The title is the worst thing about this lively, fun and largely true World War II adventure The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which is inspired by the Damien Lewis book of the same name but extending it to add: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops.
Guy Ritchie has taken this story of an illicit black ops crew, mostly of the prisoner variety, who with the permission of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Rory Kinnear) was commissioned and put into action (a ragtag group of warriors if ever there was one) in order to sink, as it were, Nazi Germany’s U-boats operation that had been preventing the U.S. from entering the war in Europe.
Ritchie has been on a roll of late with 2019’s The Gentlemen (now a Netflix series), and a pair from last year, the terrific Afghanistan War-set The Covenant,...
Guy Ritchie has taken this story of an illicit black ops crew, mostly of the prisoner variety, who with the permission of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Rory Kinnear) was commissioned and put into action (a ragtag group of warriors if ever there was one) in order to sink, as it were, Nazi Germany’s U-boats operation that had been preventing the U.S. from entering the war in Europe.
Ritchie has been on a roll of late with 2019’s The Gentlemen (now a Netflix series), and a pair from last year, the terrific Afghanistan War-set The Covenant,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
When screenwriter A.I. Bezzerides was asked about the complex layers of meaning running through his adaptation of Mickey Spillane‘s classic crime novel “Kiss Me Deadly,” he denied having any conscious intention of exploring the post-wwii anxieties that gave the film its jittery core. “People ask me about the hidden meanings in the script,” he told an interviewer. “About the A-bomb, about McCarthyism, what does the poetry mean, and so on. And I can only say that I didn’t think about it when I wrote it . . . I was having fun.” Bezzerides may have been just “having fun,” but in the process, he and director Robert Aldrich crafted one of the greatest noirs of all time, an apocalyptic detective story that looks into the heart of 1950s America and sees annihilation.
It’s one of several stone-cold masterpieces written by the novelist-turned-screenwriter, whose work is being properly acknowledged by the...
It’s one of several stone-cold masterpieces written by the novelist-turned-screenwriter, whose work is being properly acknowledged by the...
- 4/16/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Like most areas of the entertainment industry outside of acting, casting and costuming, television writing was generally one big boys club until women began making (incremental) inroads during the 1990s. There were trailblazers like "I Love Lucy" scribe Madelyn Pugh, but that trail was walked far too infrequently for far too many years.
Anyone who possessed a conscience knew this was unacceptable, which is why it's disappointing that a politically progressive (particularly for his era) writer like Rod Serling never made a concerted effort to work at least one female writer into "The Twilight Zone" mix during the series' five seasons (which stretched from 1959 to 1964). To be fair, Serling did adapt the work of women for certain episodes; in fact, a tale that many consider the show's finest half-hour, "Time Enough at Last," was based on a short story by sci-fi/fantasy writer Lynn Venable. But he never managed to...
Anyone who possessed a conscience knew this was unacceptable, which is why it's disappointing that a politically progressive (particularly for his era) writer like Rod Serling never made a concerted effort to work at least one female writer into "The Twilight Zone" mix during the series' five seasons (which stretched from 1959 to 1964). To be fair, Serling did adapt the work of women for certain episodes; in fact, a tale that many consider the show's finest half-hour, "Time Enough at Last," was based on a short story by sci-fi/fantasy writer Lynn Venable. But he never managed to...
- 3/9/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
“Drive-Away Dolls” is an audacious lesbian road movie inspired by such Kings of the Bs as John Waters and Russ Meyer. Two young women (Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan) rent a drive-away car without knowing there’s cargo in the trunk that could get them in big trouble with a gang of criminals. Sure enough, thugs are soon chasing them down America’s highways.
Luckily, just about every man in the movie is a bumbling idiot. And not everyone keeps their head.
“Drive-Away Dolls” is the definition of ribald. These girls are as randy and on the make as any of their “Porky’s” counterparts. The movie wears no pretensions. It’s not going up for Oscars. It’s coming out in February, for Chrissakes!
To help promote the movie, filmmakers Ethan Coen — who accepted the Best Picture Oscar for “No Country for Old Men” back in 2008 with his usual creative partner,...
Luckily, just about every man in the movie is a bumbling idiot. And not everyone keeps their head.
“Drive-Away Dolls” is the definition of ribald. These girls are as randy and on the make as any of their “Porky’s” counterparts. The movie wears no pretensions. It’s not going up for Oscars. It’s coming out in February, for Chrissakes!
To help promote the movie, filmmakers Ethan Coen — who accepted the Best Picture Oscar for “No Country for Old Men” back in 2008 with his usual creative partner,...
- 2/23/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Mickey Gilbert, the fearless stunt performer who jumped off a cliff for Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and doubled for Gene Wilder in films including Blazing Saddles, Silver Streak and The Frisco Kid, has died. He was 87.
Gilbert died Monday of natural causes at his home in Camarillo, California, his oldest son, Tim Gilbert, also a stunt performer, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Early in his career, Gilbert was a horse wrangler in William Wyler’s Ben-Hur (1959) and a bank robber in Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch (1969). Years later, he took the lumps for Lee Majors’ Colt Seavers on the 1981-86 ABC action show The Fall Guy.
Though they weren’t friends at the time, Gilbert and Redford were in the same class at Van Nuys High School, graduating in 1954. They got together on George Roy Hill’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) when Redford...
Gilbert died Monday of natural causes at his home in Camarillo, California, his oldest son, Tim Gilbert, also a stunt performer, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Early in his career, Gilbert was a horse wrangler in William Wyler’s Ben-Hur (1959) and a bank robber in Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch (1969). Years later, he took the lumps for Lee Majors’ Colt Seavers on the 1981-86 ABC action show The Fall Guy.
Though they weren’t friends at the time, Gilbert and Redford were in the same class at Van Nuys High School, graduating in 1954. They got together on George Roy Hill’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) when Redford...
- 2/6/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Robert Aldrich's "The Dirty Dozen" is the daddiest of dad movies. A box office smash upon its theatrical release in 1967, it was the proto-"men-on-a-mission" movie. Lee Marvin stars as a World War II U.S. Army major ordered to lead a pack of disposable military prisoners on a suicide mission to slaughter numerous high-ranking Nazi officers. The film brought together some of the most macho men on the planet to play the (not entirely) doomed soldiers: Charles Bronson, George Kennedy, Telly Savalas, and, of course, recently retired Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown. It was a testosterone-fueled must-see that inspired three made-for-tv sequels and a load of imitators (including Enzo G. Castellari's "The Inglorious Bastards" and Quentin Tarantino's endearingly misspelled "Inglourious Basterds").
It's been homaged and ripped off so many times over the last 57 years that a straight-up remake would hardly be sacrilege. In fact, given...
It's been homaged and ripped off so many times over the last 57 years that a straight-up remake would hardly be sacrilege. In fact, given...
- 1/10/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Although his name might be unfamiliar to a young generation of moviegoers, John Cassavetes was a giant in raising the profile of independent film in America. As a young man, after enrolling in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he took on small parts in films and appeared in episodic television until he picked up a camera and exploded onto the indie film scene with his 1959 film “Shadows.” From there, he went on to write and direct “Faces” (1968), which earned three Oscar nominations and eventually to 1974’s “A Woman Under the Influence,” which starred his wife Gena Rowlands (whom he met at the American Academy) in arguably her most triumphant performance. Cassavetes is such an important figure in independent cinema that every year, the Independent Spirit Awards present the John Cassavetes Award to the year’s best film that cost less than $500,000.
While he was directing, Cassavetes continued his acting career,...
While he was directing, Cassavetes continued his acting career,...
