Robert Altman was the iconoclastic filmmaker and one of the few directors to have an adjective made out of his name. Altman’s work was not limited to films — he began his career by directing episodic television shows (winning an Emmy for directing HBO’s “Tanner ’88”), as well as mounting numerous operas and other stage productions.
But Altman’s love was truly making films. To accomplish his signature overlapping dialogue, he designed innovative sound systems on which filmmakers still rely today. His sets were always a party (some would say a bacchanal), and actors clamored to work with him. Studios, however, would regularly butt heads with Altman, who would promise them a potentially commercial genre picture, then set out to subvert the familiar genre completely. The studios would largely hate it, but his fans would eat it up. Having finally achieved success in film in his 40s, he became a middle-aged wonder boy,...
But Altman’s love was truly making films. To accomplish his signature overlapping dialogue, he designed innovative sound systems on which filmmakers still rely today. His sets were always a party (some would say a bacchanal), and actors clamored to work with him. Studios, however, would regularly butt heads with Altman, who would promise them a potentially commercial genre picture, then set out to subvert the familiar genre completely. The studios would largely hate it, but his fans would eat it up. Having finally achieved success in film in his 40s, he became a middle-aged wonder boy,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Tom O'Brien, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
"Say Anything" marked America's transition into the 1990s by sealing off the heyday of feel-good high-school rom-coms and goth rock in the '80s. It was a major and much-needed send-off that is probably still an all-time favorite among many a Gen-x-er today.
The coming-of-age hit from 20th Century Fox featured breakout stars like John Cusack and Ione Skye. Even the supporting roles were played by soon-to-be major players like Pamela Adlon or the children of mega-famous stars like Jason Gould.
But not every actor featured in the 1989 romance movie survived into 2024. Unfortunately, John Mahoney, who played Diane's hypercritical (and hypocritical) father, James Court, passed away back in 2018. The late actor was the oldest major cast member by quite a few years and was in his late 70s when he passed. Before his death, Mahoney had an incredible career in film and television — his supporting role as Martin Crane in...
The coming-of-age hit from 20th Century Fox featured breakout stars like John Cusack and Ione Skye. Even the supporting roles were played by soon-to-be major players like Pamela Adlon or the children of mega-famous stars like Jason Gould.
But not every actor featured in the 1989 romance movie survived into 2024. Unfortunately, John Mahoney, who played Diane's hypercritical (and hypocritical) father, James Court, passed away back in 2018. The late actor was the oldest major cast member by quite a few years and was in his late 70s when he passed. Before his death, Mahoney had an incredible career in film and television — his supporting role as Martin Crane in...
- 1/27/2024
- by Shae Sennett
- Slash Film
What splits the fine line between desire and expectations? Is it a thing you can see? Is it a thing you can film?
Film at Lincoln Center’s new retrospective supposes that if any of those questions have answers, they might reside in the cinema of Edward Yang. Moving from “A Rational Mind”––the title of their 2011 retrospective of Yang’s work––to “Desire/Expectations” reframes those questions to be more diffuse, less singular. A rational mind could answer in the affirmative or negative; a slash indicates that desire and expectations may occupy the same terrain simultaneously.
“A rational mind” is also, perhaps, an accusation a Yang character could lob at another, especially in A Confucian Confusion (1994), a workplace farce that subjects a “culture company” in 1990s Taipei to the contradictions of Confucian teachings. In turn (or simultaneously), the film interrogates Confucian-influenced, consumer-friendly spaces––like 1990s Taipei––to rethink old-world molds of tradition and expectation.
Film at Lincoln Center’s new retrospective supposes that if any of those questions have answers, they might reside in the cinema of Edward Yang. Moving from “A Rational Mind”––the title of their 2011 retrospective of Yang’s work––to “Desire/Expectations” reframes those questions to be more diffuse, less singular. A rational mind could answer in the affirmative or negative; a slash indicates that desire and expectations may occupy the same terrain simultaneously.
“A rational mind” is also, perhaps, an accusation a Yang character could lob at another, especially in A Confucian Confusion (1994), a workplace farce that subjects a “culture company” in 1990s Taipei to the contradictions of Confucian teachings. In turn (or simultaneously), the film interrogates Confucian-influenced, consumer-friendly spaces––like 1990s Taipei––to rethink old-world molds of tradition and expectation.
- 12/29/2023
- by Frank Falisi
- The Film Stage
At the tail end of my interview with American Fiction director Cord Jefferson, I asked him a brief question about finding the right tone for the ending of this directorial debut. Much to my surprise, he went deep into all aspects of the final moments: the extensive process of finding the right beat to conclude on, where he drew inspiration from for the meta ending, the test screening reactions, and more. With the film now out in wide release, it’s the opportune time to share this behind-the-scenes look at crafting the perfect finale.
As a refresher: Despite his desire for it not to receive recognition, Monk’s book “Fuck” wins the literary prize. At this point, Jefferson smashes to black and we cut to a new scene on the set of a new film: Plantation Annihilation, directed by Wiley (Adam Brody). Wiley and Monk are reviewing the end of...
As a refresher: Despite his desire for it not to receive recognition, Monk’s book “Fuck” wins the literary prize. At this point, Jefferson smashes to black and we cut to a new scene on the set of a new film: Plantation Annihilation, directed by Wiley (Adam Brody). Wiley and Monk are reviewing the end of...
- 12/25/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Robert Downey Jr. has quickly become the Oscars frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor for his transformative turn in Christopher Nolan‘s acclaimed biopic “Oppenheimer.” This Universal blockbuster chronicles how Cillian Murphy‘s titular scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer created the atomic bomb. Emily Blunt features as Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty, while Downey Jr. portrays his political foe Lewis Strauss. Third time should prove to be the charm for this charmer. That got us thinking about his first two Oscar races.
Downey Jr. was first nominated in 1993 for Best Actor for “Chaplin.” Another biopic, he played the titular role of the cinematic legend Charlie Chaplin. Directed by Richard Attenborough, the film recounts Chaplin’s incredible life and career from his poverty-stricken childhood to his worldwide acclaim. Downey Jr. turned in a pitch-perfect performance, nailing the accent, mannerisms, and expressions of the great man and receiving acclaim of his own along the way.
Downey Jr. was first nominated in 1993 for Best Actor for “Chaplin.” Another biopic, he played the titular role of the cinematic legend Charlie Chaplin. Directed by Richard Attenborough, the film recounts Chaplin’s incredible life and career from his poverty-stricken childhood to his worldwide acclaim. Downey Jr. turned in a pitch-perfect performance, nailing the accent, mannerisms, and expressions of the great man and receiving acclaim of his own along the way.
- 12/19/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess, Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film "A Clockwork Orange" is set in the not-too-distant future when roving British teenage gangs have mutated into bizarre, ultra-violent, morals-free hedonists who commit crimes to their hearts' content. The protagonist is Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) a 15-year-old punk who drinks drug-laced milk before taking to the street with his gang of droogs to savagely and gleefully beat and assault anyone who passes into their field of vision. Alex is eventually arrested and put into prison where the government subjects him to bizarre new rehabilitation techniques in an attempt to turn his mind away from violence.
Throughout, Alex is depicted as clearly beyond redemption. He has no compassion and will never have compassion. When he reads about Jesus Christ being crucified, he imagines himself to be the Roman soldier whipping him. The government's brainwashing techniques only instill in him a...
Throughout, Alex is depicted as clearly beyond redemption. He has no compassion and will never have compassion. When he reads about Jesus Christ being crucified, he imagines himself to be the Roman soldier whipping him. The government's brainwashing techniques only instill in him a...
