With Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited “Megalopolis” now playing in theaters, many cinephiles have been dazzled and baffled in equal measures by the sprawling passion project. But even if the film itself is polarizing, there’s no denying that it reflects Coppola’s unending passion for cinema and a lifetime spent studying history and art.
Those interested in learning more about Coppola’s unique tastes will be thrilled to find that the “Apocalypse Now” director is this month’s guest picker for Turner Classic Movies. IndieWire can exclusively reveal that the auteur has given his stamp of approval to four iconic films airing on the cable channel in October: James Whale’s “The Bride of Frankenstein,” Michael Curtiz and William Keighley’s “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” Orson Welles’ “The Magnificent Ambersons,” and Marcel Camus’ “Black Orpheus.”
Following in the footsteps of Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro, Coppola elaborated...
Those interested in learning more about Coppola’s unique tastes will be thrilled to find that the “Apocalypse Now” director is this month’s guest picker for Turner Classic Movies. IndieWire can exclusively reveal that the auteur has given his stamp of approval to four iconic films airing on the cable channel in October: James Whale’s “The Bride of Frankenstein,” Michael Curtiz and William Keighley’s “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” Orson Welles’ “The Magnificent Ambersons,” and Marcel Camus’ “Black Orpheus.”
Following in the footsteps of Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro, Coppola elaborated...
- 10/2/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Alan Hale Jr. was a showbiz veteran before he could speak. The son of Alan Hale, a popular character actor best known for his portrayal of Little John in Michael Curtiz' classic "The Adventures of Robin Hood," Hale Jr. appeared in silent films as a baby and made a few war movies as a young man before serving in the United States Coast Guard during World War II. Once the war was over, Hale Jr. worked steadily in film and television, turning up on episodes of "Gunsmoke," "Mister Ed," and "Lassie" while landing supporting roles in movies starring John Wayne, Gregory Peck, and Randolph Scott.
Hale Jr. would be castigated as a nepobaby today, but while being literally born to the business didn't hurt his cause, he was a natural in front of the camera and a welcome presence in just about everything. So, it's no surprise that, after a difficult casting process,...
Hale Jr. would be castigated as a nepobaby today, but while being literally born to the business didn't hurt his cause, he was a natural in front of the camera and a welcome presence in just about everything. So, it's no surprise that, after a difficult casting process,...
- 9/18/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
What are the defining traits of a character actor? Why is a shapeshifting virtuoso like Daniel Day-Lewis considered a full-blown movie star, while a chameleon-like genius like Giancarlo Esposito is routinely relegated to supporting player status? As previously discussed here at /Film, there are multiple factors at play: box office, deeply ingrained cultural notions of physical attractiveness, distinctive utility, and the Borgnine Paradox.
It should come as no surprise that my solo endeavor to arrive at a solid-ish definition of "character actor" is not the first in the history of the written word. There have been many, many attempts by whole groups of esteemed journalists to get at some kind of reasonable understanding of this term/concept, and, having read more than a few of them, I can assure you that there is no hard-fast rule. You could call just about everyone outside of Britney Spears a character actor --...
It should come as no surprise that my solo endeavor to arrive at a solid-ish definition of "character actor" is not the first in the history of the written word. There have been many, many attempts by whole groups of esteemed journalists to get at some kind of reasonable understanding of this term/concept, and, having read more than a few of them, I can assure you that there is no hard-fast rule. You could call just about everyone outside of Britney Spears a character actor --...
- 9/10/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The British Film Institute (BFI) is set to make waves with its upcoming “Art of Action” season, anchored by a re-release of Kathryn Bigelow’s 1991 cult classic “Point Break.”
The U.K.-wide celebration of action choreography in cinema will run from October to December, offering audiences a high-octane journey through the evolution of the genre.
BFI Distribution will bring “Point Break,” starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, back to U.K. cinemas on Nov. 8. The film’s return to the big screen after years of limited theatrical showings is expected to be a major draw for both nostalgic fans and new viewers alike.
The “Art of Action” season, presented by the BFI Film Audience Network using National Lottery funds, aims to showcase the artistry behind action sequences that have kept audiences enthralled for decades. The program will feature a diverse array of films, including silent era classics like Buster Keaton...
The U.K.-wide celebration of action choreography in cinema will run from October to December, offering audiences a high-octane journey through the evolution of the genre.
BFI Distribution will bring “Point Break,” starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, back to U.K. cinemas on Nov. 8. The film’s return to the big screen after years of limited theatrical showings is expected to be a major draw for both nostalgic fans and new viewers alike.
The “Art of Action” season, presented by the BFI Film Audience Network using National Lottery funds, aims to showcase the artistry behind action sequences that have kept audiences enthralled for decades. The program will feature a diverse array of films, including silent era classics like Buster Keaton...
- 7/29/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Film critic Andrew Sarris changed his profession forever when he introduced, to English-speaking cinephiles at least, the concept of “auteur theory.” The general conceit is that some rarified directors are so gifted, or commanding, in their control over the process of film production that they alone can give a film a “personal or unique stamp.” They are the ones who become the author of the movie you’re watching. If anyone. It’s a seductive theory which encourages the critic to look for points of narrative, visual, or thematic similarity between a filmmaker’s work. The more ideas or images that rhyme, the potentially more impressive the auteur’s command over the medium becomes.
However, while it is hard to dispute the existence of auteurs, the concept at times devalues the contributions of a film’s many other collaborators—especially if they’re, say, editors, production designers, or cinematographers a...
However, while it is hard to dispute the existence of auteurs, the concept at times devalues the contributions of a film’s many other collaborators—especially if they’re, say, editors, production designers, or cinematographers a...
- 7/18/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
When it comes to predicting the Oscar winner for Best Film Editing, you can’t go wrong by looking for the movie with the most cuts. Past winners “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2008), “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2016), “Ford v Ferrari” (2020), “Dune” (2022) and 2023’s champ “Everything Everywhere All at Once” included high-octane action sequences with frenetic cutting. A slew of winners — including “Saving Private Ryan” in 1999, “Black Hawk Down” (2002), “The Hurt Locker” (2010), “Hacksaw Ridge” (2017), “Dunkirk” (2018) and, to some extent, “Oppenheimer” (2024) — have been war pictures. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2025 Oscar predictions for Best Film Editing.)
Oscar voters also embrace film editors who skillfully juggle multiple storylines, as was the case with “Traffic” (2001) and “Crash” (2006). And they like films that expertly inter-cut music with images, such as “Cabaret” (1973), “Chicago” (2003), “Whiplash” (2015), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2019) and 2021 winner “Sound of Metal.” Special effects extravaganzas like “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004) and “Gravity...
Oscar voters also embrace film editors who skillfully juggle multiple storylines, as was the case with “Traffic” (2001) and “Crash” (2006). And they like films that expertly inter-cut music with images, such as “Cabaret” (1973), “Chicago” (2003), “Whiplash” (2015), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2019) and 2021 winner “Sound of Metal.” Special effects extravaganzas like “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004) and “Gravity...
- 7/17/2024
- by Paul Sheehan and Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Over the 96 years of Academy Awards history, over 900 men and women have been honored with acting nominations. On July 4, 2024, the oldest surviving acting winner (or nominee) has turned 100 years old. Our research shows that Eva Marie Saint joins a very short list of centenarians who received Oscar acting nominations, with four winning the award.