- 12/1/2023
- by Tom O'Brien and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: The Longest Yard is getting another set of downs.
Deadline hears that another remake of the film, which originally starred Burt Reynolds in 1974 and was remade starring Adam Sandler in 2005, is in the works at Paramount Pictures. Rodney Barnes, who was an exec producer and writer on HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, is writing.
It comes from Gunpowder & Sky, whose CEO Van Toffler was an exec producer on the 2005 version when he worked at then-MTV owner Viacom. Toffler is producing with former MTV Films boss David Gale, who reunited with Toffler at Gunpowder & Sky and who also exec produced the Sandler version.
The Longest Yard is a prison sports comedy film.
‘The Longest Yard,’ 1974
The 1974 original was based on a story by Al Ruddy, directed by Robert Aldrich and written by Tracy Keenan Wynn. It starred Reynolds as Paul “Wrecking” Crewe, a...
Deadline hears that another remake of the film, which originally starred Burt Reynolds in 1974 and was remade starring Adam Sandler in 2005, is in the works at Paramount Pictures. Rodney Barnes, who was an exec producer and writer on HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, is writing.
It comes from Gunpowder & Sky, whose CEO Van Toffler was an exec producer on the 2005 version when he worked at then-MTV owner Viacom. Toffler is producing with former MTV Films boss David Gale, who reunited with Toffler at Gunpowder & Sky and who also exec produced the Sandler version.
The Longest Yard is a prison sports comedy film.
‘The Longest Yard,’ 1974
The 1974 original was based on a story by Al Ruddy, directed by Robert Aldrich and written by Tracy Keenan Wynn. It starred Reynolds as Paul “Wrecking” Crewe, a...
- 11/6/2023
- by Peter White and Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Burt Young, who played Paulie in six of the “Rocky” films starring Sylvester Stallone, drawing an Oscar nomination for supporting actor for his performance in the 1976 original, has died, his daughter Anne Morea Steingieser confirmed to the New York Times. He was 83.
Roger Ebert gave Young his props for his performance in the first “Rocky” film: “And Burt Young as (Adrian’s) brother — defeated and resentful, loyal and bitter, caring about people enough to hurt them just to draw attention to his grief.” The New York Times — in an absolutely scathing, completely dismissive review of the film — nevertheless said: “Burt Young is effective as Rocky’s best friend, a beer-guzzling mug.”
Young’s temperamental, jealous but nonetheless loyal and caring Paulie Pennino was Rocky’s best friend — he would defend the Italian Stallion if someone insulted him. But he was a problematic friend who shouts at Adrian during her pregnancy,...
Roger Ebert gave Young his props for his performance in the first “Rocky” film: “And Burt Young as (Adrian’s) brother — defeated and resentful, loyal and bitter, caring about people enough to hurt them just to draw attention to his grief.” The New York Times — in an absolutely scathing, completely dismissive review of the film — nevertheless said: “Burt Young is effective as Rocky’s best friend, a beer-guzzling mug.”
Young’s temperamental, jealous but nonetheless loyal and caring Paulie Pennino was Rocky’s best friend — he would defend the Italian Stallion if someone insulted him. But he was a problematic friend who shouts at Adrian during her pregnancy,...
- 10/19/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Francis Ford Coppola is remembering one of his closest friends. On Monday, following news of the death of William Friedkin, Coppola shared a tribute in honor of the Exorcist director on Instagram.
“William Friedkin was my first friend among the filmmakers of my generation and I grieve for the loss of a much-loved companion,” he wrote, sharing photos of Friedkin, later adding, “His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man. It’s very hard to grasp that I will never enjoy his company again,...
“William Friedkin was my first friend among the filmmakers of my generation and I grieve for the loss of a much-loved companion,” he wrote, sharing photos of Friedkin, later adding, “His lovable, irascible personality was cover for a beautiful, brilliant, deep-feeling giant of a man. It’s very hard to grasp that I will never enjoy his company again,...
- 8/8/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
William Friedkin, one of the great directors of the New Hollywood era who helmed classics like The Exorcist and Oscar-winner The French Connection, died Monday, The New York Times reports. He was 87.
Sherry Lansing, a former head of Paramount Pictures, and Friedkin’s wife, confirmed his death. She said the cause was heart failure and pneumonia.
Rising to prominence in the Seventies, Friedkin came to specialize in gritty, white-knuckle thrillers, often shot through with a healthy dose of practically documentary-style realism. The French Connection, his breakthrough film, won five Academy Awards,...
Sherry Lansing, a former head of Paramount Pictures, and Friedkin’s wife, confirmed his death. She said the cause was heart failure and pneumonia.
Rising to prominence in the Seventies, Friedkin came to specialize in gritty, white-knuckle thrillers, often shot through with a healthy dose of practically documentary-style realism. The French Connection, his breakthrough film, won five Academy Awards,...
- 8/7/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Skydance has acquired rights to Mickey Spillane’s and Max Allan Collins’ Mike Hammer franchise with plans to develop and produce the bestselling book series as a feature film based on the iconic character. No writers, directors or actors are attached at this time.
Entertainment 360 joins as a producer with Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger producing with Guymon Casady producing for Entertainment 360. Benjamin Forkner and Ken F. Levin will also produce. Collins will executive produce, with Jane Spillane serving as co-producer. Carin Sage will oversee the project for Skydance.
Hammer is the protagonist of a series of hardboiled detective novels, starting with I, the Jury published in 1947, becoming one of the most popular figures of the genre.
With more than 250 million copies of Mike Hammer books sold globally, it is often recognized as the most popular American mystery/thriller series of all time. Hammer is...
Entertainment 360 joins as a producer with Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger producing with Guymon Casady producing for Entertainment 360. Benjamin Forkner and Ken F. Levin will also produce. Collins will executive produce, with Jane Spillane serving as co-producer. Carin Sage will oversee the project for Skydance.
Hammer is the protagonist of a series of hardboiled detective novels, starting with I, the Jury published in 1947, becoming one of the most popular figures of the genre.
With more than 250 million copies of Mike Hammer books sold globally, it is often recognized as the most popular American mystery/thriller series of all time. Hammer is...
- 8/2/2023
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
The late, great comedian Paul Reubens first started developing his popular Pee-wee Herman character while working for the Groundlings, a comedy troupe in Los Angeles. They famously encouraged comedians to invent wild, outsize characters that would provide comedy in any situation they entered. Reubens' Pee-wee character caught the attention of the local -- then the national -- comedy scene, leading to a long-running live show. Eventually, Pee-wee became the star of three feature films. Tim Burton's "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" was released in 1985, Randal Kleiser's "Big Top Pee-wee" was released in 1988, and John Lee's "Pee-wee's Big Holiday" was released on Netflix in 2016.
The third of those films came after Reubens had experienced multiple career highs and lows, having starred in a hit TV series, then having retreated from the public eye in the 1990s because of a very public arrest. Reubens returned to film in a big way...
The third of those films came after Reubens had experienced multiple career highs and lows, having starred in a hit TV series, then having retreated from the public eye in the 1990s because of a very public arrest. Reubens returned to film in a big way...
- 7/31/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Ahead of Christopher Nolan’s biopic of ‘father of the atomic bomb’ J Robert Oppenheimer, in cinemas next week, we explore the bomb’s legacy on film, from Hiroshima Mon Amour to Dr Strangelove
Two new documentaries available to stream this week are riding the wave of anticipation for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, out in cinemas next Friday. Lest Nolan’s Cillian Murphy-starring biopic of atomic bomb creator J Robert Oppenheimer not serve the facts diligently enough, then Oppenheimer: The Real Story (from 17 July) and To End All War: Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb (Now TV) are on hand to fill in any gaps. They join a long line of documentaries on the subject and its adjacent concerns; the surprise is that it’s taken this long for Oppenheimer himself to be the protagonist of a major Hollywood drama.
