By Todd Garbarini
I’m a sucker for car chases. Not the perfunctory, last-minute “Hey, this movie needs a car chase!” variety, but the kind that comes as a result of a particular plot point wherein someone or some group has to get away from some other group. While most new car chases such as The Fast and the Furious sort are usually accomplished through CGI, I find that this sleight-of-hand fakery virtually abolishes all tension. The best ones that I have seen all did it for real through innovative and unprecedented filming techniques and excellent editing: Grand Prix (1966), Vanishing Point (1967), Bullitt (1968), The Seven-Ups (1973), The Blues Brothers (1980), The Road Warrior (1981), The Terminator (1984), F/X (1986), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), and The Town (2010) all have action sequences that put the full wonder of film editing on display.
There are two major car chases in the late John Frankenheimer’s Ronin, which opened on Friday,...
I’m a sucker for car chases. Not the perfunctory, last-minute “Hey, this movie needs a car chase!” variety, but the kind that comes as a result of a particular plot point wherein someone or some group has to get away from some other group. While most new car chases such as The Fast and the Furious sort are usually accomplished through CGI, I find that this sleight-of-hand fakery virtually abolishes all tension. The best ones that I have seen all did it for real through innovative and unprecedented filming techniques and excellent editing: Grand Prix (1966), Vanishing Point (1967), Bullitt (1968), The Seven-Ups (1973), The Blues Brothers (1980), The Road Warrior (1981), The Terminator (1984), F/X (1986), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), and The Town (2010) all have action sequences that put the full wonder of film editing on display.
There are two major car chases in the late John Frankenheimer’s Ronin, which opened on Friday,...
- 9/5/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Robert De Niro picks up a gun once again as a highly paid spy-mercenary-thief hired for a bit of international larceny, the robbing of a courier of some undisclosed secrets of one kind or another. Juicing up a Melville- like stoic crime fantasy with superb car stunt work puts director John Frankenheimer back in the game, with a worthy project.
Ronin
Blu-ray
Arrow Video USA
1998 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video 39.95
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgard, Skipp Sudduth, Michael Lonsdale, Jan Triska, Jonathan Pryce.
Cinematography: Robert Fraisse
Film Editor: Tony Gibbs
Original Music: Elia Cmiral
Written by J.D. Zeik, David Mamet (as Richard Weisz)
Produced by Frank Mancuso Jr.
Directed by John Frankenheimer
Ronin is something of a last gasp for the Mancuso-era United Artists (MGM), a lavishly appointed all-on-location major action picture directed by a great...
Ronin
Blu-ray
Arrow Video USA
1998 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video 39.95
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Sean Bean, Stellan Skarsgard, Skipp Sudduth, Michael Lonsdale, Jan Triska, Jonathan Pryce.
Cinematography: Robert Fraisse
Film Editor: Tony Gibbs
Original Music: Elia Cmiral
Written by J.D. Zeik, David Mamet (as Richard Weisz)
Produced by Frank Mancuso Jr.
Directed by John Frankenheimer
Ronin is something of a last gasp for the Mancuso-era United Artists (MGM), a lavishly appointed all-on-location major action picture directed by a great...
- 8/15/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Ronin Starring Robert DeNiro and directed by John Frankenheimer will be available from Arrow Academy on August 28th.
Ronin: Noun, historical. A samurai who no longer serves a daimyo, or feudal lord.
From director John Frankenheimer (Reindeer Games, The Manchurian Candidate) comes Ronin, a pulse-pounding, action-packed crime thriller featuring an all-star cast headlined by Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver, Heat) and Jean Reno (Léon: The Professional).
On a rain-swept night in Paris, an international crack team of professional thieves assembles, summoned by a shady crime syndicate fronted by the enigmatic Deirdre (Natascha McElhone, The Devil’s Own). Their mission: to steal a heavily guarded briefcase from armed mobsters, its contents undisclosed. But what begins as a routine heist soon spirals into chaos, with the group beset by a series of double-crosses and constantly shifting allegiances, and it falls to world-weary former CIA strategist Sam (De Niro) and laconic Frenchman...
Ronin: Noun, historical. A samurai who no longer serves a daimyo, or feudal lord.
From director John Frankenheimer (Reindeer Games, The Manchurian Candidate) comes Ronin, a pulse-pounding, action-packed crime thriller featuring an all-star cast headlined by Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver, Heat) and Jean Reno (Léon: The Professional).
On a rain-swept night in Paris, an international crack team of professional thieves assembles, summoned by a shady crime syndicate fronted by the enigmatic Deirdre (Natascha McElhone, The Devil’s Own). Their mission: to steal a heavily guarded briefcase from armed mobsters, its contents undisclosed. But what begins as a routine heist soon spirals into chaos, with the group beset by a series of double-crosses and constantly shifting allegiances, and it falls to world-weary former CIA strategist Sam (De Niro) and laconic Frenchman...
- 8/9/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
On paper it’s a western with everything — a major star, decent supporting players, a cult director and sideways references to the blacklisting years. But even with its ya-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it high noon showdown scene, Joseph H. Lewis’s last feature film is still a lower-tier United Artists effort. Sterling Hayden goes up against Sebastian Cabot and Nedrick Young, armed with a, with a . . . aw, you probably know already.
Terror in a Texas Town
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 80 min. / Street Date July 11, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Sebastian Cabot, Carol Kelly, Eugene Martin, Nedrick Young, Victor Millan, Frank Ferguson, Marilee Earle, Byron Foulger, Glenn Strange.
Cinematography: Ray Rennahan
Original Music: Gerald Fried
Written by Dalton Trumbo, fronted by Ben Perry
Produced by Frank N. Seltzer
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
Auteurists in the early 1970s championed directors like Phil Karlson, Budd Boetticher and Anthony Mann. These stylists...
Terror in a Texas Town
Blu-ray
Arrow Academy
1958 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 80 min. / Street Date July 11, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Sebastian Cabot, Carol Kelly, Eugene Martin, Nedrick Young, Victor Millan, Frank Ferguson, Marilee Earle, Byron Foulger, Glenn Strange.
Cinematography: Ray Rennahan
Original Music: Gerald Fried
Written by Dalton Trumbo, fronted by Ben Perry
Produced by Frank N. Seltzer
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
Auteurists in the early 1970s championed directors like Phil Karlson, Budd Boetticher and Anthony Mann. These stylists...
- 7/26/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A military coup in the U.S.? General Burt Lancaster’s scheme would be flawless if not for true blue Marine Kirk Douglas, who snitches to the White House. Now Burt’s whole expensive clandestine army might go to waste – Sad! John Frankenheimer and Rod Serling are behind this nifty paranoid conspiracy thriller.
Seven Days in May
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1964 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 118 min. / Street Date May 8, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Martin Balsam, Andrew Duggan, John Houseman, Hugh Marlowe, Whit Bissell, George Macready, Richard Anderson, Malcolm Atterbury, William Challee, Colette Jackson, John Larkin, Kent McCord, Tyler McVey, Jack Mullaney, Fredd Wayne, Ferris Webster.
Cinematography: Ellsworth Fredericks
Film Editor: Ferris Webster
Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Written by Rod Serling from the book by Fletcher Knebel, Charles W. Bailey II
Produced by Edward Lewis
Directed by John Frankenheimer...
Seven Days in May
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1964 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 118 min. / Street Date May 8, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March, Ava Gardner, Edmond O’Brien, Martin Balsam, Andrew Duggan, John Houseman, Hugh Marlowe, Whit Bissell, George Macready, Richard Anderson, Malcolm Atterbury, William Challee, Colette Jackson, John Larkin, Kent McCord, Tyler McVey, Jack Mullaney, Fredd Wayne, Ferris Webster.
Cinematography: Ellsworth Fredericks
Film Editor: Ferris Webster
Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Written by Rod Serling from the book by Fletcher Knebel, Charles W. Bailey II
Produced by Edward Lewis
Directed by John Frankenheimer...