A star of stage, radio, TV and film, Saint won the Best Supporting Actress statue in 1955 for her debut movie performance in “On the Waterfront;” she is also the earliest surviving acting winner, and one of the last stars of the Golden Era. She later starred alongside Cary Grant in one of Alfred Hitchcock‘s most acclaimed films, “North by Northwest” (1959), and became known to a younger generation as Clark Kent’s adoptive mother in “Superman Returns” (2006). Although she’s never received another Oscar nomination, she’s earned five Emmy nominations, winning Best Miniseries Supporting Actress...
A star of stage, radio, TV and film, Saint won the Best Supporting Actress statue in 1955 for her debut movie performance in “On the Waterfront;” she is also the earliest surviving acting winner, and one of the last stars of the Golden Era. She later starred alongside Cary Grant in one of Alfred Hitchcock‘s most acclaimed films, “North by Northwest” (1959), and became known to a younger generation as Clark Kent’s adoptive mother in “Superman Returns” (2006). Although she’s never received another Oscar nomination, she’s earned five Emmy nominations, winning Best Miniseries Supporting Actress...
- 7/6/2024
- by Susan Pennington and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Regardless of its importance to the storytelling process, film music is too often an afterthought. There are a variety of theories that composers have as to why, and they’re mostly related to a lack of education. So I’ve decided to take an active stance in educating filmmakers about the role of music in film and the process of how a film score comes into being.
My hope is that by the end of this piece you’ll be more familiar with: A) the history of film music in general, and B) the key composers who have contributed to the development of film music as an art. So—where did this all start?
The Silent Era (1890s-1929) Silent film star Mary Pickford. Somewhere, a pianist is inspired.
During the silent era, films music is provided by each individual theater, either by phonograph or as performed live by flesh-and-blood musicians.
My hope is that by the end of this piece you’ll be more familiar with: A) the history of film music in general, and B) the key composers who have contributed to the development of film music as an art. So—where did this all start?
The Silent Era (1890s-1929) Silent film star Mary Pickford. Somewhere, a pianist is inspired.
During the silent era, films music is provided by each individual theater, either by phonograph or as performed live by flesh-and-blood musicians.
- 7/5/2024
- by Olajide Paris
- Film Independent News & More
Let’s face it, streaming services have lost a lot of their appeal. Between their ever shifting libraries, their kneecapping of theaters, and their tendency to overwhelm viewers with substandard garbage, it’s hard to be excited about our streaming present. Heck, most services now play the same couple of ads over and over, even for paying customers!
With every annoying insurance ad and every movie suddenly shoved from a service you bought to a different service you don’t have, Tubi looks better and better. Tubi is one of many free streaming services available online. Like most other services, free or otherwise, Tubi interrupts the programming with occasional ads.
But Tubi also has an outstanding library, one that rivals Max, with its oft-threatened TCM and Ghibli channels. Still, Tubi can be overwhelming to some users, who can’t always see the gems alongside stinkers such as Big Stan (starring Rob Schneider!
With every annoying insurance ad and every movie suddenly shoved from a service you bought to a different service you don’t have, Tubi looks better and better. Tubi is one of many free streaming services available online. Like most other services, free or otherwise, Tubi interrupts the programming with occasional ads.
But Tubi also has an outstanding library, one that rivals Max, with its oft-threatened TCM and Ghibli channels. Still, Tubi can be overwhelming to some users, who can’t always see the gems alongside stinkers such as Big Stan (starring Rob Schneider!
- 7/2/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
She received five Academy Award nominations in ten years, winning for Best Actress twice. She was the spunky heroine to Errol Flynn’s dashing adventurer. She was Melanie, the sweet, compassionate counterpart to the spoiled, passionate Scarlett. And she became one of the oldest-living survivors of the Golden Age of Hollywood until her death at age 104 in 2020.
Olivia de Havilland was born July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents. Her sister, actress Joan Fontaine, was born 15 months later. Her parents divorced when the girls were young, and her mother eventually settled in California with her two daughters. Growing up, de Havilland enjoyed performing in amateur stage productions. Although she originally planned to become a teacher, a role in one of those amateur productions, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, changed her fate. She was discovered, eventually cast in the Hollywood Bowl production of that play, and then in the 1935 film adaptation.
Although...
Olivia de Havilland was born July 1, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan, to British parents. Her sister, actress Joan Fontaine, was born 15 months later. Her parents divorced when the girls were young, and her mother eventually settled in California with her two daughters. Growing up, de Havilland enjoyed performing in amateur stage productions. Although she originally planned to become a teacher, a role in one of those amateur productions, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, changed her fate. She was discovered, eventually cast in the Hollywood Bowl production of that play, and then in the 1935 film adaptation.
Although...
- 6/28/2024
- by Susan Pennington, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
When TCM channel host Dave Karger used to be a writer for Entertainment Weekly in his early days as a print journalist, he would focus a great deal on interviewing the big pop stars of the day, along with his duties on the film beat. But little did very many people suspect then that what he really wanted to be writing about was “Laura”… not Branigan, but David Raksin’s music for the classic 1945 noir. That was the film that really prompted Karger’s lifelong love of movie scoring.
“His score for ‘Laura’ really turned me on to classic film music, and film scores in general,” says Karger. “And then you go back and you learn that in 1945, there were 20 Oscar nominees that year in the category of best score for a non-musical film — and David Raksin wasn’t even one of the 20 nominees. That’s a score that has...
“His score for ‘Laura’ really turned me on to classic film music, and film scores in general,” says Karger. “And then you go back and you learn that in 1945, there were 20 Oscar nominees that year in the category of best score for a non-musical film — and David Raksin wasn’t even one of the 20 nominees. That’s a score that has...
- 6/17/2024
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
He was one of the biggest screen icons and one of the most colorful real-life characters in Hollywood history. Still considered the king of swashbucklers more than 60 years after his death, Errol Flynn’s success was a combination of happenstance, luck and his ability to charm.
Errol Leslie Flynn was born on June 20, 1909, in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia to an affluent family. A natural born rascal, he was thrown out of several private schools, and eventually wandered, working odd jobs. He fell into acting quite by chance when he won the role of Fletcher Christian in the Australian film “In the Wake of the Bounty” (1933). There are conflicting stories of how he landed this part, but it is the film that piqued his interest in acting, and eventually caught the attention of Warner Bros. executives.
In Hollywood, a combination of luck and Flynn’s athleticism and charm landed him the lead...
Errol Leslie Flynn was born on June 20, 1909, in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia to an affluent family. A natural born rascal, he was thrown out of several private schools, and eventually wandered, working odd jobs. He fell into acting quite by chance when he won the role of Fletcher Christian in the Australian film “In the Wake of the Bounty” (1933). There are conflicting stories of how he landed this part, but it is the film that piqued his interest in acting, and eventually caught the attention of Warner Bros. executives.
In Hollywood, a combination of luck and Flynn’s athleticism and charm landed him the lead...
- 6/17/2024
- by Susan Pennington, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Kevin Costner starred in the title role in the 1991 blockbuster film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Costner was brutally trolled for his performance due to his accent, but the film still made huge bucks for the producers. Interestingly, Costner was in talks with 20th Century Fox to star in another Robin Hood movie directed by Die Hard fame John McTiernan. Morgan Creek Entertainment, who produced the 1991 movie, used a trick to poach Costner from the other Robin Hood movie.
Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Morgan Creek brought in Kevin Reynolds as the director of the film. Reynolds’ directorial debut was the 1985 film Fandango, which gave Costner his first starring role. Reynolds and Costner began a life-long friendship after working on the Steven Spielberg-produced film.