But the legacy of the atom bomb, from its development...
Two new documentaries available to stream this week are riding the wave of anticipation for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, out in cinemas next Friday. Lest Nolan’s Cillian Murphy-starring biopic of atomic bomb creator J Robert Oppenheimer not serve the facts diligently enough, then Oppenheimer: The Real Story (from 17 July) and To End All War: Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb (Now TV) are on hand to fill in any gaps. They join a long line of documentaries on the subject and its adjacent concerns; the surprise is that it’s taken this long for Oppenheimer himself to be the protagonist of a major Hollywood drama.
But the legacy of the atom bomb, from its development...
- 7/16/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
When Robert Aldrich’s 1968 Hollywood insider yarn, “The Legend of Lylah Clare” screens at the Maine International Film Festival in Waterville, Maine, it will represent much more than a simple revival of a New Hollywood-era roman à clef.
The film’s presentation on July 12 will include a discussion between actor Michael Murphy, who co-stars in the film, and former MGM publicity director Mike Kaplan, who has from the film’s earliest screenings defended both the film’s director, who Kaplan feels was “grossly maligned” by the depiction of him in Ryan Murphy’s limited series “Feud,” and the film, which monumentally tanked both critically and commercially when first released.
Kaplan recalls “I loved the script, and I loved the film. MGM had an unexceptional slate at the time. I was a big fan at the get-go.”
But as MGM’s New York City-based publicity chief, Kaplan watched helplessly as others,...
The film’s presentation on July 12 will include a discussion between actor Michael Murphy, who co-stars in the film, and former MGM publicity director Mike Kaplan, who has from the film’s earliest screenings defended both the film’s director, who Kaplan feels was “grossly maligned” by the depiction of him in Ryan Murphy’s limited series “Feud,” and the film, which monumentally tanked both critically and commercially when first released.
Kaplan recalls “I loved the script, and I loved the film. MGM had an unexceptional slate at the time. I was a big fan at the get-go.”
But as MGM’s New York City-based publicity chief, Kaplan watched helplessly as others,...
- 7/12/2023
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
Dean Smith, who won a gold medal as a sprinter at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics before becoming a top-notch Hollywood stunt performer who worked on a dozen films starring John Wayne, has died. He was 91.
Smith died Saturday at his home in Breckenridge, Texas, after a battle with cancer, his friend Rob Word told The Hollywood Reporter.
Smith, who got into the business with help from James Garner, appeared in seven Paul Newman films, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), The Sting (1973) and The Towering Inferno (1974).
The tough Texan, who loved to say he could “ride, run and jump,” doubled for good friend Dale Robertson on the 1957-62 NBC series Tales of Wells Fargo, the 1964 film Blood on the Arrow and the 1966-68 ABC series Iron Horse.
He also did the dirty work for Ben Johnson...
Smith died Saturday at his home in Breckenridge, Texas, after a battle with cancer, his friend Rob Word told The Hollywood Reporter.
Smith, who got into the business with help from James Garner, appeared in seven Paul Newman films, including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), The Sting (1973) and The Towering Inferno (1974).
The tough Texan, who loved to say he could “ride, run and jump,” doubled for good friend Dale Robertson on the 1957-62 NBC series Tales of Wells Fargo, the 1964 film Blood on the Arrow and the 1966-68 ABC series Iron Horse.
He also did the dirty work for Ben Johnson...
- 6/25/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jim Brown was everything. He was the greatest football player of all time, a trailblazing Black movie star, a vital voice during the Civil Rights Movement, and a man around whom controversy persistently swirled because he did not give a single, solitary f**k ... to a fault.
Brown was a model of American manhood. He played nine seasons of football as the Cleveland Browns running back, and he made the Pro Bowl in every one. Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry for his career (third-best of all-time) and did so by scrapping for every inch inbounds. He blasted into defenders with rib-cracking velocity. He took his lumps (which were bruisingly visible in his later years), but when you tackled Brown you got the worst of it. The man didn't believe in running to the sideline. He ran through you.
Brown was also a model of defiance at a time when Black...
Brown was a model of American manhood. He played nine seasons of football as the Cleveland Browns running back, and he made the Pro Bowl in every one. Brown averaged 5.2 yards per carry for his career (third-best of all-time) and did so by scrapping for every inch inbounds. He blasted into defenders with rib-cracking velocity. He took his lumps (which were bruisingly visible in his later years), but when you tackled Brown you got the worst of it. The man didn't believe in running to the sideline. He ran through you.
Brown was also a model of defiance at a time when Black...
- 5/19/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Jim Brown, the NFL Hall of Famer and Civil Rights activist who turned to acting and appeared in films and TV shows ranging from The Dirty Dozen and I Spy to Draft Day, Mars Attacks! and The A-Team, died Thursday night in Los Angeles. His wife, Monique Brown, said in an Instagram post that he died peacefully, but she did not provide a cause.
Brown is considered among the greatest football players of all time. Drafted sixth overall in 1957 by the Cleveland Browns out of Syracuse University, his bruising running style redefined the running back position. As a rookie, he ran for 237 yards in a game against the Los Angeles Rams — a record that would stand until the 1970s.
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
Among his myriad NFL records and milestones, he was the first to top 100 career rushing touchdowns and set single-season and career rushing...
Brown is considered among the greatest football players of all time. Drafted sixth overall in 1957 by the Cleveland Browns out of Syracuse University, his bruising running style redefined the running back position. As a rookie, he ran for 237 yards in a game against the Los Angeles Rams — a record that would stand until the 1970s.
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
Among his myriad NFL records and milestones, he was the first to top 100 career rushing touchdowns and set single-season and career rushing...
- 5/19/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Jim Brown, the NFL titan who appeared in “The Dirty Dozen,” many Blaxploitation films plus Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday,” “The Running Man,” Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks” and Spike Lee’s “He Got Game,” to name a few, died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 87.
His wife Monique posted the news of his death on Instagram, saying, “He passed peacefully last night at our L.A. home.”
In nine extraordinary seasons as a fullback with the Cleveland Browns, Brown set an array of NFL records. In 2002, The Sporting News named him the greatest professional football player ever. That phenomenal athleticism and a charismatic personality made him bankable as the first African American action star.
“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Monique and their family,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Jim Brown was a gifted athlete — one of the most dominant players to...
His wife Monique posted the news of his death on Instagram, saying, “He passed peacefully last night at our L.A. home.”
In nine extraordinary seasons as a fullback with the Cleveland Browns, Brown set an array of NFL records. In 2002, The Sporting News named him the greatest professional football player ever. That phenomenal athleticism and a charismatic personality made him bankable as the first African American action star.
“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Monique and their family,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Jim Brown was a gifted athlete — one of the most dominant players to...
- 5/19/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Jim Brown, the incomparable Cleveland Browns fullback who quit the NFL at the peak of his prowess to become a Hollywood action hero in such films as The Dirty Dozen, Ice Station Zebra and 100 Rifles, has died. He was 87.
A staunch advocate for civil rights, Brown died in his Los Angeles home Thursday night with wife Monique by his side, his family’s spokesperson told the Associated Press.
In a statement, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell praised Brown’s skills on the field, in addition to calling him a “cultural figure who helped promote change.” The message continued, “During his nine-year NFL career, which coincided with the civil rights movement here at home, he became a forerunner and role model for athletes being involved in social initiatives outside their sport. He inspired fellow athletes to make a difference, especially in the communities in which they lived.”
