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This weekend sees the release of Wicked, the highly-anticipated adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, which, despite what certain tie-in toy packages indicate, is no way affiliated with the porn studio of the same name.

But Wicked is hardly the first Wizard of Oz movie, in addition to the 1939 MGM classic, there was the recent Oz the Great and Powerful with James Franco, the ‘70s Motown-produced The Wiz and even a TV version starring the Muppets. And the less said about the animated sequel featuring live-action scenes of Bill Cosby as the Wizard, the better.

But while we all think of the ‘39 version as the definitive cinematic take on the story, it wasn’t actually the first Oz feature film. More than a decade before Judy Garland played Dorothy Gale, there was a feature-length silent version of The Wizard of Oz made in 1925. And it’s completely bonkers.

In the ‘25 film,...

The 2025 stamp designs are out! There are the usual boring sets — American vistas? More U.S. flags? Vibrant leaves? — but one announcement has set comedy hearts aflutter: a commemorative stamp featuring the late sitcom superstar Betty White. Score!

“An icon of American television, Betty White (1922–2021) shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades — including roles on The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” said the Usps in its announcement. “The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals. Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration based on a 2010 photograph by Kwaku Alston. Greg Breeding, an art director for Usps, designed the stamp.”

In other words, Betty White was a badass.

White isn’t the first comedian honored by the Post Office, but she’s on a very short list. While you can’t...

When Sherwood Schwartz was creating "Gilligan's Island" back in 1964, he designed the series as one might an animated show. It was meant to be a broad, unrealistic farce, so Schwartz had no issues with making "Gilligan's Island" into something colorful and artificial. The characters, for the most part, wore the same clothes every day, allowing Schwartz to color-code them. Gilligan (Bob Denver) always wore a long-sleeve red shirt and sailor's cap. The Skipper (Alan Hale) always wore blue and wore a captain's hat. The Professor (Russell Johnson) always wore slacks and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Ginger (Tina Louise) may have changed often, but she always wore something glamorous, and her red hair was always highlighted. 

What's more, Schwartz seemingly kept a close eye on characters' silhouettes. One of the reasons why The Skipper and Gilligan emerged as such an effective comedy duo was that Gilligan was...

Courtesy of Eureka Entertainment

by James Cameron-wilson

It’s funny, you think you’ve seen everything that the golden age of Hollywood has to offer, and then along comes a gift-packaged treasure trove of fresh material from over a hundred years ago. Laurel & Hardy: The Silent Years is the culmination of painstaking research, detective work and artistry to bring us fifteen shorts from the Anglo-American comic duo made up of the Lancashire-born Stan Laurel and the Georgia-raised Oliver Hardy who, under the canny hand of the producer Hal Roach, became the most enduring comedy duo of all time. The least likely of partnerships, Laurel was the wimpish cry-baby who got into no end of scrapes alongside Hardy, the fastidious, overweight buffoon with the tight-fitting jackets, both of whom more often than not wore matching bowler hats. Having watched countless documentaries on the silent era, particularly the era of silent comedy,...

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Wolverine's creation and debut in 1974's "The Incredible Hulk" issue #180. For most of that time, it's been accepted that Wolverine was created by writer Len Wein and artist John Romita Sr. However, Roy Thomas — who was Marvel Comics' editor-in-chief in 1974 — has recently (since Wein's death in 2017) been claiming he should be credited as a co-creator of Wolverine as well. Marvel has obliged him.

The credits of "Deadpool & Wolverine" included the following accreditation: "Wolverine created by Len Wein, John Romita Sr., Herb Trimpe, and Roy Thomas." Thomas subsequently wrote an op-ed in The Hollywood Reporter about finally receiving credit as a creator of Wolverine in a film. The headline quote? "My Name Should Have Come First."

Wein's widow, Christine Valada, has been a vocal opponent of Thomas staking this claim on Logan. (Thomas is the only one of Wolverine's four credited creators who is still alive.

Roy Thomas took over from Stan Lee as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief in 1972, and has been credited as the co-creator of several characters, including Vision, Carol Danvers, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.

However, there is one particular hero he's been lobbying for recognition in having a hand in creating along with Len Wein, John Romita Sr. and Herb Trimpe for many years: Wolverine.

Thomas was finally given his credit in Deadpool and Wolverine, but the news has not sat well with everyone, including the late Len Wein's widow Christine Valada.

“I’m not privy to what the financial arrangements might be [with Thomas] and I don’t particularly care,” Valada said in an interview with Forbes earlier this year. “This is not about finances. This is about stolen valor. This frankly calls my husband a liar for his entire career.”

In any case, the credit stands, and Thomas has now shared his thoughts...