- 5/5/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This movie, about populist demagoguery in America, is pretty upsetting in itself, but what's worse is that the dystopian fascist conspiracy it depicts—a scheme to kick random sections of the black populace off relief in New Orleans—is so small-scale. And we find, examining American film history, that Sinclair Lewis's novel It Can't Happen Here has never been filmed, and that filmmakers have tended to take his title as a statement of truth. A Face in the Crowd reassuringly tells us that Americans always get wise to would-be dictators before it's too late. We have very few movies that take the idea of a tyrant getting elected and run with it. There's Gabriel Over the White House, but that's an MGM film so naturally it views the idea of a despotic zealot in the Oval Office as a good thing. The Dead Zone offers a glimpse of such a future,...
- 11/29/2016
- MUBI
Piper Laurie Keeps Her Chin Up
By Alex Simon
Few living actors can claim to have experienced the Hollywood machine in all its iterations more than three-time Oscar nominee Piper Laurie. Signed by Universal Pictures at 17, their youngest contract player in years, she was in the last generation that were part of the Hollywood “factory,” pushed into “cheesecake” roles that accented physical attributes, as opposed to talent. It was the beginning of a journey.
She was born Rosetta Jacobs in Detroit, Michigan, on January 22, 1932, to immigrant parents of Polish and Russian Jewish descent. When she was still five, the family sent her and her sister to a children’s sanatorium in the mountains to see if her sister’s asthma could be cured. Three years later after being reunited with her family she decided she wanted to become an actress and studied with Benno and Betomi Schneider for several years...
By Alex Simon
Few living actors can claim to have experienced the Hollywood machine in all its iterations more than three-time Oscar nominee Piper Laurie. Signed by Universal Pictures at 17, their youngest contract player in years, she was in the last generation that were part of the Hollywood “factory,” pushed into “cheesecake” roles that accented physical attributes, as opposed to talent. It was the beginning of a journey.
She was born Rosetta Jacobs in Detroit, Michigan, on January 22, 1932, to immigrant parents of Polish and Russian Jewish descent. When she was still five, the family sent her and her sister to a children’s sanatorium in the mountains to see if her sister’s asthma could be cured. Three years later after being reunited with her family she decided she wanted to become an actress and studied with Benno and Betomi Schneider for several years...
- 6/9/2016
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
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Director and veteran movie SFX artist Greg Nicotero chats about making The Walking Dead, working with Quentin Tarantino and more...
Here be spoilers for The Walking Dead season 6B. Nb: interview took place before the finale had aired
For any self-respecting horror fan, Greg Nicotero is a legend. Cutting his early blood-stained teeth working as a makeup artist under Tom Savini and George Romero, he’s worked (as you’ll read below) with just about every great genre director and has gone on to become, for many of us, the strongest episode director of The Walking Dead.
In town to talk all things walker-related, we sat down to discuss the fusion of his directorial style with his superlative and endlessly creative special effects. His enthusiasm for his work was a joy to behold and you suspect that given free rein, he could talk endlessly about his experiences...
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Director and veteran movie SFX artist Greg Nicotero chats about making The Walking Dead, working with Quentin Tarantino and more...
Here be spoilers for The Walking Dead season 6B. Nb: interview took place before the finale had aired
For any self-respecting horror fan, Greg Nicotero is a legend. Cutting his early blood-stained teeth working as a makeup artist under Tom Savini and George Romero, he’s worked (as you’ll read below) with just about every great genre director and has gone on to become, for many of us, the strongest episode director of The Walking Dead.
In town to talk all things walker-related, we sat down to discuss the fusion of his directorial style with his superlative and endlessly creative special effects. His enthusiasm for his work was a joy to behold and you suspect that given free rein, he could talk endlessly about his experiences...
- 4/5/2016
- Den of Geek
It's the classic paranoid conspiracy that won't go away... and that seems less impossible with every passing year. Laurence Harvey is a remote-controlled assassin, and Frank Sinatra seems to be under a little hypnotic influence himself... or are we just imagining it? John Frankenheimer and George Axelrod concoct a masterpiece from the novel by Richard Condon, a movie about conspiracies, that may be hiding more secrets in plain sight. The Manchurian Candidate Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 803 1962 / B&W / 1:75 widescreen / 126 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 15, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury, Henry Silva, James Gregory, Leslie Parrish, John McGiver, Khigh Dhiegh Cinematography Lionel Lindon Production Designer Richard Sylbert Film Editor Ferris Webster Original Music David Amram Written by George Axelrod from the novel by Richard Condon Produced by George Axelrod, John Frankenheimer, Howard W. Koch Directed by John Frankenheimer
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
- 3/22/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
John Frankenheimer ended a three year hiatus following his 1979 environmental horror/creature feature Prophecy with a commendable martial-arts effort, The Challenge (1982). Starring Scott Glenn in his first lead performance, the curiosity was co-written by John Sayles and also stars Japanese legend Toshiro Mifune (who had previously appeared in Frankenheimer’s 1966 film, Grand Prix). Though it ultimately proves to be a nonsensical narrative in its clash of East meets West and traditional values threatened by the consumer cravings of the modernized world, some fantastic fight sequences (a pre-fame Steven Seagal served as technical advisor) and superb lensing from famed cinematographer Kozo Okazaki mark the title as worthy of recuperation for its conglomeration of vintage components.
In 1982 Los Angeles, a down and out boxer, Rick Murphy (Glenn) is approached to transport a sacred sword to Kyoto in order to restore it to its rightful owner, a master samurai, Toru Yoshida (Mifune). Apparently,...
In 1982 Los Angeles, a down and out boxer, Rick Murphy (Glenn) is approached to transport a sacred sword to Kyoto in order to restore it to its rightful owner, a master samurai, Toru Yoshida (Mifune). Apparently,...
- 3/8/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
“Why did Rock Hudson star in this movie?” I kept asking myself while watching Seconds for the third or fourth time this past week. By many accounts, the shoot wasn’t a particularly pleasant one, with at least two scenes – the infamous “stomp those grapes!” near-orgy and the drunken party – pushing the star wildly out of his comfort zone. He was slightly past his prime, but still commanding starring roles in mainstream hits. His success with Doris Day meant he was mostly doing comedies, but he still got some dramatic work in here and there (though 1963’s A Gathering of Eagles, the last drama he did before Seconds, was not well-received critically or commercially). And if he did want to push himself dramatically, why a science fiction film about mortality? Hudson not only accepted the part, but actively lobbied for it, winning over director John Frankenheimer, who preferred the more...
- 1/15/2016
- by Scott Nye
- CriterionCast
As an supplement to our Recommended Discs weekly feature, Peter Labuza regularly highlights notable recent home video releases with expanded reviews. See this week’s selections below.
Welcome to L.A. (Kino Lorber)
Alan Rudolph’s first major feature under the tutelage of his mentor and frequent collaborator Robert Altman demonstrates the filmmaker’s penchant for grooving interweaving narratives into intoxicating tones. Altman turned the City of Angels into a crashing melodramatic kaleidoscope in 1993’s Short Cuts, but Rudolph prefers jarring effects to come through more organic moments of minor gestures. Take the film’s opening shot: after establishing its cast of characters over the soulful tunes of Keith Carradine’s title song, Rudolph cuts to a shot looking up from the back of a cab, the palm trees barely visible over the cab’s leather seating. The camera pans over to Geraldine Chaplin’s ponderous face until she suddenly turns...
Welcome to L.A. (Kino Lorber)
Alan Rudolph’s first major feature under the tutelage of his mentor and frequent collaborator Robert Altman demonstrates the filmmaker’s penchant for grooving interweaving narratives into intoxicating tones. Altman turned the City of Angels into a crashing melodramatic kaleidoscope in 1993’s Short Cuts, but Rudolph prefers jarring effects to come through more organic moments of minor gestures. Take the film’s opening shot: after establishing its cast of characters over the soulful tunes of Keith Carradine’s title song, Rudolph cuts to a shot looking up from the back of a cab, the palm trees barely visible over the cab’s leather seating. The camera pans over to Geraldine Chaplin’s ponderous face until she suddenly turns...
