By the time "Dirty Harry" came along, Clint Eastwood was already a movie star. So, it's fair to say that this film not only solidified his place in the Hollywood firmament but also crystallized his star persona. The role of Harry Callahan took someone who was already the embodiment of traditional toxic masculinity, and cranked that up to 11, captivating enough people to make it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1971. "Dirty Harry" features so many things I find objectionable, yet I cannot say that the film isn't an entertaining watch. That is due in large part to Eastwood's performance, clearly enjoying playing a hard-ass cop who doesn't play by the rules.
While Eastwood and "Dirty Harry" are now inextricably linked thanks to the five-film franchise that it spawned (six if you count the unofficial spiritual sequel "Gran Torino"), he was not the first actor the studio looked to star in the film.
While Eastwood and "Dirty Harry" are now inextricably linked thanks to the five-film franchise that it spawned (six if you count the unofficial spiritual sequel "Gran Torino"), he was not the first actor the studio looked to star in the film.
- 12/29/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Clint Eastwood entered the 1970s at a transitional point in his career. He was for certain a movie star, but, despite hits like the crime-thriller "Coogan's Bluff" and the World War II flick "Where Eagles Dare," he was still primarily associated with Westerns. This was hardly a precarious place to be. He'd earned enough studio goodwill to take a risk or two on a movie that wasn't a straight-down-the-middle commercial play.
Thomas P. Cullinan's novel "The Beguiled" presented such a risk. The Southern Gothic about a wounded Union soldier cared for by a headmistress (Geraldine Page) and her young female charges at a Mississippi seminary was dark and creepy and just about as far from the macho heroics of "A Fistful of Dollars" as Eastwood could get. His character becomes an object of desire for many of the women in the house, and he uses his worldly charm to encourage their advances.
Thomas P. Cullinan's novel "The Beguiled" presented such a risk. The Southern Gothic about a wounded Union soldier cared for by a headmistress (Geraldine Page) and her young female charges at a Mississippi seminary was dark and creepy and just about as far from the macho heroics of "A Fistful of Dollars" as Eastwood could get. His character becomes an object of desire for many of the women in the house, and he uses his worldly charm to encourage their advances.
- 12/13/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Easily one of the best movies of its kind, J.A. Bayona’s minute-by-minute tale of survival poses an immediate challenge to audiences: could I survive that? The genuinely terrifying true story of one family lost in the middle of a devastating disaster is even more relevant now, with similar disasters seemingly happening daily. The near-flawless direction concentrates on the direct experience of a mother and son, who in just a couple of days learn the meaning of human concern and kindness. It’s a Spanish production (in English); Naomi Watts received an Oscar nomination and Ewan McGregor and young Tom Holland give strong performances. We reach back ten years for this review.
The Impossible
Blu-ray
Summit Entertainment
2012 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 114 min. / Lo imposible / Street Date April 23, 2013 / Available from Amazon / 19.99
Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, Marta Etura, Sönke Möhring, Geraldine Chaplin, Ploy Jindachote, Jomjaoi Sae-Limh,...
The Impossible
Blu-ray
Summit Entertainment
2012 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 114 min. / Lo imposible / Street Date April 23, 2013 / Available from Amazon / 19.99
Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, Marta Etura, Sönke Möhring, Geraldine Chaplin, Ploy Jindachote, Jomjaoi Sae-Limh,...
- 6/25/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
There’s something inherently seductive about the glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood. Perhaps it’s the backstage intrigue and the tawdry tales of showbusiness hedonism that draws us in again and again. Or maybe it’s the romanticized image of smokey rooms, silken gowns and stylish fedoras that we find so endlessly alluring. For many, however, it’s the larger-than-life figures from silver screen history that remain irresistible decades later.
Whatever the reason, films, books and television shows about Hollywood’s Golden Age continue to captivate new generations year after year. Look no further than Oscar-winners like “The Artist,” bestsellers like Shawn Levy’s “The Castle on Sunset,” acclaimed documentaries like “Tab Hunter Confidential,” and a host of recent TV series from Ryan Murphy if you have any doubt. Each of these attempt, in some way, to simultaneously celebrate the era while pulling back the curtain on the studio system.
Whatever the reason, films, books and television shows about Hollywood’s Golden Age continue to captivate new generations year after year. Look no further than Oscar-winners like “The Artist,” bestsellers like Shawn Levy’s “The Castle on Sunset,” acclaimed documentaries like “Tab Hunter Confidential,” and a host of recent TV series from Ryan Murphy if you have any doubt. Each of these attempt, in some way, to simultaneously celebrate the era while pulling back the curtain on the studio system.