Former Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas is speaking out against the pervasive notion that there is “superhero film fatigue” amid the MCU reshuffling.

In an opinion piece for The Hollywood Reporter, Thomas wrote that while he is not particularly a fan of the “Deadpool” films, the crossover feature “Deadpool & Wolverine” could revitalize the genre.

“I hope that it does its little part to get the slightly stalled MCU back on track, which should be doable,” Thomas penned. “There’s no such thing as ‘superhero film fatigue‘ — only an impatience with movies that are poorly done and don’t respect the original material.”

Thomas continued that he is “overjoyed” at the box office success of the R-rated film starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, who reprises the Wolverine character after his turn in “Logan.”

“I’ve never been much of a fan of the ‘Deadpool’ franchise, and I have real trouble taking...

Roy Thomas was hired by Stan Lee in 1965 as staff writer and succeeded him as Marvel editor-in-chief in 1972 when Lee became the publisher. He is known for his work as the co-creator of numerous popular characters, including Vision, Carol Danvers, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. But until this month’s Deadpool & Wolverine, he was not officially credited in a movie as a co-creator on Wolverine, recognition he lobbied Marvel for and received in 2022. That new credit has rubbed some corners of the internet (and some in the creator community) the wrong way, in part because he was an editor at the time of Wolverine’s 1974 creation, and editors generally do not receive such credits. This feeling intensified after Christine Valada, the widow of late Wolverine co-creator Len Wein, expressed her displeasure publicly. Thomas has said the credit only formalizes what he has maintained for decades — that he initiated the...

One needn't recount the premise of "Gilligan's Island." One only needs to listen to the theme song.

When Sherwood Schwartz was first casting his sitcom "Gilligan's Island" back in 1964, he knew that finding the right actor to play the Skipper -- Jonas Grumby, the captain of the S.S. Minnow -- was going to be a challenge. He had envisioned the title character as a shrimpy, thin man, and he knew that he wanted Bob Denver, previously the star of "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," in the role. To provide a physical contrast, Shwartz wanted the Skipper to be large, imposing, and capable of yelling in rage. But, and this was key, the Skipper also had to be lovable. In an interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Schwartz was explicit in saying he wanted a teddy bear of a man. Someone who was big and round, but also imminently cuddly.

Oliver Hardy became a Hollywood legend after pairing up with Stan Laurel to form the comedic duo Laurel and Hardy. Together, the pair produced 79 shorts and 27 features. Yet how many of those titles are classics? Let’s take a look back at 10 of Laurel and Hardy’s best feature films, ranked worst to best.

Laurel and Hardy were already established comedians in their own right before they teamed up for a series of shorts produced by Hal Roach (of “The Little Rascals” fame). One of their most famous, “The Music Box” (1934), won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (Comedy).

Their first official foray into features was a cameo appearance in “The Hollywood Revue of 1929” (1929), a musical variety meant to introduce MGM’s silent movie stars to sound. (It’s a sign of the times that this plotless hodgepodge managed to snag an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.) Just two year later,...

An intersection in Silver Lake recently designated as historic for its connection with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy’s classic 1932 film, The Music Box, will soon get its own sign.

The City Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to name the intersection of Vendome Street and Del Monte Drive as the “1932 site of the `The Music Box’ Starring Laurel and Hardy.”

Laurel and Hardy won an Academy Award for short comedy for the work, which was

filmed on the Music Box Steps in Silver Lake. The premise is simple: the lads have to deliver a huge piano to a house at the top of the steps.

There’s a surprise ending to their efforts. Watch the short above for it.

The steps are visited by fans from around the world.

“Silver Lake is home to so many historic outdoor staircases, contributing to the rich cultural fabric of our community,” L.A. City...

In France, the concept of irony is referred to as “deuxième degré” (second degree), where the “premier degré” is the literal or surface meaning, which can be twisted as audiences read an entirely different, often contrary meaning into the material. But the game doesn’t necessarily stop there. There is also “troisième degré,” “quatrième degré” and so on, as deep as you want to go.

For absurdist trickster Quentin Dupieux (whose films “Deerskin” and “Rubber” have found a cult following), “The Second Act” presents a frivolous fun-house mirror, in which actors Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel, Vincent Lindon and Raphaël Quenard play actors playing actors in a pointless romantic comedy. They all know they’re making a bad movie, and one by one, they keep interrupting the shoot to air their personal grievances. But that’s only the beginning in a slender meta-textual doodle selected to kick off the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

“The only reason we are talking right now,” director Pablo Berger says over Zoom, “is because I fell in love with Robot and Dog and the story.” The Spanish director is speaking from L.A., where he recently attended the Oscar nominees luncheon for his feted feature animated film Robot Dreams, but, as he explains, the project originated with Sara Varon’s 2007 graphic novel. “The characters are very simple, cartoonlike,” says Berger. “That was very attractive and at the same time something very good for animation.”

