She was 95.
According to Lapresse (via Variety), Lollobrigida died while in a clinic in Rome. No cause of death has been confirmed. Italy’s Minister of Agriculture and Lollobrigida’s grandnewphew Francesco Lollobrigida tweeted about her passing on Monday, calling her “one of the brightest stars of Italian cinematography and culture.”
Oggi è scomparsa #GinaLollobrigida, una delle stelle più luminose della cinematografia e della cultura italiana. Ineguagliabile fuoriclasse, icona di bellezza e versatilità, donna e professionista straordinaria. Continuerà a vivere e ispirare attraverso le sue opere. pic.twitter.com/fEW9gVFuEi
— Francesco Lollobrigida (@FrancescoLollo1) January 16, 2023
Born in 1927 as the daughter of a furniture manufacturer, Lollobrigida studied sculpture at Rome’s Academy of Fine Arts, and started her career with...
According to Lapresse (via Variety), Lollobrigida died while in a clinic in Rome. No cause of death has been confirmed. Italy’s Minister of Agriculture and Lollobrigida’s grandnewphew Francesco Lollobrigida tweeted about her passing on Monday, calling her “one of the brightest stars of Italian cinematography and culture.”
Oggi è scomparsa #GinaLollobrigida, una delle stelle più luminose della cinematografia e della cultura italiana. Ineguagliabile fuoriclasse, icona di bellezza e versatilità, donna e professionista straordinaria. Continuerà a vivere e ispirare attraverso le sue opere. pic.twitter.com/fEW9gVFuEi
— Francesco Lollobrigida (@FrancescoLollo1) January 16, 2023
Born in 1927 as the daughter of a furniture manufacturer, Lollobrigida studied sculpture at Rome’s Academy of Fine Arts, and started her career with...
- 1/16/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Los Angeles, Jan 16 (Ians) Gina Lollobrigida, the 1950s Italian bombshell who starred in films including ‘Fanfan la Tulipe’, ‘Beat the Devil’, ‘Trapeze’ and ‘Buona Sera, Mrs Campbell’, has died. She was 95.
A generation of Indians will remember Lollobrigida from her sensational appearance at the 1978 International Film Festival of India (Iffi), where her flirty exchanges with Kabir Bedi were grist for the gossip magazine mill as well as politically incorrect comparisons between her physical attributes and those of Zeenat Aman.
Kabir Bedi, in his autobiography ‘Stories I Must Tell’, recalls a famous face-off Praveen Babi had with Lollobrigida at a party the Italian actress hosted in his honour for playing Sandokan in the famous Italian television series. The temperamental Indian actress was upset with Lollobrigida because she was apparently getting too comfortable with Bedi.
Lollobrigida also provided fodder for film magazines when it was rumoured that she was being cast by...
A generation of Indians will remember Lollobrigida from her sensational appearance at the 1978 International Film Festival of India (Iffi), where her flirty exchanges with Kabir Bedi were grist for the gossip magazine mill as well as politically incorrect comparisons between her physical attributes and those of Zeenat Aman.
Kabir Bedi, in his autobiography ‘Stories I Must Tell’, recalls a famous face-off Praveen Babi had with Lollobrigida at a party the Italian actress hosted in his honour for playing Sandokan in the famous Italian television series. The temperamental Indian actress was upset with Lollobrigida because she was apparently getting too comfortable with Bedi.
Lollobrigida also provided fodder for film magazines when it was rumoured that she was being cast by...
- 1/16/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Gina Lollobrigida, the 1950s Italian bombshell who starred in films including ‘Fanfan la Tulipe’, ‘Beat the Devil’, ‘Trapeze’ and ‘Buona Sera, Mrs Campbell’, has died. She was 95. A generation of Indians will remember Lollobrigida from her sensational appearance at the 1978 International Film Festival of India (Iffi), where her flirty exchanges with Kabir Bedi were grist for the gossip magazine mill as well as politically incorrect comparisons between her physical attributes and those of Zeenat Aman.
Kabir Bedi, in his autobiography ‘Stories I Must Tell’, recalls a famous face-off Praveen Babi had with Lollobrigida at a party the Italian actress hosted in his honour for playing Sandokan in the famous Italian television series. The temperamental Indian actress was upset with Lollobrigida because she was apparently getting too comfortable with Bedi.
