When you think of Sean Connery, you probably think of either James Bond or Indiana Jones' dad. If you grew up in the '90s you might even think of that movie where he was on a submarine, or vaguely recall the marketing for a film where he played opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones. But there's no doubt that long before Connery was advising the "Hunt for Red October" director to rewrite the film's script, or complaining about "Entrapment" having too many special effects, he was best known as either England's greatest spy or as Dr. Henry Jones, Sr.
Still, when it comes to an actor as talented as Connery, not everyone thinks of these roles as his best. If you ask Christopher Nolan, for instance, he'll tell you that the Scottish star's finest performance came in Sidney Lumet's 1973 crime drama "The Offence," with Nolan recently celebrating the film for containing...
Still, when it comes to an actor as talented as Connery, not everyone thinks of these roles as his best. If you ask Christopher Nolan, for instance, he'll tell you that the Scottish star's finest performance came in Sidney Lumet's 1973 crime drama "The Offence," with Nolan recently celebrating the film for containing...
- 5/13/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Disney’s Mary Poppins is 60 years old in 2024 – and it’s returning to UK cinemas in March to mark the occasion.
The joyous Disney favourite Mary Poppins is approaching a special birthday this year, with the movie – as the headline to this very piece suggests – now 60 years old.
Directed by Robert Stevenson, penned by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi – based on the work of P L Travers of course – the movie is best known for the mighty Julie Andrews in the lead role. That and, of course, Dick Van Dyke’s entirely convincing Londoner.
It’s a much-loved movie that technically hits 60 this August. However, no problem with getting the party started early: we now learn that the film is returning to over 100 UK cinemas on March 29th 2024.
The re-release isn’t coming direct from Disney, rather through Park Circus. We don’t have the exact cinema count, but over...
The joyous Disney favourite Mary Poppins is approaching a special birthday this year, with the movie – as the headline to this very piece suggests – now 60 years old.
Directed by Robert Stevenson, penned by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi – based on the work of P L Travers of course – the movie is best known for the mighty Julie Andrews in the lead role. That and, of course, Dick Van Dyke’s entirely convincing Londoner.
It’s a much-loved movie that technically hits 60 this August. However, no problem with getting the party started early: we now learn that the film is returning to over 100 UK cinemas on March 29th 2024.
The re-release isn’t coming direct from Disney, rather through Park Circus. We don’t have the exact cinema count, but over...
- 2/14/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
Catering directly to my interests, the Criterion Channel’s January lineup boasts two of my favorite things: James Gray and cats. In the former case it’s his first five features (itself a terrible reminder he only released five movies in 20 years); the latter shows felines the respect they deserve, from Kuroneko to The Long Goodbye, Tourneur’s Cat People and Mick Garris’ Sleepwalkers. Meanwhile, Ava Gardner, Bertrand Tavernier, Isabel Sandoval, Ken Russell, Juleen Compton, George Harrison’s HandMade Films, and the Sundance Film Festival get retrospectives.
Restorations of Soviet sci-fi trip Ikarie Xb 1, The Unknown, and The Music of Regret stream, as does the recent Plan 75. January’s Criterion Editions are Inside Llewyn Davis, Farewell Amor, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and (most intriguingly) the long-out-of-print The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blu-rays of which go for hundreds of dollars.
See the lineup below and learn more here.
Back By Popular Demand
The Graduate,...
Restorations of Soviet sci-fi trip Ikarie Xb 1, The Unknown, and The Music of Regret stream, as does the recent Plan 75. January’s Criterion Editions are Inside Llewyn Davis, Farewell Amor, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and (most intriguingly) the long-out-of-print The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blu-rays of which go for hundreds of dollars.
See the lineup below and learn more here.
Back By Popular Demand
The Graduate,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Guillermo del Toro doesn’t hold back about his love for his favorite movies. If you’ve spent any time on his Twitter feed over the years, you’ve likely seen him praise Stanley Donen’s use of the color red throughout the late director’s body of work, and hail everything from William Wellman’s 1931 film “Other Men’s Women” to David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future” from 2022. The man has wide-ranging taste, and a deep awareness of cinematic history that’s informed his own films.
Now he follows Turner Classic Movies advisors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson in giving his own picks from TCM’s lineup, all titles that will be airing in October. Watch the video, exclusive to IndieWire, above.
First up, he picks one of the most sorely underrated titles from Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography, 1941’s “Suspicion,” airing on TCM at 2:00am...
Now he follows Turner Classic Movies advisors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson in giving his own picks from TCM’s lineup, all titles that will be airing in October. Watch the video, exclusive to IndieWire, above.
First up, he picks one of the most sorely underrated titles from Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography, 1941’s “Suspicion,” airing on TCM at 2:00am...
- 9/29/2023
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we look at Oscars categories from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winners stand the test of time.)
Few directors hold as large a place in the hearts of cinephiles as Stanley Kubrick. The mythology of the director as this reclusive, micromanaging perfectionist who would drive people insane by doing 100 takes of a scene has become the stuff of legend. Some people stand in awe of what he was able to accomplish throughout his career on such a grand scale, and some, naturally, want to take him down a peg because of his godlike status amongst a certain sector of film fans. I don't hold Kubrick up as god. He wouldn't be on my Mt. Rushmore of directors. But the man did direct some of the best films ever made. That's a little difficult to deny.
Because of this revered status,...
Few directors hold as large a place in the hearts of cinephiles as Stanley Kubrick. The mythology of the director as this reclusive, micromanaging perfectionist who would drive people insane by doing 100 takes of a scene has become the stuff of legend. Some people stand in awe of what he was able to accomplish throughout his career on such a grand scale, and some, naturally, want to take him down a peg because of his godlike status amongst a certain sector of film fans. I don't hold Kubrick up as god. He wouldn't be on my Mt. Rushmore of directors. But the man did direct some of the best films ever made. That's a little difficult to deny.
Because of this revered status,...
- 8/20/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
From The Video Archives Podcast, writer/director Roger Avary and writer/producer Gala Avary discuss a few of their favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Taxi Driver (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Matinee (1993)
Dune (1984)
Terror On A Train a.k.a. Time Bomb (1953)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Batman (1989)
Yentl (1983)
Nuts (1987)
Spaceballs (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Top Gun (1986)
Cocksucker Blues (1972)
Mijn nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra (1975)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Day Of The Dolphin (1973)
Babylon (2022)
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)
Carrie (1976)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
Blow Out (1981)
The Matrix (1999)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Killing Zoe (1993)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Tenant (1976)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Bugsy Malone (1976)
Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Rules Of Attraction (2002)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Giant (1956)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Babe (1995)
Time Bandits...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Taxi Driver (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Matinee (1993)
Dune (1984)
Terror On A Train a.k.a. Time Bomb (1953)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Batman (1989)
Yentl (1983)
Nuts (1987)
Spaceballs (1987)
Die Hard (1988)
Top Gun (1986)
Cocksucker Blues (1972)
Mijn nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra (1975)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Godfather (1972)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Day Of The Dolphin (1973)
Babylon (2022)
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)
Carrie (1976)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)
Blow Out (1981)
The Matrix (1999)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Killing Zoe (1993)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Tenant (1976)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Bugsy Malone (1976)
Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Rules Of Attraction (2002)
The Sound Of Music (1965)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Giant (1956)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Babe (1995)
Time Bandits...