So Berger, working on his first animated project, along with his character designer Daniel Fernandez Casas, embarked on a little bit of a “makeover” for the central duo, a human-like dog and the robot pal he orders who becomes his best friend. Set in ’80s New York, the dialogue-free film — which will have a U.S. theatrical release in May — tracks the ups and...

Bryan Cranston is to star in 'Everything's Going to Be Great'.The 'Breaking Bad' actor is attached to feature in the movie alongside Allison Janney, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Jack Champion.The film is being directed by Jon S. Baird from a script by 'I, Tonya' writer Steven Rogers and production has started in Toronto.The movie tells the story of the Smart family as they cope with loss and struggle with identity as they move from one state to the next while performing in regional theatre.Baird's previous film credits include 'Stan and Ollie', the biopic starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as comedy greats Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, and the recent Apple TV+ movie 'Tetris' that features Taron Egerton.Meanwhile, Bryan previously revealed that he will only eat a meal on set if a scene requires it.The...

At a glance, Beef may look like a tale you already know well. The 10-part Netflix series follows a road rage spat between two dissatisfied millennials (Steven Yeun and Ali Wong) that snowballs into a bitter, dangerous feud. This notion – of a perennially escalating conflict between strangers – has been brought to the screen many times before, in everything from Steven Spielberg’s Duel to old Laurel and Hardy shorts like Big Business or Tit for Tat. “Blood will have blood,” said Macbeth, and it’s true. Or at the very least, property destruction will have property destruction.

But outside this age-old conceit, Beef is a distinctly modern parable, one that could only exist in the age of social media. In fact, its whole story – of misplaced rage, futile grudges and petty one-upmanship – is pretty much the perfect metaphor for online behaviour. Its very title tugs at this fact: these days,...

Starting today you can play “Tetris.”

Not the game of colorful blocks falling from the sky, but the new feature film about how the rights to “Tetris” were maneuvered out of the former Soviet Union by an American programmer and game developer named Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton). It’s a wild and deeply compelling story, the kind of Cold War caper that is even more incredible because it really happened.

Produced by “Kingsman” mastermind Matthew Vaughn, the movie has a decidedly poppy tone and visual aesthetic (embroidered with 8-bit flourishes) that makes it even more fun to watch. And you can watch it right now, on Apple TV+.

TheWrap spoke to “Tetris” director Jon S. Baird (who previously brought the story of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy to the big screen in “Stan & Ollie”) about how the project came about, whether or not he was a “Tetris” die-hard and...

In 1989 audiences were introduced to two of the most loveable dimwits the world had ever seen in the form of Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and "Ted" Theodore Logan (Keanu Reeves). Along with them came some of the best catchphrases to ever hit the silver screen. The film was "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," and it spawned two sequels; "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" in 1991 and "Bill & Ted Face the Music" in 2020.

The premise takes a little explanation if you haven't seen it. (Please remedy that right now.) High school students Bill and Ted are best buddies, and they're super dopey but sweet. One would assume these guys would grow up to do nothing but smoke weed in their parents' basements, but friends, they're going to save humanity. In the year 2688, the world became a utopia, based on the music from Bill and Ted's band Wyld Stallyns. To...

Fay Wray began her autobiography On the Other Hand with an open letter to her most famous co-star. In it she said, “for more than half a century, you have been the most dominant figure in my public life. To speak of me is to think of you. To speak to me is often a prelude to questions about you.” This most dominant figure was of course the mighty King Kong and the film they appeared in together is unquestionably the best remembered in Wray’s career. She went on to tell Kong, “I admire you because you made only one film—and that became famous, whereas I made seventy-five or eighty and only the one I made with you became really famous.” Despite this fact, which was true for many decades, other films in Wray’s filmography have found new life in the years since she wrote those words in 1988. Now,...

The "Pink Panther" film series reached its peak silliness in the 1970s and was all the better for it. Come "The Pink Panther Strikes Again," Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers had dropped the usual business of framing Inspector Clouseau's bumbling antics with a wider crime caper and just focused on him and his arch-nemesis, former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom). Dreyfus, having had it up to here after years of Clouseau's ineptitude, builds a vanishing ray and threatens the world with annihilation if the clueless detective isn't assassinated.

You can see the jokes coming from a mile away, but it hardly matters when you have a comic talent like Sellers delivering the gags. This is the period when all the elements of Clouseau that literally had me rolling on the floor laughing as a kid were cranked up to epic proportions; his penchant for zany disguises; the apartment-trashing fights...