Lollobrigida also provided fodder for film magazines when it was rumoured that she was being cast by Krishna Shah in his Indo-American movie,...
Kabir Bedi, in his autobiography ‘Stories I Must Tell’, recalls a famous face-off Praveen Babi had with Lollobrigida at a party the Italian actress hosted in his honour for playing Sandokan in the famous Italian television series. The temperamental Indian actress was upset with Lollobrigida because she was apparently getting too comfortable with Bedi.
Lollobrigida also provided fodder for film magazines when it was rumoured that she was being cast by Krishna Shah in his Indo-American movie,...
- 1/16/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Gina Lollobrigida, the 1950s Italian bombshell who starred in films including “Fanfan la Tulipe,” “Beat the Devil,” “Trapeze” and “Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell,” has died. She was 95.
According to Italian news agency Lapresse, Lollobrigida died in a clinic in Rome. No cause of death has been cited. In September she had had surgery to repair a thigh bone broken in a fall, but she recovered and competed for a Senate seat in Italy’s elections held last year in September, though she did not win.
After resisting Howard Hughes’ offer to make movies in Hollywood in 1950, Lollobrigida starred with Gerard Philipe in the 1952 French swashbuckler “Fanfan la Tulipe,” a fest winner and popular favorite.
Her first American movie, shot in Italy, was John Huston’s 1953 film noir spoof “Beat the Devil,” in which she starred with Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones. The same year she starred with Vittorio De Sica in Luigi Comencini’s “Bread,...
According to Italian news agency Lapresse, Lollobrigida died in a clinic in Rome. No cause of death has been cited. In September she had had surgery to repair a thigh bone broken in a fall, but she recovered and competed for a Senate seat in Italy’s elections held last year in September, though she did not win.
After resisting Howard Hughes’ offer to make movies in Hollywood in 1950, Lollobrigida starred with Gerard Philipe in the 1952 French swashbuckler “Fanfan la Tulipe,” a fest winner and popular favorite.
Her first American movie, shot in Italy, was John Huston’s 1953 film noir spoof “Beat the Devil,” in which she starred with Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones. The same year she starred with Vittorio De Sica in Luigi Comencini’s “Bread,...
- 1/16/2023
- by Carmel Dagan and Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
In a postscript to his 1955 novel "Lolita," Vladimir Nabokov stated, quite shockingly, that it was a love story. Not between an adult man and a 12-year-old girl, as the dark plot of the novel details, but between Nabokov and the English language.
Nabokov, born in St. Petersburg in 1899, always had a strange affinity for the English language and often translated his own works from their original Russian. He also had an equally strange affinity for American culture as it looked in the 1950s, and "Lolita" was his full exploration of that. Among many other things, "Lolita" is about how post-War America -- featuring a money-raking landscape of hotels, kitsch, and secrets -- was all too willing to offer its youth as prey for a seemingly respectful European aristocracy. The book's main character, comically named Humbert Humbert, was a morally bankrupt transplant who saw himself as the king of his own story,...
Nabokov, born in St. Petersburg in 1899, always had a strange affinity for the English language and often translated his own works from their original Russian. He also had an equally strange affinity for American culture as it looked in the 1950s, and "Lolita" was his full exploration of that. Among many other things, "Lolita" is about how post-War America -- featuring a money-raking landscape of hotels, kitsch, and secrets -- was all too willing to offer its youth as prey for a seemingly respectful European aristocracy. The book's main character, comically named Humbert Humbert, was a morally bankrupt transplant who saw himself as the king of his own story,...
- 1/15/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
William Dozier's 1966 TV adaptation of "Batman" remains, even at this late date, the high water mark for all Batman media.
Colorful, whimsical, surreal, and borderline kinky, "Batman" served as an arch satire of the conservative underpinnings of most mainstream comic book heroes. Batman and Robin, played by the legendary Adam West and Burt Ward, were depicted as simultaneously heroic and terminally square, eschewing vice and indecency in favor of painfully wholesome, all-American activities such as camping, chess, drinking milk, birdwatching, and engaging in proper hygiene. Batman and Robin were walking 1950s classroom scare films, living in a bizarre universe of costumed vigilantes and horny criminals. The brilliance of the show came largely from West and Ward, who were able to deliver some of the strangest dialogue ever written without once ever winking or cracking a smile. "Batman" is a comedy masterpiece.