- 2/28/2023
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Bedknobs And Broomsticks Let Angela Lansbury Give One Of The Most Enjoyable Performances Of All Time
The 1971 Robert Stevenson film "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" often gets unfairly maligned as a lesser "Mary Poppins," but that's a huge disservice to the performance of the late, great Angela Lansbury. The late Academy Award-nominated actor had not yet become a household name with the 1980s television series "Murder, She Wrote," but film and Broadway fans were sure to recognize her playing a wacky witch who goes on a magical animated journey with a family of children and a con artist/purported school of witchcraft professor named Mr. Brown. She brings a kind of madcap energy to the role that's hard to describe or replicate, and is clearly having a ball imagining herself with supernatural powers and fighting Nazis.
There are some moments in "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" that have aged strangely, namely in a segment where the bed-riding crew visits the magical land of Naboombu, where animals rule, but for the most part,...
There are some moments in "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" that have aged strangely, namely in a segment where the bed-riding crew visits the magical land of Naboombu, where animals rule, but for the most part,...
- 10/11/2022
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Venetia Stevenson, a model, actress and daughter of Hollywood luminaries who appeared in films including Darby’s Rangers, Island of Lost Women and Horror Hotel after being labeled “the most photogenic girl in the world,” has died. She was 84.
Stevenson died Monday at a health care facility in Atlanta after a battle with Parkinson’s disease, her brother, actor and photographer Jeffrey Byron, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Stevenson’s parents were Robert Stevenson, the Oscar-nominated director of Mary Poppins who earlier helmed King Solomon’s Mines and Jane Eyre, and her mother was Anna Lee, who starred in How Green Was My Valley and portrayed the matriarch Lila Quartermaine for a quarter-century on General Hospital.
The screen siren was married to actor Russ Tamblyn from Valentine’s Day 1956 until their divorce in April 1957 and to Don Everly of The Everly Brothers from 1962-...
Venetia Stevenson, a model, actress and daughter of Hollywood luminaries who appeared in films including Darby’s Rangers, Island of Lost Women and Horror Hotel after being labeled “the most photogenic girl in the world,” has died. She was 84.
Stevenson died Monday at a health care facility in Atlanta after a battle with Parkinson’s disease, her brother, actor and photographer Jeffrey Byron, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Stevenson’s parents were Robert Stevenson, the Oscar-nominated director of Mary Poppins who earlier helmed King Solomon’s Mines and Jane Eyre, and her mother was Anna Lee, who starred in How Green Was My Valley and portrayed the matriarch Lila Quartermaine for a quarter-century on General Hospital.
The screen siren was married to actor Russ Tamblyn from Valentine’s Day 1956 until their divorce in April 1957 and to Don Everly of The Everly Brothers from 1962-...
- 9/27/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It's no hyperbole to call Mia Goth's performance in Ti West's new film "Pearl" one of the best of the year. As the title character, Goth is equal parts gentle hayseed, desperate dreamer, sexually repressed young person, and deeply cracked psychopath. It's a broad, yet totally believable performance. The film climaxes with an extended, uncut monologue that Goth directs toward an absent husband, and her heart spills onto the floor over how disappointing her life has become. It's scary and it's heartbreaking.
"Pearl" is the second part of a three-film cycle that began with "X" back in February. "X" was set in 1978, and featured Goth in a dual role of the aspiring adult actress Maxine and the very elderly Pearl who was moved by lust to murder. "Pearl" flashes back to 1918, when the title character was a young woman on the very same farm, and how she first began killing.
"Pearl" is the second part of a three-film cycle that began with "X" back in February. "X" was set in 1978, and featured Goth in a dual role of the aspiring adult actress Maxine and the very elderly Pearl who was moved by lust to murder. "Pearl" flashes back to 1918, when the title character was a young woman on the very same farm, and how she first began killing.
- 9/21/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
With its distinctive branding and malleable play style, Cinephile has become a card game staple for any serious movie fanatic, and the team from Cinephile has branched out, first with the “A is Auteur” children’s book (part of their ‘lil cinephile brand) that introduced the theory to kids and now with “My First Movies,” a three-book collection devoted to introducing your youngster to some classic genre. Because what toddler doesn’t want to know the fundamentals of Italian giallos?
“My First Movies, Vol. 1” is a collection of three books – “My First Giallo Horror,” “My First French New Wave” and “My First Film Noir” – and will be available online and through select independent booksellers starting in December 2022. The books be available individually (15 each) and in a limited edition three-book box set (40) and are written by Cinephile founder Cory Everett and illustrated by Julie Olivi. The books feature everything you’ve...
“My First Movies, Vol. 1” is a collection of three books – “My First Giallo Horror,” “My First French New Wave” and “My First Film Noir” – and will be available online and through select independent booksellers starting in December 2022. The books be available individually (15 each) and in a limited edition three-book box set (40) and are written by Cinephile founder Cory Everett and illustrated by Julie Olivi. The books feature everything you’ve...
- 9/20/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Darby O’Gill and the Little People
Blu ray
Disney Movie Club
1959 / 1.66 : 1 / 93 Min.
Starring Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery
Written by Lawrence Edward Watkin
Directed by Robert Stevenson
A late ‘50s showcase for classic horror films, Shock Theater managed to captivate children and worry their over-protective parents. But the kids knew the score, if you were looking for a real shock, forget Frankenstein and Dracula and put on a Disney movie.
Walt Disney’s assault on our nervous systems began in 1937 with the story of a bloodthirsty crone bent on removing the heart of her trusting rival—that feel-good fable was followed by the huntsman who murdered Bambi’s mom, and the demon-fueled bacchanal in 1940’s Fantasia. Uncle Walt’s reign of terror reached its apex with another kind of mad monster party in 1959’s Darby O’Gill and the Little People—a full moon parade of green-eyed goblins...
Blu ray
Disney Movie Club
1959 / 1.66 : 1 / 93 Min.
Starring Albert Sharpe, Janet Munro, Sean Connery
Written by Lawrence Edward Watkin
Directed by Robert Stevenson
A late ‘50s showcase for classic horror films, Shock Theater managed to captivate children and worry their over-protective parents. But the kids knew the score, if you were looking for a real shock, forget Frankenstein and Dracula and put on a Disney movie.
Walt Disney’s assault on our nervous systems began in 1937 with the story of a bloodthirsty crone bent on removing the heart of her trusting rival—that feel-good fable was followed by the huntsman who murdered Bambi’s mom, and the demon-fueled bacchanal in 1940’s Fantasia. Uncle Walt’s reign of terror reached its apex with another kind of mad monster party in 1959’s Darby O’Gill and the Little People—a full moon parade of green-eyed goblins...
- 5/31/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Are you ready for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious trip down memory lane? Because right now, in honor of Dick Van Dyke's 96th (!) birthday Dec. 13, we're looking back on a true classic: Mary Poppins. Produced by Walt Disney and directed by Robert Stevenson, the 1964 movie—also starring Julie Andrews—follows the story of a magical nanny who brings music and adventure to two neglected children in London. And, 50+ year old spoiler alert: Her efforts end up bringing them closer to their father. Disney's movie, based on the books by P.L Travers' and adapted for the big screen by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, naturally...