Sometimes great movies and TV shows have the most unlikely sources of inspiration. Nick Park and Aardman Animations' masterpiece "Chicken Run" was based on John Sturges' classic Pow adventure "The Great Escape," while "Logan" director James Mangold pitched the film as "'Little Miss Sunshine" with Wolverine and Charles Xavier (via Empire). When it came time to screen episodes of his iconic and wildly influential HBO series "The Sopranos" at the Museum of Modern Art, creator David Chase paired it with an unlikely inspiration: the 1940 Laurel and Hardy classic "Saps at Sea."

You might think that "Goodfellas" or "Public Enemy" or "Carlito's Way" might have been a more appropriate pick, but Chase has a good explanation for his choice (via Vanity Fair):

"I really like comedy. There's always a choice, when you're writing: you can either go for the joke or you can go for the story, the important stuff.

MK2 Films, the company behind six films playing at Cannes including Leonor Serraille’s competition title “Mother and Son,” has acquired French and international rights on the Raoul Peck catalogue from Velvet Film.

MK2 Films will start selling the library of films during the Cannes Film Festival. The Raoul Peck collection comprises documentary and fiction, including the HBO documentary series “Exterminate All the Brutes” which earned Peck a DGA Awards nomination.

The collection also includes “I Am Not Your Negro,” the Oscar-nominated, BAFTA-winning documentary narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, as well as the powerful “Lumumba: Death of a Prophet,” the restored, 4K version of which played at Cannes Classics last year. The doc is a historical investigation weaving Peck’s childhood memories and a tribute to a leading figure of modern African heritage.

MK2 Films will also now represent Peck’s “Haitian films,” a mini-collection comprising three fiction films and a documentary,...

Nathan Lane has long been a master shapeshifter on theater and television. From donning garish red suits on “The Producers” to South Beach drag fabulosity on “The Birdcage” and personifying a sly and slim meerkat on “The Lion King,” Lane is always eye-catching, in a multitude of ways. Over the past year, audiences caught him on Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” as deli dips kingpin Teddy Dimas, and in HBO Max’s 1880s-set “The Gilded Age,” as Ward McAllister, in outrageous multi-piece suits and with facial hair to fit the real-life charismatic snob’s persona.

“He was an odd little figure,” Lane said of his “Gilded” character. “Bertha Russell [Carrie Coon] is fictional but she is based on Ava Vanderbilt, and in the show, McAllister is pivotal to Bertha breaking into this world. She is hoping that he will eventually get Mrs. Astor to approve of her.”

On last night’s finale episode,...

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Flicker Alley:

Laurel or Hardy: Early Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy traces the roots of the legendary comedy duo by offering fans a two-disc set of 35 newly restored films starring either Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy—all produced before the two genius talents ever joined forces.

Laurel and Hardy became cinematic legends together, but before they were ever hauling pianos or throwing pies as a hilarious and unforgettable comedic duo, each had to develop as an individual artist and performer. Laurel or Hardy: Early Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, as proudly presented by Flicker Alley, the Library of Congress, and Blackhawk Films®, offers fans new and old the rare opportunity to track the early solo careers of two comedy icons. Featuring all new 2K restorations sourced from materials contributed by archives and collectors around the world, this...

Exclusive: The mystery of what happens to the items profiled on Wgbh’s Antiques Roadshow after the cameras leave town is set to be solved in a spin-off podcast.

The team behind the long-running quaint PBS format, which has been airing since 1997, is launching Detours on September 14.

The six-part series, produced by Wgbh and Prx, will pick up where the appraisals left off, revealing the stories, secrets, and surprises of TV treasures that go beyond the screen.

Longtime Antiques Roadshow producer Adam Monahan is creator and host of the podcast and will interview show guests, appraisers, historians, and experts, as well as discuss and analyze each story’s journey with Antiques Roadshow exec producer Marsha Bemko.

Some of the stories include a young man who claims his great-grandfather possessed the flag from JFK’s Navy boat, the Pt-109. With the help of a chemistry professor, a reporter, an author, and a museum curator,...

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“A Gorgeous Nice Mess”

By Raymond Benson and Doug Gerbino

Nobody wants the legacy of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy to disappear. Young people may have heard of the comic duo, but few have seen them these days. This is understandably disturbing to cinephiles or those of us of an older generation who have admired since childhood the genius on display when the pair performed in front of the camera. While Rhi Entertainment issued a fabulous DVD set in 2011 (10 disks in the U.S.) that contained most of Laurel and Hardy’s output for Hal Roach after sound kicked in, a new Blu-ray treasure chest has just been released by MVDvisual that contains stunning restorations in high definition of a respectable number of titles.