Kevin Costner Was Poached Away From John McTiernan’s Unmade Robin Hood Movie Kevin Costner was supposed to play Robin Hood in...
Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Morgan Creek brought in Kevin Reynolds as the director of the film. Reynolds’ directorial debut was the 1985 film Fandango, which gave Costner his first starring role. Reynolds and Costner began a life-long friendship after working on the Steven Spielberg-produced film.
Kevin Costner Was Poached Away From John McTiernan’s Unmade Robin Hood Movie Kevin Costner was supposed to play Robin Hood in...
- 5/3/2024
- by Hashim Asraff
- FandomWire
Exclusive: Comedian and writer Julian Clary (Julian Clary: Live – Lord of the Mince) will play the title role in this festive season’s London Palladium pantomime Robin Hood, with singer and travel show presenter Jane McDonald (Cruising with Jane McDonald) topping the bill as Maid Marion.
The annual Palladium show, now in its ninth consecutive season, has become an eagerly awaited staple in the West End’s calendar. It runs from December 7 through January 12, 2025. Priority booking opens 10 Am (GMT) April 25.
Last year’s production, Peter Pan, with comedy legend Jennifer Saunders making her pantomime debut as Captain Hook, and with Clary playing Seaman Smee, was a sold-out success, playing 56 performances -often two a day – to an audience of more than 123,000 at the 2,200 capacity variety house.
When tickets went on sale, there was a moment when 90,000 people were in the queue, waiting their turn to book seats.
The annual Palladium show, now in its ninth consecutive season, has become an eagerly awaited staple in the West End’s calendar. It runs from December 7 through January 12, 2025. Priority booking opens 10 Am (GMT) April 25.
Last year’s production, Peter Pan, with comedy legend Jennifer Saunders making her pantomime debut as Captain Hook, and with Clary playing Seaman Smee, was a sold-out success, playing 56 performances -often two a day – to an audience of more than 123,000 at the 2,200 capacity variety house.
When tickets went on sale, there was a moment when 90,000 people were in the queue, waiting their turn to book seats.
- 4/21/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Spoilers for "X-Men '97" to follow.
The latest episode of "X-Men '97," "Remember It," took us to mutant haven Genosha (before it all went to Hell anyway). The island turned out to be a treasure trove of cameos; the Genoshan ruling council included Hellfire Club leaders Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw, Morlock leader Callisto, the Irish mutant Banshee, Professor X's old flame Moira MacTaggert, and former Goblin Queen Madelyne Pryor. The streets of Genosha were filled with other mutants whom "X-Men" comics fans may recognize, from Pixie to Dazzler to Marrow to Exodus.
The best mutant cameo of all, though, is the blue-skinned Bavarian Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler. His voice actor, Adrian Hough, joins the ranks of those who've reprised their roles from the 1992 "X-Men" cartoon.
Kurt shows up in the episode's title sequence doing some sword fighting with Gambit. In the episode itself, he escorts Rogue and Gambit...
The latest episode of "X-Men '97," "Remember It," took us to mutant haven Genosha (before it all went to Hell anyway). The island turned out to be a treasure trove of cameos; the Genoshan ruling council included Hellfire Club leaders Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw, Morlock leader Callisto, the Irish mutant Banshee, Professor X's old flame Moira MacTaggert, and former Goblin Queen Madelyne Pryor. The streets of Genosha were filled with other mutants whom "X-Men" comics fans may recognize, from Pixie to Dazzler to Marrow to Exodus.
The best mutant cameo of all, though, is the blue-skinned Bavarian Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler. His voice actor, Adrian Hough, joins the ranks of those who've reprised their roles from the 1992 "X-Men" cartoon.
Kurt shows up in the episode's title sequence doing some sword fighting with Gambit. In the episode itself, he escorts Rogue and Gambit...
- 4/11/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Paula Weinstein, the respected producer of films including “The Perfect Storm,” “Analyze This,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys” and “Blood Diamond,” and former chief content officer at Tribeca Enterprises, died Monday in New York. She was 78.
Her daughter, Hannah Rosenberg, said in a statement, “The world is a lesser place without my mother. She was a masterful producer and a force of nature for the things she believed in, including the many projects that spanned her illustrious career, the stories she fought to tell and the social justice causes she championed.
“She shattered barriers in Hollywood and always lifted other women along with her. And I know my mother would want me to add this: if you’d like to honor her, please stop what you are doing and turn your attention toward reelecting President Biden and making sure Democrats win down the ballot so we can be sure Democracy survives...
Her daughter, Hannah Rosenberg, said in a statement, “The world is a lesser place without my mother. She was a masterful producer and a force of nature for the things she believed in, including the many projects that spanned her illustrious career, the stories she fought to tell and the social justice causes she championed.
“She shattered barriers in Hollywood and always lifted other women along with her. And I know my mother would want me to add this: if you’d like to honor her, please stop what you are doing and turn your attention toward reelecting President Biden and making sure Democrats win down the ballot so we can be sure Democracy survives...
- 3/25/2024
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Jack Warner had been shouldering in on credit from one of his studio’s top producers. At least that’s what Hal Wallis may have told you after the 1944 Academy Awards when Jack Warner accepted the Casablanca Oscar that some felt should have been palmed by Wallis, the Warner Bros. film’s producer. But who should accept the best picture award? Today it’s the producers, but during Hollywood’s Golden Age it was sometimes the producer, sometimes the studio chief.
Wallis had been with the company for many years, first joining the studio in 1923, their first year of incorporation. Soon, Wallis was managing essential Warner films such as Little Caesar (1931), The Petrified Forest (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1937), Dark Victory (1939), Sergeant York (1941), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and, of course, Casablanca (1942). Despite being released in late 1942, Casablanca didn’t go into wide release until early 1943 and wasn’t...
Wallis had been with the company for many years, first joining the studio in 1923, their first year of incorporation. Soon, Wallis was managing essential Warner films such as Little Caesar (1931), The Petrified Forest (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1937), Dark Victory (1939), Sergeant York (1941), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and, of course, Casablanca (1942). Despite being released in late 1942, Casablanca didn’t go into wide release until early 1943 and wasn’t...
- 3/7/2024
- by Chris Yogerst
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Harrison Ford can’t escape the two-and-a-half-minute fanfare that John Williams composed for his most famous cinematic hero, Indiana Jones. “As I often remind John, his music follows me everywhere I go — literally,” Ford says. “When I had my last colonoscopy, they were playing it on the operating room speakers.”
Creating those big, bold, brassy musical moments has become Williams’ trademark over his seven-decade career. Without his symphonic genius, some of the most indelible images in movie history — from E.T.’s flight across the moon to the ravenous shark zeroing in on an unsuspecting swimmer — would have lacked their singular power.
This year, Williams is resetting the record books again with his Academy Award nomination for best original score for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” It’s his 54th nomination, which is the most ever for someone not named Walt Disney, and thus the biggest tally for...
Creating those big, bold, brassy musical moments has become Williams’ trademark over his seven-decade career. Without his symphonic genius, some of the most indelible images in movie history — from E.T.’s flight across the moon to the ravenous shark zeroing in on an unsuspecting swimmer — would have lacked their singular power.
This year, Williams is resetting the record books again with his Academy Award nomination for best original score for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” It’s his 54th nomination, which is the most ever for someone not named Walt Disney, and thus the biggest tally for...