- 12/22/2015
- by Peter Labuza
- The Film Stage
Since 1989, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress has been accomplishing the important task of preserving films that “represent important cultural, artistic and historic achievements in filmmaking.” From films way back in 1897 all the way up to 2004, they’ve now reached 675 films that celebrate our heritage and encapsulate our film history.
Today they’ve unveiled their 2015 list, which includes classics such as Douglas Sirk‘s melodrama Imitation of Life, Hal Ashby‘s Being There, and John Frankenheimer‘s Seconds. Perhaps the most popular picks, The Shawshank Redemption, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, and L.A. Confidential were also added. Check out the full list below.
Being There (1979)
Chance, a simple-minded gardener (Peter Sellers) whose only contact with the outside world is through television, becomes the toast of the town following a series of misunderstandings. Forced outside his protected environment by the death of his wealthy boss, Chance subsumes his late employer’s persona,...
Today they’ve unveiled their 2015 list, which includes classics such as Douglas Sirk‘s melodrama Imitation of Life, Hal Ashby‘s Being There, and John Frankenheimer‘s Seconds. Perhaps the most popular picks, The Shawshank Redemption, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, and L.A. Confidential were also added. Check out the full list below.
Being There (1979)
Chance, a simple-minded gardener (Peter Sellers) whose only contact with the outside world is through television, becomes the toast of the town following a series of misunderstandings. Forced outside his protected environment by the death of his wealthy boss, Chance subsumes his late employer’s persona,...
- 12/16/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Special Mention: Werckmeister Harmonies
Directed by Bela Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky
Written by László Krasznahorkai and Bela Tarr
2000, Hungary / Italy / Germany
Genre: Emotional Horror
Bela Tarr is a filmmaker whose work is a highly acquired taste, but as a metaphysical horror story, Werckmeister Harmonies is an utter masterpiece that should appeal to most cinephiles. The film title refers to the 17th-century German organist-composer Andreas Werckmeister, esteemed for his influential structure and harmony of music. Harmonies is strung together like a magnificent symphony working on the viewer’s emotions over long stretches of time even when the viewer is unaware of what’s going on. Attempting to make sense of Tarr’s movies in strict narrative terms is not the best way to go about watching his films; but regardless if you come away understanding Harmonies or not, you won’t soon forget the film. Harmonies is a technical triumph, shot...
Directed by Bela Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky
Written by László Krasznahorkai and Bela Tarr
2000, Hungary / Italy / Germany
Genre: Emotional Horror
Bela Tarr is a filmmaker whose work is a highly acquired taste, but as a metaphysical horror story, Werckmeister Harmonies is an utter masterpiece that should appeal to most cinephiles. The film title refers to the 17th-century German organist-composer Andreas Werckmeister, esteemed for his influential structure and harmony of music. Harmonies is strung together like a magnificent symphony working on the viewer’s emotions over long stretches of time even when the viewer is unaware of what’s going on. Attempting to make sense of Tarr’s movies in strict narrative terms is not the best way to go about watching his films; but regardless if you come away understanding Harmonies or not, you won’t soon forget the film. Harmonies is a technical triumph, shot...
- 10/30/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
If the transformation is a character’s external change then the meltdown is the internal equivalent. Sometimes the most terrifying part of a horror film isn’t when the monster pops out, but when a character loses his or her grip on reality. The psychosis can begin gradually, exacerbated by stress, sickness, or an outside tormentor. Often the character begins a film in complete control of his or her mental faculties. But control is a relative term, and in a horror film, the illusion of control can be just as powerful as actual agency. The options: denial or embracement. The psychological break will come soon enough. The only question is, how broken will the person be once it does?
****
Alien (1979) – Ash malfunctions
The crew of the cargo ship Nostromo has just about had it. Awakened from a cozy hypersleep to answer the worst wrong number in interstellar history, they then...
****
Alien (1979) – Ash malfunctions
The crew of the cargo ship Nostromo has just about had it. Awakened from a cozy hypersleep to answer the worst wrong number in interstellar history, they then...
- 10/25/2015
- by Staff
- SoundOnSight
Director John Frankenheimer.
I'm often asked which, out of the over 600 interviews I've logged with Hollywood's finest, is my favorite. It's not a tough answer: John Frankenheimer.
We instantly clicked the day we met at his home in Benedict Canyon, and spent most of the afternoon talking in his den. A friendship of sorts developed over the years, with visits to his office for screenings of the old Kinescopes he directed for shows like "Playhouse 90" during his salad days in live television during the 1950s.
We hadn't spoken for nearly a year in mid-2002 when the phone rang. It was John, who spoke in what can only be described as a "stentorian bark," like a general. "Alex!" he exclaimed. "John Frankenheimer." He could sense something was amiss with me. It was. My screenwriting career had stalled. My marriage was progressing to divorce. I had hit bottom. John knew that...
I'm often asked which, out of the over 600 interviews I've logged with Hollywood's finest, is my favorite. It's not a tough answer: John Frankenheimer.
We instantly clicked the day we met at his home in Benedict Canyon, and spent most of the afternoon talking in his den. A friendship of sorts developed over the years, with visits to his office for screenings of the old Kinescopes he directed for shows like "Playhouse 90" during his salad days in live television during the 1950s.
We hadn't spoken for nearly a year in mid-2002 when the phone rang. It was John, who spoke in what can only be described as a "stentorian bark," like a general. "Alex!" he exclaimed. "John Frankenheimer." He could sense something was amiss with me. It was. My screenwriting career had stalled. My marriage was progressing to divorce. I had hit bottom. John knew that...
- 7/6/2015
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
'The Fixer' movie with Alan Bates, Dirk Bogarde and Ian Holm (background) 'The Fixer' movie review: 1968 anti-Semitism drama wrecked by cast, direction, and writing In 1969, director John Frankenheimer declared that he felt "better about The Fixer than anything I've ever done in my life." Considering Frankenheimer's previous output – Seven Days in May, the much admired The Manchurian Candidate – it is hard to believe that the director was being anything but a good P.R. man for his latest release. Adapted from Bernard Malamud's National Book Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (itself based on the real story of Jewish brick-factory worker Menahem Mendel Beilis), The Fixer is an overlong, overblown, and overwrought contrivance that, albeit well meaning, carelessly misuses most of the talent involved while sadistically abusing the patience – and at times the intelligence – of its viewers. John Frankenheimer overindulges in 1960s kitsch John Frankenheimer...
- 5/13/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Brad Pitt 'Glory Days' costar Nicholas Kallsen Brad Pitt 'Glory Days' costar Nicholas Kallsen dead at 48 Nicholas Kallsen, who was featured opposite Brad Pitt in the short-lived television series Glory Days, has died at age 48 in Thailand according to online reports. Their source is one of Rupert Murdoch's rags, citing a Facebook posting by one of the actor's friends. The cause of death was purportedly – no specific source was provided – a drug overdose.* Aired on Fox in July 1990, Glory Days told the story of four high-school friends whose paths take different directions after graduation. Besides Nicholas Kallsen and Brad Pitt, the show also featured Spike Alexander and Evan Mirand. Glory Days lasted a mere six episodes – two of which directed by former Happy Days actor Anson Williams – before its cancellation. Roommates Nicholas Kallsen and Brad Pitt vying for same 'Thelma & Louise' role? The Murdoch tabloid also...