Laurel and Hardy—The Definitive Restorations could be a holy grail for members of Sons of the Desert, the...

” Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into.”

Laurel & Hardy: The Definitive Restorations will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on June 30th

New 2K and 4K digital restorations from original 35mm nitrate, Laurel and Hardy’s classic comedies are here in the best quality since their first release! Two features and 17 shorts, including the legendary pie-fight silent film The Battle of the Century, making its video debut and nearly complete for the first time in over 90 years!

Restorations by Jeff Joseph/SabuCat in conjunction with the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Library of Congress. Using careful photochemical and digital techniques, these classic films are restored to pristine condition. In these stunning new transfers, they look and sound as beautiful as they did when they were first released.

Feature Films:

Sons of the DesertWay Out West

Classic Short Films:

The Battle of the Century (with new...

” Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into.”

The comedy films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have been beloved around the world since they were first released between 1927 and 1940. So beloved that many of the available copies are blurred dupes printed from worn-out negatives. Now, the best of their short comedies and two of their finest features have been fully restored. They look and sound as spectacular as when they were first released..

Features

* New! 2K and 4K transfers from the finest original 35mm materials in the world.

* World Premieres! Laurel and Hardy’s legendary 1927 silent “pie fight” film The Battle Of The Century makes its video debut after being “lost” for 90 years! The only reel of L&h bloopers and out-takes, That’S That!

* Classic short comedies Berth Marks, Brats, Hog Wild, Come Clean, One Good Turn, Helpmates, The Music Box (the legendary Academy Award...

Although many biopics are formulaic enterprises, hitting familiar beats as the subject rises and falls and falls in love and writes that really popular song, they’re a vital element of entertainment industry. Biopics allow filmmakers to humanize our myths, mythologize our contemporaries, re-evaluate history at a fundamentally human level, and catalogue our present so that future generations can understand what the hell we are going through. It’s been an entire decade full of great biopics, too many to fit in a conventional list, but when all is said and done, we have to call these the ten absolutely essential films in the genre from the 2010s.

Runners-Up: “127 Hours,” “Behind the Candelabra,” “A Dangerous Method,” “Dolemite is My Name,” “Jackie,” “Mr. Turner,” “Rocketman,” “Southside With You,” “Straight Outta Compton,” “The Wind Rises”

10. “Stan & Ollie” (2018)

Earnest, bittersweet and oh, so very funny, Jon S. Baird’s biopic about famed...

Next year will mark the centennial of Federico Fellini, born on January 20, 1920 in Rimini, Italy. While we imagine there will be no shortage of retrospectives and screenings celebrating the Italian master, New York City’s Film Forum is getting ahead of the pack with a presentation of a new 4K restoration of the director’s first solo directorial effort The White Sheik. We’re pleased to present the exclusive trailer debut ahead of an opening on Christmas Day.

Coming after Fellini’s 1950 debut Variety Lights, co-directed with Alberto Lattuada, this 1952 slapstick rom-com follows a honeymoon gone off the rails when the bride (Brunella Bovo) goes off in search of her titular idol. Based on an original treatment by Michelangelo Antonioni, the film also marks a number of early collaborations with future Fellini stalwarts, notably a memorable cameo by Giulietta Masina as Cabiria (five years before Nights of Cabiria) and a score by composer Nino Rota.

Exclusive: Stan & Ollie director Jon S. Baird has been hired to co-write and direct an as yet untitled Marv Films movie, taking him off recently announced Mel Gibson-Shia Labeouf starrer Rothchild.

Matthew Vaughn’s UK outfit, known for the Kingsman and Kick-Ass franchises, confirmed Baird’s hire for an “untitled Marv Films movie” but wouldn’t reveal more at this stage.

Rumor is that Baird is in line to direct ‘Kingsman 3’ (the project is still untitled), despite Vaughn having helmed the previous films in the series. All parties are keeping tight-lipped on this, however.

It was only a couple of months ago that Baird was announced as director on hot Cannes package Rothchild, which scored multiple pre-sales on the Croisette. At the time, Gibson’s involvement in a film whose title evokes a wealthy Jewish family caused some consternation on social media but this is not thought to...

Actress Fay McKenzie Waldman passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of April 16th at the age of 101. She was born February 19, 1918 into a show business family where she was the youngest of two sisters and an actress cousin, and made her screen debut at only ten weeks old in Station Content 1918 in which she was carried in the arms of Gloria Swanson. Her parents, Eva amp Bob Pops McKenzie were already veteran performers and apparently wanted their daughter to get an early start in films. She nearly stole the show from Oliver Hardy as the baby in the Alice Howell short Distilled Love filmed in 1918 but released two years later. By the time she was six, Fay was considered an old hand, having played diverse parts in her father's stock company. Among her early films was the 1924 Photoplay Medal Winner, The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln.