- 3/6/2024
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Richard Lewis Screenshot: 20th Century Fox Richard Lewis was always around in the early ’90s. Between guest spots on Letterman and the slew of stand-up specials and clips that ran on HBO and Comedy Central, one could find Richard Lewis pulling his hair out on stage at any time of the day.
- 2/29/2024
- by Matt Schimkowitz
- avclub.com
Richard Lewis
Screenshot: 20th Century Fox
Richard Lewis was always around in the early ’90s. Between guest spots on Letterman and the slew of stand-up specials and clips that ran on HBO and Comedy Central, one could find Richard Lewis pulling his hair out on stage at any time of the day.
Screenshot: 20th Century Fox
Richard Lewis was always around in the early ’90s. Between guest spots on Letterman and the slew of stand-up specials and clips that ran on HBO and Comedy Central, one could find Richard Lewis pulling his hair out on stage at any time of the day.
- 2/29/2024
- by Matt Schimkowitz
- avclub.com
Netflix has revitalized Grauman’s historic Egyptian Theatre with a $70 million renovation that speaks to the belief that everything old is new again.
The movie house on Hollywood Boulevard dates back to 1922, when it premiered Douglas Fairbanks’ “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” It also launched Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” in 1923 and Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” in 1925.
The theater, which now seats 516 people, had been closed for several years before Netflix acquired it in 2020. It debuted in renovated form last Thursday with the premiere of David Fincher’s “The Killer.”
Here’s a sample of looks from the renovated movie house. All photos courtesy of Netflix.
The post Egyptian Theatre: Netflix Pulls Back Curtain on Restored Hollywood Gem | Photos appeared first on TheWrap.
The movie house on Hollywood Boulevard dates back to 1922, when it premiered Douglas Fairbanks’ “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” It also launched Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” in 1923 and Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” in 1925.
The theater, which now seats 516 people, had been closed for several years before Netflix acquired it in 2020. It debuted in renovated form last Thursday with the premiere of David Fincher’s “The Killer.”
Here’s a sample of looks from the renovated movie house. All photos courtesy of Netflix.
The post Egyptian Theatre: Netflix Pulls Back Curtain on Restored Hollywood Gem | Photos appeared first on TheWrap.
- 11/16/2023
- by Jeremy Bailey
- The Wrap
During the silent era, Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre was a majestic movie palace where Hollywood’s biggest stars premiered their films. The year it opened in 1922, the Egyptian opened Douglas Fairbanks’ iconic “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” It launched Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” in 1923 and Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” in 1925. Situated in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, only a few blocks from Grauman’s other movie palace, the Chinese Theatre, the Egyptian showcased all the opulence and splendor that was filmmaking.
In the ensuing decades, the Egyptian changed alongside its location, adding and subtracting pieces of the theater — columns were torn down and a glass facade added and taken away — but the majesty of showing one’s film there never diminished. The Egyptian premiered “Ben-Hur” in 1959 and James Cameron’s “Aliens” in 1986.
Now, Netflix has revitalized the Egyptian with a $70 million renovation that brings the...
In the ensuing decades, the Egyptian changed alongside its location, adding and subtracting pieces of the theater — columns were torn down and a glass facade added and taken away — but the majesty of showing one’s film there never diminished. The Egyptian premiered “Ben-Hur” in 1959 and James Cameron’s “Aliens” in 1986.
Now, Netflix has revitalized the Egyptian with a $70 million renovation that brings the...
- 11/16/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Ivan Dunleavy, who ran legendary U.K. studio Pinewood for 17 years before departing in 2017 following a buyout, has a new studio venture, this time in Ireland.
Tara Studios, based at the 154-acre Borleagh Manor estate in County Wexford less than an hour’s drive from Dublin (and, crucially, connected via a motorway to the capital), has now opened its door for shoots, with the location and production spaces of around 27,000 square-feet immediately available.
But there are also grand expansion plans, with construction work on seven stages that would provide a total of 150,000 square feet of studio space (the biggest stage coming in at 30,000 square-feet), plus a further 90,000 square-feet of workshop and office space, set to start in the spring 2024. Full completion is anticipated by July 2025.
The development — which Dunleavy says will cost “tens of millions of dollars” — would make Tara Studios Ireland’s largest facility for film and TV productions...
Tara Studios, based at the 154-acre Borleagh Manor estate in County Wexford less than an hour’s drive from Dublin (and, crucially, connected via a motorway to the capital), has now opened its door for shoots, with the location and production spaces of around 27,000 square-feet immediately available.
But there are also grand expansion plans, with construction work on seven stages that would provide a total of 150,000 square feet of studio space (the biggest stage coming in at 30,000 square-feet), plus a further 90,000 square-feet of workshop and office space, set to start in the spring 2024. Full completion is anticipated by July 2025.
The development — which Dunleavy says will cost “tens of millions of dollars” — would make Tara Studios Ireland’s largest facility for film and TV productions...
- 10/6/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tyrannical and brilliant, director Michael Curtiz created film legends out of mere stars, and turned movies into myth. Here are some of his greatest films.
When movie enthusiasts think of legendary director Michael Curtiz, the first thing that pops into their mind is Casablanca (1942), consistently named to, and occasionally topping, lists of the greatest films of all time. Although if we’re being honest, most people think of it as a Humphrey Bogart movie. The same could be said of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). These are known for their stars, James Cagney, and Errol Flynn, the latter of whom Curtiz put on the map with Captain Blood (1935). In the director’s hands, actors and characters merged into a mythology which exceeded mere signature roles, becoming universal symbols.
Curtiz worked in the motion picture business from its infancy, but began in the theater, graduating Budapest’s...
When movie enthusiasts think of legendary director Michael Curtiz, the first thing that pops into their mind is Casablanca (1942), consistently named to, and occasionally topping, lists of the greatest films of all time. Although if we’re being honest, most people think of it as a Humphrey Bogart movie. The same could be said of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). These are known for their stars, James Cagney, and Errol Flynn, the latter of whom Curtiz put on the map with Captain Blood (1935). In the director’s hands, actors and characters merged into a mythology which exceeded mere signature roles, becoming universal symbols.
Curtiz worked in the motion picture business from its infancy, but began in the theater, graduating Budapest’s...
- 9/27/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
For Oscar-winning film composer Michael Giacchino (“Up”), Steven Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is the defining movie of his life. It’s what sparked his love of movies and film scores, and what started him on his path to becoming a successful composer, all thanks to John Williams’ rousing, orchestral masterpiece.
Giacchino, who most recently scored Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” and Juan Antonio Bayona’s “Society of the Snow,” and is prepping a remake of the giant ant movie “Them!” as his directorial feature debut, first saw “Raiders” as a 13-year-old in New Jersey when it opened the summer of 1981. He went back about a dozen times and even sneaked a tape recorder into the theater so he could replay it every night. He also had the soundtrack on vinyl and later bought a second LP containing score, dialogue, and sound effects.
“I think that record,...
Giacchino, who most recently scored Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” and Juan Antonio Bayona’s “Society of the Snow,” and is prepping a remake of the giant ant movie “Them!” as his directorial feature debut, first saw “Raiders” as a 13-year-old in New Jersey when it opened the summer of 1981. He went back about a dozen times and even sneaked a tape recorder into the theater so he could replay it every night. He also had the soundtrack on vinyl and later bought a second LP containing score, dialogue, and sound effects.
“I think that record,...