- 5/1/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Smack dab in the middle of his fourth decade as a filmmaker, auteur John Frankenheimer would release what would stand as one of his last notable titles with 52 Pick-Up in 1986. The 80s were not really kind to the veteran director, having knocked out one of his silliest titles in 1979 with the environmental horror film Prophecy prior to helming some other oddities, like the Scott Glenn/Toshiro Mifune film The Challenge (1982), the Michael Caine thriller The Holcraft Experiment (1985) and then Dead Bang (1989) with Don Johnson. But it would be his adaptation of this Elmore Leonard novel, a black mail neo noir that really stands out amongst his later works.
Harry Mitchell (Roy Scheider) is a Los Angeles entrepreneur. He’s got a great life, lots of money, a beautiful wife (Ann-Margret) about to enter into the political arena, and a sprawling home. But when three criminals led by pornographer Alan Raimy...
Harry Mitchell (Roy Scheider) is a Los Angeles entrepreneur. He’s got a great life, lots of money, a beautiful wife (Ann-Margret) about to enter into the political arena, and a sprawling home. But when three criminals led by pornographer Alan Raimy...
- 3/10/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
To Go On Two Legs: Gregory’s Fascinating Recapitulation of a Cinematic Train Wreck
Documentarian David Gregory graduates from an extensive history of shorts with his first feature length achievement, the verbosely titled Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s The Island of Dr. Moreau. However, the title is something of a misnomer, much like another recent examination of a project that never came to fruition with its originating director, Jodorowsky’s Dune. Stanley, who had gained a successful cult following in the early 90s for Hardware (1990) and the Miramax distributed Dust Devil (1992), would engage in the sort of uphill production battle that rivalled historical studio horror stories. Weather, nervous producers, pampered diva personalities, and ultimately, Stanley’s own limitations in reigning in such aggressive setbacks would result in his being fired from the set. However, the strangeness doesn’t stop there. Gregory manages to convey the extremity of a much maligned production,...
Documentarian David Gregory graduates from an extensive history of shorts with his first feature length achievement, the verbosely titled Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s The Island of Dr. Moreau. However, the title is something of a misnomer, much like another recent examination of a project that never came to fruition with its originating director, Jodorowsky’s Dune. Stanley, who had gained a successful cult following in the early 90s for Hardware (1990) and the Miramax distributed Dust Devil (1992), would engage in the sort of uphill production battle that rivalled historical studio horror stories. Weather, nervous producers, pampered diva personalities, and ultimately, Stanley’s own limitations in reigning in such aggressive setbacks would result in his being fired from the set. However, the strangeness doesn’t stop there. Gregory manages to convey the extremity of a much maligned production,...
- 2/27/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
With so many films released on the run up to Halloween it’s been hard to keep up with reviews, so we’re going to play catch-up with another review round-up looking at some recent releases in brief. This time round we have reviews of Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari, Saints & Soldiers: The Void, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The Pigman Murders.
Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari
Stars: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Rudolf Lettinger | Directed by Robert Weine
Synopsis: At a local carnival in a small German town, hypnotist Dr. Caligari presents the somnambulist Cesare, who can purportedly predict the future of curious fairgoers. But at night, the doctor wakes Cesare from his sleep to enact his evil bidding…
My thoughts: Along with Last Year in Marienbad and The 400 Blows, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari was one of those “important” films that I,...
Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari
Stars: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Rudolf Lettinger | Directed by Robert Weine
Synopsis: At a local carnival in a small German town, hypnotist Dr. Caligari presents the somnambulist Cesare, who can purportedly predict the future of curious fairgoers. But at night, the doctor wakes Cesare from his sleep to enact his evil bidding…
My thoughts: Along with Last Year in Marienbad and The 400 Blows, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari was one of those “important” films that I,...
- 10/18/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau
Directed by David Gregory
USA, 2014
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau (2014) is a documentary that tells the secret story behind Richard Stanley’s involvement, as the uncredited director and extra, in the cult movie The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). After his cult successes Hardware (1990) and Dust Devil (1992), director Richard Stanley was given an $8 million dollar budget along with the stars Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer to make his dream project based on the H. G. Wells science fiction novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896). Stanley pre-produced and developed the script for 4 years only to end up getting fired 4 days into the shoot. It’s a “what might have been movie” in the vein of films like Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013) or Lost in La Mancha (2002).
The film includes a variety of testimonials from Richard Stanley,...
Directed by David Gregory
USA, 2014
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau (2014) is a documentary that tells the secret story behind Richard Stanley’s involvement, as the uncredited director and extra, in the cult movie The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996). After his cult successes Hardware (1990) and Dust Devil (1992), director Richard Stanley was given an $8 million dollar budget along with the stars Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer to make his dream project based on the H. G. Wells science fiction novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896). Stanley pre-produced and developed the script for 4 years only to end up getting fired 4 days into the shoot. It’s a “what might have been movie” in the vein of films like Jodorowsky’s Dune (2013) or Lost in La Mancha (2002).
The film includes a variety of testimonials from Richard Stanley,...
- 10/17/2014
- by Francisco Peres
- SoundOnSight
For the second time this year, my festival coverage is interrupted by an uncomfortable abscess on my tail-bone. It is not a particularly serious condition but it is very painful, in particular when I sit down. The only position that is remotely comfortable is lying on my stomach, which is not very conducive to the festival experience. I was speaking with my friend about it, and they told me “when the body is sick, sometimes it’s trying to communicate something to you”. I guess that means my body would rather I be the subject of a David Cronenberg body horror than watch one. Luckily people have been helpful and supportive and I still have access to a number of films, I’m just a little more sluggish than normal. Instead of fitting in my writing between screenings and after late nights of partying, I’m writing between doctor’s visits and periods of recovery.
- 10/17/2014
- by Justine Smith
- SoundOnSight
Few actors can honestly be designated a living legend, but Bruce Dern is one of them.
Starting out on television and with Roger Corman in the '60s (you can watch his amazing recollection of this time in the terrific documentary "Corman's World"), Dern would star in a string of Westerns, including "The Cowboys," where he shoots John Wayne in the back; anchor a big-budget sci-fi movie with "Silent Running"; and get nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Coming Home." Dern starred in movies for Walter Hill, Francis Ford Coppola, Sydney Pollack, Bob Rafelson, Joe Dante, and John Frankenheimer. He's an actor whose scope and breadth has seen him starring in both Alfred Hitchcock's last movie, "Family Plot," and Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning, slavery-era revenge movie "Django Unchained."
But now he's about to step into the role of his career, in Alexander Payne's "Nebraska." In the film,...
Starting out on television and with Roger Corman in the '60s (you can watch his amazing recollection of this time in the terrific documentary "Corman's World"), Dern would star in a string of Westerns, including "The Cowboys," where he shoots John Wayne in the back; anchor a big-budget sci-fi movie with "Silent Running"; and get nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Coming Home." Dern starred in movies for Walter Hill, Francis Ford Coppola, Sydney Pollack, Bob Rafelson, Joe Dante, and John Frankenheimer. He's an actor whose scope and breadth has seen him starring in both Alfred Hitchcock's last movie, "Family Plot," and Quentin Tarantino's Oscar-winning, slavery-era revenge movie "Django Unchained."
But now he's about to step into the role of his career, in Alexander Payne's "Nebraska." In the film,...
- 11/12/2013
- by Drew Taylor
- Moviefone
Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time for one reason: the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. I am including documentaries, short films and mini series, only as special mentions – along with a few features that can qualify as horror, but barely do.
****
Special Mention:
Häxan
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft,...
****
Special Mention:
Häxan
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft,...
- 10/30/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Olson on Noir! concludes at Trailers from Hell, with screenwriter Josh Olson introducing John Frankenheimer's "52 Pickup," starring Roy Scheider and Ann-Margret. The late Elmore Leonard penned the screenplay, adapted from his own novel.This was a bright spot in a fallow period for Frankenheimer after disasters like Prophecy. The magic charms of Leonard kicked in big time with his script, part of his lucrative evolution from westerns to suspense and crime films.