A synthesis of speed,...
A staunch advocate for civil rights, Brown died in his Los Angeles home Thursday night with wife Monique by his side, his family’s spokesperson told the Associated Press.
In a statement, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell praised Brown’s skills on the field, in addition to calling him a “cultural figure who helped promote change.” The message continued, “During his nine-year NFL career, which coincided with the civil rights movement here at home, he became a forerunner and role model for athletes being involved in social initiatives outside their sport. He inspired fellow athletes to make a difference, especially in the communities in which they lived.”
A synthesis of speed,...
- 5/19/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In fashion, credits are everything.
This week in Cannes, French fashion house Saint Laurent graduated beyond “who are you wearing?” to “who made that movie?” courtesy of the world premiere of Pedro Almodovar’s gay Western Strange Way of Life starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal.
Because credits are crucial, now is the time to point out that not only is the 30-minute gay Western presented by the house, Saint Laurent received associate producer credit while creative director Anthony Vaccarello served as the costume designer for the 1910-set pic.
Strange Way of Life stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, wearing the green jacket similar to the one from Bend of the River.
There’s one more: The collaboration serves as the official debut of Saint Laurent Prods., an expansion that gives the house bragging rights as the first brand fully invested in producing films. Per official intel from Saint Laurent,...
This week in Cannes, French fashion house Saint Laurent graduated beyond “who are you wearing?” to “who made that movie?” courtesy of the world premiere of Pedro Almodovar’s gay Western Strange Way of Life starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal.
Because credits are crucial, now is the time to point out that not only is the 30-minute gay Western presented by the house, Saint Laurent received associate producer credit while creative director Anthony Vaccarello served as the costume designer for the 1910-set pic.
Strange Way of Life stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, wearing the green jacket similar to the one from Bend of the River.
There’s one more: The collaboration serves as the official debut of Saint Laurent Prods., an expansion that gives the house bragging rights as the first brand fully invested in producing films. Per official intel from Saint Laurent,...
- 5/19/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cloche
Following the double bill of vampire films with The Hunger and Ganja & Hess, Trace and I jumped into genre hodge podge last week with Fred Dekker’s delightful sci-fi homage, Night of the Creeps.
This week we’re veering gently into camp territory with the birth of hagsploitation in Robert Aldrich‘s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? The film follows Blanche and Jane as sisters and former vaudeville stars, played by real-life rivals Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. The sisters live together and Jane takes care of (read: abuses) her older sister Blanche after she lost her ability to walk following a car accident.
As Blanche plots to escape her sister’s torment, Jane hires pianist Edwin Flagg (gay actor Victor Buono) to assist with her delusional plans to mount a comeback. As Jane spirals, she directs her madness toward her sister in increasingly malicious and dangerous ways.
Following the double bill of vampire films with The Hunger and Ganja & Hess, Trace and I jumped into genre hodge podge last week with Fred Dekker’s delightful sci-fi homage, Night of the Creeps.
This week we’re veering gently into camp territory with the birth of hagsploitation in Robert Aldrich‘s What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? The film follows Blanche and Jane as sisters and former vaudeville stars, played by real-life rivals Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. The sisters live together and Jane takes care of (read: abuses) her older sister Blanche after she lost her ability to walk following a car accident.
As Blanche plots to escape her sister’s torment, Jane hires pianist Edwin Flagg (gay actor Victor Buono) to assist with her delusional plans to mount a comeback. As Jane spirals, she directs her madness toward her sister in increasingly malicious and dangerous ways.
- 5/15/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
This one bitch…
After finishing April with back-to-back looks at stylish vampire films like The Hunger and Ganja & Hess, we’re kicking off May a film we’ve actually discussed before (in written form): Fred Dekker‘s 1986 classic Night of the Creeps!
Night of the Creeps sees fraternity pledges Chris (Jason Lively) and Jc (Steve Marshall) take part in a hazing prank, only to find a frozen body filled with alien slugs that escape and begin to take over everyone on campus. They must team up with a cop with a haunted past (Tom Atkins) and Chris’ new crush Cindy (Jill Whitlow) to stop the invasion before it’s too late.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 228: Night of the Creeps (1986)
Cindy!
After finishing April with back-to-back looks at stylish vampire films like The Hunger and Ganja & Hess, we’re kicking off May a film we’ve actually discussed before (in written form): Fred Dekker‘s 1986 classic Night of the Creeps!
Night of the Creeps sees fraternity pledges Chris (Jason Lively) and Jc (Steve Marshall) take part in a hazing prank, only to find a frozen body filled with alien slugs that escape and begin to take over everyone on campus. They must team up with a cop with a haunted past (Tom Atkins) and Chris’ new crush Cindy (Jill Whitlow) to stop the invasion before it’s too late.
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Episode 228: Night of the Creeps (1986)
Cindy!
- 5/8/2023
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Robert Aldrich's great war film "The Dirty Dozen" wasn't the first men-on-a-mission movie, but it is generally held up today at the apotheosis of the form. The tale of the U.S. Army's most vicious convicts getting assigned to a suicide mission deep behind enemy lines during World War II, with the promise of a pardon should they survive, is stocked with the toughest of the tough guys of the late 1960s. Lee Marvin heads up the brass-knuckle ensemble as the no-nonsense Major John Reisman, who's stuck with the unenviable task of shaping up a unit of anti-authoritarian malcontents or straight-up psychopaths. With troublemakers and nose-breakers like Charles Bronson, George Kennedy, Jim Brown, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, and John Cassavetes along for the ride, "The Dirty Dozen" became more than just the perfect "men-on-a-mission" movie: it was the ultimate guy flick.
We call them "Dad Movies" nowadays. They're the...
We call them "Dad Movies" nowadays. They're the...
- 3/19/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
This Mickey Spillane noir tale has its good points: star Anthony Quinn gives a solid ‘tough guy’ performance, sizing up a quartet of thrill-crazy Spillane dames that promise no end of trouble. The surprisingly clever script dares to exploit the gimmicks of both amnesia and plastic surgery — without insulting our intelligence. Peggie Castle is our new favorite in the glamour sweepstakes, and Gene Evans, Charles Coburn, Mary Ellen Kay, Shawn Smith, Barry Kelley, Jay Adler and Bruno VeSota co-star. And remember: ‘Evil to Him who Evil Thinks.’
The Long Wait 4K
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
ClassicFlix
1954 / B&w / 1:75 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date March 21, 2023 / Available from ClassicFlix / 39.99
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Charles Coburn, Gene Evans, Peggie Castle, Mary Ellen Kay, Shawn Smith, Dolores Donlon, Barry Kelley, James Millican, Bruno VeSota, Jay Adler, John Damler, Frank Marlowe, Paul Dubov.
Cinematography: Franz Planer
Art Director: Boris Leven
Film Editor: Ronald Sinclair
Editorial Supervisor Otto Ludwig...
The Long Wait 4K
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
ClassicFlix
1954 / B&w / 1:75 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date March 21, 2023 / Available from ClassicFlix / 39.99
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Charles Coburn, Gene Evans, Peggie Castle, Mary Ellen Kay, Shawn Smith, Dolores Donlon, Barry Kelley, James Millican, Bruno VeSota, Jay Adler, John Damler, Frank Marlowe, Paul Dubov.
Cinematography: Franz Planer
Art Director: Boris Leven
Film Editor: Ronald Sinclair
Editorial Supervisor Otto Ludwig...
