As awards season takes over Hollywood, keep up with all the ins, outs, and big accolades with our bi-weekly Awards Roundup column.
– The 29th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) will present Holly Hunter with the Career Achievement Award at its annual Film Awards Gala. Past recipients of the Career Achievement Award include Annette Bening, Glenn Close, Kevin Costner, Bruce Dern, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood, Sally Field, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Lynn Redgrave.
“Holly Hunter’s career is filled with many memorable performances including her Academy Award-winning role in ‘The Piano’ as well as other films including ‘Broadcast News,’ ‘The Firm,’ ‘The Incredibles’ and more,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner in an official statement. “In her recent film ‘The Big Sick,’ she brings comedy and poignancy as a mother coping with her daughter’s coma, while bonding with her daughter’s ex-boyfriend. It is our great honor...
– The 29th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) will present Holly Hunter with the Career Achievement Award at its annual Film Awards Gala. Past recipients of the Career Achievement Award include Annette Bening, Glenn Close, Kevin Costner, Bruce Dern, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood, Sally Field, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Lynn Redgrave.
“Holly Hunter’s career is filled with many memorable performances including her Academy Award-winning role in ‘The Piano’ as well as other films including ‘Broadcast News,’ ‘The Firm,’ ‘The Incredibles’ and more,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner in an official statement. “In her recent film ‘The Big Sick,’ she brings comedy and poignancy as a mother coping with her daughter’s coma, while bonding with her daughter’s ex-boyfriend. It is our great honor...
- 12/1/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Move over James Jones — Leon Uris clobbers the big screen with a sprawling adaptation of his WW2 combat novel, loaded down with roles for promising young actors. This is the one where twice as much time is spent on love affairs than fighting. War may be hell, but if Mona Freeman, Nancy Olson, Dorothy Malone and Allyn McLerie are going to be there for comfort, sign me up.
Battle Cry
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 148 min. / Street Date , 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Mona Freeman, Nancy Olson, James Whitmore, Raymond Massey, Tab Hunter, Dorothy Malone, Anne Francis, William Campbell, Fess Parker, Justus E. McQueen (L.Q. Jones), Perry Lopez, Jonas Applegarth, Tommy Cook, Felix Noriego, Susan Morrow, Carleton Young, Rhys Williams, Allyn Ann McLerie, Gregory Walcott, Frank Ferguson, Sarah Selby, Willis Bouchey, Victor Milian.
Cinematography: Sidney Hickox
Film Editor: William H. Zeigler
Original Music: Max Steiner...
Battle Cry
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 148 min. / Street Date , 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Mona Freeman, Nancy Olson, James Whitmore, Raymond Massey, Tab Hunter, Dorothy Malone, Anne Francis, William Campbell, Fess Parker, Justus E. McQueen (L.Q. Jones), Perry Lopez, Jonas Applegarth, Tommy Cook, Felix Noriego, Susan Morrow, Carleton Young, Rhys Williams, Allyn Ann McLerie, Gregory Walcott, Frank Ferguson, Sarah Selby, Willis Bouchey, Victor Milian.
Cinematography: Sidney Hickox
Film Editor: William H. Zeigler
Original Music: Max Steiner...
- 11/7/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Darren Allison
When it comes to good adventure stories, Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) will arguably feature among the very best. It is one of those films that continue to delight audiences both old and new. In terms of elements it seems to tick all the boxes. At its heart, there is a fine, good natured yet entirely gripping story. A wondrous subterranean vista provides the viewer with monsters, vast underground oceans, villains and plenty of cliff-hanger moments of suspense.
It was perhaps a well-timed stroke of luck that some of the stories penned by Jules Verne were entering a period of public domain status. Two of Verne's adapted novels were to feature James Mason. Disney's adventure 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) starred Kirk Douglas as a 19th-century whaler and Mason as Nemo, captain of the story’s legendary submarine, the Nautilus. Five years later, Journey to the Center of the Earth...
When it comes to good adventure stories, Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) will arguably feature among the very best. It is one of those films that continue to delight audiences both old and new. In terms of elements it seems to tick all the boxes. At its heart, there is a fine, good natured yet entirely gripping story. A wondrous subterranean vista provides the viewer with monsters, vast underground oceans, villains and plenty of cliff-hanger moments of suspense.
It was perhaps a well-timed stroke of luck that some of the stories penned by Jules Verne were entering a period of public domain status. Two of Verne's adapted novels were to feature James Mason. Disney's adventure 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) starred Kirk Douglas as a 19th-century whaler and Mason as Nemo, captain of the story’s legendary submarine, the Nautilus. Five years later, Journey to the Center of the Earth...
- 10/11/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The dangerous doll from The Conjuring franchise is coming to the West Coast this June, as Warner Bros. will present a special advance screening of Annabelle: Creation ahead of its theatrical release this August, with Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled also announced for the festival.
Press Release: Los Angeles (May 23, 2017)— Today the La Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that also produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, announced the Gala Screening of New Line Cinema’s Annabelle: Creation, directed by David F. Sandberg and starring Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson with Anthony Lapaglia and Miranda Otto. Also unveiled today, the panels for Diversity Speaks and the Global Media Makers.
Award-winning film company Focus Features will commemorate its 15th anniversary at the La Film Festival with five movies including revival programming and a newly added advance screening of Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled starring Colin Farrell,...
Press Release: Los Angeles (May 23, 2017)— Today the La Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that also produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, announced the Gala Screening of New Line Cinema’s Annabelle: Creation, directed by David F. Sandberg and starring Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson with Anthony Lapaglia and Miranda Otto. Also unveiled today, the panels for Diversity Speaks and the Global Media Makers.
Award-winning film company Focus Features will commemorate its 15th anniversary at the La Film Festival with five movies including revival programming and a newly added advance screening of Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled starring Colin Farrell,...
- 5/23/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Richard Gere (Norman Oppenheimer) with Lior Ashkenazi (Micha Eshel) at Lanvin: "It's almost like theater."
Star of Joseph Cedar's Footnote and Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer, Lior Ashkenazi, spoke with me on growing up seeing Kirk Douglas, Steve McQueen, and Paul Newman movies with his father, Burt Lancaster in Robert Siodmak's The Crimson Pirate being his first, shooting Eytan Fox's Walk On Water at Berlin's Tempelhof airport, meeting Son Of Saul director László Nemes at the Cannes Film Festival, and performing a silent scene with Richard Gere.
Lior's upcoming films include Julie Delpy's My Zoe (with Gemma Arterton, Richard Armitage, Daniel Brühl); Dragos Buliga's The Wanderers (Armand Assante); Eran Riklis's Refuge (Golshifteh Farahani, Neta Riskin), Samuel Maoz's Foxtrot (Sarah Adler), and José Padilha's Entebbe (Rosamund Pike, Brühl), where he portrays Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Star of Joseph Cedar's Footnote and Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer, Lior Ashkenazi, spoke with me on growing up seeing Kirk Douglas, Steve McQueen, and Paul Newman movies with his father, Burt Lancaster in Robert Siodmak's The Crimson Pirate being his first, shooting Eytan Fox's Walk On Water at Berlin's Tempelhof airport, meeting Son Of Saul director László Nemes at the Cannes Film Festival, and performing a silent scene with Richard Gere.