Of course, the most appealing aspect of "Batman" were its villains.
Colorful, whimsical, surreal, and borderline kinky, "Batman" served as an arch satire of the conservative underpinnings of most mainstream comic book heroes. Batman and Robin, played by the legendary Adam West and Burt Ward, were depicted as simultaneously heroic and terminally square, eschewing vice and indecency in favor of painfully wholesome, all-American activities such as camping, chess, drinking milk, birdwatching, and engaging in proper hygiene. Batman and Robin were walking 1950s classroom scare films, living in a bizarre universe of costumed vigilantes and horny criminals. The brilliance of the show came largely from West and Ward, who were able to deliver some of the strangest dialogue ever written without once ever winking or cracking a smile. "Batman" is a comedy masterpiece.
Of course, the most appealing aspect of "Batman" were its villains.
- 1/11/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
When I say hello to Marlene Parker, my neighbor of more than 20 years, I usually say, “Good to see you,” and she’ll reply with a smile and a laugh, “It’s good to be seen.”
She has lived on the same corner in West Hollywood for more than 40 years, even before the LGBTQ-friendly Los Angeles enclave officially became its own city. She’s hard to miss, with a boisterous energy that belies her 92 years and an insistence on dressing to the nines — jewelry, makeup, and fabulous hair, of course — even if it’s to walk the dog or go to the store. If she comes to a city meeting, she arrives fashionably late enough to make a grand entrance, apologizing in her distinctly throaty, German-accented voice.
Even if you know Marlene, you don’t know her whole story, which she was never willing to tell publicly. She’s turned...
She has lived on the same corner in West Hollywood for more than 40 years, even before the LGBTQ-friendly Los Angeles enclave officially became its own city. She’s hard to miss, with a boisterous energy that belies her 92 years and an insistence on dressing to the nines — jewelry, makeup, and fabulous hair, of course — even if it’s to walk the dog or go to the store. If she comes to a city meeting, she arrives fashionably late enough to make a grand entrance, apologizing in her distinctly throaty, German-accented voice.
Even if you know Marlene, you don’t know her whole story, which she was never willing to tell publicly. She’s turned...
- 1/6/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
"The Night of the Hunter" may hold back from showing any murders onscreen, but that doesn't make Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) any less creepy. A fanatical Christian that's equally misogynist, Powell roams the Great Depression Ohio valley, marrying widows before robbing them of both of their largesse and lives. The not-at-all-good reverend sees no conflict between his faith and his black widowing. After all, the Bible is full of killings.
While Powell is said to have a high body count, only two of his killings are directly featured in "The Night of the Hunter." The film opens with him fleeing from one, catching a glimpse of his victim's lifeless legs from her basement door. Powell then marries Willa Harper (Shelley Winters) to find money stolen and hidden away by her late husband. After brainwashing her into his faith, he disposes of her. She ends up being so robbed of...
While Powell is said to have a high body count, only two of his killings are directly featured in "The Night of the Hunter." The film opens with him fleeing from one, catching a glimpse of his victim's lifeless legs from her basement door. Powell then marries Willa Harper (Shelley Winters) to find money stolen and hidden away by her late husband. After brainwashing her into his faith, he disposes of her. She ends up being so robbed of...
- 12/17/2022
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
When it comes to movies by one-and-done directors, there is no greater achievement than Charles Laughton's "The Night of the Hunter," one of the most singular American films ever made. Nowadays, we'd probably pitch it as somewhere between a pastoral fable and a proto-slasher, but when it was released in 1955 it was a vision so unique that neither critics nor audiences knew what to make of it. It became such a monstrous flop that Laughton never directed another film.
Thankfully, time has been extremely kind to "The Night of the Hunter," and Laughton's neglected masterpiece is now receiving the recognition it deserves. In this year's Sight and Sound Top 100 list of the greatest films of all time, it vaulted 38 places from 63rd in the 2012 edition to joint 25th alongside "Au Hasard Balthazar." It didn't even make the list in the previous decade's poll, so at this rate of critical reappraisal,...