- 12/4/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The actor on 80s stardom, growing Tuscan veg in Sussex and why theatre remains her sacred space
Greta Scacchi, 63, is an Emmy award-winning actor. Born in Milan, Italy, she spent her childhood in England and two years of her teens in Australia, where she began working in theatre. Her films include White Mischief, The Player and Emma, and she can currently be seen in the TV series Bodies and recent film Run Rabbit Run (with Succession’s Sarah Snook), both on Netflix. Scacchi is about to play Mrs Hardcastle in a 1930s-style update of Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer at the Orange Tree theatre, Richmond.
She Stoops to Conquer’s Mrs Hardcastle is one of theatre’s best-known older female characters – flamboyant, mercenary, funny and vulnerable. What drew you to her?
I remembered the play from my first year at drama school when I was 18. You wouldn’t have...
Greta Scacchi, 63, is an Emmy award-winning actor. Born in Milan, Italy, she spent her childhood in England and two years of her teens in Australia, where she began working in theatre. Her films include White Mischief, The Player and Emma, and she can currently be seen in the TV series Bodies and recent film Run Rabbit Run (with Succession’s Sarah Snook), both on Netflix. Scacchi is about to play Mrs Hardcastle in a 1930s-style update of Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer at the Orange Tree theatre, Richmond.
She Stoops to Conquer’s Mrs Hardcastle is one of theatre’s best-known older female characters – flamboyant, mercenary, funny and vulnerable. What drew you to her?
I remembered the play from my first year at drama school when I was 18. You wouldn’t have...
- 11/12/2023
- by Jude Rogers
- The Guardian - Film News
In honor of 'Veterans Day'/'Remembrance Day', take a look at director Joseph Sargent's 1998 TV movie "The Wall" and the segment titled "The Badge":
"...there are 58,183 names on the 'Vietnam Veterans Memorial'. The lives they touched tell their stories. This is the story of 3 brave men who never made it home, told in three short, unique segments.
"In 'The Pencil Holder', Edward James Olmos plays a tough 'Colonel' struggling to raise his young son on an American military base surrounded by the brutality of battle.
"In 'The Player', starring Frank Whaley & Michael DeLorenzo, a selfless squad leader must confront a hustler who's getting rich off the spoils of war..."
"In 'The Badge', actress Ruby Dee reveals the pain a grandmother feels as she sends her beloved grandson overseas, then confronted by a long-haired vet, while searching for her grandson's name on the wall..."
Click the images to enlarge.
"...there are 58,183 names on the 'Vietnam Veterans Memorial'. The lives they touched tell their stories. This is the story of 3 brave men who never made it home, told in three short, unique segments.
"In 'The Pencil Holder', Edward James Olmos plays a tough 'Colonel' struggling to raise his young son on an American military base surrounded by the brutality of battle.
"In 'The Player', starring Frank Whaley & Michael DeLorenzo, a selfless squad leader must confront a hustler who's getting rich off the spoils of war..."
"In 'The Badge', actress Ruby Dee reveals the pain a grandmother feels as she sends her beloved grandson overseas, then confronted by a long-haired vet, while searching for her grandson's name on the wall..."
Click the images to enlarge.
- 11/11/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Over the course of more than a century, nearly every one of the hundreds of acting Oscar winners has shared the big screen with at least one other film academy honoree. In some special cases, viewers have been treated to extraordinarily star-studded movies that feature six or more Oscar champs, with the record for largest Academy Award-winning ensemble standing at an even dozen. Check out our photo gallery in which we break down the 22 movies that each include performances by at least six acting Oscar recipients.
The eclectic entries on this list cover a staggering eight decades of film history, having all been released between 1939 and 2019. Collectively, they themselves won 22 Oscars from 73 nominations, with standouts including respective 1940 and 1957 Best Picture winners “Gone with the Wind” and “Around the World in 80 Days.” The only directors with multiple films on the list are George Marshall (“Variety Girl” and “How the West Was Won...
The eclectic entries on this list cover a staggering eight decades of film history, having all been released between 1939 and 2019. Collectively, they themselves won 22 Oscars from 73 nominations, with standouts including respective 1940 and 1957 Best Picture winners “Gone with the Wind” and “Around the World in 80 Days.” The only directors with multiple films on the list are George Marshall (“Variety Girl” and “How the West Was Won...
- 11/1/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Over the course of more than a century, nearly every one of the hundreds of acting Oscar winners has shared the big screen with at least one other film academy honoree. In some special cases, viewers have been treated to extraordinarily star-studded movies that feature six or more Oscar champs, with the record for largest Academy Award-winning ensemble standing at an even dozen. Check out our photo gallery in which we break down the 22 movies that each include performances by at least six acting Oscar recipients.
The eclectic entries on this list cover a staggering eight decades of film history, having all been released between 1939 and 2019. Collectively, they themselves won 22 Oscars from 73 nominations, with standouts including respective 1940 and 1957 Best Picture winners “Gone with the Wind” and “Around the World in 80 Days.” The only directors with multiple films on the list are George Marshall (“Variety Girl” and “How the West Was Won...
The eclectic entries on this list cover a staggering eight decades of film history, having all been released between 1939 and 2019. Collectively, they themselves won 22 Oscars from 73 nominations, with standouts including respective 1940 and 1957 Best Picture winners “Gone with the Wind” and “Around the World in 80 Days.” The only directors with multiple films on the list are George Marshall (“Variety Girl” and “How the West Was Won...
- 11/1/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" was one of the most pivotal films of the New Hollywood revolution. It approached its tale of carousing Korean War medics with a loose (one might say "stoned") counterculture sensibility. Altman, who got his start in 1950s and '60s television, filled his widescreen frame with shambling activity; actors wandered about -- sometimes purposefully, occasionally confusedly -- while constantly speaking over each other. This was the establishment of the shaggy Altman style, and it meshed perfectly with the politically addled times.
What it did not do, however, was agree with the film's stars.
Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould were classically trained actors. At this juncture of their careers, their preferred mode of film performing was to learn their lines, hit their marks, and, after a few months, move on to the next gig. They didn't do a lot of improvising, and had zero tolerance for being...
What it did not do, however, was agree with the film's stars.
Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould were classically trained actors. At this juncture of their careers, their preferred mode of film performing was to learn their lines, hit their marks, and, after a few months, move on to the next gig. They didn't do a lot of improvising, and had zero tolerance for being...
- 10/28/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Fifteen authors of books that were recently chosen for The Hollywood Reporter’s list of “The 100 Greatest Film Books of All Time” will convene on a panel — which is being advertised as “the greatest gathering of its kind ever” — this Saturday afternoon in Hollywood as part of AFI Fest.
The event, which will take place inside the historic Tcl Chinese Theater and will run from 4 p.m. -5:30p.m., is open to members of the public free of charge provided they reserve their tickets in advance via Fest.AFI.com/GreatestFilmBooks.
Participating in a discussion about the origins and impact of their books will be A. Scott Berg (Goldwyn: A Biography), Cameron Crowe (Conversations with Wilder), Nancy Griffin (Hit and Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood), Aljean Harmetz (The Making of The Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and Studio Power...
The event, which will take place inside the historic Tcl Chinese Theater and will run from 4 p.m. -5:30p.m., is open to members of the public free of charge provided they reserve their tickets in advance via Fest.AFI.com/GreatestFilmBooks.
Participating in a discussion about the origins and impact of their books will be A. Scott Berg (Goldwyn: A Biography), Cameron Crowe (Conversations with Wilder), Nancy Griffin (Hit and Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood), Aljean Harmetz (The Making of The Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and Studio Power...
- 10/27/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Richard Roundtree, known for his role as Shaft in the series of films, died at the age of 81. The actor has left a legacy in both film and television for generations to come.
Roundtree made his debut in film as John Shaft in Shaft about a private detective who is hired by a mobster to help rescue his daughter who was kidnapped by Italian mobsters. The actor would go on to reprise his role of Shaft in the sequels Shaft’s Big Score (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973). A reboot of Shaft starring Samuel L. Jackson was released in 2000 with Roundtree appearing as “Uncle” Shaft. Roundtree also played the role in the short-lived CBS series.