- 8/15/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Here’s looking at Warner Bros. which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Earlier this year, Turner Classic Movies, which is a member of the Warner Bros. Discovery family, celebrated the centennial with a monthlong tribute to the studio that gave the world such landmark films as 1927’s “The Jazz Singer,” the first feature with synchronized recorded singing and some dialogue; the ultimate gangster flick 1931’s “Public Enemy,: the glorious 1938 swashbuckler “The Adventures of Robin Hood”; and the beloved 1942 “Casablanca.
And during its Golden Age, its roster of stars included such legends as Rin-Tin-Tin, John Barrymore, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Kay Francis, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Paul Muni, John Garfield and Sydney Greenstreet.
Max is currently streaming the four-part documentary series “100 Years of Warner Bros.” (the first two episodes premiered at Cannes). And also arriving this week is the lavish coffee table book “Warner Bros.
And during its Golden Age, its roster of stars included such legends as Rin-Tin-Tin, John Barrymore, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Kay Francis, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Paul Muni, John Garfield and Sydney Greenstreet.
Max is currently streaming the four-part documentary series “100 Years of Warner Bros.” (the first two episodes premiered at Cannes). And also arriving this week is the lavish coffee table book “Warner Bros.
- 5/30/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Olivia de Havilland was an iconic figure in the history of film. Her performances spanned over an incredible four decades, and she consistently displayed a timeless elegance and grace on-screen. A four-time Academy Award winner as well as recipient of numerous other awards and accolades, her acting remains some of the most iconic of all time.
In this post, we will explore the life and career of this legendary actress. We will take a look at some of her most memorable performances, as well as discuss how she influenced the course of film history. We will also discuss why de Havilland’s legacy endures to this day, and why her work continues to inspire actors and filmmakers around the world.
So join us as we honor Olivia de Havilland’s incredible career, her timeless style and grace, and her immense contributions to the movie industry.
A Star Is Born: Olivia...
In this post, we will explore the life and career of this legendary actress. We will take a look at some of her most memorable performances, as well as discuss how she influenced the course of film history. We will also discuss why de Havilland’s legacy endures to this day, and why her work continues to inspire actors and filmmakers around the world.
So join us as we honor Olivia de Havilland’s incredible career, her timeless style and grace, and her immense contributions to the movie industry.
A Star Is Born: Olivia...
- 5/11/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Gisèle Galante recalls a recent evening in which she and her husband first watched Dodge City, the 1939 Michael Curtiz-directed western starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. As de Havilland’s daughter, born 17 years after that film’s premiere, Galante was struck equally by her mother’s beauty and her performance: “I had never seen it before, but she was so, so pretty,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And even though it wasn’t what you would call a meaty role, she was excellent. There’s still so much for me to discover, more of my mother’s films that I have not seen.”
For many classic-film fans, de Havilland’s death in July 2020 at the age of 104 signified the end of an era, the passing of perhaps the last great star of Hollywood’s golden years. Galante notes that she’s had those fans in mind while planning...
For many classic-film fans, de Havilland’s death in July 2020 at the age of 104 signified the end of an era, the passing of perhaps the last great star of Hollywood’s golden years. Galante notes that she’s had those fans in mind while planning...
- 5/11/2023
- by Laurie Brookins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
To celebrate its century-long run as one of Hollywood's biggest movie studios, Warner Bros. is releasing 20-minute-long remakes of six of its most classic films. The company, which is now called Warner Bros. Discovery after a merger with Discovery, Inc., plans on developing the short film series through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team and stated that the series will reimagine these stories through "representative casting, storytelling, and narrative."
The six films on the slate are the recently remade "A Star is Born," the swashbuckling "The Adventures of Robin Hood," the Western "Calamity Jane," the Abbott and Costello comedy "Jack and the Beanstalk," the much-adapted "The Prince and the Pauper," and the James Dean drama "Rebel Without a Cause." Production is slated to begin this summer, with Ali Afshar ("American Wrestler: The Wizard" and a whole slew of Christmas-related material) serving as consulting producer. "We can't think of a better...
The six films on the slate are the recently remade "A Star is Born," the swashbuckling "The Adventures of Robin Hood," the Western "Calamity Jane," the Abbott and Costello comedy "Jack and the Beanstalk," the much-adapted "The Prince and the Pauper," and the James Dean drama "Rebel Without a Cause." Production is slated to begin this summer, with Ali Afshar ("American Wrestler: The Wizard" and a whole slew of Christmas-related material) serving as consulting producer. "We can't think of a better...
- 4/19/2023
- by Andrew Housman
- Slash Film
As part of its ongoing celebration of the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studios, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has commissioned short film adaptations of six classic movies from its vault.
These 20-minute shorts, which will be available to stream on Max later this year, will update the films through today’s more diverse and inclusive understanding of the world, with what Wbd’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team calls “representative casting, storytelling and narrative.”
Six filmmakers have already been chosen by a committee that includes Wbd senior vp Dei in North America Karen Horne alongside individuals from Warner Bros. Pictures, Visual Communications, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Urban World, Sundance Indigenous Lab, Outfest and ReelAbilities Film Fest. The filmmakers, who will receive a budget through which they can derive their own compensation, will begin production this summer and be mentored by a group of established producers and directors,...
These 20-minute shorts, which will be available to stream on Max later this year, will update the films through today’s more diverse and inclusive understanding of the world, with what Wbd’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team calls “representative casting, storytelling and narrative.”
Six filmmakers have already been chosen by a committee that includes Wbd senior vp Dei in North America Karen Horne alongside individuals from Warner Bros. Pictures, Visual Communications, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, Urban World, Sundance Indigenous Lab, Outfest and ReelAbilities Film Fest. The filmmakers, who will receive a budget through which they can derive their own compensation, will begin production this summer and be mentored by a group of established producers and directors,...
- 4/18/2023
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of only seven known to exist, an extremely rare Frankenstein 1931 poster is now up for grabs from Heritage Auctions, expected to exceed $150,000 when all is said and done.
At this time, the current high bid is already at $77,500!
The team explains, “Frankenstein was hiding in a Pennsylvania attic all along. This 1931 Style A movie poster designed by the legendary Universal Pictures art director Karoly Grosz, that is, not the man nor the monster. There are only seven known surviving examples of this Frankenstein, and until this year, it was tucked away in the perpetual night beneath the eaves of a home in The Keystone State. And now it comes out to roar once more at Heritage Auctions.
“Indeed, this Frankenstein one-sheet, folded and unrestored but in near-mint condition nearly a century later, is a centerpiece of the auction house’s April 29-30 Movie Posters Signature® Auction. It is being...
At this time, the current high bid is already at $77,500!
The team explains, “Frankenstein was hiding in a Pennsylvania attic all along. This 1931 Style A movie poster designed by the legendary Universal Pictures art director Karoly Grosz, that is, not the man nor the monster. There are only seven known surviving examples of this Frankenstein, and until this year, it was tucked away in the perpetual night beneath the eaves of a home in The Keystone State. And now it comes out to roar once more at Heritage Auctions.
“Indeed, this Frankenstein one-sheet, folded and unrestored but in near-mint condition nearly a century later, is a centerpiece of the auction house’s April 29-30 Movie Posters Signature® Auction. It is being...
- 4/10/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Jack Warner and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover Photo: Bettmann In a special series, The A.V. Club looks at the legacy of Warner Bros. 100 years after the studio was founded.It’s sad to see the once mighty Warner Bros. studio celebrate its 100th anniversary in a state of chaos and disarray.
- 4/5/2023
- by Ray Greene
- avclub.com
Over 100 popular films are leaving HBO Max at the end of the month, but luckily you have the whole month to stream them.