In my review of Stan & Ollie, I wrote: “Stan And Ollie is a warm and clever look at the Hollywood that made Hollywood. I learned quite a bit about this seminal comedy pair, and I came away from it moved and happy. Stan And Ollie is a great movie, one of the 2018’s best. “ (read the entire review Here)

Stan & Ollie is currently available on Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures Classics. The film stars Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy as well as Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson as their respective wives.

Check out this exclusive clip on the amazing prosthetics and fat suit used in the film

Laurel & Hardy, one of the world s greatest comedy teams, set out on a variety hall tour of Britain in 1953. Diminished by age and with their golden era as the kings of Hollywood comedy now behind them,...

The closing gala of this year's Hippodrome Silent Film Festival, held in in Scotland's oldest purpose-built cinema in the sleepy town of Bo'ness, was a real highlight. Hindle Wakes (1927) is not only a smart adaptation of a celebrated 1910 stage play (from the "Manchester school" of socially committed Northern realism that also gave us the source for David Lean's Hobson's Choice), it's proof positive that there was more to British silent cinema than Hitchcock—though there are strong connections, since the movie features character actress Marie Ault, the landlady from The Lodger, John Stuart, the staunch detective from Number 17, and was photographed in part by Jack Cox, Hitchcock's regular cinematographer at this time. The story is set among the cotton mills of Lancashire in what was the U.K.'s industrial heartland. The young mill workers depart for their annual week's holiday in Blackpool, a sort of combination of...

Brie Larson in ‘Captain Marvel’ (Photo credit: Disney).

After a terrible start to the year with grosses down 12 per cent on the same period last year, Australian exhibitors had something to cheer about last weekend thanks to Disney/Marvel’s Captain Marvel.

Starring Brie Larson as the first female Marvel character to front her own movie, the sci-fi fantasy co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck notched the biggest debut of 2019 and an all-time record for March.

The estimated Us launch of $US153 million ranks as the third biggest in March behind Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Warner Bros’ Batman v. Superman. The global total of $US455 million was the sixth highest ever and the second best for a superhero film behind Avengers : Infinity War.

It is a triumph for many women behind the camera including co-director and writer Boden, co-screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet, story credits for Meg LeFauve and Nicole Perlman,...

‘Green Book.’

Three Academy Awards including best film and for supporting actor Mahershala Ali gave Green Book a sizable bounce in Australian cinemas last weekend while the best actor Oscar for Rami Malek has helped prolong Bohemian Rhapsody’s marathon run.

In other respects it was another bleak trading session as family adventure A Dog’s Way Home had a mediocre opening, well ahead of the other wide new releases, English heist caper King of Thieves and gory thriller Greta.

Flying the Nest, an animated family film which follows a young bird who sets off on a journey through a harsh and unrelenting winter in order to reunite with his true love, had minimal impact as an alternate content release.

Cinemas are marking time until the arrival this Thursday of Disney/Marvel’s Captain Marvel. The top 20 titles collectively generated $9.7 million, 6 per cent down on the previous weekend according to Numero.

‘Stan & Ollie’

British audiences embraced Stan & Ollie, not least because the charming biopic of comic duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy is set in the UK, while Us moviegoers were far less enthused.

Australians’ sentiments towards the comedic drama starring Steve Coogan and John C Reilly seem somewhere in the middle, judging by its fourth-ranked opening last weekend.

Fox’s Alita: Battle Angel easily retained top spot in its second weekend but is not performing at the level here or internationally which the studio needs to recoup the $US170 million production budget and hefty marketing costs.

Mindblowing Films’ Bollywood adventure comedy Total Dhamaal began brightly but there were minimal contributions from the other openers including Umbrella’s Lords of Chaos and Madman Entertainment’s Vox Lux.

Umbrella launched Nicholas Wrathall’s feature documentary Undermined: Tales From The Kimberley on limited sessions at eight cinemas, fetching a modest $19,000 including previews.

The second Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly appear onscreen in “Stan & Ollie,” there is no question that they are the legendary Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, respectively. The physical transformations masterminded by prosthetic makeup designer Mark Coulier and makeup and hair designer Jeremy Woodhead are that remarkable, enabling the actors to fully inhabit their roles.

Surprisingly, Coulier and Woodhead were not recognized with Oscar nominations for their standout work on the film, which explores the latter years of the comedy duo’s career, though they did nab two nominations from the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild’s sixth annual awards —one for period and/or character make-up and another for special make-up effects.