Thankfully, time has been extremely kind to "The Night of the Hunter," and Laughton's neglected masterpiece is now receiving the recognition it deserves. In this year's Sight and Sound Top 100 list of the greatest films of all time, it vaulted 38 places from 63rd in the 2012 edition to joint 25th alongside "Au Hasard Balthazar." It didn't even make the list in the previous decade's poll, so at this rate of critical reappraisal,...
- 12/8/2022
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Freddie Ross Hancock, the British marketing consultant and publicist who represented Sophia Loren, Julie Andrews, Benny Hill, Theodore Bikel and Jim Dale and helped bring the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to New York, has died. She was 92.
Ross Hancock died Sunday at her home in Manhattan, friend and former Warner Bros. executive Luke Fontneau announced.
Another of her clients was popular English comedian and actor Tony Hancock. They began a romantic relationship in 1957 while he was married and wed in December 1965, but soon after she filed for divorce, he died by suicide in 1968 at age 44.
After Hancock’s death, she moved to the U.S., where she worked as an acquisitions executive for American Video Films, served as vice chairman of the U.S. wing of the Royal Television Society and consulted for companies including Miramax.
She was honored as...
Freddie Ross Hancock, the British marketing consultant and publicist who represented Sophia Loren, Julie Andrews, Benny Hill, Theodore Bikel and Jim Dale and helped bring the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to New York, has died. She was 92.
Ross Hancock died Sunday at her home in Manhattan, friend and former Warner Bros. executive Luke Fontneau announced.
Another of her clients was popular English comedian and actor Tony Hancock. They began a romantic relationship in 1957 while he was married and wed in December 1965, but soon after she filed for divorce, he died by suicide in 1968 at age 44.
After Hancock’s death, she moved to the U.S., where she worked as an acquisitions executive for American Video Films, served as vice chairman of the U.S. wing of the Royal Television Society and consulted for companies including Miramax.
She was honored as...
- 11/28/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Writer/producer/showrunner David Kajganich discusses a few of his favorite films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
All The Fine Young Cannibals (1960)
Badlands (1973)
Bones And All (2022)
A Bigger Splash (2015)
Suspiria (2018)
Deathdream (1974) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Porky’s (1981)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Black Christmas (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Murder By Decree (1979) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1972)
Black Vengeance a.k.a. Poor Pretty Eddie (1975)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1977) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Dressed To Kill (1980) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Criterion review
The Last Picture Show (1971) – Mark Pellington’s trailer...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
All The Fine Young Cannibals (1960)
Badlands (1973)
Bones And All (2022)
A Bigger Splash (2015)
Suspiria (2018)
Deathdream (1974) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Porky’s (1981)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Black Christmas (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Murder By Decree (1979) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1972)
Black Vengeance a.k.a. Poor Pretty Eddie (1975)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1977) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Dressed To Kill (1980) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Criterion review
The Last Picture Show (1971) – Mark Pellington’s trailer...
- 11/22/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
The disaster film comes and goes. The genre was massive in the 1970s, leading to classics like "The Towering Inferno" and "The Poseidon Adventure." It saw a resurgence in the '90s thanks to hits like "Armageddon" and "Dante's Peak," and there's been a slight bump over the past decade, too — think "Skyscraper" and "San Andreas," both starring The Rock. These films are often a chance to cobble together an all-star cast and thrill audiences by showing off some special effects work.
The biggest and best disaster films stick around. After all, people still debate whether "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact" was better. There are plenty more, however, that are forgotten. Whether due to genre fatigue or inexplicable box office failure, many have flown under the radar yet are still worth a watch. Some have casts that make them worthwhile (Alain Delon from "Le Samouraï" is in an "Airport" movie!), while...
The biggest and best disaster films stick around. After all, people still debate whether "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact" was better. There are plenty more, however, that are forgotten. Whether due to genre fatigue or inexplicable box office failure, many have flown under the radar yet are still worth a watch. Some have casts that make them worthwhile (Alain Delon from "Le Samouraï" is in an "Airport" movie!), while...