Lior's upcoming films include Julie Delpy's My Zoe (with Gemma Arterton, Richard Armitage, Daniel Brühl); Dragos Buliga's The Wanderers (Armand Assante); Eran Riklis's Refuge (Golshifteh Farahani, Neta Riskin), Samuel Maoz's Foxtrot (Sarah Adler), and José Padilha's Entebbe (Rosamund Pike, Brühl), where he portrays Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
- 5/12/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Mark Harrison May 19, 2017
From the currently playing Their Finest to the likes of Bowfinger and Boogie Nights, we salute the movies about making movies...
If you haven't caught up yet, Their Finest is currently playing in UK cinemas and it's a gorgeous little love letter to perseverance through storytelling, set against the backdrop of a film production office at the British Ministry of Information during the Second World War. Based on Lissa Evans' novel, Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy play characters whose access to the film industry has been contingent on the global crisis that takes other young men away from such trifling matters, and it's a real joy to watch.
Among other things, the film got us thinking about other films about making films. We're not talking about documentaries, even though Hearts Of Darkness, the documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now, may be the greatest film about...
From the currently playing Their Finest to the likes of Bowfinger and Boogie Nights, we salute the movies about making movies...
If you haven't caught up yet, Their Finest is currently playing in UK cinemas and it's a gorgeous little love letter to perseverance through storytelling, set against the backdrop of a film production office at the British Ministry of Information during the Second World War. Based on Lissa Evans' novel, Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy play characters whose access to the film industry has been contingent on the global crisis that takes other young men away from such trifling matters, and it's a real joy to watch.
Among other things, the film got us thinking about other films about making films. We're not talking about documentaries, even though Hearts Of Darkness, the documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now, may be the greatest film about...
- 5/3/2017
- Den of Geek
With a budget of $1.5 million, 2017 Best Picture winner “Moonlight” cost less than a 30-second ad during the Oscars (reported price: $2.2 million). And, among the category’s 89 winners, it stands as the lowest-budgeted film in the Academy Awards’ history.
To determine the 10 least expensive Best Picture winners, we looked back at each year, researched reported budgets, and then calculated them at 2017 dollar values. Although independent films have dominated the Oscars for the last decade, the only indie to make the cut from that period was “Crash.” Nor did Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall,” or some black-and-white studio classics like “Casablanca” or “The Lost Weekend.”
The 10 straddle almost every decade of the Oscars and come from either independent producers or smaller distributors (four of the 10 were released by United Artists).
For comparison, the most expensive film to win remains “Titanic;” its adjusted budget was $300 million more than “Moonlight.” That total dwarfs the...
To determine the 10 least expensive Best Picture winners, we looked back at each year, researched reported budgets, and then calculated them at 2017 dollar values. Although independent films have dominated the Oscars for the last decade, the only indie to make the cut from that period was “Crash.” Nor did Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall,” or some black-and-white studio classics like “Casablanca” or “The Lost Weekend.”
The 10 straddle almost every decade of the Oscars and come from either independent producers or smaller distributors (four of the 10 were released by United Artists).
For comparison, the most expensive film to win remains “Titanic;” its adjusted budget was $300 million more than “Moonlight.” That total dwarfs the...
- 3/1/2017
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
The Douglas family is completely tired out after the holidays.
Catherine Zeta-Jones took to Instagram on Sunday to share an adorable post-Christmas snap of her family sprawled out on the couch after what must have been an exhausting holiday.
Watch: Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' Kids Are All Grown Up at the Desert Trip Festival
"Totally laid back," she captioned the black-and-white snap of herself lounging around with her husband Michael Douglas and their two kids, 16-year-old Dylan and 13-year-old Carys.
Related: Catherine Zeta-Jones Celebrates Joint Birthday With Husband Michael Douglas: 'Happy Birthday to You and Me'
While Zeta-Jones keeps her kids out of the spotlight for the most part, she had no problem showing off her beautiful Christmas décor.
Exclusive: Michael Douglas Says the Best Moment in His Career Was Meeting Catherine Zeta-Jones
It's been a fun-filled month for the Douglas family. On Dec. 9, Michael, Catherine and the kids honored Michael's dad, Kirk Douglas...
Catherine Zeta-Jones took to Instagram on Sunday to share an adorable post-Christmas snap of her family sprawled out on the couch after what must have been an exhausting holiday.
Watch: Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' Kids Are All Grown Up at the Desert Trip Festival
"Totally laid back," she captioned the black-and-white snap of herself lounging around with her husband Michael Douglas and their two kids, 16-year-old Dylan and 13-year-old Carys.
Related: Catherine Zeta-Jones Celebrates Joint Birthday With Husband Michael Douglas: 'Happy Birthday to You and Me'
While Zeta-Jones keeps her kids out of the spotlight for the most part, she had no problem showing off her beautiful Christmas décor.
Exclusive: Michael Douglas Says the Best Moment in His Career Was Meeting Catherine Zeta-Jones
It's been a fun-filled month for the Douglas family. On Dec. 9, Michael, Catherine and the kids honored Michael's dad, Kirk Douglas...
- 12/28/2016
- Entertainment Tonight
While most still have to wait until Friday for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to hit theaters, celebrity fans of the franchise stormed the Los Angeles premiere for the first look at the highly anticipated standalone movie set in a galaxy far, far away.
Cast members hit the red carpet, fully aware that they were now part of perhaps the biggest franchise in film history.
“It has been both surreal and wonderful, to be able to kind of join this family,” Riz Ahmed, who plays Bodhi Rook, tells People. “When I say that, I don’t just mean people...
Cast members hit the red carpet, fully aware that they were now part of perhaps the biggest franchise in film history.
“It has been both surreal and wonderful, to be able to kind of join this family,” Riz Ahmed, who plays Bodhi Rook, tells People. “When I say that, I don’t just mean people...
- 12/11/2016
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
Drawing Home screens Thursday, Nov. 10 at 6:30pm at The Tivoli Theater as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Ticket information can be found Here. Lead actors Juan Riedinger and Julie Lynn Mortenson will be in attendance as well as producers Allan Neuwirth and Margarethe Baillou.
In 1920s Boston, East Coast debutante Catharine Robb (newcomer Julie Lynn Mortensen) is dating the most eligible bachelor in the world, John D. Rockefeller III. Her future seems set: a dream life in the upper echelons of society. But Catherine finds her careful plans upended when she meets a young painter, Peter Whyte (Juan Riedinger), from one of the most beautiful places on Earth, the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Although their worlds are polar opposites, a mutual love of art draws them together. They soon face a universal question: Can you find “home” in another person? Inspired by the true story of the central couple,...
In 1920s Boston, East Coast debutante Catharine Robb (newcomer Julie Lynn Mortensen) is dating the most eligible bachelor in the world, John D. Rockefeller III. Her future seems set: a dream life in the upper echelons of society. But Catherine finds her careful plans upended when she meets a young painter, Peter Whyte (Juan Riedinger), from one of the most beautiful places on Earth, the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Although their worlds are polar opposites, a mutual love of art draws them together. They soon face a universal question: Can you find “home” in another person? Inspired by the true story of the central couple,...
- 11/9/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.