They include cinema classics like “Ben Hur,” the winningest film in Oscars history
Leaving April 5
The Inside Story, 1948
Reminiscence, 2021 (HBO)
Leaving April 11
Adult Swim Yule Log (aka The Fireplace)
Leaving April 12
About Face: Supermodels Then and Now, 2012 (HBO)
Leaving April 13
The Last Duel, 2021
Game Theory With Bomani Jones, Season 1
Leaving April 18
The Lego Batman Movie, 2017
Leaving April 24
Tom and Jerry Cowboy Up!, 2022
Leaving April 27
Malignant, 2021 (HBO)
Leaving April 30
47 Ronin, 2013 (HBO)
3 Godfathers, 1948
Accepted, 2006 (HBO)
The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938
A Private War, 2018 (HBO)
An American in Paris, 1951
The American President, 1995
Any Given Sunday, 1999
Australia, 2008 (HBO)
Before I Fall, 2017 (HBO)
Ben-Hur, 1959
Black Legion, 1937
Blade, 1998
Blood Diamond, 2006
Blow Out, 1981 (HBO)
The Bodyguard, 1992
Boogie Nights, 1997
The Book of Eli, 2010
The Bourne Identity, 2002 (HBO)
The Bourne Supremacy, 2004 (HBO)
Bringing up Baby,...
They include cinema classics like “Ben Hur,” the winningest film in Oscars history
Leaving April 5
The Inside Story, 1948
Reminiscence, 2021 (HBO)
Leaving April 11
Adult Swim Yule Log (aka The Fireplace)
Leaving April 12
About Face: Supermodels Then and Now, 2012 (HBO)
Leaving April 13
The Last Duel, 2021
Game Theory With Bomani Jones, Season 1
Leaving April 18
The Lego Batman Movie, 2017
Leaving April 24
Tom and Jerry Cowboy Up!, 2022
Leaving April 27
Malignant, 2021 (HBO)
Leaving April 30
47 Ronin, 2013 (HBO)
3 Godfathers, 1948
Accepted, 2006 (HBO)
The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938
A Private War, 2018 (HBO)
An American in Paris, 1951
The American President, 1995
Any Given Sunday, 1999
Australia, 2008 (HBO)
Before I Fall, 2017 (HBO)
Ben-Hur, 1959
Black Legion, 1937
Blade, 1998
Blood Diamond, 2006
Blow Out, 1981 (HBO)
The Bodyguard, 1992
Boogie Nights, 1997
The Book of Eli, 2010
The Bourne Identity, 2002 (HBO)
The Bourne Supremacy, 2004 (HBO)
Bringing up Baby,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
It’s a nearly perfect tale of identity swaps and royal intrigues: Ronald Colman’s voice is velvet smooth as the poet-rogue François Villon, who uses his wits when dealing with Basil Rathbone’s (very strangely played) Louis XI. The real charm comes with lady-in-waiting Frances Dee (swoon) and the peasant firebrand Ellen Drew (double swoon). And don’t forget the sophisticated, semi-satirical screenplay by Preston Sturges. The refreshing Blu-ray discovery comes with a commentary by Julie Kirgo.
If I Were King
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 101 min. / Street Date February 7, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, C.V. France, Henry Wilcoxon, Heather Thatcher, Stanley Ridges, Alma Lloyd, Sidney Toler, John Miljan, Montagu Love, May Beatty, Henry Brandon, Darryl Hickman.
Cinematography: Theodore Sparkuhl
Costumer: Edith Head
Art Directors: Hans Drier, John Goodman
Film Editor: Hugh Bennett
Visual Effects: Gordon Jennings
Original Music:...
If I Were King
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 101 min. / Street Date February 7, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, C.V. France, Henry Wilcoxon, Heather Thatcher, Stanley Ridges, Alma Lloyd, Sidney Toler, John Miljan, Montagu Love, May Beatty, Henry Brandon, Darryl Hickman.
Cinematography: Theodore Sparkuhl
Costumer: Edith Head
Art Directors: Hans Drier, John Goodman
Film Editor: Hugh Bennett
Visual Effects: Gordon Jennings
Original Music:...
- 2/18/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Best Film Editing and Best Picture have had an important relationship throughout Oscars history. While the two awards don’t always necessarily go to the same film, it is rare that a Best Picture winner isn’t at least nominated for Best Film Editing. Only two out of the last 20 Best Picture champs were snubbed by the editors’ branch: “Birdman” in 2015 and “Coda” in 2022.
One of the best cutters in the business is Thelma Schoonmaker. This longtime collaborator of Martin Scorsese reunites with him for this year’s red-hot Oscar contender, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” This story tells the true tale of the murder of several Osage tribe members in the USA in the 1920s, which led to an FBI investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone star.
Schoonmaker reaped her record ninth nomination for her work on this epic. Her other bids were as follows: 1971 for “Woodstock,...
One of the best cutters in the business is Thelma Schoonmaker. This longtime collaborator of Martin Scorsese reunites with him for this year’s red-hot Oscar contender, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” This story tells the true tale of the murder of several Osage tribe members in the USA in the 1920s, which led to an FBI investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone star.
Schoonmaker reaped her record ninth nomination for her work on this epic. Her other bids were as follows: 1971 for “Woodstock,...
- 1/25/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
The American Civil War of 1861-1865 is such an extensive topic due to just how vast the United States is. It is unsurprising that it has proved a fertile ground for filmmakers, and that the movies which tackle the period are largely disparate, with little in common. Some writers and directors have chosen to focus on famous figures of the war, like General Custer, or on pivotal battles like Gettysburg. Some focus on the home front and the women left behind, from Scarlett O'Hara to the women of a Virginia girls' school in "The Beguiled." Some Civil War films look more like westerns, especially when focusing on Bleeding Kansas and the guerilla warfare of Missouri.
If you look at Civil War movies through the decades, not only do the styles of hair change but also the styles of filmmaking. They include everything from silent comedies to film noir to Elvis Presley...
If you look at Civil War movies through the decades, not only do the styles of hair change but also the styles of filmmaking. They include everything from silent comedies to film noir to Elvis Presley...
- 10/14/2022
- by Fiona Underhill
- Slash Film
The death of actress-activist Marsha Hunt this week is a historical watershed and a personal loss. Marsha was one of the last living actors who began her movie career during the Great Depression in 1935. She became part of a now vanished Hollywood, initially at Paramount then at MGM, that bound contracted talent to studios with artists having little to no say over their choice of roles and careers. Nevertheless, she thrived in the studio system by becoming somewhat less than a genuine movie star and more of a consummate professional actress.
Marsha’s career was derailed by the Blacklist, a perfidious period of American history that has been endlessly chronicled and misunderstood. Never a Communist or radical, she was a forthright liberal who refused to accept her voice being marginalized by the endemic sexism and politics of the period. Marsha was the final survivor of the Committee of the First Amendment,...
Marsha’s career was derailed by the Blacklist, a perfidious period of American history that has been endlessly chronicled and misunderstood. Never a Communist or radical, she was a forthright liberal who refused to accept her voice being marginalized by the endemic sexism and politics of the period. Marsha was the final survivor of the Committee of the First Amendment,...
- 9/11/2022
- by Alan K. Rode
- Variety Film + TV
“I made him the highest paid actor in Hollywood history. We had a lot of fun!” So purrs Tom Hanks’ brazenly camp Col. Tom Parker in the new Elvis biopic. The film, which is the most decadent, jewel-encrusted piece of kitsch ever given an 85 million budget, is as much a monument to director Baz Luhrmann’s showmanship as it is Elvis Presley’s. For who else could condense the larger than life excess of a man dubbed “the King of Rock ’n Roll” into a three-ringed circus that keeps all its plates in the air for 160 minutes?