- 10/25/2013
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
The racing is superb as is Daniel Brühl's performance but the film is undermined by clunky dialogue and fundamental untruths
It was Jackie Stewart who gave the old Nürburgring a nickname: the Green Hell. He hated the 14-mile circuit in the Eifel mountains. But that wasn't good enough for Peter Morgan. When the writer of Frost/Nixon and The Queen came to create his screenplay for Rush, the new film about the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, a more dramatic introduction was needed for the location of Lauda's terrible crash in 1976.
"In Formula One," a TV commentator announces in the film, setting the scene for the near-fatal weekend, "it is known as the Graveyard."
Well, no, it isn't. And it wasn't, even in 1976. Yes, five drivers died there during grand prix meetings. A terrible toll, of course. But at Monza, to take just one example, the equivalent...
It was Jackie Stewart who gave the old Nürburgring a nickname: the Green Hell. He hated the 14-mile circuit in the Eifel mountains. But that wasn't good enough for Peter Morgan. When the writer of Frost/Nixon and The Queen came to create his screenplay for Rush, the new film about the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, a more dramatic introduction was needed for the location of Lauda's terrible crash in 1976.
"In Formula One," a TV commentator announces in the film, setting the scene for the near-fatal weekend, "it is known as the Graveyard."
Well, no, it isn't. And it wasn't, even in 1976. Yes, five drivers died there during grand prix meetings. A terrible toll, of course. But at Monza, to take just one example, the equivalent...
- 9/6/2013
- by Richard Williams
- The Guardian - Film News
By Alex Simon
John Badham cut his directorial teeth on ‘70s-era television shows like The Bold Ones, The Streets of San Francisco and Kung-Fu in the early ‘70s, before attaining A-list status with his second feature, Saturday Night Fever, in 1977. Films as diverse as WarGames, Blue Thunder, Nick of Time and Bird on a Wire kept John Badham one of the busiest directors in the biz, having literally not stopped working since 1971. His 2006 book I’ll Be in My Trailer (co-written with Craig Moderno) has become required reading for virtually every neophyte film director in the business.
2013 finds Badham releasing a follow-up volume, John Badham on Directing: Notes From the Set of Saturday Night Fever, WarGames, and More. The book offers an engaging look at the psychological, technical, and managerial elements that go into helming a film or TV show. A veteran of over 30 films and 45 TV episodes, Badham supports...
John Badham cut his directorial teeth on ‘70s-era television shows like The Bold Ones, The Streets of San Francisco and Kung-Fu in the early ‘70s, before attaining A-list status with his second feature, Saturday Night Fever, in 1977. Films as diverse as WarGames, Blue Thunder, Nick of Time and Bird on a Wire kept John Badham one of the busiest directors in the biz, having literally not stopped working since 1971. His 2006 book I’ll Be in My Trailer (co-written with Craig Moderno) has become required reading for virtually every neophyte film director in the business.
2013 finds Badham releasing a follow-up volume, John Badham on Directing: Notes From the Set of Saturday Night Fever, WarGames, and More. The book offers an engaging look at the psychological, technical, and managerial elements that go into helming a film or TV show. A veteran of over 30 films and 45 TV episodes, Badham supports...
- 9/3/2013
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Chicago – John Frankenheimer’s “Seconds” with Rock Hudson was considered an unusual choice for The Criterion Collection when it was announced earlier this year. Never before available on Blu-ray and discontinued on DVD, the 4K restoration on this edition is the real draw, especially given that the film’s strength lies in its stunning visual compositions. With its canted angles and fish bowl aesthetic, Frankenheimer enhances what is actually a relatively weak script.
“Seconds” is a film that I want to adore given my love for the filmmaker’s other works (especially “The Manchurian Candidate,” another ode to ’60s paranoia) and how I love well-written “Twilight Zone”-esque tales, but repeat viewing of this release reveals the film to be thematically thinner than it should be. There are some great ideas here about personality, success, and apathy but they’re not explored and the final twist is one that modern...
“Seconds” is a film that I want to adore given my love for the filmmaker’s other works (especially “The Manchurian Candidate,” another ode to ’60s paranoia) and how I love well-written “Twilight Zone”-esque tales, but repeat viewing of this release reveals the film to be thematically thinner than it should be. There are some great ideas here about personality, success, and apathy but they’re not explored and the final twist is one that modern...
- 8/20/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Selected for the Main Comp at the Cannes Film Festival in 1966, John Frankenheimer’s Seconds is a grim, nightmarish thriller that embodies many distinctive aspects of 1960s American cinema. Largely forgotten – one could argue for good reason – by all but the most devoted Frankenheimer fans, the film combines classic noir stylistics with the era’s emerging tremors of social revolution. Folded into the mix are elements of Sci-Fi and speculative fiction, creating a “what if” story filled with metaphors, meditations and mind-games.
The snappy plot begins with some odd occurrences in the quietly desperate life of Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph), a 50-ish, dry as toast bank manager who commutes into the city every day from his tidy colonial in leafy Scarsdale. Recently, the unnerved Hamilton has been receiving phone calls from an old college buddy long thought to be dead. This voice from the past entices Hamilton with vague promises...
The snappy plot begins with some odd occurrences in the quietly desperate life of Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph), a 50-ish, dry as toast bank manager who commutes into the city every day from his tidy colonial in leafy Scarsdale. Recently, the unnerved Hamilton has been receiving phone calls from an old college buddy long thought to be dead. This voice from the past entices Hamilton with vague promises...
- 8/13/2013
- by David Anderson
- IONCINEMA.com
After watching John Frankenheimer's Seconds (1966) for the first time with this Criterion Blu-ray, I couldn't help but think of several previous Criterion Blu-ray titles that came to mind. Films such as Alexander Mackendrick's Sweet Smell of Success, Roman Polanski's Repulsion and Robert Aldrich's Kiss Me Deadly. You could even through in the feel of a Samuel Fuller film and even a little of Ingmar Bergman's Persona. For anyone that knows these films, that's pretty high praise and while Seconds may be better than a couple and below the others, the mere fact this film put me in the mood and mindset to even consider the comparisons is enough for me to say you really ought to give this one a look. Based on the novel by David Ely, I can't remember if Seconds ever gives us a definitive date in which it's set, but suffice...
- 8/12/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Seconds (The Criterion Collection)
The Earrings Of Madame De... (The Criterion Collection)
Scary Seconds And Jewel-laden Irony
By Raymond Benson
Among the new releases this month from The Criterion Collection, that Cadillac of Blu-Ray/DVD labels, are two oldies-but-goodies—and very different ones—that will impress both the average film lover and the hardcore art house enthusiast. For me, the most anticipated title was Seconds, the 1966 paranoia-science fiction-mystery-thriller directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Rock Hudson in a cast-against-type role. There’s no question that the picture was ahead of its time. The circumstances sound familiar—it was a very intelligent, well-made, strikingly photographed genre movie that audiences found too strange or unpleasant, and it flopped... but later, because it really was good, it became a cult classic.
Seconds is a shocking film today; in 1966, it was radical. It was considered an “adults-only” movie, even though its release was prior...
The Earrings Of Madame De... (The Criterion Collection)
Scary Seconds And Jewel-laden Irony
By Raymond Benson
Among the new releases this month from The Criterion Collection, that Cadillac of Blu-Ray/DVD labels, are two oldies-but-goodies—and very different ones—that will impress both the average film lover and the hardcore art house enthusiast. For me, the most anticipated title was Seconds, the 1966 paranoia-science fiction-mystery-thriller directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Rock Hudson in a cast-against-type role. There’s no question that the picture was ahead of its time. The circumstances sound familiar—it was a very intelligent, well-made, strikingly photographed genre movie that audiences found too strange or unpleasant, and it flopped... but later, because it really was good, it became a cult classic.
Seconds is a shocking film today; in 1966, it was radical. It was considered an “adults-only” movie, even though its release was prior...