Full Lineup Announcements
– The Chicago International Film Festival today announces the complete film and event lineup, including the International Feature Competition, Documentary Competition and Special Presentations. The festival will include Special Presentations of “Lion,” “Paterson” and the re-release of “Daughters of the Dust.” Other highlights include “After the Storm,” “Neruda” and “The Salesman.” The festival’s documentary lineup is also a typically robust one, including titles like “Among Wolves,” “Karl Marx City” and “A Mere Breath.”
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, September 21 for Cinema/Chicago members and September 23 for the general public.
– The Hamptons International Film Festival (Hiff) has announced its Spotlight Films, World Cinema, Shorts programs, Views from Long Island, and Special Screenings, as part of the 2016 festival lineup. The 24th edition will take place October 6 – 10, Columbus Day Weekend,...
Full Lineup Announcements
– The Chicago International Film Festival today announces the complete film and event lineup, including the International Feature Competition, Documentary Competition and Special Presentations. The festival will include Special Presentations of “Lion,” “Paterson” and the re-release of “Daughters of the Dust.” Other highlights include “After the Storm,” “Neruda” and “The Salesman.” The festival’s documentary lineup is also a typically robust one, including titles like “Among Wolves,” “Karl Marx City” and “A Mere Breath.”
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, September 21 for Cinema/Chicago members and September 23 for the general public.
– The Hamptons International Film Festival (Hiff) has announced its Spotlight Films, World Cinema, Shorts programs, Views from Long Island, and Special Screenings, as part of the 2016 festival lineup. The 24th edition will take place October 6 – 10, Columbus Day Weekend,...
- 9/22/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The distributor has picked up all English-speaking digital and ancillary rights from Preferred Content to Chadd Harbold‘s SXSW world premiere.
Shiloh Fernandez, Addison Timlin, Natalia Dyer of Netflix’s Stranger Things, Stella Maeve and Helen Rogers star.
Long Nights Short Mornings examines the romantic encounters of a man in New York City and will open in the first quarter of 2017.
James Gladstone, an 18-year veteran of Lionsgate and its predecessor companies, has been promoted to executive vice-president and general manager of business & legal affairs as part of his new multi-year agreement with the studio. He continues to report to Lionsgate general counsel and chief strategic officer Wayne Levin. Gravitas Ventures has picked up from ICM Partners North American rights to stand-up comic documentary Dying Laughing. The company plans a day-and-date theatrical and on demand release in 2017.The Us premiere of Lion will take its place alongside La La Land and Bleed For This among the Spotlights...
Shiloh Fernandez, Addison Timlin, Natalia Dyer of Netflix’s Stranger Things, Stella Maeve and Helen Rogers star.
Long Nights Short Mornings examines the romantic encounters of a man in New York City and will open in the first quarter of 2017.
James Gladstone, an 18-year veteran of Lionsgate and its predecessor companies, has been promoted to executive vice-president and general manager of business & legal affairs as part of his new multi-year agreement with the studio. He continues to report to Lionsgate general counsel and chief strategic officer Wayne Levin. Gravitas Ventures has picked up from ICM Partners North American rights to stand-up comic documentary Dying Laughing. The company plans a day-and-date theatrical and on demand release in 2017.The Us premiere of Lion will take its place alongside La La Land and Bleed For This among the Spotlights...
- 9/20/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Cameron Douglas has some new ink. In an Instagram photo from what appears to be Douglas' personal account, the actor shows off his impressive collection of body ink. "Not going to quit until I get there," he captioned the above shot of him standing outside, shirtless. Among his tattoos, Douglas has a butterfly sitting squarely on his chest, and portraits of his father, Michael Douglas, and grandfather, Kirk Douglas, on his abdomen. He also has the word "timeless" written across his stomach as well as the words "tick" and "tock" on his arms. And according to his Instagram caption, he...
- 8/3/2016
- by Jodi Guglielmi, @JodiGug3
- PEOPLE.com
Cameron Douglas has some new ink. In an Instagram photo from what appears to be Douglas' personal account, the actor shows off his impressive collection of body ink. "Not going to quit until I get there," he captioned the above shot of him standing outside, shirtless. Among his tattoos, Douglas has a butterfly sitting squarely on his chest, and portraits of his father, Michael Douglas, and grandfather, Kirk Douglas, on his abdomen. He also has the word "timeless" written across his stomach as well as the words "tick" and "tock" on his arms. And according to his Instagram caption, he...
- 8/3/2016
- by Jodi Guglielmi, @JodiGug3
- PEOPLE.com
Dirty cops were a movie vogue in 1954, and Edmond O'Brien scores as a real dastard in this overachieving United Artists thriller. Dreamboat starlet Marla English is the reason O'Brien's detective kills for cash, and then keeps killing to stay ahead of his colleagues. And all to buy a crummy house in the suburbs -- this man needs career counseling. Shield for Murder Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1954 / B&W / 1:75 widescreen / 82 min. / Street Date June 21, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Edmond O'Brien, Marla English, John Agar, Emile Meyer, Carolyn Jones, Claude Akins, Herbert Butterfield, Hugh Sanders, William Schallert, Robert Bray, Richard Deacon, David Hughes, Gregg Martell, Stafford Repp, Vito Scotti. Cinematography Gordon Avil Film Editor John F. Schreyer Original Music Paul Dunlap Written by Richard Alan Simmons, John C. Higgins from the novel by William P. McGivern <Produced by Aubrey Schenck, (Howard W. Koch) Directed by Edmond O'Brien, Howard W. Koch
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Here's the kind of '50s movie we love, an ambitious, modest crime picture that for its time had an edge. In the 1950s our country was as blind to the true extent of police corruption as it was to organized crime. Movies about bad cops adhered to the 'bad apple' concept: it's only crooked individuals that we need to watch out for, never the institutions around them. Thanks to films noir, crooked cops were no longer a film rarity, even though the Production Code made movies like The Asphalt Jungle insert compensatory scenes paying lip service to the status quo: an imperfect police force is better than none. United Artists in the 1950s helped star talent make the jump to independent production, with the prime success stories being Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. But the distribution company also funded proven producers capable of putting out smaller bread 'n' butter movies that could prosper if costs were kept down. Edward Small, Victor Saville, Levy-Gardner-Laven. Aubrey Schenck and Howard C. Koch produced as a team, and for 1954's Shield for Murder Koch co-directed, sharing credit with the film's star, Edmond O'Brien. The show is a smart production all the way, a modestly budgeted 'B' with 'A' ambitions. O'Brien was an industry go-getter trying to channel his considerable talent in new directions. His leading man days were fading but he was in demand for parts in major films like The Barefoot Contessa. The producers took care with their story too. Writers Richard Alan Simmons and John C. Higgins had solid crime movie credits. Author William P. McGivern wrote the novel behind Fritz Lang's The Big Heat as well as Rogue Cop and Odds Against Tomorrow. All of McGivern's stories involve crooked policemen or police corruption. Shield for Murder doesn't tiptoe around its subject matter. Dirty cop Detective Lt. Barney Nolan (O'Brien) kills a hoodlum in an alley to steal $25,000 of mob money. His precinct boss Captain Gunnarson (Emile Meyer) accepts Barney's version of events and the Asst. D.A. (William Schallert) takes the shooting as an open and shut case. Crime reporter Cabot (Herbert Butterfield) has his doubts, and lectures the squad room about the abuse of police power. Barney manages to placate mob boss Packy Reed (Hugh Sanders), but two hoods continue to shadow him. Barney's plan for the money was to buy a new house and escape the rat race with his girlfriend, nightclub cashier Patty Winters (Marla English). But a problem surfaces in the elderly deaf mute Ernst Sternmueller (David Hughes), a witness to the shooting. Barney realizes that his only way forward is to kill the old man before he can tell all to Det. Mark Brewster (John Agar), Barney's closest friend. Once again one of society's Good Guys takes a bite of the forbidden apple and tries to buck the system. Shield for Murder posits an logical but twisted course of action for a weary defender of the law who wants out. Barney long ago gave up trying to do anything about the crooks he can't touch. The fat cat Packy Reed makes the big money, and all Barney wants is his share. Barney's vision of The American Dream is just the middle-class ideal, the desirable Patty Winters and a modest tract home. He's picked it out - it sits partway up a hill in a new Los Angeles development, just finished and already furnished. Then the unexpected witness shows up and everything begins to unravel; Barney loses control one step at a time. He beats a mob thug (Claude Akins) half to death in front of witnesses. When his pal Mark Brewster figures out the truth, Barney has to use a lot of his money to arrange a getaway. More mob trouble leads to a shoot-out in a high school gym. The idea may have been for the star O'Brien to coach actors John Agar and Marla English to better performances. Agar is slightly more natural than usual, but still not very good. The gorgeous Ms. English remains sweet and inexpressive. After several unbilled bits, the woman often compared to Elizabeth Taylor was given "introducing" billing on the Shield for Murder billing block. Her best-known role would be as The She-Creature two years later, after which she dropped out to get married. Co-director O'Brien also allows Emile Meyer to go over the top in a scene or two. But the young Carolyn Jones is a standout as a blonde bargirl, more or less expanding on her small part as a human ashtray in the previous year's The Big Heat. Edmond O'Brien is occasionally a little to hyper, but he's excellent at showing stress as the trap closes around the overreaching Barney Nolan. Other United Artists budget crime pictures seem a little tight with the outdoors action -- Vice Squad, Witness to Murder, Without Warning -- but O'Brien and Koch's camera luxuriates in night shoots on the Los Angeles streets. This is one of those Blu-rays that Los Angelenos will want to freeze frame, to try to read the street signs. There is also little downtime wasted in sidebar plot detours. The gunfight in the school gym, next to an Olympic swimming pool, is an action highlight. The show has one enduring sequence. With the force closing in, Barney rushes back to the unfinished house he plans to buy, to recover the loot he's buried next to its foundation. Anybody who lived in Southern California in the '50s and '60s was aware of the massive suburban sprawl underway, a building boom that went on for decades. In 1953 the La Puente hills were so rural they barely served by roads; the movie The War of the Worlds considered it a good place to use a nuclear bomb against invading Martians. By 1975 the unending suburbs had spread from Los Angeles, almost all the way to Pomona. Barney dashes through a new housing development on terraced plots, boxy little houses separated from each other by only a few feet of dirt. There's no landscaping yet. Even in 1954 $25,000 wasn't that much money, so Barney Nolan has sold himself pretty cheaply. Two more latter-day crime pictures would end with ominous metaphors about the oblivion of The American Dream. In 1964's remake of The Killers the cash Lee Marvin kills for only buys him a patch of green lawn in a choice Hollywood Hills neighborhood. The L.A.P.D. puts Marvin out of his misery, and then closes in on another crooked detective in the aptly titled 1965 thriller The Money Trap. The final scene in that movie is priceless: his dreams smashed, crooked cop Glenn Ford sits by his designer swimming pool and waits to be arrested. Considering how well things worked out for Los Angeles police officers, Edmond O'Brien's Barney Nolan seems especially foolish. If Barney had stuck it out for a couple of years, the new deal for the L.A.P.D. would have been much better than a measly 25 grand. By 1958 he'd have his twenty years in. After a retirement beer bash he'd be out on the road pulling a shiny new boat to the Colorado River, like all the other hardworking cops and firemen enjoying their generous pensions. Policemen also had little trouble getting house loans. The joke was that an L.A.P.D. cop might go bad, but none of them could be bribed. O'Brien directed one more feature, took more TV work and settled into character parts for Jack Webb, Frank Tashlin, John Ford, John Frankenheimer and finally Sam Peckinpah in The Wild Bunch, where he was almost unrecognizable. Howard W. Koch slowed down as a director but became a busy producer, working with Frank Sinatra for several years. He eventually co-produced Airplane! The Kl Studio Classics Blu-ray of Shield for Murder is a good-looking B&W scan, framed at a confirmed-as-correct 1:75 aspect ratio. The picture is sharp and detailed, and the sound is in fine shape. The package art duplicates the film's original no-class sell: "Dame-Hungry Killer-Cop Runs Berserk! The first scene also contains one of the more frequently noticed camera flubs in film noir -- a really big boom shadow on a nighttime alley wall. Kino's presentation comes with trailers for this movie, Hidden Fear and He Ran All the Way. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Shield for Murder Blu-ray rates: Movie: Good Video: Very Good Sound: Excellent Supplements: Trailers for Shield for Murder, Hidden Fear, He Ran All the Way Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? N0; Subtitles: None Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 7, 2016 (5115murd)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Here's the kind of '50s movie we love, an ambitious, modest crime picture that for its time had an edge. In the 1950s our country was as blind to the true extent of police corruption as it was to organized crime. Movies about bad cops adhered to the 'bad apple' concept: it's only crooked individuals that we need to watch out for, never the institutions around them. Thanks to films noir, crooked cops were no longer a film rarity, even though the Production Code made movies like The Asphalt Jungle insert compensatory scenes paying lip service to the status quo: an imperfect police force is better than none. United Artists in the 1950s helped star talent make the jump to independent production, with the prime success stories being Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. But the distribution company also funded proven producers capable of putting out smaller bread 'n' butter movies that could prosper if costs were kept down. Edward Small, Victor Saville, Levy-Gardner-Laven. Aubrey Schenck and Howard C. Koch produced as a team, and for 1954's Shield for Murder Koch co-directed, sharing credit with the film's star, Edmond O'Brien. The show is a smart production all the way, a modestly budgeted 'B' with 'A' ambitions. O'Brien was an industry go-getter trying to channel his considerable talent in new directions. His leading man days were fading but he was in demand for parts in major films like The Barefoot Contessa. The producers took care with their story too. Writers Richard Alan Simmons and John C. Higgins had solid crime movie credits. Author William P. McGivern wrote the novel behind Fritz Lang's The Big Heat as well as Rogue Cop and Odds Against Tomorrow. All of McGivern's stories involve crooked policemen or police corruption. Shield for Murder doesn't tiptoe around its subject matter. Dirty cop Detective Lt. Barney Nolan (O'Brien) kills a hoodlum in an alley to steal $25,000 of mob money. His precinct boss Captain Gunnarson (Emile Meyer) accepts Barney's version of events and the Asst. D.A. (William Schallert) takes the shooting as an open and shut case. Crime reporter Cabot (Herbert