Elvis really is a marvel in spectacle and indulgence—plus a breakout for star Austin Butler who is so superb as the titular character that Luhrmann more than once slips in footage of the real Elvis’ 1950s rock star career, as well as clips from his ill-advised detour in 1960s Hollywood… and few viewers ever seemed to notice!
Elvis really is a marvel in spectacle and indulgence—plus a breakout for star Austin Butler who is so superb as the titular character that Luhrmann more than once slips in footage of the real Elvis’ 1950s rock star career, as well as clips from his ill-advised detour in 1960s Hollywood… and few viewers ever seemed to notice!
- 9/7/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Filmmaker Boaz Yakin discusses some of his favorite films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Aviva (2020)
The Harder They Fall (2021)
The Harder They Come (1972)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Fresh (1994)
Mo’ Better Blues (1990)
Safe (2012)
Scream (2022)
The Punisher (1989)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Kagemusha (1980) – Bernard Rose’s trailer commentary
Mean Streets (1973)
Jaws (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The 400 Blows (1959) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Yojimbo (1961)
Dodes’ka-den (1970)
Short Cuts (1993) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray commentary
Casablanca (1942) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Coonskin (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Fritz The Cat (1972) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
Wizards (1977)
Heavy Traffic (1973) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Warriors (1979)
Quintet (1979)
Brewster McCloud (1970) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Mash (1970)
Nashville (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Dan Perri’s trailer commentary,...
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Aviva (2020)
The Harder They Fall (2021)
The Harder They Come (1972)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Fresh (1994)
Mo’ Better Blues (1990)
Safe (2012)
Scream (2022)
The Punisher (1989)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Kagemusha (1980) – Bernard Rose’s trailer commentary
Mean Streets (1973)
Jaws (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The 400 Blows (1959) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Yojimbo (1961)
Dodes’ka-den (1970)
Short Cuts (1993) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray commentary
Casablanca (1942) – John Landis’s trailer commentary
Coonskin (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Fritz The Cat (1972) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
Wizards (1977)
Heavy Traffic (1973) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing
The Warriors (1979)
Quintet (1979)
Brewster McCloud (1970) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Mash (1970)
Nashville (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Dan Perri’s trailer commentary,...
- 2/22/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Angels With Dirty Faces
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1938/ B&w / 1.33:1 / 97 Minutes
Starring James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Ann Sheridan, The Dead End Kids
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Released on a Thanksgiving weekend in 1938, Angels With Dirty Faces was a holiday treat with an unexpected punch; it could have been just another morality play dressed up in gangster drag but James Cagney’s powerhouse performance puts it in a class by itself. Cagney plays a rags-to-riches mobster named Rocky Sullivan, a charismatic cock of the walk who treats the tenement sidewalks like a Broadway stage. Long before his scandalous celebrity made headlines, Sullivan and best friend Jerry Connolly were teenaged partners in penny-ante crime until a botched train-yard robbery sealed their fates—Jerry escaped but the usually nimble Rocky was, for once, too slow. While Sullivan cooled his heels in reform school, Jerry went to church and stayed there—now...
Blu ray
Warner Archive
1938/ B&w / 1.33:1 / 97 Minutes
Starring James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Ann Sheridan, The Dead End Kids
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Released on a Thanksgiving weekend in 1938, Angels With Dirty Faces was a holiday treat with an unexpected punch; it could have been just another morality play dressed up in gangster drag but James Cagney’s powerhouse performance puts it in a class by itself. Cagney plays a rags-to-riches mobster named Rocky Sullivan, a charismatic cock of the walk who treats the tenement sidewalks like a Broadway stage. Long before his scandalous celebrity made headlines, Sullivan and best friend Jerry Connolly were teenaged partners in penny-ante crime until a botched train-yard robbery sealed their fates—Jerry escaped but the usually nimble Rocky was, for once, too slow. While Sullivan cooled his heels in reform school, Jerry went to church and stayed there—now...
- 2/1/2022
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we usually talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they produced in between. Today we give you a themed episode!
As 2022 approaches, we dive deep into New Years-set movies through the years. We start with Michael Curtiz’s influential Mystery of the Wax Museum, move over to the modern cult classic 200 Cigarettes, and finish with the 2006 remake/flop Poseidon.
This is an eclectic mix! Curtiz is one of our great filmmakers and it’s fascinating his Wax Museum, which came before his stone-cold classics Captain Blood, Casablanca, and The Adventures of Robin Hood. And 200 Cigarettes features perhaps the most specific, wonderful 1999-represented cast ever. Finally, Poseidon is certainly a film that was made and then released into theaters.
We discuss the holiday itself and why exactly it is something we celebrate,...
As 2022 approaches, we dive deep into New Years-set movies through the years. We start with Michael Curtiz’s influential Mystery of the Wax Museum, move over to the modern cult classic 200 Cigarettes, and finish with the 2006 remake/flop Poseidon.
This is an eclectic mix! Curtiz is one of our great filmmakers and it’s fascinating his Wax Museum, which came before his stone-cold classics Captain Blood, Casablanca, and The Adventures of Robin Hood. And 200 Cigarettes features perhaps the most specific, wonderful 1999-represented cast ever. Finally, Poseidon is certainly a film that was made and then released into theaters.
We discuss the holiday itself and why exactly it is something we celebrate,...
- 12/30/2021
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Horror icon Barbara Crampton discusses a few of her favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Re-Animator (1985)
Body Double (1984)
Jakob’s Wife (2021)
The Court Jester (1955) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938)
The Three Musketeers (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Matrix (1999)
Bound (1996)
Eyes Without A Face (1962) – Sam Hamm’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Halloween (1978) Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing, Alex Kirschenbaum’s film power rankings, Alex Kirschenbaum’s timeline power rankings
All About Eve (1950)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Relic (2020)
Anything For Jackson (2020)
The Haunting (1963) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Strait-Jacket (1964) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary
The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Re-Animator (1985)
Body Double (1984)
Jakob’s Wife (2021)
The Court Jester (1955) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938)
The Three Musketeers (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Matrix (1999)
Bound (1996)
Eyes Without A Face (1962) – Sam Hamm’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Halloween (1978) Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing, Alex Kirschenbaum’s film power rankings, Alex Kirschenbaum’s timeline power rankings
All About Eve (1950)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Relic (2020)
Anything For Jackson (2020)
The Haunting (1963) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Strait-Jacket (1964) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary
The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...
- 12/28/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Chivalry! Vows of loyalty and honor! Combat action that will impress today’s Marvel fans! The violet eyes and super-damsel figure of Elizabeth Taylor! MGM’s made-in-Merrie Olde England tale of Knights and knaves and forbidden love is yet another suits-of-armor sword-basher about ransoming King Richard from those European Union swine across the channel. Everything clicks, from Miklos Rozsa’s most stirring anthem to the righteous justice of the finale. And it’s restored from 3-strip Technicolor. Robert Taylor is terrific as the stalwart Ivanhoe, the kind of no-funny-business hero they ain’t makin’ anymore.
Ivanhoe
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1952 /Color / 1:37 Academy / 106 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date December 14, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Robert Douglas, Finlay Currie, Felix Aylmer, Guy Rolfe.