- 11/16/2021
- by Matthew Chernov
- Variety Film + TV
The story of Hollywood producer Walter Wanger and his wife, actress Joan Bennett, who pioneered film noir before being embroiled in a bloody scandal is being explored in a new narrative podcast series.
Jon Hamm and Zooey Deschanel are starring in Love is a Crime, which comes from You Must Remember This creator Karina Longworth, filmmaker Vanessa Hope, the granddaughter of Wanger and Bennett, and Vanity Fair.
The series will tell the story of how, in 1951, Wanger, who produced films including 1963’s Cleopatra, shot agent Jennings Lang, whom he suspected was having an affair with Bennett, but it was Bennett who paid a public price for her husband’s offense.
Longworth and Hope will co-host the podcast and share the inside story of the pair’s professional partnership and fallout.
Zooey Deschanel will play the role of Joan Bennett, Jon Hamm will portray Walter Wanger, and Griffin Dunne will play Jennings Lang.
Jon Hamm and Zooey Deschanel are starring in Love is a Crime, which comes from You Must Remember This creator Karina Longworth, filmmaker Vanessa Hope, the granddaughter of Wanger and Bennett, and Vanity Fair.
The series will tell the story of how, in 1951, Wanger, who produced films including 1963’s Cleopatra, shot agent Jennings Lang, whom he suspected was having an affair with Bennett, but it was Bennett who paid a public price for her husband’s offense.
Longworth and Hope will co-host the podcast and share the inside story of the pair’s professional partnership and fallout.
Zooey Deschanel will play the role of Joan Bennett, Jon Hamm will portray Walter Wanger, and Griffin Dunne will play Jennings Lang.
- 8/10/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
“A love letter to cinema” was the tired-but-true trope that everyone trotted out when Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the movie, hit theaters two years ago. But it’s now clear just how insufficient a mere mash note to the movies was for Tarantino. This week saw the arrival of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the 400-page book, as his epic Penthouse Forum Letter to cinema. You’ll know this trade-paperback novelization is cineaste-populist porn when you see it.
The end result is not so much like reliving the movie on the page — although the book does have a few scenes in which the dialogue and descriptive beats are transcribed note-for-note from the screenplay — as much as a catalog of constant diversions that’s like being locked inside the New Beverly for a week with Pauline Kael, Harry Knowles and Leonard Maltin. Let that intrigue...
The end result is not so much like reliving the movie on the page — although the book does have a few scenes in which the dialogue and descriptive beats are transcribed note-for-note from the screenplay — as much as a catalog of constant diversions that’s like being locked inside the New Beverly for a week with Pauline Kael, Harry Knowles and Leonard Maltin. Let that intrigue...
- 7/3/2021
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
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By Fred Blosser
To say that George Roy Hill’s “The Sting” (1973) was a hit is like calling Amazon a successful little internet business. Starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, “The Sting” placed second in ticket sales for its year of release ($159.6 million), surpassed only by “The Exorcist.” In the Academy Awards ceremonies on April 2, 1974, it earned seven Oscars, notably honors for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. The Best Picture award sparked a brief controversy as to whether the stylish but relatively lightweight film about an elaborate confidence scheme deserved the accolade. The pot was further stirred during the awards broadcast, when the screenwriter, David S. Ward, flashed a gesture on stage after picking up his statuette. It was the same signal used by real-life con artists to declare victory over unwary dupes, some observers asserted. Whatever the merits of the argument,...
By Fred Blosser
To say that George Roy Hill’s “The Sting” (1973) was a hit is like calling Amazon a successful little internet business. Starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, “The Sting” placed second in ticket sales for its year of release ($159.6 million), surpassed only by “The Exorcist.” In the Academy Awards ceremonies on April 2, 1974, it earned seven Oscars, notably honors for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. The Best Picture award sparked a brief controversy as to whether the stylish but relatively lightweight film about an elaborate confidence scheme deserved the accolade. The pot was further stirred during the awards broadcast, when the screenwriter, David S. Ward, flashed a gesture on stage after picking up his statuette. It was the same signal used by real-life con artists to declare victory over unwary dupes, some observers asserted. Whatever the merits of the argument,...