- 12/13/2021
- E! Online
Despite the proliferation of streaming services, it’s becoming increasingly clear that any cinephile only needs subscriptions to a few to survive. Among the top of our list are The Criterion Channel and Mubi and now they’ve each unveiled their stellar April line-ups.
Over at The Criterion Channel, highlights include spotlights on Ennio Morricone, the Marx Brothers, Isabel Sandoval, and Ramin Bahrani, plus Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, Frank Borzage’s Moonrise, the brand-new restoration of Joyce Chopra’s Smooth Talk, and one of last year’s best films, David Osit’s Mayor.
At Mubi (where we’re offering a 30-day trial), they’ll have the exclusive streaming premiere of two of the finest festival films from last year’s circuit, Cristi Puiu’s Malmkrog and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Labyrinth of Cinema, plus Philippe Garrel’s latest The Salt of Tears, along with films from Terry Gilliam, George A. Romero,...
Over at The Criterion Channel, highlights include spotlights on Ennio Morricone, the Marx Brothers, Isabel Sandoval, and Ramin Bahrani, plus Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, Frank Borzage’s Moonrise, the brand-new restoration of Joyce Chopra’s Smooth Talk, and one of last year’s best films, David Osit’s Mayor.
At Mubi (where we’re offering a 30-day trial), they’ll have the exclusive streaming premiere of two of the finest festival films from last year’s circuit, Cristi Puiu’s Malmkrog and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Labyrinth of Cinema, plus Philippe Garrel’s latest The Salt of Tears, along with films from Terry Gilliam, George A. Romero,...
- 3/26/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Sean Connery, one of the truly iconic actors of Hollywood, died overnight in the Bahamas at the age of 90. No cause of death was announced.
The Scottish actor’s career spanned five-decades in which he played a wide range of unforgettable characters, many of them iconic on their own. But he will always be known as the first, best and most recognizable actor to play the British Spy with the license to kill, James Bond. He played Agent 007 in seven movies, beginning with the first James Bond movie Dr. No in 1962.
But Connery was no mere espionage agent, and he certainly wasn’t secret. Connery starred opposite Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1964 film Marnie. He stood out in a crowded all-star cast in Murder on the Orient Express from 1974. He escaped Alcatraz in The Rock (1996), defected to the United States in The Hunt for Red October, saved the day...
The Scottish actor’s career spanned five-decades in which he played a wide range of unforgettable characters, many of them iconic on their own. But he will always be known as the first, best and most recognizable actor to play the British Spy with the license to kill, James Bond. He played Agent 007 in seven movies, beginning with the first James Bond movie Dr. No in 1962.
But Connery was no mere espionage agent, and he certainly wasn’t secret. Connery starred opposite Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1964 film Marnie. He stood out in a crowded all-star cast in Murder on the Orient Express from 1974. He escaped Alcatraz in The Rock (1996), defected to the United States in The Hunt for Red October, saved the day...
- 10/31/2020
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
The Library of Congress has unveiled its annual selection of 25 films added to the National Film Registry, with an unprecedented seven titles directed by women, the most in a single year since the inaugural registry in 1989. (Scroll down for the full list.)
Among those making the cut for 2019 are Kimberly Peirce’s 1999 Oscar winner Boys Don’t Cry; Greta Schiller’s 1984 documentary Before Stonewall; Claudia Weill’s 1978 Girlfriends; Gunvor Nelson’s 1969 avant-garde pic My Name Is Oona; Elaine May’s A New Leaf, which in 1971 made her the first woman to write, direct and star in a major American studio feature; the 2002 indie Real Women Have Curves, directed by Patricia Cardoso; and Madeline Anderson’s 1970 I Am Somebody, which is considered the first documentary on civil rights directed by a woman of color.
Also notably added to the Film Registry are such classics as George Cukor’s 1944 Gaslight, which won...
Among those making the cut for 2019 are Kimberly Peirce’s 1999 Oscar winner Boys Don’t Cry; Greta Schiller’s 1984 documentary Before Stonewall; Claudia Weill’s 1978 Girlfriends; Gunvor Nelson’s 1969 avant-garde pic My Name Is Oona; Elaine May’s A New Leaf, which in 1971 made her the first woman to write, direct and star in a major American studio feature; the 2002 indie Real Women Have Curves, directed by Patricia Cardoso; and Madeline Anderson’s 1970 I Am Somebody, which is considered the first documentary on civil rights directed by a woman of color.
Also notably added to the Film Registry are such classics as George Cukor’s 1944 Gaslight, which won...
- 12/11/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicki Minaj has cancelled her upcoming performance at the Jeddah World Fest in Saudia Arabia in an effort to show support for women’s and Lgbtq rights.
“After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest. While I want nothing more than to bring my show to fans in Saudi Arabia, after better educating myself on the issues, I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the Lgbtq community and freedom of expression,” Minaj told The Associated Press Tuesday.
Reps for Minaj and the Jeddah World Fest did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
The festival takes place July 18 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium near the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Minaj was set to headline along with Liam Payne, Steve Aoki and R3 Wire & Varski. It...
“After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest. While I want nothing more than to bring my show to fans in Saudi Arabia, after better educating myself on the issues, I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the Lgbtq community and freedom of expression,” Minaj told The Associated Press Tuesday.
Reps for Minaj and the Jeddah World Fest did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
The festival takes place July 18 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium near the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Minaj was set to headline along with Liam Payne, Steve Aoki and R3 Wire & Varski. It...
- 7/9/2019
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
Deserting a festival’s official competition for a thematic retrospective can feel somewhat awkward, especially at an extravaganza so rich in new voices as the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr). Yet the decision proved most fruitful with “The Spying Thing,” a sidebar Iffr devoted to “espionage as a way of filming and the camera as a spying weapon.” A 21-strong lineup offered timeless classics as well as some of the world cinema's latest offerings (László Nemes’ Sunset and Yoon Jong-bin’s The Spy Gone North). Yet “The Spying Thing” started—according to Gustavo Beck, who co-curated it alongside Gerwin Tamsma—with the second of Mariano Llinás’ monumental 3-part, 14-hour epic La Flor. I shall not attempt to dwell into Llinás’ opus magnum—Ross McDonnell already did an egregious job for the Notebook reviewing it at its Locarno premiere last August. Suffice it to say that La Flor’s second chapter...
- 2/25/2019
- MUBI
When Rob Marshall took on the follow-up to Disney’s beloved behemoth Mary Poppins, it seemed a natural fit for the Oscar-winning Chicago director who’s long upheld the value of musical film. But with over 50 years between the Robert Stevenson-directed original and Mary Poppins Returns, Marshall had his work cut out in crafting an elegant homage to an iconic national treasure of cinema. Having always envisaged Emily Blunt in the lead role, and falling hard for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, Marshall harnessed their talents to create a fresh, standalone feel that would appeal to all ages–including all those who’d adored the original.
Here he explains how he pulled it off, from the first step of finding a new story that would seamlessly bring the magical nanny back to the Banks family.
