In conversation with Brian Chanes,
Senior Director, Hollywood and Entertainment, Beverly Hills
by Chad Kennerk
An original Planet Hollywood neon sign. All images courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
Planet Hollywood launched with tremendous fanfare in New York City on 22 October, 1991. An instant success, the movie-themed burger joint boasted an array of production made and screen-used memorabilia on display throughout the restaurant. The New York Times headline the following day read, “Fantasy For the Price of a Burger.” Each Planet Hollywood location served as a mini-museum devoted to the movies and the investors behind the venture included a who’s who of 90s stars, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. The genius marketing strategy presented the opportunity to experience movie magic, from the props and costumes that defined audiences’ favourite films, to the thrill of potentially spotting a celebrity in the flesh.
Each subsequent restaurant opening was a gala event,...
Senior Director, Hollywood and Entertainment, Beverly Hills
by Chad Kennerk
An original Planet Hollywood neon sign. All images courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
Planet Hollywood launched with tremendous fanfare in New York City on 22 October, 1991. An instant success, the movie-themed burger joint boasted an array of production made and screen-used memorabilia on display throughout the restaurant. The New York Times headline the following day read, “Fantasy For the Price of a Burger.” Each Planet Hollywood location served as a mini-museum devoted to the movies and the investors behind the venture included a who’s who of 90s stars, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. The genius marketing strategy presented the opportunity to experience movie magic, from the props and costumes that defined audiences’ favourite films, to the thrill of potentially spotting a celebrity in the flesh.
Each subsequent restaurant opening was a gala event,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Chad Kennerk
- Film Review Daily
When Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert sat down at the end of 1993 to pick their 10 favorite movies of the year, they largely selected prestige, Oscar-bait films like The Piano, The Age of Innocence, The Joy Luck Club, and Schindler’s List. They skipped nearly all of the big multiplex hits of the year, including Jurassic Park, Sleepless in Seattle, and Mrs. Doubtfire, making an exception only for The Fugitive. It’s an honor they didn’t give to Die Hard in 1988, The Terminator in 1984, Aliens in 1986, or many other great action movies of the VHS era.
- 7/29/2023
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Bettina Gilois, an award-winning screenwriter and author, has died in her sleep at age 58, according to a friend. She had an advanced form of cancer and passed just days before her July 9 birthday.
Gilois was having what was described by a friend as “a career year” when she passed, with several projects in development at various networks.
Gilois first began working as an assistant to Slava Tsukerman, the director of Liquid Sky, in her native Berlin. She also worked at Andy Warhol’s Factory in New York on the television series Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes.
She subsequently joined Keith Barish and Arnold Kopelson Productions as a development executive, which led to producing credits on Fire Birds, as well as Triple Bogie on a Par Five Hole with Amos Poe.
She began her writing career working with Joel Silver Productions, and in the last twenty five years has written projects for further notable producers,...
Gilois was having what was described by a friend as “a career year” when she passed, with several projects in development at various networks.
Gilois first began working as an assistant to Slava Tsukerman, the director of Liquid Sky, in her native Berlin. She also worked at Andy Warhol’s Factory in New York on the television series Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes.
She subsequently joined Keith Barish and Arnold Kopelson Productions as a development executive, which led to producing credits on Fire Birds, as well as Triple Bogie on a Par Five Hole with Amos Poe.
She began her writing career working with Joel Silver Productions, and in the last twenty five years has written projects for further notable producers,...
- 7/5/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
For quite some time now, the folks at Scream Factory have been hard at work on a Collector's Edition Blu-ray of the late, great Wes Craven's The Serpent and the Rainbow. Today, they have rewarded fans' patience by revealing the release's official list of special features, and they are well worth the wait.
In addition to a fresh HD transfer taken from The Serpent and the Rainbow's original inter-positive, this Collector's Edition Blu-ray also includes a new commentary with lead actor Bill Pullman and a "making of" featurette with an impressive number of interviews. Scream Factory will release this special Blu-ray on February 23rd:
Press Release: Loyal fans of legendary director Wes Craven (Scream, The People Under the Stairs, A Nightmare on Elm Street) know well the terrifying story of one man's nightmarish journey into the eerie and deadly world of voodoo from the 1988 horror cult classic The Serpent And The Rainbow,...
In addition to a fresh HD transfer taken from The Serpent and the Rainbow's original inter-positive, this Collector's Edition Blu-ray also includes a new commentary with lead actor Bill Pullman and a "making of" featurette with an impressive number of interviews. Scream Factory will release this special Blu-ray on February 23rd:
Press Release: Loyal fans of legendary director Wes Craven (Scream, The People Under the Stairs, A Nightmare on Elm Street) know well the terrifying story of one man's nightmarish journey into the eerie and deadly world of voodoo from the 1988 horror cult classic The Serpent And The Rainbow,...