- 10/16/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Slaughterhouse-five will be available on Blu-ray December 3rd from Arrow Video
Billy Pilgrim Lives – From Time To Time To Time…
Past, present and future collide in darkly satirical fashion in Slaughterhouse-Five! Based on Kurt Vonnegut s classic 1969 novel, this tale of time travel and alien abduction emerged as part of a wave of more cerebral science-fiction films in the late 60s to early 70s, elevating the genre beyond the B-movie fare of previous decades.
Upstate New York, 1968. Mild-mannered Billy Pilgrim finds himself unstuck in time . Traveling back and forth across the entire span of his existence, he experiences key events of his life in a random order, including his formative years, the firebombing of Dresden and finally, at some undefined point in the future, his surreal adventures on a distant planet.
Praised by Vonnegut himself for its fidelity to his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five boasts assured direction by George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid...
Billy Pilgrim Lives – From Time To Time To Time…
Past, present and future collide in darkly satirical fashion in Slaughterhouse-Five! Based on Kurt Vonnegut s classic 1969 novel, this tale of time travel and alien abduction emerged as part of a wave of more cerebral science-fiction films in the late 60s to early 70s, elevating the genre beyond the B-movie fare of previous decades.
Upstate New York, 1968. Mild-mannered Billy Pilgrim finds himself unstuck in time . Traveling back and forth across the entire span of his existence, he experiences key events of his life in a random order, including his formative years, the firebombing of Dresden and finally, at some undefined point in the future, his surreal adventures on a distant planet.
Praised by Vonnegut himself for its fidelity to his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five boasts assured direction by George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid...
- 11/15/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Three years ago, filmmaker Rocky Lang received an unexpected note from an archivist at the motion picture academy's Margaret Herrick Library, telling him he'd found a letter from his father, agent-producer Jennings Lang.
"There before me was a letter written by my father in 1939 to [the literary agency] H.N. Swanson," Lang recalls. "He'd just gotten off the bus in Los Angeles, had a hundred bucks in his pocket and was looking for a job. It was amazing because later he had a big career as an agent, representing Joan Crawford and Humphrey ...
"There before me was a letter written by my father in 1939 to [the literary agency] H.N. Swanson," Lang recalls. "He'd just gotten off the bus in Los Angeles, had a hundred bucks in his pocket and was looking for a job. It was amazing because later he had a big career as an agent, representing Joan Crawford and Humphrey ...
- 9/27/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Three years ago, filmmaker Rocky Lang received an unexpected note from an archivist at the motion picture academy's Margaret Herrick Library, telling him he'd found a letter from his father, agent-producer Jennings Lang.
"There before me was a letter written by my father in 1939 to [the literary agency] H.N. Swanson," Lang recalls. "He'd just gotten off the bus in Los Angeles, had a hundred bucks in his pocket and was looking for a job. It was amazing because later he had a big career as an agent, representing Joan Crawford and Humphrey ...
"There before me was a letter written by my father in 1939 to [the literary agency] H.N. Swanson," Lang recalls. "He'd just gotten off the bus in Los Angeles, had a hundred bucks in his pocket and was looking for a job. It was amazing because later he had a big career as an agent, representing Joan Crawford and Humphrey ...
- 9/27/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
While criticism of Earthquake usually concentrates on its flaky Sensurround effects, the film’s more important flaws lie in a confused approach to the genre and – especially – one character who really belongs in a different movie altogether, writes Barnaby Page.
Although it remains one of the best-known of the early-1970s all-star disaster extravaganzas, Earthquake (1974) was less successful commercially than Airport, The Towering Inferno or The Poseidon Adventure, and did not enjoy the critical acclaim of the latter two.
It probably suffered in the short term from being released only a month before Inferno, and in the longer term from its over-reliance on the Sensurround system; watched now, though, it is flawed largely through discontinuity of tone and the uneasy co-existence of both a strong human villain and a natural threat. Still, the film casts interesting light on the genre as a whole, sometimes complying with its standards and sometimes departing from them.
Although it remains one of the best-known of the early-1970s all-star disaster extravaganzas, Earthquake (1974) was less successful commercially than Airport, The Towering Inferno or The Poseidon Adventure, and did not enjoy the critical acclaim of the latter two.
It probably suffered in the short term from being released only a month before Inferno, and in the longer term from its over-reliance on the Sensurround system; watched now, though, it is flawed largely through discontinuity of tone and the uneasy co-existence of both a strong human villain and a natural threat. Still, the film casts interesting light on the genre as a whole, sometimes complying with its standards and sometimes departing from them.