- 11/8/2022
- by Eric Langberg
- Slash Film
Scottish actor Alastair Mackenzie, recently spotted in “The Crown” and “Andor,” Jessica Frances Dukes and Debi Mazar have been added to the cast of Filip Jan Rymsza’s feature film “Object Permanence.”
They join previously announced star Millie Brady, who plays Brooke Brooks: a former supermodel who becomes a successful lifestyle mogul and is the first person to IPO herself.
Production is currently underway in Poland and will continue in Thailand and Germany. “Apples” DoP Bartosz Świniarski is lensing the film.
Set in the near future, “Object Permanence” is produced by Friends with Benefits Studio, with co-financing by the Polish Film Institute. Marta Lewandowska and Rymsza – the latter also behind “Mosquito State” – are producing, while CAA is handling North American sales.
“Filip’s script is an inspired study of the perils of celebrity and the conflictual relationships that exist within the system built up around it,” says Mackenzie, opening...
They join previously announced star Millie Brady, who plays Brooke Brooks: a former supermodel who becomes a successful lifestyle mogul and is the first person to IPO herself.
Production is currently underway in Poland and will continue in Thailand and Germany. “Apples” DoP Bartosz Świniarski is lensing the film.
Set in the near future, “Object Permanence” is produced by Friends with Benefits Studio, with co-financing by the Polish Film Institute. Marta Lewandowska and Rymsza – the latter also behind “Mosquito State” – are producing, while CAA is handling North American sales.
“Filip’s script is an inspired study of the perils of celebrity and the conflictual relationships that exist within the system built up around it,” says Mackenzie, opening...
- 10/10/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Henry Silva, who starred in Johnny Cool, fought Frank Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate and was one of Sinatra’s fellow thieves in Ocean’s 11, among dozens of screen roles spanning a half-century, died Wednesday of natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. He was 95.
An actor whose distinctive face often led to typecasting as the heavy, his 130-plus film and TV credits also include The Bravados, starring Gregory Peck (1958); Cinderfella, with Jerry Lewis (1960); the Rat Pack-led Western Sergeants 3 (1962); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979); Love and Bullets with Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland and Rod Steiger (1979); the Burt Reynolds pics Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Cannonball Run II (1982); Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990); Steven Seagal’s first film Above the Law (1988); and Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai with Forest Whitaker (1999).
Along with the title role opposite Elizabeth Montgomery in Johnny Cool...
An actor whose distinctive face often led to typecasting as the heavy, his 130-plus film and TV credits also include The Bravados, starring Gregory Peck (1958); Cinderfella, with Jerry Lewis (1960); the Rat Pack-led Western Sergeants 3 (1962); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979); Love and Bullets with Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland and Rod Steiger (1979); the Burt Reynolds pics Sharky’s Machine (1981) and Cannonball Run II (1982); Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990); Steven Seagal’s first film Above the Law (1988); and Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai with Forest Whitaker (1999).
Along with the title role opposite Elizabeth Montgomery in Johnny Cool...
- 9/16/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Henry Silva, an actor with a striking look who often played villains and had credits in hundreds of films including “Ocean’s Eleven” and “The Manchurian Candidate,” died of natural causes Wednesday at the Motion Picture Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif., his son Scott confirmed. He was 95.
One of Silva’s most memorable roles came in John Frankenheimer’s classic thriller “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962), in which he played Chunjin, the Korean houseboy for Laurence Harvey’s Raymond Shaw — and an agent for the Communists — who engages in a thrilling, well-choreographed martial arts battle with Frank Sinatra’s Major Bennett Marco in Shaw’s New York apartment.
Silva appeared in a number of other movies with Sinatra, including the original, Rat Pack-populated “Ocean’s Eleven” (1960) with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., where he was one of the 11 thieves, and 1962 Western “Sergeants 3.”
His death was...
One of Silva’s most memorable roles came in John Frankenheimer’s classic thriller “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962), in which he played Chunjin, the Korean houseboy for Laurence Harvey’s Raymond Shaw — and an agent for the Communists — who engages in a thrilling, well-choreographed martial arts battle with Frank Sinatra’s Major Bennett Marco in Shaw’s New York apartment.