Other films in which Roundtree appeared in include Embassy (1972), Earthquake (1974), Man Friday (1975), Diamonds (1975), Escape to Athena (1979), City Heat (1984), George of the Jungle (1997), What Men Want (2019) and The Haunting of the Mary Celeste (2020), just to name a few.
Roundtree made his debut in film as John Shaft in Shaft about a private detective who is hired by a mobster to help rescue his daughter who was kidnapped by Italian mobsters. The actor would go on to reprise his role of Shaft in the sequels Shaft’s Big Score (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973). A reboot of Shaft starring Samuel L. Jackson was released in 2000 with Roundtree appearing as “Uncle” Shaft. Roundtree also played the role in the short-lived CBS series.
Other films in which Roundtree appeared in include Embassy (1972), Earthquake (1974), Man Friday (1975), Diamonds (1975), Escape to Athena (1979), City Heat (1984), George of the Jungle (1997), What Men Want (2019) and The Haunting of the Mary Celeste (2020), just to name a few.
- 10/25/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar winner Tim Robbins has been on the big screen for well into his fourth decade. Tour through our photo gallery above of Robbins’s 10 greatest films, ranked from worst to best.
Robbins won his Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for playing a former child abuse victim suspected of murder in Clint Eastwood‘s “Mystic River” (2003). He also competed as Best Director for the death-row prison drama “Dead Man Walking” (1995), which brought Susan Sarandon a Best Actress trophy. But while that film is certainly worthy of consideration among his best, this gallery is focused on Robbins’s work in front of the camera, so you won’t find it in our gallery above.
Though Robbins has yet to be recognized at the Emmys, his work on the HBO film “Cinema Verite” (2011) did bring him a Golden Globe nomination as Best TV Supporting Actor. Before that the actor won a...
Robbins won his Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for playing a former child abuse victim suspected of murder in Clint Eastwood‘s “Mystic River” (2003). He also competed as Best Director for the death-row prison drama “Dead Man Walking” (1995), which brought Susan Sarandon a Best Actress trophy. But while that film is certainly worthy of consideration among his best, this gallery is focused on Robbins’s work in front of the camera, so you won’t find it in our gallery above.
Though Robbins has yet to be recognized at the Emmys, his work on the HBO film “Cinema Verite” (2011) did bring him a Golden Globe nomination as Best TV Supporting Actor. Before that the actor won a...
- 10/13/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Patrick Massett and John Zinman, the longtime collaborators known for their work as writers, producers and showrunners, have signed with Independent Artist Group for representation.
Massett and Zinman most recently ran Last Light, a dystopian thriler series for Peacock and Australia’s Stan, starring Matthew Fox and Joanne Froggatt. Their television careers began with the relic-hunter drama Veritas: The Quest, which they created and exec produced for ABC. The pair then went on to serve as co-executive producers of the Emmy Award-winning Friday Night Lights, along with shows like The Chicago Code and The Blacklist. They were also the showrunners for Wesley Snipes’ NBC pilot The Player.
On the feature side, Massett and Zinman wrote Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie, which grossed over $274M worldwide, and Black Bear Pictures’ crime drama Gold on the Bre-x mining scandal, starring Matthew McConaughey, Édgar Ramirez and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Most recently,...
Massett and Zinman most recently ran Last Light, a dystopian thriler series for Peacock and Australia’s Stan, starring Matthew Fox and Joanne Froggatt. Their television careers began with the relic-hunter drama Veritas: The Quest, which they created and exec produced for ABC. The pair then went on to serve as co-executive producers of the Emmy Award-winning Friday Night Lights, along with shows like The Chicago Code and The Blacklist. They were also the showrunners for Wesley Snipes’ NBC pilot The Player.
On the feature side, Massett and Zinman wrote Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie, which grossed over $274M worldwide, and Black Bear Pictures’ crime drama Gold on the Bre-x mining scandal, starring Matthew McConaughey, Édgar Ramirez and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Most recently,...
- 10/12/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
In the lead up to its January theatrical release in Scandinavia and in Italy next Spring, Finnish adventure comedy “Snot & Splash: The Mystery of Disappearing Holes” (“Räkä ja Roiskis”) is sharing its trailer exclusively in Variety.
FilmSharks CEO Guido Rud, who picked up world sales rights to the children’s film at the Locarno Film Festival in August, said: “Finnish cinema is known for having a high level of creativity, but a fantasy/adventure film like this one with a super refreshing plot is bound to be well received in cinemas, platforms and festivals, some of which have already booked the film from summer to the fall.”
The family film from director Teemu Nikki is produced by It’s Alive Films, founded by Nikki and Jani Pösö, and displays the dark, witty humor of his previous films, including “The Player,” “The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic,” “Nimby,...
FilmSharks CEO Guido Rud, who picked up world sales rights to the children’s film at the Locarno Film Festival in August, said: “Finnish cinema is known for having a high level of creativity, but a fantasy/adventure film like this one with a super refreshing plot is bound to be well received in cinemas, platforms and festivals, some of which have already booked the film from summer to the fall.”
The family film from director Teemu Nikki is produced by It’s Alive Films, founded by Nikki and Jani Pösö, and displays the dark, witty humor of his previous films, including “The Player,” “The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic,” “Nimby,...
- 9/29/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Kim Kardashian’s performance on the current season of “American Horror Story,” two episodes in, could be described as thrillingly competent. As Siobhan (sure!), a power publicist who is determined to get her actor client, played by Emma Roberts, everything she wants, Kardashian leverages her rapacious ambition. She directs it outward, determined to get for someone else all the fame that the real-life Kardashian has found for herself.
Siobhan’s steeliness and her capability for cutting wit come through in jagged-edge one-liners, to which Kardashian’s affect and her presence lend a bit of topspin. “You on a bad day,” she tells her client, a would-be star who is struggling to convey her personality despite a botched talk-show appearance, “is like Hilary Swank on a great one.” (Ouch.) The second episode featured a slightly brutal Jamie Lee Curtis read, rendered into Hollywoodese by Kardashian — a performer who could have fit...
Siobhan’s steeliness and her capability for cutting wit come through in jagged-edge one-liners, to which Kardashian’s affect and her presence lend a bit of topspin. “You on a bad day,” she tells her client, a would-be star who is struggling to convey her personality despite a botched talk-show appearance, “is like Hilary Swank on a great one.” (Ouch.) The second episode featured a slightly brutal Jamie Lee Curtis read, rendered into Hollywoodese by Kardashian — a performer who could have fit...
- 9/28/2023
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
“Death Is a Problem for the Living,” now also in Italy.
The Finnish black comedy, directed by Teemu Nikki of “Euthanizer” fame, will premiere at the Rome Film Festival in October.
“I am so proud of everything we have made together, especially ‘Euthanizer’ and [Venice Horizons Extra winner] ‘The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic,’ but this one is certainly the most consistent. And the most surprising, because you really don’t know what’s going to happen to these characters,” says Jani Pösö, who produces for Helsinki-based It’s Alive Films.
Co-produced by Andrea Romeo for Italy’s The Culture Business, and scored by Marco Biscarini, it will be distributed in Italy by I Wonder Pictures in the spring, with Scandinavian Film Distribution overseeing the Finnish release.
In the film – previously known as “The Player” – gambling addict Risto (Pekka Strang) and his kind neighbor Arto, who just found out he...
The Finnish black comedy, directed by Teemu Nikki of “Euthanizer” fame, will premiere at the Rome Film Festival in October.
“I am so proud of everything we have made together, especially ‘Euthanizer’ and [Venice Horizons Extra winner] ‘The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic,’ but this one is certainly the most consistent. And the most surprising, because you really don’t know what’s going to happen to these characters,” says Jani Pösö, who produces for Helsinki-based It’s Alive Films.