Cinematography: Freddie Young
Art Director: Alfred Junge
Film Editor: Frank Clarke
Original Music: Miklos Rozsa
Written by Aeneas MacKenzie, Marguerite Roberts,...
Ivanhoe
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1952 /Color / 1:37 Academy / 106 min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date December 14, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Robert Douglas, Finlay Currie, Felix Aylmer, Guy Rolfe.
Cinematography: Freddie Young
Art Director: Alfred Junge
Film Editor: Frank Clarke
Original Music: Miklos Rozsa
Written by Aeneas MacKenzie, Marguerite Roberts,...
- 12/7/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
When Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1981, it was like a jolt of lightning from out of the past. As with George Lucas’ Star Wars before it, here was a throwback to many of the cinematic touchstones high and low that Baby Boomers grew up with: Saturday morning serials, prestige Oscar winners from yesteryear, and even boys’ pulp magazines were sifted through, borrowed from, and recontextualized into one of the most thrilling action-adventure movies anyone had ever seen. Somehow Lucas, who was a producer on the project, director Steven Spielberg, and the whole Indiana Jones team were able to craft a movie simultaneously retro and new.
Of course the younger generations who were swept up in Indy’s adventures may not have noticed any of this. They were here to see Indy outrun a boulder. And as the years have passed, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the...
Of course the younger generations who were swept up in Indy’s adventures may not have noticed any of this. They were here to see Indy outrun a boulder. And as the years have passed, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the...
- 9/6/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Kevin Costner made for a charmless and embarrassingly miscast local legend in a dark and chaotic mess that audiences in 1991 adored
Robin Hood doesn’t have to be like Errol Flynn, and perhaps it’s a fool’s game to try. But the 1938 swashbuckler The Adventures of Robin Hood, shot in truly glorious Technicolor, was not only the defining film of Flynn’s career, but the standard of who we understand Sir Robin of Locksley to be – a rebel, a romantic, a jester, a happy warrior for justice and, above all, unburdened and light on his feet. Flynn always had a great sense of himself as an entertainer, and his Robin has those qualities, too. It wasn’t enough merely to set things right for the poor and oppressed, and win the hand of Maid Marian. He had to do it with style.
So again, Robin Hood doesn’t have to be like Errol Flynn.
Robin Hood doesn’t have to be like Errol Flynn, and perhaps it’s a fool’s game to try. But the 1938 swashbuckler The Adventures of Robin Hood, shot in truly glorious Technicolor, was not only the defining film of Flynn’s career, but the standard of who we understand Sir Robin of Locksley to be – a rebel, a romantic, a jester, a happy warrior for justice and, above all, unburdened and light on his feet. Flynn always had a great sense of himself as an entertainer, and his Robin has those qualities, too. It wasn’t enough merely to set things right for the poor and oppressed, and win the hand of Maid Marian. He had to do it with style.
So again, Robin Hood doesn’t have to be like Errol Flynn.
- 6/14/2021
- by Scott Tobias
- The Guardian - Film News
Steven Spielberg’s deliriously entertaining throwback remains a pure pleasure, a film drawn from forgotten serials and comics and brought brilliantly to life
It took almost no time – certainly not the 40 years since it was released – for Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark to become the new standard of adventure films, surpassing the crude matinee serials that inspired it and shrewdly building on previous models like The Adventures of Robin Hood and John Huston/Humphrey Bogart team-ups The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The African Queen. Its influence on the culture was immediate and widespread, most directly on knock-offs both skilled (Romancing the Stone) and not-so-skilled (Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold), and across every commercial medium that could capitalize on it. (The Atari 2600 game Pitfall! was a personal favorite.)
Related: The Howling at 40: a horror movie that gave us something to chew on
Continue reading.
It took almost no time – certainly not the 40 years since it was released – for Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark to become the new standard of adventure films, surpassing the crude matinee serials that inspired it and shrewdly building on previous models like The Adventures of Robin Hood and John Huston/Humphrey Bogart team-ups The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The African Queen. Its influence on the culture was immediate and widespread, most directly on knock-offs both skilled (Romancing the Stone) and not-so-skilled (Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold), and across every commercial medium that could capitalize on it. (The Atari 2600 game Pitfall! was a personal favorite.)
Related: The Howling at 40: a horror movie that gave us something to chew on
Continue reading.
- 6/12/2021
- by Scott Tobias
- The Guardian - Film News
When film buffs talk about early sound horror films, they tend to associate the period with Universal and its justly famous monster movies. Yet at around the same time, Michael Curtiz directed three important horror pictures at Warner Brothers, the first two of which are far more transgressive, disturbing, and graphic than anything to come out of Universal City. Doctor X (1932), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), and The Walking Dead (1936) aren’t as iconic as later Curtiz classics like The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Casablanca (1942), and White Christmas (1954), but they’re every bit as atmospheric and […]
The post Doctor X, Wings and September 30, 1955: Jim Hemphill’s Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Doctor X, Wings and September 30, 1955: Jim Hemphill’s Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/16/2021
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
When film buffs talk about early sound horror films, they tend to associate the period with Universal and its justly famous monster movies. Yet at around the same time, Michael Curtiz directed three important horror pictures at Warner Brothers, the first two of which are far more transgressive, disturbing, and graphic than anything to come out of Universal City. Doctor X (1932), Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), and The Walking Dead (1936) aren’t as iconic as later Curtiz classics like The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Casablanca (1942), and White Christmas (1954), but they’re every bit as atmospheric and […]
The post Doctor X, Wings and September 30, 1955: Jim Hemphill’s Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Doctor X, Wings and September 30, 1955: Jim Hemphill’s Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/16/2021
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
In the modern age of widescreen televisions and 4K ultra HD streaming, it likely took a few viewers by surprise. When you load up Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max, the streaming service offers the following notice: “This film is presented in a 4:3 format to preserve the integrity of Zack Snyder’s creative vision.”
In other words, no, you cannot adjust your TV or HBO Max account to make the black bars on the side of the image go away. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was filmed in a square frame, and that’s the way Snyder wants you now to see it. Amusingly, this makes the Snyder Cut the first major superhero movie to be presented in the “Academy Ratio” (or something close to it), which was the cinematic standard throughout most of the Golden Age of Hollywood, going into the 1950s. Snyder has spoken candidly a...
In other words, no, you cannot adjust your TV or HBO Max account to make the black bars on the side of the image go away. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was filmed in a square frame, and that’s the way Snyder wants you now to see it. Amusingly, this makes the Snyder Cut the first major superhero movie to be presented in the “Academy Ratio” (or something close to it), which was the cinematic standard throughout most of the Golden Age of Hollywood, going into the 1950s. Snyder has spoken candidly a...
- 3/19/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Writing the script for 1977’s Star Wars, George Lucas drew inspiration from late-romantic symphonies by Richard Wagner and Antonín Dvorák and the ravishing film scores of Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood).
He wasn’t sure what his space epic would sound like, but he knew he didn’t want it to have one of those modernist, atonal scores that had accompanied sci-fi films since 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still (composed by Bernard Herrmann and featuring a theremin). Lucas’ plan was to emulate Stanley Kubrick, who on 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey abandoned a ...
He wasn’t sure what his space epic would sound like, but he knew he didn’t want it to have one of those modernist, atonal scores that had accompanied sci-fi films since 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still (composed by Bernard Herrmann and featuring a theremin). Lucas’ plan was to emulate Stanley Kubrick, who on 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey abandoned a ...
- 1/29/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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