Silva appeared in a number of other movies with Sinatra, including the original, Rat Pack-populated “Ocean’s Eleven” (1960) with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., where he was one of the 11 thieves, and 1962 Western “Sergeants 3.”
His death was...
- 9/16/2022
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
What’s the matter with Pearl? Plenty, as it turns out in Ti West’s terrifically enjoyable postscript to his spring release X, which saw a 1970s film crew fall brutally afoul of an elderly farmer and his wife while shooting a porno in their barn. Unusually for a horror film, X had the same actress — Mia Goth — as both the final kill (the farmer’s psychotic wife Pearl) and the final girl (sex-film starlet Maxine), and this intelligent, not to mention almost indecently hasty prequel explains the reasons.
Pearl, screening out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, is that rare horror franchise follow-up that, while mindful of expectations from its predecessor’s core gore audience, has considered artful new ways to drill down into the essence of the original.
First, a quick digression into the appeal of X and Ti West’s films in general: West has an...
Pearl, screening out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, is that rare horror franchise follow-up that, while mindful of expectations from its predecessor’s core gore audience, has considered artful new ways to drill down into the essence of the original.
First, a quick digression into the appeal of X and Ti West’s films in general: West has an...
- 9/4/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Actors Studio — the legendary New York (and later Los Angeles) workshop co-founded by Elia Kazan in 1947 where Marlon Brando, James Dean, Paul Newman and scores of other acting heavyweights perfected their craft — the Academy Museum is hosting a series of Sunday screenings. It kicks off Aug. 28 with a showing of 1974’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, an early Martin Scorsese drama starring Ellen Burstyn, current co-president of the Actors Studio with Al Pacino. Burstyn will be in attendance for a Q&a following the screening (tickets available here).
The Oscar-winning stage and screen legend, 89, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the creative alchemy that goes on behind the doors of that storied institution — “a gymnasium where [actors] work out” is how she describes it. Along the way, Burstyn let it spill why, after 50 years, she agreed to return to The Exorcist.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Actors Studio — the legendary New York (and later Los Angeles) workshop co-founded by Elia Kazan in 1947 where Marlon Brando, James Dean, Paul Newman and scores of other acting heavyweights perfected their craft — the Academy Museum is hosting a series of Sunday screenings. It kicks off Aug. 28 with a showing of 1974’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, an early Martin Scorsese drama starring Ellen Burstyn, current co-president of the Actors Studio with Al Pacino. Burstyn will be in attendance for a Q&a following the screening (tickets available here).
The Oscar-winning stage and screen legend, 89, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the creative alchemy that goes on behind the doors of that storied institution — “a gymnasium where [actors] work out” is how she describes it. Along the way, Burstyn let it spill why, after 50 years, she agreed to return to The Exorcist.
- 8/26/2022
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nam-gil Kim as Hyun-soo, in Emergency Declaration. Courtesy of WellGo USA
I should start by declaring I’m no fan of “disaster movies,” which usually play out as melodramas, rather than thrillers. They always start with introductions to an assortment of strangers about to find themselves in a shared peril. That is intended to personalize the macrocosm of the threat, so we’ll care about the potential victims – root for some, hate some others – theoretically making “who will survive?” a grabber, regardless of the nature of their common menace. When you put them in a confined space – like an airplane or ship at sea – claustrophobia adds another dimension to the emotional strings being tugged.
So my praise for this subtitled Korean thriller, Emergency Declaration, which runs contrary to form, making it more of an achievement by the producers. A weird guy who we soon learn is a disgraced biologist boards...
I should start by declaring I’m no fan of “disaster movies,” which usually play out as melodramas, rather than thrillers. They always start with introductions to an assortment of strangers about to find themselves in a shared peril. That is intended to personalize the macrocosm of the threat, so we’ll care about the potential victims – root for some, hate some others – theoretically making “who will survive?” a grabber, regardless of the nature of their common menace. When you put them in a confined space – like an airplane or ship at sea – claustrophobia adds another dimension to the emotional strings being tugged.
So my praise for this subtitled Korean thriller, Emergency Declaration, which runs contrary to form, making it more of an achievement by the producers. A weird guy who we soon learn is a disgraced biologist boards...
- 8/12/2022
- by Mark Glass
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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