What was your experience of watching Mary Poppins as a child? Did everyone’s fond...
Here he explains how he pulled it off, from the first step of finding a new story that would seamlessly bring the magical nanny back to the Banks family.
What was your experience of watching Mary Poppins as a child? Did everyone’s fond...
- 1/8/2019
- by Joe Utichi
- Deadline Film + TV
Though long embraced by parents as family-friendly safe zones, Disney’s live action films were just as often called out for their squeaky clean posturing and regressive world views.
Fair enough – but as Noah Cross growled, “Politicians, ugly buildings and whores all get respectable if they last long enough” – and a good number of those mild-mannered entertainments, while not exactly ready for the arthouse, are at least worthy of a second look.
Disney Movie Club has released some of those Baby Boomer perennials in sterling Blu ray transfers – unfortunately available to club members only. Here’s part one in a rundown of the more tantalizing items.
Treasure Island, Davy Crockett,
Old Yeller, Pollyanna
Blu ray
Disney Movie Club
1950, ‘55, ‘56, ‘57, ‘60 / 1. 33:1, 1.85:1 / 96, 93, 81, 83, 134 Min.
Starring Robert Newton, Dorothy McGuire, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker
Cinematography by Freddie Young, Charles P. Boyle, Russell Harlan
Directed by Byron Haskin, Robert Stevenson, David Swift
Treasure Island – 1950
Thanks...
Fair enough – but as Noah Cross growled, “Politicians, ugly buildings and whores all get respectable if they last long enough” – and a good number of those mild-mannered entertainments, while not exactly ready for the arthouse, are at least worthy of a second look.
Disney Movie Club has released some of those Baby Boomer perennials in sterling Blu ray transfers – unfortunately available to club members only. Here’s part one in a rundown of the more tantalizing items.
Treasure Island, Davy Crockett,
Old Yeller, Pollyanna
Blu ray
Disney Movie Club
1950, ‘55, ‘56, ‘57, ‘60 / 1. 33:1, 1.85:1 / 96, 93, 81, 83, 134 Min.
Starring Robert Newton, Dorothy McGuire, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker
Cinematography by Freddie Young, Charles P. Boyle, Russell Harlan
Directed by Byron Haskin, Robert Stevenson, David Swift
Treasure Island – 1950
Thanks...
- 12/25/2018
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Dick Van Dyke isn’t the only star of the classic 1964 Walt Disney musical fantasy “Mary Poppins” who appears in the current sequel “Mary Poppins Returns,” which stars Emily Blunt taking over from Julie Andrews as the practically perfect nanny. Karen Dotrice, who played Jane Banks in the original film, has a cameo as a woman walking down Cherry Tree Lane and asks grown-up Jane (Emily Mortimer) for directions.
Dotrice, 63 and the mother of three, is the daughter of the late British acting couple, Kay and Roy Dotrice. She made her acting debut on the London stage as a four-year-old in “The Caucasian Chalk Circle,” which starred her godfather, the legendary Charles Laughton. And it just so happened a casting director looking for a little girl to star in Disney’s 1964 “The Three Lives of Thomasina” caught her performance. And soon she was making the movie with Matthew Garber, who...
Dotrice, 63 and the mother of three, is the daughter of the late British acting couple, Kay and Roy Dotrice. She made her acting debut on the London stage as a four-year-old in “The Caucasian Chalk Circle,” which starred her godfather, the legendary Charles Laughton. And it just so happened a casting director looking for a little girl to star in Disney’s 1964 “The Three Lives of Thomasina” caught her performance. And soon she was making the movie with Matthew Garber, who...
- 12/24/2018
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
It was always going to be hard to watch for a diehard Poppins fan, but this sequel to the 1964 classic retains the magic
For decades, I’ve been insisting that Mary Poppins is one of the 10 greatest movies ever made. Despite having watched it 100 times or more, each viewing of Disney’s 1964 masterpiece still reveals something new. Robert Stevenson’s film (from Pl Travers’s stories) touched me deeply as a child, and affected me even more profoundly as a father. Just listening to the soundtrack still reduces me to floods of joyful tears.
So it was with some trepidation that I approached Mary Poppins Returns, a late-in-the-day sequel wherein Emily Blunt steps into those magically out-turned shoes and comes down once more from the Lovely London Sky. The creator of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, plays Jack, the lovable lamplighter, who fills the role previously occupied by Dick Van Dyke’s everyman,...
For decades, I’ve been insisting that Mary Poppins is one of the 10 greatest movies ever made. Despite having watched it 100 times or more, each viewing of Disney’s 1964 masterpiece still reveals something new. Robert Stevenson’s film (from Pl Travers’s stories) touched me deeply as a child, and affected me even more profoundly as a father. Just listening to the soundtrack still reduces me to floods of joyful tears.
So it was with some trepidation that I approached Mary Poppins Returns, a late-in-the-day sequel wherein Emily Blunt steps into those magically out-turned shoes and comes down once more from the Lovely London Sky. The creator of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, plays Jack, the lovable lamplighter, who fills the role previously occupied by Dick Van Dyke’s everyman,...
- 12/23/2018
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
The production designer of Mary Poppins Returns—Disney’s follow-up to a 1964 musical classic—John Myhre knew about the project for at least 10 years, sitting for a long time with the responsibility and opportunity in taking this film on. Discussing it with Marshall on the set of 2009 musical Nine, following collaborations on Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha, Myhre knew he would have to strike a balance between reality and fantasy, between faithful homage to one of the most beloved films of all time, and the breaking of new ground. Set 20 years after Robert Stevenson’s original, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins Returns picks back up with the Banks children of Cherry Tree Lane, who are now grown up. As Michael (Ben Whishaw) grapples with the loss of his wife and the troubles of the Great Slump, Mary Poppins returns just in time, introducing a new...
- 12/19/2018
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Mary Poppins Returns can’t possibly be expected to transcend its historical foundation. It’s been over half a century since the Disney original seeped its way into the collective consciousness. Julie Andrews is all but synonymous with the stern, yet cheerful magical nanny. Songs like “Spoonful of Sugar,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” and other Sherman Brothers’ creations are now musical standards. Hence, any long-in-the-making, Disney-stamped sequel will inevitably be forced to pay homage to the original and re-introduce the concept of Mary Poppins to a new generation. Mary Poppins Returns serves too many cultural and financial masters to be its own beast, so it’s forced to make space in a middle ground circumscribed by nostalgia.
While that’s not necessarily a deal breaker, director Rob Marshall and screenwriter David Magee don’t help matters by tying the film to its predecessor in almost every way imaginable. It’s one thing for...
While that’s not necessarily a deal breaker, director Rob Marshall and screenwriter David Magee don’t help matters by tying the film to its predecessor in almost every way imaginable. It’s one thing for...
- 12/14/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Mary Poppins is finally making her triumphant return from the sky on December 19, 2018 in the aptly named “Mary Poppins Returns,” a full 54 years after the 1964 version. The original “Mary Poppins” scored a practically perfect 13 nominations at the Oscars with five wins, including Best Actress for Julie Andrews. If the glowing reactions from those who have attended early screenings of “Mary Poppins Returns” are any indication, the sequel could come pretty close to, or even match, that nomination total at the upcoming 91st Oscars.