- 7/21/2019
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
1974 was ground zero for a 7.0 magnitude shaker on the clumsy, kitschy disaster-movie Richter Scale with Universal’s ambitious, tossed-together epic of Los Angeles torn asunder by ‘The Big One.’ The all-star cast headed by Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner slug and mug their way through a gloppy soap opera of a script, admirably retaining their collective dignity. The special effects range from terrific to embarrassing, but the tacky gimmick of “Sensurround” saved Universal’s bacon: to this day I still hear people remembering it fondly. The collector’s edition brings us both the theatrical cut and the brain-numbing extended version cobbled together for TV.
Earthquake
Blu-ray
Shout! Factory
1974 / Color / 2:35 widescreen (theatrical), & 1.33 flat full frame (extended TV cut) / 123 + 142 min. / Collector’s Edition Street Date , 2019 / 29.99
Starring: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene, Geneviéve Bujold, Richard Roundtree, Marjoe Gortner, Barry Sullivan, Lloyd Nolan, Victoria Principal.
Cinematography: Philip Lathrop
Film Editor:...
Earthquake
Blu-ray
Shout! Factory
1974 / Color / 2:35 widescreen (theatrical), & 1.33 flat full frame (extended TV cut) / 123 + 142 min. / Collector’s Edition Street Date , 2019 / 29.99
Starring: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene, Geneviéve Bujold, Richard Roundtree, Marjoe Gortner, Barry Sullivan, Lloyd Nolan, Victoria Principal.
Cinematography: Philip Lathrop
Film Editor:...
- 6/4/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Sidney Sheinberg, who served for more than 20 years as president and COO of MCA, Inc and Universal Studios and helped build the former agency into a potent entertainment corporation, died Thursday at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 84.
Sheinberg’s son, Jonathan, confirmed the news in an email.
“He was an amazing man,” he wrote. Jonathan also remembered his father’s impact on the industry and the people whose lives Sheinberg touched through philanthropy.
“My heart is broken at this news,” said Steven Spielberg in a statement. “For now let me just say that Sid had a big personality and a tender heart. He was the tallest most stand up guy I ever knew. He gave birth to my career and made Universal my home. He gave me ‘Jaws,’ I gave him ‘ET’ and he gave me ‘Schindler’s List.’ We were a team for 25 years and he was...
Sheinberg’s son, Jonathan, confirmed the news in an email.
“He was an amazing man,” he wrote. Jonathan also remembered his father’s impact on the industry and the people whose lives Sheinberg touched through philanthropy.
“My heart is broken at this news,” said Steven Spielberg in a statement. “For now let me just say that Sid had a big personality and a tender heart. He was the tallest most stand up guy I ever knew. He gave birth to my career and made Universal my home. He gave me ‘Jaws,’ I gave him ‘ET’ and he gave me ‘Schindler’s List.’ We were a team for 25 years and he was...
- 3/8/2019
- by Richard Natale
- Variety Film + TV
Here’s something odd: the formative feature in Roger Corman’s proto- career. Roger gets credits for Story and Associate Producer, and learned what he needed to learn to produce two movies of his own in the same year. The modest crime thriller sees Richard Conte involved with three women during a chase on dusty desert roads: noir star Joan Bennett and young Wanda Hendrix are a suspicious pair, but special guest Hot Number Mary Beth Hughes all but steals the show.
Highway Dragnet
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1954 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 70 min. / Street Date March 20, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Richard Conte, Joan Bennett, Wanda Hendrix, Mary Beth Hughes, Reed Hadley, Iris Adrian.
Cinematography: John Martin
Film Editor: Ace Herman
Written by Herb Meadow, Jerome Oldlum from a story by U.S. Andersen, Roger Corman
Produced by Jack Jungmeyer, William F. Broidy (executive), A. Robert Nunes & Roger Corman (associates)
Directed by...
Highway Dragnet
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1954 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 70 min. / Street Date March 20, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Richard Conte, Joan Bennett, Wanda Hendrix, Mary Beth Hughes, Reed Hadley, Iris Adrian.
Cinematography: John Martin
Film Editor: Ace Herman
Written by Herb Meadow, Jerome Oldlum from a story by U.S. Andersen, Roger Corman
Produced by Jack Jungmeyer, William F. Broidy (executive), A. Robert Nunes & Roger Corman (associates)
Directed by...