- 3/14/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Tom Joyner, who was First Ad on such notable titles as Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, George Roy Hill’s Slapshot and Clint Eastwood’s Bronco Billy, died February 22 after a long battle with cancer and heart disease. He was 79.
Joyner began his career in the film industry in 1969 when he was accepted into the DGA assistant directors program. He started out as a Second Ad on such features as Spielberg’s Sugarland Express, Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter and Robert Aldrich’s Ulzanas Raid. His first time out as a First Ad was on Spielberg’s classic Jaws, followed by several other well received films.
Tom Joyner, Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfus
He would then go on to serve as Unit Production Manager on a number of features including John Landis’ The Blues Brothers, John Carpenter’s Starman, Taylor Hackford’s Against all Odds, Brian Gibson’s Poltergeist ll and Bruce Bereford’s Tender Mercies.
Joyner began his career in the film industry in 1969 when he was accepted into the DGA assistant directors program. He started out as a Second Ad on such features as Spielberg’s Sugarland Express, Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter and Robert Aldrich’s Ulzanas Raid. His first time out as a First Ad was on Spielberg’s classic Jaws, followed by several other well received films.
Tom Joyner, Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfus
He would then go on to serve as Unit Production Manager on a number of features including John Landis’ The Blues Brothers, John Carpenter’s Starman, Taylor Hackford’s Against all Odds, Brian Gibson’s Poltergeist ll and Bruce Bereford’s Tender Mercies.
- 3/14/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
No monster has struck fear into the hearts of moviegoers quite like the Xenomorph. The titular creature in Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi masterpiece "Alien" — as well as the sequels, prequels, spin-offs, video games, comic books, and novels that followed — is a killer beyond compare in science fiction, and today stands as one of the genre's most recognizable antagonists. And while it's fair to say that the franchise has been subject to a few ups and downs over the years, the spine-chilling power of the Xenomorph itself has never been less than total.
How much do you really know about Ellen Ripley's archnemesis, though? Is there more to this horrific beast than what you've seen on screen? Well, yes: Fittingly for a creature designed by a legendary surrealist, the history of the Xenomorph is as strange as the monster is scary. From the earliest concepts to those endless variants to...
How much do you really know about Ellen Ripley's archnemesis, though? Is there more to this horrific beast than what you've seen on screen? Well, yes: Fittingly for a creature designed by a legendary surrealist, the history of the Xenomorph is as strange as the monster is scary. From the earliest concepts to those endless variants to...
- 3/11/2023
- by Chris Heasman
- Slash Film
Sometimes, the antagonism you see between two characters in a movie isn't acting. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" is one of the most infamous examples thereof; their feud has inspired books, podcasts, and even a mini-series.
In the film (directed by Robert Aldrich), they play the Hudson sisters, Jane (Davis) and Blanche (Crawford). The limelight has moved past them both; Jane was a child star whose talents didn't last to adulthood while Blanche had a film career before being paralyzed in a car crash. Jane has to dote on the incapacitated Blanche, only furthering the resentment. There's a clear meta-textual undercurrent; Davis and Crawford were not considered "bankable" as women in their fifties, and there's no industry as hostile to middle-aged women as Hollywood.
Davis/Crawford's infighting began before the film even started production. According to Davis, Crawford initially suggested she play Jane and Davis play Blanche,...
In the film (directed by Robert Aldrich), they play the Hudson sisters, Jane (Davis) and Blanche (Crawford). The limelight has moved past them both; Jane was a child star whose talents didn't last to adulthood while Blanche had a film career before being paralyzed in a car crash. Jane has to dote on the incapacitated Blanche, only furthering the resentment. There's a clear meta-textual undercurrent; Davis and Crawford were not considered "bankable" as women in their fifties, and there's no industry as hostile to middle-aged women as Hollywood.
Davis/Crawford's infighting began before the film even started production. According to Davis, Crawford initially suggested she play Jane and Davis play Blanche,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Gerald Fried, the Oscar-nominated, oboe-playing composer who created iconic gladiatorial fight music for the original Star Trek series and collaborated with Quincy Jones to win an Emmy for their theme to the landmark miniseries Roots, has died. He was 95.
Fried died Friday of pneumonia at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut, his wife, Anita Hall, told The Hollywood Reporter.
After meeting Stanley Kubrick on a baseball field in the Bronx in the early 1950s, Fried wound up scoring the filmmaker’s first four features: Fear and Desire (1953), Killer’s Kiss (1955), The Killing (1956) and Paths of Glory (1957).
Fried also supplied the music for such cult Roger Corman classics as Machine-Gun Kelly (1958), The Cry Baby Killer (1958) and I Mobster (1959). He also worked with directors Larry Peerce on One Potato Two Potato (1964) and The Bell Jar (1979), as well as with Robert Aldrich on The Killing of Sister George (1968), What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?...
Fried died Friday of pneumonia at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut, his wife, Anita Hall, told The Hollywood Reporter.
After meeting Stanley Kubrick on a baseball field in the Bronx in the early 1950s, Fried wound up scoring the filmmaker’s first four features: Fear and Desire (1953), Killer’s Kiss (1955), The Killing (1956) and Paths of Glory (1957).
Fried also supplied the music for such cult Roger Corman classics as Machine-Gun Kelly (1958), The Cry Baby Killer (1958) and I Mobster (1959). He also worked with directors Larry Peerce on One Potato Two Potato (1964) and The Bell Jar (1979), as well as with Robert Aldrich on The Killing of Sister George (1968), What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?...
- 2/18/2023
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Composer Gerald Fried, who won an Emmy for the landmark miniseries “Roots” and whose 1960s scores, from “Star Trek” to “Gilligan’s Island,” left an indelible impression on a generation of TV watchers, died of pneumonia Friday at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport, Ct. He was 95.
His wide-ranging career included scoring five early Stanley Kubrick films, including “Paths of Glory” and “The Killing”; receiving the only Oscar nomination ever given for a documentary score, 1975’s “Birds Do It, Bees Do It”; and earning five other Emmy nominations for music in specials, TV movies and miniseries.
The prolific Fried scored approximately 40 films, some three dozen TV-movies and miniseries, and episodes of another 40 TV series during a career that spanned more than six decades.
Among his most famous TV series music was from the original “Star Trek.” He scored five episodes of the series, most famously the Spock-in-heat episode “Amok Time,” which...
His wide-ranging career included scoring five early Stanley Kubrick films, including “Paths of Glory” and “The Killing”; receiving the only Oscar nomination ever given for a documentary score, 1975’s “Birds Do It, Bees Do It”; and earning five other Emmy nominations for music in specials, TV movies and miniseries.
The prolific Fried scored approximately 40 films, some three dozen TV-movies and miniseries, and episodes of another 40 TV series during a career that spanned more than six decades.
Among his most famous TV series music was from the original “Star Trek.” He scored five episodes of the series, most famously the Spock-in-heat episode “Amok Time,” which...
- 2/18/2023
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
There are two major, notable exterior locations in Richard Marquand's 1983 sci-fi romp "Return of the Jedi." In the early scenes of the film, the dashing pilot Han Solo (Harrison Ford) must be rescued from a crime lord's desert palace where he has been frozen in stasis and hung on the wall as a trophy. The scene's desert exteriors were shot in Arizona, in a part of the desert called Buttercup Valley. In the climax of the desert scenes, a full-size floating skiff -- the pleasure barge of the evil Jabba the Hutt -- was blown up. To this day, one can visit the filming site and potentially find pieces of the barge, or of the Sarlacc, the film's pit-like desert monster.
The other notable location was the massive redwood forests located in Northern California. The "Jedi" locations were notable, as it was the first time a "Star Wars" movie...