SEEGolden Globes 2019 nominations: ‘Vice leads with 6, ‘A Star is Born,’ ‘The Favourite’ and ‘Green Book’ at 5 each
“Mary Poppins” earned 13 Oscar nominations at the 37th annual ceremony: Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Stevenson, Best Actress for Andrews, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Adaptation Score and Best Original Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee.
SEEGolden Globes 2019 nominations: ‘Vice leads with 6, ‘A Star is Born,’ ‘The Favourite’ and ‘Green Book’ at 5 each
“Mary Poppins” earned 13 Oscar nominations at the 37th annual ceremony: Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Stevenson, Best Actress for Andrews, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Adaptation Score and Best Original Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee.
- 12/11/2018
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
For Rob Marshall, the road to “Mary Poppins Returns” began in 1964 when the original Disney classic was released. “It was the first film I saw as a child,” he explains. “It introduced me to this world of film in an incredible way.” Despite revisiting it several times, “I never quite imagined that it would fall in my lap as a sequel 54 years later.” Watch our exclusive video interview with Marshall above.
In this long-awaited followup, the title nanny (Emily Blunt) is back to help the Banks brood — the now grownup children Michael and Jane, along with Michael’s three kids — through a time of hardship and teach them some valuable life lessons with the help of a little magic and some new catchy songs.
SEEEmily Blunt (‘Mary Poppins Returns’): ‘There’s room for more magic’ 54 years after the original film [Exclusive Video Interview]
Given his attachment to the material, Marshall was “daunted...
In this long-awaited followup, the title nanny (Emily Blunt) is back to help the Banks brood — the now grownup children Michael and Jane, along with Michael’s three kids — through a time of hardship and teach them some valuable life lessons with the help of a little magic and some new catchy songs.
SEEEmily Blunt (‘Mary Poppins Returns’): ‘There’s room for more magic’ 54 years after the original film [Exclusive Video Interview]
Given his attachment to the material, Marshall was “daunted...
- 12/7/2018
- by Chris Beachum and Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
Above: Italian personality poster for Hedy Lamarr. Art by Sergio Gargiulo.Once promoted as “Hollywood’s No. 1 Glamour Girl,” Hedy Lamar (1914-2000) was much more than a pretty face, as the new documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story gloriously attests. Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Austria, Lamarr was catapulted to fame as the star of the scandalous 1933 Czech import Ecstasy, in which she appeared nude (and ecstatic). In America she became one of the biggest stars of the 1940s, often called the most beautiful woman in Hollywood, a designation she thought of as a curse. But she was also blessed with a curious and inventive mind. As an amateur inventor she pioneered what is known as “frequency hopping” during World War II to prevent the Nazis jamming Allied torpedoes, a technology which has become the basis of Bluetooth and Wi-fi. With that in mind, it might seem perverse to...
- 11/24/2017
- MUBI
Production on Mary Poppins Returns, the all new sequel to Disney’s 1964 film “Mary Poppins,” has commenced at Shepperton Studios.
The film, which stars Emily Blunt (“The Girl on the Train,” “Into the Woods”) and Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”) and is directed and produced by Oscar nominee, Emmy and DGA Award winner Rob Marshall (“Into the Woods,” “Chicago”), is scheduled for release December 25, 2018.
The film also stars: Ben Whishaw (“Spectre”), Emily Mortimer (“Hugo”) and Julie Walters (“Harry Potter” films) with Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech”) and Meryl Streep (“Florence Foster Jenkins”).
In addition, Dick Van Dyke plays Mr. Dawes Jr., the chairman of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, which is now run by William Weatherall Wilkins (Firth).
Mary Poppins Returns introduces three new Banks children, played by Pixie Davies (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”), Nathanael Saleh (“Game of Thrones”) and newcomer Joel Dawson.
The film, which stars Emily Blunt (“The Girl on the Train,” “Into the Woods”) and Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”) and is directed and produced by Oscar nominee, Emmy and DGA Award winner Rob Marshall (“Into the Woods,” “Chicago”), is scheduled for release December 25, 2018.
The film also stars: Ben Whishaw (“Spectre”), Emily Mortimer (“Hugo”) and Julie Walters (“Harry Potter” films) with Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech”) and Meryl Streep (“Florence Foster Jenkins”).
In addition, Dick Van Dyke plays Mr. Dawes Jr., the chairman of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, which is now run by William Weatherall Wilkins (Firth).
Mary Poppins Returns introduces three new Banks children, played by Pixie Davies (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”), Nathanael Saleh (“Game of Thrones”) and newcomer Joel Dawson.
- 2/10/2017
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
For all of the hustle and bustle swirling around Disney’s slate of live-action fairytales, the Mouse House has spent the past 12 months quietly piecing together Mary Poppins Returns, the follow-up to Robert Stevenson’s 1964 family classic.
Unlike, say, next month’s Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins Returns is very much designed as a sequel to the first, as opposed to an out-and-out remake, with Emily Blunt’s magical nanny poised to pay a visit to the Banks family in 1930s London. Indeed, Blunt is just one of a handful of Hollywood A-listers on board for the 2018 movie, and just as filming gets underway in the English capital, Disney has now revealed the full ensemble cast.
Buoyed by the landmark success of his Broadway hit Hamilton – not to mention musical contributions to the likes of Moana – Lin-Manuel Miranda will play the part of sprightly lamplighter Jack. Elsewhere, Spectre‘s...
Unlike, say, next month’s Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins Returns is very much designed as a sequel to the first, as opposed to an out-and-out remake, with Emily Blunt’s magical nanny poised to pay a visit to the Banks family in 1930s London. Indeed, Blunt is just one of a handful of Hollywood A-listers on board for the 2018 movie, and just as filming gets underway in the English capital, Disney has now revealed the full ensemble cast.
Buoyed by the landmark success of his Broadway hit Hamilton – not to mention musical contributions to the likes of Moana – Lin-Manuel Miranda will play the part of sprightly lamplighter Jack. Elsewhere, Spectre‘s...
- 2/10/2017
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Golden Globe Award® winner Emily Blunt (“Into the Woods,” the upcoming “Girl on the Train”) and Emmy®, Grammy®, Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “In the Heights”) are set to star in Mary Poppins Returns, a sequel to the studio’s 1964 classic, Mary Poppins, which will be released on December 25, 2018.
Reuniting the director and producing team behind Disney’s hit film musical Into The Woods, the film will be directed by Oscar® nominee, Emmy® and DGA Award winner Rob Marshall and produced by Marshall, Emmy winner and Golden Globe® nominee John DeLuca and Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award® nominee and Golden Globe winner Marc Platt. The screenplay will be written by Oscar nominee David Magee based on The Mary Poppins Stories by P.L. Travers, with Oscar nominee and Tony Award winner Marc Shaiman composing an all-new score and Shaiman and Emmy nominee and Tony Award winner Scott Wittman writing original songs.