- 8/8/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Following are some supplemental sections featuring notable director & actor teams that did not meet the criteria for the main body of the article. Some will argue that a number of these should have been included in the primary section but keep in mind that film writing on any level, from the casual to the academic, is a game of knowledge and perception filtered through personal taste.
****
Other Notable Director & Actor Teams
This section is devoted to pairings where the duo worked together at least 3 times with the actor in a major role in each feature film, resulting in 1 must-see film.
Terence Young & Sean Connery
Must-See Collaboration: From Russia with Love (1962).
Other Collaborations: Action of the Tiger (1957), Dr. No (1962), Thunderball (1965).
Director Young and actor Connery teamed up to create one of the very best Connery-era James Bond films with From Russia with Love which features a great villainous performance by Robert Shaw...
****
Other Notable Director & Actor Teams
This section is devoted to pairings where the duo worked together at least 3 times with the actor in a major role in each feature film, resulting in 1 must-see film.
Terence Young & Sean Connery
Must-See Collaboration: From Russia with Love (1962).
Other Collaborations: Action of the Tiger (1957), Dr. No (1962), Thunderball (1965).
Director Young and actor Connery teamed up to create one of the very best Connery-era James Bond films with From Russia with Love which features a great villainous performance by Robert Shaw...
- 7/14/2013
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
As all lovers of crime, suspense thriller, war, western, horror and science fiction films know, creating a truly great cinematic villain is no easy task. When it happens, it’s virtually impossible to forget that character.
We’ll now take a look at the greatest film villains of the 1980’s.
The criteria for this article is the same as my previous article Cinema’s Greatest Villains: The 1970’s: the villains must be from live-action films-no animated features-and must pose some type of direct or indirect lethal threat. The villains can be either individuals or small groups that act as one unit.
The villains must be human or human in appearance, so no shape-shifting alien from John Carpenter’s amazing 1982 The Thing, no Aliens from James Cameron’s classic 1986 sequel and no Predator from John McTiernan’s beloved 1987 film of the same name.
Also, individuals that are the central protagonists/antiheroes...
We’ll now take a look at the greatest film villains of the 1980’s.
The criteria for this article is the same as my previous article Cinema’s Greatest Villains: The 1970’s: the villains must be from live-action films-no animated features-and must pose some type of direct or indirect lethal threat. The villains can be either individuals or small groups that act as one unit.
The villains must be human or human in appearance, so no shape-shifting alien from John Carpenter’s amazing 1982 The Thing, no Aliens from James Cameron’s classic 1986 sequel and no Predator from John McTiernan’s beloved 1987 film of the same name.
Also, individuals that are the central protagonists/antiheroes...
- 6/12/2013
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Aug. 13, 2013
Price: DVD $29.99, Blu-ray $39.99
Studio: Criterion
Rock Hudson gets more than he bargained for when he embarks on a new life in Seconds.
Rock Hudson (All That Heaven Allows) star in Seconds, a sinister, science-fiction-inflected thriller from the fractured 1960s directed by John Frankenheimer (Grand Prix).
The 1966 film concerns a middle-aged businessman dissatisfied with his suburban existence, who elects to undergo a strange and elaborate procedure that will grant him a new life. Starting over in America, however, is not as easy as it sounds, even if the new you looks like, well, Rock Hudson.
This paranoiac movie filled with canted camera angles (courtesy of cinematographer James Wong Howe of Sweet Smell of Success), fragmented editing, and layered sound design is a remarkably risk-taking Hollywood film that ranks high on the list of its director’s major achievements.
The DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film...
Price: DVD $29.99, Blu-ray $39.99
Studio: Criterion
Rock Hudson gets more than he bargained for when he embarks on a new life in Seconds.
Rock Hudson (All That Heaven Allows) star in Seconds, a sinister, science-fiction-inflected thriller from the fractured 1960s directed by John Frankenheimer (Grand Prix).
The 1966 film concerns a middle-aged businessman dissatisfied with his suburban existence, who elects to undergo a strange and elaborate procedure that will grant him a new life. Starting over in America, however, is not as easy as it sounds, even if the new you looks like, well, Rock Hudson.
This paranoiac movie filled with canted camera angles (courtesy of cinematographer James Wong Howe of Sweet Smell of Success), fragmented editing, and layered sound design is a remarkably risk-taking Hollywood film that ranks high on the list of its director’s major achievements.
The DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film...
- 6/4/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
A periodic round up of interesting and notable books about film, including biographies, histories, critical assessments, and more.
I have to confess from the off that, apart from Daniel Day-Lewis’ typically spellbinding performance (if that’s even the right word for what he does) and the meticulous detail and cinematography that made the film a joy to look at, Stephen Spielberg’s Lincoln left me rather cold; perhaps if I had read Lincoln: A Cinematic and Historical Companion (Disney Editions, distributed in the UK by Turnaround www.turnarounduk.com) beforehand, my viewing experience would have been richer and more rewarding.
The book opens with earnest forewards by Spielberg and producer Kathleen Kennedy, and is thereafter divided into two sections, each in two parts. Part One, ‘Players on the Stage of History’, features full page colour photos of the film’s main players in the style of 19th century portraiture, which...
I have to confess from the off that, apart from Daniel Day-Lewis’ typically spellbinding performance (if that’s even the right word for what he does) and the meticulous detail and cinematography that made the film a joy to look at, Stephen Spielberg’s Lincoln left me rather cold; perhaps if I had read Lincoln: A Cinematic and Historical Companion (Disney Editions, distributed in the UK by Turnaround www.turnarounduk.com) beforehand, my viewing experience would have been richer and more rewarding.
The book opens with earnest forewards by Spielberg and producer Kathleen Kennedy, and is thereafter divided into two sections, each in two parts. Part One, ‘Players on the Stage of History’, features full page colour photos of the film’s main players in the style of 19th century portraiture, which...
- 6/3/2013
- by Ian Gilchrist
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This is my second year in a row reviewing The TCM Classic Film Festival, which is quickly becoming one of the largest, most important, and most fun fests in Los Angeles. Like last year, I ran from screening to screening, giddy with excitement and wired from the constant stream of images.
The festival ran from Thursday through Sunday. I was only able to attend the last two days, but over the course of the weekend I managed to watch ten feature films and a 90-minute program of Bugs Bunny cartoons.
Usually, when I go to things like this I try to watch as many film noir and pre-code movies as I can. On Saturday, I was determined to make variety my theme of the day, and TCM made this easy for me. At any given time, there were five or six movies playing — everything from silent films and early classics to musicals,...
The festival ran from Thursday through Sunday. I was only able to attend the last two days, but over the course of the weekend I managed to watch ten feature films and a 90-minute program of Bugs Bunny cartoons.
Usually, when I go to things like this I try to watch as many film noir and pre-code movies as I can. On Saturday, I was determined to make variety my theme of the day, and TCM made this easy for me. At any given time, there were five or six movies playing — everything from silent films and early classics to musicals,...
- 5/1/2013
- by Jonathan Weichsel
- Planet Fury
Car chases in film have become commonplace, especially in the action and thriller genres. They are now such a regular and anticipated feature, the film they are a part of is often judged somewhat by the quality of said chase. They can make or break a film and this is both because, and why, audiences and filmmakers alike put so much emphasis on them.
So what are the ingredients of a good chase? Is it fast, attractive cars; smooth, sexy drivers; a picturesque or danger-laden set; a technically and creatively adept crew? There are many staples of a successful car chase scene, but there are also more unconventional methods and ideas which have lent some car chase scenes that much needed sprinkle of ingenuity to make them stand out.
With a mix of old and new, classic and modern, thrilling and tense, here are my top 5 car chase scenes in cinematic history…...
So what are the ingredients of a good chase? Is it fast, attractive cars; smooth, sexy drivers; a picturesque or danger-laden set; a technically and creatively adept crew? There are many staples of a successful car chase scene, but there are also more unconventional methods and ideas which have lent some car chase scenes that much needed sprinkle of ingenuity to make them stand out.