The other notable location was the massive redwood forests located in Northern California. The "Jedi" locations were notable, as it was the first time a "Star Wars" movie...
- 2/15/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
As much as Robert Aldrich's 1962 film "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?" became a camp classic for its wild twists, shrieking old women, and creepy makeup, its tragic power can't be denied. There's a grand scope to the movie, even though so much of it takes place in the glamorous but suffocating home of its two leading ladies. Some of that scope comes from the prologue, which takes viewers as far back as 1917 — but it also comes from the movie's reckoning with Hollywood history, in the ways stars were treated, in the venomous effects of celebrity on the soul, and in the use of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis as the clashing sisters at its center.
Of course, Crawford and Davis had a legendary feud going back decades, one so well-known in Hollywood lore that it (and the production of "Baby Jane") became the subject of Ryan Murphy's miniseries "Feud,...
Of course, Crawford and Davis had a legendary feud going back decades, one so well-known in Hollywood lore that it (and the production of "Baby Jane") became the subject of Ryan Murphy's miniseries "Feud,...
- 2/15/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
John Wayne Was Awarded for ‘Paying His Dues’ to America, Alongside George Washington & Thomas Edison
Movie actor John Wayne had an undeniable fervor for America and the values he aligned with it. As a result, he defended them the best that he could on the silver screen and with his interactions with those who served. Wayne earned an award for “paying his dues” to America in his own way, as the U.S. government and his peers celebrated him for the same distinction given to George Washington and Thomas Edison.
John Wayne didn’t serve in World War II John Wayne | Images Press/Images/Getty Images
Wayne had an image that was always associated with America, although it aligned with the conservative end of the political spectrum. Therefore, he alienated other moviegoing audiences who disagreed with his values and politics. However, the movie star earned an abundance of criticism after he didn’t follow his fellow Hollywood stars into the fray of World War II. Rather,...
John Wayne didn’t serve in World War II John Wayne | Images Press/Images/Getty Images
Wayne had an image that was always associated with America, although it aligned with the conservative end of the political spectrum. Therefore, he alienated other moviegoing audiences who disagreed with his values and politics. However, the movie star earned an abundance of criticism after he didn’t follow his fellow Hollywood stars into the fray of World War II. Rather,...
- 2/13/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Movie star John Wayne brought a signature acting style that drew his longtime fans to theater seats. They knew exactly what they were paying for each time they went to see one of his films. Wayne was aware of this, constantly doing quality control on every project that came across his desk. He once turned down the leading role in an Oscar-winning movie because he didn’t like how it portrayed the military.
John Wayne took messages behind movie roles very seriously John Wayne | Getty Images
Wayne’s breakthrough movie role came about with 1939’s Stagecoach alongside frequent collaborator John Ford. He continued to gain fame over the years through his Western and war roles. However, Wayne never wanted to abandon his own morals for the sake of a role, even if it would go on to be a big success.
There were other Oscar films that Wayne turned down,...
John Wayne took messages behind movie roles very seriously John Wayne | Getty Images
Wayne’s breakthrough movie role came about with 1939’s Stagecoach alongside frequent collaborator John Ford. He continued to gain fame over the years through his Western and war roles. However, Wayne never wanted to abandon his own morals for the sake of a role, even if it would go on to be a big success.
There were other Oscar films that Wayne turned down,...
- 2/7/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The most striking aspect of the commemorative events marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings on 6 June 2019 was the testimony of the veterans who participated in the conflict and who spoke eloquently and movingly about the events of 6 June 1944.
These interviews should be compulsory viewing so people understand the courage and sacrifice of a generation of men and women who displayed the “unconquerable resolve” the Queen spoke about during her speech in Portsmouth.
The film world has, of course, brought us many depictions of the Normandy landings and the subsequent battles. You will find a number of those titles in this list of the 20 greatest Second World War films.
These 20 movies only scratch the surface of the countless number made about the momentous event, but remind us of the horrors and sacrifices made during the devastating global conflict.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the 20 greatest war films:...
These interviews should be compulsory viewing so people understand the courage and sacrifice of a generation of men and women who displayed the “unconquerable resolve” the Queen spoke about during her speech in Portsmouth.
The film world has, of course, brought us many depictions of the Normandy landings and the subsequent battles. You will find a number of those titles in this list of the 20 greatest Second World War films.
These 20 movies only scratch the surface of the countless number made about the momentous event, but remind us of the horrors and sacrifices made during the devastating global conflict.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the 20 greatest war films:...
- 1/29/2023
- by Graeme Ross
- The Independent - Film
"The best time I ever had with Joan Crawford was when I pushed her down the stairs in 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'" Bette Davis said this about her co-star in the classic 1962 film, and it's hardly the worst words spoken by either of these women — who were rumored to be something of rivals. As detailed in Ryan Murphy's excellent "Feud: Bette and Joan," in which both Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon gave unforgettable turns as Crawford and Davis, respectively, the actresses were reportedly as antagonistic towards each other offscreen as their characters, sisters Blanche and Baby Jane Hudson, were in the movie.
Based on the 1960 Henry Farrell novel of the same name, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" centers on the twisted relationship between the siblings, and things only grow more fraught as the film progresses. Jane (Davis) was once a child star happily basking in the spotlight,...
Based on the 1960 Henry Farrell novel of the same name, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" centers on the twisted relationship between the siblings, and things only grow more fraught as the film progresses. Jane (Davis) was once a child star happily basking in the spotlight,...
- 1/16/2023
- by Jamie Gerber
- Slash Film
The Chevrolet Corvette, which turns 70 this week, was unveiled on Jan. 17, 1953, at the General Motors Motorama, held at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The sleek two-seater, named after a small warship, was a concept car, but interest was so high that it went into production later that year, with 300 hand-built models in Polo White. The Corvette would star in CBS’ Route 66 from 1960 to 1964, turning it into an emblem of American freedom. But its first major screen appearance was in 1955’s Kiss Me Deadly, a subversive film noir from director Robert Aldrich, who went on to direct What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and The Dirty Dozen (1967).
Based on the 1952 Mickey Spillane novel Kiss Me, Deadly, the film, adapted by screenwriter A.I. Bezzerides, veered wildly from the book, putting Spillane’s P.I. Mike Hammer at the center of a web of intrigue involving a dead woman (Cloris Leachman, then 29, in...
Based on the 1952 Mickey Spillane novel Kiss Me, Deadly, the film, adapted by screenwriter A.I. Bezzerides, veered wildly from the book, putting Spillane’s P.I. Mike Hammer at the center of a web of intrigue involving a dead woman (Cloris Leachman, then 29, in...
- 1/12/2023
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Quentin Tarantino first announced he was working on a "men on a mission" World War II movie called "Inglorious Bastards" (no one knew he would intentionally misspell the title at the time), the internet went into fan casting overdrive. What would a 2000s version of Robert Aldrich's "The Dirty Dozen" directed by Tarantino look like? Is Bruce Willis in the Lee Marvin role? Robert Forster as Robert Ryan? Some athlete-turned-actor (Mike Tyson?) taking up Jim Brown's mantle?
As we've learned is often the case with Tarantino, the vaguely pitched project never lands anywhere close to fan expectations. Once the two-time Academy Award winner sits down to bang out the screenplay, it takes on a convention-bending life of its own. Tarantino may adore "The Dirty Dozen", but there will be no fan service. You're not going to get what you want.
Nor will Tarantino. At least not when...