Reuniting the director and producing team behind Disney’s hit film musical Into The Woods, the film will be directed by Oscar® nominee, Emmy® and DGA Award winner Rob Marshall and produced by Marshall, Emmy winner and Golden Globe® nominee John DeLuca and Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award® nominee and Golden Globe winner Marc Platt. The screenplay will be written by Oscar nominee David Magee based on The Mary Poppins Stories by P.L. Travers, with Oscar nominee and Tony Award winner Marc Shaiman composing an all-new score and Shaiman and Emmy nominee and Tony Award winner Scott Wittman writing original songs.
- 5/31/2016
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Disney has made it official: Emily Blunt and Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda will star in Mary Poppins Returns, a sequel to the 1964 classic film Mary Poppins, and Rob Marshall (Chicago) is directing. The film has a release date of December 25, 2018.
When Miranda's name surfaced as a possible co-star, there was some discussion about whether or not he'd contribute to the music of the movie as well as acting in it. That doesn't appear to be the case, because the press release doesn't mention anything about it; if he was helping out in the music department, I'd assume Disney would want to broadcast that as loudly as possible in order to capitalize on the crazy success of Hamilton.
December of 2018 is shaping up to be a busy movie season. DC has an untitled event film scheduled for that Christmas, Lord & Miller's animated Spider-Man hits on December 21, there's an Avatar sequel arriving around that time,...
When Miranda's name surfaced as a possible co-star, there was some discussion about whether or not he'd contribute to the music of the movie as well as acting in it. That doesn't appear to be the case, because the press release doesn't mention anything about it; if he was helping out in the music department, I'd assume Disney would want to broadcast that as loudly as possible in order to capitalize on the crazy success of Hamilton.
December of 2018 is shaping up to be a busy movie season. DC has an untitled event film scheduled for that Christmas, Lord & Miller's animated Spider-Man hits on December 21, there's an Avatar sequel arriving around that time,...
- 5/31/2016
- by Ben Pearson
- GeekTyrant
This horror almost-classic has Christopher Lee and great atmosphere. Keep a sharp lookout for All Them Witches: they're not easy to spot... if you're as unobservant as Venetia Stevenson's sexy grad student. Were she studying sharks, this girl would wrap herself in fresh meat and jump into the middle of a mess of 'em. The City of the Dead Blu-ray Vci 1960 / B&W /1:78 widescreen / 78 min. / Horror Hotel / Street Date March 29, 2016 / 24.99 Starring Patricia Jessel, Dennis Lotis, Christopher Lee, Tom Naylor, Betta St. John, Venetia Stevenson, Valentine Dyall, Ann Beach, Norman Macowan. Cinematography Desmond Dickinson Production Designer John Blezard Film Editor John Pomeroy Original Music Douglas Gamley, Kenneth V. Jones Written by George Baxt from a story by Milton Subotsky Produced by Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky, Donald Taylor Directed by John Moxey
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Interest has been high for Vci's new The City of the Dead, a movie...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Interest has been high for Vci's new The City of the Dead, a movie...
- 4/9/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Above: 1965 Czech poster for Three Fables of Love (Blasetti, Bromberger, Clair, Berlanga, Italy/Spain, 1962). Designer: Karel Teissig.Two events provoked this article. First of all, last week I saw the wonderful 1963 Czech fable The Cassandra Cat (a.k.a. When the Cat Comes) at New York’s newest cinephile hotspot, the Metrograph. In this charming New Wave satire a cat wearing dark glasses is brought into a small town by a circus troupe and, when his glasses are removed, the townspeople are revealed in their true colors: namely neon shades of purple, yellow and pink, each representing their vices or virtues. The highlight of the film for me, aside from a psychedelic freak-out dance party in the middle of the film, comes when all the children of the town march through the street bearing large drawings of cats. Chris Marker would have loved this film.The second event was the...
- 3/30/2016
- by Adrian Curry
- MUBI
Rob Leane Simon Brew Nov 1, 2016
Disney adds Snow White and Mulan to its list of live action takes on its animated features...
You’ve probably noticed the influx of live action fairytales gracing cinemas in recent years. This isn’t about to stop any time soon, since re-spinning a recognisable fantastical yarn with real people instead of animated ones always makes big money for the studio behind it.
See related Crazyhead episode 2 review: A Pine Fresh Scent Crazyhead episode 1 review: A Very Trippy Horse Buffy The Vampire Slayer: an episode roadmap for beginners Wolfblood: Buffy for the Cbbc generation
This process has become so popular that there are currently more of these live action fairytales in production than Marvel Studios, DC Entertainment or Star Wars movies. That’s a lot of films.
We've recently learned that two movies based on or around Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs are now in development at Disney.
Disney adds Snow White and Mulan to its list of live action takes on its animated features...
You’ve probably noticed the influx of live action fairytales gracing cinemas in recent years. This isn’t about to stop any time soon, since re-spinning a recognisable fantastical yarn with real people instead of animated ones always makes big money for the studio behind it.
See related Crazyhead episode 2 review: A Pine Fresh Scent Crazyhead episode 1 review: A Very Trippy Horse Buffy The Vampire Slayer: an episode roadmap for beginners Wolfblood: Buffy for the Cbbc generation
This process has become so popular that there are currently more of these live action fairytales in production than Marvel Studios, DC Entertainment or Star Wars movies. That’s a lot of films.
We've recently learned that two movies based on or around Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs are now in development at Disney.
- 1/21/2016
- Den of Geek
facebook
twitter
google+
When to expect all the upcoming live action fairytale movies, including Dumbo, Beauty And The Beast and two Jungle Books…
You’ve probably noticed the influx of live action fairytales gracing cinemas in recent years. This isn’t about to stop any time soon, since re-spinning a recognisable fantastical yarn with real people instead of animated ones always makes big money for the studio behind it.
This process has become so popular that there are currently more of these live action fairytales in production than Marvel Studios, DC Entertainment or Star Wars movies. That’s a lot of films. (A whopping 21 by our count.)
Although it wadsn’t the first movie of this kind, Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland – and its worldwide gross of over a billion dollars – can surely take the credit for kick-starting this trend. Here are all the in-development movies trying to repeat its success,...
google+
When to expect all the upcoming live action fairytale movies, including Dumbo, Beauty And The Beast and two Jungle Books…
You’ve probably noticed the influx of live action fairytales gracing cinemas in recent years. This isn’t about to stop any time soon, since re-spinning a recognisable fantastical yarn with real people instead of animated ones always makes big money for the studio behind it.
This process has become so popular that there are currently more of these live action fairytales in production than Marvel Studios, DC Entertainment or Star Wars movies. That’s a lot of films. (A whopping 21 by our count.)
Although it wadsn’t the first movie of this kind, Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland – and its worldwide gross of over a billion dollars – can surely take the credit for kick-starting this trend. Here are all the in-development movies trying to repeat its success,...
- 1/21/2016
- by rleane
- Den of Geek
Chicago – Television has changed so much in the last generation that it’s hard to imagine a time of only three networks and a limited number of shows premiering every fall. But in the 1970s there were two such TV series, “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries,” starring Parker Stevenson, and “What’s Happening!!,” starring Ernest Thomas. They both made appearances at the “Hollywood Show” in Chicagoland.
The “Hollywood Show” is an event in which fans can mingle, take photographs and get autographs from the celebrities who appear there, and takes place in Chicago, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The next session will take place in Los Angeles on January 8th-10th, 2016. For complete details and ticket purchase information, click here.