With a mix of old and new, classic and modern, thrilling and tense, here are my top 5 car chase scenes in cinematic history…...
- 2/15/2013
- by Jamie Baker
- Obsessed with Film
Leslie Frankenheimer, a four-time Emmy Award-winning set decorator and the wife of prominent entertainment attorney John Frankenheimer, has died. She was 64. Frankenheimer, a governor of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Art Directors/Set Decorators peer group, died Jan. 22 in Los Angeles after a long battle with leukemia, the TV Academy reported. Frankenheimer shared Emmys for her work on ABC's Max Headroom in 1987, CBS' Buddy Faro in 1999, the TNT telefilm James Dean in 2002 and HBO's Carnivale in 2004. She was nominated in 2002 for NBC's Emeril. Her other TV credits included L.
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- 1/26/2013
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Anybody who has ever been to a high school reunion (and I’ve been to my share) will tell you that the calendar and the clock can be incredibly cruel (particularly when combined with the long-term effects of gravity, but let’s not go there).
Time punishes creative works as well. Some work grows dated, stale, stiff. Time and the evolving form of the given art leaves a once vibrant and exciting work behind looking dead and obsolete.
More cruel, perhaps, is work that is simply…forgotten. Not for any good reason. Good as it was, maybe it was simply not successful enough to lodge very deeply in the popular consciousness; working well enough in its day, but soon lost among the ever-growing detritus of a lot of other pieces of yesterday.
Movie music is particularly vulnerable to the cruelties of time. Outside of the form’s devotees, it rarely...
Time punishes creative works as well. Some work grows dated, stale, stiff. Time and the evolving form of the given art leaves a once vibrant and exciting work behind looking dead and obsolete.
More cruel, perhaps, is work that is simply…forgotten. Not for any good reason. Good as it was, maybe it was simply not successful enough to lodge very deeply in the popular consciousness; working well enough in its day, but soon lost among the ever-growing detritus of a lot of other pieces of yesterday.
Movie music is particularly vulnerable to the cruelties of time. Outside of the form’s devotees, it rarely...
- 1/14/2013
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Election Day is just around the corner, and depending on your view of the current state of The Republic, you can look at that day in one of two ways:
It’s a national celebration of history’s greatest, most successful democracy, demonstrating our ability to freely choose our leadership and peacefully see the baton of power passed to the next man;
Or –
It’s a national embarrassment, history’s greatest, most successful democracy squandering it’s hard-won freedoms in a campaign for leadership poisoned by oversimplification, appeals to gut-level fears rather than the intellect, claims and charges plagued by inflation, distortion, and outright falsehood, and warped and distorted by the infusion of tens of millions of dollars from vested interests.
Either way, we still have to get through the day.
So, for those of you who just want to pull the shades and wait for the noise to die down,...
It’s a national celebration of history’s greatest, most successful democracy, demonstrating our ability to freely choose our leadership and peacefully see the baton of power passed to the next man;
Or –
It’s a national embarrassment, history’s greatest, most successful democracy squandering it’s hard-won freedoms in a campaign for leadership poisoned by oversimplification, appeals to gut-level fears rather than the intellect, claims and charges plagued by inflation, distortion, and outright falsehood, and warped and distorted by the infusion of tens of millions of dollars from vested interests.
Either way, we still have to get through the day.
So, for those of you who just want to pull the shades and wait for the noise to die down,...
- 11/2/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Seconds
Directed by John Frankenheimer
Written by David Ely and Lewis John Carlino
1966, USA
Not for weak sisters! May not even be for strong stomachs!
John Frankenheimer’s ultimately terrifying Twilight Zone-like, futuristic thriller Seconds, received mixed reviews, and was critically panned at the Cannes Film Festival. But what do they know? Seconds is a chilling character study and a distressing examination of happiness, loneliness, consumerism, and the American dream. This paranoid take on the legend of Faust remains widely unseen. Thankfully repeated showings on late night television helped the film find a much deserved cult following.
A New York businessman Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) is recruited by the services of an secret organization which provides unhappily married middle-aged businessmen with new lives. Arthur is told that with some highly evolved plastic surgery, physical reconditioning and a promise of a new career, he can become a young man again and begin a new life.
Directed by John Frankenheimer
Written by David Ely and Lewis John Carlino
1966, USA
Not for weak sisters! May not even be for strong stomachs!
John Frankenheimer’s ultimately terrifying Twilight Zone-like, futuristic thriller Seconds, received mixed reviews, and was critically panned at the Cannes Film Festival. But what do they know? Seconds is a chilling character study and a distressing examination of happiness, loneliness, consumerism, and the American dream. This paranoid take on the legend of Faust remains widely unseen. Thankfully repeated showings on late night television helped the film find a much deserved cult following.
A New York businessman Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph) is recruited by the services of an secret organization which provides unhappily married middle-aged businessmen with new lives. Arthur is told that with some highly evolved plastic surgery, physical reconditioning and a promise of a new career, he can become a young man again and begin a new life.
- 10/11/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Taxi Driver, North by Northwest, The Manchurian Candidate, JFK – there's a rich history of assassinations in American film. But what's the difference between the accidental killer and the glamorously rebellious hitman?
It was Monday 31 March 1981, coming up to 2.30pm, and John Hinckley was fidgeting by the Florida Avenue entrance of the Washington Hilton, catching the attention of a police lieutenant who stopped to stare over at him. Hinckley jostled with reporters too, complaining that the press were always getting in the way, before finding a place to stand among the TV cameras. It drizzled, off and on, and the sidewalk was damp. His speech inside finished, President Reagan came out of the hotel, flanked by security men, acknowledging the few onlookers across the street and the small crowd of pressmen on the sidewalk beside him. For a moment, Hinckley asked himself the question: "Should I do this or not?" A journalist shouted to the president,...
It was Monday 31 March 1981, coming up to 2.30pm, and John Hinckley was fidgeting by the Florida Avenue entrance of the Washington Hilton, catching the attention of a police lieutenant who stopped to stare over at him. Hinckley jostled with reporters too, complaining that the press were always getting in the way, before finding a place to stand among the TV cameras. It drizzled, off and on, and the sidewalk was damp. His speech inside finished, President Reagan came out of the hotel, flanked by security men, acknowledging the few onlookers across the street and the small crowd of pressmen on the sidewalk beside him. For a moment, Hinckley asked himself the question: "Should I do this or not?" A journalist shouted to the president,...
- 10/4/2012
- by Michael Newton
- The Guardian - Film News
Whether you measure your movies by box office, reviews, or popular appeal, Sony’s $125 million remake of the 1990 Ah-nuld Schwarzenegger interplanetary action fest Total Recall looks like a strike-out. The movie opened with a lethal softness; a $25.7 million first weekend meaning Recall won’t even come close to making back its budget during its domestic theatrical run. In fact, despite 22 years of ticket price increases, it’s doubtful the movie will even match the original’s $119.3 million haul.
And for those of you who think maybe the problem is Total Recall was outgunned opening while The Dark Knight Rises was still sucking up box office coin, entertain, at least for a moment if you will, the possibility the movie just plain sucks. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ canvas, almost 70% of reviewers – and over three-quarters of “top critics” – gave Total Recall a thumbs-down. Those who went to see the movie didn’t...
And for those of you who think maybe the problem is Total Recall was outgunned opening while The Dark Knight Rises was still sucking up box office coin, entertain, at least for a moment if you will, the possibility the movie just plain sucks. According to Rotten Tomatoes’ canvas, almost 70% of reviewers – and over three-quarters of “top critics” – gave Total Recall a thumbs-down. Those who went to see the movie didn’t...
- 8/15/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
by Nick Schager
[This week’s "Retro Active" pick is inspired by Len Wiseman’s who-am-i? sci-fi action remake Total Recall.]