Co-produced by Andrea Romeo for Italy’s The Culture Business, and scored by Marco Biscarini, it will be distributed in Italy by I Wonder Pictures in the spring, with Scandinavian Film Distribution overseeing the Finnish release.
In the film – previously known as “The Player” – gambling addict Risto (Pekka Strang) and his kind neighbor Arto, who just found out he...
- 9/22/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Like writers penning their memoirs, making movies about making movies is a rite of passage for many a director. Fellini famously did it with 8 ½, Truffaut with Day for Night, Godard with Contempt and Fassbinder with Beware of a Holy Whore. More recently, Tarantino gave us Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Spielberg The Fabelmans, Michel Hazavanicius made Final Cut and Damien Chazelle, Babylon.
Almost all behind-the-scenes movies share the same theme: Filmmaking is tough, high-stress work that weighs heavily on everyone involved, especially the directors themselves. That’s certainly one of the main takeaways from Cédric Kahn’s very French variation on the subject, Making Of, which premiered out of competition in Venice.
Kahn is both an actor (he played the douchey Gallic lover in Pawel Pawikowski’s Cold War) and talented director, with a series of strong features under his belt that include hard-hitting thrillers like L’Ennui,...
Almost all behind-the-scenes movies share the same theme: Filmmaking is tough, high-stress work that weighs heavily on everyone involved, especially the directors themselves. That’s certainly one of the main takeaways from Cédric Kahn’s very French variation on the subject, Making Of, which premiered out of competition in Venice.
Kahn is both an actor (he played the douchey Gallic lover in Pawel Pawikowski’s Cold War) and talented director, with a series of strong features under his belt that include hard-hitting thrillers like L’Ennui,...
- 9/5/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Julia Roberts has been in the business for more than three decades and starred in several blockbusters including Pretty Woman, The Pelican Brief, and Erin Brockovich, to name a few. She has become one of the most famous actors in the world, but not much is known about her life off the big screen.
Read on to find out a little more about the star and her family including how many times she’s been married, how many children she has, and what Roberts’ kids’ ages are.
Who is Julia Roberts’ husband today and how many times has she been married? Julia Roberts and her husband, Daniel Moder, smile for photos at the Core Gala | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Core Gala Related
Julia Roberts’ Real Hair Color Is Not Red and Had to Be Dyed Following a Mishap on ‘Pretty Woman’ Set
The Academy Award-winning actor has been married twice.
Read on to find out a little more about the star and her family including how many times she’s been married, how many children she has, and what Roberts’ kids’ ages are.
Who is Julia Roberts’ husband today and how many times has she been married? Julia Roberts and her husband, Daniel Moder, smile for photos at the Core Gala | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Core Gala Related
Julia Roberts’ Real Hair Color Is Not Red and Had to Be Dyed Following a Mishap on ‘Pretty Woman’ Set
The Academy Award-winning actor has been married twice.
- 8/14/2023
- by Michelle Kapusta
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
How do you solve a problem like Chevy Chase? Throughout his lengthy career, the actor has had a long, troubled history of acting like a jerk to nearly everyone he's worked with, from the infamous backstage fight he had with Bill Murray upon leaving Saturday Night Live to his much-publicized feud with showrunner Dan Harmon while co-starring on the beloved NBC sitcom "Community." By many accounts, the star is, at best, annoying to work with, and, at worst, an insufferable jerk.
That behavior would seem to be the end-all, be-all explanation for why Chase's film career eventually floundered despite having a pretty strong start. Yet, like most things, that isn't the whole story: for one, Chase is an incredibly talented actor and comedian, despite his personal shortcomings. For another, his persona being what it is — this is the man who made a splash announcing himself on SNL as "I'm Chevy Chase,...
That behavior would seem to be the end-all, be-all explanation for why Chase's film career eventually floundered despite having a pretty strong start. Yet, like most things, that isn't the whole story: for one, Chase is an incredibly talented actor and comedian, despite his personal shortcomings. For another, his persona being what it is — this is the man who made a splash announcing himself on SNL as "I'm Chevy Chase,...
- 8/7/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Sydney Pollack was the Oscar winning filmmaker who could’ve branded himself as Hollywood’s favorite journeyman, crafting solid entertainments for over 40 years. But how many of his titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at all 20 of his films as a director, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1934, Pollack got his start as an actor, studying under legendary New York teacher Sanford Meisner. He cut his teeth is television, appearing in such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Playhouse 90” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before transitioning into directing for the small screen. Even after making a name for himself behind the camera, he kept popping up onscreen, starring in “The Player” (1992), “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Changing Lanes” (2002), “Michael Clayton” (2007) and his own “Tootsie” (1982), to name but a few.
It was this experience as a performer that made him a favorite with actors, including Robert Redford, with whom he made seven films.
Born in 1934, Pollack got his start as an actor, studying under legendary New York teacher Sanford Meisner. He cut his teeth is television, appearing in such shows as “The Twilight Zone,” “Playhouse 90” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” before transitioning into directing for the small screen. Even after making a name for himself behind the camera, he kept popping up onscreen, starring in “The Player” (1992), “Husbands and Wives” (1992), “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), “Changing Lanes” (2002), “Michael Clayton” (2007) and his own “Tootsie” (1982), to name but a few.
It was this experience as a performer that made him a favorite with actors, including Robert Redford, with whom he made seven films.
- 6/24/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Clockwise from top left: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney), The Shining (Warner Bros.), Creed (Warner Bros.), Goodfellas (Warner Bros.)Graphic: AVClub
All hail the oner! Moviegoers love great acting, brilliant visual effects, a soaring score, and palpable chemistry between the stars, but few things wow an audience more than the single-take shot,...
All hail the oner! Moviegoers love great acting, brilliant visual effects, a soaring score, and palpable chemistry between the stars, but few things wow an audience more than the single-take shot,...
- 5/31/2023
- by Ian Spelling
- avclub.com
This article contains spoilers for the "Barry" finale as well as "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang."
Satire is one of the oldest artistic impulses; to mock and examine whatever systems, order, or supposed truths exist in any given era. Although cinema is a relatively young medium, it's no surprise that an enormous number of satires of the film and television industries have been made nearly since movies began.
HBO's "Barry," which concluded its four-season run this past Sunday night, proudly belongs to this long-standing tradition of biting the hand that feeds it, seeing as "Barry" is a highly cinematic TV series set in and around Hollywood. The grand satiric irony baked into the show's premise is the idea of a professional assassin, Barry Berkman, arriving in L.A. and deciding to try and have an acting career. The latent joke is, of course, that the showbiz world is just as morally...
Satire is one of the oldest artistic impulses; to mock and examine whatever systems, order, or supposed truths exist in any given era. Although cinema is a relatively young medium, it's no surprise that an enormous number of satires of the film and television industries have been made nearly since movies began.
HBO's "Barry," which concluded its four-season run this past Sunday night, proudly belongs to this long-standing tradition of biting the hand that feeds it, seeing as "Barry" is a highly cinematic TV series set in and around Hollywood. The grand satiric irony baked into the show's premise is the idea of a professional assassin, Barry Berkman, arriving in L.A. and deciding to try and have an acting career. The latent joke is, of course, that the showbiz world is just as morally...
- 5/29/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
In honor of US Memorial Day, take a look at closing footage from director Joseph Sargent's 1998 TV movie "The Wall" and the segment titled "The Badge":
"...there are 58,183 names on the 'Vietnam Veterans Memorial'. The lives they touched tell their stories. This is the story of 3 brave men who never made it home, told in three short, unique segments.
"In 'The Pencil Holder', Edward James Olmos plays a tough 'Colonel' struggling to raise his young son on an American military base surrounded by the brutality of battle.
"In 'The Badge', Ruby Dee - in a heart wrenching role - reveals the pain a grandmother feels as she sends her beloved grandson overseas.