Butterfield) has his doubts, and lectures the squad room about the abuse of police power. Barney manages to placate mob boss Packy Reed (Hugh Sanders), but two hoods continue to shadow him. Barney's plan for the money was to buy a new house and escape the rat race with his girlfriend, nightclub cashier Patty Winters (Marla English). But a problem surfaces in the elderly deaf mute Ernst Sternmueller (David Hughes), a witness to the shooting. Barney realizes that his only way forward is to kill the old man before he can tell all to Det. Mark Brewster (John Agar), Barney's closest friend. Once again one of society's Good Guys takes a bite of the forbidden apple and tries to buck the system. Shield for Murder posits an logical but twisted course of action for a weary defender of the law who wants out. Barney long ago gave up trying to do anything about the crooks he can't touch. The fat cat Packy Reed makes the big money, and all Barney wants is his share. Barney's vision of The American Dream is just the middle-class ideal, the desirable Patty Winters and a modest tract home. He's picked it out - it sits partway up a hill in a new Los Angeles development, just finished and already furnished. Then the unexpected witness shows up and everything begins to unravel; Barney loses control one step at a time. He beats a mob thug (Claude Akins) half to death in front of witnesses. When his pal Mark Brewster figures out the truth, Barney has to use a lot of his money to arrange a getaway. More mob trouble leads to a shoot-out in a high school gym. The idea may have been for the star O'Brien to coach actors John Agar and Marla English to better performances. Agar is slightly more natural than usual, but still not very good. The gorgeous Ms. English remains sweet and inexpressive. After several unbilled bits, the woman often compared to Elizabeth Taylor was given "introducing" billing on the Shield for Murder billing block. Her best-known role would be as The She-Creature two years later, after which she dropped out to get married. Co-director O'Brien also allows Emile Meyer to go over the top in a scene or two. But the young Carolyn Jones is a standout as a blonde bargirl, more or less expanding on her small part as a human ashtray in the previous year's The Big Heat. Edmond O'Brien is occasionally a little to hyper, but he's excellent at showing stress as the trap closes around the overreaching Barney Nolan. Other United Artists budget crime pictures seem a little tight with the outdoors action -- Vice Squad, Witness to Murder, Without Warning -- but O'Brien and Koch's camera luxuriates in night shoots on the Los Angeles streets. This is one of those Blu-rays that Los Angelenos will want to freeze frame, to try to read the street signs. There is also little downtime wasted in sidebar plot detours. The gunfight in the school gym, next to an Olympic swimming pool, is an action highlight. The show has one enduring sequence. With the force closing in, Barney rushes back to the unfinished house he plans to buy, to recover the loot he's buried next to its foundation. Anybody who lived in Southern California in the '50s and '60s was aware of the massive suburban sprawl underway, a building boom that went on for decades. In 1953 the La Puente hills were so rural they barely served by roads; the movie The War of the Worlds considered it a good place to use a nuclear bomb against invading Martians. By 1975 the unending suburbs had spread from Los Angeles, almost all the way to Pomona. Barney dashes through a new housing development on terraced plots, boxy little houses separated from each other by only a few feet of dirt. There's no landscaping yet. Even in 1954 $25,000 wasn't that much money, so Barney Nolan has sold himself pretty cheaply. Two more latter-day crime pictures would end with ominous metaphors about the oblivion of The American Dream. In 1964's remake of The Killers the cash Lee Marvin kills for only buys him a patch of green lawn in a choice Hollywood Hills neighborhood. The L.A.P.D. puts Marvin out of his misery, and then closes in on another crooked detective in the aptly titled 1965 thriller The Money Trap. The final scene in that movie is priceless: his dreams smashed, crooked cop Glenn Ford sits by his designer swimming pool and waits to be arrested. Considering how well things worked out for Los Angeles police officers, Edmond O'Brien's Barney Nolan seems especially foolish. If Barney had stuck it out for a couple of years, the new deal for the L.A.P.D. would have been much better than a measly 25 grand. By 1958 he'd have his twenty years in. After a retirement beer bash he'd be out on the road pulling a shiny new boat to the Colorado River, like all the other hardworking cops and firemen enjoying their generous pensions. Policemen also had little trouble getting house loans. The joke was that an L.A.P.D. cop might go bad, but none of them could be bribed. O'Brien directed one more feature, took more TV work and settled into character parts for Jack Webb, Frank Tashlin, John Ford, John Frankenheimer and finally Sam Peckinpah in The Wild Bunch, where he was almost unrecognizable. Howard W. Koch slowed down as a director but became a busy producer, working with Frank Sinatra for several years. He eventually co-produced Airplane! The Kl Studio Classics Blu-ray of Shield for Murder is a good-looking B&W scan, framed at a confirmed-as-correct 1:75 aspect ratio. The picture is sharp and detailed, and the sound is in fine shape. The package art duplicates the film's original no-class sell: "Dame-Hungry Killer-Cop Runs Berserk! The first scene also contains one of the more frequently noticed camera flubs in film noir -- a really big boom shadow on a nighttime alley wall. Kino's presentation comes with trailers for this movie, Hidden Fear and He Ran All the Way. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Shield for Murder Blu-ray rates: Movie: Good Video: Very Good Sound: Excellent Supplements: Trailers for Shield for Murder, Hidden Fear, He Ran All the Way Deaf and Hearing Impaired Friendly? N0; Subtitles: None Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 7, 2016 (5115murd)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
- 6/11/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Motion Picture & Television Fund is 95 years old. “Not as old as my father (Kirk Douglas),” Michael Douglas quipped on Thursday night at the annual “Reel Stories, Real Lives” event held at the Milk Studios in Hollywood. Douglas’ cocktail of humor livened up tales of the grim realities of showbiz careers that fade to black, which epitomized the colorful case studies presented by Mptf and delivered by stars like Cuba Gooding Jr., Danny DeVito, and Bryce Dallas Howard. “As you get older, you realize not everyone’s career is going to be autographs and sunglasses,” Douglas told TheWrap on his way in to Milk Studios.
- 4/8/2016
- by Mikey Glazer
- The Wrap
Plus: Kirk Douglas in $15M care home donation; The Boston Globe announces $100,000 Spotlight Investigative Journalism Fellowship; and more…
Telefilm Canada has announced that three Canadian features, four virtual reality works and eight shorts will be included in the official selection at Sundance.
“What’s impressive about this selection is that the three directors whose feature films are being screened at the festival have already won awards or have been otherwise recognised at Sundance,” said Telefilm executive director Carolle Brabant.
“We’re also very proud to see that Canadian short films account for more than 10 percent of the shorts in the Sundance line-up. Furthermore, virtual reality artists heading off to Utah will once again put Canada in the spotlight with their remarkable work.”
The features are: Sundance Kids selection Showtime!; Next entry Operation Avalanche; and World Cinema Documentary title The Settlers.
The New Frontier Vr works are: Nomads: Maasai And Nomads: Sea Gypsies; The Unknown Photographer; and Cardboard...
Telefilm Canada has announced that three Canadian features, four virtual reality works and eight shorts will be included in the official selection at Sundance.
“What’s impressive about this selection is that the three directors whose feature films are being screened at the festival have already won awards or have been otherwise recognised at Sundance,” said Telefilm executive director Carolle Brabant.