As we've learned is often the case with Tarantino, the vaguely pitched project never lands anywhere close to fan expectations. Once the two-time Academy Award winner sits down to bang out the screenplay, it takes on a convention-bending life of its own. Tarantino may adore "The Dirty Dozen", but there will be no fan service. You're not going to get what you want.
Nor will Tarantino. At least not when...
- 12/17/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
One of the most oddly fascinating chapters of a movie star's career is Harrison Ford's awkward three-year run in between "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" and "Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back."
After a rough 10 years that saw him kicked out of Columbia Pictures' New Talent Program, and relegated to smallish roles in films like George Lucas' "American Graffiti" and Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation," Ford finally broke through as the dashing rogue Han Solo in Lucas' blockbuster space opera. With the entire country mad for anything even tangentially related to "Star Wars," it seemed like all of the actors were primed for superstardom. This was especially true of Ford, whose banter with Carrie Fisher's unflappable Princess Leia drew the film's biggest laughs.
Ford's presence, delivery, and undeniable good looks should've had every major studio and director in Hollywood knocking on his door — and,...
After a rough 10 years that saw him kicked out of Columbia Pictures' New Talent Program, and relegated to smallish roles in films like George Lucas' "American Graffiti" and Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation," Ford finally broke through as the dashing rogue Han Solo in Lucas' blockbuster space opera. With the entire country mad for anything even tangentially related to "Star Wars," it seemed like all of the actors were primed for superstardom. This was especially true of Ford, whose banter with Carrie Fisher's unflappable Princess Leia drew the film's biggest laughs.
Ford's presence, delivery, and undeniable good looks should've had every major studio and director in Hollywood knocking on his door — and,...
- 12/14/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Robert Aldrich gives the Cavalry Western a rough going-over in this brutal, unforgiving horror-western. Burt Lancaster gets in a fine late-career action turn as well. The pursuit of an Apache raiding party becomes guerrilla war in the desert, the kind of conflict that cements racial hatred forever. Aldrich and Alan Sharp’s answer to the ‘mud & rags’ western of the early 1970s carries on the director’s anarchic streak. This is how the West was won?
Ulzana’s Raid
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date January 21, 2020 / 29.99
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Richard Jaeckel, Bruce Davison, Jorge Luke, Joaquín Martínez, Lloyd Bochner, Karl Swenson, Douglass Watson, Dran Hamilton, Gladys Holland, Aimee Eccles, Tony Epper, Nick Cravat, Richard Farnsworth, Dean Smith.
Cinematography: Joseph Biroc
Film Editor: Michael Luciano
Original Music: Frank De Vol
Written by Alan Sharp
Produced by Carter DeHaven
Directed by Robert Aldrich
After all of the bloodletting...
Ulzana’s Raid
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date January 21, 2020 / 29.99
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Richard Jaeckel, Bruce Davison, Jorge Luke, Joaquín Martínez, Lloyd Bochner, Karl Swenson, Douglass Watson, Dran Hamilton, Gladys Holland, Aimee Eccles, Tony Epper, Nick Cravat, Richard Farnsworth, Dean Smith.
Cinematography: Joseph Biroc
Film Editor: Michael Luciano
Original Music: Frank De Vol
Written by Alan Sharp
Produced by Carter DeHaven
Directed by Robert Aldrich
After all of the bloodletting...
- 11/18/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Ryan Murphy may be best known for "Glee" and "American Horror Story," but my favorite thing he's done is "Feud: Bette and Joan" -- though "Pose" is a close second. The FX series chronicles the long-running dispute between two of the finest performers who ever lived: Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. While the bad blood between these women began long before they starred opposite one another in the now-classic 1962 film "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" it was during the production of that movie that things came to a head, much of which unfolds in the show.
"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" centers on the relationship between sisters "Baby Jane" (Davis) and Blanche Hudson (Crawford). Baby Jane was a former child star who outshone her older sister until Blanche became an actress herself. After a mysterious car accident leaves Blanche in a wheelchair, Jane becomes her caretaker, though she's far more of a tormenter.
"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" centers on the relationship between sisters "Baby Jane" (Davis) and Blanche Hudson (Crawford). Baby Jane was a former child star who outshone her older sister until Blanche became an actress herself. After a mysterious car accident leaves Blanche in a wheelchair, Jane becomes her caretaker, though she's far more of a tormenter.
- 11/14/2022
- by Jamie Gerber
- Slash Film
When John Sturges embarked on a mission to adapt Paul Brickhill's 1950 memoir detailing a mass prisoner getaway from a German Pow camp, it was a challenge from the jump. What would become one of the most beloved American war movies, and one of the great prison escape movies, ended with few successfully making it to freedom. "The Great Escape" was a high-grossing movie upon its 1963 release, edging out Alfred Hitchcock's creature feature "The Birds" with an 11.7 million box office return. Before all that, though, "Bad Day at Black Rock" director Sturges endured multiple hurdles, which would begin with an exhaustive casting process.
The story of "The Great Escape" follows a core group of Allied POWs in 1944 as they plot the escape of over 250 prisoners from the high-security German prison Stalag Luft III. It was a great opportunity for an ensemble cast, something Sturges had experience with, most famously...
The story of "The Great Escape" follows a core group of Allied POWs in 1944 as they plot the escape of over 250 prisoners from the high-security German prison Stalag Luft III. It was a great opportunity for an ensemble cast, something Sturges had experience with, most famously...
- 11/2/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max
The Pitch: The 1960s were a pivotal time for horror. With 1960 marking the debut of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," critics and audiences were starting to view horror as a legitimate genre of filmmaking. Of course, many horror movies were made before "Psycho," but the vast majority of those were campy and not to be taken super seriously. The critical and commercial success of Hitchcock's film, however, blew the doors open for more nuanced horror movies to be released.
This was the landscape in which "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" was released. Robert Aldrich's psychological horror will turn sixty years old this Halloween, and...
The Movie: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max
The Pitch: The 1960s were a pivotal time for horror. With 1960 marking the debut of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," critics and audiences were starting to view horror as a legitimate genre of filmmaking. Of course, many horror movies were made before "Psycho," but the vast majority of those were campy and not to be taken super seriously. The critical and commercial success of Hitchcock's film, however, blew the doors open for more nuanced horror movies to be released.
This was the landscape in which "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" was released. Robert Aldrich's psychological horror will turn sixty years old this Halloween, and...
- 10/30/2022
- by Erin Brady
- Slash Film
It's no hyperbole to call Mia Goth's performance in Ti West's new film "Pearl" one of the best of the year. As the title character, Goth is equal parts gentle hayseed, desperate dreamer, sexually repressed young person, and deeply cracked psychopath. It's a broad, yet totally believable performance. The film climaxes with an extended, uncut monologue that Goth directs toward an absent husband, and her heart spills onto the floor over how disappointing her life has become. It's scary and it's heartbreaking.
"Pearl" is the second part of a three-film cycle that began with "X" back in February. "X" was set in 1978, and featured Goth in a dual role of the aspiring adult actress Maxine and the very elderly Pearl who was moved by lust to murder. "Pearl" flashes back to 1918, when the title character was a young woman on the very same farm, and how she first began killing.
"Pearl" is the second part of a three-film cycle that began with "X" back in February. "X" was set in 1978, and featured Goth in a dual role of the aspiring adult actress Maxine and the very elderly Pearl who was moved by lust to murder. "Pearl" flashes back to 1918, when the title character was a young woman on the very same farm, and how she first began killing.