A huge fan of Laurel and Hardy, Coulier, who has been honored with Academy Awards for his work on “The Iron Lady” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” tells Variety that he couldn’t turn...

Stan And Ollie is a moving love letter to beloved comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (portrayed by Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly). The film focuses on the dynamics of the duo’s 1953 comeback tour through the music halls of England, which took place amid Ollie’s deteriorating health. With the exception of a look at the filming of Way Out West, one of Laurel and Hardy’s most beloved comedies, director Jon Baird and screenwriter Jeff Pope resist the temptation to show too many re-creations of old movies and imitators of old stars. Fortunately for fans of the pair, that tour featured re-creations of many of their routines, songs and gags and there is plenty on screen to enjoy.

Stand And Ollie is one of the great human dramas of Hollywood, though little of it actually takes place in tinseltown. There’s a 15-minute opening set there in...

For a world reeling from divisive politics and barefaced cynicism, Jon S. Baird’s Stan & Ollie, based on Jeff Pope’s screenplay about Laurel & Hardy’s unceremonious tour of Great Britain after the Second World War, when their stars had largely faded, is an existential salve. It is a paean to the spirit of artistry that drove two of the finest comic performers ever to grace the screen and a testament to their resolve when the world seemed determined to drive a wedge between them and forget about their contribution.

Now, in 2019, the legacy of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy is assured, but it wasn’t always so. As they struggled to set up another feature film, and were rocked by the high costs of divorce and the challenges they faced negotiating their contracts, they toured to half-empty playhouses in post-war Britain in order to scrape a meager living as...

Steve Coogan just earned a BAFTA nomination for his performance in “Stan and Ollie” as Stan Laurel, one half of the iconic comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Coogan is a previous Oscar nominee for producing and writing the 2013’s “Philomena,” in which he also starred.

Coogan recently chatted with Gold Derby managing editor Chris Beachum about being asked to play Laurel, having to wear makeup for the film, and his memories of going to the Oscars for “Philomena.” Watch the exclusive chat above and read the complete interview transcript below.

SEEJohn C. Reilly Interview: ‘Stan and Ollie’

Gold Derby: Steve, I’d love to know your first reaction when somebody approaches you about playing the legendary Stan Laurel.

Steve Coogan: Well, I was flattered and daunted, but also excited because it’s a great opportunity to celebrate the lives of Laurel and Hardy. He was a legendary character actor and...

Oliver Hardy would’ve celebrated his 127th birthday on January 18, 2019. The actor became a Hollywood legend after pairing up with Stan Laurel to form the comedic duo Laurel and Hardy. Together, the pair produced 79 shorts and 27 features. Yet how many of those titles are classics? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 10 of Laurel and Hardy’s best feature films, ranked worst to best.

SEEJohn C. Reilly Interview: ‘Stan and Ollie’

Laurel and Hardy were already established comedians in their own right before they teamed up for a series of shorts produced by Hal Roach (of “The Little Rascals” fame). One of their most famous, “The Music Box” (1934), won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (Comedy).

Their first official foray into features was a cameo appearance in “The Hollywood Revue of 1929” (1929), a musical variety meant to introduce MGM’s silent movie stars to sound.

Comedy legends Steve Coogan & John C. Reilly chat about their movie Stan & Ollie, a biopic based on the original movie comedy legends Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy aka Laurel & Hardy.

During the interview with Hayley Donaghy they discuss working in the amazing locations in the UK that have been preserved or restored to their 1950s glory and what makes the perfect fish and chips.

Steve Coogan & John C. Reilly on Stan & Ollie

Plot:

Laurel and Hardy, the world’s most famous comedy duo, attempt to reignite their film careers as they embark on what becomes their swan song – a gruelling theatre tour of post-war Britain.

The post Stan & Ollie: Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly on their transformation into the iconic duo appeared first on HeyUGuys.

This is the Pure Movies review of Stan & Ollie, directed by Jon S. Baird and starring John C. Reilly, Steve Coogan, Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda. Stan & Ollie is a biopic about Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C Reilly) – two comedians but more so, it is the story of two friends. We meet them in the 1950s on tour in the UK with the hope of making a new film. Scenes are threaded with detail showing how far-reaching their reputation was and how loved they were by fans – a receptionist in Newcastle remarks on their fame whilst a posh couple in London smother them with compliments in admiration. But now, twenty years from their heyday, they have younger competition to face.

John C. Reilly is having another banner year, with films like “Stan and Ollie,” “The Sisters Brothers” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet” earning some award nominations. Most of the individual attention for Reilly is on “Stan and Ollie,” where he plays Oliver Hardy, one half of the iconic comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. The performance earned him nominations at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards.