“We’re also very proud to see that Canadian short films account for more than 10 percent of the shorts in the Sundance line-up. Furthermore, virtual reality artists heading off to Utah will once again put Canada in the spotlight with their remarkable work.”
The features are: Sundance Kids selection Showtime!; Next entry Operation Avalanche; and World Cinema Documentary title The Settlers.
The New Frontier Vr works are: Nomads: Maasai And Nomads: Sea Gypsies; The Unknown Photographer; and Cardboard...
- 12/9/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Joan Collins in 'The Bitch': Sex tale based on younger sister Jackie Collins' novel. Author Jackie Collins dead at 77: Surprisingly few film and TV adaptations of her bestselling novels Jackie Collins, best known for a series of bestsellers about the dysfunctional sex lives of the rich and famous and for being the younger sister of film and TV star Joan Collins, died of breast cancer on Sept. 19, '15, in Los Angeles. The London-born (Oct. 4, 1937) Collins was 77. Collins' tawdry, female-centered novels – much like those of Danielle Steel and Judith Krantz – were/are immensely popular. According to her website, they have sold more than 500 million copies in 40 countries. And if the increasingly tabloidy BBC is to be believed (nowadays, Wikipedia has become a key source, apparently), every single one of them – 32 in all – appeared on the New York Times' bestseller list. (Collins' own site claims that a mere 30 were included.) Sex...
- 9/22/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
McC Theater has announced that the New York premiere of Jennifer Haley's The Nether directed by Anne Kaufman has now extended through Sunday, March 22, 2015 due to popular and critical acclaim. The production opened on Tuesday, February 24th and was previously scheduled through March 15, 2015 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre 121 Christopher Street. A production of The Nether also just opened to great critical acclaim in London's West End at the famed Royal Court Theatre. The play had its world premiere in Los Angeles in 2013 at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre. For info and tickets, please visit www.mcctheater.org.
- 3/2/2015
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Would you live in a house that looks like it was inspired by Middle Earth? I totally would, and I’m the perfect size too! This Hobbit looking house was designed by Disney artist Joseph Lawrence and it predates the Lord of the Rings films. Regardless of that fact, the house still has that comforting Shire feel to it, and it's currently up for rent! Here’s some information on the house from Craigslist:
Located in prime & hip Downtown Culver City, Here is a rare opportunity to live inside a Storybook cottage straight out of a Fairytale. Known as “The Hobbit’s House”, this unique property was created by Disney artist Joseph Lawrence who spent 24 years creating between 1946 and 1970. This cottage features rustic stone hewn walls, leaded glass windows, and magical looking ponds filled with fish and a family of turtles. The main house features 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, plus a...
Located in prime & hip Downtown Culver City, Here is a rare opportunity to live inside a Storybook cottage straight out of a Fairytale. Known as “The Hobbit’s House”, this unique property was created by Disney artist Joseph Lawrence who spent 24 years creating between 1946 and 1970. This cottage features rustic stone hewn walls, leaded glass windows, and magical looking ponds filled with fish and a family of turtles. The main house features 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, plus a...
- 12/4/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
With her sleepy, seductive eyes and patrician, pack-a-day voice, the actress enters the room of Humphrey Bogart’s world-weary fishing-boat captain, Harry Morgan. She calls him “Steve” even though that is not his name, and offers him money to help him get out of a fix—we get the impression that it’s merely the latest in a long line of fixes resulting from hard luck and muddled politics that Bogie’s character will have to get out of. He stubbornly refuses her offer. Pride and all that. She falls into his lap and plants a kiss on his unexpecting lips.
- 8/13/2014
- by Chris Nashawaty
- EW - Inside Movies
Iconic stage and screen star Eli Wallach, known for performances in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and The Magnificent Seven, died Tuesday. He was 98.
Eli Wallach Dies
Wallach’s death was confirmed by a family member to CNN.
Over the course of his storied career, Wallach accumulated more that 150 film credits. In addition to 60s Westerns The Magnificent Seven and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, he starred in The Misfits, Lord Jim, Tour Guys, The Two Jakes, The Godfather: Part III and The Holiday. His last major motion picture was 2013’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
Among the Hollywood elite Wallach starred alongside were Clint Eastwood, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Kirk Douglas, Jack Nicholson and Kate Winslet.
Though film paid the bills, Wallach’s passion was the theatre. “For actors, movies are a means to an end," Wallach told The New York Times in 1973. "I go...
Eli Wallach Dies
Wallach’s death was confirmed by a family member to CNN.
Over the course of his storied career, Wallach accumulated more that 150 film credits. In addition to 60s Westerns The Magnificent Seven and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, he starred in The Misfits, Lord Jim, Tour Guys, The Two Jakes, The Godfather: Part III and The Holiday. His last major motion picture was 2013’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
Among the Hollywood elite Wallach starred alongside were Clint Eastwood, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Kirk Douglas, Jack Nicholson and Kate Winslet.
Though film paid the bills, Wallach’s passion was the theatre. “For actors, movies are a means to an end," Wallach told The New York Times in 1973. "I go...
- 6/25/2014
- Uinterview
Oldest person in movies? (Photo: Manoel de Oliveira) Following the recent passing of 1931 Dracula actress Carla Laemmle at age 104, there is one less movie centenarian still around. So, in mid-June 2014, who is the oldest person in movies? Manoel de Oliveira Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira will turn 106 next December 11; he’s surely the oldest person — at least the oldest well-known person — in movies today. De Oliveira’s film credits include the autobiographical docudrama Memories and Confessions / Visita ou Memórias e Confissões (1982), with de Oliveira as himself, and reportedly to be screened publicly only after his death; The Cannibals / Os Canibais (1988); The Convent / O Convento (1995); Porto of My Childhood / Porto da Minha Infância (2001); The Fifth Empire / O Quinto Império - Ontem Como Hoje (2004); and, currently in production, O Velho do Restelo ("The Old Man of Restelo"). Among the international stars who have been directed by de Oliveira are Catherine Deneuve, Pilar López de Ayala,...
- 6/17/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Here's your daily dose of an indie film in progress; at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. "New" Tweetable Logline: An elderly couple are revived from cryonic suspension to face the joys and challenges of a second life in the distant future. Elevator Pitch: An elderly couple, cryonically preserved at death, are revived in the distant future. Hugh and Candace awaken to find their minds and memories are intact, but now reside inside freshly-cloned, 20-year-old bodies. What unfolds is a drama, spiked with humor, as the two come to grips with the joys and challenges of a second life. What will they do with this second chance? Production Team: John Harden - Writer/Director (La Vie D'Un Chien - The Life Of A Dog) Don R. Lewis...
- 3/25/2014
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Interview Simon Brew 27 Feb 2014 - 05:44
In the first of a two part look back at his career, James Woods chats to us about family, Scorsese, Stone, Leone and more...
It took a false start or two before we finally got James Woods on the end of the phone. There was no agent connecting us, no middle person to monitor what we were saying. Just a problem with a charging cable, oddly enough.
When we were connected, we launched into an interview that was intended to last 15 minutes, but as it turned out, it passed the hour mark. And heck, we got through a lot: so much, that we've split this interview into two articles. A genuinely fascinating man.
Regular readers will know that we've been long-time fans of James Woods - as highlighted by our look at some of his least appreciated films, here - and as our conversation started,...