- 9/21/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" is an elegy for a genre that has died countless deaths. The Western has passed in and out of favor many times since the advent of the motion picture, and is currently ticking anew thanks to Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" franchise. But as the 1970s approached, there was a realization that the stars and filmmakers who'd transformed the oater into the most American of movie genres were on their way out. John Ford had been driven into retirement. John Wayne was dying. Anthony Mann was dead. A glorious, yet complicated era was drawing to a close.
This was the perfect moment for Sergio Leone to go once more to the Western well with a mythic send-off to the films on which he'd built his international reputation. But his scope wasn't limited to "A Fistful of Dollars," "For a Few Dollars More...
This was the perfect moment for Sergio Leone to go once more to the Western well with a mythic send-off to the films on which he'd built his international reputation. But his scope wasn't limited to "A Fistful of Dollars," "For a Few Dollars More...
- 8/19/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Kino boosts the third United Artists Stanley Kubrick classic to 4K clarity, bringing out every nuance of the director’s fine B&w imagery. Kubrick’s major career achievement this time was forming a mutually positive relationship with a big star. Their show is an artful anti-militaristic shout that accuses the French officer corps of willful murder. Producer-star Kirk Douglas gets the best grandstanding soapbox of his career, while Kubrick proves he can shape a dozen fine performances into a mainstream movie masterpiece.
Paths of Glory 4K
4K Ultra HD
Kl Studio Classics
1957 / B&w / 1:66 widescreen / 88 min. / Street Date August 23, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready, Wayne Morris, Richard Anderson, Joe Turkel, Timothy Carey, Suzanne Christian, Jerry Hausner, Emile Meyer, Bert Freed.
Cinematography: George Krause
Production Designer: Art Director: Ludwig Reiber
Film Editor: Eva Kroll
Original Music: Gerald Fried
Written by Stanley Kubrick,...
Paths of Glory 4K
4K Ultra HD
Kl Studio Classics
1957 / B&w / 1:66 widescreen / 88 min. / Street Date August 23, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready, Wayne Morris, Richard Anderson, Joe Turkel, Timothy Carey, Suzanne Christian, Jerry Hausner, Emile Meyer, Bert Freed.
Cinematography: George Krause
Production Designer: Art Director: Ludwig Reiber
Film Editor: Eva Kroll
Original Music: Gerald Fried
Written by Stanley Kubrick,...
- 8/16/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Humble Marty Piletti finally gets to home video in its proper widescreen format. Paddy Chayefsky’s TV play-turned theatrical feature really shines in Kino’s new 4K remaster. The performances of Betsy Blair and especially Ernest Borgnine provide the gentle magic, as non-glamorous Bronx-ites learn that two lonely people can find romance. It’s a winning formula and a thoughtful meditation on social reality in the pursuit of happiness. With a new audio commentary by Bryan Reesman and Max Evry.
Marty
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1955 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen + 1:37 flat open matte / 90 94 min. / Special Edition / Street Date July 19, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Joe Mantell, Esther Minciotti, August Ciolli, Karen Steele, Jerry Paris, Frank Sutton, James Bell, Jack Klugman.
Cinematography: Joseph Lashelle
Art Directors: Ted Haworth, Walter Simonds
Editing Supervisor: Alan Crosland Jr.
Original Music: Roy Webb
Written by Paddy Chayefsky from his teleplay
Produced by Harold Hecht,...
Marty
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1955 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen + 1:37 flat open matte / 90 94 min. / Special Edition / Street Date July 19, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Joe Mantell, Esther Minciotti, August Ciolli, Karen Steele, Jerry Paris, Frank Sutton, James Bell, Jack Klugman.
Cinematography: Joseph Lashelle
Art Directors: Ted Haworth, Walter Simonds
Editing Supervisor: Alan Crosland Jr.
Original Music: Roy Webb
Written by Paddy Chayefsky from his teleplay
Produced by Harold Hecht,...
- 7/12/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Josh Olson and Joe Dante answer fan questions and comments.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy (1955) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary
Monster A-Go-Go (1965)
Infested (2002)
Straw Dogs (1971) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review, Joe Dante’s review
Straw Dogs (2011)
Mississippi Burning (1988)
The Ghost And Mrs. Muir (1947) – Axelle Carolyn’s trailer commentary
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Bad Boy Bubby (1993) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Mummy (1932) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Mummy (1999)
The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Slappy And The Stinkers (1998)
Casper (1995)
Invisible Man (2020)
The Invisible Man (1933) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Robot Monster (1953) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary
The Stewardesses (1969)
The Hole (2012) – Joe Dante’s US, Italian, British trailer commentaries, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Love (2015)
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams (2010)
McCabe And Mrs.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy (1955) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary
Monster A-Go-Go (1965)
Infested (2002)
Straw Dogs (1971) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Rod Lurie’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review, Joe Dante’s review
Straw Dogs (2011)
Mississippi Burning (1988)
The Ghost And Mrs. Muir (1947) – Axelle Carolyn’s trailer commentary
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Bad Boy Bubby (1993) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
The Mummy (1932) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
The Mummy (1999)
The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Slappy And The Stinkers (1998)
Casper (1995)
Invisible Man (2020)
The Invisible Man (1933) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review
Robot Monster (1953) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary
The Stewardesses (1969)
The Hole (2012) – Joe Dante’s US, Italian, British trailer commentaries, Dennis Cozzalio’s review
Love (2015)
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams (2010)
McCabe And Mrs.
- 7/5/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Dn last spoke with filmmaker Émile V. Schlesser last year for Superhero, an endearing portrait of a young man with Downs syndrome who adopts a heroic identity to confess a lifelong love. At its heart, it was a humbling drama about the masks we all choose to wear on a daily basis. For his latest short Kowalsky, however, Schlesser has successfully flexed his directorial abilities and ventured into a genre that couldn’t be further from the charming textures of Superhero, the world of comic satire. The film is a darkly twisted comedy about the toxic masquerade between the mother and son of a wealthy family whose fortune is crumbling around them. Dn is pleased to share Kowalsky for our audience today alongside an informative conversation with Schlesser where he outlines the melting pot of genre conventions that Kowalsky was born from alongside the screenwriting challenges he faced in creating unlikeable yet compelling characters.
- 6/14/2022
- by James Maitre
- Directors Notes
What happens the moment gunmen go South of the border in American westerns? Implied foreign policy, that’s what! Updating an old ‘MGM Video Savant’ article from 1999, CineSavant takes a look at a fistful of big Hollywood shoot-out epics that formed less-than-optimal public impressions of international relations. You know, the Friendly Neighbor Policy, only with guns. The essay rewrite was first reprinted at Lee Broughton’s Current Thinking on the Western page, ‘An Internet Resource for Scholars of the Western Worldwide.’
The Foreign Adventurism Western
CineSavant Article
Discussing the films
Vera Cruz (1954),
The Magnificent Seven (1960),
Major Dundee (1965),
The Professionals (1966),
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Directed by Robert Aldrich, John Sturges, Sam Peckinpah, Richard Brooks
While enjoying an escapist, ostensibly apolitical Hollywood western, did you ever get the feeling that the filmmakers were commenting on foreign policy?
Back in the early 1970s the best studies of American genre films seemed to emanate from English critics.
The Foreign Adventurism Western
CineSavant Article
Discussing the films
Vera Cruz (1954),
The Magnificent Seven (1960),
Major Dundee (1965),
The Professionals (1966),
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Directed by Robert Aldrich, John Sturges, Sam Peckinpah, Richard Brooks
While enjoying an escapist, ostensibly apolitical Hollywood western, did you ever get the feeling that the filmmakers were commenting on foreign policy?
Back in the early 1970s the best studies of American genre films seemed to emanate from English critics.
- 6/11/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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