David’s Quick Take for the tl;dr Media Consumer:
In posting this review, I might be giving more time and thought to the merits of Beyond The Law, Norman Mailer’s second venture in pursuit of auteurist credibility, than went into the film’s original conception and construction. As the middle installment of three films that Mailer churned out in a brief dabble as a director, we have a companion piece, maybe even an evil twin, to his first effort Wild 90. That film, released in early 1967, records the imaginary, sloppily performed interplay of three seriously drunk gangsters evading the cops as they’re holed up in a dingy Brooklyn apartment. A few months later, over two nights in October ’67, Mailer and the same pals he recruited for Wild 90 (Buzz Farber and Mickey Knox) show up again for another foray into experiential improv performance art, this time as...
In posting this review, I might be giving more time and thought to the merits of Beyond The Law, Norman Mailer’s second venture in pursuit of auteurist credibility, than went into the film’s original conception and construction. As the middle installment of three films that Mailer churned out in a brief dabble as a director, we have a companion piece, maybe even an evil twin, to his first effort Wild 90. That film, released in early 1967, records the imaginary, sloppily performed interplay of three seriously drunk gangsters evading the cops as they’re holed up in a dingy Brooklyn apartment. A few months later, over two nights in October ’67, Mailer and the same pals he recruited for Wild 90 (Buzz Farber and Mickey Knox) show up again for another foray into experiential improv performance art, this time as...
- 9/11/2016
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
Mickey Knox, an actor who after he was blacklisted in Hollywood served as the English dialogue writer on two classic Sergio Leone spaghetti Westerns, died Nov. 15 in Los Angeles, his daughter Valentina said on Facebook. He was 91. Knox played Marty Parisi, one of the crime bosses who is riddled with bullets in a helicopter attack, in The Godfather: Part III (1990) and appeared in Beyond the Law and Wild 90, a pair of 1968 films directed by his onetime brother-in-law, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Norman Mailer. The Brooklyn native and World War II veteran appeared as
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- 11/21/2013
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If the end of the Hollywood system in the 1960s had one great change, it was that anyone could make a movie if they had the inspiration. Sure, there was a good chance it would only play in makeshift movie theaters in the dark corners of New York City, but thanks to today’s cinephile culture, some of these gems have been resurrected over the years, revealing wondrous time capsules. Perhaps the best case for this is the almost completely forgotten films of Norman Mailer, finally out this week in an Eclipse set from The Criterion Collection -- "Maidstone And Other Films By Norman Mailer" -- featuring his three films made in the late 1960s. Mailer himself is an interesting case; he is better known for his novels, essays, journalism, ranting, political endeavors, and a number of other things before one thinks of him as a filmmaker. In some ways,...
- 8/30/2012
- by Peter Labuza
- The Playlist
DVD Release Date: Aug. 28, 2012
Price: DVD $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Norman Mailer (l.) and Rip Torn go at it in Maidstone.
Eclipse Series 35: Maidstone and Other Films by Norman Mailer puts Mailer’s novels, essays, articles, activism and ego aside and chronicles a largely forgotten chapter of his life: His his late-1960s, headlong, kamikaze-style plunge into making experimental films.
Mailer’s rough-hewn, self-financed, largely improvised cult works all star Norman himself and feature technical assistance from cinema verité trailblazers D. A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock.
The fullest realization of his directorial efforts is undoubtedly 1970’s blustering Maidstone, wherein Mailer plays a filmmaker and presidential candidate who may be the target of an assassination attempt.
As is the case with all of Criterion’s Eclipse releases, there are no bonus features included in the collection.
Here’s a look at Maidstone and the other two movies that comprise the two-disc set:
Maidstone (1970)
Over a booze-fueled,...
Price: DVD $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Norman Mailer (l.) and Rip Torn go at it in Maidstone.
Eclipse Series 35: Maidstone and Other Films by Norman Mailer puts Mailer’s novels, essays, articles, activism and ego aside and chronicles a largely forgotten chapter of his life: His his late-1960s, headlong, kamikaze-style plunge into making experimental films.
Mailer’s rough-hewn, self-financed, largely improvised cult works all star Norman himself and feature technical assistance from cinema verité trailblazers D. A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock.
The fullest realization of his directorial efforts is undoubtedly 1970’s blustering Maidstone, wherein Mailer plays a filmmaker and presidential candidate who may be the target of an assassination attempt.
As is the case with all of Criterion’s Eclipse releases, there are no bonus features included in the collection.
Here’s a look at Maidstone and the other two movies that comprise the two-disc set:
Maidstone (1970)
Over a booze-fueled,...
- 6/18/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Long rumored and wished for, "The Game" is finally getting the special edition treatment the rest of David Fincher's films have, joining the director's "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" in The Criterion Collection. That's right, this September your wallet is going to get a little bit lighter when the refreshed film becomes available from the boutique label.
So, what are you gonna get for the dollars you drop on this? Besides a newly restored transfer, the meaty part of the extras is an audio commentary, previously only available on the Region 2 edition of the DVD, featuring Fincher, Harry Savides, Michael Douglas, screenwriters John Brancato and Michael Ferris, digital animation supervisor Richard “Dr.” Baily, production designer Jeffrey Beecroft, visual effects supervisor Kevin Haug, and visual effects producer Robyn D’Arcy. Damn. There's also an hour's worth of fresh behind-the-scenes footage and film-to-storyboard comparisons for four of the film’s major set pieces,...
So, what are you gonna get for the dollars you drop on this? Besides a newly restored transfer, the meaty part of the extras is an audio commentary, previously only available on the Region 2 edition of the DVD, featuring Fincher, Harry Savides, Michael Douglas, screenwriters John Brancato and Michael Ferris, digital animation supervisor Richard “Dr.” Baily, production designer Jeffrey Beecroft, visual effects supervisor Kevin Haug, and visual effects producer Robyn D’Arcy. Damn. There's also an hour's worth of fresh behind-the-scenes footage and film-to-storyboard comparisons for four of the film’s major set pieces,...
- 6/15/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
It's the mid-way point of the month, and Cannes or no Cannes, the Criterion Collection will do their traditional unveiling of their releases for three months down the line. After a banner July line-up, which included Jim Jarmusch, Whit Stillman and Aki Kaurismaki, could the beloved specialty top themselves for August? Well, perhaps not, but there's a few very pleasant surprises in the latest batch of announcements.
Perhaps the biggest news for cinephiles is the Criterion debut of the Dardenne Brothers, hot off their critically acclaimed new film "The Kid With The Bike." The Belgian filmakers haven't yet had a film included in the selection, but that'll change on August 14th, when both 1996's "La promesse" and 1999's "Rosetta" are released. The films will be available on both DVD & Blu-Ray, and contain new interviews, and a conversation between the filmmakers and critic Scott Foundas, as well as the usual trailers and booklets.
Perhaps the biggest news for cinephiles is the Criterion debut of the Dardenne Brothers, hot off their critically acclaimed new film "The Kid With The Bike." The Belgian filmakers haven't yet had a film included in the selection, but that'll change on August 14th, when both 1996's "La promesse" and 1999's "Rosetta" are released. The films will be available on both DVD & Blu-Ray, and contain new interviews, and a conversation between the filmmakers and critic Scott Foundas, as well as the usual trailers and booklets.
- 5/15/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
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