In the first of a two part look back at his career, James Woods chats to us about family, Scorsese, Stone, Leone and more...
It took a false start or two before we finally got James Woods on the end of the phone. There was no agent connecting us, no middle person to monitor what we were saying. Just a problem with a charging cable, oddly enough.
When we were connected, we launched into an interview that was intended to last 15 minutes, but as it turned out, it passed the hour mark. And heck, we got through a lot: so much, that we've split this interview into two articles. A genuinely fascinating man.
Regular readers will know that we've been long-time fans of James Woods - as highlighted by our look at some of his least appreciated films, here - and as our conversation started,...
- 2/25/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
An esteemed member of the Oscar family was lost when Saul Zaentz died of Alzheimer's at age 92 on Friday. Three times he'd won statuettes for producing Best Pictures: "The English Patient" (1985), "Amadeus" (1985) and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975). Zaentz, originally hailing from Passaic, New Jersey, first broke into show business working for jazz record mogul Norman Granz. This eventually led to him purchasing Fantasy Records in 1967. The label's big act was Creedence Clearwater Revival. However, the relationship between Zaentz and the band quickly turned sour with several legal battles between the two related to bad investments, plagiarism and character defamation. Zaentz broke into the motion picture business after he saw a stage production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in San Francisco. He decided to produce a film adaptation along with Michael Douglas, whose father Kirk Douglas had held the mo...
- 1/4/2014
- Gold Derby
It's hard to believe "Newsies" has been around since 1992. Directed by choreographer Kenny Ortega (who you can also thank for the the "High School Musical" series), the film was a major box office flop, but later gained a cult following on home video. Now, it's been turned into a Broadway musical that has earned eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, winning Best Choreography and Best Original Score.
For those of you who have been waking up every day for the past 21 years with "Seize The Day" stuck in your head, this is for you. Scroll down to see where the cast of the beloved Disney movie is today.
David Moscow, "David Jacobs"
(youtube/getty)
Oh hey, Duncan, from your favorite failed 1999 TV show "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane." David was also in the movies "Just Married," "Honey" and "Vacancy 2: The First Cut." Fun fact: He was once engaged to Kerry Washington.
For those of you who have been waking up every day for the past 21 years with "Seize The Day" stuck in your head, this is for you. Scroll down to see where the cast of the beloved Disney movie is today.
David Moscow, "David Jacobs"
(youtube/getty)
Oh hey, Duncan, from your favorite failed 1999 TV show "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane." David was also in the movies "Just Married," "Honey" and "Vacancy 2: The First Cut." Fun fact: He was once engaged to Kerry Washington.
- 8/28/2013
- by Elizabeth Perle
- Huffington Post
The nominees and special award recipients for the 43rd annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, honoring distinguished achievements in L.A. theater during 2011, were announced on Monday. Ebony Repertory Theatre Company's revival of Lorraine Hansbury's classic drama "A Raisin in the Sun," currently restaged at the Kirk Douglas Theatre with one lead role recast, and the Chance Theater's Southern California premiere of "Jerry Springer: The Opera" both lead the nominations with a total of eight each.Other shows receiving several nominations are the Odyssey Theatre-Evidence Room co-production of Len Jenkin's noir-inspired "Margo Veil" with five, and the zany world premiere tuner "Re-Animator the Musical" with four. Leading production companies were Center Theatre Group, which netted 10 nods, for shows at its Ahmanson and Kirk Douglas Theatres and the Mark Taper Forum. Eight nominations each went to Ebony Repertory Theatre, Chance Theater, and Rogue Machine. Geffen Playhouse received seven.The awards ceremony.
- 1/30/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Les Spindle)
- backstage.com
The L.A. Stage Alliance has announced the winners of its annual Ovation Awards, which are voted on by Los Angeles–area theater artists and producers. This year's prizes honor Southern California productions presented during the 2010-11 season.Troubadour Theater Company, which specializes in pop-music spoofs of classics, led the pack with five wins, including four for "A Wither's Tale," a parody of Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale." Center Theatre Group followed with four awards, including three for the debuting musical "Venice." The adventurous company Rogue Machine netted three awards, all for John Pollono's premiering comic thriller "Small Engine Repair."Ebony Repertory Theatre's "A Raisin in the Sun," which won for best play in a large theater and for featured actress (Deidrie Henry), will be restaged by Ctg in January 2012 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, again under the direction of Phylicia Rashad.In all, 35 awards were bestowed upon 20 companies.
- 11/15/2011
- by help@backstage.com (Les Spindle)
- backstage.com
When Tara Brown, a journalist for 60 Minutes in Australia, asked Brad Pitt how much longer he was going to be acting, he answered flatly, “Three years.” She repeated for confirmation, he confirmed, and when she asked him what he’d do after his acting career was over, he said, “Hell if I know. Hell if I know. I am really enjoying the producing side and development of stories and putting those pieces together. And getting stories to the plate that might have had a tougher time otherwise, so…You know, I have gotten away with a few things in writing and I have been pissed off about a few things. How’s that?” Exclusively producing might not be a bad spot for the veteran, but retiring at 50? It seems like he wants to avoid his twilight years in front of the camera. Maybe he’s tired of it all, maybe he doesn’t want his legacy to...
- 11/15/2011
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
This year the Oscars revelled in the luxurious Englishness of a film which started with an impertinent request to the royals and ended in the crowning of King Colin
Kirk Douglas's victory in the Most Noteworthy Moment category — easily trumping Melissa Leo's F-word sally — was a measure of how undramatic this year's Academy Awards were. The main event was predicted, though not precisely predictable; the success for The King's Speech covered most of the board while not going all the way across it: best film, best director, best original screenplay, best actor.
In a neurotic, not-wanting-to-jinx-it-for-them manner I had been predicting a sudden collapse for this film in all sections except Colin Firth's with a huge swing to The Social Network. That didn't happen. Instead, The King's Speech carried (almost) all before it. Even dark rumours about its historical inaccuracies, including an essay from Christopher Hitchens about...
Kirk Douglas's victory in the Most Noteworthy Moment category — easily trumping Melissa Leo's F-word sally — was a measure of how undramatic this year's Academy Awards were. The main event was predicted, though not precisely predictable; the success for The King's Speech covered most of the board while not going all the way across it: best film, best director, best original screenplay, best actor.
In a neurotic, not-wanting-to-jinx-it-for-them manner I had been predicting a sudden collapse for this film in all sections except Colin Firth's with a huge swing to The Social Network. That didn't happen. Instead, The King's Speech carried (almost) all before it. Even dark rumours about its historical inaccuracies, including an essay from Christopher Hitchens about...
- 2/28/2011
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The 2010 L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Award nominees were announced last night at The Autry National Center for the American West in Griffith Park. Several winners of last year's Ovation Awards, including Jake Broder and Vanessa Claire Smith, presented the 2010 nominations. The Theatre at Boston Court was the most highly nominated theater company, garnering 17 nods. Among the company's nominated productions are "Oedipus el Rey" and "The Twentieth Century Way."Center Theatre Group followed closely behind with 16 nominations, while the Geffen Playhouse took 12. The brand-new "Ovation Honors," a series of awards recognizing theater excellence outside of the standard categories, have been given out for the first time this year. Ovations Honors awardees include "The Who's Tommy" for video design and "The Gogol Project" for music composition for a play. The complete list of nominees is as follows:Best SeasonCabrillo Music Theatre"The Andrews Brothers""Cinderella""Guys and Dolls""Little Shop of Horrors...