"In 'The Player', starring Frank Whaley & Michael DeLorenzo, a selfless squad leader must confront a hustler who's getting rich off the spoils of war..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...there are 58,183 names on the 'Vietnam Veterans Memorial'. The lives they touched tell their stories. This is the story of 3 brave men who never made it home, told in three short, unique segments.
"In 'The Pencil Holder', Edward James Olmos plays a tough 'Colonel' struggling to raise his young son on an American military base surrounded by the brutality of battle.
"In 'The Badge', Ruby Dee - in a heart wrenching role - reveals the pain a grandmother feels as she sends her beloved grandson overseas.
"In 'The Player', starring Frank Whaley & Michael DeLorenzo, a selfless squad leader must confront a hustler who's getting rich off the spoils of war..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 5/28/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Plot: A down-on-his-luck publicist gets his lucky break when he discovers a mute man recently released from a mental health facility looks just like a method actor who refuses to leave his trailer.
Review: Charlie Day’s directorial debut has had a long road to the big screen. Originally announced in 2018, Fool’s Paradise began as a project called El Tonto. After assembling an all-star cast, the pandemic forced the film into a hiatus which turned into rewrites by Day and, eventually, the filming of new scenes. The finished project boasts a massive cast of famous faces, including the late Ray Liotta, for a satirical look at Hollywood reminiscent of countless films from the 1960s and 1970s. With his sense of humor in the right place, Day makes a valiant effort in his debut behind the camera but falls short of delivering a consistent finished product.
When I started Fool’s Paradise,...
Review: Charlie Day’s directorial debut has had a long road to the big screen. Originally announced in 2018, Fool’s Paradise began as a project called El Tonto. After assembling an all-star cast, the pandemic forced the film into a hiatus which turned into rewrites by Day and, eventually, the filming of new scenes. The finished project boasts a massive cast of famous faces, including the late Ray Liotta, for a satirical look at Hollywood reminiscent of countless films from the 1960s and 1970s. With his sense of humor in the right place, Day makes a valiant effort in his debut behind the camera but falls short of delivering a consistent finished product.
When I started Fool’s Paradise,...
- 5/12/2023
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
Broadway and film star Joel Grey and John Kander, composer of Cabaret, Chicago and more, will receive the 2023 Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
Grey was the original Amos Hart in the 1996 Chicago and the original Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway, for which he won a Tony Award. He later received an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for his performance in the film adaptation. Kander, who co-wrote those legendary musicals with the late lyricist Fred Ebb, is currently represented on Broadway with the musical New York, New York.
“We are immensely thrilled to honor two legends in their own rights. John Kander has composed the soundtrack to all of our lives – meeting us in every decade – creating unforgettable scores for Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and his current Broadway hit New York, New York,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League.
“As a legendary actor and director,...
Grey was the original Amos Hart in the 1996 Chicago and the original Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway, for which he won a Tony Award. He later received an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA for his performance in the film adaptation. Kander, who co-wrote those legendary musicals with the late lyricist Fred Ebb, is currently represented on Broadway with the musical New York, New York.
“We are immensely thrilled to honor two legends in their own rights. John Kander has composed the soundtrack to all of our lives – meeting us in every decade – creating unforgettable scores for Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and his current Broadway hit New York, New York,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League.
“As a legendary actor and director,...
- 5/3/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) offers a wide assortment of movies from the past that strikes nostalgia. However, there are also plenty of gems that allow audiences to discover other oldies to fill in their cinematic blindspots. Looking for something to watch this weekend between March 24-26? Here’s a look at the upcoming programming.
Friday, March 24 Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel | John Springer Collection/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Starting just after midnight Eastern Standard Time, the TCM movies officially kick off the ending of the week in a big way. Ranging from the Oscar-nominated Mutiny on the Bounty from 1962 to the four-time Oscar-winning Network, there’s a little something for all viewers.
The notable standouts here are The 400 Blows, Diner, Dr. Strangelove, and Network.
The 400 Blows (1959) – 12:30 a.m. Est Diner (1982) – 2:30 a.m. Est Metropolitan (1990) – 4:30 a.m. Est The Sea Wolf (1941) – 6:15 a.m.
Friday, March 24 Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel | John Springer Collection/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Starting just after midnight Eastern Standard Time, the TCM movies officially kick off the ending of the week in a big way. Ranging from the Oscar-nominated Mutiny on the Bounty from 1962 to the four-time Oscar-winning Network, there’s a little something for all viewers.
The notable standouts here are The 400 Blows, Diner, Dr. Strangelove, and Network.
The 400 Blows (1959) – 12:30 a.m. Est Diner (1982) – 2:30 a.m. Est Metropolitan (1990) – 4:30 a.m. Est The Sea Wolf (1941) – 6:15 a.m.
- 3/23/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Every year the “In Memoriam” tribute at the Oscars leaves off a few fan favorites and 2023 was no exception: Among those who weren’t included in Sunday night’s video montage were Anne Heche, “Saving Private Ryan” star Tom Sizemore and Charlbi Dean, who appeared in this year’s Best Picture nominee “Triangle of Sadness.”
Fans also noted the absence of Cindy Williams: While she was best known for the ’70s TV sitcom “Laverne & Shirley,” she notably appeared in two classic films of the era, George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation.”
And while the tribute included “Goodfellas” star Ray Liotta, who died unexpectedly on May 26, 2022, his costar Paul Sorvino, who died in July 2022, was left out.
Also Read:
Celebrity Deaths in 2023: Hollywood Stars We’ve Lost This Year (Photos)
Also missing from the tribute: two-time Oscar nominee Melinda Dillon of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,...
Fans also noted the absence of Cindy Williams: While she was best known for the ’70s TV sitcom “Laverne & Shirley,” she notably appeared in two classic films of the era, George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation.”
And while the tribute included “Goodfellas” star Ray Liotta, who died unexpectedly on May 26, 2022, his costar Paul Sorvino, who died in July 2022, was left out.
Also Read:
Celebrity Deaths in 2023: Hollywood Stars We’ve Lost This Year (Photos)
Also missing from the tribute: two-time Oscar nominee Melinda Dillon of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,...
- 3/13/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
The "showbiz satire" movie is almost as old as the cinematic medium itself. From "Sullivan's Travels" to "The Player" and most recently "Babylon," a look at the darker, goofier, unglamorous, seedier side of moviemaking has become a perennial for Hollywood in more ways than one.
Yet most of these films utilize an exaggerated effect to make their commentary on show business that much more biting, whether it's surrealism (as in Federico Fellini's "8 1/2"), a musical (like "Singin' in the Rain"), or horror (such as "Wes Craven's New Nightmare"). It's rare for such showbiz films to not be satirized in some fashion, yet David Cronenberg's "Maps to the Stars" is just such a movie.
Of course, that depends on who you ask. Most people would see the uncomfortable and darkly hilarious "Maps to the Stars" as unequivocal satire, seeing as how it brings together an ensemble of bizarrely...
Yet most of these films utilize an exaggerated effect to make their commentary on show business that much more biting, whether it's surrealism (as in Federico Fellini's "8 1/2"), a musical (like "Singin' in the Rain"), or horror (such as "Wes Craven's New Nightmare"). It's rare for such showbiz films to not be satirized in some fashion, yet David Cronenberg's "Maps to the Stars" is just such a movie.
Of course, that depends on who you ask. Most people would see the uncomfortable and darkly hilarious "Maps to the Stars" as unequivocal satire, seeing as how it brings together an ensemble of bizarrely...
- 2/1/2023
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Celebrated Croatian cellist Hauser has shared a new rendition of the main theme from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera in honor of the smash musical’s 35th anniversary.
Hauser offers up a fittingly dramatic, cello-forward interpretation of the theme, his deft playing backed by a booming orchestra. Accompanying the recording is an elaborate music video that was filmed on stage at the Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. The clip recreates The Phantom of the Opera plot in miniature, with Hauser simultaneously performing and playing the...