Reilly recently chatted with Gold Derby managing editor Chris Beachum about the literal and figurative weight in taking on Oliver Hardy, how he committed himself to the role and how he would change the Oscars. Watch the exclusive video chat above and read the complete interview transcript below.

SEEJon S. Baird Interview: ‘Stan and Ollie’ director

Gold Derby: Okay John, I’d love to know that moment when somebody approaches you about playing Oliver Hardy, because on spec you don’t look like Oliver Hardy.

Stars: John C. Reilly, Steve Coogan, Nina Arianda, Shirley Henderson, Stephanie Hyam, Danny Huston, Richard Cant, Susy Kane, Rufus Jones | Written by Jeff Pope | Directed by Jon S. Baird

Director Jon S. Baird’s anticipated passion project on iconic due Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, played by John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan, respectively is a delightful effulgent nuanced picture. Highlighting the iconic duo’s last rodeo of substantial relevancy in their comedy hall tour around Great Britain offers a detailed and eye-opening account of the lives and personalities on the somewhat sadly faded legacy of two comedic giants. The chaotic, yet ironically straight shaped routine with its abundance of cynosure screen presence is felt within a matter of seconds within the opening sequence with distinctive mannerisms and traits.

Cinematographer Laurie Rose with editors Úna Ní Dhonghaíle and Billy Sneddon honour and utilise the world in a submerging manner. The...

Mark Harrison Jan 11, 2019

We look at the eclectic career of one of Hollywood's most beloved character actors, John C. Reilly.

This article comes from Den of Geek UK.

As an actor, John C. Reilly is exceptionally difficult to pin down. The Academy Award-nominated actor has worked with filmmakers ranging from Paul Thomas Anderson to Judd Apatow. Currently in awards contention again for his turn as Oliver Hardy in Stan & Ollie, he’s always been brilliant at both comedic and dramatic roles.

Going at least as far back as Will Ferrell and Jack Black’s "A Comedian At The Oscars" number at the 2007 Academy Awards, Reilly’s formidable range has long been celebrated. How do we know that real actors can do both comedy and drama? John C. Reilly, that’s how. After all, he “chose to be in both Boogie and Talladega Nights!”

In addition to Stan & Ollie, you can...

Many twenty-somethings today have never heard of Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel. But they definitely know of Homer Simpson’s catchphrase “D’oh!,” which was inspired by a character in Laurel and Hardy films, and popular modern duos like Key and Peele. John C. Reilly, who played Hardy in Sony Classics’ comedy-drama “Stan & Ollie,” says contemporary comic duos owe everything to the iconic pair.

“From Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis, to Key and Peele, Mulaney and Kroll, all those guys owe something to Laurel and Hardy because they perfected that modern comedy duo act. And you can see echoes of their work in everything,” Reilly says. “Laurel and Hardy are the original contrast couple. They’re like salt and pepper, light and shadow, fat and skinny, Laurel and Hardy. They’re like yin and yang. There’s an eternal quality to them.”

Laurel and Hardy were known for their slapstick physical comedy,...

Widely regarded as the most iconic comedy double-act in film history, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy enjoyed a hugely successful film career which saw them become household names and as instantly recognisable as Charlie Chaplin on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. Making over 107 between 1927 and 1950 together and separately, the duo went on to entertain millions of people around the globe thanks to their inimitable wit and perfectly timed routines of double entendre and slapstick humour, until they went their separate ways under a dark cloud.

In his new film Stan & Ollie, director Jon S. Baird, tells the story of the popular duo’s variety hall tour of Britain in 1953 which came over a decade after the two former friends had decided to part ways and pursue their own film projects separately. Starring Steve Coogan and John C. Riley in the principal roles, the film is strangely reminiscent...

Over the course of their 30-year film career, the corpulent and often flustered Oliver Hardy and the slim and often confused Stan Laurel became one of Hollywood's most iconic duos — an instantly recognizable matched pair. And so their very familiarity is what posed the biggest challenge in crafting Sony Pictures Classics' Stan & Ollie, which focuses on the later part of their life together as they embark on a stage tour of England. How to turn Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly into convincing replicas of, respectively, the inimitable Laurel and Hardy?

The makeup and hairstyling team had plenty of ...

Over the course of their 30-year film career, the corpulent and often flustered Oliver Hardy and the slim and often confused Stan Laurel became one of Hollywood's most iconic duos — an instantly recognizable matched pair. And so their very familiarity is what posed the biggest challenge in crafting Sony Pictures Classics' Stan & Ollie, which focuses on the later part of their life together as they embark on a stage tour of England. How to turn Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly into convincing replicas of, respectively, the inimitable Laurel and Hardy?

The makeup and hairstyling team had plenty of ...