- 1/6/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
By: Roger Friedman
hollywoodnews.com: Helen Thomas has retired. Her career ends in disgrace thanks to comments she made on May 27th to Rabbi David Nesenoff at a White House event.
Thomas was criticized today at a White House press briefing. Here’s the link: http://www.politico.com/singletitlevideo.html?bcpid=19407224001&bctid=90405445001
The New York Times, which did not even mention what was going on previously, now reports the story online.
The Times has simply ignored the entire Thomas fiasco, even though: Thomas’s lecture agent has dropped her, her co-author has disavowed her, and there’s an open letter to her in today’s Jerusalem Post.
The Times–and all the New York newspapers–have completely ignored the fact that man who interviewed Thomas and posted the now infamous video on You Tube is a rabbi who lives right here on Long Island. Considering how much the papers...
hollywoodnews.com: Helen Thomas has retired. Her career ends in disgrace thanks to comments she made on May 27th to Rabbi David Nesenoff at a White House event.
Thomas was criticized today at a White House press briefing. Here’s the link: http://www.politico.com/singletitlevideo.html?bcpid=19407224001&bctid=90405445001
The New York Times, which did not even mention what was going on previously, now reports the story online.
The Times has simply ignored the entire Thomas fiasco, even though: Thomas’s lecture agent has dropped her, her co-author has disavowed her, and there’s an open letter to her in today’s Jerusalem Post.
The Times–and all the New York newspapers–have completely ignored the fact that man who interviewed Thomas and posted the now infamous video on You Tube is a rabbi who lives right here on Long Island. Considering how much the papers...
- 6/7/2010
- by Roger Friedman
- Hollywoodnews.com
Revisiting the exciting milieu of Warner Bros.' 1993 boxoffice smash "The Fugitive", but with one notable difference in the absence of superstar Harrison Ford as the wily good guy on the run, "U.S. Marshals" is a satisfying action extravaganza with Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones returning as the tough, relentless Chief Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard.
Stuart Baird ("Executive Action") marshals his troops with finesse, and debut screenwriter John Pogue has come up with inventive ways to pay homage to writer Roy Huggins' characters and the original film.
Produced by Arnold and Anne Kopelson, the wide release won't chase down the big numbers of its predecessor, but it's a sure-fire winner worldwide and should not escape the attention of video renters.
The success of "The Fugitive" was rightly recognized as the dual attraction of Ford's heroic doctor on a quest to clear his name and the professionalism of Jones' driven bogyman to the bad guys. Diverging from the original premise, "U.S. Marshals" lacks the first film's simple, dynamic structure and the strong emotional bonds one forms with the desperate "runner."
Instead, there's a big question as to whose side the current film's fugitive is on. Seen first in a spectacular curtain-raising traffic accident that lands him in the hospital, tow truck driver Sheridan (Wesley Snipes) is battered but in for far worse when the police find a concealed weapon in his truck. Seems the gun was used in a double homicide.
In short order he's put on a prisoner transport plane, and before one can say "Con Air" ten times, an assassin among the convicts tries to shoot him and causes a nasty crash landing instead. Also on board is Gerard, and he helps rescue the survivors after the plane lands on a rural road, flattens a bunch of telephone poles, skids off the road, flips over and lands upside down in the Ohio River.
The plane crash is the analog of the first film's knockout train-and-bus wreck, whose jump-off-the-dam scene is replayed with Sheridan swinging off a building in a move that would have Quasimodo demanding a stunt double. Overall, from the early tracking of the enigmatic Sheridan through the woods near the plane crash to the climactic rounds of cat-and-mouse pursuits and surprise gun battles in New York, Baird and crew successfully keep the tension high despite some confusing plot points.
Sheridan is both a runner and shooter, as Gerard finds out in one point-blank encounter, but it's a bit frustrating the way the audience is kept in the dark about his true identity and how he connects to the murders that one is initially led to believe he knows nothing about. Indeed, the focus is squarely on Gerard and his team, including returnees from the first film Joe Pantoliano, Daniel Roebuck and Tom Wood.
As such, "U.S. Marshals" is a showcase for Jones, and he comes through with another convincing, grounded performance. He's hurt but doesn't take it personally when he's shot at, yet he has an emotional side that comes out when one of his comrades is killed. With a more potent motive for risking life and limb than in the first film, Gerard also makes a mistake or two in figuring out who is the real bad guy.
Kate Nelligan is elegantly authoritative as Gerard's boss. While government agent Robert Downey Jr. is a bit too devious-looking from the outset, the actor has several fine moments playing the outsider on Team U.S. Marshals.