Freedom is both a coveted dream and a terrifying trap in Seconds, John Frankenheimer's superlative sci-fi drama about the double-edged sword of escape and reinvention. Based on David Ely's novel, Frankenheimer's 1966 film plays like a prolonged Twilight Zone episode except with even greater narrative tension and aesthetic dexterity, detailing with almost overpowering intimacy of emotion the sorry plight of Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph). One of the myriad suit-and-tie commuters who trudge into NYC from their suburban homes each day via the Metro North rail line, Hamilton has a cushy job at a bank where he soon hopes to become manager, and an upper-middle-class home in Scarsdale with his wife Emily (Days of our Lives legend Frances Reid). That cozy life, however, is a prison to Hamilton, whom Frankenheimer introduces being stalked through Grand Central in a series of tight close-ups of the man’s...
[This week’s "Retro Active" pick is inspired by Len Wiseman’s who-am-i? sci-fi action remake Total Recall.]
Freedom is both a coveted dream and a terrifying trap in Seconds, John Frankenheimer's superlative sci-fi drama about the double-edged sword of escape and reinvention. Based on David Ely's novel, Frankenheimer's 1966 film plays like a prolonged Twilight Zone episode except with even greater narrative tension and aesthetic dexterity, detailing with almost overpowering intimacy of emotion the sorry plight of Arthur Hamilton (John Randolph). One of the myriad suit-and-tie commuters who trudge into NYC from their suburban homes each day via the Metro North rail line, Hamilton has a cushy job at a bank where he soon hopes to become manager, and an upper-middle-class home in Scarsdale with his wife Emily (Days of our Lives legend Frances Reid). That cozy life, however, is a prison to Hamilton, whom Frankenheimer introduces being stalked through Grand Central in a series of tight close-ups of the man’s...
- 8/4/2012
- GreenCine Daily
By Harvey Chartrand
Frank Langella played an aging writer in Starting Out in the Evening (2007). Who would have figured this for typecasting?
In his superb memoir, Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them (HarperCollins), Langella reveals that he is an incomparable memoirist and storyteller, recalling his encounters with scores of luminaries from the world of entertainment in a career spanning half a century. All of these luminaries are deceased and the cast of characters is listed “by order of disappearance”. Just as well, as many of the revelations are quite shocking.
Langella must be the most sociable and congenial actor on the planet, as the busyness of his social and professional lives and the breadth and depth of his friendships, romantic liaisons and acquaintances are very impressive indeed. He met Marilyn Monroe in 1953. She stepped out of a limousine and said “hi” to the adolescent from Bayonne,...
Frank Langella played an aging writer in Starting Out in the Evening (2007). Who would have figured this for typecasting?
In his superb memoir, Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them (HarperCollins), Langella reveals that he is an incomparable memoirist and storyteller, recalling his encounters with scores of luminaries from the world of entertainment in a career spanning half a century. All of these luminaries are deceased and the cast of characters is listed “by order of disappearance”. Just as well, as many of the revelations are quite shocking.
Langella must be the most sociable and congenial actor on the planet, as the busyness of his social and professional lives and the breadth and depth of his friendships, romantic liaisons and acquaintances are very impressive indeed. He met Marilyn Monroe in 1953. She stepped out of a limousine and said “hi” to the adolescent from Bayonne,...
- 7/13/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Few filmmakers these days name John Frankenheimer as an influence. He was never particularly trendy, never embraced by the auteurists or overtly paid homage by those who came after. In part, it's because of some of his later projects; the commercial failure of thriller "Black Sunday" in 1977 drove him to alcoholism that lasted for several years (it was only when he was reduced to drinking on the set of martial arts actioner "The Challenge" in 1981 that he checked himself into rehab), and some of his later projects, including his final film, "Reindeer Games," and the famous disaster "The Island Of Doctor Moreau" (on which the helmer replaced Richard Stanley several weeks into production) meant his critical reputation took a hit. But Frankenheimer was also a master of the American thriller, with an extraordinary run in the 1960s, and many underrated subsequent highlights, from "French Connection II," multiple HBO and TNT.
- 7/6/2012
- by The Playlist Staff
- The Playlist
Nicol Williamson as Merlin in Excalibur (John Boorman, 1981, UK):
Turning in by far the best acting in Boorman’s epic, Williamson sets the bar for all other interpretations of the Merlin character. Best known as an acclaimed stage actor with a history of incredibly unprofessional behavior, this is Williamson’s most memorable film role and will have you chanting the “charm of making” in no time.
Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty in Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982, USA):
As an android seeking to prolong his short life, Hauer’s unique screen presence is perfectly utilized in director Scott’s atmospheric science fiction milestone. Hauer brings a sort of “alien” quality to the character Roy Batty and really makes this role a truly superior piece of casting.
Other notable Rutger Hauer performances: Nighthawks (Bruce Malmuth, 1981, USA), The Hitcher (Robert Harmon, 1986, USA).
Ricardo Montalban as Khan in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (Nicholas Meyer,...
Turning in by far the best acting in Boorman’s epic, Williamson sets the bar for all other interpretations of the Merlin character. Best known as an acclaimed stage actor with a history of incredibly unprofessional behavior, this is Williamson’s most memorable film role and will have you chanting the “charm of making” in no time.
Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty in Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982, USA):
As an android seeking to prolong his short life, Hauer’s unique screen presence is perfectly utilized in director Scott’s atmospheric science fiction milestone. Hauer brings a sort of “alien” quality to the character Roy Batty and really makes this role a truly superior piece of casting.
Other notable Rutger Hauer performances: Nighthawks (Bruce Malmuth, 1981, USA), The Hitcher (Robert Harmon, 1986, USA).
Ricardo Montalban as Khan in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (Nicholas Meyer,...
- 5/25/2012
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
The art of movie titles is becoming an increasingly lost one: aside from a few films (the Bond movies) and directors (Steven Spielberg, David Fincher and Jason Reitman always pay particular attention to their credit sequences), it feels like relatively little care is taken over such things, with many movies dumping them altogether. And it's hard not to put that down to the fact that we don't have guys like Saul Bass around anymore.
Bass was a graphic designer from the Bronx who went out West in the 1940s and started working on film ads. After being noticed by Otto Preminger, who would become his collaborator for the next twenty years starting with "Carmen Jones" in 1954, Bass went on to design some of cinema's most iconic title sequences and posters for world-class filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese, often in an instantly recognizable style that remains influential...
Bass was a graphic designer from the Bronx who went out West in the 1940s and started working on film ads. After being noticed by Otto Preminger, who would become his collaborator for the next twenty years starting with "Carmen Jones" in 1954, Bass went on to design some of cinema's most iconic title sequences and posters for world-class filmmakers like Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese, often in an instantly recognizable style that remains influential...
- 4/25/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
You can't show war as it really is on the screen, with all the blood and gore. Perhaps it would be better if you could fire real shots over the audience's head every night, you know, and have actual casualties in the theater. -- Sam Fuller, film director and author
War is a grisly business, a horror of epic proportions. In terms of human carnage alone, war's devastation is staggering. For example, it is estimated that approximately 231 million people died worldwide during the wars of the 20th century. However, this figure does not take into account the walking wounded -- both physically and psychologically -- who "survive" war. Eventually, war will be our undoing. As Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent and author Chris Hedges observes: War is like a poison. And just as a cancer patient must at times ingest a poison to fight off a disease, so there are times...
War is a grisly business, a horror of epic proportions. In terms of human carnage alone, war's devastation is staggering. For example, it is estimated that approximately 231 million people died worldwide during the wars of the 20th century. However, this figure does not take into account the walking wounded -- both physically and psychologically -- who "survive" war. Eventually, war will be our undoing. As Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent and author Chris Hedges observes: War is like a poison. And just as a cancer patient must at times ingest a poison to fight off a disease, so there are times...
- 3/1/2012
- by John W. Whitehead
- Moviefone
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