Parker Stevenson of “The Hardy Boys,” “Baywatch,” “Stroker Ace”
Parker Stevenson at the “Hollywood Show’ Chicago
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
Parker Stevenson began...
The “Hollywood Show” is an event in which fans can mingle, take photographs and get autographs from the celebrities who appear there, and takes place in Chicago, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The next session will take place in Los Angeles on January 8th-10th, 2016. For complete details and ticket purchase information, click here.
Parker Stevenson of “The Hardy Boys,” “Baywatch,” “Stroker Ace”
Parker Stevenson at the “Hollywood Show’ Chicago
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
Parker Stevenson began...
- 1/2/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Originally titled The Man Who Changed His Mind, this nimble and witty British film about a scientist specializing in mind transferals deserves a much bigger audience. Robert Stevenson directs in an energetic style that belies the occasionally stage bound work found in his later studio blockbusters and a premium band of screenwriters, including John Balderston (Bride of Frankenstein) and Sidney Gilliat (The Lady Vanishes) serve up an ingenious script that explores the unexpected pitfalls of mind-swapping. Boris Karloff, happy to be on home turf with such talented colleagues, gives a typically committed and entertainingly ominous performance as the beetle-browed brain swapper. Co-star Anna Lee was the director’s wife at the time.
- 11/23/2015
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Dean Jones: Actor in Disney movies. Dean Jones dead at 84: Actor in Disney movies 'The Love Bug,' 'That Darn Cat!' Dean Jones, best known for playing befuddled heroes in 1960s Walt Disney movies such as That Darn Cat! and The Love Bug, died of complications from Parkinson's disease on Tue., Sept. 1, '15, in Los Angeles. Jones (born on Jan. 25, 1931, in Decatur, Alabama) was 84. Dean Jones movies Dean Jones began his Hollywood career in the mid-'50s, when he was featured in bit parts – at times uncredited – in a handful of films at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer In 2009 interview for Christianity Today, Jones recalled playing his first scene (in These Wilder Years) with veteran James Cagney, who told him “Walk to your mark and remember your lines” – supposedly a lesson he would take to heart. At MGM, bit player Jones would also be featured in Robert Wise's...
- 9/2/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Debbie Reynolds ca. early 1950s. Debbie Reynolds movies: Oscar nominee for 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown,' sweetness and light in phony 'The Singing Nun' Debbie Reynolds is Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” star today, Aug. 23, '15. An MGM contract player from 1950 to 1959, Reynolds' movies can be seen just about every week on TCM. The only premiere on Debbie Reynolds Day is Jerry Paris' lively marital comedy How Sweet It Is (1968), costarring James Garner. This evening, TCM is showing Divorce American Style, The Catered Affair, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and The Singing Nun. 'Divorce American Style,' 'The Catered Affair' Directed by the recently deceased Bud Yorkin, Divorce American Style (1967) is notable for its cast – Reynolds, Dick Van Dyke, Jean Simmons, Jason Robards, Van Johnson, Lee Grant – and for the fact that it earned Norman Lear (screenplay) and Robert Kaufman (story) a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award nomination.
- 8/24/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Robert Mitchum ca. late 1940s. Robert Mitchum movies 'The Yakuza,' 'Ryan's Daughter' on TCM Today, Aug. 12, '15, Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” series is highlighting the career of Robert Mitchum. Two of the films being shown this evening are The Yakuza and Ryan's Daughter. The former is one of the disappointingly few TCM premieres this month. (See TCM's Robert Mitchum movie schedule further below.) Despite his film noir background, Robert Mitchum was a somewhat unusual choice to star in The Yakuza (1975), a crime thriller set in the Japanese underworld. Ryan's Daughter or no, Mitchum hadn't been a box office draw in quite some time; in the mid-'70s, one would have expected a Warner Bros. release directed by Sydney Pollack – who had recently handled the likes of Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand, and Robert Redford – to star someone like Jack Nicholson or Al Pacino or Dustin Hoffman.
- 8/13/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...
- 6/19/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Teresa Wright and Matt Damon in 'The Rainmaker' Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright vs. Samuel Goldwyn: Nasty Falling Out.") "I'd rather have luck than brains!" Teresa Wright was quoted as saying in the early 1950s. That's understandable, considering her post-Samuel Goldwyn choice of movie roles, some of which may have seemed promising on paper.[1] Wright was Marlon Brando's first Hollywood leading lady, but that didn't help her to bounce back following the very public spat with her former boss. After all, The Men was released before Elia Kazan's film version of A Streetcar Named Desire turned Brando into a major international star. Chances are that good film offers were scarce. After Wright's brief 1950 comeback, for the third time in less than a decade she would be gone from the big screen for more than a year.
- 3/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Teresa Wright-Samuel Goldwyn association comes to a nasty end (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright in 'Shadow of a Doubt': Alfred Hitchcock Heroine in His Favorite Film.") Whether or not because she was aware that Enchantment wasn't going to be the hit she needed – or perhaps some other disagreement with Samuel Goldwyn or personal issue with husband Niven Busch – Teresa Wright, claiming illness, refused to go to New York City to promote the film. (Top image: Teresa Wright in a publicity shot for The Men.) Goldwyn had previously announced that Wright, whose contract still had another four and half years to run, was to star in a film version of J.D. Salinger's 1948 short story "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut." Instead, he unceremoniously – and quite publicly – fired her.[1] The Goldwyn organization issued a statement, explaining that besides refusing the assignment to travel to New York to help generate pre-opening publicity for Enchantment,...
- 3/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Hedy Lamarr: 'Invention' and inventor on Turner Classic Movies (photo: Hedy Lamarr publicity shot ca. early '40s) Two Hedy Lamarr movies released during her heyday in the early '40s — Victor Fleming's Tortilla Flat (1942), co-starring Spencer Tracy and John Garfield, and King Vidor's H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941), co-starring Robert Young and Ruth Hussey — will be broadcast on Turner Classic Movies on Wednesday, November 12, 2014, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Pt, respectively. Best known as a glamorous Hollywood star (Ziegfeld Girl, White Cargo, Samson and Delilah), the Viennese-born Lamarr (née Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler), who would have turned 100 on November 9, was also an inventor: she co-developed and patented with composer George Antheil the concept of frequency hopping, currently known as spread-spectrum communications (or "spread-spectrum broadcasting"), which ultimately led to the evolution of wireless technology. (More on the George Antheil and Hedy Lamarr invention further below.) Somewhat ironically,...
- 11/2/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Have you ever wondered what are the films that inspire the next generation of visionary filmmakers? As part of our monthly Ioncinephile profile (read this September), we ask the filmmaker the incredibly arduous task of identifying their top ten list of favorite films. Craig Johnson (who sees his The Skeleton Twins receive its theatrical release on September 12th) put together this top 10 (as of September 2014).
Carrie - Brian De Palma (1976)
“Freaky, funny, arty, beautiful, … and fucking scary. Sissy Spacek breaks your heart. And that seventies split screen action? Badass. This movie delivers on all levels at all times.”