Well mounted in all regards, the elaborate production has a rugged physicality and mostly believable sequences, with the solid contributions of mechanical-effects supervisor Mike Meinardus, visual effects-designer Peter Donen and stunt coordinator Gary Davis.
U.S. MARSHALS
Warner Bros.
A Kopelson Entertainment/Keith Barish production
Director: Stuart Baird
Producers: Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson
Based on characters created by: Roy Huggins
Screenwriter: John Pogue
Executive producers: Keith Barish, Roy Huggins
Co-executive producer: Wolfgang Glattes
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Director of photography: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Production designer: Maher Ahmad
Editor: Terry Rawlings
Color/stereo
Cast:
Gerard: Tommy Lee Jones
Sheridan: Wesley Snipes
John Royce: Robert Downey Jr.
Renfro: Joe Pantoliano
Walsh: Kate Nelligan
Marie: Irene Jacob
Biggs: Daniel Roebuck
Newman: Tom Wood
Running time -- 131 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Stuart Baird ("Executive Action") marshals his troops with finesse, and debut screenwriter John Pogue has come up with inventive ways to pay homage to writer Roy Huggins' characters and the original film.
Produced by Arnold and Anne Kopelson, the wide release won't chase down the big numbers of its predecessor, but it's a sure-fire winner worldwide and should not escape the attention of video renters.
The success of "The Fugitive" was rightly recognized as the dual attraction of Ford's heroic doctor on a quest to clear his name and the professionalism of Jones' driven bogyman to the bad guys. Diverging from the original premise, "U.S. Marshals" lacks the first film's simple, dynamic structure and the strong emotional bonds one forms with the desperate "runner."
Instead, there's a big question as to whose side the current film's fugitive is on. Seen first in a spectacular curtain-raising traffic accident that lands him in the hospital, tow truck driver Sheridan (Wesley Snipes) is battered but in for far worse when the police find a concealed weapon in his truck. Seems the gun was used in a double homicide.
In short order he's put on a prisoner transport plane, and before one can say "Con Air" ten times, an assassin among the convicts tries to shoot him and causes a nasty crash landing instead. Also on board is Gerard, and he helps rescue the survivors after the plane lands on a rural road, flattens a bunch of telephone poles, skids off the road, flips over and lands upside down in the Ohio River.
The plane crash is the analog of the first film's knockout train-and-bus wreck, whose jump-off-the-dam scene is replayed with Sheridan swinging off a building in a move that would have Quasimodo demanding a stunt double. Overall, from the early tracking of the enigmatic Sheridan through the woods near the plane crash to the climactic rounds of cat-and-mouse pursuits and surprise gun battles in New York, Baird and crew successfully keep the tension high despite some confusing plot points.
Sheridan is both a runner and shooter, as Gerard finds out in one point-blank encounter, but it's a bit frustrating the way the audience is kept in the dark about his true identity and how he connects to the murders that one is initially led to believe he knows nothing about. Indeed, the focus is squarely on Gerard and his team, including returnees from the first film Joe Pantoliano, Daniel Roebuck and Tom Wood.
As such, "U.S. Marshals" is a showcase for Jones, and he comes through with another convincing, grounded performance. He's hurt but doesn't take it personally when he's shot at, yet he has an emotional side that comes out when one of his comrades is killed. With a more potent motive for risking life and limb than in the first film, Gerard also makes a mistake or two in figuring out who is the real bad guy.
Kate Nelligan is elegantly authoritative as Gerard's boss. While government agent Robert Downey Jr. is a bit too devious-looking from the outset, the actor has several fine moments playing the outsider on Team U.S. Marshals.
Well mounted in all regards, the elaborate production has a rugged physicality and mostly believable sequences, with the solid contributions of mechanical-effects supervisor Mike Meinardus, visual effects-designer Peter Donen and stunt coordinator Gary Davis.
U.S. MARSHALS
Warner Bros.
A Kopelson Entertainment/Keith Barish production
Director: Stuart Baird
Producers: Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson
Based on characters created by: Roy Huggins
Screenwriter: John Pogue
Executive producers: Keith Barish, Roy Huggins
Co-executive producer: Wolfgang Glattes
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Director of photography: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Production designer: Maher Ahmad
Editor: Terry Rawlings
Color/stereo
Cast:
Gerard: Tommy Lee Jones
Sheridan: Wesley Snipes
John Royce: Robert Downey Jr.
Renfro: Joe Pantoliano
Walsh: Kate Nelligan
Marie: Irene Jacob
Biggs: Daniel Roebuck
Newman: Tom Wood
Running time -- 131 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
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