- 10/19/2010
- backstage.com
Tammi Sutton is one of the busiest people working in horror today. Having covered what seems like every aspect of the filmmaking process from being a director, producer, production designer, art designer, costume designer, actress, heck she is even editing one of her upcoming films! Is there anything that this bright up and comer can't tackle?!? Judging by her resume, no! I recently had the chance to ask her a few questions about her latest genre film, Sutures. It is refreshing to have another female voice directing in the horror genre. What made you want to start making horror films?
I've loved watching horror films all my life. I watched a lot of Universal, Hammer and Amicus Horror films growing up and of course all the drive-in, exploitation stuff of the seventies as I got older, they've all had a lasting impression. Movies were where most kids connected to the...
I've loved watching horror films all my life. I watched a lot of Universal, Hammer and Amicus Horror films growing up and of course all the drive-in, exploitation stuff of the seventies as I got older, they've all had a lasting impression. Movies were where most kids connected to the...
- 8/24/2010
- by Big Daddy aka Brandon Sites
- Big Daddy Horror Reviews - Interviews
The 41st annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, honoring distinguished achievements in theatre during 2009 in L.A. and vicinity, were handed out in a warm and entertaining ceremony at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, Calif., March 22, co-hosted by two very funny men: critic Wenzel Jones and actor-singer Jason Graae.Actors and other theater artists from many local companies—large and small—took home the coveted plaques. Rogue Artists Ensemble's offbeat "Gogol Project"—encompassing three works by Nikolai Gogol, using puppetry, masks, music, and digital projection—led the field with four awards. Earning three awards apiece were Roger Bean's hit jukebox musical "Life Could Be a Dream," the Matrix Theatre's premiere drama "Stick Fly," Pacific Resident Theatre's revival of "The Browning Version," and the Ahmanson Theatre's Broadway-bound musical "Minsky's."The Production award was shared by "Life Could Be a Dream," "Stick Fly," and the Mark Taper Forum/Donmar Warehouse staging...
- 3/23/2010
- backstage.com
Dearest Friends,We are thrilled to announce the 2010 Garland Awards, voted on by the Los Angeles theater critics of Back Stage. Who knew we had theater in Southern California, let alone a group of devoted theater critics? Our equally devoted readers of Back Stage, of course. Thank you for turning to the reviews pages in print and reading other of our reviews online. We know you're out there, treasuring the vibrant theater scene as much as we do.The critics who voted are Jeff Favre, Hoyt Hilsman, Travis Holder, Iris Mann, Eric Marchese, Dany Margolies, Dink O'Neal, Brad Schreiber, Melinda Schupmann, Madeleine Shaner, Les Spindle, Neal Weaver, and Jennie Webb. Under our voting system, each Garland winner was named on at least three critics' Best of 2009 lists. Each critic listed up to five nominees for each category except performance, up to 10 nominees for performance in musical productions and 10 for straight plays.
- 3/10/2010
- backstage.com
The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, which consists of L.A.-area theater journalists in various media, has announced nominees and special awards for its 41st annual awards ceremony, to be held March 22 at Burbank’s Colony Theatre.Awards will be given in 20 categories, honoring excellence in theater over the past year. Eight special awards will include a special citation to actor Kirk Douglas for his lifetime contribution to Los Angeles theatre, as well as the new Milton Katselas Award for career or special achievement in direction, sponsored by Camelot Artists.The 2009 Special Awards include:– The Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play: Julie Marie Myatt for the bittersweet domestic drama "The Happy Ones," which premiered at South Coast Repertory. The award is accompanied by an offer to publish and a $1,000 check funded by Samuel French, Inc.– The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season...
- 1/25/2010
- backstage.com
We delightedly announce the 2009 Garland Awards, voted on by the Southern California theatre critics of Back Stage. Congratulations to the recipients. Your work touched us, made us think, made us proud to support the bustling, vibrant, inventive community that is Southland theatre. The critics who voted are Paul Birchall, Jeff Favre, Hoyt Hilsman, Travis Holder, Wenzel Jones, Iris Mann, Eric Marchese, Dany Margolies, Dink O’Neal, Brad Schreiber, Madeleine Shaner, Les Spindle, Neal Weaver, and Jennie Webb. Collectively we saw hundreds of shows in 2008, whether we were reviewing or not. This is true devotion to theatre. Under our voting system, each Garland winner was named on at least three critics' Best of 2008 lists. Each critic listed up to five nominees for each category except performance, up to 10 nominees for performance in musical productions and 10 for straight plays. Lists, minus the winners, are here Critics List. This year we present two...
- 3/12/2009
- backstage.com
Jeff Favreproduction: A Beautiful View, Son of Semele Theatre; Robots vs. Fake Robots, Powerhouse Theatre; Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, Geffen Playhouse.Playwriting: David Largman Murray, Robots vs. Fake Robots.Direction: Don Boughton, A Beautiful View; John Doyle, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre; Tiger Reel, Cartoon, Art/Works Theatre; Elise Robertson, The Women, Circus Theatricals.Music Direction: Sarah Travis, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Scenic Design: Simon Higlett, The School of Night, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum; Christine Jones, Spring Awakening, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre; Anthony Ward, My Fair Lady, Center Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre.Lighting Design: Russell H. Champa, The School of Night; Richard Jones, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Costume Design: Anthony Ward, My Fair Lady.Sound Design: Dan Moses Schreier, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Perfomance In A (Primarily) Straight Play:Gregory Itzin,...
- 3/11/2009
- backstage.com
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is bestowing its third annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film on actor-director Ed Harris.
Douglas himself will present the honor to Harris at the fest's annual black-tie gala dinner, which will be held at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara on Oct. 2.
"Ed Harris is an actor's actor," said Roger Durling, Sbiff exec director. "His already legendary performances are passionate, thoughtful and so committed -- qualities that he shares with Kirk Douglas."
Harris, a four-time Academy Award nominee, has appeared in such films as "The Hours," "Apollo 13," "A History of Violence," "The Right Stuff," "Places in the Heart," "The Truman Show," "The Rock," "Glengarry Glen Ross," "Gone Baby Gone" and "Pollock," the film that also served as his directorial debut.
His newest film, "Appaloosa," a Western which he directed, co-wrote, produced and stars in, will be released by Warner Bros.
Douglas himself will present the honor to Harris at the fest's annual black-tie gala dinner, which will be held at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara on Oct. 2.
"Ed Harris is an actor's actor," said Roger Durling, Sbiff exec director. "His already legendary performances are passionate, thoughtful and so committed -- qualities that he shares with Kirk Douglas."
Harris, a four-time Academy Award nominee, has appeared in such films as "The Hours," "Apollo 13," "A History of Violence," "The Right Stuff," "Places in the Heart," "The Truman Show," "The Rock," "Glengarry Glen Ross," "Gone Baby Gone" and "Pollock," the film that also served as his directorial debut.
His newest film, "Appaloosa," a Western which he directed, co-wrote, produced and stars in, will be released by Warner Bros.
- 9/3/2008
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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