- 3/3/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It’s the loose-censored early 1970s, and screen bandits shootin’ up the American movie landscape are no longer suffering the once-mandated automatic moral retribution. Walter Matthau launched himself into the genre with this excellent Don Siegel on-the-run epic, about an old-fashioned independent bandit who accidentally rips off the mob for a million. It’s great, wicked fun.
Charley Varrick
Region B Blu-ray
Indicator
1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Charley Varrick the Last of the Independents; Kill Charley Varrick / Street Date January 22, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £14.99
Starring: Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, Andrew Robinson, John Vernon, Felicia Farr, Sheree North, Jacqueline Scott, William Schallert, Norman Fell, Benson Fong, Woodrow Parfrey, Rudy Diaz, Charles Matthau, Tom Tully, Albert Popwell
Cinematography: Michael Butler
Film Editor: Frank Morriss
Original Music: Lalo Schifrin
Written by Dean Riesner, Howard Rodman from the novel The Looters by John Reese
Produced by Jennings Lang, Don Siegel
Directed by...
Charley Varrick
Region B Blu-ray
Indicator
1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Charley Varrick the Last of the Independents; Kill Charley Varrick / Street Date January 22, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £14.99
Starring: Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, Andrew Robinson, John Vernon, Felicia Farr, Sheree North, Jacqueline Scott, William Schallert, Norman Fell, Benson Fong, Woodrow Parfrey, Rudy Diaz, Charles Matthau, Tom Tully, Albert Popwell
Cinematography: Michael Butler
Film Editor: Frank Morriss
Original Music: Lalo Schifrin
Written by Dean Riesner, Howard Rodman from the novel The Looters by John Reese
Produced by Jennings Lang, Don Siegel
Directed by...
- 1/20/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A mad extortionist is blowing up rollercoaster rides. Put-upon George Segal must stop him because we all know that the time, the tide and roller coasters wait for no man. Producer Jennings Lang's by-the-numbers suspense thriller is light on suspense and thrills, but the cast is good and the screenplay at least partly intelligent. And hey -- it's got a teenage Helen Hunt! Rollercoaster Blu-ray Shout! Factory 1977 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 119 min. / Street Date June 21, 2016 / 19.99 Starring George Segal, Timothy Bottoms, Henry Fonda, Helen Hunt, Harry Guardino, Susan Strasberg, Craig Wasson, Robert Quarry, Quinn Redeker, Dick Wesson, Gary Franklin, Steve Guttenberg. Cinematography David M. Walsh Original Music Lalo Schifrin Written by Richard Levinson, William Link, Tommy Cook Produced by Jennings Lang Directed by James Goldstone
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Jaws inspired plenty of rip-off movies about sharks, bears, killer whales and monster octopi threatening beaches. Since it wasn't safe to go back to the water,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Jaws inspired plenty of rip-off movies about sharks, bears, killer whales and monster octopi threatening beaches. Since it wasn't safe to go back to the water,...
- 6/18/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Brad Pitt 'Glory Days' costar Nicholas Kallsen Brad Pitt 'Glory Days' costar Nicholas Kallsen dead at 48 Nicholas Kallsen, who was featured opposite Brad Pitt in the short-lived television series Glory Days, has died at age 48 in Thailand according to online reports. Their source is one of Rupert Murdoch's rags, citing a Facebook posting by one of the actor's friends. The cause of death was purportedly – no specific source was provided – a drug overdose.* Aired on Fox in July 1990, Glory Days told the story of four high-school friends whose paths take different directions after graduation. Besides Nicholas Kallsen and Brad Pitt, the show also featured Spike Alexander and Evan Mirand. Glory Days lasted a mere six episodes – two of which directed by former Happy Days actor Anson Williams – before its cancellation. Roommates Nicholas Kallsen and Brad Pitt vying for same 'Thelma & Louise' role? The Murdoch tabloid also...
- 5/1/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
To Live and Shake and Die in La! continues at Trailers from Hell, with screenwriter Josh Olson introducing "Earthquake."A-listers Mark Robson, Jennings Lang and Mario Puzo (!) steal a leaf (and more) from the Irwin Allen playbook with this turgid smash hit about a devastating La temblor which painstakingly copies stunt shots from The Poseidon Adventure. If not for the sternum-rattling sound effects of Sensurround, an alarming audio process that duplicates the trembling sensation of theater walls coming down around your ears, this prototypical ’70s disaster epic would be remembered only as an archaic soap opera that would have seemed risible in 1954, let alone ’74. Clifford Stine and Albert Whitlock were among the team of visual effects masters who helped level Los Angeles in such convincing fashion.
- 1/22/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
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