Hauser offers up a fittingly dramatic, cello-forward interpretation of the theme, his deft playing backed by a booming orchestra. Accompanying the recording is an elaborate music video that was filmed on stage at the Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. The clip recreates The Phantom of the Opera plot in miniature, with Hauser simultaneously performing and playing the...
- 1/20/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Greta Scacchi, daughter Leila George and Sam Corlett will next week start production on “He Ain’t Heavy” a West Australia-set drama by first time feature director David Vincent Smith.
Inspired by true events, “He Ain’t Heavy” follows a desperate sister who kidnaps her beloved brother to save him from addiction.
George is a fast-rising star. With credits already including “Animal Kingdom,” “The Kid” and “Mortal Engines,” she is now coming off the back of Patricia Arquette’s upcoming directorial debut “Gonzo Girl” and recently starred alongside Cate Blanchett, Kevin Klein and Lesley Manville in Alfonso Cuaron’s new thriller “Disclaimer” for Apple TV. She is the central figure in “He Ain’t Heavy” playing daughter to Scacchi’s character and sister to Corlett’s.
Corlett assumes the role of Max, a troubled son and brother at the centre of the tense family drama. He can be seen in...
Inspired by true events, “He Ain’t Heavy” follows a desperate sister who kidnaps her beloved brother to save him from addiction.
George is a fast-rising star. With credits already including “Animal Kingdom,” “The Kid” and “Mortal Engines,” she is now coming off the back of Patricia Arquette’s upcoming directorial debut “Gonzo Girl” and recently starred alongside Cate Blanchett, Kevin Klein and Lesley Manville in Alfonso Cuaron’s new thriller “Disclaimer” for Apple TV. She is the central figure in “He Ain’t Heavy” playing daughter to Scacchi’s character and sister to Corlett’s.
Corlett assumes the role of Max, a troubled son and brother at the centre of the tense family drama. He can be seen in...
- 1/16/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Some well-established actors and a composer achieved unusual Oscar feats, while a young and upcoming actress had a surprising win. Enjoy our flashback 30 years to the Academy Awards ceremony of 1993.
Hosting for the fourth consecutive year, Billy Crystal began the 65th Academy Awards ceremony by entering astride a gigantic Oscar statue pulled by . . . the Best Supporting Actor winner from the year before, Jack Palance, who had memorably shown off his impressive push-up abilities during his acceptance speech.
Five diverse but memorable films made it into the top category of the night, and none swept; in fact, at the end of the event, 11 movies had won one award each. One of the biggest box office draws of 1992 earned a Best Picture nomination; however, “A Few Good Men” failed to claim any of its four bids. The film with one of the most infamous surprise twists in cinema history garnered six bids...
Hosting for the fourth consecutive year, Billy Crystal began the 65th Academy Awards ceremony by entering astride a gigantic Oscar statue pulled by . . . the Best Supporting Actor winner from the year before, Jack Palance, who had memorably shown off his impressive push-up abilities during his acceptance speech.
Five diverse but memorable films made it into the top category of the night, and none swept; in fact, at the end of the event, 11 movies had won one award each. One of the biggest box office draws of 1992 earned a Best Picture nomination; however, “A Few Good Men” failed to claim any of its four bids. The film with one of the most infamous surprise twists in cinema history garnered six bids...
- 1/16/2023
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Updated with latest box office: Damien Chazelle’s 80M 1920s-set Hollywood epic Babylon went up in a blaze of fire at the domestic box office this past weekend with an awful 4.85M four-day start, lower than its anticipated 5.3M outlook on Monday morning.
Related Story ‘Babylon’ Review: Brad Pitt & Margot Robbie Soar In Damien Chazelle's Wild, Turbulent Ride Through Early Hollywood Related Story Christmas Delivers Box Office Miracle For 'Avatar: The Way Of Water' Despite Winter Weather: James Cameron Sequel Finals At 95.5M+ 2nd Weekend Related Story Sorry, Cowboys: There Won't Be An Original 'Yellowstone' Episode On Christmas Day Brad Pitt in ‘Babylon’ (Everett Collection)
Say what you will about harsh winter conditions impacting moviegoing across the country, but this movie — which was greenlighted by a previous Paramount regime and greatly supported by the new Brian Robbins administration — was against the odds as soon as...
Related Story ‘Babylon’ Review: Brad Pitt & Margot Robbie Soar In Damien Chazelle's Wild, Turbulent Ride Through Early Hollywood Related Story Christmas Delivers Box Office Miracle For 'Avatar: The Way Of Water' Despite Winter Weather: James Cameron Sequel Finals At 95.5M+ 2nd Weekend Related Story Sorry, Cowboys: There Won't Be An Original 'Yellowstone' Episode On Christmas Day Brad Pitt in ‘Babylon’ (Everett Collection)
Say what you will about harsh winter conditions impacting moviegoing across the country, but this movie — which was greenlighted by a previous Paramount regime and greatly supported by the new Brian Robbins administration — was against the odds as soon as...
- 12/27/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Avatar: The Way of Water‘s mega-publicized opening has brought movies back into the conversation, but movie-makers seem to have been lost in the mist. James Cameron’s persona is ablaze across the media but, by contrast, the very personal work of Sam Mendes, James Gray and even Steven Spielberg has done a fade-out in recent weeks.
“Cinema is a language that’s about to get lost,” Wim Wenders once predicted at a Cannes Film Festival, but filmmakers keep trying. Witness the likes of Empire of Light (Mendes), Armageddon Time (Gray) or even The Fabelmans (Spielberg), all exploring the efforts of young filmmakers trying to discover that language. None so far has discovered an audience.
Then there is Damien Chazelle, who calls Babylon, his new film, both a “hate letter or a love letter to movies.” Having both won and lost an Oscar with La La Land, Chazelle has a claim on mixed messages,...
“Cinema is a language that’s about to get lost,” Wim Wenders once predicted at a Cannes Film Festival, but filmmakers keep trying. Witness the likes of Empire of Light (Mendes), Armageddon Time (Gray) or even The Fabelmans (Spielberg), all exploring the efforts of young filmmakers trying to discover that language. None so far has discovered an audience.
Then there is Damien Chazelle, who calls Babylon, his new film, both a “hate letter or a love letter to movies.” Having both won and lost an Oscar with La La Land, Chazelle has a claim on mixed messages,...
- 12/22/2022
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
A Hollywood Christmas is a romantic comedy starring Jessika Van and Josh Swickard. This quirky Christmas movie for the entire family is directed by Alex Ranarivelo.
Christmas in the studio.
Premise
Jessica, a young, up-and-coming filmmaker in Hollywood has made a name for herself directing Christmas movies. But when handsome network executive Christopher shows up threatening to halt production on her latest movie, Jessica’s assistant, Reena, points out the irony: Jessica isn’t just trying to save her Christmas movie, she’s actually living in one. Jessica must now juggle all the classic tropes—her actors falling in and out of love, a wayward elf dog, and her own stirring romantic feelings for her perceived nemesis—in order to get her movie and her life to their happy endings.
Movie Review
Do you remember The Player (1992)? It was a close to brilliant movie in which Robert Altman would elaborate his close up shots,...
Christmas in the studio.
Premise
Jessica, a young, up-and-coming filmmaker in Hollywood has made a name for herself directing Christmas movies. But when handsome network executive Christopher shows up threatening to halt production on her latest movie, Jessica’s assistant, Reena, points out the irony: Jessica isn’t just trying to save her Christmas movie, she’s actually living in one. Jessica must now juggle all the classic tropes—her actors falling in and out of love, a wayward elf dog, and her own stirring romantic feelings for her perceived nemesis—in order to get her movie and her life to their happy endings.
Movie Review
Do you remember The Player (1992)? It was a close to brilliant movie in which Robert Altman would elaborate his close up shots,...