Election – Alexander Payne (1999)
“Every moment of this movie rings true. Painfully funny, painfully smart and so perfectly constructed. My sister and I quote it whenever we see each other. Might be a perfect film.”
The Graduate – Mike Nichols (1967)
“The look on Mrs. Robinson’s face when Benjamin leaves her in the hallway.
Carrie - Brian De Palma (1976)
“Freaky, funny, arty, beautiful, … and fucking scary. Sissy Spacek breaks your heart. And that seventies split screen action? Badass. This movie delivers on all levels at all times.”
Election – Alexander Payne (1999)
“Every moment of this movie rings true. Painfully funny, painfully smart and so perfectly constructed. My sister and I quote it whenever we see each other. Might be a perfect film.”
The Graduate – Mike Nichols (1967)
“The look on Mrs. Robinson’s face when Benjamin leaves her in the hallway.
- 9/7/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Fifty years ago this month, Mary Poppins chim-chim-cher-ee'd its way into cinemas. The sugary sweet spectacular was rapturously received by cinemagoers of the era and audiences are still in love with the magical movie more than half a century on from its original release.
You’ve probably watched the film a hundred times. You might even know all of the words to "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." But in celebration of Mary Poppins’ fiftieth anniversary here are ten fun things that you might not know about the movie.
It took Walt Disney more than 20 years to acquire the rights After his daughters fell in love with the books Walt Disney promised he’d adapt P.L Travers’ hit story for the silver screen. However, convincing the notoriously sceptical author proved harder than he could have ever imagined and after first pursuing the project in 1938 it took more than twenty years for Disney to finally secure the film rights.
You’ve probably watched the film a hundred times. You might even know all of the words to "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." But in celebration of Mary Poppins’ fiftieth anniversary here are ten fun things that you might not know about the movie.
It took Walt Disney more than 20 years to acquire the rights After his daughters fell in love with the books Walt Disney promised he’d adapt P.L Travers’ hit story for the silver screen. However, convincing the notoriously sceptical author proved harder than he could have ever imagined and after first pursuing the project in 1938 it took more than twenty years for Disney to finally secure the film rights.
- 8/26/2014
- by Daniel Bettridge
- Cineplex
A slew of classic Disney movies are hitting for the first time on Blu-Ray, including one double-pack release, and you’re going to want to make sure to pick these up. You haven’t paid attention to some of these titles for a while, and it’s about time you got the chance to catch them on Blu-Ray. The best part is that there’s a great mix of releases hitting. Bedknobs and Broomsticks is all but lost in the cultural consciousness, and it deserves a return. The Academy Award-winning movie from the year I was born is filled with a lot of fun and adventure, and like most Disney films, holds up well for a whole new generation.
The rest of the group covers a great spectrum, including two animated “big” titles, and a 10th Anniversary release. There’s a lot to expose your family to here, so check out all the info below,...
The rest of the group covers a great spectrum, including two animated “big” titles, and a 10th Anniversary release. There’s a lot to expose your family to here, so check out all the info below,...
- 8/6/2014
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
There are people out there who have never seen The Princess Bride. They walk among us, holding down jobs, contributing to society, and generally living happy, semi-fulfilled lives. But whisper a perfectly-timed “mawage” in their direction during a wedding, and the resulting blank stare or awkward chuckle will expose an inconceivable pop-cultural blind spot. Someone failed them when they were growing up.
In many ways it’s too late for them, but we can still save the next generation. The 55 Essential Movies Kids Must Experience (Before They Turn 13) is a starting point. This isn’t a list of the 55 “best” kids movies,...
In many ways it’s too late for them, but we can still save the next generation. The 55 Essential Movies Kids Must Experience (Before They Turn 13) is a starting point. This isn’t a list of the 55 “best” kids movies,...
- 6/23/2014
- by EW staff
- EW.com - PopWatch
The end is here – if someone asked you what the most important movie musical of all time was, it would come from this portion of the list. Obviously, it’s all subjective, but it’s difficult to make a case against the influence of these films on our culture and the industry as a whole. So, cue the orchestra and practice your dance moves, because the closing number is here.
courtesy of rowthree.com
10. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Directed by John Badham
Signature Song: “Stayin’ Alive” (http://youtu.be/Fa9n7GirhsI)
After making a name for himself with TV’s “Welcome Back Kotter,” John Travolta became a star with 1977′s cultural landmark Saturday Night Fever, a dance musical where Travolta plays Tony Manero, a young man who works a dead-end job, but spends his weekends as the king of the dance floor at a Brooklyn disco. The soundtrack, which was...
courtesy of rowthree.com
10. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Directed by John Badham
Signature Song: “Stayin’ Alive” (http://youtu.be/Fa9n7GirhsI)
After making a name for himself with TV’s “Welcome Back Kotter,” John Travolta became a star with 1977′s cultural landmark Saturday Night Fever, a dance musical where Travolta plays Tony Manero, a young man who works a dead-end job, but spends his weekends as the king of the dance floor at a Brooklyn disco. The soundtrack, which was...
- 5/26/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Walt Disney passed away December 15, 1966, and in the decade that followed, the Walt Disney Company struggled to define itself. Should the company stay beholden to Walt and his vision, asking themselves what Walt would do, or should they take the opportunity to try something new? The decades that followed Walt’s death were a mix of trying to recreate old magic and experimenting with new genres and styles.
Good – Bedknobs and Broomsticks
In Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Disney was returning to a tried-and-true formula, one that had worked beautifully in Mary Poppins. The screenplay was based on a book series by an English children’s author, the story of a magical woman and the children under her care. Mary Poppins’ director Robert Stevenson helmed the project, which combined live action and animation. Robert and Richard Sherman, the team responsible for Mary Poppins as well as numerous other classic Disney songs, wrote the music and lyrics.
Good – Bedknobs and Broomsticks
In Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Disney was returning to a tried-and-true formula, one that had worked beautifully in Mary Poppins. The screenplay was based on a book series by an English children’s author, the story of a magical woman and the children under her care. Mary Poppins’ director Robert Stevenson helmed the project, which combined live action and animation. Robert and Richard Sherman, the team responsible for Mary Poppins as well as numerous other classic Disney songs, wrote the music and lyrics.
- 2/20/2014
- by Rachel Kolb
- SoundOnSight
The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild has announced its 2014 award nominations in 14 categories. Winners will be announced at the Guild’s awards ceremony on Saturday, February 15, 2014 at Paramount Studios. All nominations for feature films are below; the rest of the nominees, including TV, can be found on the Guild's website. Feature Length Motion Picture (Feature Films) Best Contemporary Hair Styling Unfinished SongAurora Bergere One ChanceChristine BlundellDonald Mc Innes Lee Daniels’ The ButlerCandace Neal Robert Stevenson Best Contemporary Make-up PrisonersDonald Mowat Pamela Westmore August: Osage CountyCarla White Bjoern Rehbein One ChanceChristine Blundell Donald Mc Innes Best Period And/Or Character Hair Styling: American HustleKatherine Gordon Michelle Johnson The Lone RangerGloria Pasqua Casny Jules Holdren JobsNina Paskowitz Michael Moore Best Period And/Or Character Make-up Dallas Buyers...
- 1/15/2014
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.