- 12/6/2022
- by Elisabeth Plank
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
The holiday action comedy “Violent Night” feels like it was sold in one of those pitch meetings from “The Player,” two guys in a room with Griffin Mill, excitedly announcing their brainchild: “It’s ‘Die Hard’ meets ‘Bad Santa!’” They presumably lit cigars and slapped each other on the back after settling on that premise, which is too bad; they should’ve used that valuable time to spin their high-concept pitch into something with some jokes or funny situations.
Continue reading ‘Violent Night’ Review: Santa Claus Action Flick Can’t Sustain Its Clever Premise at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Violent Night’ Review: Santa Claus Action Flick Can’t Sustain Its Clever Premise at The Playlist.
- 11/30/2022
- by Jason Bailey
- The Playlist
Martin Scorsese's 1976 drama "Taxi Driver" opens on a large white plume of steam, billowing from a vent in a street in New York City. It is night, and the plume captures the garish white light of a nearby streetlamp. Plaintive, scary Bernard Herrmann jazz plays on the soundtrack. An NYC taxicab then pushes its way through the cloud. It is a shining beast of a car, heavy, and threatening. It looks like a tank, rolling its way through the acrid, death-scented smoke of a World War I battlefield. As it passes, the film's title appears on the screen.
Cut to: a closeup of Travis Bickle's eyes. He is bathed in red neon light. He stares, baffled and judgmental, at the world. The exteriors of New York are jittery, smeared, abstract chaos. He sees a world dissipating and incoherent. The world is reduced to the reds and blues of the wet,...
Cut to: a closeup of Travis Bickle's eyes. He is bathed in red neon light. He stares, baffled and judgmental, at the world. The exteriors of New York are jittery, smeared, abstract chaos. He sees a world dissipating and incoherent. The world is reduced to the reds and blues of the wet,...
- 11/22/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In honor of 'Veterans Day'/'Remembrance Day', take a look at director Joseph Sargent's 1998 TV movie "The Wall" and the segment titled "The Badge":
"...there are 58,183 names on the 'Vietnam Veterans Memorial'. The lives they touched tell their stories. This is the story of 3 brave men who never made it home, told in three short, unique segments.
"In 'The Pencil Holder', Edward James Olmos plays a tough 'Colonel' struggling to raise his young son on an American military base surrounded by the brutality of battle.
"In 'The Player', starring Frank Whaley & Michael DeLorenzo, a selfless squad leader must confront a hustler who's getting rich off the spoils of war..."
"In 'The Badge', actress Ruby Dee reveals the pain a grandmother feels as she sends her beloved grandson overseas, then confronted by a long-haired vet (M. Stevens), while searching for her grandson's name on the wall..."
Click the images to enlarge.
"...there are 58,183 names on the 'Vietnam Veterans Memorial'. The lives they touched tell their stories. This is the story of 3 brave men who never made it home, told in three short, unique segments.
"In 'The Pencil Holder', Edward James Olmos plays a tough 'Colonel' struggling to raise his young son on an American military base surrounded by the brutality of battle.
"In 'The Player', starring Frank Whaley & Michael DeLorenzo, a selfless squad leader must confront a hustler who's getting rich off the spoils of war..."
"In 'The Badge', actress Ruby Dee reveals the pain a grandmother feels as she sends her beloved grandson overseas, then confronted by a long-haired vet (M. Stevens), while searching for her grandson's name on the wall..."
Click the images to enlarge.
- 11/11/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
In the midst of the 1997 fall movie season, “Boogie Nights” came out of nowhere to be one of the most acclaimed and talked-about films of the year. The biggest name in its ensemble cast was Burt Reynolds, who hadn’t been in a hit film or television series in years. The movie was directed by the virtually unknown Paul Thomas Anderson, whose sole credit “Hard Eight” had been essentially dumped into theaters the previous February. And a narrative about the rise and fall of a porn start that ran a long two-and-a-half hours didn’t exactly seem like a slam dunk production for critics or at the box office.
However, the film premiered to a wave of enthusiasm at the Toronto Film Festival and critical raves upon its limited release in October 1997. And the rest is now history. Read on for our appreciation of the “Boogie Nights” 25th anniversary.
At the time,...
However, the film premiered to a wave of enthusiasm at the Toronto Film Festival and critical raves upon its limited release in October 1997. And the rest is now history. Read on for our appreciation of the “Boogie Nights” 25th anniversary.
At the time,...
- 10/14/2022
- by Brian Rowe
- Gold Derby
Louise Fletcher, the Oscar-winning actress who became iconic for her turn as the villainous Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” has died at age 88. Deadline first reported the news of her death, which was shared with the outlet by her family. She died peacefully in her sleep at her farmhouse home in Montdurausse, France, surrounded by those she loved.
Fletcher became one of the great icons of cinematic villainy as Ratched, who menaced the patients at an institution for the mentally ill in the 1975 film. After a career in TV, Fletcher’s performance as the wicked nurse, who battles with Jack Nicholson’s R.P. McMurphy, was just her fourth in a film. “Cuckoo’s Nest,” directed by Milos Forman from the Ken Kesey novel, ended up winning the five “major” Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Nicholson), Actress (Fletcher), and Screenplay. With her cold stare and at first sweetly condescending demeanor,...
Fletcher became one of the great icons of cinematic villainy as Ratched, who menaced the patients at an institution for the mentally ill in the 1975 film. After a career in TV, Fletcher’s performance as the wicked nurse, who battles with Jack Nicholson’s R.P. McMurphy, was just her fourth in a film. “Cuckoo’s Nest,” directed by Milos Forman from the Ken Kesey novel, ended up winning the five “major” Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Nicholson), Actress (Fletcher), and Screenplay. With her cold stare and at first sweetly condescending demeanor,...
- 9/24/2022
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
It’s the subgenre beloved by insiders but often shunned by audiences. Can new films from Sam Mandes, Damien Chazelle and Steven Spielberg satisfy cinemagoers and awards voters?
“Write what you know” is one of the hoariest adages around, and for film-makers it means making movies about a subject of endless fascination and first-hand knowledge for them: the movies. Audiences have never been quite as interested in the internal machinations of film-making as film-makers themselves, but some of these projects have occasionally broken through to awards triumphs and even box-office success: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, La La Land, The Artist and, further back, The Player and The Last Picture Show were all proud members of the the movies-about-movies subgenre.
Now, the subject has sparked the interest of a trio of A-list film-makers, who each have a major film emerging from the autumn festival circuit with serious Oscar aspirations.
“Write what you know” is one of the hoariest adages around, and for film-makers it means making movies about a subject of endless fascination and first-hand knowledge for them: the movies. Audiences have never been quite as interested in the internal machinations of film-making as film-makers themselves, but some of these projects have occasionally broken through to awards triumphs and even box-office success: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, La La Land, The Artist and, further back, The Player and The Last Picture Show were all proud members of the the movies-about-movies subgenre.
Now, the subject has sparked the interest of a trio of A-list film-makers, who each have a major film emerging from the autumn festival circuit with serious Oscar aspirations.
- 9/16/2022
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" can't outrun the posse of remakes in Hollywood, where everything old is new again. The Oscar-winning 1969 Western, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, is in the National Film Registry, and the American Film Institute has recognized it as one of the 100 greatest American movies of all time. It's a bona fide classic, and at first glance, the idea of redoing it as a TV series seems as iffy as the scene in Robert Altman's industry satire "The Player," where a screenwriter pitches "The Graduate, Part II." But executive producers Joe and Anthony Russo, the duo who directed two of the top five highest-grossing films of all time ("Avengers: Endgame" and "Avengers: Infinity War"), are going to give it the old college try, anyway — and they're bringing Regé-Jean Page and Glen Powell along for the ride.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, an as-yet-untitled "Butch...
According to The Hollywood Reporter, an as-yet-untitled "Butch...
- 9/16/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Josh Olson shares his top 10 movies from his favorite movie year, 1992, with Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Star Wars (1977)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)
Thief (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Last Of The Mohicans (1936)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Popeye (1980)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Quintet (1979)
HealtH (1980)
Come Back To the Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Secret Honor (1984)
The Graduate (1967) – Neil Labute’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Touch Of Evil (1958) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead (1992) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary
Meet The Feebles (1989) – Mike Mendez’s...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Star Wars (1977)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
The Last Of The Mohicans (1992)
Thief (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Last Of The Mohicans (1936)
The Player (1992) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Popeye (1980)
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Quintet (1979)
HealtH (1980)
Come Back To the Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
Secret Honor (1984)
The Graduate (1967) – Neil Labute’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Touch Of Evil (1958) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead (1992) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary
Meet The Feebles (1989) – Mike Mendez’s...
- 8/30/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
After the unexpected success of 1992’s The Player, Altman directed one of his most acclaimed films, an intimate epic that features 22 separate characters adrift in the city of Angels. The massive cast features everyone from Julianne Moore and Tim Robbins to Lily Tomlin and Tom Waits. Altman and Frank Barhydt wrote the screenplay based on the work of Raymond Carver.
The post Short Cuts appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Short Cuts appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 8/26/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Italy’s I Wonder Pictures has boarded Finnish comedy “The Player” as a co-producer ahead of its bow at Haugesund’s industry sidebar New Nordic Films.
The company will also handle local distribution. The project is directed by Teemu Nikki and produced by It’s Alive Films’ Jani Pösö.
“I consider Teemu Nikki as one of the best European directors. He is brilliant, prolific and always surprising,” Andrea Romeo, I Wonder Pictures’ general manager and head of acquisitions, told Variety.
“I think that his cinema will be increasingly appreciated in the world, as well as in Italy. His movies always talk about important issues, keeping a perfect balance between black comedy and auteur cinema. It’s also a great pleasure for us to work with a producer like Jani and a company as prestigious as It’s Alive Films.”
The Finnish duo has just been nominated for the Nordic Council Film...
The company will also handle local distribution. The project is directed by Teemu Nikki and produced by It’s Alive Films’ Jani Pösö.
“I consider Teemu Nikki as one of the best European directors. He is brilliant, prolific and always surprising,” Andrea Romeo, I Wonder Pictures’ general manager and head of acquisitions, told Variety.
“I think that his cinema will be increasingly appreciated in the world, as well as in Italy. His movies always talk about important issues, keeping a perfect balance between black comedy and auteur cinema. It’s also a great pleasure for us to work with a producer like Jani and a company as prestigious as It’s Alive Films.”
The Finnish duo has just been nominated for the Nordic Council Film...
- 8/24/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Haugesund’s New Nordic Films market runs August 23-26.
Haugesund’s New Nordic Films market has unveiled the works in progress presentations for its 2022 edition, running August 23-26.
The line-up includes new films from the likes of Pathfinder director Nils Gaup’s new drama The Riot (Sulis), sold by REinvent and set against a workers revolt in 1907 Lapland; The Worst Person In The World producer Thomas Robsahm, who presents Aurora Gossé’s Norwegian youth film Dancing Queen, sold by Level K; and Berlinale prize-winning director Selma Vilhunen’s new Finnish production, polyamory drama Four Little Adults.
Scroll down for full...
Haugesund’s New Nordic Films market has unveiled the works in progress presentations for its 2022 edition, running August 23-26.
The line-up includes new films from the likes of Pathfinder director Nils Gaup’s new drama The Riot (Sulis), sold by REinvent and set against a workers revolt in 1907 Lapland; The Worst Person In The World producer Thomas Robsahm, who presents Aurora Gossé’s Norwegian youth film Dancing Queen, sold by Level K; and Berlinale prize-winning director Selma Vilhunen’s new Finnish production, polyamory drama Four Little Adults.
Scroll down for full...
- 8/12/2022
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
More than 300 industry delegates from top shingles including Warner Bros Discovery, Viaplay, Germany’s Constantin Film, The Match Factory and France’s TF1 Studio are expected on the shores of Haugesund, Norway, over Aug. 23-26, for Scandinavia’s major film showcase, New Nordic Films.
Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness” will both open the film confab festivities and screen alongside 18 new Nordic finished films at the market. But for the avid buyers and programmers of Nordic content, the biggest draw will be the 18 works in progress – half of them looking for sales and distribution – and 23 pics in development available for co-production and financing.
“We’ve noticed a shift in recent years, with buyers and sellers favouring the Works in Progress and Nordic Coproduction Market over the market screenings. These seem to be more valuable for the industry,” said Gyda Velvin Myklebust, head of New Nordic Films.
Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness” will both open the film confab festivities and screen alongside 18 new Nordic finished films at the market. But for the avid buyers and programmers of Nordic content, the biggest draw will be the 18 works in progress – half of them looking for sales and distribution – and 23 pics in development available for co-production and financing.
“We’ve noticed a shift in recent years, with buyers and sellers favouring the Works in Progress and Nordic Coproduction Market over the market screenings. These seem to be more valuable for the industry,” said Gyda Velvin Myklebust, head of New Nordic Films.
- 8/12/2022
- by Annika Pham
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
As the 10th and final episode of The Offer arrives to Paramount+ this week, several of its creators reunited for a THR Presents conversation powered by Vision Media to discuss the limited series, about the genesis of The Godfather. Bouncing from Hollywood backlots to the New York criminal underworld to Sicily, the show makes clear how unlikely it was that one of the greatest films ever made was made at all. Joining the panel were cast members Miles Teller (who plays producer Albert S. Ruddy), Juno Temple (as Ruddy’s secretary Bettye McCartt), Matthew Goode (as legendary Paramount studio chief Robert Evans), Dan Fogler (as The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola) and executive producer Nikki Toscano.
In the video above, the panelists recall the first time they saw the 1972 masterpiece, explain how they researched their characters and convey their hope that Coppola — who...
As the 10th and final episode of The Offer arrives to Paramount+ this week, several of its creators reunited for a THR Presents conversation powered by Vision Media to discuss the limited series, about the genesis of The Godfather. Bouncing from Hollywood backlots to the New York criminal underworld to Sicily, the show makes clear how unlikely it was that one of the greatest films ever made was made at all. Joining the panel were cast members Miles Teller (who plays producer Albert S. Ruddy), Juno Temple (as Ruddy’s secretary Bettye McCartt), Matthew Goode (as legendary Paramount studio chief Robert Evans), Dan Fogler (as The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola) and executive producer Nikki Toscano.
In the video above, the panelists recall the first time they saw the 1972 masterpiece, explain how they researched their characters and convey their hope that Coppola — who...
- 6/17/2022
- by Julian Sancton
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Few actors this year took as big of a swing and connected as hard as Matthew Goode. On the Paramount+ limited series “The Offer,” the British actor plays legendary Paramount production boss and all-around raconteur Robert Evans and nails Evans’s recognizable accent and devil-may-care vibe with aplomb. The performance is so strong that Goode, an Emmy Award nominee for “The Crown,” has earned some of the best reviews of his career for the project – even from his normally picky friends.
“I’m not on social media – which is probably a very good thing – so I got some nice feedback off of my friends because they haven’t seen me doing anything like that,” Goode tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview. “They were all like, ‘Jesus, you’re actually alright.’ Thanks, guys.”
SEEour video chat with Miles Teller (‘The Offer’)
Based on the experiences Al Ruddy (played by...
“I’m not on social media – which is probably a very good thing – so I got some nice feedback off of my friends because they haven’t seen me doing anything like that,” Goode tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview. “They were all like, ‘Jesus, you’re actually alright.’ Thanks, guys.”
SEEour video chat with Miles Teller (‘The Offer’)
Based on the experiences Al Ruddy (played by...
- 6/14/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
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